Page 88 of Dove
He had to be around here somewhere.
As if summoned by the thought, a thud followed by a faint curse came from the direction of the garage. I narrowed my eyes at it, contemplating turning back around and going back to bed. Although I’d been looking for him, I didn’t particularwantto have this conversation, but with nothing to do, it left me no reason to stall.
I could hear music playing from where the bay doors were open, leaving the air circulate through the large space, and whenI peeked inside the sight of Josh leaned over the engine of his old Chevy was surprising.
“You moved it?” The words were out of my mouth before I could think better of it.
Josh jumped, cursing again as his head hit the raised hood with a painful soundingthud.
I winced in sympathy as I took another step inside. “Sorry.”
He rubbed at the back of his head, but the soft smile spreading across his face was more than enough to tell me I was forgiven.
“Someone reminded me it was still here,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at me, his voice heavy with suggestion.
My face flamed as I realized that when he’d pried Torrence off me last night he would have seen what we were doing up against his truck, the one now parked right behind him.
I decided to ignore that fact altogether.
“I honestly didn’t expect it to be,” Josh continued, tentatively. “Not after…”
After you used it to get as far away from here as you could, then left poor Eddie with the job of dropping it back off—like you couldn’t stomach to have it with you, reminding you of home.
“I didn’t think it would run.” I took a few steps closer to peer at the engine, making sure to keep at least a foot of distance between us.
“Just barely.” He blew out frustrated sigh, turning back to it. “I had to push it the last of the way. Sitting around hasn’t done it any favors. Honestly, I’m surprised I got it running at all.”
I imagined Josh straining and grunting, his muscles bulging as he pushed the aging truck into the garage. A part of me was annoyed he hadn’t asked for my help, but a bigger part was relieved. I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the image ofhim red faced and sweaty, confronted with just how strong he’d become.
I walked over to the work desk along the wall and picked up a random tool to fiddle with, not meeting his eyes as I forced the titillating image out of my mind. “It wouldn’t have sat if you hadn’t left.” I aimed for casual, but it came out sounding more bitter than intended.
“Dove…” Josh sighed again, scrubbing at his face. His voice turned serious. “I think we need to talk.”
Reminded of why I’d come to find him in the first place, I forced myself to push the words whirling around in my head out of my mouth. “Last night was a mistake.”
Silence grew so heavy between us I could have heard a pin drop. When I risked a glance over to him, his face was blank, and for the first time in a long time I couldn’t read it.
That look combined with his silence unnerved me. While Josh was often stoic and quiet, it wasn’t like him to beguarded.Not with me.I was always able to read him, even in his silence. Something about him right now was different…
It was like he was someone else entirely.
The bang of the hood slamming down abruptly had me jumping. Startled, the tool in my hand dropped with a clang to the floor as he stalked toward me like a predator, a wild glint in his eye I’d never seen before.
I stepped back as he drew closer until the press of the work bench dug into the small of my back. Frozen in place as he advanced, I missed the opportunity to escape, to slid out of his reach, before he took one final step and boxed me in. Bracketed in his arms, his hands curled against the work bench, and just like that I was trapped.
It was easy to feel dwarfed by him, especially this close. My neck strained as I titled my head back to meet his eyes, stilldarkened by something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It wasn’t just lust. It was deeper than that—sharper, almost primal.
He leaned in so close, our chests would have touched if I’d taken a deep enough breath, but I found I couldn’t. My breathing had grown labored with his proximity. Josh had a way of doing that to me, stealing the air from my lungs.
I had no idea I held the ability to do it tohim.
It was… powerful, knowing my mere presence caused a reaction so intense in Josh that I couldseeit happening.
His breath ghosted over my ear. “If it was a mistake,” his voice came out hoarse and husky, “I won’t find you wet for me right now, will I?”
Fuck.
Last night flooded back to me at the same time his words hit me like a zap of electricity, heading straight to my clit.
