23. Chapter 18

My palm is still warm from where Josh's lips touched. If this is Josh faking it, I can't even begin to wonder what Josh actually courting someone looks like. My eyes drop to his lips and I see a slow smile cross his face. Heat starts to creep up my neck and I look away. I pick up my water to take a sip, attempting to cool myself.

"I hope that was okay," he asks.

"Of course," I squeak out, and clear my throat.

When I opened my door tonight and saw him standing there with my favorite flowers I swore I was going to melt right on the spot. There is no question Josh is attractive, sweltering hot, actually. Like, make all the fangirls put pictures of him on their screensaver hot. But the look on his face when I opened my door made my heart flip.

I've known Josh forever and have seen him in all different forms, but I don't think I've ever seen a nervous Josh Owens standing in front me looking speechless. It was the most endearing thing I think I've ever seen. Well, minus my students giving Valentine's Day Cards to someone they actually like, but pretty dang close.

Now sitting across from him, feeling the heat on my palm where his lips touched, everyone in the room starts to fade. It's as if the entire room is out of focus, and for the first time that night I don't notice anyone staring at us. In fact the only thing I see is Josh.

"Here you go, Brie, Josh. Enjoy." Our waitress picks just that moment to interrupt, placing our meals in front of us. I reluctantly drag my eyes away from Josh and focus on Maria.

"Thank you so much. This looks amazing." Maria's smile seems a bit overly bright as she walks away, but I don't put too much into it. A quick glance around and I see the same look on everyone else's faces. I whisper to Josh, "I don't know that I've ever seen people this excited except at a sporting event in town. It's like they're all watching us waiting for the next play."

"They are," Josh replies as he takes his first bite of his dinner and moans. "Rocco makes the best eggplant parmesan."

Now this Josh I know. It's the one who loves his meals. I give a small laugh as I pick up my knife and cut into my food. Once the Chicken Francese hits my tongue, I do exactly the same thing. Dinner is beyond delicious.

"How is it that I forget how good Rocco's food is?" He shakes his head as he fills his mouth with another bite.

I chuckle. "Hungry?"

"Starving!" He says digging in. "Between practice and PT I forgot to grab my mid-day snack."

"The amount of calories you guys need to eat always blows my mind. What are you up to now?"

"Five to six thousand." My mouth drops open.

"Wow. I knew it was a lot but that sounds ridiculous."

"Some of the players on the offensive and defensive lines eat up to ten thousand," he throws in. "It just depends on what weight you need to maintain and your level of activity."

"Remind me not to make fun of you the next time I see you eating," I tease. "How is your shoulder?"

"Really good," he replies, rubbing his left shoulder. I wonder if he's even conscious he's doing that. "Shawn says that if all keeps moving like this I'll probably be able to play in the game against the Colts."

"That's great! The Mavs have been missing you on game day." He lifts his gaze to mine and the smirk on his face is smug.

"Miss not seeing me in uniform, Woodbury?" If I had something to throw at him I would, and yet the flutters in my stomach, rather than my usual annoyance, catches me off guard.

"Close games tend to stress me out," I counter. "You on the field usually gives us fans a sense of relief."

"So you're a fan now?" This time I throw my napkin at him, he catches it and laughs. "What? I'm not used to you saying nice things about me."

"I always say nice things about you," I say, suddenly serious. I know that I tease Josh a lot, but I would really hate for him to think that I'm constantly criticizing him. His head drops and when he picks it up the intensity in his eyes makes my breath hitch.

"No, you don't. You're usually ribbing me." My eyebrows shoot up and my mouth drops at his tone. "Don't get me wrong, I love every second of our banter. It's just that when you do say something complimentary I know you mean it."

I stare at the man in front of me and am blown away by the vulnerability I see in his eyes. I always imagine Josh as this strong, untouchable person who doesn't care what anyone else thinks. Like there is nothing I could ever say that would bother him. Apparently I just never paid attention to how what I said affected him. Maybe it's just that he's never let me see it until now.

"You are one of the most amazing people I know, Josh." I notice a flicker in his gaze at my words. "I know I don't say it often but I admire you. You are kind, considerate, and someone I look up to."

If I thought his gaze was intense before, the look he's giving me now makes my heart skip a beat and my stomach swoop.

"Thank you, Brie." He says so quietly, and so sincerely that my heart is melting. "That means a lot coming from you." The sound of glasses shattering brings us both back to the present moment and breaks whatever spell was surrounding us.

"Anytime, Owens." I offer a shy smile at him, feeling a bit transparent. All of this is feeling way too intimate, and I'm not exactly sure how to handle it. So I change the topic. "I guess dinner was good?"

He looks down at his empty plate and brings his hand to his stomach. "Amazing. Yours?"

"I look down at my nearly empty plate. "Always."

"Let's get dessert," he says, lifting his hand to grab Maria's attention. Before I know it, dinner is cleared and I have tiramisu and a decaf coffee in front of me. Josh has always had a way of helping people without them feeling like they owe him, but I don't think I've ever been the recipient of this much of Josh Owens' attention.

I must admit, I really like it.

The silence in the car on the way home is comfortable but charged. I know that we talked about all the guidelines with regards to PDA, and yet we never talked about when a kiss would happen. Everything that happened at dinner was all above board and enough to get people to believe that this "relationship" is real. But what's going to happen when he walks me to my door?

What do I want to have happen?

I wipe my palms on my skirt, and break the silence.

"So," I force the words past a tight throat. "I think everyone in the restaurant was fully convinced we're dating."

"If the whispers and smiles were any indication, I'd have to agree with you." I look over and see his grin. "I wonder how long before Tea Time has something to say."

"I'm surprised we haven't gotten an update from Susie already. She seems to be our biggest fan." I laugh.

"Yeah. She's enjoying this a bit too much, isn't she?"

"Just a bit?" I laugh. "She's having the time of her life."

As we turn down my street Susie's comment about kissing pops into my head. I suddenly find it hard to swallow. I look over at Josh's profile and find my eyes dropping to his lips.

Do I want to kiss Josh? Well that's a silly question, Brie. My inner voice chides. Okay, fine. Can I kiss Josh Owens?

My inner dialogue is interrupted as I feel the car stop and Josh takes the keys out of the ignition. I let myself out and walk around the truck. When I reach Josh, I stop in front of him. He clears his throat.

"So." He clears his throat again, and I find a smile crawl across my face at his obvious nervousness. "Normally, if I've had a good date, I would kiss the person. What is your normal routine?"

A laugh escapes before I can catch it.

"What?" He stares at me.

"Sorry. I don't have a normal routine."

"Oh, well in that case, what are your thoughts on a kiss goodnight?" When I don't respond right away he starts talking quickly. "I guess you don't have any."

"I have some," I say a little too quickly, and I mentally smack my forehead.

"You do, do you?" He needles. "Do tell, Miss Woodbury."

I turn, and start walking slowly toward the porch. I feel Josh move alongside me. "I'm thinking that after a good first date a kiss might or might not be appropriate." I can see him nod out of the corner of my eye, a small grin on his face. "I'm not sure where the ‘fake dating' kiss falls though. Maybe we should only kiss when people are watching?"

"Good point," he says.

"But, then again, someone from Tea Time always seems to be watching," I find myself saying. "So maybe we should kiss."