Falling For You
by Bailey B.
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Josh
I met the girl of my dreams in a church parking lot while my best friend was having sex in my truck. Her name was Layla and she was trying her hardest to ignore me, and them, from two parking spaces over. I swear, I've never seen someone so beautiful in my life. I've also never struggled to get the girl, but for some reason my foot and my mouth became friends that night in the worst of ways.
Cheesy pick up line, that failed? Check.
Inability to form coherent sentences? Check.
Ego crushing let down? Yup. That happened too.
I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about Layla that sucks me in. I need to get to know her. Spend time with her. Make her mine. Who knows, maybe she will be the one to finally settle me down. That is, if I can convince her to give me the time of day.
Layla
Everything about Joshua Thomas screams, run away. His sharp jaw. Those vibrant eyes. Lush lips that have probably tasted every girl in this tiny town. I know better than to give him a chance, but knowing what I should do and listening are two different things. He makes my heart flutter in ways I thought only possible in Hallmark movies. He makes my legs shake from one look. I resisted him once. I don't know if I can do it again.
Excerpt 1:
place, then dropping down into my seat as I pass it. I’ve driven down his dirt road, passed the turn off, then circled back twice, trying to decide if sleeping at his house is a good idea.
I’m equally excited and terrified about tonight. I know Josh mentioned me staying for the weekend, but I doubt that will happen. One night is more than enough to get a feel for what I’m doing because, honestly, I have no clue.
I spend my days occupying my mind with my classes and fundraising stuff, and even then he sneaks into my thoughts. Nights are the worst. I’ve overanalyzed everything Josh said and did last weekend. I found his Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, straddling the line between curious and stalker more than once.
All so I can convince myself that having these feelings for Josh are a bad idea. I don’t need any distractions, and he is proving to be a major one.
So why can’t I stop thinking about him?
Excerpt 2:
“I hope you brought something nice to wear.”
“I did.” Mamma taught me to always be prepared. While Josh and his friends seem like the jeans-and-T-shirt kind of people, I grabbed a dress and some heels. Just in case.
“Good, we are going to dinner. Then, if you’d like, I thought we’d hit up Cowboy’s.”
“What’s that?”
“A bar on the outskirts of town. There’s usually a band on Friday night. I thought it could be fun.” Josh reaches out and takes my hand. He pulls me against his chest, his other arm wrapping around my waist.
I look up into his eyes, feeling my pulse everywhere. This is what I’ve been worried about, what would happen if we’re alone together. In a house. That has a bedroom. I don’t think I’d sleep with him, but the way my head’s swimming, I can’t say for certain, especially if I have a few drinks tonight.
“That sounds like fun.”
“I’m glad you’re here.” Josh threads his fingers through my hair, careful not to pull my roots. He dips his head, lips pressing against mine until I’m breathless with a flurry of butterflies in my chest. He grips my hip, fingers digging into my skin. It hurts, but it’s a good kind of hurt, the kind that makes me moan.
Josh backs us against the wall. His hands fall to my thighs and he lifts me. He nips at the nape of my neck, biting hard enough to make me gasp. He trails kisses up my neck and sucks my earlobe into his mouth.
“Josh,” I whisper, never having felt anything like this before. The few times Ashley's lips were on me, they never strayed from my mouth. Even if they had, I doubt he could send my body into tiny tremors like this.
Josh’s tongue brushes across my bottom lip before sweeping into my mouth again. I grip him tighter with my legs, feeling myself coming undone. My hips rock on instinct and Josh grunts. He pulls his lips away and leans his forehead against mine. “Fuck.”
I untangle my legs from around his body and Josh takes a step back. “I… um… I should probably get ready.”
Excerpt 3:
“I texted you a few minutes ago,” she says, turning her head to me when I lean against the side of the truck. “I don’t feel much like partying anymore.”
“Amanda’s a bitch. You can’t listen to a word she says.”
“She’s not a bitch, Josh. She’s scared. I know you say that baby isn’t yours, but she’s holding on to a shred of hope that it is.” Layla sighs and looks up at the stars again.“Are you going to marry her?”
“Fuck no.” I drop the tailgate and climb onto the bed to sit beside her. “On the off chance that kid is mine, which it’s not, I don’t love her. Having a kid isn’t a reason to get married.”
Layla bites her lip, probably reading too deep into what I said. I don’t love Layla, but I could one day. I like her enough, but it’s too soon to cross that bridge.
“My parents don’t love each other. They don’t even like one another.”
I cup Layla’s cheek and force her to look at me. “That won’t be me. My mother loved my dad so much, she never married again after he left us. Even though they didn’t work out, I want a love like that. I want to be with someone that makes my heart race so fast it skips a beat. I want to wake up with that person, every day, and know that, no matter what, we’ve got each other's back. I want that person to be my best friend, because being partners isn’t good enough. Amanda can never be that person to me. “
Layla’s quiet for a long time. I need her to speak. I’m going crazy in my head. Given enough time, she could be that person. What we have is special, she’s got to know that. I don’t want to lose her because of some batshit crazy pregnant chick.
“Those are some big shoes to fill.”
I smile, relieved that she might want to fill them. “That’s why I haven’t dated in years. I never met anyone I thought was right for the job.”
“And you think I am?”
“I think you could be.” My hand slides from Layla’s cheek to the base of her neck. I want to kiss her. To feel her body mold against mine. To hold her soft curves and let the fire that comes with her touch consume me.
But Layla pulls back. I laid my heart out there for nothing. My stomach drops to my feet. I don’t bother to hide the downturn of my lips. Layla didn’t break my heart. I may be falling for the girl, but I’m not that deep. She did put a chip in it that aches and reminds me why I don’t put myself out there anymore.
“Take me home, Josh.” She stands and hops off the tailgate. “Because I’d hate for our first time to be in a church parking lot.”
I didn’t expect that. My lips twitch, turning upward. “It would make a great story for our grandkids one day.”
Layla smirks and punches my shoulder. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. If you don’t have the moves, there won’t be any grandkids.”
“Oh, I’ve got moves, baby.” I jump over the side and open the passenger door. “Just you wait and see.”
Bailey B is an up and coming New Adult author. She lives in Lehigh Acres Florida with her husband, twin girls, and two fur babies. She enjoys (but doesn't get to take part in because of her crazy daughters) the simple things like Disney+ binge watching, Netflix romcoms, reading and sleeping. She reads two to three books a week and thinks if narwhal's are real animals then unicorns might be too.
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