Page 15 of The Boyfriend Goal

I’m keenly aware we’re in an ice cream shop. But I’m pretty sure I’ve stopped caring since I invite him a little closer. He moves in, nudging my knees a little wider so he can stand between my thighs. Good thing I’m sitting because the move turns my legs to jelly.

Our tongues skate together. He presses more firmly on my jaw, tipping my head back the slightest bit. The move makes me shudder.

And that seems to turn him on more, judging from the passion in the kiss, the wrap of his arm around my back.

He murmurs as he kisses me, a desperate kind of growl that sends me spinning. I lift a hand and grab at the open neckline of his dress shirt. He kicks up the kiss a few notches. Then, like it costs him every ounce of control, he ends it and yanks himself away. His eyes are dark. His breathing is staggered.

“How did it taste?” I ask.

“I might need to try it again…and again…and again.”

Same here. This is it. This is absolutely it. He’s item number one. “There’s something I’ve always wanted to do but never have,” I say, and nothing is going to stop me now.

His irises say go the fuck on. “Yeah?”

I pause, then find my courage as I tackle the first item on my list. “Have a one-night stand with a sexy stranger.”

6

THE FIRST CHECKMARK

Josie

It’s a weird thought—my aunt would be so proud of me. But it lodges in my brain as we take off, Wesley grabbing my hand and threading those long fingers through mine.

He holds it tight, possessively. I like it.

On the street, Wesley says, “Your place, mine, or a hotel? And the hotel’s on me.”

From the clothes to the ice cream to the room, I’m sensing a pattern with this man. He’s…giving. Part of me wants to do the polite thing and decline, but I’m mixing it up tonight big time. “Since I’d rather not get stabbed in the ass with a couch spring, let’s do the hotel.”

He gives me a what the hell look.

“My friend has a couch with a bad spring,” I quickly explain. “But do you have condoms and are you…safe?”

I’ve read plenty of articles, including “Top Twenty Tips for Having a Great One-Night Stand” on The Dating Pool website. Being safe in all the ways is one of them.

“Yes. Negative. And I have condoms.”

“Me too. The first, that is,” I say.

Ten minutes later, he’s at the front desk of The Resort, a nearby hotel. I give him some space to check in, since it seems eaves-droppy to be right next to him as the clerk informs him of the mini-bar costs and how much incidentals are.

I hang back next to a waterfall structure, with a gurgling stream sluicing against a black stone wall, as Wesley chats amiably with the man behind the counter. Wesley’s that kind of guy. He has an easy, friendly way about him with everyone from the guy in the ice cream shop to the clerk.

As they chat, I text Maeve.

Josie: I’m at The Resort!

Maeve: I know, my little tiger! I know! And I can’t wait for your report.

Josie: Don’t wait up.

Maeve: Best words ever, bestie. Especially since it’s way past your bedtime.

Yup, I’m definitely getting out of my comfort zone tonight with Mister Asset Management. Once he’s checked in, he strides across the lobby, flipping the key card between his thumb and forefinger over and over. He doesn’t miss it once. Those are some nimble fingers.

“Ready?”

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