Page 70 of Definitely (Maybe) Dating
She double-checked the address and triple-checked, and when she was about to call Margo a liar, someone in an expensive suit exited the building.
“Excuse me, is this a hotel or residential living?”
Expensive Suit looked up at the golden sign over the awning.” Both. Depends what floor you’re asking about.”
“Twenty-ninth floor?”
“Residential.”
Nerves ignited becauseJust Joshlived in an elegant high rise in the Pearl District on one of the Brewery Blocks. With upscale restaurants and a bustling night life, it was one of the most desirable areas in the city for young professionals. His building was modern and intimidating—a world that was light years from her daily reality. She’d passed this building a thousand times, never once imagining she’d be invited inside.
Well, she hadn’t been invited exactly—more like crashing, she thought as she slipped into the elevator and hit the button for the top floor.
After making sure Rebecca was settled, Piper had come over to give Josh a heartfelt thank you that could only be delivered in person.
“You’ve got this,” she whispered to herself. “I promise you, this is real.”
It was the second time in as many hours as Piper had used that word. In fact, she could count on one hand the number of times ‘promise’ had come out of her mouth. To her, it wasn’t something said in passing or to pacify a situation. When she made a promise, it was an unbreakable bond between Piper and the person in question.
Some unkept promises led to devastating results. Like the promise she’d made to Faith that everything would work out when it didn’t. She was older now, wiser, and would never make that kind of mistake again.
On the other side of the coin, Piper’s life had been filled with people who came in making big, lofty promises, which, in the end, rarely panned out. Reason number one why Piper was promise-adjacent.
Reason two was the sense of intimacy that came from sharing a promise. The same kind of unexpected intimacy she felt whenever she was around Josh.
“It’s now or never.” Piper took a deep breath and knocked, then immediately regretted her decision.
She was in her pjs and damp hair, no bra, no makeup and no idea what she’d do when that door opened.
Footsteps sounded behind the door, and her palms went damp. When faced with the decision to stay and see how this played out or make a stealthy escape, Piper did what any cornered chicken would do—she turned to run like hell. Only the elevator door had closed, the stairs were at the end of the hallway and—
The door opened, and her breath hitched. Bathed in a soft glow, from the lights overhead, Josh stood in the entryway. He wore a faded t-shirt, jeans, bare feet and a look of surprise.
Piper started to rethink her stealth attack when he smiled, those sea blue eyes twinkling her way. “Hey.” His rough voice brought on an onslaught of tingles.
“Hey,” Piper said, and before she knew what was happening, her feet were moving forward until she was toe to toe with the most incredible man she’d ever met. She slid a hand around to the back of his head and pulled him down, fusing her mouth to his in a greeting that came right out of a movie.
If he was caught off guard, he didn’t show it, pulling her close and groaning low in his throat. It went from hot to scalding, and she was still on his doorstep. Walking him backward, she took his lower lip between hers, delivering one hell of a bite, which he seemed to like. So she did it again.
“Now we know why you’ve been skipping out on poker night,” someone said from inside the condo. Piper froze.
Gage.
“Oh my god,” Piper whispered, looking up at Josh, horrified. She tried to move him away, but he didn’t budge.
“Poker night’s over,” Josh announced.
“That doesn’t work for us,” Rhett said. “Things are just getting good. You got any popcorn?”
“You’ve got thirty seconds before I throw you out.”
“Okay,” she said and went to move backward. His arms tightened around her, holding her in place—some serious muscle action happening up top and down below. Reminding her of just how big he was.
With a sexy, sly grin he said, “Not you. Them.”
“You don’t have to cancel poker night.”
His gaze dropped to her lips, dark and intense. “Yeah, I do.” To the guys, he said, “Fifteen seconds.”
