Josh looked into his mug and smiled. “Sounds focused. Will there be a lot of people? Those things can have a high cost. You’ll want to make sure you get all the one-on-one attention you need.”
Her jaw dropped as a blistering-hot mental image of him giving her one-on-one attention made her panties even wetter than they already were.
Lucas nodded. “It’d be a shame if you came away from it unsatisfied.”
“Um…” Think, dummy! “The host is someone I know personally. I have a lot of trust in him, and I’m sure I’ll learn everything I need to know. I’ll be making a lot of contact—I mean contacts while I’m there.” Holy hell, stop with the double talk before you trip up!
Josh and Lucas glanced at each other, and then Josh’s gaze returned to her. The concern in his eyes was obvious. “Be careful, baby girl.”
B–B–baby girl? Her inner devil’s chin hit the floor. Lucas grinned and tipped her jaw closed.
She shook her head as her cheeks went red hot. “Sorry, I guess I’m more tired than I thought.” Guilt settled uncomfortably in her heart. It wasn’t like her to lie.
Without further question, Josh left a generous tip on the table, and rose from the booth, his solid six-foot frame looming over her as he held out his hand. Relief filled her now that it seemed the retreat conversation was over.
She accepted his gentlemanly help but felt a little empty when he released her hand as he turned to go pay the bill.
Lucas laid his hand on her hip. “I know he’s a little pushy sometimes. Forgive him?”
She frowned and shook her head. “There’s nothing to forgive. I understand he’s protective. I like both of you, but I’m not ready for anything serious. I fibbed when I said that relationship ended a while back. I only told him today to not call me anymore. It’s been building up to that for a long while. That’s what the phone call was about.”
Lucas nodded, and kissed her temple. His kiss, and the one he’d given her on the forehead earlier, was as dangerous to her heart as the heated looks Josh kept giving her. Her body clearly knew what it wanted, going by the state of her panties, but she needed to think with her head and not her heart, or other body parts.
He gathered her long hair into a loose bundle at her back, sending more delicate ripples of pleasure down her spine. “You’re a good person, Violet. A giver. That guy sounds like a taker, and I’m glad you set limits. Don’t worry about us. We’re patient men.”
Outside the restaurant, she hit the button on her vehicle remote, and Josh opened her door for her, his expression unreadable.
She didn’t know exactly where she stood with him, and she paused, wondering if she should apologize, thank him, or hug him, the awkwardness increasing by the second. She didn’t want to leave him on that note. “Umm…”
Josh looked into her eyes, his bedroom gaze sending all the butterflies in her stomach into aerial maneuvers. “What, baby girl?”
Oh God, he said it again.
She licked her lips, and her palms began to sweat. “In the spirit of seizing the day…and embracing my newfound freedom…could I kiss you, or um…”
Josh lifted an eyebrow. “Or what?”
“You could kiss me?”
Josh eased his weight from one booted foot to the other as he leaned in toward her, his hand resting on her car door. “If I kissed you, it wouldn’t be casual. Not by a long shot. I’m not playing the field. I already know what I want, but you’re just spreading your wings, wanting to experiment.” His body heat was palpable as he leaned in until his breath teased the hair at her temples. “But yes…I’d love to kiss you, when you’re ready.”
She stood perfectly still, her eyes wide and her lips parted, as his eyelids lowered and he breathed her in. He nudged her hair aside with his nose and his chin and nuzzled the flesh beneath her ear, sending an explosive heat wave from that sensitive spot through her entire body then ricocheting in her extremities before centering deep in her pelvis, making her throb as though she was ready to come.
When he pulled back, the hungry look in his eyes was a contrast to the satisfied smile on his lips. Despite the laws of gravity, she somehow remained standing as he moved back and murmured to Lucas that he’d go start the truck. She blinked and then shook her head, trying to clear away the dazed feeling.
Lucas kissed her knuckles. “Don’t get your feelings hurt. The reason he won’t kiss you isn’t because he doesn’t want to.”
“I didn’t mean to make him feel rejected.”
“Rejected is the last thing he feels. Now, with me, you saying stuff like you want to play the field is like waving a red flag at a bull. Just makes me even more determined.” With those words, he squeezed her to him tightly and planted a kiss square on her lips. Hard, hot, and fast.