Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
JOSIE
I waited, listening to the phone ringing in my ear. “Stupid heater,” I muttered as I tapped a few buttons on the small heater.
“Hey, Josie, long time no see,” Tate teased when he answered his phone.
“The heater’s not working.”
“Oh, well, that’s not good. Be right over,” he replied.
The line went dead, and I stuffed my phone into my pocket. The heat must’ve turned off earlier today after I left because the house was freezing. I curled my arms around my waist and glanced around.
“It has to be something simple,” I mused.
A sharp knock sounded on the door a moment later before it swung open. “It’s me,” Tate called as he stepped inside. “Oh wow. It’s cold in here.”
He crossed over to stand in front of the heater with me.
He knelt and tapped a few buttons before opening up the control panel.
He ran through several tests, offering commentary as he went, before finally saying, “It’s not out of fuel, and none of these things are getting it going.
My best guess is the control panel itself is glitching.
I’m pretty handy, but I’m not that handy.
I’m gonna have to call the place that installed this tomorrow and see if they can come out to fix it. ”
“Oh.” That was all I could offer to that.
I peered up at him as he straightened. “Unless you want to freeze your ass off tonight, I think you should come stay at my place.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I contemplated my options. I hated being cold, and it was February. In Alaska, specifically in Willow Brook, temperatures could easily dip below zero during the night at this time of year. This was just not something I wanted to deal with.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll cut you a break on rent. I don’t even want to charge you rent, but you’re insisting on it,” he added dryly.
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll stay at your place. I love snow, and I love winter, but I don’t like freezing my ass off. Give me a minute, and I’ll walk over with you.”
Tate waited in the living room while I dashed into the bedroom and tossed my clothes into my bag before collecting my toiletries from the bathroom.
Within ten minutes, we were at his place.
His mom had given me a big hug and told Tate that Kara was sound asleep before announcing she needed to get home.
I eyed the couch, feeling conflicted about the sleeping situation. I knew Tate couldn’t fit on this couch. He was too tall. It was just a small loveseat.
“Did you eat at Wildlands?” he asked, oblivious to my worries.
“Just a little.” As if my stomach needed to protest that point, it offered up an audible rumble.
He chuckled. “I was gonna ask if you wanted anything to eat. Mom left some artichoke dip and fresh bread. I can heat the dip.”
“I’d actually love that.”
I dropped my bag on the floor by the kitchen counter, mentally telling myself we’d figure out the sleeping thing later.
It all seemed so easy to relax and eat, except sitting at the kitchen counter with Tate directly across from me turned out to be a recipe for my hormones to lose their minds. My belly tingled, and I was hot all over by the time we finished our snack.
I leaped up, announcing, “I’ll clean up!” Even my voice sounded ridiculous, some sort of combination between squeaky and breathy.
I fetched our plates to put them in the dishwasher. When I turned around, I realized my mistake. Tate had spun around on his stool, and he was maybe two feet away from me, his eyes colliding with mine. My lungs seized, and I tried to breathe, but I couldn’t.
“Have you been avoiding me?” he asked.
“Of course not,” I said way too quickly.
He didn’t look away. “Should we talk about it?”
“Um, talk about what?” I twisted a dish towel between my hands and nervously stared at him. I reminded myself that his daughter was asleep in her bedroom down the hallway. My naughty mind pointed out that Tate’s bedroom was upstairs.
“The fact that we kissed.”
My pulse went absolutely wild, racing out of control while heat coursed through me like a sizzling wire. When he said the word “kissed”, I instantly recalled the feel of his lips, his hand sliding into my hair, and his hard-muscled body pressed against mine.
I couldn’t think. I scrambled as though I were sliding down a hill with nothing to grab onto. I wanted to be rational, to be reasonable. But more than that, I wanted Tate. I wanted the promise his kiss offered.
Without knowing for sure, I felt there was more, and it would be the best thing I had ever experienced. Again, I tried to take a breath, and all I got was the tiniest sip of air. Definitely not enough to clear my thoughts. My desire for him rampaged out of control.
“Tate,” I rasped, almost shocked at the hint of a plea in that single word.
He slipped his hips off the stool, taking one step until he stood immediately in front of me. His body itself was an electric force, electricity shimmering around us.
“Yes?” His low, husky voice was like a match thrown into the fire burning inside me.
“Kiss me.”
His eyes held mine, darkening. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I whispered. His lips hovered so close, they brushed against mine when I spoke.
He moved even closer when his hands rested on the counter on either side of my hips. His mouth came over mine in a slow, teasing touch. I wanted him to claim my mouth, to make me forget everything. Yet he didn’t.
His lips teased over mine softly before he lifted his head. “Tell me what you want.”
“Tate…” I pleaded. “Just kiss me. I need you.”
He studied me before dropping one kiss on the corner of my mouth and then the other before again lifting his head. “You just want a kiss?”
I felt liquid all over, hot and melting for him. I also felt desperate. “I don’t know. I just need you to kiss me.”
He stopped torturing me and slid a hand into my hair as he fit his mouth over mine, claiming it with a deep sweep of his tongue. I whimpered into his mouth. Our kiss felt like pure fire when he deepened it.
I lost myself as our tongues tangled. It was messy, hot, and wet.
I felt as if I were breathing him in. I lost track of all sense of time.
Eventually, we had to break apart to breathe.
I could feel the rushing beat of his heart where we were plastered together.
I’d slid my arm around his waist, my hand sliding under his shirt to feel the muscles on his back flex.
“Tell me what you want,” he repeated.
“You,” I gasped.
His gruff whisper kindled the fire burning between us higher and hotter.
I could feel his hard length pressing into the cradle of my hips.
My arousal was slick between my thighs and had drenched my panties.
I could hear the pounding rush of blood from my heartbeat and felt shockingly alive.
Heat rolled through me in waves with little rushes of electricity spinning into it. I couldn’t look away from Tate.
My rational brain tried to point out that this was a huge mistake. I couldn’t be twisted up into knots of desire by my old friend. The rest of me shouted back, Why not?
I trusted Tate completely. I knew beyond any doubt that this with him would be incredible.
“You,” I whispered. “I want you.”