Page 37 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
He nodded and headed outside.The shirt she’d worn to bed the night before was still on the trunk, and the small washstand in the corner already held a few washcloths and drying towels on the small shelf underneath it.
Josiah came back inside and poured half the water in the large washing bowl, and set the rest down by the door.He grabbed a change of clothing and picked the bucket back up.“I’ll go to the jail to wash.I’ll knock before coming back in.”
She blushed at the remark.The last time he’d barged in on her, she’d been all but naked and he’d seen it all.
Not wasting the time she had, she stripped out of her dress and washed and slipped the over-sized shirt on before crawling into the bed.She slid all the way over to the wall, wondering if it was even necessary.Would Josiah join her again in the bed or sleep on the floor?Or stay in the jail now that Edwin wasn’t here to see him sleeping in there?
She got the answer to those questions a few minutes later when there was a knock on the door.“Come in.”
Josiah stepped into the room and set the empty bucket on the floor, his dirty clothes shoved down into it.He glanced at her, took in the room she’d left for him in the bed and never said a word before blowing out all the lamps and sitting down beside her to remove his boots.
When he settled back on the pillows, their arms brushing, she stared at the ceiling.Her conversation with Daisy came back to her in an instant.
Her sister suggested she act like a wife and, at the moment, doing so would take nothing more than rolling over and draping an arm around his waist.Would he protest if she did?Would he push her away if she trailed a hand down to the button of the trousers he’d left on?
Her face heated at the thought.She’d never seduced a man and didn’t want to start today.Besides, if Josiah rejected her, she’d die of humiliation.
Rolling over to her side, she put her back to him and stared at the wall, contemplating her options.How did she get Josiah to want her as much as she wanted him?
And how did she ensure he’d want to keep her forever?
ChapterEleven
There was soft, warm flesh pressed against him.Josiah inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of wildflowers, and opened his eyes to find his face buried in Violet’s hair.
That wasn’t the only thing he noticed.Her back was pressed against his front and his hand was up under her shirt, his palm cupping one generous bare breast and it only took seconds for his body to respond.
His cock ached instantly, and it took every ounce of willpower he had not to squeeze the mound of flesh in his hand or thrust his hips into her luscious backside.
He slowly pulled his hand away, groaning to himself when her nipple hardened, his fingertips brushing against the bud as he did.
He slowly extracted himself from the bed, slipped on his boots, and made for the door as quickly and quietly as he could.
The air still had a bit of chill to it this early in the morning and it helped clear his head a bit.He headed for the outhouse before venturing into the jail and lighting the lamp.Then he stood staring at nothing in particular.
This fake marriage was starting to get to him.Waking up with Violet in his bed was something he could get used to which meant he needed to put a stop to it.Now.
He checked his desk for any notes anyone might have left the evening before and found none, which meant his day was pretty much free.He could head into Elkin and find that preacher to see if he’d filed the marriage certificate with the local judge there and, if not, burn it as if the wedding never took place.It would solve his current dilemma in an instant.
But what about Violet?
He blew out a breath and pulled out the chair behind his desk and sat down.“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.What would happen if and when Edwin caught wind of their marriage, no longer being an issue?
He’ll come back to Silver Falls and pester her to no end.He was almost positive of it but was it really his problem?
No.It's not.
He could tell her to fix her own mess and go about his merry way, walking the town on the daily, eating his meals at Mabel’s while listening to her gossip and sleeping in his small bed without having to share it with anyone.
But truth be told, he liked sharing meals with her and he definitely liked waking up surrounded by the scent of her and feeling her plush curves pressed so intimately with his own.
Stop thinking with your cock.
He blew out another breath and stood.He needed to get to Elkin and take care of this before he did something stupid like…consummate his marriage.
Heading out of the jail, he hurried to the livery stable, saddled his horse and was riding out of town before a single soul in town was stirring.
If he was lucky, he’d be back before the sun set.
