Chapter Thirteen
Lincoln had kissed Josie last night and like a goober, he’d wanted to clutch her against him and keep on kissing her. Thankfully, he knew the reason for his crazy thinking was because he’d tossed and turned for hours, only falling asleep just before dawn. Sleep deprivation could impair cognitive function. Everyone knew that. It explained why he’d had trouble walking away from Josie and her incredible body and soft lips and— Yeah, he definitely had to get some extra sleep tonight.
There was no problem, he told himself. His brain wasn’t having difficulty finding the line between reality and fake in their relationship. He’d be kind of an idiot if that happened. It wouldn’t, of course, because he knew where the line was. Right smack down the middle between the two camps of he-wasn’t-crazy-enough-to-get-into-a-relationship and never-with-Josie.
Before he knew it, he was pulling up outside her house to pick her up for dinner with the councilman and his wife. Once he parked he barely made it up her porch steps before she swung the door open and breezed out. He choked off the curse and managed to keep his mouth from hanging open far enough to let bugs in.
She wore a black dress that did more than hint at her curves. The neckline dipped low enough for him to get hot all over. Her hair was curled in some kind of fancy style that pulled it away from her face. He was struck by the sudden urge to see if it felt as soft as it looked.
Her lips were coated with something pink and shiny. She smiled brightly, as if she couldn’t wait to see what adventure the world held for her, then tapped her index finger against his tie. “Nice.”
“You look”—hot as hell and it’s frying my brain—“amazing.” Lincoln chose the saner thing to say. They walked to his truck and he opened the passenger door for her.
He walked around and got in. “Did you have fun last night?” He drove toward the restaurant, clutching the steering wheel and trying not to look at her. That damn dress was practically bear hugging her.
“I did.”
“I know Granny did because she drunk dialed me at four this morning.”
Josie laughed. “Oh no. What happened?”
“She kept saying the end was near.”
“The end?”
“She was talking about a bottle of wine.” Lincoln glanced at Josie, then immediately wished he hadn’t. She was toying with her earring and all he could think about was putting his lips to the side of her neck. The thought jolted him, and a strange noise escaped his mouth. He pretended to cough so he wouldn’t look like an idiot.
Josie touched the diamond ring on her finger. “With every glass she had, Jean kept coming up with a wild toast celebrating our engagement.”
“That’s because she knows what a prize I am,” Lincoln said. “I’m the best of the Bradford men.”
“Definitely. She’s probably wondering why I haven’t talked you into eloping already to make sure you don’t get away.”
“Knowing how much Mom and Grandma want to see us all married, they’d no doubt draw up wanted posters and send a bounty hunter after us.”
“No doubt.”
He parked outside the restaurant. “Would you want to elope?”
Josie faked a dreamy sigh. “I thought you’d never ask.”
“I didn’t. I don’t. I mean you.”
“Elope by myself? I don’t think so. Where’s the fun in that?” she joked.
“You know what I meant.”
“Depends on if I had a groom.”
Lincoln gave her a look as they walked into the restaurant.
The hostess led them to a quiet table where the councilman and his wife waited. After shaking hands and introducing Josie to Martin and Elena Hernandez, Lincoln pulled out Josie’s chair for her.
“I have something for you,” Martin said after everyone was settled. He handed Lincoln an envelope.
Lincoln opened it and saw a check in a substantial amount made out to the fire station. There was more than enough to get the equipment they needed.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“What you’ve done over the years for the station hasn’t gone unnoticed. I voted for increasing the budget there.” He shrugged. “But no one was willing to listen.”
“Thank you seems so inadequate for this.”
“A distant relative passed away and left us an inheritance.” Elena smiled at her husband. “Since we weren’t expecting it and we have everything we need, we decided we wanted to use it to help others.”
“This will certainly go to good use.” Lincoln put the check in his jacket pocket.
“We have something else for you, too, which is why we wanted you both to be here.” Elena passed a folder to Josie.
She opened it and her eyes widened. Panic showed when she looked at Lincoln. “It’s a honeymoon package.”
“Yes.” Martin took his wife’s hand and kissed the back of it. “All your expenses are paid.”
“Martin, we can’t—” Josie tried to protest.
He held a hand up. “Yes, you can. I insist. Elena and I have seen all the good things you do for the people of Morganville just like Lincoln does. You’re the perfect couple and it’s an honor to do this for you.”
Josie turned to Lincoln, her expression clearly saying do something.
“Martin, Josie and I…we don’t know when we’ll be getting married. Could be a while.” Such as never.
“The offer is open ended,” Elena said firmly. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t wait too long to get married. Martin and I have been married thirty-seven years and it’s been a wonderful journey.”
For the rest of the evening, Lincoln was lucky that he was able to function normally. It shocked him that while he was thrilled to have the money he needed for the station, his mind kept going over that honeymoon package. There were so many ifs. If he didn’t know how easy it was to screw someone’s life up, he would have asked Josie out by now. But experience had taught him how easy it was to fail. Failing himself, he could do that and move on. Failing Josie was a different story, and one he wasn’t willing to write.
…
After they left the restaurant, Josie laid the honeymoon folder in the console of Lincoln’s truck. She’d thought that the other couple could see right through her to the truth. That she and Lincoln weren’t really together. She could admit to herself that there were times when she wanted it to be true. He’d look at her a certain way. Or smile. Touch the small of her back. Kiss her…
Josie wished she hadn’t had that extra cup of coffee after dinner. The caffeine was really making her nervous.
“Something on your mind?”
“Not really.” She couldn’t tell him what she’d thought about him. He’d run the other way so fast he’d be a blur.
He drove toward her house. “I’m sorry about all that and not sure how to handle any of it yet.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Josie pulled out the folder and opened it to show a brochure with a photo of stunning blue ocean water and white beach sand. “It’s the Bahamas. We go on our honeymoon.”
Amusement crossed his face. “Traditionally a honeymoon takes place after a wedding.”
“Okay, if you insist.”
He laughed. “You don’t want to go on a honeymoon with me.”
“Sure I do. I have a new bikini that I can break in,” Josie said.
He dropped his mouth open in mock surprise. “Me, too.”
Josie laughed, but the images that popped into her head were anything but funny. Lincoln and me on our honeymoon. Soaking up the sun and the heat. Creating some heat of our own. The thought raised the temperature inside the truck.
Lincoln parked in her driveway and walked her to the door. She should let him leave. The sooner the better because he’d definitely brought sexy back. She should casually tell him good night. Her brain was on board with that idea. Her body and her tongue were not.
“I have a peach pie that your mom made if you want some.”
“Sure,” he said as she unlocked the door.
His agreement surprised her until she realized his train of thought probably didn’t run on the same track that hers did. It was pie, she told herself. Something they used to do often in the past before his big freeze out. There was nothing sexy or romantic about pie.
Until Lincoln took his jacket off and draped it across the back of the recliner. His muscles strained against his dress shirt. So freaking drool worthy. He had great muscles. Great body. He kissed like he had a master’s degree in it. His lips— She blinked.
“You’re staring at me,” he said.
“Sorry. I’m just thinking about stuff that I have to get done.”
“Do you need me to go?”
Yes. Noooo. “After the pie we’ll call it a night.” She hurried to the kitchen and took a second to draw in a couple of deep breaths. Maybe she couldn’t stop thinking about Lincoln because he was the one guy who would forever be off-limits. That had to be it. Those off-limit guys always made the fantasy just a little hotter. Not that I fantasize about Lincoln. “Not in the last half a second anyway,” Josie muttered.
She opened the cabinet and took out some coffee grounds, then bumped her hand on the counter and spilled the container across the kitchen floor. The container rolled to a stop in the kitchen doorway right at Lincoln’s feet.
“Here, I’ll help,” he said at the same time she reached for it.
She bumped her forehead against his chin and promptly fell backward onto her butt.
Lincoln went to one knee in front of her and brushed her hair away from her face. “Let me see.”
He was close enough so that she could see the flecks in his eyes. Close enough for her to smell his aftershave. Close enough to his lips to… She blushed when he caught her looking. She wondered if he was thinking about the times that they’d kissed. If he wanted to kiss her again as much as she wanted him to.
He stood and pulled her up after him. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” She could barely raise her voice above a husky whisper. My heart is going to fly right out of my chest.
He nodded. “Yeah. The sooner we break up, the better.”
Ouch.
She stepped away from him and slid on the coffee grounds. He steadied her, and his hands on her hips made bad girl Josie want to roll around with him in ways that would make nice girl Josie wear a permanent blush. “Thanks.” She bit down on her tongue to keep from whispering, “Kiss me and don’t stop.”
Lincoln’s phone rang and he answered it. Josie was glad for that. It gave her a chance to hopefully school her features into a friendly face rather than a haul-me-up-and-kiss-me one.
“What? Okay. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He disconnected. “A car drove into my house.”
“Oh my God. Was Grayson there?”
“He was in the kitchen and the car came halfway into the living room.”
“I’m coming with you.”
Lincoln didn’t argue. On the drive over, she kept thinking how glad she was that he hadn’t been home sitting on the sofa watching television or something. He could have been hurt. Or worse.
When he pulled up in front of his house, police cars and one of the firetrucks were already there. Grayson broke apart from the crowd, bringing Lincoln’s two dogs with him as he came.
“Hey, man. Sure you’re good?” Lincoln asked.
“I’m fine. We were sitting on the couch just seconds before it happened. I’d just gone into the kitchen to let the dogs out.”
Lincoln took the dogs’ leashes and patted their heads to calm their excitement. He stared at the gaping hole in the center of his house.
Kevin emerged from the debris with a handful of clothes. “This is all I could grab for you two. Safety guy says you can’t be in there. Too much structural damage.”
Grayson took the clothes. “Thanks.”
“I’d offer you a place to stay, but my sister and her family are at my place,” Kevin said.
“That’s okay,” Lincoln said.
Josie could tell from the absent way he responded that nothing was registering. Since their father had dog allergies, and Rafferty probably had a girl staying over at his place, the brothers couldn’t stay there. Planning to buy a home jointly, Kent and Casey had sold their houses and were currently staying with his parents until they could close on their new home. Which left Lincoln and Grayson the option of staying at a hotel or with her.
“They’re coming home with me,” she said and slipped her hand into Lincoln’s, holding on tightly in an effort to telegraph that she was here for him.
He glanced down at her and tightened his fingers.
More cars arrived, and Lincoln’s parents ran over to him, drawing him and Grayson into a hug and saying how relieved they were. Kent and Casey followed.
Jean joined them, and for the first time since Josie had known the older woman, there was fear on her face. She stood beside Josie and surveyed the damage. “Well, isn’t this a kick in the shorts.”
They watched until the car was hauled out of the house and taken away on a tow truck.
The fire chief walked over to the group.
“Is the driver okay?” Lincoln asked.
Josie wasn’t surprised that Lincoln’s first thought was for someone else.
“He was speeding and lost control around the curve. He’s shaken up and has a few bumps and bruises, but he’ll live.”
“That’s his mother’s car, and knowing Carrie, he probably won’t live long,” Jean said with a snort. “I’ll bet he didn’t even have permission to take the car out.”
The chief looked at the hole in the house, then back at Lincoln. “Go get some rest and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
When Lincoln turned around, Josie gave him a reassuring smile. “Let’s go home.”
…
The next morning when his alarm went off, it took Lincoln a second to realize he was in a guest bedroom in Josie’s house. He sat on the edge of the bed for a second to wake up, then headed for the kitchen, drawn there by the scent of coffee.
Josie was at the stove making pancakes. Her wet hair was pulled back with a headband and her face was makeup free. She was as beautiful as ever. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched her movements.
When she sensed his presence, she looked his way and smiled while shaking the spatula at him. “The pancakes aren’t as good as your mom makes but they’re not as bad as Rafferty makes.” She took a mug from the cabinet and filled it with steaming coffee. His fingers brushed hers as he took it from her and a surge of desire twisted through him.
“I’m sure they’re fine.”
“I let the dogs out.”
He glanced over his shoulder to check out her living room. “I hope they didn’t sleep on your furniture. I didn’t think about trying to get their beds.”
“They stayed in my room because I invited them to.”
Lucky dogs…
“In your bed, right? You big softie.”
Josie shrugged. “They were fine.”
“I’ll hit the shower and be back in five.” A shower sounded like the smartest thing to do at the moment. He was attracted to Josie, but it was a misguided attraction. He cared about her. He had from the moment he’d first met her. But she was too good for him, too sweet and kind. He needed to end this thing between them. Put some space between them again.
Relieved that he had his head screwed on straight, he asked, “Anything I can do to help before that?”
“Nope. The pancakes will be done in a second. Your grandmother says she’s stopping by. She wants to check on you two,” Josie said as she deftly flipped a pancake.
“I’m going to shower then.” Lincoln banged on the door of the other bedroom as he passed it to wake Grayson and then he grabbed the clothes Kevin had given him last night. He rushed through a shower, and by the time he returned to the kitchen, Grayson was at the table digging into a stack of pancakes.
“You on today?” he asked as Lincoln took a fork from a drawer and sat down across from him.
“Yeah. Casey gave me another wedding to-do list to take care of. Wanna help with that?”
“When is it?” Grayson asked.
“Couple of days from today.”
Grayson got up to pour himself more coffee. “Wish I could help, but I’m on call then.”
“I don’t have anything scheduled,” Josie said. “I’ll help.”
Crap. “That’ll work,” Lincoln said.
She pulled a yogurt out of the refrigerator and pulled off the top. “What is it that we have to do?”
“Scout locations. Casey gave me a handful of places where they’re interested in having the wedding,” he explained. Romantic stuff, of course.
When the doorbell rang, Josie went to answer it and a moment later his grandmother swept into the kitchen. She clapped Lincoln on the back, then Grayson before she sat down.
“What are you doing here so early?” Grayson asked.
“I hired Josie to do a documentary about my days as a stripper.”
Lincoln nearly choked on his coffee. “On a scale of one to ten of things I didn’t want to know that’s a minus one hundred.”
“She’s kidding,” Grayson said.
Jean arched an eyebrow and stared him down, unblinking. “Am I?”
Lincoln pressed a hand to his stomach. “Those pancakes are sitting like a rock now. Thanks, Granny.”
She laughed. “Don’t call me granny, punk.” She tapped the side of her face. “Now you boys give me a kiss and haul ass so I can talk bad about you to Josie.”
Lincoln rose at the same time that Grayson did. “Josie, thanks for breakfast. I’ll see you later.”
“Hold on, Romeo. Where’s Josie’s kiss?”
“I’m gonna take off,” Grayson quickly said and left Lincoln alone with their grandmother and Josie and the attraction he was hoping to end.
The best thing would be to not kiss her, but with his grandmother looking on… He closed the distance between him and Josie. If he kissed her enough times, maybe he’d become immune to the sensations.
She put her hands on his chest and his body flooded with warmth. Or maybe he’d just drown in those sensations. He pulled her closer and kissed her longer and more deeply than he should have.
He raised his head and even if a freight train had been heading straight toward him, he couldn’t look away. Without warning, it struck him what an idiot he’d been to see Josie all these years and not recognize the significance of her in his life. As long as he had Josie, everything would always be okay. The thought shook him to his core and didn’t give him high hopes for putting a stop to the attraction. He had to end this farce between them for both of their sakes. Her eyes widened, and she darted a look past him toward Jean.
He realized that he’d been staring at her. Forcing a smile, he held his hand out to her. “Walk me out?”
The second they were outside, away from his grandmother’s prying eyes, he released her hand. “I think we should keep up the pretense between us until after Casey’s wedding so that there’s no gossip swirling that might add to her stress. We should go out on a fake date. Then after the wedding, we go our separate ways.”
“A fake date? What about the freaking-out face back in the kitchen?”
“I wasn’t freaking out.”
She shook a finger. “I know you and that was you freaking out.”
He tried to come up with something funny and failed. Tried to come up with something spectacular and blew that, too. How could one woman in such a small, delicate package mess up his carefully structured world?
“Nothing to say?”
No, there wasn’t. He couldn’t tell her that every time they kissed the neurotransmitters in his brain scrambled to desperately seek signs of intelligent life to keep him from doing something even dumber.
Bypassing him, she stopped at the side of his truck and leaned against it. “I think I know what’s going on.”
“You do?” He cleared his throat and deepened his voice. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“What?” Lincoln squeezed the truck’s door handle until his knuckles whitened.
“You’ve been thinking how lucky you are to have me for a girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend? Fiancée.” He stressed the word, relief coursing through him. “A guy gets splinters in his knees from sliding across the stage, the least you could do is get the relationship right.”
Josie flung her arms around him in a tight hug. “My bad, honey.”
He closed his eyes and gave himself five seconds to enjoy holding her. Five agonizing seconds to feel her body against his. Then he’d push her away. Five more seconds.
“You have no idea all the things that went through my head while I was standing on that stage,” she said.
“I can imagine.”
“And then the next thing I knew, there you were.” She stepped back.
Five seconds passed already? He lowered his suddenly empty arms. “I’d better go.”
“Before you do, your grandmother said something really strange during girls’ night.”
“Stranger than drunk dialing me?”
“Yeah.” Josie rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “She said the hayride was the best hundred-dollar check she’d ever written. Do you think someone tricked her out of money?”
“She’s too savvy for that, but I’ll check it out.” He hesitated. The longer he spent in her company, the harder it was to leave.
“So then I guess you’ll pick me up when for our fake date?”
Lincoln thought for a second. “Tomorrow work for you?”
“It’s a ‘date,’” Josie said with a grin, using her fingers to put air quotations around the word date.
“I’ll pick you up early enough so we can grab something to eat, too.”
“Sounds good. See you.” She gave him an enigmatic smile and walked across the lawn to the front porch. After she went inside, Lincoln watched the front door for a second, feeling strangely unsettled. Dating Josie, even though it was fake, made him feel like he was walking an inch-wide plank across alligator-infested waters while trying to maintain his balance.