Iย WOKE UP TO THE FAINT SCENT OF LAVENDER AND THE HEAVY
weight of a muscled arm draped over my waist. I couldnโt remember the last time I woke up with a guy in my bed. I usually didnโt do sleepovers.
The arm was nice, though. Strong, solid, and comforting, like it could protect me from anything, and it belonged to someone who smelledย amazing.
I issued a soft sigh of contentment and snuggled closer to the owner of the arm. I kept my eyes closed. I wasnโt quite ready to leave my comfy nest and face reality yet.
The arm tightened around my waist and pulled me closer to him until my back pressed flush against his torso. My lips curved of their own accord when he let out a drowsy masculine rumble and buried his face in my neck. Meanwhile, heat bloomed low in my stomach at the way the hard, sculpted lines of his body molded against my softer ones.
Who was he? Did we have sex last night?
My brain wasnโt firing on all cylinders yet, and sifting through my memories of the past twenty-four hours seemed too daunting of a task this early in the morning.
I stretched and grazed something soft and fluffy. I cracked one eye open out of curiosity and spotted a folded hand towel on the bed next to me.
What was I doing with a towel inโ
Vermont. Room mix-up. Ski lessons. Period. Josh.
Massage.
My brain finally woke up, and the highlights from yesterday bombarded me at breakneck speed.
My eyes fully popped open. If Josh and I had to share a room, that meant the armโฆ
โAaaah!โ I threw him off and scrambled out of bed, banging my shin against the nightstand in my haste.
One day, I would look back and wince at my undignified scream, but all I could focus on right now was the fact that Iโdย sleptย with Josh Chen. Only literally, thank God, but still.
โJesus.โ He groaned and covered his eyes with his forearm. The sheets slipped down, revealing his bare, muscled chest. โItโs too early for your banshee impressions, Red.โ
My breaths puffed out in rapid indignation. โYou were
cuddlingย me,โ I accused. โAnd you donโt have a shirt on.โ
I forced my eyes to stay on his face instead of the way his muscles flexed with each movement. Lean and powerful, they were the muscles of someone who honed them through sports and the outdoors, not the gym.
Broad shoulders, defined pecs, a sliver of his six-pack abs peeking out from the rumpled sheet around his waistโฆ
Stop it.
โYou were warm andย there. It was instinct.โ Josh yawned and stretched his arms over his head. โItโs nice to see you alive, I guess. You were barely functioning yesterday.โ
Despite his blasรฉ tone, he scanned me with sharp eyes, like he was searching for traces of my discomfort from last night.
Thankfully, my periods were excruciating only for twenty-four hours or so. After that, the pain subsided to normal cramps. Iโd dealt with them since I was eleven, and Iโd learned how to fit my schedule around my estimated
period start dates. This monthโs had started four days early, though, which was why Iโd been so caught off guard.
โYes, well, you canโt get rid of me that easily.โ Some of the aggravation left my voice when I remembered what he did for me last night. I didnโt know whether it was his technique or the mere fact of having someone comfort me, since I usually hated being around people the first day of my period, but his massage had eased my pain more than anything else Iโd tried over the years. He mustโve also made the hot towel compress after I passed out.
He didnโt have to do any of those things, but for some reason, he had.
โThank you.โ My gratitude came out equal parts grudging and sincere. โForโฆyou know.โ I gestured at my stomach.
I waited for Josh to gloat over my thanksโthe first Iโd ever given himโbut he responded with a simple, โYouโre welcome.โ
Silence hummed between us. I pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, suddenly self-conscious. I was bloated as hell from my period, and I must look like a mess with my face all groggy and my hair mussed from sleep.
Instead of looking away, Josh stared at me with an intensity that burrowed beneath my skin and kindled a fire low in my stomach, similar to the one thatโd burned through me before I fell asleep last night.
Iโd been floating on the verge of unconsciousness, but the combination of his strong hands, warm eyes, and the relief over my eased pain had sent my fantasies traveling down untrodden paths. Fantasies of what his touch would feel like on other parts of my body and whether his tongue was as talented as his handsโฆ
A knock startled me out of my inappropriate musings.
Josh and I tore our eyes away from each other. The visible tension in his shoulders matched the rigidity of my muscles. We werenโt doing anything inappropriate, but that
didnโt stop me from feeling like a kid whose hand was caught in the cookie jar when Avaโs voice floated through the thick oak door.
โYou guys up? Breakfast ends in half an hour.โ
My gaze shot to the clock on the wall.ย Shit.ย Weโd slept in later than I thought.
โYeah,โ I said. โWeโll be right out.โ
Josh and I didnโt speak again while we got ready. There was no way I was skiing today, so I pulled on a pair of soft yoga pants and an oversized sweater. When I was on my period, my desire to dress up plummeted to zero.
โHow are you feeling?โ Ava asked as we walked to breakfast.
โMuch better.โย Thanks to your brother.ย โThanks, babe.โ
She looped her arm through mine. โHow do you feel about hitting the spa after breakfast instead of skiing? We have that gift card we still need to use.โ
Oh, thank fucking God. โAva,โ I said. โDonโt tell Alex, but youโre the real genius in the relationship.โ
She laughed.
The rest of the morning passed in a blur, with Alex and Josh skiing and me and Ava enjoying the spaโs massage and facial services. But even though my massage therapist was professionally trained, she didnโt hit the spot the way Josh had.
โA little to the left, pleaseโฆto the rightโฆjust a bit harderโฆโ I tried my best to pinpoint what was off about my session.
โLike this?โ The therapist followed my instructions to a tee, but it still didnโt compare to Joshโs touch. โHow does this feel?โ
โGreat,โ I mumbled, giving up. โThank you.โ
Maybe it was the oil Josh used. It smelled better than the floral ones at the spa.
By the time Ava and I met up with the guys for lunch, I was more irritated than relaxed by my constant thoughts of
a certain doctor.
I wouldnโt put it past him to mix some sort of sex potion with the massage oil before he used it on me. That was the only plausible explanation for why I kept thinking about him.
Thereย hadย to be a catch for why heโd been so nice.
โHow was the spa?โ Alex rested his hand on the back of Avaโs chair and brushed his lips over her cheek.
โIt was great.โ She smiled, her face glowing with so much love it made my chest ache. โHow was skiing? Did you guys do the triple black again?โ
โYes,โ Josh said at the same time Alex replied, โNo. I went snowboarding.โ
โOh.โ Avaโs eyes darted between them. โOkay.โ Awkward as fuck.
We settled into silence as we flipped through our menus. Josh sat next to me, and every time either of us moved, our legs brushed against each other.
Signature burger, pan-roasted salmonโฆ
His pants wisped over my calves. I set my jaw and tried to focus.ย Pan-roasted salmon with fennel saladโฆ
He reached for his glass, his shirt sleeve grazing my hand as he did so.
I yanked my arm back and stared determinedly at the list of entrees.ย Pan-roasted salmon with fennel saladโฆ
When our server appeared, bright-eyed and perky, Iโd read the same dish description a dozen times.
โIโll have the salmon,โ I muttered after everyone placed their orders. โThanks.โ
I hated salmon.
I glared at Josh. This was all his fault. If he hadnโt distracted me, I wouldโve been able to get through the rest of the menu and order something I wanted.
His eyebrows rose. โBack in fighting form, I see,โ he said while Alex and Ava talked quietly across from us. โI
missed that look of irritation on your face. Itโs like a balm to my soul.โ
โThatโs because youโre used to seeing it on everyone who comes into contact with you.โ
Slipping into an argument with Josh was like slipping into old pair of jeans, comforting and familiar.
Joshโs cheek dimpled. โNah. Just you, Red. Everyone else loves me.โ
โI guarantee thatโs not true.โ
My phone lit up with a new text. I picked it up, eager for a distraction, but my brows pulled together when I read the message.
Unknown: Hey Jules
The area code indicated an Ohio phone number.
Everything around me disappeared while a loud buzzing filled my ears. I typed out my answer with shaking fingers.
Me: Who is this?
Hope, fear, and anticipation curdled in my stomach.
Maybe itโs my momโฆ
An eternity passed in the ten seconds it took for the reply to pop up, but when it did, I almost dropped my phone in shock.
Unknown: Itโs Max
Max. My ex-boyfriend. How did he get my number? Why was he contacting me now after seven years of radio silence?
There was only one reason, and the prospect made bile rise in my throat.
Max: We need to talk.
I shoved my phone in my bag. Cold sweat slicked my palms, and I wiped them against my thighs in an attempt to gather myself.
โHey.โ
My head jerked up at the sound of Joshโs voice.
He leaned forward, his brow puckered with what wouldโve passed for concern had it been anyone else.
โWho was that? You look like youโve just seen a ghost.โ His eyes flitted to my bag, where my phone burned a hole through the leather.
I wasnโt answering Max. I didnโt know what to say, and I didnโt want to know whatย heย had to say. Maybe if I ignored him, heโd disappear for another seven years.
Forget diamonds; denial was a girlโs best friend. โNo one. Just spam,โ I lied.
Josh didnโt bring up the issue again, but the weight of his stare pressed down on me for the rest of the meal.
I lifted a forkful of salmon to my mouth and chewed. It tasted like cardboard.
I bet Max still had the tape. Heโd been sitting on it for years. What if he decided it was finally time for him to cash in on the blackmail material? What if I couldnโt meet his demands?
If he released the tape, it would ruin my career before it began. Everything Iโd worked so hard for, down the drain in an instant.
My stomach ached, and it wasnโt just from my cramps.
Iโm going to be sick.
I shoved my chair back and ran to the bathroom, ignoring my friendsโ startled glances. I made it into a stall just in time for my lunch to reappear. Even after I threw up everything I ate, I dry heaved until my throat was raw.
I thought Iโd escaped my past, but at the end of the day, our demons always caught up with us.