Read Online Friendship on Fire by Melissa Foster - Free Book Online Page B

could practically taste his skin. She bit her lip to stop herself from doing just that.
    Josh kissed the edge of her ear. “Are you sure you want to sneak?” His breath was hot against her skin. “Because there’s nothing I’d rather do than hold your hand when we walk down the street.”
    How could she tell the man she’d dreamed of for years that she didn’t want to hold his hand, when she really wanted to do so much more?
    He drew back. His eyes said, I want you. His hands on her waist choreographed, I need you, and Riley wondered if he could read her desires just as easily. But her mind struggled with a thought she tried to push away.
    He’s my boss .
    Damn it to hell. She swallowed hard, reaching for her voice, which was buried beneath a thick stream of lust. “I’m…sorry. Yes,” she managed.
    He kissed her on the cheek. “I respect your decision.”
    Josh took a step back, and Riley swore she felt her heart trying to claw its way through her chest to join him.
    “Shall we?” He motioned toward the sidewalk. I want you lingered in his eyes.
    Riley tried to ignore the battling voices in her head. Sneak around? Are you stupid? You don’t tell someone like Josh you want to sneak around. You don’t even want to! I have to. Claudia will make my life hell. You’re insane. Point taken. I’m talking to myself. Stopitstopitstopit.
    They walked along Times Square. Josh pointed out shops and talked about the different districts in the city, and as he spoke, Riley’s mind wandered. The combination of high-rise buildings, neon lights, and the rush of cars should have held her transfixed. New York was everything Weston was not, but she was so taken with everything about Josh that the streets, which surely breathed life into the air, were muted by the bubble of romance that had formed around them. The memory of her hand in his was so strong that when she made a fist, it was his palm she felt on her fingertips. She licked her lips and tasted Josh’s sweetness. The smell of his cologne was pungent, and with every shift of the evening air, it reminded her of how close their bodies had been only moments earlier. When she concentrated really hard, she could recall the faint scratch of his five-o’clock shadow as it grazed her cheek.
    A cab blew its horn, startling Riley.
    “You okay?” Josh asked.
    “Yeah.” She shook her head to try to escape the dreamy state she’d fallen into. Times Square came back into focus. “This is beautiful. Does it go on all night? The people, the lights, the cars?”
    “Pretty much.” He reached for her hand as they crossed the street and then quickly pulled it back. “Sorry.”
    “No, I’m sorry. I know this must seem really stupid to you, but I don’t want Claudia to have anything to hold over my head, and I know New York is a really big city and the chances of her or someone she knows seeing us is probably slim, but—”
    “Not as slim as you might think. When the media is in need of gossip, I’m definitely a target,” he said with a shake of his head.
    “Just so you know, that’s not very comforting.” This is going to be harder than I thought . “I really want to have a chance in the industry, and I can’t do that if I start out with a reputation of dating not just the boss, but…well… you . Famed, iconic fashion designer Josh Braden.”  I sound like a fan girl .
    He slowed his pace. “I don’t think it’s stupid at all. I might not like sneaking around, but that’s just me being selfish because I haven’t wanted to hold a woman’s hand or take her face in my hands and kiss her until she forgets her name—” He stopped walking and stepped toward her.
    Kiss him. Just do it . Riley was lost in the thought of what he wanted to do. She couldn’t move, could barely think past what that kiss would feel like.
    “In forever,” Josh said. “And you spur all of that in me.” His eyes searched hers. “When we were together back home, I felt something, but I