Page 123 of Dove
I blew out a heavy sigh. That topic was something Rev kept avoiding with me. “So she says, but I don’t think she wants to go back to California, either. Reverie will fight tooth and nail against admitting that what she really wants is to be here in Haven.”
He hummed, arm tightening around me. “LA wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, then?”
A pleased warmth spread through me as he held me, despite it being too hot for the embrace. I wanted nothing more than to stay in this spot forever, but in the back of my mind I couldn’t shake my awareness that it was only a matter of time before someone passed by. Again. Clearly this road was frequented more than both of us had thought. “I think it was everything she imagined it to be and more. I just don’t think it’s what her heart really wants.”
He leaned in, subtly inhaling, nosing at my temple. “And what does her heart want?”
The brush of his lips against the shell of my ear stole the breath from my lungs. His low, seductive purr had me shivering in his arms despite the heat. “Someone it shouldn’t,” I admitted in a shaky whisper, knowing he was no longer talking about Reverie, and that neither was I.
The hand that had been resting on my hip slipped lower, his fingers flirting with my waistband. “We don’t need anyone’s approval. What we have shouldn’t be labeled wrong just because people won’t understand it.”
I wanted to believe his words so badly. Wished it was easy for me to live without a care for how people might view our relationship, viewus, but despite my best effort, Ididcare. Haven had been just that for me, and Josh had saved me from what I imagine would have been a very lonely, depressed existence. Eclipsed with the grief of survivor’s guilt and loss, a small, welcoming town and a lonely boy gave me the light I hadn’t had within me to chase the shadows away, and I didn’t want to lose either of them. But if I had to, there was no doubt who I’d choose.
My eyes fluttered closed involuntarily as he kissed my neck, right along the spot under my ear that had my spine turning to liquid. I all but melted back into him.
“There’s no way something that feels this right is wrong,” he whispered, pressing the words into my skin between kisses. His hand drifted lower, and I wanted nothing more than to let it reach its goal, but I stilled him with a hand to his wrist.
“Josh,” my voice came out hoarser than I intended, and he shuddered behind me. His arousal was pressing into the small of my back, making his interest known, reminding me that while I’d found my release, he hadn’t. Guilt coursed through me, and it took my all to force the rest of the words out. “I want to, I do, but I don’t have it in me to get interrupted again.”
Plus, it washisturn now. I know Josh wasn’t keeping count, but I was. He’d taken care of me far more than I had him, and I wanted nothing more than to return the favor, but we still had too much to do today. Since we were only two people preparing for hundreds of acres worth of crop to gather, the days were long and tiring. But it wouldn’t be much longer.
I turned in his arms, bringing my arms up to rest around his neck. Looking up into his darkened brown eyes, I declared, “Soon. After the harvest things will settle down and then wecan…” I glanced away, losing my boldness.Then we can do what we haven’t yet. Everything but, it seemed.
He bent down, slotting his mouth over mine perfectly. At the touch of his tongue, my lips parted without hesitation. Josh had a way of quietly consuming me, making me crave more until were so tangled up in one another I had no idea where I began, and he ended.
When he drew back, we were both out of breath. The truck was digging into my back where he’d spun me to press me up against it, and my hands had migrated into his hair.
“Soon,” he agreed huskily.
That one simple word sounded like a promise.
27
JOSH
As the day of the strawberry festival neared, I waited for a sign that Dove had any hint about my plan, thinking for sure Reverie had blown my cover, but she’d assured me Dove hadn’t mentioned anything about it after they’d rescued us from the side of the road. I wasn’t entirely worried about Dove’s inquisition so much as I was Reverie’s big mouth, but she promised she hadn’t said anything else about it and Dove hadn’t asked.
Although I knew her well, Dove was a steel trap when it came to certain things, so all I could do was hope I had the element of surprise. I couldn’t explain how I craved her shock, how much I wanted to watch as her eyes lit up and a sweet, pleased smile stretched across that pretty face.
My surprise, for all that it was thoughtful, wasn’t big or flashy, but Dove wasn’t that kind of girl. In the past she’d always been happy keeping things quiet and low-key, even for birthdays, so I had an inkling she would love what I had planned. There was no doubt in my mind she deserved it and more, and I’d spend the rest of my life showing her how much she meant to me. Although we were moving past it, my absence remaineda hollow pit in my stomach. I couldn’t erase the years I’d been gone, or what they’d done to her, but I could make sure she never had to endure feeling that way again.
Stepping out of my truck, I ran my hands through my shorter hair, hearing an echo of Reverie’s chastising voice toleave it alone.I’d stopped by to iron out some of the details for tomorrow and to make sure Rev made good on her promise to keep her lips sealed. When I was about to leave, she stopped me, and with a flourish of her hand directed me to sit down in her chair. When I’d asked her why, she told me she wasn’t going to let her best friend date someone who looked like a vagabond. My hair was hardly long enough for the insult, but I sat down without argument, knowing she had a point. It had grown long over my ears and started curling around the nape of my neck, which made working outdoors ten times hotter, especially with the relentless, blistering sun beating down on me.
So, I let her drape a cape over my shoulders, and when she asked me how I wanted it cut, I’d answered without thinking.Whatever you think Dove would like.
She’d just smirked at my answer and picked up her scissors. Rev might be a lot of things—loud, wild,extra—but she was also talented. I knew I was in good hands.
But as I closed the truck door behind me with a slam, knowing Dove would hear I was back, I still worried she might not like it.
Did she prefer me with longer hair? She seemed to like my beard, which is why I kept it trimmed down instead of shaving it off altogether. Maybe she wouldn’t like the shorter look, although Rev had made sure to keep it longer on top, like how I’d worn it when I was younger. Similar to how it was when I still lived at home.
I couldn’t believe I was nervous about something as simple as a haircut. There wasn’t a reason for it. If Dove didn’t like it,I’d just grow it back out, but that rational thought didn’t stop the nerves tightening in my stomach as I wondered what Dove would think when she saw me.
Shaking my head at the absurdity of it all, I climbed the steps to the porch, thinking Dove might have gone inside for a late lunch when I heard the shuffle of feet behind me followed by a soft meow.
Dove rounded the garage, wiping her hands, Omen following close behind her. Her hands were streaked with something dark, and a few loose strands of hair had fallen out of her usual bun, indicating she’d been working on something. She laughed as he rubbed against her legs, nearly tripping her, and my breath caught as the sun illuminated her. She never looked more gorgeous than when she was laughing.
She noticed my parked truck and her eyes scanned for me until they finally locked onto where I stood on the porch. Her baby blues widened, and she stopped abruptly, causing Omen to mew in protest when she nearly stepped on him. Something fluttered deep in my chest at her reaction, and my hand lifted, wanting to rub the foreign feeling away, but instead I ran my fingers through my hair again, an anxious habit. Her eyes tracked the movement, and as if beckoned by it, she stalked over, climbing the porch steps until she was only an arm’s length away from me.
