Can’t Hurry Love by Nadine Millard (primary phonics books .txt) 📕

Coward that she was, she was afraid to ask them.

She had picked a romantic comedy that Josh had laughingly complained about, and they’d sat here watching it, eating pizza, acting for all the world like a couple.

But they weren’t a couple, were they?

Okay, he hadn’t kicked her out, which had been her biggest fear. In fact, he’d kissed the living daylights out of her then asked her to stay. And he’d cooked, bless his heart. Or tried to.

Wasn’t that a good sign?

She didn’t know for sure, and she was too scared to ask. She didn’t want to come across as a complete stage-five clinger and scare him off. But this was confusing by anyone’s standards. Maybe she was reading too much into things, but there was something different about Josh today.

And it wasn’t just the incredible sex.

It felt as though he’d decided to stop pushing her away. But she didn’t know why he’d stopped. Or even if he’d really stopped. She didn’t even know why he’d been doing it in the first place.

They’d gone through a full bottle of wine too, so unless he was planning on having her walk back to the ranch, did that mean he was expecting her to stay?

Her phone buzzed again, and she subtly hid it under the cushion beside her.

She’d sent a group text to Zoe, Brooke, Paige, and Jenna — all of whom had been calling and texting her while she’d been crossing every boundary known to humankind with Josh in the bedroom.

Can’t talk. Won’t make speed dating. At Josh’s. We’re on a date? Maybe. I think we are. What the heck — I slept with him. Gotta go! B x.

Not her finest moment, but she’d been busting to tell them that it had finally happened. Every one of them knew she’d been carrying a torch, like an Olympic-sized, never-dying torch for Josh Larson for over a year now.

And she’d finally won gold.

In hindsight, she probably should have waited to have some sort of clarifying conversation with him before she went telling people about them.

But it was too late now. The cat was out of the bag.

“I can’t believe you insisted on this movie, and you’re not even concentrating on it.”

Josh’s voice interrupted her wandering thoughts, and she turned to see him scowling at her, his eyes twinkling.

He was so gorgeous. It still took her by surprise sometimes.

“I am concentrating on it,” she argued feebly.

“No, you’re not,” he answered. “That mind of yours is going a mile a minute. So why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking?”

Oh crap.

Should she tell him? It felt a little early to lift the lid on all her crazy.

On the other hand, she was sitting here in his robe, worrying that she’d be thrown out into the night with no way home, so it was probably best to just ask him outright what he wanted to do.

But she just couldn’t bring herself to do the whole “what are we?” thing. It was too embarrassing and way too soon. She knew that.

“Beth.” He pressed pause on the movie then turned to face her, lifting one of her hands and rubbing her pulse which was growing more erratic with every pass of his thumb. “What’s on your mind?”

She had to ask. She had to know. Even if he put her on the first train to Crazy Town.

Steeling herself for eviction from his apartment and his life, she took a deep breath and looked up to meet his eyes.

He was so close she could see the glint of silver in them, smell that masculine scent that made her wild.

But she needed to stay focused.

“I’m just confused,” she admitted. “Happy, but confused. I — didn’t think you wanted this. Me.”

God, this was embarrassing. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and just knew they were scarlet, so she dropped her gaze to their hands.

“But today you — you’re different. Like you do want me, and — and I don’t know how long for. And — and I can’t drive injured and with half a bottle of wine in me,” she blurted. “So, if you’re going to ask me to leave, then I’ll need to call someone for a ride.”

The silence was excruciating, and she refused to look at him until she felt his finger under her chin, lifting it.

He was smiling.

Smiling was good, right?

“I know we have a lot to talk about,” he said. “I have a lot to explain. I will. I just wanted to take my time. Take this slow. And I’m sorry for how… confusing I’ve made things. But did you really think I’d kick you out in the middle of the night?”

His laugh made her feel like an idiot, and she shrugged to try to cover her embarrassment.

“How’s your foot?” he asked suddenly, surprising her with the change of topic.

“It’s a little sore, but—“

“So maybe you should stay off it a little longer.”

She watched fascinated and thrilled by the flare of heat in his eyes.

“Did I say a little sore?” She grinned. “It’s agonising. I should definitely rest it mo—”

He didn’t give her a chance to finish; just picked her up and carried her back through to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

Chapter Eighteen

The shrill ring of an alarm woke Josh, and he listened to Beth scrambling to get her phone.

“Shut UP.” She was whispering furiously. She tapped on the screen, her frown lit by the bluey-white light.

“I don’t think it’s listening.”

She jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice, and her head whipped around to look at him, her tussled curls swinging around her face.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She was still whispering. “It’s only four thirty. Go back to sleep.”

“It’s ok.” He sat up, fully awake now. “When you work in an ED, you get used to having barely any sleep. And you learn to wake quickly.”

“No need for that in Rocky Valley, huh?” she said wryly.

“Not exactly,” he answered.