Page 85 of Melting the Ice

She didn’t drop my gaze, which had to count for something.

“Maybe a little. We’re having fun, and I drive you crazy, and we’re total opposites.”

“And we haven’t been doing this for long. And you don’t stay in one place for long.”

“I don’t,” she whispered.

“But I don’t care. I probably should, but I want to see where this is going. I want you to know how I’m feeling. And maybe…” I paused.

Fuck. Being vulnerable sucked.

Her breath was audible, but her smile widened. “This is crazy, but I’m falling for you, too. Turns out you’re not as boring as I thought you were.”

“It’s my naughty mouth, isn’t it?” I teased, trying to lighten the mood. I didn’t know a lot about her past relationships. Not that I wanted to, because I felt an overwhelming urge to kick each man she’d been with in the balls and then shake their hands for being idiots and letting her slip through their fingers.

“It’s so much more than that,” she murmured. Then she sighed.

“What?” I kept my palm along her jaw, needing the connection.

“Don’t be mad, but can we still not tell my brother? At least during this trip of his. We’re still new, and my family seriously judges everything I do. Ray’s not as bad as my parents, but he’sprotective of you, especially after Amaya. And you’ve been his best friend since you were kids.”

“What we have is so much more than anything I had with her or anyone since.” My ex was so far in the past and had nothing to do with how I felt about Josie. “Wouldn’t it be better for him to see how happy you make me?” I tried to keep my frustration at bay. I guess I understood, but it still rankled that she didn’t want to just tell her brother that we were together.

“I just don’t want to spring this on him as soon as he shows up. I know it doesn’t seem like me since I do love a good shock, but this is important to me. You’re important to me. Is that okay?”

It was weird seeing her nervous, but a perverse part of me felt like she really must have deep feelings for me to want to guard what we had.

“Okay, we’ll wait. You’ll crash at Harper’s and we’ll just act like friends when your brother’s around, but fair warning, any moment that we’re alone or out of his eyesight, I will not hold back with how much I want you.”

Heat flared in her eyes again. “I’m definitely on board for that.”

“I know that Ray is my best friend and your brother, but this is our lives, not his. We’ll deal with whatever his reaction is when the time is right. I’m not walking away from you any time soon, no matter how he feels.”

She linked her arms around my neck and pressed her chest against mine.

“You’re amazing,” she said softly.

“The feeling is mutual, Josie. Fuck, you’re perfect.”

And then I leaned in and sealed my lips to hers, pouring everything I had into our kiss. I hoped I could wipe away any doubts she had about what was between us.

Yeah, I said I was falling for her, but I’d already fallen.

Hard.

I was in love, but I wasn’t sure if she was ready to hear that just yet.

I’d give her some time. I didn’t want to freak her out.

But I also wasn’t going to keep this to myself forever.

JOSIE

I was still in a daze the following morning as I walked Lola, Oscar, and Sheldon. I had a few hours until it was time to pick up Ray. My head was in a spin from my conversation with Micah and everything he’d said to me.

Yes, he’d agreed to keep our relationship—because that’s clearly what we had right now—secret, but I knew he wanted to tell Ray the truth. Micah wasn’t good at deceiving his friends, and I felt guilty for not wanting to out ourselves yet. I was nervous about what would happen when the bubble popped.

And I hated that I was nervous. I prided myself on being confident and going after what I wanted—case in point,Micah—but I didn’t want this to blow up in my face.

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