Reese refolded the letter and sat it on the nightstand before coming to his feet. He hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, mostly because this wasn’t his home and he wasn’t used to that cushy bed with all the pillows.
Josie might be very strict and straitlaced when it came to her fashion sense and her career, but she did love a cozy-feeling home. Granted, everything in her house was either white or gray. She really did lack color in her life, but he wouldn’t change her for anything.
Especially those damn curves.
Who had known how well she’d fit intimately against his side? Just that simple gesture had conjured up a night of fantasies he shouldn’t have allowed himself when it came to his best friend. Didn’t he have enough going on in his life without adding an unwanted sexual attraction to Josie?
Reese rubbed a hand over his bare chest and padded from the room and down the hallway toward the kitchen. He needed coffee, because this was the time of day when it was actually acceptable to have a cup. It was too damn early, but he might as well get his day started.
He’d visited here so many times over the years, but he’d never made coffee, so he searched through her cabinets, trying to be quiet because he was positive she was still asleep. He hadn’t heard a word from her this morning, and he also knew she wasn’t an early riser.
He, on the other hand, had too much to do, including following up with his assistant about the RSVP to the new restaurant opening in Manhattan in two weeks.
Conrad’s was moving up the East Coast and opening a big new space in New York. Reese couldn’t wait to get into his favorite city. Manhattan had always been a goal of his.
He’d grown up here in Sandpiper Cove and he absolutely loved the beach. Loved it so much, he’d purchased his own private beach with his home, which was not far from Josie. His yacht was docked at the end of his own pier and he didn’t want to lay his head down anywhere else.
But this new restaurant in Manhattan would be all his. He’d inherited his father’s string of upscale restaurants from Miami up to Boston, but this was his first venture on his own and he had a few changes in place that he was excited to test.
“Good heavens.”
Reese turned from the coffeepot to find Josie standing in the doorway, her hand over her chest, her eyes fixed on his. But his eyes immediately locked on the tiny shorts and tank she wore. The outfit left little to the imagination...and last night he’d done plenty of imagining.
“Could you put some clothes on?” she grumbled as she shuffled in.
Reese couldn’t help but grin as she made her way to the cabinet and pulled down a mug. Her hair was all in disarray, like she’d had a fight with her pillow all night, and those pj’s, black of course, weren’t covering much, either. The simple tank dipped too low and the shorts literally covered the essentials and nothing more.
His body stirred in response.
There were some things he could control, like not telling her he’d like to strip her down and pleasure her beyond anything she’d ever known. But there were other things, like his arousal, that weren’t quite so easy to hide.
Damn it. He had to get a grip. This was Josie. He couldn’t risk a quick romp just because suddenly his hormones had woken up and realized she was sexier than he’d known.
They were friends...nothing more.
“You’ve seen me in swim trunks. This is hardly any different,” he replied, taking the mug from her hands. “Go sit. I’ll get this for you.”
She shoved the hair from her face and went to the bench at her kitchen table. “Trunks are one thing, but boxer briefs are another. If you’re staying here, put some damn pants on.”
Reese poured two cups of coffee, leaving hers black to match her wardrobe and her bleak mood.
“I don’t recall you being this grouchy in the mornings,” he told her as he sat across from her. “I know you’re more of a night owl, but this is a new side.”
She curled her hands around her mug. “This is my only side before caffeine. Be quiet so I can enjoy it.”
Reese sipped his hot coffee and waited on Little Miss Sunshine to perk up. Clearly, she’d had a restless night, too. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was staring at her. She looked like a hot mess, which irritated the hell out of him because his boxer briefs were becoming more and more snug. There was going to be no hiding anything in a few minutes.
“Shouldn’t you be lifting weights or jogging or going to some meeting where you fire people?” she asked around her mug.
Reese laughed. “Glad to know what you think of a day in the life of Reese Conrad.”
She merely shrugged, causing one slinky shoulder strap to slip down her arm. Reese’s eyes landed on that black string and he barely resisted reaching out to adjust it.
Hands to yourself.
A physical relationship would certainly change things between them, but the main question was—would they be better or worse?
Wait. What?