so close to where she wanted to feel him, but not close enough. Her body twitched, aching for contact.
His eyes darkened, and he squeezed her inner thigh, his fingers digging into the flesh hard enough to make her gasp. Hard enough to leave a bruise, which wasn’t something she’d ever expected to find sexy, but she shuddered as a hot flood of desire surged through her veins.
Loosening his grip, he slid his hand a little higher, and Mia’s ass flexed as she fought the compulsion to writhe with yearning.
Josh smiled, clearly enjoying himself.
His hand inched higher…but still not high enough.
So close—
Mia nearly jumped out of her skin as her phone started shrieking a Beyoncé song on the nightstand next to her.
“Shit, it’s my sister.” Groaning, she banged her forehead against the mattress. “She left a voicemail the other day and I totally forgot to call her back.”
“You better take it, then.” Josh dropped a kiss on the small of her back before rolling away and sitting upright on the edge of the bed.
“Hey, Holly!” Mia chirped into the phone as she sat up.
“Thanks for calling me back, bitch.”
“Sorry, sorry, sorry. I’ve been distracted the last few days.” Mia’s gaze jumped to Josh, who was walking bare-assed around her apartment in search of his underwear.
Her distance strategy was proving more challenging than she’d anticipated, and she’d failed pretty hard this week. It was difficult to say no to Josh’s invitation of company when every part of Mia longed to say yes.
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Holly said. “How are things with your hot farmer?”
I’m gonna take a shower, Josh mouthed, cocking his head toward Mia’s bathroom.
She gave him a thumbs-up. “Great. Er, fine. It’s fine.”
Holly cackled. “He’s there, isn’t he? You’re with him right now.”
“Yes.” Mia watched Josh disappear into the bathroom. “He’s taking a shower.”
“Oh my god, tell me I didn’t interrupt anything. You’re not naked right now are you?”
Mia snagged Josh’s T-shirt off the floor as she heard the water turn on in the shower. “I wouldn’t answer the phone if I was naked,” she said as she struggled into the shirt.
“You know I can always tell when you’re lying, right? I’d make you put me on video, except I have no desire to see your tits.”
“Was there an actual reason you called?” Mia asked, grabbing her underwear off the floor. “Or did you just feel like hassling me?”
“I do enjoy hassling you, but I’ll be able to get my fix in a few days when you’re here. Which was actually why I was calling. Do you have any plans while you’re in town?”
“Um, well, Dad’s scheduled this photo session for me on the twenty-eighth, and I guess I’m also getting my hair done that morning.” Their father had gone so far as to have his PA make Mia a hair and makeup appointment at one of the best salons in Manhattan. Because apparently he didn’t trust her to do it herself. “And he’s trying to set up an interview with some reporter from…” She tried to remember which magazine while she wrestled her underwear up her legs, nearly falling over in the process. “I forget. One of those New York culture magazines.”
“Jesus, he’s really got his claws into you, hasn’t he?”
“He’s helping me,” Mia shot back. “I mean, yes, he’s obviously enjoying the attention for himself, but I’m letting him because it’s going to help me get what I want.”
“If you say so.”
“Why are you asking about my plans, anyway?”
“Because I want to schedule some one-on-one sister time,” Holly said.
“Don’t we always have plenty of sister time? Since when do we have to schedule it?”
“Since Dad started pulling your strings like his little puppet.”
“Don’t start,” Mia snapped. “I’m doing two whole things for dad while I’m home, plus his Christmas Eve party, which you will also be attending. It’s not like he’s monopolizing all my time.”
“Maybe I’ve got plans of my own and I’m trying to figure out how to squeeze you in. Have you considered that, hmmm?”
“What kind of plans do you—oh!” Mia said when she realized what Holly probably meant. “Do your plans have a penis? Are you trying to work me in around your current slam piece?”
“That’s a crude way of putting it,” Holly said archly.
“That I learned from you,” Mia reminded her.
“Well…now that you mention it, there is someone I’ve been spending time with lately.”
Mia wandered over to the couch and sat down. “Come on, then. Tell me about this one.”