It drove me wild too.
God, I’m half-wildnow.
But is Josh?
I graze my teeth down his neck, something else he used to love.
His hands haven’t moved from my waist.
“Wouldn’t that be awesome?” His voice sounds dreamy, his tongue a little heavy around the words..
And because I’m thinking about him slipping a hand in my bra, my answer is a breathy, “Yes.”
“You’d do it?”
The alertness in his voice has me pulling back and blinking his face into focus.
“What?”
Did I just miss something? Did he just propose something kinky?
Because if he did, I’m on board.
I mean, I have limits. There’s lots I’ve never done and even more I’d never do, but if Josh wants to try a little light bondage or some d—
“Run away with me?”
Wait, what?
“Huh?”
Josh blinks like he’s bringing my face into focus. Yep, his pupils are shrinking.
And, if I’m not mistaken, something else is shrinking too.
Dammit.
“Baby, what—what are you talking about?”
He takes his hands off my waist and rakes his fingers back through his hair, and even though I’m still straddling his lap, I feel like he’s moved all the way across the room.
It takes a minute to process my emotional whiplash, but I replay all of his words.We could do this on the beach in Ecuador and never have to work again… You’d do it? Run away with me?And what I’m hearing is that Josh is stressed out. Probably physically at his limit. And it’s taking a toll on him.
“Baby, it may not be the right time, but… do you need a vacation?”
His eyes harden like chips of granite. Flat. Cold.
He squeezes them shut. Shakes his head. “No. No. I’m just tired.”
When he opens them again, I can see it. He’s exhausted. So exhausted he looks sad. And maybe he’s a little drunk, too. But he’s drinking because he’s tired. Because he’s overwhelmed.
My heart twists. I have to fix this. I have to do something.
“Josh, I think you should prime the windows in here tomorrow and let me help Zach with the fence.”
His face screws up. “Greta, that’s not what I’m say—”
“No, it’s only fair. We need to do a better job of sharing the hard labor. Especially in this heat.”