“Probably.” Garrett sounded more bewildered than ever. But he didn’t say anything else. Just shook his head and walked back to his car.
“Thanks.” I could feel my lower lip protruding in a pout, but I couldn’t help it. I’d gone from deliciously happy after our date to horrified in the blink of an eye. I glanced at the door again and turned away. I didn’t want to look at it anymore.
“Stay at my place tonight,” Josiah said. It wasn’t a question.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
He moved closer and placed his big hand on my cheek. “You’re staying at my place.”
I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Thank you.”
He lifted my chin and kissed me. I still felt queasy, but kissing Josiah helped. A lot.
Even more than petting Max.
“Go ahead and get whatever you need for you and Max. Then we can get out of here.”
I packed a bag, grabbed a few things for Max, and we got back in Josiah’s truck. As much as I hated the idea of someone driving me out of my own house, even for a night, I was filled with relief that I didn’t have to stay.
By the time we got to Josiah’s house, darkness had fallen. I clipped on Max’s leash before we got out of the truck. With all the scents of a new place, I didn’t want him taking off on us. The last thing we needed was another wild dog chase.
Josiah took my things and led us inside. He shut the door behind us, flipped on a light, and paused.
“Sorry.”
“For what?” I asked.
“I don’t have people over.”
I glanced around. It wasn’t exactly neat and tidy, and I could tell he was partway through fixing it up, but it wasn’t gross or anything. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”
He gave me a quick tour and I let Max wander around sniffing everything. Even though it was unfinished, it had a lot of potential.
And it was definitely a bachelor pad. Considering Josiah had an eye for not just construction, but design, he hadn’t used it at all in his own home. I wondered if he just hadn’t gotten around to it or if he didn’t plan on staying in the house long enough to bother. He had the basics—furniture in the living room and one of the bedrooms and a small table off the kitchen. But the other bedrooms were empty and the light in the extra bathroom didn’t work.
He finished showing me around and took my things to his bedroom. “You can sleep in here. I’ll take the couch.”
I tried to hide the wave of disappointment that swept through me. It wasn’t that I was ready to jump into bed with him, not in that sense. Sure, I was wildly attracted to him, and that rough lumberjack of a man could probably ravage me in a hundred different ways. But that wasn’t where my head was. I was tired and upset and I didn’t want to be alone.
But what was I supposed to say? Could you please let me sleep in your bed with you without having sex?
That would be too weird, right?
“Unless–” He paused, as if he were trying to find the right words. “I won’t push you into anything.”
Deciding to take a chance and ask for what I wanted, I met his eyes. “Will you stay in here with me? Even if it’s just to sleep?”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “Yeah.”
Pleasant warmth spread through me at that smile.
It wasn’t late but I was happy to go to bed early. I took Max outside for one last potty break, then came in to get ready for bed. I felt a little awkward, being in Josiah’s space. I didn’t want to get in his way. But we navigated the process of getting ready for bed without too much weirdness, and the simple intimacy of it was oddly exhilarating. There was something about standing next to him in the bathroom while we brushed our teeth and almost bumping into each other reaching for a towel that felt familiar and sweet.
My heart beat a little faster when we got into bed together. Max jumped up and decided on a spot—he tended to be a foot of the bed sleeper and didn’t seem to care that we weren’t home and there was another person in bed with his mommy.
Josiah turned out the light and for a moment, it felt like I couldn’t quite breathe. Then he reached over and pulled me close, tucking my back against his front. He took a deep breath and with his exhale, the tension in my body melted. He was warm and strong and close, and I could have stayed in bed with him forever.
And as I fell asleep, warm and safe in his arms, I fell a little bit in love with Josiah Haven.
CHAPTER 23
Audrey
Light peeked through the bent blinds and it took me a second to remember where I was. Josiah’s house. Not just his house, I was in Josiah’s bed.
I took a deep breath and let that sink in.
The reason I was there threatened to dull my moment of bliss. But I pushed reality away just for a moment so I could bask in the feeling of waking up next to Josiah Haven.
Since I had my back to him, I shifted a little so I could peek, hoping to catch a glimpse of him sleeping.
I was not prepared for what I saw.
Josiah was on his side, facing me, and between us was Max. My dog lay stretched out, belly up, tucked alongside Josiah in blissful doggie sleep. It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen. Josiah, who’d been somewhat indifferent to Max at first, was basically snuggling him in his sleep.
If I hadn’t fallen for Josiah a little bit the night before, I would have then.
Max seemed to sense I was looking at him. He opened his eyes and was wide awake in the space of a second. He jumped off the bed, tail wagging.
“I’m coming,” I whispered. “Give me a second.”
I cast a longing glance at Josiah. He looked so big and warm and comfortable. I would have loved to tuck myself against that burly body, but I didn’t want to test the limits of Max’s bladder. I got up, careful not to wake him, and took Max outside.
Considering everything that had happened, I decided to give my mom a call. I didn’t want to worry her, but I also knew she’d be upset if I didn’t fill her in. It was early, but she’d always been an early riser. I knew she’d be up. While Max sniffed around the yard, I took out my phone and called her.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hi, Mom. Sorry it’s so early.”
“Is it? I’ve been up for a while. How are you?”
“Fine. Sort of. Actually, something creepy happened last night. I figured I should call and let you know what’s going on.”
“Are you all right?” she asked, her voice suddenly laced with concern.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It was disconcerting but I’m not hurt or anything.”
“What happened?”
“This is going to sound crazy, because it is, and I don’t know how else to tell you other than just coming out and saying it. Someone wrote a swear word on my door. In squirrel blood.”
“I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“I got home last night and someone had written a swear word in big letters in squirrel blood. The poor little squirrel was left in front of the door.”
“Who would do such a thing? Did you call the police? Have they found them yet?”
“I don’t know, and yes, and no.”
“They must have done it to the wrong house. Someone wouldn’t target you like that.”
“That’s one of my theories, too, but I just don’t know. There was another dead squirrel outside the house not long ago, but I didn’t think much of it. There’s a lot of wildlife around here, I thought it had just died there. But now I’m not so sure.”
“You need to move home. Immediately.”
I rolled my eyes. “While I appreciate the offer, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Audrey, you can’t stay in that house.”
“The police came and they’re doing everything they can.”
“You still can’t stay in that house.”
“Mom, I have a lease. And one act of vandalism that could have been random or a mistake isn’t going to get me to move.”
“It might not have been random or a mistake.”
I followed Max toward the driveway. “I know.”