Page 45 of Protecting Josie
“Right. Of course you did. How about you let me make you something a little better than some yucky old crackers?” he told her.
She smiled. “Are you going to get dressed first?”
The fact that she was talking to him felt so good, even if he didn’t have anything to do with it. “Oh, yeah. Probably should do that, huh?” he asked, looking down at himself. He had on a pair of boxers and that was it. He usually slept in the nude, but he’d made an exception last night since Josie was there.
To his surprise, she put her head back on his chest and tightened her arms around him once more.
Blink would’ve stood there forever if that’s what she wanted, but eventually, she lowered her arms and took a step back.
“Right. Going. I’ll be right back,” he said, backing away from her slowly. As he went, he could’ve sworn he saw desire in her eyes. But he was probably projecting what he wanted to see, rather than what was really there.
He showered, brushed his teeth, and got dressed in record time, and was back in the living room in less than ten minutes. Josie had settled back on the couch and smiled up at him when he returned.
“I put a fresh T-shirt in the bathroom for you. And another pair of sweats. They’ll be too big, but after we eat, I’ll work on getting you more appropriate clothes.”
The moment the last word was out of his mouth, there was a knock on his door.
Frowning, Blink went to answer it.
Remi and Wren were standing outside with huge smiles on their faces. Kevlar and Safe were standing by their cars in the parking lot, also smiling. Assholes knew Blink would’ve cussed them out for disturbing him and Josie but wouldn’t say a word to the women.
“Hi!” Remi said. “We heard about Josie and went to the store this morning to get her some stuff. Because ofcourseyou don’t have the things she probably needs.”
“Bo said you probably didn’t want to be bothered yet, but we literally couldn’t stay away,” Wren told him. “I already called Julie, you know, from My Sister’s Closet? She was so great about finding me some awesome stuff, and when she gets in, she’s going to see what she has in Josie’s sizes. Bo says she’s tiny, so Julie isn’t sure what she has, but she’ll let you know when she goes through her inventory.”
“Is she up? Can we meet her?” Remi asked.
“We won’t stay long,” Wren added.
Blink looked back at his friends. They both gave him a chin lift and didn’t look inclined to join their women.
He opened the door with a sigh, and Remi and Wren filed past him, each carrying several bags. They put them down in the foyer and walked into his living area. Blink left the door open behind him and followed.
Josie was standing now, looking unsure. He hated that she obviously felt so uneasy.
“Hi! I’m Remi. And this is Wren. You probably heard, but we bought you some things. After hearing all about you fromour guys last night, we bugged them to take us to the store this morning. We got all sorts of soaps and lotion, and some shampoo and conditioner that smells awesome. Blink’s great and all, but he’s also a guy, so he probably thinks Irish Spring is perfectly acceptable for a woman to use when she showers.”
Blink almost missed the way Josie’s lips twitched, but it was enough for him to relax a fraction.
“And we got you some other things that every woman needs. Leggings, shirts, thick socks…and chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate,” Wren added.
Josie smiled outright at the two women at that. It was a more relaxed expression, more real.
“I know this is your day off—Vincent already told me that we shouldn’t bug you—but I wanted to make sure you know how amazing Blink is. He’s my second-favorite person in the entire world…no offense, Wren.”
“None taken,” the other woman said easily.
“Anyway, he’ll take really good care of you,” Remi finished.
“Who takes care ofhim?” Josie asked.
Blink was shocked yet again. This was the first time she’d said anything to anyone other than him.
“Good question,” Remi said. “I guess all of us. But you’re here now. You can do it.”
“I can take care of myself,” Blink felt obligated to point out.
To his amusement, both Remi and Wren rolled their eyes.
