“Well you shouldn’t just walk in.”
“I told you, I thought you were a squatter.”
“And I told you I’m not.”
Max seemed to be able to feel the tension in the room. He put his paws over his nose.
“My mistake,” Josiah grumbled. “I’ll get out of your way.”
He was out the door before I could say another word.
Max jumped up and sniffed around the room, following Josiah’s scent to the door.
I let out a long breath. Had that just happened? I probably should have been preoccupied with the shock of a man walking in on me naked—not to mention my extraordinarily embarrassing face-plant into a bathtub full of water—but all I could think about was how disappointing it was that he hadn’t asked for my name. Or offered his.
Granted, I knew who he was. I wasn’t usually good with names or faces, but how could I forget Josiah Haven?
We’d gone to different schools and he’d been two years ahead of me, but everyone knew the Haven brothers from Tilikum. They’d been right alongside the Baileys for being high school famous in the area, mostly because of sports.
And because every last one of them were as hot as a wildfire in July.
Oh yes, I knew Josiah Haven. I’d cheered against his football and basketball teams with my pom poms in hand, and cheered against him from the stands during baseball season.
I’d harbored a secret crush on the forbidden Tilikum high schooler.
He had no idea who I was, obviously. That didn’t bother me. How could he? We’d never met, or talked, or even hung out in the same circle. Colin had hated the Haven brothers, simply because they went to a rival school. And they’d beaten Pinecrest High at just about everything.
But my daydreams had been full of him.
I’d seen him since, too. Just a handful of times when I’d been in town visiting my parents. He always caught my eye, made my stomach tingle a little.
And now he’d seen me naked.
Great. I’m sure I’d looked positively alluring while I was falling on my face and flailing around in the bathtub, half drowning.
Awesome first impression, Audrey.
I sighed again and went back to the bathroom to clean up the mess and brush out my tangled hair. So much for a relaxing hot bath. Maybe next time I’d barricade the door to make sure no one came in. Max clearly wasn’t going to help in that department.
CHAPTER 8
Josiah
I stalked out of the house and back to my truck feeling like an idiot. Talk about awkward. I’d gone in full of righteous indignation at the apparent squatters in my house, only to find a naked girl in the bathroom.
A hot naked girl.
I adjusted myself in my jeans.
Dumbass. I should have known better than to barge in when I heard the water running. But it had pissed me off. There was some random asshole in my house—with a dog—and they were taking a bath?
Except it wasn’t a squatter and I’d looked like a jackass.
I got in my truck and dug out my phone to call Annika.
“Hey,” she answered. “I kind of have my hands full, but what’s up?”
“Did you rent the two-bedroom to someone?”
“I sure did.” Her voice was annoyingly cheerful. “Quick, right? Did you call to thank me? Because if you did, I don’t know why you sound angry.”
“Were you going to tell me the place was occupied?”
“Sorry, I just hadn’t yet. Wait, why?”
“I just went over there and barged in on some girl because I thought she was a squatter.”
My sister burst out laughing. I ground my teeth together in frustration.
“I’m sorry.” She took a gasping breath. “Oh my gosh, that’s not funny but I can’t stop laughing.”
“You’re right, it’s not funny. She was in the bath.”
That earned me a renewed bout of hysterical laughter.
“That poor girl. I really shouldn’t laugh. You must have scared the crap out of her.”
The image of her falling, face first, into the tub was burned into my memory. “Yeah.”
“I’m sorry. She came out of nowhere asking to rent it and wanted it as soon as possible. I only gave her the keys a few hours ago and then I had to get home to the kids.”
“And you say I’m the one who lacks communication skills.”
“Well, you do. Did you apologize to Audrey?”
Somehow it didn’t surprise me that her name was Audrey. She’d looked like an Audrey. Not when she was falling into the bathtub. Then she’d just looked like a lot of smooth skin and a very nice ass. But when she’d come out afterwards.