8. JOSH
JOSH
As I led April to my penthouse, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. But what was I supposed to do? Leave her there? Make her wait for her friend to finish getting laid like a college roomie? No. The only choice was to bring her back to my place.
My condo was pitch black, except for the light above the stove. I kicked off my cross trainers and flipped on the hall switch. I hung April’s bag and my keys on the rack beside the door.
“Come on in. Make yourself at home,” I told her, waving her inside.
April nervously followed me. “I’m sure Nora won’t be that long.”
It was hard not to scoff. What I heard coming through the phone told me there was no way they were rushing.
“April, you and I both know the chances of her making it home are slim to none, so text her and tell her you have a place to crash and not to bother.”
Her nose scrunched up in an adorable way, as if she was both relieved and defeated. She sighed and pulled her phone from her purse while I made my way to the kitchen.
“Water? Beer? Wine?” I tugged out the wine bottle, removing the cap and giving it a whiff just in case. Smelled alright.
“Water,” she said, still standing in the middle of my living room, gazing around like she had no idea what to do.
“Here.” I handed her a bottle of water.
“It’s not what I thought,” she absently responded, checking out the view of the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake.
“What do you mean?”
“First, it’s way cleaner in here than I expected, and it’s normal.”
“Normal?” I paused. “Instead of what?”
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you would have sports stuff hanging on the walls or a pool table. Sex swing. Something that screamed bachelor with too much money.”
Sex swing? “So many things to unpack there.”
She chuckled, eyeing a display case with an autographed baseball signed by Joe Carter. Her mouth hung open. “Is that—”
“Yup.” I cut her off, feeling my chest swell with pride, not only that she was in awe of it, but that she knew the significance. Most of the women who had seen it barely paid it any attention. My ex wanted me to move it out of the living room as it was “just an old baseball.”
I didn’t, because it was one of my few prized possessions. “He was my favorite player as a kid. I saw the ball up for auction soon after I signed my first contract with the Cubs, and that was the thing I splurged on.”
“He was good.” She grinned. “Although I was always partial to Robbie.”
I rolled my eyes. “You and every other woman out there.”
“What do you think got me into the sport?” April chuckled. For a brief moment, I wished she smirked like that when she thought about me. Part of me wanted to explore the sex swing comment, but something told me the moment passed as we both stood awkwardly, not knowing what more to say.
“We should get some shut eye. Tomorrow is a travel day and I fucking hate it.”
“I’m aware. Your grouchy ass hates to fly.”
“I don’t hate it, per se. I just don’t love the cramped quarters in coach.”
She shook her head. “Spoiled much?”
“Damn right,” I scoffed. I was a pretty down-to-earth guy, but there were a few things worth the splurge, like leg room or a fold-down bed on a flight.
That beat being elbow-to-elbow with someone who wouldn’t stop shifting, inevitably elbowing me in the ribs or knocking into my knees.
Then there were the ones who recognized us.
They heckled us on bad days and wouldn’t shut up on good ones, when all I wanted to do was doze off for three hours.
April stuck with the rest of the team of doctors and trainers in coach, and never once complained about it.
“You should try to upgrade sometime.” I smirked. “You’ll never want the basics again.”
I let the words hang between us because we both knew what I meant, and it wasn’t the flights anymore.
After seeing her upset with her last guy, then being stood up, it was tough to watch.
April may have her quirks, but she was awesome once you got to know her.
She was funny, smart, and sexy. Her curves fit her in all the right places, and it was hard to keep from touching her when I was close.
I couldn’t figure out why someone would stand her up.
I was pissed for her at first, what kind of man did that to someone?
Make the time to arrange a date, then just not show.
No call or message even? She’d let it slip earlier, covering her hurt with a joke about it, but I saw right through it.
I was glad he didn’t end up showing up or I would have punched him out.
She gave me a small smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she shrugged. “Sometimes the basics are all you get.”
A surge of anger flashed through me. Whatever or whoever made her believe that she was lucky enough just to get someone, deserved my foot up their ass. I turned and faced her dead on. Her eyes widened as I stepped closer to her.
“You are not that girl. You deserve way more than what you’ve ever had and don’t you dare think otherwise.”
Her eyes were glossy and red. I watched her swallow a lump in her throat before she simply nodded at me, her lip trembling. It was pissing me off that she didn’t see what I did and the guy who blew her off tonight better be goddamn dead or I’d take him out myself.
“This way. Do you want to shower?” I thumbed toward the hallway to the back of the penthouse into my room.
She snorted and then giggled. My eyebrows rose while watching her.
“What?” And then it dawned on me. The insinuation of us showering. I let my words linger as I watched her cheeks flame. I should have regretted or clarified what I said, yet the words didn’t come. Almost as if I wanted to see what she would say.
“I’ll wait until morning.” She shook her head.
“Suit yourself,” I said, walking into my room and over to the closet. She froze in the doorway as I fished out a pair of track pants and a shirt. “This should do.”
She laughed. “Yeah, right. I’m like, double your size.”
“That’s what I have unless you prefer to sleep naked.”
Her brow raised as she eyed the folded pile I gave her, then me, before sulking off to the ensuite. She called out from over her shoulder. “Fine, but don’t blame me for stretching it out.”
Of course, she said it with a teasing tone. The only thing I wanted stretched out was her in my bed, with me deep in titty mountain. The fuck? Get that out of your head right now.
I grabbed a fresh pair of boxers for myself and waited for her to be done.
“Oh. My. God. This bathroom!” she marveled.
I grinned. Yeah, it was pretty amazing and one of the selling features of this typical downtown condo.
A giant soaker tub overlooking the lake, a stand-up shower that had spray jets in all directions, with a rain head over top.
“I changed my mind,” she called out. Then paused.
“How in the world do you start this thing?”
I full on laughed, before getting up and waltzing into the bathroom, only to come to a dead stop as I caught a full view of April in a towel that barely covered her.
My dick twitched at the sight and it took me a second before I could walk again.
I turned the dial, letting her know how to adjust the temperature.
When she stepped in close to watch me show her how to work the fancy dials, my eyes glued to her cleavage peeking out from where her hands tightly gripped the fabric.
Fuuucck. I wanted nothing more than to rip it off her, then toss her in the shower to demonstrate just what the jets could do. I swallowed hard when her eyes caught mine lingering on her chest and her cheeks flushed.
“I. Just. Go.” It came out in a jumble of words with no clear sentence.
I listened to the water running and no matter what I did, the images of her naked under would not leave.
Eventually I turned on my tablet and put on Sport news.
My dick was stiffer than a stone and about to cause me a giant case of blue balls if I couldn't find a way to distract myself. Relieving it wasn’t an option either at the moment.
When April came out of the bathroom fifteen minutes later, her clothes balled in front of her; she was right.
My clothes were snug, but in all the right places.
The fabric hugged her ass, and my shirt showed off the perfect globes underneath, which had no bra to protect her taut nipples peeking through. Fuck me.
“So, where to now?”
Shit. I hadn’t thought about much past this point.
I was too distracted by the shower. My options were limited.
The floor would fuck up my back. And there was absolutely no chance I was making her sleep on the floor.
I had a couch of course, but it was shit.
An old hand-me-down that had seen better days.
It was on my list of things to replace, but I truly never used it, so it hadn’t been a priority.
“In the bed, unless you want the floor,” I directed. It was an offer I didn’t want to make, but felt like she at least needed to have one. I knew her well enough that she wouldn't take it. Truthfully, the minute I suggested her to stay over, I knew I wanted her next to me.
“Wait… Your bed?”
“Yes.” I patted the space next to me.
“Don’t you have a spare room or something?”
“Nope.”
“What?”
I shrugged. “It’s a one bedroom.”
Her face fell. “And where are you sleeping?”
I flashed a wicked smile and winked. “Beside you. I hate my fucking couch. And you will too. It’s lumpy and I am sure there is a spring loose that will dig into your ass.”
She hung her head in defeat.
I pointed to the left side of the bed. “It’s one night. I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
She glanced between the bed and me with skepticism. I put my hands up like Scout’s honor.
“It’s not just your hands I’ll worry about.”
I grinned, glancing down at my junk. “He has a mind of his own. If there’s an ass to snuggle in next to, he rises.”
She rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll sleep on my right side, so he can meet my knee.”
I cringed, cupping my dick.