Page 51 of Unforgettable

“Good night, bud. I love you more.”

“Not possible!” Zach hollered and then hung up the phone.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The moment Zach’s face disappeared, the large screen in front of us came to life.

Josh promptly locked his phone, tossed it down next to him, and used both of his arms to press me into his chest. I let him tuck me closer and reveled in the warmth of his body as the temperature of the night around us dropped.

And although I didn’t think Josh so much cared about Sam’s news, I could still feel the tension in him, which prompted me to ask, “You okay?”

“I’m great. Why?”

“Sam’s engaged.”

He made a less than enthused sound in the back of his throat. So, I tried another tactic. “Zach’s going to have a stepfather.”

Bingo.

His arm tensed around me, and I looked up just in time to watch his jaw tense and his eyes narrow into slits. The look was fleeting, but it was there, nonetheless. Betraying his thoughts about what would likely be a profound change in his own life, too.

“Yes, he is.” His voice was matter of fact, and his eyes didn’t look away from the screen that was rolling through movie trailers. Using my hand on his chest as leverage, I sat up. At eye level, it was easier to identify his unease.

“It’s okay to be worried, Josh.”

“I’m not worried. What Sam does with her life is her own business. I haven’t cared about her inthatway in years.”

I shifted again, finally pulling his attention from the screen. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

He sighed, pushed his beanie off of his head, and subsequently pushed a frustrated hand through his blond hair. After he’d tugged the hat back on, his hand found my hip once again and tugged me closer until my knees were pressed against the outside of his thigh.

“I know what you meant, but I don’t want to talk about it right now. It’s not really first-date worthy. You know? I just want to enjoy this time with you. We’ll only ever get one first date, and I don’t want to spend it talking about my ex.” A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips and with it, the weight of the heavier topic disseminated.

“I mean, I didn’t lie to Zach. I am having fun.”

That granted me a wider, Josh-like smile. As the first notes of “Oh, Pretty Woman” filtered from the speakers of the truck and the cars surrounding us, Josh hauled me closer to him. With little convincing, he had me straddling his lap and his hands were roaming over my back. One hand slipped beneath my jacket and my shirt, pressing against my warm skin with his cold fingers. I tried to retreat from his icy hand but ended up pushing my chest directly into his face.

“Josh, your fucking hands are freezing cold.Shit.” Pressing against his shoulders in an attempt to flee was futile.

He chuckled and weaved his other hand beneath my jacket, too, removing all the warmth from my skin. The cold of his fingers chilled me to the bone.

A shiver buckled down my spine as his hands slowly, and I meanslowly,began to warm.

“You’re such an asshole,” I pleaded.

“Can you blame me? Your skin is so soft,” he muttered, less than an inch away from my mouth. His hot breath ghosted over my slightly parted lips.

“We’re missing the movie,” I whispered back. My eyes fluttered shut the moment his lips connected with the corner of my mouth. His hands on my bare back were finally warm and an exquisite sensation on my skin.

“How many times have you seen it?”

“More than you can count, but that’s not the point.”

“Then what’s the point?” he asked, ready to negotiate and prove his point. But more than his words, it was his hands gently caressing tiny patterns on my back that were doing most of the convincing. And the effort to not press myself against his lap and feel him hard underneath me was overwhelming. Especially when I already knew how good it felt. How good it felt to have every part of him against every part of me.

The longer my thoughts lingered on it, the quicker the pulsing between my legs grew.

How did I constantly find myself in that position?

“I made myself a promise that I can’t go back on. I told myself that there wouldn’t be any sex involved. The physical stuff isn’t concerning; I already know I’m incredibly attracted to you,” I explained. And even though I was telling him he wouldn’t get further than first base (or was it second base? I could never remember), the confession that I was attracted to him earned me a small smile.

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