If she didn’t want him there after last night, he didn’t figure any male posturing on his part was going to accomplish anything more than embarrassing her and increasing his own temper. He had no intention of risking either outcome, so he remained silent.
“Daniel isn’t sleeping on the floor.” Josie bit her lip and then looked up at him. “At least I don’t think he is.”
Stunned by her volte-face from earlier, he tried to figure out if she was saying what he thought she was saying before he responded.
“Where’s he sleeping?” Hotwire asked, his Georgia drawl pronounced. “He’s not kicking you out of your bed, is he, Josie?”
She swallowed and shook her head, her gaze not leaving Daniel. “No. He’s sleeping with me.”
Looking vulnerable and uncertain, her eyes asked him if she’d spoken the truth.
He reached out and cupped her nape, pulling her into him like he’d done earlier, but this time she relaxed against his side. She smiled up at him, her expression filled with relief, and he wondered if he would ever understand how the female mind worked.
He caressed her neck with his thumb. “Hotwire’s not sharing our bed. It isn’t big enough.”
“I wasn’t suggesting he should, but there’s no reason for him to stay here when it means sleeping on the floor.”
“I’m a lot shorter than you,” Claire said from the hallway, looking at Hotwire. “I’ll sleep on the couch, and you can have my bed. It’s only a single, but it’s longer than the sofa.”
“My mama would string me up by my toes if I booted a lady out of her bed for my own comfort.”
“But—”
“He’s slept in much worse places, Claire. Don’t worry about him.” He looked down at Josie. “And don’t try convincing him to leave. He’s about as stubborn as a Missouri mule.”
“So have I,” Claire said earnestly. “I mean, slept in worse places. Really, sleeping out here would be no problem.”
But just like Daniel had known he would, his friend refused to be budged, and after they did an external reconnaissance of the property and surrounding area, Hotwire got comfortable in a sleeping bag on the floor.
Josie’s bedroom door opened, and a tattoo of anticipation started playing in her chest. She hadn’t been entirely certain he would come, even after what he’d said. She’d hurt him when she hadn’t openly acknowledged the closeness in their relationship, and she’d realized it too late to change anything.
She wasn’t used to this kind of thing, and Daniel’s blatant possessiveness in front of their friend had thrown her thoughts and reactions into a confusing morass before she’d finally gotten herself straightened out sometime during dinner. She wanted to be his lover for as long as possible, and if that meant other people knowing about them, then she’d take out an ad in the Oregonian.
He came into the room, shutting the door behind him, and leaned back against it, looking dark and dangerous. “Do you want Hotwire?”
If he’d thought about it for an hour, he couldn’t have found a more shocking question to ask her. Stunned into silence, she opened her lips, but couldn’t make her mouth form an answer.
Finally, she asked, “What?” wondering if she’d misheard him. Hoping she had.
He stalked over to the bed, his expression giving no clue as to what was going on inside his head. “Do you want him?”
“No. How can you of all people ask me that?”
“You hugged him.”
What was he talking about? “When?”
“When he got here.”
“He’s my friend. I was saying hi.”
“You smiled like you were really glad to see him.”
“I was.”
Daniel’s glare could have melted metal.
“Why is that a problem? You invited him here.”
“I did not. He said he wanted to help, and I told him he could.”
“What difference does it make?” This conversation was not how she’d anticipated spending their time alone together. “He’s our friend. He’s got skills neither of us has, and he wants to help. That’s a good thing.”
“You weren’t glad to see me. When I told you I was going to help you, you argued with me, but as soon as you found out Hotwire wanted to take part in the mission, you got all happy.”
And that really bothered Daniel, she realized belatedly. “You’ve been weird all day, ever since you told us Hotwire was coming. Are you jealous?”
As unlikely as she found the prospect, she couldn’t think of another reason for Daniel’s attitude.
“Do I have a reason to be?” he asked rather than denying it.
“You must know you don’t.” She’d been a virgin, for crying out loud. He had to realize she wanted him in a way she’d never wanted another man.
“All I know is you’re glad to have him around, but you tried to get me to go away.”
“It’s different with him; it always has been.” She’d never felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room when Hotwire walked into it.
Daniel, on the other hand, had the impact of a fully armed tank engaged in battle on every one of her senses.
“Apparently.”
“Daniel, until yesterday, I thought you didn’t like me,” she said with exasperation. “Hotwire’s been my friend since the first mission we had together.”
“I didn’t dislike you dam—darn it. I wanted you, and I thought you didn’t want me. My disposition suffered because of it, but I liked you—more than I wanted to.”
“I know that now.” Well, she’d known he wanted her, but she hadn’t realized he really liked her. It was a nice thing to know about a man she planned to take into her body as soon as this strange discussion was over. “But before, I thought you couldn’t stand the sight of me. You’ve got to see the difference between that and how it was with Hotwire. He didn’t…I mean, doesn’t threaten me.”
Daniel swelled with outrage. “I’ve never threatened you.”
“Not overtly, but the feelings I have for you threaten my peace of mind and my equilibrium. Thinking you didn’t like me made it almost unbearable to be around you. You should understand that. You basically felt the same way about me because you thought I didn’t want you. Our mutual discomfort just showed itself in different ways.”
As she said the words, she realized how true they were, and a lot of the insecurity she felt about Daniel and his reactions to her dissipated.
However, he didn’t reply, or get into the bed, or do anything to relieve the tension arcing between them.
She tossed around in her mind for something else to say, something that would decrease his insecurity like hers had just been. “Will it help if I promise to hug you every time I see you after an absence, too?”
“I’m your lover. Hotwire is only your friend. I want more than a hug.”
“I’ll kiss you, too, okay?”
“It’s going to be distracting, but okay.”
Were men always this illogical about relationships? “If you don’t want to be distracted, all you have to do is say so,” she replied, aggravated.
“I didn’t say that.” Then he short-circuited her ability to respond by peeling off his shirt and unbuttoning his pants. “I like being distracted by you.”
“I’m glad.” She was also glad they were done with a conversation she found nonsensical at best and totally incomprehensible at worst.
He unzipped his pants, revealing a bulge that showed their talking hadn’t inhibited his sex drive at all. His almost black eyes spoke messages her inner woman could not misinterpret or ignore. “I’m sorry we couldn’t stay at the hotel longer.”