Obsession Falls(48)

“I’m coming in anyway.” He shut the door behind him.

“Rude.”

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be rude. I just need to talk to you.”

“Oh, I see. Now you need to talk?” I was about to start word vomiting and I knew it. But I couldn’t seem to stop. “Last night you just took off. We could have talked then. But no, just right out the door without a word.”

He took a step closer. “Audrey.”

“I don’t know why you want to talk to me anyway.” I was really going off the rails, gesturing wildly with my arms. “You obviously had someone else to keep you busy. She’s probably more your type, anyway. I’m not tall and blond and super skinny. My mom is, but don’t even get me started on how much I look like my dad. Lucky me.”

He took another step. “Audrey.”

“No, it’s fine. I don’t even know why I’m upset. You’re just the guy working on the house next door who was nice to me a few times and apparently I’m that desperate. I get a tiny bit of attention from a guy who’s just trying to be a decent human and suddenly I’m like, oh Audrey, he’s so hot, and oh Audrey, what if he kissed you. I’m the ridiculous one and I know it, so you don’t have to say anything.”

He came closer, but this time didn’t stop, backing me into the wall. His arms caged me in and he leaned down until our noses almost touched.

“Audrey.”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

His lips crashed down on mine. The shock of hot contact left me breathless. He wrapped one hand around the back of my neck, threading his fingers through my hair, while the other went to the small of my back. He pulled me against him and held me in a firm grip while his mouth worked magic on mine.

Despite how much I wanted that kiss, anger welled up inside me. I planted my hands on his chest and shoved.

He let go, dropping his hands and separating his mouth from mine. But instead of pushing him back halfway across the room like I’d intended, he only moved a few inches away.

“You can’t just come in here and kiss me like that.” My voice was embarrassingly breathless. “Especially if you were just kissing someone else.”

“I wasn’t.”

“You looked awfully cozy.”

“That wasn’t my fault. My aunt Louise made me give her a ride home.”

“What I saw was not you giving her a ride home.”

He moved closer again, planting his hands on the wall on either side of me. “What you saw was me turning her down.”

Some of my anger evaporated, leaving confusion in its place. “Josiah, I’m confused. I don’t know what’s happening here.”

He stared at me, his gaze so intense I felt like I might melt. “I’ve been trying really hard to not like you.”

“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it’s not working.”

“It’s just the truth. I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want to care about you or worry about you. I liked my life the way it was before you showed up in my town.”

I had no idea what to say to that, so I just waited for him to continue.

He leaned in. “But it’s impossible to resist you.”

With his palms still planted on the wall, he kissed me again. This time, I put up no resistance. My eyes fluttered closed and I sank into his kiss. His lips were soft and warm, his beard rough against my skin.

He shifted closer, slanting his mouth over mine. I slid my hands up his broad chest and pressed myself against him. His arms wound around me as his tongue delved in, sliding against mine.

He took the kiss deeper, devouring me like a man starving. I was practically limp in his arms. Nothing could have prepared me for what it would be like to kiss Josiah Haven.

I lost track of time but eventually, he gently pulled back. We hesitated there for a long moment, just breathing.

“I’ve been trying really hard to not like you, too,” I said. “But mostly just today.”

His eyes darted to the side, drawing my gaze in the same direction.

Max sat watching us with his tail wagging.

“Your dog is being weird again.”

“I know.”

“I should let you get back to whatever you were doing.”

“So that’s it?” I asked. “You just came over here to kiss me?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you plan that out beforehand, or–”

“No.”

His short, straightforward answers made me like him so much. I smiled at him. “I’m glad you did.”

“So we’re good?”

“Yeah, we’re good.”

“Are you going to the festival tomorrow?”

“I have to for work.”

“Good.” He stepped back. “I’ll see you then.”

I watched him go, shaking my head in bewilderment. Had that just happened? Had Josiah just barged into my house to kiss me, and then left?

Of course he had. That was so him. He’d wanted me to know something, and he’d communicated more with that kiss than words could possibly have done.

The fact that it left me wanting more—so much more—was exciting rather than frustrating. I’d see him tomorrow.