Page 22 of Joshua
Chapter Nine
Hazel
Nurse Hottie: Good “morning.” I hope your day is going well.
I read the text a second time and toss my phone on my bed. Shoving my fingers into my hair, I pace the length of my room. I’m exhausted. After returning home from my visit with Joshua, I crawled in bed. Only, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned most of the night. I even reached for my vibrator, hoping an orgasm would help me fall asleep.
It didn’t.
Eventually I read for a couple hours before finally dragging my ass into the shower and washing the sleep off my face. My head and heart will not quit. The situation with Sabrina—if you could even call it that—spurned some questions. Joshua explained his side, and to be honest, I believe him.
Trusting him isn’t what is making me nuts though. No, if that were the case, I could talk my way through it all, confront him and come to a conclusion. Point A to Point B until I arrive at Point C? Easy.
Nope. Things aren’t easy. They’re messy.
Confessing how much he liked me melted my heart. No, it created hundreds of little fissures as it opened my organ. Now it sat in my chest cavity, completely vulnerable and susceptible to infection.
Joshua has a real chance to hurt me. Sabrina was crushed by a simple misunderstanding. Me? Shit, I’ve spent time with him, we’ve shared our hopes and dreams, and we’ve kissed. If this goes south, I’ll be useless until I can pull myself together, piece by shattered piece.
I’m fucking terrified.
But see, it’s not only the fear. I miss him.
I want to see him now. He has a few hours before he returns for another shift. I need to either be as open with him as he has with me, or I need to shut this shit down.
Stopping midstep, I lose my balance and fall onto my mattress. Shutting it down would remove Joshua from my life. It’s too damn early to be in love, but it’s around the corner, creeping up on me.
Rolling onto my belly, I grab hold of my phone and unlock it. I suck in a deep, calming breath. I accepted a relationship with my vibrator because I refused to force things. Deciding fate would intervene, I continued on with my life.
I’ve always wanted to find someone who made me happy, a person I could love and be loved by. Create a team to take on the world and eventually the little rascal terrorists we’d create. Joshua might be that man. He sure checks off many boxes. Bailing because I’m scared isn’t who I am. My parents didn’t raise a coward.
Hazel: I miss you. Do you have any plans before work?
“I am woman, hear me roar,” I mutter. If this doesn’t work in my favor, I’ll pick myself up and go on. Walking away from a potentially perfect-for-me guy? That’s insanity.
Nurse Hottie: Miss you too… I don’t. Want to hang out? I’d love to see you.
I grin before sucking in a breath and blowing out the anxiety-driven craziness from within.
Hazel: Come over?
Nurse Hottie: And spend time with you? Let me think about it.
My brows knit with confusion but before I can speak another text appears.
Nurse Hottie: Send me the address again. I’ll be ready in twenty.
After texting it, I jump in the shower. A bubble of excitement fills me, and I hurry through a thorough scrub down. It always pays to be prepared.
Once I’m done, I tidy my place and decide on cooking us a late brunch. I’m pulling two plates from the cabinet when I hear a knock at the door. My stomach flips, and I hurry to let him in.
Joshua looks down my body with appreciation, and mine trail the lines of his lean body, starting at his slightly damp hair to his T-shirt and cargo shorts and ending at his running shoes. When my gaze returns to his face, I’m gifted with the best smile.
“Hi, baby!”
Stepping into him, I offer my lips. His head lowers, and we share a slow, sweet kiss. “Hi.” I breathe against his mouth. I imagine my grin is goofy with the giddiness at seeing him. “Come in.” I step back, but instead of following, he offers his hand. In it is a bouquet of wild flowers he somehow hid from me. “Oh! They’re beautiful! Thank you, Joshua!”
Kissing the pleased smile off his face, I wrap my arms around his neck and breathe him in. We part after a moment, and he follows me inside.
