“Very. Now we can go.”
He scowled. “How come you don’t have to try it?”
“I did. While you were dealing with Mr. Homeboy.”
He snorted. “Mr. Homeboy?”
“Thinks he’s down with the kids?”
Laughing, he murmured, “I get it. And it fits.”
“I know.” She grinned. “Come on. I’m tired of waiting for you.”
He laughed again at her teasing and slipped his arm around her waist as they began to head out of the ballroom of the hotel where the event was taking place.
“I can’t believe the hotel was happy serving that kind of food tonight,” she mumbled as he took her to the cloakroom for their coats. As he slipped hers around her shoulders, he shrugged.
“They can only do so much with their budget.”
It was a grand hotel, and the kitchen should have been serving decent food, so who knew what the Senator had given the kitchens as a budget.
The tight bastard.
“Heck, my friend’s vegan cookies taste better than half of that stuff they put out there tonight.”
Her grumbling had him frowning. “Why doesn’t that sound like a compliment for either the kitchens here or the vegan cookies?”
“Because they’re like birdseed.” She shot him a grin. “They’re atrocious. Not that I tell her that though. It would hurt her feelings.”
He smiled a little, as always, taken aback by yet another facet of Samantha’s nature he was coming to learn.
Her sense of humor had, over the past few months, really begun to flourish. And, as strange as it sounded, he prided himself on that too. Samantha felt safe around him, and that was starting to show. She was relaxing, allowing her natural inclinations to shine to the fore, and that was only possible because around him, she felt comfortable.
Josh wasn’t entirely sure what he did to make her feel comfortable, so he couldn’t take a whole heap of credit, but then, it wasn’t about him.
It was about her.
It was all starting to be about her, and rather than freak him out, he was starting to like it. Starting to embrace it.
“What are you thinking?” she asked as they strode through the fancy hotel vestibule and made their way toward the concierge. When the man saw him, he smiled and spoke into the microphone that would make Josh’s car appear around the bend in less than a few minutes.
“I’m thinking about you.”
“Ugh, why waste good thoughts on me?”
He snorted. “That’s exactly what I should be doing.”
She squinted a little. “What were you thinking? That it’s time to get rid of me?” He froze at her words, then he saw she was teasing.
He blew out a breath. “Don’t joke about things like that.”
His tone was sharper than he’d intended, and she reared back a little. “I was only teasing.”
“I know, but don’t… Just, don’t. You can make fun of anything but not that.”
She frowned, and he could tell he’d hurt her a little. Shit, just when he’d been priding himself on making her feel safe. Blowing out a breath, he lifted a hand to cup her cheek.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of you. I don’t think I’ll ever want to get rid of you. Can you see why you joking about that would take me on the raw?”
She bit her lip, and when he saw the faint tremor there, his throat choked. “Oh damn, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
Samantha shook her head. “I’m being silly.”
“No, you’re not. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.”
She blew out a breath. “Josh. That wasn’t harsh.”
“It was.”
“No. It wasn’t. Trust me, I know what harsh is.” When he flinched, she sighed and reached out for him. Her hand cupped his wrist as he rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “Look, let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. So long as you don’t hit me, I’m not going to find anything you do all that excessive.”
Anger raged through Josh. “It isn’t right that you feel that way, dammit.”
“No, but living through what I have, does that to a person.” She smiled at him sadly. “It’s okay. I’m okay. I won’t let you treat me badly.”
He closed his eyes. “I won’t treat you badly, but I don’t want you to think that I’m…” He shook his head. “I should never have said anything.”
“No, that’s just it. You should have done. This is obviously something that’s been on your mind.”
“Maybe,” he said, hedging his bets. Then, the concierge cleared his throat, drawing Josh’s attention. He nodded, and murmured, “The car’s here.”
“Okay,” she said, “but I don’t want to stop talking about this. It feels important.”
That was exactly the problem. It was, and damn him, he wasn’t sure how she was about to take it.
Would she joke?
Would she tease him as she was wont to do?
He’d been seeing so many new sides of her, sides that he loved, but it meant he was never sure which Samantha he’d get.
For so long, he’d seen her as Jamie’s wife. And, now he knew what had been happening behind closed doors, he knew how docile she’d been, and how that had been a front.
It hurt him to think she couldn’t monitor if he was being a jerk or not—and that her idea of real shitty behavior from him came in the form of a slap. It was so unhealthy, but there was nothing he could do. Just teach her by fucking loving her, he guessed as he helped her into the car, and slid in beside her.
Because he did.
It was fast. It was crazy. She was his best friend’s wife, and he should never have gotten involved… but circumstances dictated otherwise, and now, if given the opportunity, he’d never get rid of her.
Not for a single day in his goddamn miserable life.
Chapter 19
Samantha
The tension bleeding off Josh put her on edge.
She wasn’t sure what was wrong. He’d been great all night. The evening had been totally boring, but together, they’d made it fun as they usually did most things.
Josh had a surprisingly slapstick sense of humor that didn’t often come out. She got the feeling she brought it out in him, and she was really pleased about that.
Tonight had been tedious as hell, what with all the speeches and then the lousy food and the crummy band, but together, they’d gelled well as they always did.
Always.
It was getting to be a scary watchword for her.
Whenever she thought of him, it was never in temporary measurements of time. It was with ‘always’ and ‘forever’, and no matter what Josh said, she knew he wasn’t that kind of guy.
In all the time she’d known him, in all the time Jamie had, she didn’t think he’d ever dated anyone longer than what they’d been dating. Or if he had, it was a mistress he’d been keeping on the sly.
Fuck, the man kept mistresses… Ugh, she hated the very notion.
She hadn’t dared tell Jessica, who would totally pitch a fit, every single one of her feminist wiles bristling to attention at that tidbit of gossip.
Still, they all made mistakes. Hadn’t she made a huge one? Why shouldn’t Josh be allowed to make the same errors in judgment?
Blowing out a breath as she settled into Josh’s limo and headed for her home—where they usually ended these things because of Erin, who was usually being cared for by one of Josh’s guards, a guy called Drake who had kids of his own and was awesome with Erin—she half-turned so she could look at him.
The privacy screen was up and she really felt there was something going on here that was creating an undercurrent.
She wasn’t used to that.
Josh, for all his flaws, was surprisingly honest with her. In fact, he was brutally honest with her. The shit he came out with sometimes could be like verbal daggers, but that brutal honesty was something she’d prefer over BS and lies.
Like when he’d told her about Jasmine. He rarel
y sugar-coated anything. And Samantha preferred that. It made it easy to know where she stood with him.
And yet, her teasing from before, a joke about his getting rid of her that she hadn’t even meant, had caused this… well, she wasn’t sure what.
“What’s going on, Josh?”
He sighed as he settled into his seat. The leather creaked and his cashmere coat slipped silkily against it with a gentle whisper. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Liar,” she said softly.
“No, nothing’s going on. I’m just thinking that’s all.”
“You know what thoughts do, don’t you?”
“Cause trouble?” He grunted. “Look, I’m trying to figure out a way to say something to you without you freaking out. That’s all.”
“Is it something bad?”
He shrugged. “No. A lot of women would love to hear it.”
She squinted. “You do realize no woman likes to hear that, right?”
When he rolled his eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, what can I say? I’m just a crowd-pleaser tonight.”
She knew Josh hadn’t meant to, but his teasing actually put her at ease. “Okay. Just shoot me with it. I’d prefer that to you being all tense tonight. I have plans for you, and they don’t involve parts of you being tense. Well, only one part of you needs to be stiff.”
Her joking had him snickering, and she beamed a grin at him. He liked her stupid attempts at jokes, often chuckling at them, and she loved that. Jamie had always told her she was an imbecile, that she was pathetic. Josh never did that. If anything, he’d looked at her like she was the funniest damn woman on the planet!
It was heady stuff.
“Oh, you have plans for me, huh?”
“I do. Several plans.”
“Greedy wench. What have I done? I’ve created a monster!”
She laughed. “You’re so glad that you did. Don’t even lie.”
“A woman who’s greedy for my body? Several times a day? Yes, you’re right. I’m so not glad about this situation.”
It was her turn to snicker, and then she prodded him. Again—she liked it doing that. He always let her. Would never grab a hold of her wrist with a clasp that was so tight he’d leave bruises. Would never find a way to put her in a chokehold or that would use her strength against her. Those tiny prods… she’d knew he’d never realize how much trust they took. How much faith she had in him to do that.
“Come on then. Out with it. Tell me what’s going on. Is it business?”
Sometimes he went distant and she knew it was because of work. Samantha wasn’t entirely sure how he spent so much time with her, but was glad he managed to do so. If it meant that, sometimes, his focus was a little off, she didn’t mind. Was just grateful he was making time for her and Erin, because a man like Josh had to do exactly that. Make time.
He rubbed his chin. “You know, I don’t even know where it came from. It just appeared out of nowhere, and it’s kind of left me reeling. But then, I figure that’s about right, because you left me reeling.”
She frowned. “That doesn’t sound like a bad thing.”
“No, I never said it was, did I? If anything, I said most people would think it’s a nice thing.”
“So why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you’re not interested in getting serious with me.”
Her throat choked at that. “Oh.”
He sighed. “See.”
She peeped up at him. “No.”
“No? What does that mean?”
“It means, no.”
He grunted. “Explain, Samantha.”
“It means, that was before. This is now.”
She couldn’t stop herself from sliding across the seat, couldn’t stop herself from nestling into him, and when he lifted an arm and wrapped it around her shoulder, she cuddled into him harder. In his arms, she truly found a safe haven.
She’d never expected to find a man’s embrace secure. But with him, she did.
In fact, there were many things she never expected to find herself doing with another man, and yet with Josh, it was as easy as breathing.
It was crazy. Insane. She knew that. She did.
They barely knew each other. Not really. Not for long without Jamie’s toxic influence, and yet, this felt so right where it had always felt so wrong with her husband.
Tucked close to him, she whispered, “I-I think about more with you.”
He stiffened. “You do?”
“Yes.” She peeped up at him. “Is that a bad thing?”
“No. It’s a great thing,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Look, I’ve been trying to think of ways to tell you this, Sam, but it’s hard because I’ve never felt this way before and I know you haven’t really wanted that from me anyway… But I’ve come to realize the reason you’re so special is because I love you.”
She tensed in his arms, then turned slightly so she could look up at him. “You do?”
He nodded, and she could see the tension written into his features. Could see how very hard that had been for him to admit.
She bit her lip, and whispered, “I feel the same.” Then, she squeezed her eyes shut. “I know I shouldn’t love you. Not so quickly.”
“Who says that?” he demanded, and he reached for her hand so he could squeeze it. “Nobody knows how the heart works, Sam. Nobody. And I know you’ve barely been without Jamie, I know you should probably have more time to yourself, but why? Why be alone when you can be with me and we can be happy together?”
“I know you’re right,” she whispered, staring up at him, feeling like she had the moon in her eyes and the sun in her heart. “I-I…. people can say what they want. They don’t know what I went through. In all our years together, Jamie never made me feel as cherished as you’ve done in the past few months. And, from this moment on, you don’t have to think about him.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I know you’re careful with me, Josh. I know you think I’m breakable, like porcelain. But I’m not. You don’t have to think that. I’m tough, I’m strong. I can handle anything you have to give.”
Josh gulped. “I hate him for what he did to you.”
“You think I don’t? But you know what? The best way to beat him, Josh, is for us to be happy together. And do you know what? I really think that’s possible. I really think we can be deliriously happy together.”
His grin made a cheeky appearance then. “You do, huh?”
She laughed. “Yeah. I do. I know it, in fact.”
“Look at you, Ms. Confidence.” He let out a growl. “I love it.” She laughed again when he hauled her onto his lap, and rather than keep her knees pinned together she spread them so he was pinned beneath her.
“I have plans for you, Mr. Sexy.”
He snorted. “Plans that involve the limo or a bed?”
“Why not both?” Her eyes sparkled as she dipped her head and their lips met. The minute she sank into him, she let out a deep moan that had pleasure roaring through her.
What he could make her feel… Was it any wonder she’d fallen for him?
Was it any wonder she was in love with this man who made her feel like she could fly?
Piercing his mouth with her tongue, she slipped hers against his, mimicking exactly what she wanted to do. At that moment, she felt so liberated, so alive and carefree that to be in his arms was a freedom in itself.
Why shouldn’t she have this?
Yeah, it had come out of nowhere, but whirlwinds happened, didn’t they?
And if she didn’t allow herself to explore this, then Samantha knew she’d regret it forever.
She reached between them, her hands delving deep to feel his cock through his pants. He moaned against her mouth as she fumbled a little, working hard to bare him. The minute the hot, hard silk was in her hand, she wanted to roar herself. The groan that escaped his lips made her want to throw her head back in delight, but the confines of the limo’s
cab didn’t allow for that.
It was kind of annoying, but at the same time, it turbocharged everything.
This wasn’t going to be a long, slow act of lovemaking. This was a declaration of intent.
They were going to claim each other. Here, and now.
In fact, no.
She was going to claim him. Put her stamp on him.
A man like Josh, he needed that. She knew he didn’t realize it, but that was why she kept on making an impression on him. She didn’t think the sun rose and set on him because of who he was. She thought it because of what he was.
A good, kind, honorable man.
Everything she’d never had before but which would be an intrinsic part of her future.
Josh’s hands came to her hips and she felt him dragging her dress up and away. Thank goodness it wasn’t one of those fitted gowns, rather, one that was free flowing from the waist. She waited for him to drag it over her legs until she could move even more freely. His fingers delved between them and when he found bare skin, she let out a whimper.
An honest to God whimper that had laughter, so loaded with feminine wiles and delight, flooding from her.
When he connected their sexes, an urgency to the move that she felt and responded to, she could feel how slick she was.
Knew how close she was.
There was something about him that made everything intense, urgent, and at that moment, she knew if he didn’t get inside her, she’d explode.
And not in a good way either.
As his hardness slipped inside her, filling her deeply to her core, she let out a long, low moan. Riding him, she loved the dark confines of the limo as it made their scents overwhelm the space, triggered a reaction on a visceral level that made the primeval creature come to the fore.
She rode him until her thighs ached, until her knees were stiff, and still it wasn’t enough. She felt her juices slipping between them, slicking his skin with her wetness, her arousal for him.
Then, he made a killer move. His signature move that blew her damn brains every single time.
His fingers came to flicker with her clit, and like that, with less than five careful, slow rubs, she came. The fireworks that went off behind her eyes came in tangent to his low grunts and groans that made her eardrums vibrate with the same pleasure as her climax.
Believing Her: An Enemies to Lovers Fake Fiancé Romance Page 16