And the reality was...all of this was temporary.
Eleven
Josie barely recognized herself. First, she’d ditched work, then she’d lain around the yacht letting Reese ply her with mai tais, and now she was enjoying a candlelight dinner on the deck with the full moon shining down on them.
She had to admit this birthday was turning out to be pretty awesome.
“You’re going to spoil me,” she told him as she reached for her wineglass.
Reese sat his napkin on the table and leaned back in his chair. “It’s your birthday. I’m supposed to spoil you.”
Josie didn’t mean just today or in this moment. She meant in general. Reese had always been the one to comfort her, to make sure she was happy, to have her back at all times.
Hence the faux engagement.
But the undercurrent in this relationship had shifted and she was discovering that it was difficult to find her footing. She should feel guilty for wanting more sex, for enjoying it as much as she was, because there would come a time when they had to revert back to being just friends. They couldn’t go on this way forever. At some point, Reese might want to find someone and settle down and have a family. That’s how he was raised; that’s all he knew—family and business.
Oh, she knew he dated and jet-setted around with multiple women, but none of those relationships lasted and he’d never claimed to have been in love before. He’d also never acted like he wanted to marry anytime soon, which had made that engagement months ago all the more shocking, but Josie knew the day would come. Reese’s genetic makeup was that of a family man, of heritage and legacy. Those were just traits ingrained in him.
She, on the other hand, knew nothing of that type of commitment or long-term bond and the idea terrified her. Her family had been ripped apart, and then the emotional walls went up. Reese had been the only one she’d firmly clung to.
She was proud of herself, though. She’d stepped out of her comfort zone and been bold enough to take what she wanted. But how did she go back to what she’d been once everything was done? When they didn’t need to show their faces to the public and they could just be Reese and Josie, best friends? Was that even possible?
So, sex was good. It was great, in fact. Josie figured she’d just enjoy herself, enjoy this bit of freedom she’d never allowed herself to have, and hope nobody got hurt in the end because she still needed that rock her best friend provided. She always had.
Josie glanced down to the ring on her finger and couldn’t deny how much she loved the sparkling piece. The oval ruby surrounded by twinkling diamonds. She’d never given an engagement ring much thought before.
“Looks good on you.”
She turned her attention to Reese, who nodded toward her hand. “I knew a ruby would look good on you.”
“You were just dying to get some color on me,” she laughed. “It’s beautiful, but you know I can’t keep this.”
“Sure you can. I told you, consider it your birthday gift, but for now the public can believe it’s your engagement ring.”
“Reese—”
He reached across the table and grabbed her hand, stroking his thumb over the stone. “A friend can’t buy another friend a nice birthday gift?”
She didn’t know why every time he threw out the word friend she felt a little...off. Josie couldn’t quite find the right word for how the word made her feel, but it certainly wasn’t settled.
She hated disruption in her life. She’d grown up with a very regimented, standoffish father, and all of that rearing had carried over into her adult life. Everything had changed after her mother passed because, looking back, Josie realized that it was her mother who had been doting and loving, while her father demanded structure and obedience.
Josie still craved that safe zone, the comfort of knowing every aspect of her life was in the proper place.
“I got you something else,” he said, hopping up from the table.
“I don’t need anything else,” she laughed. “The cruise, the dinner, the ring. I’m good, Reese.”
He smiled down at her. “Trust me, this was not expensive, but I couldn’t resist.”
Now she was intrigued. She waited while he stepped down into the cabin and then came back holding a small, narrow box that was so small there was no bow. Just simple wrapping.
“It’s really not much,” he repeated, handing the gift over. “But I hope you’ll put it to good use.”
She took the gift, but kept her eyes on him. “It’s too small to be a sex toy.”
Reese laughed. “I’m all the sex toy you need right now.”