TYSON
FORTY-ONE
JOSIE
I just landed. Are you back in the Hamptons too?
I reread Josie’s text, my chest tightening at seeing her name on my screen.
It’s been a week since she stood in the kitchen with me, eating breakfast and drinking her coffee, and I’ve missed the normalcy with her.
I understand why she stayed in Manhattan longer than she expected—her grandfather was acting like he wasn’t feeling well, so she wanted to stay with him to make sure everything was okay—but today, she’s finally coming back, and I can’t wait to see her.
TYSON
Flew in last night.
Can’t wait to see you…
I leave out the fact that I found a pilot who wasn’t mine to fly me back to the Hamptons late last night because I wanted to be here when Josie finally arrived.
She’d mentioned that her grandfather was kicking her out of his house and was done with her hovering over him, so I pulled some strings to come back sooner.
And it’s finally happening.
Over the last week, we’ve constantly kept in touch. Between texts and phone calls, we were talking most of the time, but none of it compares to seeing her in person.
And I’m so ready to see her again. Hold her. Kiss her.
TYSON
Do you need me to pick you up?
JOSIE
No, Pop scheduled a driver to pick me up from the airport. Can you tell he was ready to get rid of me?
TYSON
Can you tell I’m ready to have you back?
I stare at the text, wondering if I should send it or not. My thumb hovers over the screen as I try to think through whether the text is too much.
After thinking about it for a few moments, I send it, wanting to be honest with her. Even though I’ve also had to unexpectedly travel in the last week for work, I still only ever wanted to be with her.
I missed her. And I’m more than ready to see her again.
My phone vibrates in my hand, pulling my attention back to the screen.
JOSIE
Good
I let out a slow breath of relief. I can’t help but smile at her text, relieved by her response.
My phone vibrates again.
JOSIE
I’ll be there soon…
Soon.
I glance toward the front windows, like I can somehow see her already. Like if I stare long enough, she might just appear.
I walk around my house to pass the time until she’s in my arms again, adjusting things that don’t need to be adjusted. I straighten things on the counter, check my phone again, even though I know she hasn’t texted because my phone hasn’t vibrated.
I’m being ridiculous.
I’ve still had a week of her—just not in person.
A week of calls. Of hearing her voice. Of knowing she’s coming back when she feels like her pop is fine.
Yet somehow, it hasn’t been enough. There’s a giddiness inside me I’ve never felt before.
My phone buzzes again, and I pick it up immediately. The speed at which I grab my phone should probably be alarming, but I don’t care. It’s just the effect she has on me.
JOSIE
Made it to the house.
That’s it.
That’s all I need.
I’m already moving before I even think about it, making my way quickly through my house and pulling the front door open.
And there she is, stepping out of her front door and giving me the warm smile I’ve missed far more than I should. The sun catches the blonde strands of her hair as her gaze meets mine.
My chest squeezes, and everything else drops away.
The distance, the waiting to see her again—it’s all over.
I take a step forward, not giving myself time to think twice about it as I close the space between us.
“You’re back,” I marvel as she meets me in the middle.
Her smile gets wider, and fuck, it’s so damn beautiful it makes my head spin. “You sound surprised.”
“Just excited to see you, is all,” I confirm.
She stops in front of me, and before thinking twice about it, I pull her body against mine.
I don’t kiss her yet, but I do revel in being able to touch her again. “I told you I was coming back,” she reminds me.
My gaze drops to her mouth for a moment before meeting her stare again.
“I know.” She kept repeating how she was coming back to the Hamptons; she just wanted to make sure everything was okay with Pop before returning, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t something in the back of my mind that had me questioning if she might just opt to stay in Manhattan and finish her book there, by his side.
Luckily, apparently, he claims she was just overreacting and sent her back to the Hamptons, insisting he was fine, and she agreed everything with him was back to normal.
It’s quiet between us for a moment as we soak in seeing each other again.
It’s not awkward. The air around us is charged as a feeling of everything settling into place now that we’re with each other once again surrounds us.
“I missed you,” she whispers, her voice quiet but confident.
Even though the words are soft, it still hits me right in the chest. They hit hard. They’re exactly the words I wanted—needed—to hear.
“I missed you too,” I respond as I lift my hand and let my fingers drift along the bare skin of her arm before settling on her waist.
She leans into me, not hesitating in the slightest.
My other hand comes up to her jaw as I soak it in, feeling her skin underneath my fingertips again. I pause for a moment, just long enough to look at her, to make sure she’s actually here.
Her gaze moves to my mouth before locking her gaze with mine again.
The small glimpse toward my lips is all I need.
I close the distance between our bodies.
My mouth lands against hers, and I swear we both let out a deep sigh at the connection of our lips again.
And just like that, everything feels right.
I forget all about how odd it felt to not have her here, forget about the work stress, and even all about the drama with my father and the way he won’t stop calling me because I haven’t given him the money, at least not yet.
Everything fades away, and it’s just Josie and me—locked in the kiss.
I give everything I have to it, making sure all the pent-up emotions of missing her are thrown in.
I’ve had a week to think about how much I missed her—how much I wanted to do this again.
Josie’s hands come up immediately to grip my shirt. She pulls me closer, like she wants the least amount of space between us as possible, just like I do.
My hand shifts from her jaw to the back of her neck, holding her head in place as I deepen the kiss. She lets out a soft moan when my tongue pushes against hers, and fuck…I really missed this. Her. The sounds she makes. Everything that has to do with her.
Her fingers curl tighter as she presses her body fully against mine, like she’s making up for lost time.
We pick up exactly where we left off.
I get lost in the kiss. It was a week without her. A week of not touching her. Or tasting her. A week of thinking about this. About her.
And now…she’s right here.
My thumb brushes along her jaw as I pull back just enough to look at her. We both breathe heavier than we were before, something that makes me smile.
Her gaze stays locked on mine.
“Hi,” she mutters, her lips moving against mine.
I can’t help but smile. “Hi.”
I keep my grip on her tight. I don’t want to stop touching her. But we’re still standing between our yards, so maybe we should at least go inside one of the houses.
“Wanna go inside?” I ask, still holding on to her.
Josie nods, something in her gaze heating.
I swallow. “Your place or mine?”
This makes her smile. “I just dropped Mouse and my things off at my place. He should be fine for a while. Let’s go to yours.”
My hand tightens at her waist as I guide her toward the house. I don’t let her go, even for the short distance it takes to get inside. I lift her off the ground as I walk us to the house. Her fingers stay curled around my shirt, as if she doesn’t want the space between us any more than I do.
I put her down when we step inside, and the door has barely shut behind us before she’s pulling me back to her.
Like she can’t wait.
I don’t mind.
I can’t wait either.
Her back hits the door with a soft thud as my mouth finds her again. This time, the kiss is more urgent and less restrained.
My hands immediately find her again—one on her waist, at the same moment the other slides into her hair. She lets out a moan as I deepen the kiss, and I’m completely reveling in tasting her again.
I pull my mouth from hers just to trail it down her jaw, reacquainting myself with every inch of her.
A week away from her shouldn’t feel like this, but it does.
My hand slides down her back, feeling the curve of her waist. I love how I can feel the slight hitch of her breath at the contact and how reactive she is. Every touch, every movement—I soak in every one of her reactions.
“Ty,” she breathes.
I groan at the way she says my name.
My mouth finds her again as my hand slides from her jaw, down her neck. It travels over her shoulder, pulling her closer as she presses into me like she’s been waiting all week for this too.
Her hands move all over me. They’re on my chest, my shoulders, her fingers gripping and pulling at me, like she needs to feel that I’m real—that this is real.
And I get it.
Because I’m doing the same damn thing.
My hand drifts lower down her back before my fingertips slip into the waistband of her shorts. Her breath stutters, making me pause for a second to get a handle on myself.
I rest my forehead against hers at the same moment she lets her fingers dance over the obvious bulge in my pants.
“This is what happens when I don’t see you for a week,” I mutter, my words coming out tight when she runs her fingers over my cock through the fabric again, this time harder.
“Seems like a problem.” Her lips brush against mine as she speaks.
“Yeah, it is,” I agree, unable to fight how badly I want her any longer.
“I think we should fix it,” she responds. Her fingers slide into my hair, tugging slightly, like she’s ready to test the boundary between us.
Or maybe she’s pushing it.
Either way, I’m right there with her.
I grab her waist, my grip tightening as I pull her with me. I pull her farther into the house, away from the door, away from the idea of stopping this, because stopping doesn’t feel like an option right now.
I missed her, and I want her—all of her.