Page 27 of A Soft Kiss in Summer
“Yes.”
“And…”
“And…I’m fine.”It was a complete lie, but he couldn’t make himself get up and crawl into bed with her.It wasn’t a large bed and it wouldn’t take more than a roll for her to know just how hard he was.
He shifted back to his side just so she couldn’t see how much he wanted her and hoped she let it drop.She was a temptation he didn’t want nor need, but damn his soul if that little devil on his shoulder wasn’t whispering to him to see where things would go.
He heard her lie back down and he blew out the breath he’d been holding.
“If you change your mind, the invitation is there.”
Spoken like a true vixen.Did she have any idea what was going through his mind right now?Surely she knew where an invitation like that would lead his male brain.Men thought about sex all day long, more so when a pretty woman was inviting him into her bed.
He tossed and turned half the night, his back aching to the point he wondered if he’d somehow broken it before finally sitting up long hours later.He propped his arms on his knees and stared at the bed.
If you change your mind, the invitation is there.
Violet's words whispered back through his head.He knew he shouldn’t even consider it but crawled to his feet anyway, grabbed his pillow, and crossed the room, sliding into the bed beside her fully dressed and sighing as the mattress cushioned his body.
He’d slept on the ground more times than he could count, but it seemed as if every year he grew older, the harder it was to do.He was barely thirty-two but felt ancient.
Violet rolled before he could brace himself and flung a leg and arm across his body.He recognized the shirt she was wearing almost immediately.It was one of his and at the moment, was riding high up on her leg to give him a glimpse of those stockings, the ribbon she had them tied with loose enough most of her thigh was showing.
He relaxed when she let out a small sound he could almost call a snore.Turning his head, he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent, his thoughts racing right back to her being naked and wanting him.When his cock started throbbing all over again, he knew he’d be lucky to get even a wink of sleep.
ChapterEight
Something heavy weighed her down.Violet woke slowly, her eyes still shut as she tried to figure out why she felt so confined.
She blinked her eyes open and saw nothing but darkness, but moving her head was enough for her to see Josiah laying beside her, his limbs wrapped around her as if he was afraid she’d get away.
She sucked in a breath and held it, waiting to see if he felt her move.When he didn’t even twitch, she exhaled and closed her eyes, savoring the feel of being in his arms.
How many times had she dreamed of this?Of waking up drowning in his scent?Feeling his body so close?
More times than she cared to remember.The only thing that put a damper on those feelings now was knowing it wasn’t real.That if her lie to Edwin hadn’t snowballed, she wouldn’t be in his bed right now with him and probably never would have been.
Even so, it didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy it while it lasted, and right now she was as blissfully happy as any new bride should be.Fake marriage or not, they really were married, and that knowledge alone made the little fantasies she’d made up over the years seem more real.
Of course, in her girlish fantasies, they would both be naked and laying skin to skin right now, but she’d take what she could get.
Josiah had one of her legs pinned between his own and he was leaning toward her, arms wrapped tightly around her, and the weight of his body holding her down was sublime.
She had no idea how long she laid there, breathing in his scent, before he finally stirred and she knew the instant he woke.His body stiffened, his breath held long moments before he relaxed and mumbled, “sorry,” as their eyes met.She felt the loss of him like a living thing when he rolled over and sat up.
He stood and headed to the stove, still wearing his clothes and socks from the previous day.He threw a few logs of wood into the cold stove and lit it before filling a coffeepot with water from the reservoir and tossing in coffee grounds.
She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, straightening her curls…and realizing the shirt she was wearing was pulled up around her waist.
Her face bloomed hot in an instant and she jerked the material down over her legs before pulling the sheets up to her waist.When she looked up, Josiah was staring at her.
“I don’t have much in the way of breakfast,” he said.“I usually eat over at Mabel’s boarding house if I wake up hungry.”
“Oh, well, I’m sure Daisy has breakfast started.We could eat there.”She realized in an instant she’d invited him to breakfast and wasn’t sure he’d accept.It wasn’t a strange request.In the eyes of those in town, they were married.Having breakfast together was a given.“Um, Graham will be there.He and Rose join us every morning.”
Something in his eyes told her he was going to refuse.His silence did as well.She tried to brush off the disappointment and watched him make his morning coffee before looking around the room.She could see it better now that light was shining through the curtains.It didn’t look much different than it had the night before.Bland.Lonely.But one question popped into her head.
How did he live here and not get depressed?
