Page 45 of Unraveling the Truth About Love
Chapter Nineteen
RILEY ANSWERED THE door wearing what Josh knew were her favorite skinny jeans, which she’d worn confidently in Colorado and hadn’t worn since being in New York, a sheer, red drop-neck blouse, and a single gold necklace draped across her collarbone. She stood on her tippy-toes to kiss him, and Josh laid a hand on her hip.
“Wow, Ri. You look scorching hot,” he said. “I haven’tseen you in skinny jeans since we were in Colorado.”
“The idea of being with Max and Treat made me feel a little closer to home, and the way you relish my body replenished my confidence in my curves,” she admitted.
“I do love your curves.” He ran his hand down her hip and squeezed her butt. “You look almost as hot as you did in your scruffy outfit,” he teased. “Almost. There’s nothing like sweatpants.”Josh headed for the kitchen with an armful of take-out Italian food and wine.
“Thanks. I was gonna wear the sweats, but I didn’t want to tempt your brother too much.” She followed Josh into the kitchen.
“I doubt anyone could tempt Treat away from Max.” He set the bags on the table and began removing the hot containers of food. “I’ve got mussels, fresh bread, pasta. Oh”—he held up two bottlesof wine—“and wine, of course.”
“Everything smells delicious,” Riley said.
Josh opened the wine and poured two glasses, handing her one. He thought of their first date and how nervous she’d looked when they were in the kitchen together. Being with her now, he could hardly believe it had been only a few days. He felt like Riley had always been in his life.
“Don’t you want to wait for Treat andMax?” she asked.
“Nope. This toast is to us. We’ve survived secrecy,” he said, and kissed her lightly on her lips.
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that.” She ran her finger around the rim of her glass.
“Okay. Want to go sit in the living room?” Josh’s stomach tightened. He still didn’t have a backup plan in case his staff found out about their relationship, and the more he thought abouthow hurt Riley might get when they went public, the more he fretted about it.
They sat on the couch in the living room. Riley sat with her glass between her hands, her eyes trained on the wine. He watched her purse her lips, blink several times, and then draw in a deep breath.
“Did something happen at the office today that I should know about?” he asked. He was sure he’d have heard about itif someone had found out about them, but Riley wasn’t the type to run to him for help.
“No, not really. I just…”
She looked up at him and there was no mistaking the warmth and desire in her eyes. The edges of her lips lifted; her eyebrows drew together. She set her drink down and took his hand in hers.
“I think I want to let people know about us,” she said.
Josh opened his eyes wide. “Wow.I didn’t expect that,” he admitted. He’d begun to think that she was right to keep things a secret for a while longer.
“I know. Neither did I, but this morning in the shower, something hit me, and I just knew that you were the person I wanted to be with. Keeping it a secret feels like we’re doing something wrong, and not in a good way.” She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
Josh thoughthe saw a flash of hesitation. His stomach twisted and his heart ached. He was conflicted. He’d wanted to tell the world about them, but after spending days trying to figure out the best way to approach it, he still came up empty. The more he thought about it, the more he worried about her career.
He was silent for a beat too long, and Riley pulled back from him. “You don’t want to, do you?”
“I do. I’m just…I’m worried about you, Ri. Any way I cut this thing, you get labeled. I don’t, but you do, and I hate knowing that it might turn your life upside down.” The pain that crossed her face killed him, but he knew he was right. They would find a way to deal with the staff, but they had to figure it out before they revealed their relationship.
“Right. Well, if I’m willing to risk it,shouldn’t you be?” She held his stare. “You’re not ready. I get it. Okay.” She laughed under her breath. “I definitely didn’t expect this.” She stood up.
Josh grabbed her hand. “Babe, sit back down, please.”
“It’s a bit humiliating, don’t you think? To learn that your boyfriend…wait…maybe you realized that you don’t want that?” Her eyes filled with tears.
“No, Riley, no.” He stood and tookher in his arms. “I’ll do whatever you want. I only want to protect you. I’m happy to go into work tomorrow and tell everyone. I’ll send out a press release if you want me to. I am only concerned because you were worried about your career, and I get that. You have a reason to worry. This industry is not very forgiving, or very accepting.”
Riley flopped down on the couch. “This is so hard, Josh.When I’m with you, I really want to be with you—publicly, I mean—and when I’m at work, I see very clearly where the issues lie. But how many times can we beat this dead horse? We either have to jump in with both feet or…”
“Or?”Don’t even say it.
“Or sneak around, using your sister’s apartment as a love nest, I guess.” She smiled.
