My eyes rake over his bare chest. “In that?”
Josiah chuckles. “Well, no. But this is more comfortable, so I changed when I got home.”
Home.I know that isn’t what he means, but it makes my stomach flutter all the same. “I like you in my clothes,” I quip as he slides a cup of coffee across the counter toward me.
“Yeah?” His smirk makes my knees weak.
“Definitely. Could get used to this.”
Flirting with Josiah comes so easily. I wish I hadn’t had been such a dick while he was gone. It makes me feel like shit, especially as he stands in my kitchen cooking us breakfast.
After we dish up, we decide to eat out back. It’s such a nice day out, the sun shining but the air not overly hot. At least, not yet.
Shoving a forkful of waffles into my mouth, I moan at the buttery, syrupy goodness. “Fuck, this is good,” I tell him with my mouth still full of food.
Josiah laughs. “Well, shit, make noises like that, and I’ll cook for you all the time.”
I can’t help but join in on his laughter. Being around him is so easy. So carefree. I’ve never felt like I needed to be anyone other than who I am near him. Josiah takes me for who I am, flaws and all, and cares about me regardless. Like me blowing him off the last few weeks… I know it upset him, but he doesn’t hold it against me. He was there for me, nonetheless. His support, his presence, even after I wasn’t fair toward him, makes me want to be better. It makes me want to let go of all the fear and finally give him all of me.
We finish eating, and I take the plates inside, cleaning up the kitchen and doing the dishes before we decide to talk a walk. One of my neighbors, down the way, owns a bunch of horses, and their property hugs mine. Just as I was hoping, as we walk back there, the horses are hanging out near the fence. I love coming over here and getting to pet them. They’re such gentle, sweet animals.
“Are these yours?” Josiah asks, immediately walking up to one and placing his hand beneath the horse’s nose.
“I wish,” I mutter. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
“I’ve never even ridden a horse,” Josiah admits.
The horse before me is gorgeous, her coat a rich, shiny gray, and mane white and soft. Her nose rests on my shoulder as she lets me pet the side of her head. She’s my favorite out of the bunch. The owners have four or five, I think, but I typically only see two or three near this fence at a time.
“I’ve ridden, but only a few times,” I reply to Josiah.
We hang out with the animals for a while before meandering back toward the house. Instead of going inside, we climb into one of the hammocks together, feeling Josiah’s body wrapped around mine being exactly what I need. He’s warm, and he smells so good. I could probably lie here all day and be perfectly happy.
My head rests on his chest as he holds me in his arms. The steady beat of his heart is soothing as I listen to it. Birds chirping, leaves swaying on the trees from the breeze, we relax in each other’s embrace, neither of us saying much for a while. The silence is so comfortable between us, feeling like we’ve been here and done this a million times before.
Finally, I break the silence when an amusing thought pops into my mind that I know Josiah would want to know. “Wade’s been talking a lot to Ash.”
“No shit?” He chuckles. “Ash is like a vault. Won’t tell me shit, yet they stick their nose in my business any chance they get.”
“Wade hasn’t told me much other than they’ve been texting,” I tell him. “It’s Voss who told me Ash came over the other night.”
More chuckling. “How did he know?”
“Wade and Voss live together in the city.”
“Hmm,” Josiah hums. “Ash is usually a total serial casual dater. The fact that they’re still talking is interesting.”
“Wade doesn’t really do more than one-night stands either.”
“Maybe they’re soulmates,” he spits out with a shrug.
I laugh. “Maybe. And we’re their matchmakers.”
Josiah is quiet for a moment. “You think we’re soulmates?”
The question has my heart stuttering in my chest as I sit up to look at him. His expression is light, but there’s something in his eyes I can’t place. “Do you?” I ask back.
He shrugs again. “I don’t know… maybe.”
