Noah gave her a wide smile. “Not anymore.”
Josie pushed open her car door.
“Hey, you’re supposed to let me get your door for you. You’re breaking out of character.”
“Oh, right! Sorry.” Josie shut her car door. “Okay. You can get my door now.”
Noah laughed and stepped out of the car to go play his part. “We can’t have anyone thinking I’m slacking off on my boyfriend duties.”
“You’re right. We have to take this seriously now. We’re in the public eye.”
He opened her door and took her hand. “After you, madam.”
“What? Are we in a Regency novel now?”
Noah furrowed his brow in confusion. “What’s a Regency novel?”
“You know, Pride and Prejudice?”
“The movie where the girl falls for the grouchy guy?”
“It was a book first. One of my favorites.”
“I’ll have to remember that.”
“I’m impressed you know what Pride and Prejudice is. But that’s the Regency time period.”
“You were watching it at the house with Dustin a couple of months ago. I came out and watched it with you guys.”
“You did? I don’t even remember that.”
But Noah did. He remembered everything about Josie.
He opened the door to Dixie’s Tavern for Josie, and they went inside. He scanned the room. It was crowded, which wasn’t unusual for a Friday night. “See Dustin and Sapphire yet?”
“Yeah. They’re sitting over there at the bar. Come on.” Josie grabbed his hand and led him through the crowd, weaving between guys in cowboy hats and girls with low-cut tops.
“Hey, you two!” Josie said brightly when they arrived at the spot near Dustin and Sapphire.
“Oh, hi!” Sapphire’s face lit up when she saw them. “You’re Josie, right?”
“Yep, that’s me.”
“What’s up, Noah?” Dustin greeted him. He didn’t acknowledge Josie, and Noah wondered if Dustin really was harboring some resentment toward Josie for ending things between them.
“Not much, Dustin.”
“What are you drinking tonight, Sapphire?” Josie asked. Sapphire had a small glass filled with dark liquid on the rocks.
“Rum and Coke.” Perfect. He just needed to get Josie to distract her, and then he could slip the ice cube with the bug into her drink. He leaned up next to the bar, next to Sapphire.
“Nice sweater, Sapphire.” Josie smiled at her.
“Thanks! I love ugly Christmas sweaters. It took some convincing to get Dustin to wear one tonight.” She leaned forward like she didn’t want Dustin to overhear her saying that last part. “I had to buy one for him. He didn’t even own one. Can you believe that? He can be such a spoilsport.”
Noah wasn’t surprised to hear that.
“Watch our drinks for a minute,” Sapphire said. “I’m going to go request a Christmas song for us, Dusty-Poo. Want to come with me?”
Dusty-Poo? She already had a nickname for him? Noah couldn’t help but laugh to himself.
“Of course, baby.” He got up and followed her to the DJ’s stand.
As soon as they left, Noah reached in his pocket and opened the bag with the fake ice cube. He pulled it out and quickly dropped it in her drink. He turned to see Josie watching him with a wide smile.
“Nice going,” she said.
Sapphire and Dustin came back, and she climbed back onto her stool. “We’re second in line.” She grabbed her drink and took a sip. She didn’t seem to notice the recent addition to her drink. She swirled the liquid around in the glass, and Noah watched the fake ice cube spin in circles. Even from where he sat, he could see the bug through the side of the glass. It looked real and disgusting.
He put his arm around Josie’s shoulders and pulled her into him. Might as well put on the show Sapphire thought was real. Josie looked up at him and smiled. At least she didn’t seem to mind the close contact.
“You two are so cute together. How long have you been dating?” Sapphire took another sip of her drink.
“Just a few days.” Noah laughed to himself as Sapphire’s eyes grew wide.
“Oh! Just like me and Dusty-Poo.”
“Something like that,” Noah muttered under his breath.
“Don’t you just love when a relationship is new? So many opportunities before the two of you. It’s the best.”
Noah wondered how many new relationships Sapphire had experienced.
She looked down into her drink, and her face went pale, even in the dim lights of the room. She took her straw and poked at her ice. “What is that?” She rummaged around with her ice. “Is that a spider in my ice?”
“What?” Noah asked, putting just enough panic into his voice to be believable. “No way. Let me see.” Before she could respond, he grabbed her drink and examined it himself. “Yep. There’s a gigantic spider in there.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“I can’t believe this. I need to talk to the bartender.”
“I’ll handle it. I’m a friend. I’ll make sure you get a refund and a free drink.” Noah glanced over at Josie, her face red from holding back laughter.
He walked over to Dixie. “Hey, I’m playing a prank on my friend over there. I put this fake ice cube in her drink.” He showed the drink to Dixie and slipped her a twenty. “Can you play along? And get her a new rum and Coke. Tell her it’s on the house.”
Dixie laughed. “Sure thing, Noah.”
Noah turned his back to Sapphire and grabbed the evidence from her glass, slipping it back into his pocket, into the plastic bag. Dixie fixed another rum and Coke and took it over to Sapphire.
“This one’s on the house, sweetheart. Sorry about the bug in the ice. We need to get an exterminator in here.”
“You ought to be ashamed, running an establishment like this.”
But Dixie didn’t hear her. She’d already gone back to Will and Layla, who had just shown up with Onyx at the crowded counter.
“I want to go, Dusty-Poo.”
“You don’t want to sing our song? Jingles Bells is up next.”
Sapphire shook her head. “I’m way too grossed out.”
“Okay. Anything you want, baby.”
“Let’s go back to your place and see what’s on tv.”
Dustin nuzzled her ear. “Yum, that sounds like a plan.”
“We’ll see you two later,” Sapphire said, her cheeks flushed.
“Bye,” Noah said to their retreating backs. “Well, that backfired.”
“Anything she wants?” Josie fumed after they’d left. “He never said anything like that to me. It was always his way or the highway.”
“They’re still in the honeymoon phase.” Noah frowned. He thought Josie was getting beyond her lingering feelings for Dustin. He now realized that he’d been mistaken. And here he was finding himself starting to believe that there might be something real between him and Josie. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. He had to make sure he kept a safe emotional distance from her from this point on.
“He and I never really had a honeymoon phase. We went straight to him being a big, selfish jerk. I don’t know how she has him so wrapped up in what she wants.”
Noah glanced at the discarded rum and Coke. He might as well enjoy the perfectly good drink he’d just paid for. After the turn this night had taken, he needed it.
Chapter 7
“Do you have the itching powder?” Josie asked.
“Yep.” Noah patted his jacket pocket as they headed to the front door of his fire chief’s house where the fire department Christmas party was being held. “It’s right here.”
“This is going to be great.”
The front door opened, and the fire chief’s wife welcomed them inside with a cute Santa hat perched on her head. “Come on in, you two.” They followed her inside. “We have eggnog and cookies over here on the dining room table.
&n
bsp; “Sounds delicious,” Josie said.
The room was full of her favorite people. Not counting Sapphire. She was there, perched on Dustin’s lap, but she definitely wasn’t one of Josie’s favorite people. She still wore her puffy red coat. How was she supposed to put itching powder in it if she didn’t take it off? Mike, one of the other firefighters, had a girl next to him, and the two couples were talking.
“Hey, everyone!” She looped her arm through Noah’s, making a statement. She snuggled into Noah possessively. He felt nicer than expected, and he smelled delicious, like spice and warmth. Yep. This pretend dating thing was paying off already.
Noah led her over to the refreshment table, and they both got a plate with a couple of cookies and a cup of eggnog each. They circulated through the room together, playing the part of the happy couple, conversing with their friends from the fire department. Josie had been friends with Noah for years and had hung out with him and his fire department friends often.
Josie spotted Sapphire across the room, taking off her coat and laying it on the back of the couch. Beneath her coat, she wore a revealing tank top with plenty of skin exposed. Josie nudged Noah with her elbow and jutted her chin toward Sapphire’s jacket. Noah leaned his head down to her, his breath brushing against her ear in a way that made goosebumps rise on her arm. “Now’s the perfect time to sprinkle some itching powder into her coat. I’ll create a diversion. You go get her coat and sprinkle the powder into it.” He handed her the powder.
“Thanks. I got this.”
“Who’s ready for a Christmas dance-off?” Noah’s voice boomed throughout the room. He let go of Josie’s arm and turned up the music playing in the corner. He started shaking his booty in a ridiculous fake-seductive way, and Josie couldn’t help but laugh. She was so distracted by Noah’s little display that she almost forgot about the powder.
She laughed and then scanned the room. All eyes were on Noah. He’d even gotten a few people to dance with him. She casually walked across the room to where Sapphire’s jacket lay draped across the back of the couch. She pulled the packet of itching powder from her pocket and sprinkled some on the puffy red coat, getting some into the sleeves. Looking around to check that she hadn’t been seen, she spotted Mike looking directly at her. She gave him a smile and put a finger to her lips. He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing to rat her out.
With the itching powder safely back in her pocket, she then turned back to the party and joined Noah on the dance floor and showed him a few moves of her own. They ended up laughing together and leaving the dance floor. He pulled her off to the side, near the hallway that led back to the bedrooms.
“How did it go? Were you able to get the powder into her coat?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you think anyone saw you?”
“Mike did, but I don’t think he’s going to say anything.”
“Nah, Mike’s cool. He won’t talk.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“What are you two talking about so secretively over here?” The fire chief’s wife came over to where they stood.
“Oh, nothing in particular.”
“Did you notice what’s above you?” she asked, pointing to a bundle of mistletoe hovering just over their heads.
“Ooh! Mistletoe!” Sapphire must have overheard the fire chief’s wife because she seemed like a kid in a candy store at the prospect. “Kiss her! Kiss her!” she chanted.
Fear clutched at Josie’s heart. Was Noah going to be okay with kissing her? He seemed to be all right with it when she kissed him at the tree lot, but she wasn’t so sure he’d be okay with another one. But they’d already posed as a couple, and with Sapphire looking on, how could they get out of this kiss?
More people were glancing in their direction, and Josie realized she didn’t have any other choice. She swallowed thickly and turned her face toward Noah, closing her eyes and letting her lips form a slight pucker. She tucked her hands in her pockets nervously, bracing herself for rejection.
She’d expected him to give her a light peck, but he wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her into the warmth of his muscular firefighter’s body. It surprised her how much more muscular he was than Dustin. Noah hadn’t really held her this close before. And the time they’d kissed at the Christmas tree lot, Noah had been wearing a bulky coat. But now nothing stood between them but their thin cotton shirts. Her body relaxed, and she took her hands from her pockets and slung them loosely around his neck instead.
He took her mouth in his and kissed her with a surprising amount of tenderness. His hand stroked up her back and into her red curls. She let out a small sigh against his lips, moving her hands to stroke his face across the rough stubble across his cheek. He felt intoxicating beneath her hands.
Everything he was doing was magic. She’d never experienced so much connection to another human being. Chills ran down her arms, and her heart bound itself to his. She never wanted the moment to end. Everything fell away. No one and nothing existed but them and their two entwined bodies and the joy that wrapped around them. He pulled away and looked into her eyes with so much tenderness that her mind spun from the headiness of it all.
Someone whistled, and Josie was jolted back to reality. She and Noah weren’t together. They never had been. He was only acting for the crowd, giving them the show they wanted to see. And it was only for the mistletoe. If it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t have kissed her. She couldn’t let herself forget that.
Chapter 8
Noah watched as the softness in Josie’s eyes turned hard. She pulled away from him and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. The same ultra-soft red hair he’d just had his hand twisted up in. He let his arm drop lamely to his side.
For a moment, he had thought he’d felt something real with Josie. He’d thought maybe he’d seen it in her eyes. But who was he joking? Josie was just pretending to be into him. He knew she was probably harboring lingering feelings for Dustin. Why else would she be going through all this trouble to prank Sapphire?
He stepped back from Josie and cleared his throat. Her eyebrows drew together, and her mouth opened into a small O. She rushed away from him into the bathroom in the hallway behind him. How strange.
Maybe she had diarrhea or something.
But then he realized what was happening when his own face itched.
The itching powder. Josie must have put it in her pocket and then gotten it on her hands when she put her hands in her pocket. And then she’d touched his face. At the time, it had felt amazing, but now he just wanted to wash his face off. He followed her to the bathroom, where he could hear her splashing water with the door open.
She turned to him with wide eyes. “Did I get it on you? Don’t touch your cheek. You’ll just get it on your hands. Here, I’ll help you wash it off.” She pulled him close to her, and he bent down to the sink. She splashed water onto his face and gently rubbed her hands over him. Her touch caused goosebumps to rise on his arms. He couldn’t get enough of her closeness, but he knew he had to be careful to keep his heart from getting too entangled. Because although their moments together felt very real to him, he knew it was an act for Josie. If he didn’t watch himself, he might discover that he was falling head over heels in love with this woman. And he could see that going in only one direction for him. He wasn’t sure he could deal with that kind of heartbreak. Especially after what happened with his ex-wife. He’d given his all to Sophie, only to have her crush him slowly from the inside out through years of abuse.
He’d had fun playing pretend with Josie, but after this kiss, he wasn’t sure how much more he could take. It was beginning to feel too real to him. Seeing the hardness in her eyes confirmed that his feelings were one-sided.
Josie gently patted Noah’s face dry, and the itchiness subsided.
“Well, that backfired,” he commented.
“Do you think they bought that kiss?” Josie whispered.
“Oh yeah. They bought it.” E
ven he had bought it for a moment there.
Josie threaded the towel through the metal bar on the wall. “We should probably get back to the party.” She lowered her voice. “I can’t wait to see Sapphire put on that jacket. That itching powder was the worst!”
“Too bad it backfired. We’ll have to be careful with the rest of that stuff.”
“Yeah. I won’t be putting my hands in my pockets anytime soon. I’ll go home and wash these jeans so this doesn’t happen again.”
They went back out to the living room and settled on the leather sectional together. He put his arm around Josie, and she settled into him like they were a couple comfortable being close instead of what they were. And Noah didn’t know how to define their relationship. Were they just friends? Something more? Josie had been flirty with him even before she’d dated Dustin. But now that they had this much chemistry together, he wasn’t sure how to define what their relationship status was. All he knew was he felt incredibly attracted to Josie, and he always had.
Dustin got a phone call from his parents, who lived across the country, and he stepped outside to talk to them. He was only gone two minutes before Sapphire flirted with some of the other firefighters. And she was getting touchy-feely too. She put her hands on James’s chest and stroked his bicep. If she was that comfortable touching other guys while Dustin was on a short phone call, what did she do when she had an entire night alone with one of them?
A few minutes later, Dustin came in from his phone call, and Sapphire went back to acting the part of the loyal girlfriend. Noah had the distinct impression that maybe he and Josie weren’t the only ones acting. But their fake relationship was something they both agreed upon. Dustin was left in the dark.
Noah wasn’t Dustin’s protector, but this new tidbit of knowledge infuriated him. He’d spent plenty of time feeling jealous of Dustin while he’d had his arms wrapped around Josie, but now he’d moved onto another girl—one who was sneaking around behind his back. And Noah felt sorry for him.
Sapphire looked up at Dustin with huge doe eyes like he was her one and only. “You ready to go, baby?”
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