by Olivia Evans
Anders squeezed his eyes shut as he gave every part of himself to Josie. He loved her. Oh, how he loved her. He didn’t understand how it had happened or where it would lead, but she’d changed everything in the most frightening and amazing way.
When her body started to shake and her nails bit into his skin, Anders swore under his breath. His muscles trembled and sweat dripped from his hair as he opened his eyes to see her face.
“Josie,” he pleaded.
“Almost.”
“Look at me.”
She opened her eyes, her breath leaving her lungs in a choked exhale when their eyes locked. Anders lowered his head until his mouth covered hers. Sliding his hands under her back, he hugged her to his chest while she fell apart in his arms. The tendons in his neck bunched and his muscles strained as his orgasm ripped through him, each pulse bringing a feeling of euphoria. Emotionally and physically spent, he collapsed on top of her. Soft touches and whispered promises carried them into the night until they both drifted to sleep wrapped in each other’s arms.
Anders blinked against the soft morning light filtering through the window. His body was heavy, his mind groggy. With furrowed brows, he looked around the familiar room, stopping when his gaze landed on Josie. The previous night flooded over him and caused a slow smile to curve his lips. Leaning over her, he pressed his lips to her sleep-warm skin, chuckling when she swatted him away.
“Morning,” he whispered, his forehead resting against her temple.
Josie groaned and turned her head, her mind and body not ready to wake from what she was certain was a dream. Pressing one last kiss to her cheek, Anders slipped out of bed and pulled on his shorts. With a final glance at Josie, he walked into the kitchen. Digging inside the cabinets, he grabbed the coffee and started a pot when someone knocked on the front door. His eyes darted from the door to the hall leading to the bedroom. Not wanting to take a chance of being seen, he remained still. After several moments of silence he moved to the doorway, jumping when the pounding started again.
“Josie, get up. Oh my God, open the door. I have to talk to you!”
Anders exhaled and his shoulders sagged when he recognized Madison’s voice. Hesitating for a second, he walked to the front door.
“I’m going to break your door down if you don’t open up. You’re not going to believe what Anders Ellis has done...”
Anders smirked and swung the door open. Madison gaped at him, her eyes sweeping over his half-naked body.
“Well, fuck,” she exhaled. “I guess she already knows about your little stunt.”
“She does,” he answered, his voice still thick with sleep.
“And I’m assuming since you’re here”―she waved her hand toward him―“and dressed like you are that she’s forgiven you.”
“I sure as fuck hope so.” He chuckled and stepped to the side. “She’s asleep but do you want to come in?”
Madison shook her head. “No, I’m sure you guys have a lot of things to discuss. Just tell her I stopped by. I’ll call her later.”
“Of course.” Anders nodded, relieved to have Josie all to himself for a little longer.
Turning to leave, Madison stopped and looked back at Anders. “I’m not going to make any threats, but I just want you to know that’s my best friend in there,” she said, pointing down the hall. “She means the world to me. If she’s happy and you’re the reason for it, then I’m happy. But Anders, don’t hurt her again. She doesn’t deserve it.”
Anders wanted to tell her to mind her own business, but she was being civil, which was more than he expected, or deserved. She was also Josie’s best friend, and he didn’t need to piss her off by acting like a dick.
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Then don’t. It’s simple.”
“I won’t.”
“Good. I’d hate to have to sneak into your trailer and replace your shampoo with hair remover.”
Anders smirked and raised his brow. “What happened to not making threats?”
Madison shrugged, her face unapologetic. “I just needed time to think of something I could accomplish.”
“Duly noted.”
“Good. Later!” she called, throwing her hand in the air as she jogged down the stairs and out into the street.
With a heavy exhale, Anders closed the door and retreated to the kitchen. The beginnings of a headache crept over his temples as he thought about dealing with the people in Josie’s life. He was certain not everyone would react like Madison had. Like her brother, for example. The probability of Josie being okay with Anders telling him to go fuck himself was slim to none.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” Josie asked, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. She pressed her cheek against his back and inhaled, her body sinking into the comfort of relief as she confirmed that last night had not been a dream. Anders covered her arms with his hands and squeezed.
“I was just trying to figure out if I had enough time to snoop through your shit before you woke up. Looks like you ruined that plan.”
“You wouldn’t snoop through my shit,” Josie scoffed, tightening her arms.
Looking over his shoulder, he smirked. “The fuck I wouldn’t.”
“You’re such a dick.”
“This is not news.”
Josie tried to pull away, but Anders held her in place. Keeping her arms secured, he spun around and trapped her hands to his chest. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“I’m going to burn all the shit I don’t want you to know about. Some things just aren’t meant for others to see.”
“Quit lying. You’re not going to burn anything. You’re going to move it and hope I buy your line of bullshit. Don’t play a playa.”
“You’re not gangsta. Stop. And are you going to let that coffee sit there all day, or are you going to drink it?”
“I don’t know if I should. How long has this coffee been in your pantry anyway?”
“The coffee is fine. It’s the food you should worry about.”
“Speaking of, I’m starving. Considering Madison just left, I can assume Holden isn’t at home whipping something up?”
Josie’s face paled. “Maddie was here? When? What did she want? What did you say to her?”
Anders didn’t miss the way her tone shifted from shock to suspicion. His back stiffened even as his jaw remained relaxed.
“I told her to fuck off.” Anders shrugged and shifted his eyes to the coffee pot. He jumped when the sound of Josie’s laughter exploded into the quiet room.
“I call bullshit. She would’ve kicked your ass, or at least cussed you out loud enough to wake me.” Josie’s expression morphed. Her laughter faded and her lips twisted into silent amusement. “Wait a second. Were you…were you nice to her?”
Anders rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. You know better. I think she was embarrassed by her reaction to me opening the door shirtless. It was easy to make her leave. I mean, how awkward would it have been if you’d come out here and caught her gawking at me?”
Josie leaned against the counter and accepted the cup of coffee from Anders, all the while shaking her head. “How in the world did I convince myself I missed you?”
Anders’ face twisted with disgust when the taste of bitter coffee hit his tongue. “Probably because you’ve poisoned your brain with this shitty coffee. Jesus, Ivy. What the fuck is this?”
“It’s regular coffee! What did you do, pour half the bag in there?”
“Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do? Fuck, I don’t know. I have that single serving thing at my house. If it’s any more complicated than that, I go out for it.”
Josie pulled the cup from his hand and set it on the counter next to hers. “We’re hopeless. You know that, right?”
Stepping forward, Anders clutched her waist and tugged her forward. “Yeah, basically.”
Slipping her hands around his waist, she scratched her nails over his back. “Why don’t I run
out and grab us breakfast. When I get back you can tell me what you really said to Madison.”
“I can come with you.”
Josie stiffened. “Do you think that’s such a good idea? Someone could see you.”
The tightness in Anders’ throat was unexpected as was the feeling of weightlessness when his stomach dropped. This must have been what it had felt like to be in Josie’s place when they were dating, and it sucked. He wanted to go with her. He wanted to do something normal like grab breakfast.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, bending his knees until his lips brushed against her temple.
“For what?”
“For being such an asshole. For hiding you before.”
“You know this isn’t like that, right? I’m not doing this as some kind of punishment. I know there are no guarantees with anything, but I don’t think either of us is ready to deal with going public. The speculation will be bad enough. I just need time with you before everyone tries to come between us.”
“Ivy, that’s not going to happen. I’m not going to let anyone fuck with us. Not again.”
“Can we talk about this later? Let me get us food. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Okay?”
Anders nodded and released his hold. “Okay.”
After a few minutes of going back and forth, they decided Josie would walk the two blocks to Anders’ rental car in case the tree was still blocking the road and use it to go pick up breakfast. Popping up on her toes, Josie gave Anders a quick kiss and smacked his ass before spinning around and darting for the door. Anders chuckled when the door slammed shut moments later, the sound of Josie’s giggles trailing behind her.
He scratched at the scruff on his jaw and looked around the room. Everything looked the same, but it felt different. He wasn’t in any hurry to leave. He wasn’t worried about motives or plagued by suspicions. The doubt was still there, though. A lingering feeling of distrust that had followed him for years, waiting for everything to come crashing down.
It wasn’t that he doubted Josie. It had nothing to do with her. She might have changed him in a lot of ways, but like the bubble she wanted to keep them in, his walls had only fallen for her. He didn’t trust other people any more today than he had yesterday. He wasn’t sure if that would ever change.
After pouring out the coffee and washing the cups, Anders decided to jump in the shower. He started down the hall, but stopped when there was a knock at the door. With a grin on his face, he jogged to the front door and pulled it open. “Did you change your mind about me coming with you?” Anders’ hand tightened around the edge of the door when his gaze locked with piercing brown eyes.
“What the fuck?”
Anders cleared his throat and lifted his chin with a small nod. “Hey. It’s Holden, right?”
Holden’s eyes swept over the room before returning to a still shirtless Anders. Dragging a hand through his hair, Holden let out a humorless chuckle. “She’s lost her damn mind,” he muttered.
Anders’ face twisted with annoyance. He’d already had a run-in with Madison. The last thing he wanted to do was go a couple of rounds with Josie’s brother. “Josie’s not here. I can tell her you stopped by…” Anders let his voice trail off, but his implication was clear.
Holden’s stony glare slipped, his face morphing into confused concern. “What do you mean she isn’t here? Her car is here. Where is she?”
The sudden non-confrontational tone of Holden’s voice caused Anders’ shoulders to drop. He was much more willing to answer Holden’s questions if he wasn’t feeling interrogated. “She went to grab breakfast. She took my rental car.”
Holden hesitated before nodding and stepping past Anders into the living room. Anders’ jaw ticked as he shut the door with a little more force than necessary. He knew what was coming.
“Well.” Anders shrugged and pushed his hands in his short’s pockets. “Let’s hear it.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here because of Josie.”
“But why?” Holden asked, his body tense.
“That’s between Josie and me.”
Holden scoffed. “Like Aubrey was between you and Josie?”
It was the wrong thing to say. The betrayal was too fresh, the repercussions too painful. It didn’t matter that Holden had every right to be concerned for his sister’s well-being. Anders never was one to use rational thought when his back was against the wall.
“You have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about. I told myself I wouldn’t tell you to go fuck yourself, but I’m beginning to reconsider.”
“Good. If you prepared for an argument, then you acknowledge I might take issue with you being in my sister’s life. You know, since it worked out so well the first time.”
“That was different,” Anders said through gritted teeth.
Holden shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, man. I know what you did yesterday. It’s everywhere. But it doesn’t change the fact that you fucked with Josie’s head. I don’t think you’re good for her. Lucky for you, when it comes to her personal life, my opinion means shit to Josie.”
“I’m sure you have a list of people you think would be better suited for her. People like Levi.”
Holden shrugged. “I know you two have a past, but he’s never hurt Josie.”
Anders’ eyes glimmered with anger, a condescending smirk twisting his lips. “How blissful your ignorance must be.” A part of him wanted to tell Holden how his good friend Levi had hurt Josie, but that would prolong their conversation and Anders had no interest in that scenario.
“What?”
Before Anders could answer, the front door opened behind him. “You’re not going to believe what I just saw,” Josie began, her words trailing off when her eyes landed on her brother. “Holden? What are you doing here?”
Holden blew out a breath and crossed the room until he stood in front of her. “I was looking for Maddie. She said she was going for a run this morning, which is code for ‘I’m going to Josie’s, but I don’t want you to know.’”
A sly grin turned up the corners of Josie’s mouth. “You figured that out, huh?”
“You girls aren’t as stealthy as you like to think.” Holden turned his gaze to Anders, his brows pulling together in annoyance. “Well, at least about most things.”
“Holden―”
“Don’t,” he interrupted. “We can talk later. I just want you to be careful, okay?”
“Okay,” Josie whispered.
Holden moved into the doorway as Josie stepped beside Anders, their arms wrapping around each other and pulling them together like magnets. The message was clear. They were together. Holden looked between the two of them, his shoulders slumping in defeat when he saw the same defensive determination in their eyes.
Without a word he stepped over the threshold onto the front porch, stopping when the sound of Anders’ voice broke the silence.
“I hope the next time we see each other you’ll be better informed.”
“With your track record I doubt there will be a next time. I’ll call you later, Josie.”
Josie’s eyes stung with unshed tears as Holden closed the door and disappeared down the stairs. “What happened?”
“Fuck,” Anders groaned, dragging a hand through his hair. “Can we talk about it while we eat? I’m fucking starving and I need coffee.”
Nodding, Josie untangled herself from Anders and walked into the kitchen. She moved around the room methodically, pulling out plates and silverware and setting them on the table, her thoughts consumed with unease. Once seated, Josie wasted no time with her interrogation.
Anders recounted his conversations with Madison and Holden. He surprised them both with his honesty. He didn’t paint himself as the good guy or hide his annoyance with either confrontation. He was done lying.
“For what it’s worth,” Josie said, her hands tightening around her cup. “I appreciate you not telling Holden to go fuck himself.”
Anders dropped his chin to his chest and chuckled. “It wasn’t easy.”
“Nothing ever is with you.”
Anders grimaced. “I know. I’m trying. I promise. But as a general rule, I hate people. Apart from you, of course.”
“Of course.” Josie grinned. While she hated Holden finding out about Anders like he had, she couldn’t deny her relief in knowing she wouldn’t have to tell him.
Anders shifted in his chair and cleared his throat. He didn’t know what thoughts were running through Josie’s head and it made him antsy. As he played the events from earlier over in his mind, he remembered Josie’s words when she walked through the door.
“What were you going to tell me earlier? Before you realized Holden was here.”
Josie’s eyes flashed with a mix of excitement and fear. Reaching across the table, she grabbed Anders’ hand and pulled him into the living room. “Did you turn on the television or look up anything on your phone while I was gone?”
Settling on the couch beside her, Anders shook his head. “No. Holden showed up not long after you left. How did you get back here so fast?”
“The place where I got our breakfast is right outside my neighborhood. I usually walk there, but I was in a bit of a hurry this morning.” She winked.
Anders smirked and rubbed his hand over her thigh. “Oh? Did you have someone you couldn’t wait to get back to?”
“Hell, no. I was freaking starving.” She laughed.
“That’s what happens when you’re thoroughly fucked,” Anders retorted, ignoring her attempt to tease him.
“Is that why you ate all of your breakfast and half of mine as well? I didn’t mean to wear you out. I’ll go easier on you next time, champ.”
“You’re not ever going to let me have the last word are you?”
“Not in a million years.”
“I didn’t think so.” He chuckled. “Well, if you weren’t rushing back here for round two, what happened while you were out?”
Josie’s smile never faltered, but her eyes gave her away. Anders could tell she felt conflicted by whatever she had to tell him and that in turn made him nervous.
“Well, the good news is your car was fine, and I didn’t run into any paps.”