Page 41 of Fever

“Mmhmm,” Selena said. “You ain’t fooling nobody, honey. Not even yourself.”

“You didn’t have to drop me off. Carla would’ve been okay taking me home.”

Josiah cut the engine and turned to me. “I know that, but I wanted it to be me that made sure you got home safely.”

I nodded. “I get it. Appearances and all that jazz.” I turned my eyes toward my front door.

“Santana.”

Looking back, I arched my brows. “Yes, Josiah.”

“Everything isn’t about appearances.”

“Okay…”

“I enjoy your company. I’m cocky enough to think if we didn’t have this arrangement going, we’d still hang out.”

I chuckled. “At least you admit you’re cocky.”

He offered me an easy grin. “Am I wrong?”

“About being cocky?”

His hands covered mine. “No. Am I wrong about us being around each other in the event that this agreement is cut short.”

For some odd reason, I felt a pain of sadness at the thought of it. But I quickly relinquished it to give Josiah a reasonable answer.

“I don’t see why not. We’re good together.”

His hand lifted and cruised up to my neck, face, then chin. His touch was wielding an undisguised caress against my skin. I swallowed thickly and attempted to ban the thoughts of love that permeated my mind.

“Yes, we are,” he responded.

The glow of his cell phone illuminated our space as it rang. Josiah lifted it from the dashboard and silenced it. I sat back, away from his contact and cleared my throat.

“Well, I guess I better get going.”

“I’ll walk you to the door.”

As I stepped out of his Infiniti, I took in a gulp of air. The night was still and quiet, and street lamps lit up the sidewalk. No cars were on the road, and that was to be expected. It was past three a.m. The alcohol I’d consumed throughout the night left me with a slight stir. I strolled around the car and met Josiah on the curb. He reached for my hand, and I gave it to him. A soft albeit demanding tug from him had me in his arms in seconds, and again I found myself holding on to him to steady my footing.

“You know I’ve had one too many drinks for that type of abruptness,” I said.

“I wouldn’t let you fall, trust me.”

I peered up at his smile, and the energy around us swirled. Clearing my throat again, I linked my arm into his and stood by his side as we walked to my front porch.

“I thought I left that porch light on?” I said, staring at the dark bulb.

“It’s humming,” Josiah said, “You need a new one.”

“Hmm, that’s something I’ll have to fix tomorrow.”

“If you have an extra light, I can take care of it for you now.”

“Oh, don’t bother. It’s late.”

“I don’t mind.”

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