Expect Me (Rivers Edge Book 3) (7 page)

Once I drop the pillow and sheet on the couch, I hear the bathroom door open. I turn around and am struck stupid, blind, speechless, and completely hard again as Josselyn walks out of the bathroom. My shirt hangs just right in the most seductive way possible. It hits mid-thigh and has her perfect, long legs on display.

“I’d be happy to take the couch, Travis. You don’t have to move from your bed,” Josselyn says as she takes a few steps towards me in the living room.

“No way. You take the bed. There’s no way in hell you are sleeping on my couch.”

“But, you’ll be so uncomfortable. Your legs are going to hang off the end.”

“I’ll sleep on the floor if I have to, Joss, but you and my baby are only sleeping in my bed from now on,” I tell her, partly talking about the thought of her sleeping on my couch, but mostly talking about her sleeping in any bed other than my own.

Her hazel eyes lock on mine, and even in the dim evening light of the living room, I can see the color change. Those beautiful eyes turn brown right before my very eyes. Fuck. Those deep, soulful eyes will be my complete undoing.

I grip a hold of my boxers hard as if I can kill the desire coursing through my body by strangling my underwear. Josselyn doesn’t move towards me, but also doesn’t retreat into the bedroom.

I clear my throat again as if trying to summons up the strength it’s going to take to control myself around her. “Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll talk for a few minutes before we go to sleep.”

“Okay,” she replies and walks over to the chair. She carefully sits down as to not expose what’s, unfortunately, hidden under the oversized t-shirt, and crosses her legs underneath her Indian-style, pulling the shirt over her knees.

I flop down on the couch and adjust myself as best as I can, but the image of her wearing my shirt is already burned into my brain, causing my cock to twitch and jump all on its own.

“So, tell me about yourself. I know your name and that you live in St. Charles, but that’s about it.”

Josselyn looks relaxed as she starts to share her story with me. “Well, I grew up in Chicago which is where my family still resides. I’m twenty five and have an older sister, Karlie who is an accountant at my parent’s CPA firm. My parents met at a competitor’s firm and after getting married, decided to start their own. Karlie is their pride and joy, and they will never understand why I didn’t make something of my life, too,” Josselyn says and drops her eyes to the ground.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, you know. Waitress, bartender, secretary. Not horrible jobs, but not exactly what the daughter of well known public accountants with high class clients should be doing with her life.”

“What do you want to do with your life?”

Josselyn exhales. “That’s the thing. I still don’t know. I went to college and hated it. I never wanted to serve the public in the capacity my parents wanted and expected me to. I actually really like waitressing and tending bar. Crazy, huh?” she asks with a small smile.

“No, that’s not crazy at all. From what I saw that night of the reception, you’re very good at your job.”

“So, Travis, tell me about your work.”

“My grandpa started Stevens Construction when my dad was little as a way to make a living while doing something he loved. My dad started working for him in high school, and after graduating college and marrying my mom, he went to work for my grandpa full time. When grandpa retired about ten years ago, dad stepped in and took over. I’ve been working for the company for as long as I can remember doing anything my dad would let me do which for the longest time consisted of picking up nails and screws with a magnet. We do a little bit of everything, but my real passion is new home construction. We didn’t do too much of it before I really got my hands into the company, but now we’re booked solid a year and a half out.”

“So, you work for your dad then?”

“Yeah, my dad is the owner. Two years ago, he gave me a small stake in the company and made me construction foreman so I oversee all of the home projects. He has another guy who oversees the concrete and outbuildings projects.”

“So, you like building things, huh?”

“I love it. Can’t see myself doing anything else. In fact, I’m working on a project that I want to show you. Maybe tomorrow after we get back from your friend’s place, we can swing by and I’ll show you.”

“I’d like that,” she says with a small smile that lights up her eyes.

“So, your friend – Matty? What’s the story there?”

Josselyn laughs. “Matty is tall and super skinny and very energetic. He’s great and has been my best friend since school.”

“Have you two ever dated?” I ask, not really sure I want to know the answer to the burning question.

Josselyn laughs hard. “Are you jealous, Travis Stevens?”

“Not so much jealous as I am concerned about an old boyfriend trying to start shit or puff up his chest where you’re concerned.”

“Well, you definitely don’t have anything to worry about that with Matty. We have never dated, though he still may puff up his chest a little, but he’s harmless.” She smiles that beautiful smile again. “Matty is gay.”

Well, shit. I wasn’t expecting that. “Oh.”

Josselyn laughs again before she stands up. “I’m getting a little sleepy so I think I’m going to head to bed. Are you sure you don’t want your bed?”

“If you ask me one more time, I’m going to throw you over my lap and spank your cute ass.” The words fly from my lips before I can even stop them. I instantly want to pull them back in. Josselyn’s eyes go as round as saucers and the shock of my words is written all over her face. Shock and heat.

“Shit, Joss, I’m sorry. Ignore me. That just flew out before I could stop it. I’m Sorry.”

Josselyn drops her eyes down to the floor as a cute little blush creeps up her neck. “It’s okay. Relapses are bound to happen, right? Besides, next time I might just take you up on that offer,” she says before she turns and walks towards my bedroom, shutting the door tightly behind her.

The view of her walking away from me – towards my bed none the less – wearing my damn t-shirt was torture. I’ve heard those guys say, “Hate to watch her go, but love to watch her leave”, and damn if Josselyn walking away isn’t the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. My throbbing and tight groin is proof of her magical powers. She’s like a witch – a sexy, beautiful witch who has cast some sort of spell on me, leaving me yearning and panting for more. More that I can’t have. Yet.

I step inside the bathroom and take a quick, very cold shower that doesn’t really seem to help relieve the pressure and tightness down below. Just knowing she’s on the other side of the bedroom door, sleeping in my bed, is enough to make everything hard and ready, and probably keep it that way for awhile. I see no end in sight except being with Josselyn again.

  Once the cold water is off and I dry off with the only clean towel, I slip on my boxer briefs and grab the dirty towels from the hamper. Josselyn’s probably going to need a shower in the morning, and I don’t want to leave her without a towel.

I slip out of the bathroom as quietly as possible in case she’s already asleep and head into the kitchen. I throw open the small closet that holds the stacked washer and dryer unit and throw the towels inside. Once the washer is loaded and the soap is added, I open up the dryer to see what’s still in there because, as a creature of habit, I know there’s always something in the dryer waiting to be folded. Work jeans. I quickly turn that on to get all the wrinkles out of them and head back into the living room.

Just as I’m stepping into the living room and round the corner of the hallway, I collide with soft female skin, sending her stumbling back a few feet. I reach out quickly and grab a hold of her before she can fall. I pull her forward in one quick, fluid motion which basically just pulls her tightly against my bare chest. Her hands slam into my chest. Her hazel eyes crash into my blue ones, and I feel her fingers flex against my pecs which in return makes them jump. So much for my cold shower. Her touch goes straight to my groin, short circuiting my brain all over again. If someone asked me my name right now, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t produce.

Josselyn makes no move to step out of my embrace. My hands are holding her by the upper arms, and she’s flush against my body. I can feel her breath against my neck and her eyes on my chest.

“This is going to be hard, isn’t it?” she whispers.

“It already is hard, Joss,” I respond, looking down at her with a cocky smile.

“I know that already, Travis. It’s pressed against my stomach,” she replies with a smile of her own. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

Josselyn takes a step back and out of my hands leaving them itchy and twitchy to grab her back and kiss the hell out of her. Instead, I sigh because she’s right. This is going damn difficult.

“Yeah, this is going to be hard. I promise I’ll try, but I can’t help the way I feel about you.”

She looks up at me with brown eyes so full of hunger and question. “How do you feel about me?”

“I crave you. Everything about you makes me want more. I want to hear your laugh, see your smile, and hold your hair while you throw up. But most of all, I want to jump into that bed with you right now and remember everything that was so right about us that night. I crave so much more of you that it hurts.”

Josselyn stares up at me for what feels like forever before responding. “I crave you too,” she whispers her sweet confession. “I want to get to know everything about you, Travis. Maybe that means we’ll be more than friends someday, but right now, I don’t want to risk destroying us before there is an
us
to destroy. I hope you can understand that.”

“I understand completely, and though I’ll probably kick myself later for admitting this, I actually agree with you.” I take a step forward and tuck a stray piece of brown hair that came loose from her ponytail behind her ear.

“You do?” she asks, eyes locked firmly on mine.

“Yeah. And this may actually be the hardest thing I’ve ever done, staying away from you when all I want to do is touch you. So, you better go on back to bed before I change my mind,” I add with a wink and another smile. I give her a trademarked Stevens’ smile. The one that my brothers and I all wear to makes the ladies swoon, and as Jake used to say, the panties drop.

Josselyn takes a step backwards and heads towards my room. When she reaches the door, she turns, gives me her own award-winning smile, and walks inside the room shutting the door tightly behind her.

I settle on the couch – me and my hard on – and flip on the television, debating on whether or not to take another cold shower. There’s not much on so I settle on a late night talk show that has Emma Stone as a guest, but I can’t concentrate on the screen. My mind won’t focus on anyone other than the brunette lying half naked in my bed.

It’s going to be a very long night.

*****

The next morning, I’m up at five like normal only this time, I’m not getting ready to head out the door by six. That alone is probably a blessing since my back and neck are so damn achy, you’d think I slept on the floor last night. Oh, wait… I did.

Sometime around one o’clock, I woke up with the worst kink in my neck from trying to cram my large body on the much-too-small couch. After tossing and turning for another hour, I finally tried to get comfortable on the floor, but there was nothing comfortable about it.

After a lingering hot shower to try to relieve my sore muscles, I head into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. I still have to sneak into my room and grab some clothes, but since I’m not actually heading into work today, I’m not in a big hurry to do that. Plus, if I go in there and see Josselyn curled up in my rumbled sheets in nothing but a t-shirt, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to control myself from climbing in bed with her.

While I’m drinking a cup of black coffee, my phone on the table dings, signaling a text message. I head over and see a text from my brother Nate.

Get some last night? ;-)

Mature. You’d have no clue he was my older brother. I type out a quick reply, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that I did
not
get any last night.

Why? Jealous?

Okay, I can’t help it. We’re cut from the same cloth.

Of you? Hardly. I figured you didn’t so I wanted to rub it in a little!

Before I can type out a reply, he sends me back another.

Dad says u r off today. What’s going on?

Nothing. Taking a day off. That ok with u?

Don’t get your panties in a bunch, sweetheart. Just makin sure everything is ok.

Everything’s fine. Just taking a day off.

Fine. Keep your secrets. I’ll get em out of you soon enough.

Bye

I drop my phone back onto the table before I wait for his reply and take another sip of my coffee. A few moments later, I hear the soft but determined footfalls down the hallway. The bathroom door closes quickly. Since it’s a very small apartment, I can hear the sound of her retching in the bathroom echoing throughout the place.

I quickly get up and head into the bathroom. As I slide open the door slowly to make sure I don’t hit her with the door, the image of Josselyn crouched down on the floor heaving clenches my heart. I hate this.