After all their physical activity since coming upstairs, he was ready for an entire meal, never mind a snack. “Whatever you have in the kitchen is fine.”
Grabbing a short bathrobe from the closet, she slipped it on and, much to his disappointment, tied it closed. Then she stopped alongside the bed and leaned down. “Be right back,” she promised before kissing him again.
Unable to help himself, Josh reached under the robe and touched her. At first, she closed her eyes and allowed him to tease her. He was about to pull her back into bed when she stepped away. “Food first.”
He watched her leave the room before flopping onto his back and staring at the ceiling as the ocean breeze cooled his heated body. Based on the way she’d invited him upstairs, he’d expected her to be a passive lover. There was nothing passive about the way Courtney made love. She knew what she wanted and let him know. Not only that, she knew exactly how to push him to the brink and then pleasure him even more before finally sending him over the edge. He’d slept with a lot of women, and it might sound clichéd, but she’d rocked his world like no other woman ever had. He didn’t know how long she planned to stay in Hawaii, but he hoped it was for at least several days, because one night with her would not be enough. Not by a long shot.
Is that the best of ideas? the annoying, responsible voice in his head once again asked him. It had spoken up during dinner as well and reminded him that this was his friend Trent’s cousin. While Josh had numerous acquaintances, the list of people he considered friends was short, and he’d like to keep Trent on it. Sleeping with his buddy’s cousin might make things between them awkward.
On the other hand, what were the odds he’d ever find out? The guy didn’t spend his time reading tabloid magazines, and Josh sure as hell would never tell him. He didn’t think Courtney would either. And if Trent found out, it might not bother him. After all, they were all consenting adults.
Courtney entered the room carrying a tray and put an end to his thoughts. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got an assortment of things.” After setting the tray on the nightstand, she handed him a glass of wine and sat down next to him.
Josh took a sip and considered his words. He wasn’t looking for anything long-term. He’d tried that once, and it hadn’t ended well. At the same time, he didn’t want his time with Courtney to be just a one-night thing either.
“I’m not fussy.” He glanced over at the assortment of foods. He didn’t know how long she’d been there, but she had a well-stocked kitchen. Reaching around her, he grabbed a strawberry. “Do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“My goal for the next two weeks is to just play it by ear.” She sipped her drink before setting it aside and adding grapes and cheese to a small plate.
He planned to stay for the next two weeks too before flying back to Maine and making sure everything was ready there before he picked up his four-year-old daughter, who’d be staying with him for a month. “Is that how long you’re staying?”
Courtney nodded as she popped a grape in her mouth. “I want to be back in time for the election. My cousin is running for the Senate,” she added once she swallowed.
He didn’t bother with politics. In his opinion, the people in Washington were a lot like preschoolers all fighting to get their own way. However, even he’d heard about the upcoming election involving her cousin.
“A friend of mine keeps a sailboat here. I’m taking it out tomorrow.” Josh touched her knee and then ran his fingers up her thigh and under the hem of her robe. He didn’t stop until he reached the junction between her legs. He heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled as he teased her. “Do you want to join me?”
Three
January 2
You’re meeting with his brother. Josh won’t be there. For all she knew, Josh might not even be in New England at the moment. He might have taken his daughter, who was staying with him until the end of the month, to the theme parks in Florida or California. Despite knowing this, the butterflies in her stomach refused to disappear. She hadn’t seen or talked to Josh since their last night together in Hawaii. Countless times though she’d pulled up his contact information, which was still stored in her phone, and considered calling him. But each time she reminded herself that Josh Williamson didn’t do permanent relationships. And although there’d seemed to be more between them than pure physical enjoyment, it had probably been all one-sided, since he hadn’t asked to see her once they returned to their real lives. The fact he’d never called her reinforced her assumption their time in Hawaii together had been nothing more than a fun way for him to pass some time.
“What’s wrong?” Addie, her cousin Trent’s wife, asked. Since Courtney started her new position, they often had lunch together. Addie’s interior design firm was located in the same building as the Helping Hands Foundation. Today they’d opted for Ambrosia, the pastry shop and café on Benefit Street owned by Addie’s family.
Shaking her head, Courtney reached for her hot chocolate and not for the first time wished her family had settled someplace warm and tropical. When she woke up this morning, the weather app on her phone claimed it was ten degrees, but thanks to the windchill factor, it felt like negative two. Even now at one o’clock in the afternoon, the temperature only hovered around twenty-three, which was still a far cry from the seventy-seven degrees her weather app said Hawaii was experiencing today.
“Could’ve fooled me. I’ve asked you the same question twice now.”
Had she? Honestly, Courtney didn’t know. “Sorry, I zoned out there for a minute.” If thinking about Josh and their time together could truly be classified as zoning out, she did it way more than she should. “What was your question?”
“I asked if you wanted to come by for dinner Saturday night. My brother Tom is going to be in town, and he’s staying with us instead of with my mom and dad.”
The youngest of the family, Addie had four older brothers, and sometimes Courtney wondered how she’d survived. She had just one, and growing up, Scott could be the most annoying person alive, but at least she’d had a sister to help her annoy Scott right back. She’d only met Tom once, and it had been at Addie’s and Trent’s wedding. From what she remembered, he looked a lot like his brother Rock, who was engaged to her cousin Allison, but had been a little more easygoing.
“At the moment I don’t have any plans for the weekend.”
“Excellent, then I’ll see you Saturday night?”
Something’s up. It wasn’t Addie’s words but her tone that suggested she was planning something other than a nice family get-together. “Who else will be there?”
Suddenly the half-finished sandwich on Addie’s plate became the most interesting thing in the world. “As of right now, just Trent, me, Kendrick, and Tom.”
Since Kendrick was Addie and Trent’s young son, he didn’t count. “Are you playing matchmaker again?”
On two different occasions, Addie had played cupid, and in both instances, the couples had ended up engaged. If that was Addie’s intention now, Courtney appreciated the thought, but she wasn’t interested.