Page 105 of The Crush Next Door

As my heart beat wildly, she smiled like the Cheshire cat. "I love him. He is absolutely perfect for you."

I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God. "You really think so?"

"God, yes," she said with zero hesitation.

And then, the noise was upon us, guys swooping in to give us overly enthusiastic hugs, Dr. Haute making his way back over to stake his claim on Anaya, I was sure. With James' help, they finally dispersed into small groups, heading towards his jeep and several waiting Uber cars, leaving Josh and me all alone.

Without a word, we settled into my car, the sound of us buckling our seat belts loud in the sudden quiet. For some reason, I felt awkward as hell and totally unsure of myself, butterflies taking off deep in my belly.

Josh was giving me butterflies!

"So," I said, struggling for something to say as I backed out of the parking space. "How drunk are you?"

"S-so drunk," he slurred before laughing. "No. Just kidding. I only had a few beers. So not bad at all."

"Ah, okay." Maybe I needed a few drinks myself to get over this strange feeling I was experiencing. "So, um, you know..." Damn, what the hell was wrong with me?

I could feel Josh's questioning eyes on me. "Yeah? What's up?"

"So, um, I was wondering..." I paused at a stoplight and turned to face him. But what a mistake that was. Seeing his gorgeous face lit up by the remnants of the outside light only made it harder to breathe.

"Jess." He shot me a smile that made my heart leap. "Does this involve that present you mentioned earlier?"

Instantly, my cheeks were on fire with embarrassment. Reaching over, I kind of half-squeezed and half-shoved his knee, but all he did was laugh loudly, the sound filling up the car.

Why on earth did his knee feel so good? My hand crept up his leg a bit, and his laughter swiftly died.

Shit. I pulled my hand away like I had just touched the hottest flame. "Uh, sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Josh said, his voice deeper than usual.

Another awkward moment passed, the silence stretching onward as we turned onto our street. The tension between us was unreal. Was it just me? Or was Josh feeling it too?

He cleared his throat. "So what were you trying to say earlier? I'm really curious because I've never seen you, uh, have trouble talking before."

"What are you trying to say, bro?" I challenged. "That I talk a lot?"

"No. Not at all. You're as quiet as a mouse. Can't get a damn word out of you."

Giggling, I pulled into my space, trying to catch my breath while I turned off the engine. Josh began to open his door, but I grabbed his arm. "Hold on," I said.

His surprised eyes caught mine in the dim light from the underground garage. "You finally going to tell me?"

My hand still on his forearm, I gave him a good squeeze. "Yes, I am. You tool."

"Hey, now. That's not nice," he said, laughing. "So spit it out."

I cursed under my breath. Why was this so difficult? "All right. Since you asked so nicely. What I'd like to know is if you'd want to come over, you know, to continue the bday celebration?"

His eyebrows raised up. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah, maybe eat, have a few beers. I made a little cake for you."

For a moment, he didn't answer, and I wondered what was going through his head. Finally, he said, "I'd love that."

Relief flooded through me. I'd hung out with Josh hundreds of times, but tonight was different. Tonight, I was determined to do something about this tension between us. And God help me, this time, I wouldn't get rejected.

"I need to walk Magic first," Josh said. "And maybe take a shower."

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