Chapter 14 Josie
JOSIE
I snorted out a laugh, quickly hiding it behind my hand when JR turned and glared at me.
“This is not funny.”
“It kind of is.”
“The power is out.”
“I’m aware,” I said, keeping my face as straight as possible.
“Obviously, you don’t get it. The power is out, which means freezing temperatures.”
“Yes, I know how the whole thing works.”
“And you’re okay with this?” he seethed.
“Well, I’ve been through it at least once a year my whole life. I’d say this is pretty standard around here.”
Shoving his fingers through his locks, he sighed heavily while pacing the room.
“So…what’s the consensus?”
“On what?”
“Are you going home or staying here for a nice bowl of chili?”
“Well, I’m not going out there now!” he fumed. “We’ll let out all the warm air.”
I patted my blanket. “Hence, all the cozy blankets for snuggling.”
“I’m not snuggling.”
“Oh, I would never suggest we snuggle,” I laughed. “Nope, but I have plenty of other cozy, fleece-lined throws, comforters, and various other spreads that will keep you toasty for the duration of our endeavor.”
Sighing, he walked over, plopping back on the couch. “So…what does one do when the power goes out?”
“You mean, other than gorge on food?”
“Don’t you get bored?”
“Hardly ever.” Leaning forward, I pulled out the long drawer along the base of my coffee table and showed him my collection of crosswords, mind benders, and other games that kept me thoroughly entertained in times like this.
“You want me to do a puzzle?”
“Or play tic-tac-toe. That’s one I hardly ever get to play when I’m flying solo.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Your loss.”
I grabbed my favorite book that I nearly got through the last time the power was out and flipped it open, starting in on a new puzzle. I quickly got lost in the game, but it only took ten minutes for me to realize that JR was just staring at me.
“What?”
“This is really what you do?”
I shrugged, going back to my puzzle. “Why not?”
“Well…I just never took you for an old lady.”
My jaw dropped at that one. “I am not an old lady. Just because I like doing crosswords doesn’t mean that I’m of an elderly age.”
“No, but you don’t see many young people with a stash like this,” he said, gesturing to my horde.
“That’s because they have no taste.”
“So…” He jerked his head at my puzzle. “What’s one of the hints?”
Gasping, I pressed the book to my chest in horror. “You want me to share my crossword with you?”
“Not if you’re going to get upset about it.”
“Well…I guess it wouldn’t be terrible to do the crossword with someone, but you have to take it seriously.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Alright, the first hint is…Sow chow.”
“Sew chow?”
“Yeah, like sowing a seed.”
“What the hell does that even mean?”
I thought about it for a second, and then it came to me. “Maybe it means you’re supposed to sow your seeds in the field!”
“How many letters?”
“Four.”
“So…what do you sow in a field?”
“Corn, beans, tomatoes—”
“That’s way too many letters.”
“And I doubt they actually mean you’re sowing your food,” I added.
“A fishing lure?”
I looked at the crossword again. “What does fishing have to do with sowing?”
“Sowbugs,” he explained. “They’re insects used for fishing lures.”
“So, you’re a fisherman,” I grinned.
“I never said that.”
“Ha! But you knew about a sowbug, which no normal human being would know about.”
“I’m sure normal human beings everywhere know about sowbugs.”
“Not girls.”
“Well, no one ever said girls were normal.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I pretended to be offended. “Now, listen here, mister—”
“Do you know many lady fishermen?”
“Fisherwomen,” I corrected.
“Whatever.”
“Women can do anything men can do.”
“Really? Tell me all about women’s rights and how women can do everything.”
“Well, we can push babies out of our vaginas,” I grinned.
“Wow, going straight for the disgusting stuff,” he muttered.
“Men can’t do that.”
“Thank God.”
“And we have the ability to bleed once a month like clockwork.”
“Again, not really anything I was referring to.”
He was turning a nice shade of red that matched the blanket draped over my legs. He was too easy.
“Women also have the ability to catch any man’s attention with just two little objects.”
His eyebrow quirked in interest. “Yeah? And what would those be?”
Leaning forward, my shirt dipped just enough to show off my impressive cleavage. Well, it was impressive to me. It was there, which was more than I could say for myself when I was in my early twenties.
And as expected, his eyes dropped straight to my chest. What I didn’t expect was the heat that flared behind his eyes, or the way he shifted slightly on the couch.
I was so busy reveling in the glory of my win that I was totally unprepared for his eyes to flick up and meet mine in a heated stare that ensnared me, making it impossible to look away from those steely gray eyes. Heat blossomed in my belly, swirling dangerously throughout my body.
For just a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like if he shifted closer, if those rough hands slid under the blanket and touched my bare skin. How his hot breath would feel against my neck as he ran his lips down the column of my throat.
I swallowed hard as heat overwhelmed my body. It wasn’t just the images in my head. It was that damn look in his eyes. It was the scruff along his jaw that had me itching to run my fingers through it, and that wild, untamed hair that, just minutes ago, he had been messing with.
My heart thumped wildly in my chest as he shifted again. Closer. Just a scant inch. I swallowed around the lump in my throat, willing myself not to back down when he was so clearly challenging me.
“See?” I whispered. “Caught you.”
The blanket was flung out of the way in the blink of an eye, and he was right in front of me, his fingers tangling in my hair as his lips brushed against my ear.
His overwhelming masculine scent surrounded me, filling me up and making it impossible to think about anything other than him. My eyes slipped closed as I memorized the feel of his fingers in my hair and his lips brushing against my skin.
“Was this what you were hoping for?” he whispered. “Then you’re fucking right. Women are more powerful than men.”
My lips parted as I struggled to find the words, to tell him to keep going. Everything about this man was intoxicating. I wanted to slip my fingers through his hair and—
He shifted away from me, smirking at my reaction. The whole thing was a joke to him, but I was shaking on the inside. I could not have a thing for my neighbor. Not even when I knew what it was like to have his lips on mine.
“You were saying about women being able to do anything men could do?”
“Right,” I said, clearing my throat. “Obviously, I had you there for a minute. Not that it matters. The point is…”
But the problem was, I couldn’t think about the point at this second. My thoughts were still muddled from that near-kiss. From the way his breath heated my skin, and how all I could think about was his hands touching me.
“The point is?” he smirked, knowing how he had affected me.
“Sowbugs,” I said, switching the topic.
“Yes. Sowbugs.”
He knew he had me. It was written all over that beautifully carved face, and there was nothing I could do to rid him of that smug look unless I was willing to take things further.
Which I was not.
I would never win. JR would tangle me up in knots and then walk away like I meant nothing to him. He had that demeanor about him, the one that said he didn’t get involved with anyone. I’d met his kind many times before, and I’d even taken a few home.
The result was always the same.
The only way out of this was to flip the script on him. “So, Jason, is that what you did in Tennessee? Fishing?”
“Jason?” he questioned.
“Joseph.”
He snorted.
“John.”
“You should stop guessing.”
“There are only so many J names. I’ll figure it out.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“Jacob!”
“You know, you’re not guessing the R part of the equation.”
“Jacob Randolph,” I added quickly.
“God, I really hope that’s not my name,” he grunted.
“One of these days, I’ll say the right name, and you’ll be so shocked that you won’t be able to deny it. And when I do, I expect lots and lots of praise for my brilliance. Maybe a parade in my honor or a giant float that says Josie is number one.”
“That’s what you would have on a float?”
“A balloon thingy, you know?”
“Still—”
“And when it’s all done, you can bow down at my feet and kiss my toes.”
“I can guarantee that’s one thing I’ll never do.”
“Understandable. Toes can be considered very unclean, but I would wash them first.”
“Well, if you’d wash them,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“And you’d have to give me swammies.”
“Do I even want to know?”
“Ten of them. No less.”
“This is ridiculous,” he said, getting to his feet.
“Not as ridiculous as Jaleel Renaldi!”
“I’m going home.”
He stalked his way to the door, snatching his coat.
“Jacques Ricardo!”
The door opened and a gust of wind blew in.
“Jefferson Rio!”
He didn’t even put his coat on before slamming the door behind him. I chuckled as I heard him yelling about the snow and the freezing wind. Rushing to the window, I blew my hot breath on the glass and used my finger to print Jerome Ripley. Then I knocked on the window to get his attention.
At his scowl, he started to yell something, but tripped in the snow and face-planted in a heap. Slapping a hand over my mouth, I tried desperately not to laugh, but the man had it coming.
I decided to slip away before I angered him any further while he was trying to make his escape. Snuggling back under my blanket, I went back to my crossword, chuckling every few minutes as I thought of more hilarious names for him.
“Jet Roderick,” I said to myself just before the door flew open.
JR stood there covered in snow. His pants were soaked to the knees, and his cheeks were a rosy red from just the few minutes he was outside.
“I forgot my chili.”
My lips twitched in amusement. “Chili for Jarl Rustin?”