Complete Harmony by Julia Kent Page A

conspirator than a voyeur, and a smoldering began inside her.
    Not the good kind, either.
    “ You two want to come over for coffee, or something stronger?” John looked at our discarded ice skates. “After you’re done, I mean.”  
    Oh, we’re done.
    “Thanks! Um, maybe?” Alex turned to Josie , his voice going up like a question. She hated when he did this, because it put all the pressure on her. If she said “no,” she looked like an asshole, and she felt like every time she said what she actually wanted, if it wasn’t the “right” think in g in terms of being with Alex’s f amily, that it gave them ammunition against her.
    Reality and what she felt were two radically different states, though. Her rational brain knew that Meribeth and John would understand if she turned them down. And right now, she didn’t want to be around anyone.
    Not even Alex.
    “ I…”  
    Her hesitation seemed to make Alex kick into gear. “I shouldn’t put that on you,” he said, apologizing as if reading her mind. “John, can we just show up if we decide to? We might be too tired after skating.”
    Gratitude and fury fought inside her.
    She didn’t know which one would win.
    “Suit yourself. You know your mom has a standing invitation for you two. If y ou don’t come over then it’s just an extra night of wild sex for us.”
    J im had an odd sense of humor.
    Alex blushed again, though he seemed to recover, this role more familiar. “Just don’t do it on the kitchen floor by the back door. Don’t want a repeat of what happened when I brought the soccer team home after practice that one time.” Low chuckles, then a wave from John as he dis a ppeared, drag ging Noi off b y the leash.
    A long, audible exhale from Alex, and then he turned to her with amused eyes. “Can you believe that?”
    Josie snorted.
    “Oh, that snort sound s dangerous,” he said, turning away. He reopened his pants, but if he thought they going in for round two after that, he was crazy.
    Nope. He tied off the condom and found a trashcan nearby. This was a well-known area along a trail, but it fu e led her anger that he knew exactly where the trashcans were, right here in the woods.
    How about that?
    “So, come here often?” she asked him.
    He took that as a joke, an invitation to sidle up and snuggle. Her body went stiff with anger.
    “Oh,” he said archly, taking a step back and holding his hands above her, as if dealing with something he had to handle gingerly. Which, he did. “You’re upset about something.”
    “ Perceptive.” She had been reduced to single words now, the churning cauldron of fucked-up emotions inside her spewing nonsense. Josie knew if she tried to explain why she was upset, she couldn’t be coherent. Hoping that Alex understood that, and would somehow just ride out this mood with her and be gentle and understanding, she went quiet.  

A lex
    Josie didn’t do quiet. He knew he’d screwed up somehow, but damn if he could figure it out. Coming here had been some sort of mistake, and having John discover them left him reeling. While John had always treated him more like a friend than a father, it was still damn intimidating to have your ste p father nearly find you balls deep in your girlfriend in the woods in public.
    “You’re upset that I stuck you with answering about his offer to visit after we…” His voice disappeared. After they what? They’d just completed what he’d come here to do. Mission accomplished. His guilty eyes cut over to the ice skates and hope resurged in him.
    Maybe he knew exactly what to do next.
    “After we…” she repeated in a mocking tone. Uh oh.
    “You knew why I brought you here,” he replied, voice as neutral as possible. They had an implicit agreement that outdoor sex and all the thrills and risks that came with it was a joy they both were privy to indulging in. The shock of finding that the other enjoyed the slightly voyeuristic sexual kink had been a revelation. Alex fell