She bit her bottom lip, blinking back tears.
Meg wasn’t a crier. Her almost-tears destroyed him.
She finally whispered, “Would you hold me? Just until I fall asleep?”
That’s what she’d struggled to ask for? He’d thought she was about to ask for his left kidney. His anger with her totally vaporized. “Absolutely.”
He stripped to his boxers, then slipped beside her and pulled her against his chest. “Will you do something for me now?”
“Depends. You’re sneaky.” She snuggled closer. “I’m not agreeing to anything in advance.”
“I want a date this weekend. A real one. Just me and you.”
“Can’t. I already have plans. Friday, Pam’s hosting a girls’ night. And Saturday is the annual Anderson Butte Founder’s Day celebration. All Andersons are required to attend.”
He waited to see if she’d connect the dots, but wasn’t going to do it for her.
She sighed. “Oh. That’s right. I’m not an Anderson, am I?” Meg turned in his arms and faced him. “But I guess I always will be, on paper. I’d like it if you went with me and Haley.” She laid a quick kiss on his lips. “I don’t usually put out on the first date, but I might make an exception in your case.”
“Does that mean you’re willing to give me a real chance now?”
“I’ve been thinking about that all night. Of all the men who have hurt me . . . you wield the sharpest blade, Josh.”
He rolled on top of her to drive his point home, and stared into her pretty eyes. “That I yelled at you shows your blade isn’t a dull one either. But for me, I know it’s because I love you, Meg.”
She closed her eyes and huffed out a breath. “Even though I’m probably going to regret this, I’ll try. To forgive you and have a relationship. But you should know that my grandmother will shoot you dead if you hurt me again.”
No doubt she would. A few others in town might too. “Not going to be a problem.” She’d understand why he had to lie to her when the truth came out. He hoped.
“We’ll see.” She gave him a squeeze. “Night.”
“Night.” He flipped their positions and tucked her head under his chin. How he was going to keep things G-rated with her hot body so near his all night he didn’t know, but he’d finally gotten a real commitment from her.
A big step in the right direction.
Meg blinked her eyes open, spotting a steaming mug of coffee on the nightstand. But the sound of the shower running a few feet away was more tempting than even her beloved first hit of caffeine in the morning. Josh was naked and wet in there.
When she’d woken a few times in the night, Josh’s arms had still been wound around her.
Because Josh was pretty much a twenty-minute-cuddle kind of guy, she’d only asked him to stay until she fell asleep, never expecting him to hold her all night long. Her heart glowed warmly at that, but her body ached for him.
She opened the nightstand drawer, hoping Josh had thought ahead and bought condoms. When she spotted a mighty Trojan warrior she smiled and scooped up a package. Reconsidering, she grabbed two.
After throwing the covers back, she drew Josh’s big T-shirt over her head and then slipped out of her panties. The shower was a small one, but they’d make it work. Josh had always been inventive in tight spaces.
Just the side of Josh’s head was visible above the shower door, but the outline of his big, muscular body through the frosted glass sent heat pooling between her legs. His head swiveled in her direction just as she pulled the door open and slipped between him and the stream of water.
When the arctic spray hit her back, it stole the air from her seizing lungs. “What . . . the . . . ?” She turned around and reached for the hot water handle. It was completely off, so she turned it up all the way, unable to draw a full breath until the water warmed. She tossed the condoms in the soap dish, then faced him again, annoyed by his big smirk. “Jeez, you could’ve warned me!”
“It was more fun this way.” Still chuckling, he drew her against his hard, wet, freezing chest, sending a chill racing up her spine. It was probably how Bella felt when Edward the vampire held her in that movie. Although Edward didn’t have all of Josh’s big, sexy muscles.
When his cold skin hardened her nipples, Josh groaned. “You being here is defeating the purpose of my cold shower.”
“That was the plan.” As her mouth found his, she pressed her needy, aching breasts harder against his chest and slipped her arms around him. Her hands moved lower and found his perfect ass, giving it a soft squeeze. God, she’d missed his fantastic body.