Page 56 of Protecting Josie
It was a nod to Wren, and what happened to her at Aces Bar and Grill. Josie had been appalled to learn that she’d been drugged by a blind date, and everything that had happened after that, but happy that everything had worked out, especially between her and Safe.
“Are you worried about the drive?” Nate asked, turning to her.
Wishing she was better able to hide her trepidation, Josie shook her head.
“Your stuff? We have no idea what your landlord actually kept or how he packed.”
She shook her head again.
“I don’t ask you this very often, but…talk to me, Josie. Tell me what I can do to make you feel more at ease. You want me to call Preacher and see if he can go with me instead? You can stay here. I’m sure Remi or Wren would be happy to come over and keep you company.”
“I’m just not a fan of the city. I don’t like the person I was there.” It wasn’t the best explanation, but it was all she had at the moment.
“I can understand that. But you aren’t the same person you were before. What you’ve been through has changed you.You’re stronger, maybe more cautious, and much more in tune with what you want out of life. You’re amazing, Josie. And I’m proud to know you.”
That felt good. Really good.
She walked toward him and put a hand on his chest to steady herself as she went up on her tiptoes. Thankfully, Nate understood what she wanted and obliged, bending down so she could reach his lips.
“Thank you for driving. I packed extra Cheetos, just in case.”
He chuckled. “A woman who knows what I like. Every man’s dream,” he teased.
Josie blushed. She wasn’t sure about that, but yes, she did know what Nate liked. Fast showers, her lilac lotion, the really bad-for-you cheesy snacks, fresh strawberries, thriller books and movies, and he had a weakness for Italian food.
She also knew he didn’t like to sleep with many clothes on, and that he always stuck a leg out of the covers in the middle of the night. And when she rolled away from him, he always cuddled up against her back, spooning her. He hated alarms in the morning and usually woke up before it went off. He had an aversion to being late, and he was an exceptionally loyal friend. He didn’t say much around them, letting others do more than their fair share of holding up the conversation, but at home with her, he was a chatterbox.
Yes, it was safe to say that she knew what Nate liked. Except when it came to intimacy. She wanted to know that stuff too. So badly it almost hurt. But she was afraid to make the first move. It would destroy her to be rebuffed.
Even though she was pretty sure he wouldn’t turn herdown. Not if the way they made out every night was any indication. But he was still holding back, and that confused Josie. Made her think there must be a good reason why he wasn’t moving their physical relationship forward, beyond his insistence he didn’t want to rush her. It was enough to make her second-guess her role in his life.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” he asked.
Josie felt herself blush. If only he knew. “Nothing much. The trip,” she lied.
“It’s going to be fine. Safe said anything we didn’t want to keep here, he’ll store for you. And it’s actually better that your landlord gave away your furniture, because then we reallywould’vehad to rent a storage unit or deal with selling it ourselves.”
He spoke as if her living with him was a permanent thing. Josie wished with all her heart that was the case.
After helping her into his truck—he still hadn’t gotten a step stool for her, not that she wanted one; she wasn’t a kid, even though she was as small as one—he got behind the wheel of his truck and they headed out of the parking lot toward the interstate.
Secretly, she liked that Nate manhandled her into his vehicle. Was glad that he still could. During her short couple of weeks in California, Josie had already gained back a lot of the weight she’d lost. It felt good to be able to look down at herself and not see her ribs or hip bones sticking out. She’d never been a big person and didn’t plan on becoming one now, but she’d needed to put on some weight, and she felt healthy. Strong.
They’d been driving for thirty minutes and were out of theworst of the traffic when Nate asked, “Will you tell me more about yourself? Your mom, your life before we met?”
Josie looked out the window at the scenery going by and sighed. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to tell Nate about her family, it was just painful.
Better to get it out fast. Like taking off a Band-Aid. Thankfully it was more and more easy to talk every day. To Nate, at least. She still got tongue-tied around others, but with him, she had no problem talking anymore.
“My mom was great. Single mother, worked hard to give me anything I needed. My senior year of high school, she got sick. Thyroid cancer. She fought hard, but it spread too fast. She died a month before I graduated. There was no money for me to go to college, so I started doing what I was good at…typing. I did a bunch of random jobs, along with waitressing a little, and managed to get an apartment. I worked from home a lot, so I found it hard to make friends. I went out with some of the other waitresses now and then, and met a few men here and there, who I had relationships with. They never lasted though.
“Then I met Ayden. He was with some buddies on the Strip when we met. He was stationed at Fort Irwin, just across the California state line, but his family lived there in Vegas. I really liked him, and I thought he liked me too. Things got serious fast. He emailed a lot, told me things I wanted to believe…I think because I was lonely. He came to Vegas to see me as much as he could.
“Eventually though, it felt as if he was just using me for a place to stay when he came to town to party with his friends, because he didn’t want to stay with his mom or sister. Istarted to question whether he really liked me or if I was just convenient for him. When he was deployed this last time, he told me how much he’d miss me, and he kept emailing, saying all the right things. But by then, I was pretty much done. Especially when I got an email from someone in his platoon…warning me that he was screwing a woman they worked with. You know the rest.”
Nate was frowning, and he held out his hand, palm up. Josie took it.
“He was an idiot,” he said firmly. “And I’m sorry about your mom.”
