Reese laughed as he went to the wine fridge at the end of the island. “Dinner.”
“For all of Sandpiper Cove?” she asked, her eyes scanning each dish.
“I told Frisco to prepare all your favorites and I gave him a list.”
And from the looks of things, Reese hadn’t missed a thing. There was even a little bowl of Tootsie Rolls, which made her laugh.
“How in the world did he pull off all of this?” she asked. “And the lunch he prepared was insane.”
Reese shrugged. “That’s why I can never let him leave me. I’d starve, and he’s a magician when he’s in his element.”
Her eyes locked onto his. “You know we can’t possibly eat all of this, right?”
“Of course not,” he agreed. “Frisco always takes any extras to the homeless shelter, so I don’t mind that he goes all out. I know none of this will actually go to waste.”
Flowers to the hospital, food to the homeless shelter. Seriously, her best friend was not a typical jet-setting billionaire. She’d always admired his giving nature, or maybe it was that she’d just not seen him in this light before. Because the fact that he always put others first was becoming sexier and sexier.
“What’s that smile for?” he asked.
She circled the island and placed a hand over his heart. “You’re just remarkable. I mean, I’ve always known, but lately you’re just proving yourself more and more.”
He released the wine bottle and covered her hand with his...and that’s when the memory of that kiss hit her again, hard. She shouldn’t have touched him. She should’ve kept her distance. Because there was that look in his eyes again.
Where had this come from, this pull between them? When did he start looking at her like he wanted to rip her clothes off and have his naughty way with her?
“We need to talk about it,” he murmured.
It.
As if saying the word kiss would somehow make this situation weirder. And as if she hadn’t thought of anything else since it happened.
“Nothing to talk about,” she told him, trying to ignore the warmth and strength between his hand and his chest.
“You can’t say you weren’t affected.”
“I didn’t say that.”
He tipped his head, somehow making that penetrating stare even more potent. “It felt like more than a friendly kiss.”
Way to state the obvious.
“And more than just practice,” he added.
Josie’s heart kicked up. They were too close, talking about things that were too intimate. No matter what she felt, what she thought she wanted, this wasn’t right. She couldn’t ache for her best friend in such a physical way. If that kiss changed things, she couldn’t imagine how much anything more would affect this relationship.
How could she maintain control of her emotions if she let this go any further? She was already having a difficult enough time trying to cope with the current circumstances.
“We can’t go there again,” she told him. “I mean, you’re a good kisser—”
“Good? That kiss was a hell of a lot better than just good.”
She smiled. “Fine. It was pretty incredible. Still, we can’t get caught up in this whole fake engagement thing and lose sight of who we really are.”
His free hand came up and brushed her hair away from her face. “I haven’t lost sight of anything. And I’m well aware of who we are...and what I want.”
Why did that sound so dangerous in the most delicious of ways? Why was her body tingling so much from such simple touches when she’d firmly told herself not to get carried away?
Wait. Was he leaning in closer?