“Oh.” Her sister appeared to be having a difficult time accepting Josh’s answer. “All my friends have had them. Why don’t you want one?” Juliette asked.
“Maybe I’d say yes if there was more time, but it’s silly to have you and everyone else visit two weekends in a row.” Next time I get married, you can throw me a party.
Josh sipped his scotch and tried to pay attention as Jake described the relief efforts his foundation was still conducting in Puerto Rico following the devastating hurricane they’d experienced months ago. He’d heard of the Falmouth Foundation, but he assumed Jake spent his time running it from the comfort of his office in Virginia. By the sound of it though, Jake spent a lot of time on the ground doing whatever needed to be done.
“Charlie and Garrett are staying up in North Salem and visiting while I head down there for a few days,” Jake said, reaching for the bottle of scotch and adding a splash more to his glass.
Evidently Jake hadn’t traveled up from Virginia because Courtney’s mom invited him. Rather, he’d already been in the state to visit his wife’s family. When he learned Scott was in the area with his family, he’d made plans to see them. Those plans had simply coincided with tonight’s dinner, so Scott had invited Jake and his wife to join them.
“Anyone else?” Jake asked rather than set the bottle down.
He’d been nursing his drink since Scott handed it to him. In general, straight scotch wasn’t his favorite. He would have preferred more of the wine they’d enjoyed while the women were still with the group, but he accepted the drink after Courtney went upstairs anyway. It gave him an excuse to stay behind while she got settled into bed and possibly fell asleep—something he doubted he’d be doing tonight with her in the same room.
Unless necessary, it was irresponsible to drive during a snowstorm. It put not only yourself in danger but also any people around you. As far as their physical safety was concerned, Courtney had made the right decision. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said when it came to his mental well-being. He’d been unable to keep his hands off her while in a room surrounded by her family. How the hell was he going to manage it when they were not only alone but had a nice comfy bed at their disposal? Yeah, no way was he falling asleep tonight.
He’d thought sleeping down the hall from her all week was torture. The night ahead of him promised to be so much worse.
“All set.” Josh took the last mouthful of liquid.
“No thanks. I’m heading up,” Scott answered as he stood.
Jake tossed back his drink and added his glass to the empty wineglasses on the table. “Probably not a bad idea.”
Too bad Josh didn’t have anything left in his glass. He could stay behind to finish it and maybe spend the night on the sofa. If he set the alarm on his phone, he might have been able to wake up before anyone discovered him there.
With that option off the table, Josh followed the men up the central staircase. At the top, two hallways branched off.
“See you both in the morning,” Jake said before he headed down the hallway on the left.
“Courtney’s room is across from mine,” Scott said, turning to the right. He stopped halfway down the hall and reached for a doorknob. “Goodnight.”
Not a sound came from the other side of Courtney’s door. She had gone up well over an hour ago, giving her more than enough time to change and fall asleep. If he could help it, he’d prefer not to wake her up when he went inside.
The door opened without so much as a squeak, and he gently closed it behind him. She’d left the light on in what he guessed was the bathroom. Although the door was partially closed, it allowed just enough light in the room for him to make out the furniture and avoid walking into anything. He’d hoped there might be a recliner or a sofa in the room that he could use as a bed. No such luck though.
He considered the armchair over by the windows. Judging by the looks of it, the bathtub would be a more comfortable place to sleep. With the chair out, he had only two other options: the bed or the floor.
It won’t kill me to sleep on the floor. He couldn’t say the same about the bed.
She left the comforter folded at the end of the bed. It’d make a decent sleeping bag for the night. Josh kicked off his shoes, then removed his shirt and pants. If he had to wear them again in the morning, he’d rather they not look like he slept in them. After grabbing the comforter, he reached for a pillow.
The shape in the bed moved, and a second later a bedside light switched on. “You don’t have to sleep on the floor.” Propped up on an elbow, she didn’t look like someone who had been asleep for an hour.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded and flipped back the blankets so he could get under them.
Bad idea. Very bad idea. The warning flashed like a neon sign in his head. Ignoring it, he climbed into bed.
Fifteen minutes later, Josh stared into the darkness, every cell in his body accurately aware of just who was in the king-size bed with him. He could reach out and touch her. Cover her lips with his while he palmed her breasts and teased her nipples. Once finished with her mouth, he could move his lips down her body and pleasure her like he had so many times in Hawaii before slipping inside her so they could climax together. If he were lucky, she’d wake him up in the morning with some similar treatment.
He groaned at the images conjured up by his mind. He should’ve stuck with his plan and slept on the floor. Would the discomfort of being on the floor have been any better than what he was currently experiencing?
No, it would’ve been worse. Not only would he have been suffering from a hard-on, but he would’ve also had a sore back. At least in bed, his back wasn’t bothering him.
The sheets covering his body moved as the mattress shifted slightly and bare skin brushed against his thigh.
Great, just what he needed. Already he was hugging the edge of the mattress. If he moved over any further, he would be on the floor. He had two choices, either wake her and ask her to move or suck it up and hope she rolled back to where she’d been. Both options sucked.