Page 2 of Tell Me Again

I wade through the room, kicking off my shoes along the way. As I enter the bathroom, I pull my shirt off over my head and toss it toward the hamper in the corner. It totally misses, landing somewhere on the floor next to several others that are the same shade of dull blue and have the same aged logo that reads “Mel’s Diner” in big yellow block letters. I’ll clean it up. Later.

I turn on the shower, and the water shudders as it starts flowing, sputtering a murky brown before it clears up. I’ll figure that out later too. Hopefully soon. I’m not dead yet, even though it’s done that the whole five years I’ve lived here, so I assume it’s nothing too terrible.

Again, roof over my head. Better than nothing.

I strip down as the water “heats,” and then I step into the tiny stall, cursing under my breath as I bang my elbow against the wall. Every fucking time.

Fucking tiny shower.

Fucking Josh.

“Shit!” I pound my fist into the wall, ignoring the pain as my knuckles come in contact with the vinyl. Then I lean my head up against the wall and screw my eyes shut.

Which is also a fucking bad idea.

I immediately see him—his gorgeous blue eyes and sandy blond hair, his smile that seems to stretch on for miles, the dimple on his left cheek. His perfectly shaped nose and full lips and...

God, I’m hard already.

No. Not tonight. I won’t let myself do it tonight.

Not that I have a choice.

My hand is already on my dick, pumping away before I even give myself a chance to make a decision. I’m not proud of it, jerking off to a mental image of the man who used to be my best friend—until we went and fucking kissed.

But I’ve got no willpower.

“Godddddd!” I hiss as I come hard and fast, my load shooting all over the shower wall. I rest my arm on the wall and lean my head against it, breathing heavily. And then I curse and slam my fist into the wall again. This time, it fucking hurts, and little drops of red drip down onto the floor as my knuckles bleed.

I close my eyes for another moment and then straighten up under the stream of lukewarm water. I’d better hurry and finish before the water becomes ice.

Chapter Two

Josh

“It’s nice.”

“Babe, it’s not even close to nice.”

“Okay, yeah, it’s... not nice. But at least it’s not my parents’ house?”

I laugh at that as Brenna turns around and grins at me, her dark curls settling to neatly frame her face. “Yeah, I mean, that’s true, and you know, there’s only one bed. Soooo...”

She swats at me playfully, and I grab her wrist, pulling her closer as I bring it to my lips. I trail a slow path of kisses to her elbow and then set her arm up around the back of my neck.

Her grin has faded, and her eyes look serious now—like she knows what’s going on in my head, even if I don’t really know myself. Her fingers reach up to trace along my jaw, and she stretches up for a short kiss before pulling back.

“Something’s been bothering you since dinner,” she says quietly.

Ah right, that. I did know about that. Although I thought I’d hidden it pretty darn well. But she also knows me pretty darn well.

And this... is something I absolutely cannot tell her about.

“The burger was too greasy, you know? And I think maybe my allergies are acting up, being back here in the country.” Wow, the terrible lies come much too easily. But she also knows I’m full of shit.

“Josh.”

“Sorry, babe. I’m just tired.”

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