Right now.
Josie let the words wash over her. She tried to brush them aside, but they wiggled their way right past the giddiness that consumed her and hit her heart. The simple term took hold, threatening to penetrate and cause pain.
She refused to let their current situation hurt her or damage their friendship.
Ignoring thoughts of the future, Josie tore the paper and discovered her present.
“A tube of red lipstick?”
She glanced up to Reese, who stood there smiling.
“I figure if you’re not comfortable wearing the clothes, maybe we could ease you into the color.”
She stared at the name brand and was actually impressed he’d known what to purchase. “I’m not sure bright red lips would be easing into wearing color.”
“Just try it,” he told her. “Don’t let fear win, Jo. That’s all this is. Fear. It’s a tube of lipstick. I’m not asking you to skydive.”
Josie took the cosmetic from the box and slid the lid off. Turning the base, she stared at the vibrant shade and wondered how the hell she could pull that off. Her makeup regimen consisted of mascara, black of course, and sometimes a sheer gloss if she wanted to be extra.
“Listen,” he told her as he pulled his chair around the table and next to hers. He grabbed her hands and set the tube on the table. “I’m not trying to make you into someone you’re not. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, but you have all of this inside of you. If you want to channel your mother or pay tribute to her in some way, then do it. Do it for you, and who gives a damn what other people think.”
She stared into those bright blue eyes and wondered how she’d never gotten lost in them before. How had she never noticed just how remarkable Reese was? Not just to look at, because she’d known for years how hot he was, but he was her friend...right? She shouldn’t have had lustful thoughts.
Yet now she did.
They’d been intimate a handful of times and she already had enough fantasies to last a lifetime.
Beyond his looks, though, there was that heart of gold. He dominated everything around him, but not in an asshole kind of way. Yes, he demanded respect, but his loyal circle of friends and employees loved him and would do anything for him. That was the sign of a true leader.
“Why did we never date when we were younger?” she asked before she could stop herself, because they weren’t even dating now.
His brows drew in as he released her hands and sat back in his chair. “I asked you out.”
Confused, Josie racked her brain, but drew a blank. “You did? When?”
“In college,” he told her as if she should remember. “I was helping you move from the dorm into your first apartment and I asked you out.”
She recalled when he’d helped her. They thought they’d never get her hand-me-down couch up that flight of stairs to the second floor. They’d laughed, argued, shared a horrible pizza for dinner.
Oh yeah. That’s when he’d asked her.
“I thought you were joking,” she finally stated, but caught the sober look on his face. “You were serious?”
Reese didn’t smile. He didn’t make a move as he continued to stare back at her. “I’d never been more serious.”
Oh. Well.
What did she do with that information?
She couldn’t exactly go back in time, but if she could, would she have said yes? Josie had never thought of Reese as more than a friend until recently, but the word more was such a blanket term. It could be applied to anything.
She didn’t know how to reply to his statement, but he had clearly thought about this over the years because he hadn’t forgotten the moment. Obviously, there had been a bigger impact on him than her.
What exactly did that mean? Surely he didn’t want to take this beyond best friend territory...did he?
“Reese, I—”
He leaned forward and cut her words off with a kiss. She melted into his powerful touch, completely forgetting anything she needed to say.