Page 10 of Unforgettable

“What about the last one?”

“But, Dad, I don’t have my toothbrush with me!”

I laughed, my martini almost coming out of my nose.

“We have one you can use,” Miles chimed in, coming to stand next to his friend.

Josh suppressed a laugh, scrubbing a hand over his jaw, but nodded. “Okay, go. I love you.”

“I love you, too!” Zach squealed as he sprinted out of the reception hall, with Miles and Amber following close behind while Delilah struggled to keep up. I wished I had that much energy still or was that excited about a sleepover.

“He’s so much like you it’s scary.”

Josh didn’t seem to appreciate the comment the way I meant it—they both loved life and were enthusiastic and outgoing. Josh exuded happiness and a sense of calm.

“He’s better than me.”

“What does that mean?” I said. I was prepared to tear down each of his arguments and prove his statement incorrect, but he waved me off.

“Let’s go talk,” he said, placing a hand on the small of my back and leading me to one of the side doors of the ballroom.

“Right now?” I asked but let him lead me into the corridor. The door swung swiftly closed behind us, shutting out the party and the loud music. Although he didn’t leave me much of a choice, I wasn’t going to argue. Our interaction from that morning stayed with me even through all of the wedding excitement—my curiosity was killing me.

I wasn’t sure if Josh had any idea where he was going, but we took a right and then another right until we ended up in a room similar to the one Reed and I had found ourselves in the night before. It was slightly smaller, with fewer tables and less ornate decor on the walls, but it was just as dark and private.

I stepped inside, nervous energy coursing through me as Josh closed the door, plunging us into further darkness. Luckily, it was light enough to navigate the web of tables, and I set my drink down on one closer to the center of the room after taking a long sip.

It wasn’t until I set my glass down that I noticed my hands shaking slightly, and it wasn’t because the temperature in the room was colder than the rest of the building. I was terrified of what Josh wanted to talk about. What he might have wanted to tell me.

And my nerves weren’t calmed at all when I turned to find Josh standing in the middle of the room, hands in his pockets, gazing at the floor. The muted light of the room cast shadows across his body. There was something to it—the way he was holding himself—that made my feet move of their own volition.

I stopped in front of him, the short train of my fitted black dress flowing behind me. My feet landed right where he was staring a hole into the carpet, and his eyes trailed up my body appreciatively until he looked me in the eyes. In the dark room, they appeared more green than blue, and I had the overwhelming urge to inspect them closer.

“I can’t decide if it was God or the devil himself who made you this tempting and undeniably gorgeous.”

I didn’t know what I expected him to say, but it wasn’t that. Especially not in his low, husky voice that somehow sounded even better in the near darkness. Then he stepped forward and brushed a stray curl out of my eyes that had likely fallen when my mouth dropped open.

“Because,” he continued. “On the one hand, you’re an angel. But on the other hand, you’re a siren. I feel like you’re luring me in, and I have no control over your pull, even if I know it likely won’t end well.”

My breath caught as Josh’s hand slid from my face down my neck. He ran his thumb down the center of my throat, feeling as I swallowed nervously.

“Is that what you wanted to tell me?” I asked in a shaky voice when he hadn’t continued speaking and only stared at where his thumb stilled on my pulse point.

“No.” He smiled, shifting his focus from my chest to my face. Josh was only slightly taller—maybe an inch or two—than Reed, but I felt like he was a million feet tall as he looked down at me through hooded eyes. “I wanted to tell you that this isn’t working.”

“What isn’t working?” And the award for the most confusing conversation went to…

“Trying to stay away from you.”

“We see each other at least weekly, if not every other day, Josh. I’m not sure I understand—”

He shook his head. “I mean, trying to stay away from you the way I want to be around you.” My brow was furrowed in confusion, and Josh smoothed it with his thumb, chuckling to himself. “Obviously, I’m not making any sense based on your facial expression. Let me try this another way.”

He reached up with both of his hands and cupped my face, not hesitating for a moment as his lips found mine. His kiss was urgent and forceful and perfectly communicated the words he couldn’t find.

I felt it throughout my entire body. Each time his tongue brushed against my own, I wanted more. It had been so long since I experienced his skillful lips, and the urgency was propelled by the time we’d spent holding ourselves back.

My intention was to wrap my arms around his midsection and pull him closer, but my hands brushed against his toned stomach, and I couldn’t resist raking my nails up and down the shallow indentations of his abs through his white shirt. He sucked in a quick breath, followed by a deep moan that emerged from the back of his throat.

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