Page 37 of Long Story Short

Josie doesn’t seem to notice. She takes a sip from four more of the coffees before I can’t resist the urge to ask any longer.

“So, how was writing?” I ask, trying to keep my tone completely casual.

Her eyes meet mine as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “It went well,” she offers.

I lean forward, my eyes scanning her face for any indication of what she means by it went well. Did I inspire her? Did she think of me while writing?

“I’m waiting for you to tell me more,” I rasp.

“This one’s my favorite,” Josie declares, lifting the cup from the tray and setting it on the counter. She pulls her focus from the drink and shifts it to me. Her smile slowly builds as she looks at me. “Thank you for the coffee. I really needed it this morning. And I love that you went to so much effort to find one I liked.”

I’m still dying to know more about how her writing went, but instead of pushing it again, I drop it for now. I return her smile as I take another step closer to her, now fully encroaching on her personal space. She doesn’t seem to mind. The upturn of her full, perfect lips doesn’t falter at all with the proximity of our bodies.

“Of course. Now, let me see which one is your favorite so I can remember that for later.”

She grabs the coffee and holds it up between us, showing off the side where the barista wrote the name of the drink. “The Hamptons Honey Latte,” she says. “It’s delicious.” She takes a small step toward me, bringing our bodies even closer. Her arm brushes against the front of my shirt as she lifts the cup between us and nudges the straw toward me. “You have to try it.”

I look down at the cup she’s holding. There’s a lip gloss mark on the straw where her lips were a second ago. My gaze drifts from the straw and lands on her mouth before I can think better of it.

I lean forward and take a sip, keeping my eyes on hers the entire time. She doesn’t look away as I try her drink. If anything, her smile grows a little, like she’s caught me focusing on her mouth instead of the drink and doesn’t mind.

The coffee’s okay. It’s a little sugary for my taste, but I don’t say that out loud. I don’t want to do anything to stop the moment between us. There’s a thickness to the air as I finish swallowing, my gaze locked on hers the entire time.

“Good, isn’t it?” Josie asks, her eyes moving to my mouth for just a second before meeting my gaze again.

I nod, even though the sweetness isn’t what I’m paying attention to. All I can think about is how much better it might be if I leaned in and tasted the coffee straight from her lips instead.

“So good,” I murmur, no longer thinking about the coffee. All I can think about is wondering what exactly she’ll taste like. I also can’t rid my brain of the mental picture of the way her lips wrapped around the straw just moments ago, and how I’m now imagining them somewhere else as well.

It’s early in the morning, and something about her already has my mind going to dangerous places. I close my eyes for a minute, trying to force myself not to get hard over watching her drink a coffee. I’m trying to take things slow with her. It’s the entire reason I didn’t kiss her last night when she was practically begging for it. The last thing I need is for her to notice just how turned on I am by something as simple as sharing a coffee.

Josie brings the cup closer to her and takes another sip. She smiles around the straw before nodding.

“Yeah,” she says, a soft laugh escaping her. “This is dangerous. This might be the best coffee I’ve ever had.”

I smile as I try to force my mind to abandon the mental picture of her lips wrapped around the straw. I also try to get rid of the far more distracting thought of what her lips might look like wrapped around me.

“I’m really glad you like it, Josie,” I tell her, my voice a little lower than usual due to the attraction coursing through my veins. “I’ll make sure there are plenty more of those coffees in your future while you’re finishing your book.”

Her mouth curves a little at that, like she knows exactly what she’s doing to me, but she doesn’t say anything out loud. She sets the coffee down on the counter, her arm brushing mine again in the process. The touch is light, but I still feel it everywhere.

She doesn’t back away.

Neither do I.

She tilts her head up as she looks at me through her long, thick eyelashes. That’s when I notice that she’s wearing makeup today.

I noticed the lip gloss earlier, but now I see the soft shimmer on her eyelids, the way her lashes are darker and fuller than usual. It’s subtle, but it’s definitely there.

My lips twitch as the realization settles in that she got ready for her day with me.

A warmth spreads through my chest at the thought.

“So what’s the plan for breakfast?” she asks, changing the subject and pulling me from my thoughts. “I’m starving.”

TWENTY-ONE

JOSIE