That was the bigger problem… all the words.
And all the words floated through my head all night.
Being in Amelia’s presence was soothing. But it was a dangerous soothing.
My eyes shut and opened over and over until the sun came up. The first sign of light creeping through the windows, I crept out of the bed and went to make Amelia coffee. She started to stir, so I put a hand to her shoulder.
“Sleep, love,” I whispered. “I want to bring you coffee in bed.”
She let out a purring sound and grinned. That half smile while she was half asleep was deadly for me.
I growled under my breath.
A second later and I wouldn’t have gotten out of the bed at all.
I walked across the hard floors and caught the reflection of myself in the window.
It was a new record for me.
A woman spent the night, and nothing happened. I was making her coffee instead of making plans for her to leave.
Better yet, I didn’t want her to leave.
I didn’t want to look at the clock and think about time or what needed to get done for the day. I wanted to turn the world off and just be with Amelia. Tell her everything else she didn’t know. Touch every strand of hair and every inch of her body. And when the words ran out, there was plenty more I would tell her with my mouth that didn’t require words.
As I stared at the coffeemaker spitting coffee into the pot, my hands curled tight against the counter.
I looked over my shoulder and saw the outline of Amelia’s body wrapped up in my blankets.
Wanting to stay this morning was one thing. That I could handle.
What I couldn’t handle was what raced through my mind.
Amelia was the kind of woman worth loving.
Chapter 25
The Sound You Don’t Hear
NOW
(Amelia)
His bed was tucked into a corner and it was instantly my new favorite spot in the world. To just sit there under the warm blankets holding a warm cup of coffee, that was pretty good. But to have Josh sitting on the edge of the bed, turned so he could look at me, a look in his eyes that made my heart forget how to properly beat… I wasn’t sure if that was heaven or hell.
I mean, it felt like heaven. But any time near Josh had the appeal of hell.
I sipped the coffee and stared back at him.
The silence was intense.
I was sure Josh wasn’t the type to share his bed just for sleeping. And it wasn’t as though my body wasn’t aching in a way that made my cheeks feel flush. I had always wondered about him. What he was like in bed. What it was like. What it felt like. What he could do and how he would do it.
Maybe there was a little sting of regret to match the slight headache from the whiskey the night before. I’d be the one who would end up not sleeping with a guy like Josh because I drank whiskey. Rather than let my guard down and trust my body and its needs, I completely put my guard up.
Then again… it was morning. We were sober. The coffee was good. And we had nothing but time.
“What’s your day look like?” he asked me.
His sleepy morning voice was an instant turn on.
“The only thing on my schedule is a shower.”
“You can do that here if you’d like,” he said.
“No,” I said. “I don’t want to be in your way.”
“You? Naked. In my shower. That’s not going to be in the way at all.”
“I’ll be sure to lock the door,” I teased.
“Joke’s on you, love,” Josh said as he stood up. “The lock is broken. So you’ll have to trust me.”
I swallowed hard and stared up at him. “Are you sure I’m not in your way? If you have anything to do… anyone to meet or whatever… I can show myself out.”
“If I wanted you to show yourself out, I would have told you to leave by now,” he said. “I kind of just do whatever I want, love. Whenever I want.”
“And what’s on your mind then? What’s your next project?”
Josh looked back at me and grinned. “You.”
I put my clothes into a small pile on the floor of the bathroom. The walls were old white tiles and the floor bigger white tiles. The shower had glass doors that resisted when you pulled them open. With a towel around my body, I wiggled my toes waiting for the hot water to kick in. I had looked at the doorknob fifty times, seeing the old slide lock and that it was indeed broken.
Not that I would expect Josh to come busting into the bathroom.
Then again, it was Josh.
I really didn’t feel like going back to my apartment. I didn’t want to deal with Grace. With all the cat stuff around the apartment. Or hear what she had to say about life. The sad truth was that I kept a bag packed in my car at all times. And not just a small bag either. But a bag with enough clothes and personal items to last me a few days. I wasn’t sure why I did it… maybe there was a part of my soul that wanted to be reckless and just pack up and leave.
That bag was on the floor next to my clothes.
I stuck my hand into the water and pulled it back quickly.
I shook my hand.
It was ice cold.
I jiggled the handle and the water was not getting hot.
Not even warm.
“Damn,” I whispered.
I inched back to the door and bit my lip. I looked at my clothes.
I really didn’t want to get dressed just to ask Josh for help.
I opened the door a little and saw him near the large windows. Standing in a long-sleeved shirt. He had changed. At least his shirt. But his jeans were the same. His bed-head the same. He faced off with an easel and was scribbling something beautiful
