Chapter 10
CHAPTER
TEN
Josie
Leonie was a lifesaver, as usual. She’d informed me that she’d take care of packing up my stuff while I was at work, as well as moving everything over to the house. All I had to do was separate everything in three piles: take with me, put in storage, throw away/donate.
Tess and Skye had offered to help.
Two evenings into the packing process, I realized packing was code for interrogation .
“Did he already make space for you in his closet?” Tess asked.
“Umm….” Shit. Every time I thought we were on safe ground, something new came up. I didn’t even know what Hunter’s closet looked like.
“I’m going to help him do it,” I said vaguely.
“He just moved in the house, so nothing’s set yet.
” Now that I came to think about it, what would our arrangement look like?
I slept in a different bedroom, but all my clothes would be in his closet?
My toiletries in his bathroom? There was more than one bathroom in the house, but we had to make it look as if we were sharing a bedroom and a bathroom.
The thought of showering in his shower, entering his room on a daily basis felt far too intimate. What if he slept naked? Nope… I would not think about that. Yet now that I’d let that thought in, it was all I could think about. A bout of heat coursed through me.
We somehow had to manage this, because there was no way I could keep my clothes in my bedroom. I’d have to move everything back and forth every time a Winchester came to visit, and they liked to drop by unannounced.
On Saturday, I was all jittery on the subway ride to the house.
Leonie had already sent all my stuff there yesterday.
I only had time for a quick tour before Tess and Skye picked me up for my bachelorette party.
I couldn’t wait. Sure, I was liable to get drunk and say something I wasn’t supposed to, but I needed to blow off some steam.
Besides, Hunter and I had fabricated some more details about our relationship at the beginning of the week. We’d had dinner together and plotted. It had started out fun. We each came up with potential questions Tess and Skye would throw at me.
By the end of it, I was breathless and needy and thoughts I should never have about my best friend were now permanently branded in my brain. It had started benignly enough, but then I’d somehow dug my own grave.
“What if they ask me intimate details?” I’d asked.
Hunter had winked. “Just tell them I’m the best you’ve ever had.”
“Always so humble.” My cheeks had heated up. Even now, I blushed as I remembered the conversation.
My face still felt hot as I knocked at the door.
Hunter welcomed me with a lazy smile, gesturing for me to step inside.
He was wearing a very thin shirt—it was practically transparent.
I had to make a concerted effort not to trace all those muscles with my gaze.
Damn it. The man looked like sex on a stick.
“Wow, this looks incredible,” I said the second I stepped inside the house.
It had been completely empty when the real estate agent had shown it to us, and was unrecognizable with all the furniture.
The living room was split in two areas: the kitchen, complete with an island and barstools and a glass table, and the living area, defined by a celestial blue couch with three seats.
“Leonie outdid herself. She already unpacked everything.”
I still wasn’t sure how we were going to handle having separate bedrooms but keeping all our clothes in one place. It seemed like a lot of hassle and a lot of bumping into each other.
We didn’t have time to talk logistics, because both of our bachelor parties were starting in a few minutes.
Skye and Tess arrived first.
“Ready?” Tess asked, rubbing her palms together in excitement.
“Depends, are you going to tell me what we’re doing?”
They both vehemently shook their heads. I turned to Hunter, who was watching us with an amused expression.
“Fiancé, don’t you have anything to tell them? A warning? A lecture?”
“Afraid you can’t handle your own bachelorette party?” he asked lazily.
Tess snickered. “You talk as if you’ll be able to handle yours.”
Hunter’s eyes flashed.
“Okay. Here are some ground rules. Don’t get my girl too drunk. Don’t let anyone come on to her. And whatever you do, don’t torture her with questions.”
Skye smiled indulgently. “Awww, that’s so sweet. Completely useless, but points for trying.”
Hunter
My cousin Ryker was a master at organizing events. He’d scheduled a full day. We’d started with a rafting trip on a river just outside the city and were finishing the night by going to a bar. It was just the three of us: Ryker, Cole, and me.
“Didn’t think I’d see the day you married,” Ryker exclaimed when we downed the second round of tequila.
“Ryker, don’t start,” Cole said.
“Why not? Need to understand what changed his mind.”
“Why?” I asked.
“So I don’t run the same risk.”
I laughed, twirling the empty glass.
“When you know, you know, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Ryker looked glum at my explanation but didn’t pry any further. I couldn’t help wondering what Tess, Skye, and Josie were up to. I’d been wondering for the better part of the day, but every time I took out my phone, I shoved it right back in my pocket.
I lost the fight after the third round of tequila and excused myself from the group.
The music was loud enough that I had to step outside to make the call. My vision was blurry when I looked at the screen, but I somehow managed to pull up Josie’s number.
Only it wasn’t Josie who answered. It was Skye.
“You’re one lovesick fiancé,” she remarked.
“Can I talk to Josie?”
“Nope. It’s a no-man zone tonight. If you speak to her, you’ll convince her to bail on us.”
“What makes you think that?”
“Because you sound like you’ve had just enough tequila to want to bolt on Ryker and convince Josie to bolt with you, and we can’t have that. We still have plans . You’ll have your fiancée all to yourself tomorrow, but tonight, she’s ours.”
“What exactly do those plans entail?”
“You know. Just fun.”
That wasn’t reassuring at all, but Skye refused to tell me anything more. My thoughts were running amok as I headed inside, back to the guys. Ryker had suggested a strip club, but I’d firmly put my foot down. Not my style.
But what about Josie? Had my cousins gotten her a stripper? The thought drove me insane. I didn’t want any man to put his hands on her, let alone other body parts.
Fucking hell. Why was I feeling possessive? She was my friend. She was helping me out. That was all.
I was lying to myself, and I knew it. This past week, it had become clear just how close to each other we’d be over the next few years, and this morning… fuck. We were going to live in the same house.
“There you are. Tell me you haven’t called Josie,” Ryker said.
“I haven’t called Josie.”
“You’re a shit liar.” He dragged a hand over his face dramatically. “Skye will hand me my ass.”
“Why?”
“Because we were supposed to keep you entertained enough not to call Josie.”
The corners of my mouth twitched. “Skye was the one who answered the phone, so you’d better be thorough in preparing your defense.”
I arrived at the house at three o’clock in the morning. Josie wasn’t there yet. Despite the long day, I felt full of energy. The light buzz from the alcohol had evaporated, and I was too restless to sleep.
I heard noise at the front door about an hour later. It sounded as if someone was scratching the lock. I didn’t see anyone through the peephole but opened anyway. Josie was bent, holding the key in her hand. She straightened up, batting her eyelashes.
“Umm… had a little trouble finding the lock.”
“They got you drunk.”
Josie pouted, lacing her arms around my neck as I scooped her up in my arms. “They invited all my closest friends. We were twelve. It was crazy. And Tess and Skye were merciless, Hunter. Merciless. I thought I was safe once we’d gotten to the club, but then after we had a few shots, they were at it again. I made a fool of myself.”
“What did they ask?”
I laid her on the bed in the guest room, sitting at the edge. “Why I fell for you, what I like best about you, how I knew you were the one.”
“What did you tell them?”
She wrinkled her nose, turning on one side with her face to me, hugging the pillow. “That you’re probably the person who knows me best and you’ve charmed me since you were a teenager, and that I’ve dreamed about having mini Hunters forever.”
“Fuck, you’re sweet.”
“My head’s swimming.”
“Close your eyes. Go to sleep.”
“I should probably change….”
“I’ll help.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not drunk enough to get seminaked in front of you.”
She was out in a few seconds, but I didn’t move from her side. Had she meant any part of what she’d told my cousins? Or did she just tell them that to appease them? It was probably the latter, but her words tugged at me for reasons I didn’t understand.
The warmth of a home and the love of a woman were things I hadn’t even let myself think I might have one day, because they’d always felt so far out of reach.
I honestly couldn’t see myself in that position. A father. The head of a family. Did Josie see me in a different light?
When Josie turned on the other side, her dress rode up higher—and then even higher when she rolled onto her stomach. Holy fuck. She was wearing a thong that basically covered nothing. I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t not look .
I had to get out of there. Now.
I darted out the door, taking refuge in my own bedroom. Jesus Christ. This was my life from now on. This gorgeous woman would be living with me for three years. I’d be tempted every single day, and I’d have to fight that temptation.
No matter how close she was, Josie was out of reach.