Page 92 of The Cowgirl's Chosen Love
Whatdo I really want?
I want to be with Josiah. I want to experience life. I want a family, yet I want to stretch my mind in new ways.
It still seemed far too tangled and impossible. Like throwing darts at a map and then trying to arrive at all four destinations on different continents at the same time.
I want everything.
Even as she made the wish, the sun dipped lower, sliding from a quarter of an arc showing to vanishing behind the brim and for one brief second, she could have sworn—
A flash. Not neon green like she’d been imagining, but a rich, growing colour that matched a forest of mature spruce trees.
“Oh my God.”
She pressed her palms to the window, staring, but it was gone.
Had she imagined the entire thing?
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there when a warm body moved in at her back. The familiar voice and familiar touch of Josiah as he placed his hands over hers, cheeks brushing, and the bristles on his jaw scratching lightly. “You okay, darlin’?”
Lisa took a deep breath and turned. “I think my father abandoned me here.”
Josiah looked thoughtful. “Seems you’re right.”
She didn’t know what to do long term, but she knew what needed to happen today. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run away.”
He tucked his fingers under her chin, stroking his thumb across her cheek. “Apology accepted, if you accept mine as well. I moved too fast.”
She shrugged. “Not really. You kind of started this whole thing by being pretty blunt and normally, that would have been okay. I am capable of telling you to slow down. I’m not sure why I got so scared.”
But her father’s story was maybe giving her a few hints.
George Coleman had been trying to protect them because he was worried about losing something precious, but in the process he’d still lost something.
How terrible would it be for Lisa to not learn from his mistake?
Lisa stroked Josiah’s cheek. “Can I have a couple of days?”
His smile remained, but his eyes no longer glowed. “Of course.”
Oh no.No. That was not what she wanted. Hurting Josiah any further was not on the agenda. “I love you.”
His eyes widened.
“I really do and that’s not up for debate. That’s not what my problem is.” She caught his collar in her fists and held on tight. “Just a couple of days, okay?”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Stay with me tonight?”
She curled her arms around his waist. “I’d like that. I want that.” She leaned up on her toes and lifted her lips to his. “I want you.”
They stole down the stairs hand-in-hand, then into his bedroom where he pushed open the curtains to let the sunset hues fill the room. Josiah proceeded to strip everything off her one piece at a time, pressing kisses on her skin, making her feel adored and cherished.
Right around the time her legs gave out, he scooped her up and carried her to the bed where he kissed her senseless, stroking and caressing until she was quivering with need before he pressed her legs open and slid home.
A quiet lovemaking. A joining together that was so right and so them. Unexpectedly tender, gloriously passionate. Honest…
Real.
Josiah cupped a hand to her cheek, their bodies twined and connected. “No expectations, no promises. But I love you. Stubborn, mischievous, drives-me-wildyou.”
