Walking was a challenge after that.
They left the terrace, walked through the party full of gawkers, and rode the elevator—empty this time—upstairs in silence. At least until they stepped off, covering the distance between the elevator bank and the door to her room.
“Josephine . . .”
“Yes?”
He braced his hands on his hips, shifted as he appeared to search for the right thing to say. “What happened downstairs is not going to happen again.”
Wells Whitaker: not a mincer of words.
“Right. Okay. Good,” she said on reflex, staunchly ignoring the ripple of disappointment. “I mean, really, nothing actually happened.”
“Nothing is almost going to happen again,” he corrected.
Stop nodding so hard. “I mean, where could it have led? Kissing? Under the romantic moonlight? Absolutely not. That isn’t going to happen.”
“Right.” He looked thrown by the words romantic moonlight. “No kissing. No anything.”
“Good.”
She definitely hadn’t come to Texas with the intention of forming a romantic entanglement with the professional golfer. It hadn’t even crossed her mind. Fine, she was attracted to him. And baths made her feel more sensual than usual. The fact remained that this was not on the agenda. There was the not-so-little matter of rebuilding her pro shop.
Furthermore, they had this man’s career to resurrect.
When he had said near kisses wouldn’t happen again, she should have been relieved.
“Good?” Wells echoed, before quickly shaking his head. “I mean, right. Good. Our arrangement might be unusual, might be temporary, but the fact remains that I am employing you, Josephine. How I perform determines your paycheck.”
“I agree. The lines are blurry. Nothing good can come from blurring them even more.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘nothing good,’ but I get what you’re saying.”
“I wouldn’t say ‘nothing good,’ either. Maybe kissing would feel good. Who knows? Maybe I’m the best kisser you’ve ever met in your life. You’re not going to find out.”
“Definitely not,” he rasped, clearing his throat hard. “Hold on . . . what?”
“Let’s get a good night of sleep and kick some butt in the morning.”
She held up a hand for a high five. He observed it with a look of pure disgust.
“Eight fifteen tee time, belle. Don’t you dare show up late.” He backed down the hallway toward the elevator. “And don’t you dare arrive cheerful, either, or I’ll send you home.”
“No, you won’t.”
He stopped at the end of the hall. “No, I won’t,” he said, without turning around.
Then he was gone. Leaving Josephine staring after him in a daze.
Chapter Eleven
Sleep never came easy for Wells the night before a tournament—and last night was no exception. As soon as the digital numbers read 5:00 a.m., he swung his legs out of bed, sat up, and dragged his hands down his face. Can’t believe I’m back here.
What happened to being done with this sport?
It was the wrong question to ask himself when he’d spent the last eight hours trying not to think too hard about Josephine. Also known as the reason golf had dragged him back in.
He could still feel the shape of her hip in his hand.
He’d been tempted to kiss his caddie in front of players and association members alike because he’d been completely oblivious to their surroundings. That kind of romantic gibberish didn’t happen to him. Especially sober. But the thing he couldn’t seem to stop wondering was . . . would she have kissed him back? God, most of all, how did that mouth taste?
Maybe I’m the best kisser you’ve ever met in your life. You’re not going to find out.
Wells groaned on his way to the bathroom, going through the motions of shaving, showering, and finger brushing his hair before slapping a hat down over the whole mess. He’d go out and walk the course, clear his head, acquaint himself with the terrain. Sleep would serve him a hell of a lot more, but rest wasn’t in the cards.
Not with the redhead on his mind.
Not when he’d be back in front of the cameras today—an experience that had become more and more humbling over the last two years. This time, though, there was more than his career and finances on the line. He was playing for Josephine, too, and that added a whole, scary level of responsibility that he’d been flat-out reckless to take on. Because there was every single chance that he was going to let her down.