“Stay.”
The word penetrated the darkness and had Josie reaching to grip the doorknob again for support. Her heart beat so fast, so hard in her chest, unlike anything she’d experienced before.
“I shouldn’t be here,” she murmured, still facing the darkened hall. Too late to slip out now.
“You want to be here or you would’ve stayed in your room.”
Why was he always right?
“That doesn’t mean this is a good idea,” she told him.
The sheets rustled behind her and Josie pulled in a deep breath, willing herself to finish what she’d come for. This was what she wanted; this was exactly why she’d made that short trip from her room to his.
He knew full well why she’d come, so denying it now would only make her look like a fool.
Josie turned, not at all surprised to see Reese standing behind her. Bare chest with a sprinkling of hair, broad shoulders, his dark hair messed up from his pillow and those hip-hugging black boxer briefs were not helping her resolve.
“Who’s to tell us this is a bad idea?” he countered in that husky tone of his.
Well, no one really, but shouldn’t she be the one saying this wasn’t smart? Shouldn’t she insist that they were friends above all else?
Yet she’d come to his room because she wanted to forget that common sense logic and remember exactly how amazing she’d felt in his kitchen.
“Stay.”
He repeated the simple command, and something just clicked in place—something she hadn’t necessarily planned or given much thought to. For the first time in her life, she didn’t care about her plans. She only cared about her wants.
And she wanted Reese.
Everything about this felt out of control, and yet safe at the same time.
That moment when she took a step forward, she saw Reese’s shoulders relax, a smile spread across his face. There was something so intimate and arousing about the darkness, the quiet of the night and the moonlight streaming through the windows. There was no need to even pretend she didn’t want to be here. It was time she owned up to exactly what she needed and not make excuses or apologies.
When this was over, there would be no room for regrets. Regrets would only lead to the downfall of their friendship, and she refused to let him slip from her life.
Josie reached for Reese and she could have sworn she heard him mutter something like “finally,” but she wa
sn’t positive. Her heart beat too fast, the thumping rhythm drowning out anything else.
All at once his hands were on her, his mouth covered hers, and he cupped her backside, lifting her against his firm body.
Every thought vanished as she let the overwhelming sensation of passion consume her. An unfamiliar feeling overcame her and all she could think was that this felt too right to be considered wrong.
Reese turned and moved them through the room, never taking his lips from hers. Josie laced her fingers behind his neck and held on as anticipation built and her body ached for so much more.
She tilted and landed softly on the comforter as Reese came down to rest on her. The weight of his body pressed her deeper into his warm bed.
The way he settled between her thighs had Josie tipping her hips, silently begging him for more. Reese’s lips left hers and roamed over her jaw and down the column of her throat. She arched her back, granting him access to anything and everything he wanted.
His weight lifted off her as he eased his way down her body. Strong hands tugged at her chemise and Josie reached down to help him. She shimmied the silk up and over her head, tossing it aside without a care, leaving her only in her lace panties.
Reese came up to his knees, and in the glow of the moonlight, she didn’t miss the way his heavy gaze raked over her body like this was the very first time seeing her.
He’d seen her plenty—in all kinds of outfits, in a bikini—but never like this and never so intimately. She wanted to freeze this second, to remember his look forever. She’d never felt sexier or more beautiful than right now.
Josie lifted her knees and came up onto her elbows. She wanted him to touch her with more than his stare. She needed skin to skin, and she was done waiting.
In a flurry of movements, she worked off her panties and assisted him in taking off his boxer briefs. Reese slid off the bed for a moment and procured protection before coming back to her.