“Josie is…” I said after I swallowed, searching for the words to describe who she was to me and what I felt. “She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met. She’s so honest and funny, and she’s not embarrassed at all to be who she is, even if other people think she’s a little weird or nerdy. And she doesn’t want me to be anything but who I am, either, because she likes me, and I like the person I am when I’m around her. I feel like I could tell her anything about myself, any embarrassing or weird little detail, and she would think of a reason why it was cool.” I took another sip of my beer as my emotions pressed heavy against my chest, against my throbbing heart. “She’s not just some woman I’m involved with. She’s my friend. And I’m hers, too, and I think it’s becoming something much more serious.”
I pushed my fingers, callused and rough from years of hard physical labor, through my thick hair and scratched at my whiskers—a beard now, I supposed. I hadn’t picked up a razor for weeks, not since Josie told me she liked my facial hair.
A lopsided smile pulled at the corner of George’s mouth. “I’m glad you’re happy,” he said, casting aside a picked-over chicken bone to grab another fresh wing. “Annie told me that Josie has seemed really happy lately.” He shrugged. “Not that she’s seen her much, honestly. Between school, work, studying and spending time with you, Annie’s seen her maybe once or twice lately and I haven’t seen her at all.”
That pressure in my chest only increased when he mentioned the studying. “Yeah, her test is coming up soon. Really soon.”
George’s smile faded. “You don’t sound so happy about that.”
“It’s not that I’m not happy,” I said carefully, picking up a French fry and popping it into my mouth. “I’m happy for her, anyway. But I’m worried that she’ll…you know, get some amazing MCAT score and move across the country to go to a big shot medical school. A blue-collar boyfriend back in Seattle doesn’t really fit with that. She’s going to do incredible things and I’m just a guy knocking holes in her parents’ living room walls.”
My brother set his beer down abruptly with a snort. “You’re not just some guy, Andy. I don’t think that, and more importantly, Josie doesn’t think that. You’re one of the best people I know and I’m proud to have you as my brother.” He leaned in closer, placing both of his big hands on the scarred wooden tabletop. “Look, nobody can predict the future. Maybe she’ll go across the county, maybe she won’t. You’ve been seeing each other for—what, a few weeks? That’s not really long enough for you to have a say in her plans.”
I nodded grimly. It sucked to hear it, but he was right, and that’s what worried me the most. “I would never want to hold her back from what she really wanted to do.”
“I know you wouldn’t,” George said. “And I know that this waiting game is tough. But you can either break things off or make the most of the time you spend together now. And then when the time comes to make the big decisions, maybe you’ll know if it’s worth it.”
* * *
The sun had just sunk below the horizon when I pulled my truck into my driveway and parked it next to Josie’s boxy SUV, which sat cold and silent in its usual spot, where she’d left it almost every day for weeks now. And even though I was as excited to see Josie as I always was when I came home from a long day of work, I took my time gathering my things before I climbed out of my truck.
I wanted to savor this experience, I realized—how many more times would I get to come home to her car in my driveway? To find her in one of my kitchen chairs, one foot propped up on the seat as she squinted through her adorable blue glasses at the sea of equations and molecular drawings in front of her, at diagrams of human anatomy and baffling scientific charts.
Sometimes I flopped down on the couch with a book while I waited for her to finish studying, sneaking glances over the top while I read the same three paragraphs over and over again, until she spun in her chair and nailed me with her sparkling, mischievous smile.
A smile that always told me that I had her full attention.
I wanted it every day with her, I thought with a pang of longing. As long as she could or would share it with me, I wanted it.
“Hey,” Josie called from the kitchen when I stepped through the front door.
“Hey, yourself,” I returned easily from the small entryway.
I ditched my boots by the door and headed straight for Josie, who sat perched in her usual chair, her smile bright even though her eyes looked tired. I bent down behind her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, burying my lips in the soft, warm skin of her neck. She smelled like the soap she used in the lab—soap and the citrusy shampoo scent that clung to her hair, and under that, her own natural sweetness.
Goosebumps rose on her skin and she giggled as I kissed my way across her shoulder, exposed by the oversized neckline of her worn sweatshirt.
“No bra?” I smoothed my fingers along her bare shoulder and dipped them below the neckline to rest on the upper curve of her full breast. “Did I do something very good today?”
Josie laughed again and turned her head to plant a soft kiss on my cheek as she reached up to run her fingers through my short beard. “I just wanted it off because it’s more comfortable, but yeah, we can say it was for you.”
My hand coasted further down to caress her round, heavy breast. She sucked in a short, sharp breath as my fingers circled her nipple, a breath that I swallowed with a long, hot kiss. A kiss that I hoped told her at least some of the things that filled my heart and mind tonight, the things that bloomed inside me, even though I wasn’t ready to say them out loud.
She melted back against me and reached an arm up to circle around my neck, fingers threading into the thick, messy hair at the nape. A quick tug on the short strands rocketed straight down my spine and to my already-stirring cock, and I groaned against her lips.
“I was just finishing up,” she murmured between kisses as she reached out to snap her laptop closed before she unfolded herself and stood up.
Josie’s full height barely cleared five feet, tiny compared to my six-four. I smiled as she rose up on her tiptoes, winding her arms around my neck once again to pull me down for another kiss.
“I’m really glad to see you,” I whispered after the kiss ended.
She smiled up at me as she sank back down on her heels. Her lips shone glossy and swollen in the low lights, and she looked so drowsy and beautiful that I looped my arms around her waist to pull her tight against my body, my erection throbbing against her soft belly. I could look at her like this forever, I thought as I gazed down at her.
“I’m glad to see you, too,” she replied. She bit her lip and placed a gentle hand against my chest. “Bedroom?”
Josie would never be the hearts and flowers type, I thought as I linked my fingers with hers and tugged her up the stairs and down the hall toward my bedroom. Romance for her was warmth and laughter and someone who cared enough to give her a quiet space and a decent meal when she was too busy to handle it herself. And when I could do those things for her, when she slept in my arms after the long days of class and work and studying, I felt like a superhero. Her superhero, and I wanted to feel that way forever.
I flicked on the little table lamp next to my side of the bed, grabbing Josie by the hand again to pull her between my spread legs as I sank down onto the soft mattress. In one smooth, easy motion, she swept her loose-fitting sweatshirt over her head and abandoned it on the floor. My mouth watered at her full breasts, swaying gently with her movements, and I ducked my head to swirl my tongue around a hard, dark pink peak as I cupped my hand between her thighs and savored the sweet warmth that radiated outward through the thin cotton of her dark leggings.