Right. If I had been a more skilled liar, I could’ve come up with something better. Something more creative. Something that didn’t involve me being engaged to a friend turned one-nightstand.
But when had I ever claimed that creativity was my strongsuit?
Mum turned her gaze toJosh.
Remember those thirty nannies I mentioned? Remember how some of them could’ve been close cousins to Hitler? Even those nannies couldn’t handle The Gaze. It was sharper than a steak knife dipped in lemon juice—and just asuncomfortable.
“And what is it you do?” she askedhim.
“Christ, Mum,” Simon said, “What’s with theinterrogation?”
I almost laughed out loud at that. Each of our boyfriends and girlfriends in the past had gone through the same interrogation—at least those we dared to introduce to our parents. It was as predictable as stores having Christmas decorations up right after Halloween. It wastradition.
“Language!” was her only response to Simon’squestion.
“I play defense for the San Francisco NHL team,” Josh bravelysaid.
“That’s all you do?” she asked as if he spent his days playing video games. I knew for a fact she had no idea what the NHLwas.
I laced my fingers with Josh’s and give them a light squeeze—only for the ache between my legs to get the wrong idea. I did my best to ignore it again. “The NHL is the North American professional hockey league. Only the best of the best play in it. And his team was in the playoffs this year.” Could you tell I was proud of him? Well, Iwas.
Simon and Drew definitely looked more impressed than mymother.
“This is my cue to get back to work,” Drew said, even though it was five p.m. I guess that was something he and I had in common. “I’ll see you all at thefuneral.”
Once he and his BMW were headed toward the main gates, I turned to my betrothed. “How about I show you my room, so we can rest up beforedinner?”
And then maybe I could Google suggestions on how to deal with the ache between my legs. The ache that was bound to get achier with Josh and I sharing the same room for the next sixnights.
Oh,boy.
8
Josh
“So…how are we doing this?”I asked, standing in Holly’s bedroom. The size of it alone was bigger than my apartment living room…and that didn’t count her walk-incloset.
The problem? There was only one bed—and not a big one at that. But at least it wasn’t atwin.
“Well, we have three choices. You can sleep on the floor. Or there’s the day bed.” She pointed to a short, wrought iron sofa covered with a mound ofpillows.
That’s a bed?Maybe for agnome.
“What’s the thirdoption?”
Chewing her lip, she glanced at the bed. “We’re adults. I’m sure we can sleep in the same bed and keep our hands to ourselves.” Her gaze swung back to me and her eyes narrowed. “You can keep your hands to yourself,right?”
“Sure I can, sweetheart. The question is, can you?” I winked at her and she rolled hereyes.
Yes, this was going to be a very interesting six days—especially when said hands craved to touch her soft skin, to tangle in her silky hair, and yank her head back while I kissed her deeply, to make her cry out myname.
Hell, my cock wanted in on the last parttoo.
Holly and I studied the bed as if expecting it to magically get bigger. When that didn’t happen, Holly grabbed a pile of cushions from the sofa and created a barrier down the middle of thebed.
A smirk twitched at the corner of my mouth. “That doesn’t exactly leave us much room. Is that your way of saying you don’t trust yourself aroundme?”
“You wish!” she bitout.
