Friendship on Fire(14)

Her phone vibrated against her cheek, and she clicked the Talk button. “Hello?”

“You were supposed to call me last night.”

“Jade, thank God,” Riley whispered frantically into the phone as she climbed from the bed. She didn’t know if Josh was outside the bedroom door, still in the apartment.

“What’s wrong?” Jade asked.

“Nothing. Everything. Hold on.” She set the phone on the nightstand and pulled on a T-shirt and underwear, then picked it back up. “It was a definite date.”

“Why are we whispering?” Jade whispered.

“Because I can’t remember saying goodbye to Josh after…you know.”

“You and Josh?” Jade screamed into the phone. “Really? This is wonderful!”

“No, it’s not. I mean, it’s wonderful, yes, but it’s also scary as shit.” She tiptoed into the living room and, seeing that she was alone, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Why is it scary?”

“Because. Now I’m sleeping with my boss, and you know Cruella will eat that up and spit me out for all to walk on.” Riley noticed a note on the counter in the kitchen. “Hold on,” she said as she retrieved and read the note.

Good morning, beautiful. Back soon. J.

“Oh my God.”

“Riley, clue me in here,” Jade urged.

“It’s a note from Josh. He’s coming back. What time is it?” The sun was just beginning to rise over the crest of the trees.

“Six your time,” Jade said.

“Isn’t it like four in the morning there? Jeez you get up early to take care of those animals. Why would he leave and then come back before six in the morning?” Riley went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. There was a freshly used towel hanging neatly on the towel rack. “He showered,” she said.

“And you what? Slept through him getting ready and leaving after you had sex?” Jade’s voice carried an entertained tone.

“Ugh. I must have. I don’t even know what time we fell asleep.”

“That’s some good sex,” Jade said. “Really, think about it. When’s the last time you had sex and didn’t want to push the guy out the door afterward? You’re not exactly the sleepover type.”

“Shut up. It’s not like I’m a slut,” Riley spat.

“No, but you are picky as shit, which tells me one thing loud and clear. Josh Braden is good in bed.”

Riley turned off the water of the shower and sat on the toilet lid, thinking about the evening before. Josh had touched her with such care and attention, like he was savoring every moment as much as she’d been. “He was, but it was more than that. When you and Rex finally got together for good, did you feel like everything he did felt right?”

“What do you mean? He’s a man, and no man does everything right.” Jade laughed.

“No, I mean like every touch felt right. With most guys, when they touch you, they’re rushing ahead and ready for the next step. You know, kiss, boob, coochie, boom. It wasn’t like that with him.” Open your eyes. A chill ran up her spine with the memory.

“Sometimes that’s nice, the rush, rush of hot sex, but yeah, I know what you mean. So, what now? How will you handle Cruella?”

Riley blew out a breath. “That’s the worst part. I told him I’d rather sneak around than let her know.”

“No, you did not.”

“Yes, I did. Oh, Jade. I’m such an idiot. He was ready to talk to her and tell her that we were seeing each other, and I kinda freaked out about being seen as the woman who slept her way to the top.”

“Well,” Jade said, “if you’re gonna sleep your way to the top, you skipped all the in-between steps.”

“Shut up. You know what I mean. I want to be taken seriously. Yes, I’m sleeping with Josh, but I’m not doing it to advance my career.” Riley wondered if she’d made a mistake following her heart instead of her head. “I should end it, shouldn’t I? Before we get any closer?” Even the thought of ending things with Josh brought a lump to her throat.

“Look, if Rex and I can overcome a family feud that had gone on for longer than we’d been alive, then you and Josh can survive rumors. Tell me this. What do you really feel for him?”

Riley shook her head. “I don’t know. I like him. A lot. Maybe more than a lot, but maybe that’s just because it’s new and exciting. You know how that works. Sometimes, after a month or so, that initial glow wears off. What if it does and then I’ve ruined my career for good?”

“You know you’re only kidding yourself, right?” Jade asked. “You’ve liked him since grade school. This isn’t new. It’s just now revealed. How can you deceive your own mind like that?”

Riley sighed. “I’m not. Okay, maybe I am. It’s like all those years of watching him from afar—”

“Fantasizing about him late at night,” Jade said.

“Maybe.”

“I did about Rex, so I know you did about Josh.”

“Fine, okay. I fantasized about him since the day my hormones kicked in, and the fantasies only grew stronger every time I saw him. It was easier when I was away at school. Then I could sort of put those thoughts away for a bit,” Riley admitted.

“I know the feeling, but, Ri, this is real. This is happening, and you know you don’t want to end it,” Jade said.

A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.

“Someone’s at the door. That has to be him. I gotta go. Talk later?” Riley asked.

“Yes, and, Ri?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s nothing wrong with following your heart. Let yourself be happy.”

Riley set the phone down and answered the door.

“Hi.” Josh kissed her on the cheek and handed her a warm Starbucks cup. He breezed past her like he’d been handing her coffee every morning. He wore a pair of jogging shorts and a sweaty T-shirt and carried a garment bag and a gym bag over his shoulder.

“Hi.” Riley closed the door and leaned against it, holding the warm cup between her hands. Let me be happy. The warmth of the cup didn’t compare to the warmth in her heart as she watched Josh in all his incredible handsomeness swing the bags onto the couch and come toward her with open arms. When he wrapped her in his strong arms, his skin was icy cold and slick with sweat, and still, when he kissed her, she nearly melted, and when he whispered, “I missed you,” into her ear, she was a goner. There was no way she’d end things with Josh to save herself from gossip. She froze against him. What was she supposed to do now? Go to work and act like nothing happened between them, like she’d basically asked him to do? How could she do that when what she really wanted to do was fall into his arms again and kiss him like there was no tomorrow.

“You okay?” he asked. “Is the coffee all right?”

“Yeah, perfect,” she said.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” His brow furrowed, and the concern in his eyes was genuine.

How could she tell him what was racing through her mind?

“Riley? Am I missing something? Should I have not come back?” he asked.

“No, no. It’s not that. It’s just…” I like this too much. I want to wake up to you. I want you to bring me coffee. I just don’t want to be known as the woman who made her career by sleeping with you.

“Babe? What is it?”

Oh God, babe? I love that.

Riley turned away so he couldn’t read her expression. She knew her eyes revealed her emotions. Jade had told her that hundreds of times.

She felt his arms around her. He rested his cheek against hers.

“Whatever it is, we can figure it out,” he assured her.

Riley sighed. “Do you really want to do this?” Why do I sound so scared? God, I hate that.

“This? You mean”—he pressed his body against hers and kissed her cheek—“or this as in you and me in general?”

“This as in you and me in general.” Please tell me you do. No, please tell me you don’t. Ugh!

He pulled back and narrowed his eyes. “Forget what I want, Riley. What do you want? What will make you happiest? I don’t ever want to thrust myself upon you. If you don’t want to explore what’s between us, I’ll understand, and your job will be safe.”

“No.” She reached for his arm and felt his muscles tense beneath her fingers. “Josh, there’s no doubt in my mind that I want you, and I don’t want to hide and scheme. But I don’t know if I can survive a gossip storm before I even have a chance to prove myself.”

He pulled her close once again, holding the back of her head so her cheek rested against his chest, safe and warm.

“Oh, babe. This is not an easy thing to figure out.” He pulled back and smiled, then cupped her cheek and kissed her. “But I want to figure it out. Let’s talk about it.” He took her hand and led her to the couch.

“Where’d you go this morning?” she asked.

“Running; then I swung by my place and grabbed clothes and toiletries.”

“You ran with your bags?” she asked.

“No. Jay brought them over. I didn’t want you to think I was taking off after last night, but I’m kind of neurotic about my daily run. Was it okay that I came back?”