Jack looks at Zoe, then back at me. "Yeah, well ... there is."
"Oh. So, you're dating?"
It's clear Jack is nowhere near ready to make these kinds of admissions, but what the hell. These two need to stop dancing around each other and start the new year with a bang. Literally.
"Yes, we're dating," Jack finally admits. "Among other things."
"Zoe," I say, acting confused. "What the hell's going on? You told me he didn't have real feelings for you."
Zoe glances at Jack. "I ... ah ... I didn't think he did."
"That's bullshit," Jack says, moving over to her. "I might not have come out and said it, but, Jesus, Zo ... you have to know that ... well, I ..."
For the first time since I met her, I see Zoe let down her guard. She's so desperate for an admission from him, she's on the verge of tears.
"You, what, Jack?" I press. "Like her? Big deal. I like my dental hygienist, but that doesn't mean I have a say in who she makes out with."
He snaps around to face me. "I more than like her, asshole, so I do get a say."
"More-than-like. Wow." I act impressed. "Well, that's different. Zoe, do you more-than-like Jack, too?"
For a moment, I worry she'll chicken out, but then she squares her shoulders and puts her arms around Jack's neck. "Yes, I more-that-like him. In fact ..." She takes a deep breath. "I'm ... in love with him."
Jack freezes for a second, shock and disbelief on his face. Then, he breaks into a blinding grin. "Seriously? You love me?"
Zoe gives him a wary look. "Yes, and if you dare make a joke out of this, Jackson Avery, I'm going to rip off your balls, and I'm not talking about those hideous slippers."
"Oh, sweetheart." Jack leans down and kisses her tenderly. "I couldn't make a joke right now if you paid me. I've been in love with you for years, you beautiful idiot. I was just waiting for you to realize you loved me back."
He kisses her again, and for the third time tonight, I feel like the epitome of a third wheel. I have no idea why people feel comfortable enough to make out in front of me, but I wish like hell they'd stop. It's bad enough I'm here without Angel. Having to witness everyone else having mouth sex is goddamn torture.
"So I guess that means you're not kissing me at midnight, then, Zoe?" She moans and grabs Jack's ass. "No? Okay, then."
I leave them behind, and when I get back out into the ballroom, Marco is on the dance floor making a speech. There's only a couple of minutes left before the countdown, and I'd like to find my friends before then.
The phone buzzes in my hand, and I breathe a sigh of relief to see Angel's name.
"Hey, beautiful," I say. "I'm so glad you called me back."
"I got your message." She doesn't sound angry anymore which I'll take as a good sign.
"Good. I'm so sorry about earlier. I was a total dick. I had no right to say those things to you."
"It's okay. I shouldn't have defended Julian so much. He is too flirty considering I have a boyfriend. And after our fight I got to thinking you were right. If a girl was all over you like that and sent you flowers, I'd want to rip her tits off."
"Yeah?"
I can hear the smile in her voice when she says, "Yeah. You're mine, and I'll fight anyone who tries to take you away from me."
"Ladies and gentlemen," Marco says, "the magic hour is upon us, so grab your loved ones, and let's count down to the new year! Ten! Nine! Eight!"
Shit.
The whole crowd joins in, and I hold the phone close to my mouth and yell so Angel can hear me. "They're doing the countdown! Hold the line, okay?"
I push past people as I try to find my friends. It would suck if I didn't get to them in time.
"Seven ... six ... five ... four ..."
At last, I see Elissa, Liam, Cassie, and Ethan over by the windows. I do my best to hurry, but people keep getting in my way, and by the time I make it to them, the countdown is done.
"HAPPY NEW YEEEEEEAR!"
People clap and cheer and scream so loudly, the noise is deafening, and even though I'm only a few feet away from Elissa, she can't hear me call her name. When I get close enough to tap her on the shoulder and wish her a happy new year, she's already macking on Liam like there's no tomorrow. Cassie and Ethan are no better.
I sigh and look around. "Happy new year to me, I guess." All around me, mobsters are kissing policewomen, Harley Quinn is kissing Batman, even Sonny and Cher are having a passionate reunion. Everyone seems to be getting their new year's liplock except for me.
I put the phone back up to my ear. "Angel? You still there?"
"Yes," she says. "I'm deaf, but I'm here. What's going on?"
"Oh, nothing. Just standing in the middle of a huge tongue orgy. Not feeling left out at all."
She makes a sympathetic sound. "Aw, honey. I'm sorry."
"You should be. I'm the only miserable asshole who doesn't get to kiss someone tonight."
"Now, that's not true. You kissed Zoe a few minutes ago. Surely that counts."
My whole body tenses. "What did you just say?"
"I said, you kissed Zoe. Looked like a good one, too. If you love me, you'd better make sure mine is better." Goosebumps crawl over my entire body when she adds, "Now come find me, and bring your sweet, talented mouth."
Everything seems to go into slow motion as I turn and search the crowd. My heart pounds double time when I see Sexy Uhura standing a dozen yards away in the middle of the dancefloor. She smiles and pulls off a dark wig to reveal bright auburn hair, and I'm so goddamn happy to see her, I get a lump in my throat.
She beckons to me with one finger, and that's all I need to unfreeze my limbs. I stride over to her, cape fluttering behind me, and when I reach her, I cup her face with both hands and kiss her like I've never kissed her before. It's the perfect image of the hero finally getting the girl.
I grunt as she sets my whole body aflame with a single touch, and when our mouths open and tongues slide, the fireworks inside me put Times Square to shame. Unlike when I was kissing Zoe, this one I feel in every single molecule.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I ask as I cup her fucking gorgeous face. "You don't finish for another week."
"There was a fire on the set. Production is delayed until they can rebuild it. I got in this afternoon."
"So, you've been lying to me on the phone all night?"
"It wasn't lying so much as misdirecting you. I didn't want to ruin the surprise."
"So, the boat trip –?"
"Happened a few days ago."
"And our fight?"
"Totally real."
"The crying in the bathroom?" My brain is spinning that she's been faking me out this whole time.
"Good acting. I was pissed at you for what you said, but not hurt. The crying just added a touch of theater to make it fun. By the way, your atonement for being a jealous fool will be in the form of giving me many orgasms when we get home."
I lower my mouth to hers. "Yes, ma'am."
I kiss her again, and dear God, she tastes incredible. I put my arms around her, desperate to get closer, and I don't mean to cup her ass with both hands, but it somehow happens. When I pull her tight against me, she moans when she registers how hard I am.
She pulls back, all swollen lips and uneven breathing, and I swear if we weren't surrounded by hundreds of people, I'd rip off that microscopic dress and take her on the spot.
"Did you suspect I was here?" she asks.
I tilt her head up and kiss her neck. "Not at all. But I did feel guilty as hell for lusting after Sexy Uhura, so thanks for that."
"Really? Even when you didn't know it was me you wanted to fuck me?"
I graze my teeth along her skin. "God, yes. So very much."
She tangles her fingers in my hair then pulls back. "Ew. What the hell am I touching here?"
"Dunno. Some overpriced crap. I needed the strong stuff to get rid of my curls."
She pushes my hair back into place and strokes my face. "But, I
like your curls. And even though it's nice to see your eyeballs all uncovered, I like your glasses, too. In fact, I like all your parts. This one in particular." She reaches between us and palms my erection, and holy sweet mother of a sensual god, it feels so good my eyes roll back in my head.
"Fuck," I say, my voice rough and low. "I need to be inside you immediately."
"You read my mind."
She kisses me again, and it's so full of need, it screws up my breathing. When I pull back, I'm hit with the dawning horror that there are zero places for my boner to hide in this outfit.
"Let's get out of here," I say, pulling my cape around me.
"But shouldn't I say hi to the guys?" She gestures to our friends who are still tongue deep in each other's mouths.
"Nope," I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the crowd. "They can have you tomorrow. Tonight, you're all mine."
On our way to the exit, I pass Erika and Daniel. They both look disheveled but happy, and when they see me they give me a knowing smile.
"I see your girlfriend made it after all," Erika says.
Angel waves at her. "Are you kidding? Look at him. How could I possibly stay away?"
Just before we reach the door, I notice Zoe and Jack standing in the corner with their arms around each other. They're gazing at each other adoringly, and when Zoe sees me, she mouthes Thank you and gives me a warm smile.
I wave back and continue on my way. My work here is done.
"What's that look for?" Angel asks as I grab our coats.
"Nothing," I say and drag her to the elevator. "I'm just glad that tonight had a happy ending for more than just me."
SIX
True Hero
Snow flutters around us as I hail a cab, and once we're inside, things get frantic in a hurry. The weather makes the trip longer than usual, but we don't care. Thank God the cabbie seems happy to turn a blind eye as we make out like fiends.
After being apart for so long, our bodies are needy and demanding, and by the time we pull up at Angel's building, she's practically straddling me.
The cabbie clears his throat. "That'll be fifteen dollars."
I toss a wad of cash at him and throw open the door. "Keep the change."
When we get into the lobby, the reception clerk smiles at us as we stride past.
"Nice to see you again, Miss Bell. Mr. Kane."
"You, too."
The doors to the elevator have barely closed before I press Angel against the wall and plunder her mouth again. I'm aware we're on the security camera, but right now nothing matters except satisfying my insatiable need for her. My hand is hidden behind my coat when I push it under her dress and into her panties.
"I need this," I say, teasing her with my fingers.
She closes her eyes and moans. "God, yes, Josh. It's yours."
When the elevator opens, we practically run down the hallway. Once we're inside the apartment, we tear at each other's clothes. First, our coats slump onto the floor in messy heaps. Then I bend her over the couch, so I can get to her zipper before yanking it down so hard, the fabric tears.
"Don't worry about it," she says as she pulls it off. "I'll get another one."
I get rid of my cape, so she can undo my suit. As soon as I pull it down to my waist, she stops dead and stares.
She rakes her gaze all over my body. "I thought you were wearing one of those costumes with the foam muscles built into it. What the hell is this?"
I look down at myself. "It's my body. I worked out."
"You worked out?" she says, her voice rising in pitch. She moves forward and gingerly runs her hand over my pecs and abs. "You worked out?! Holy crap, Josh. Are you kidding me? How the hell did you do this in just four weeks?"
For a terrible second I think she hates my new bulges, but then she shoves me against the wall and presses hot kisses all over my torso. "You're ridiculously hot, with or without muscles. You know that, right?"
I press my head back into the wall as she pulls my suit down my legs and off before kneeling in front of me. "Yeah, I know."
I clench my fists and moan when she takes me in her mouth. I can't process a single coherent thought as she drives me insane with her lips and tongue. What she's capable of making me feel is beyond staggering. When I look down and watch, it's even worse. Damn, she's beautiful, and Erika was right when she said window dressing didn't matter. As stunning as Angel is physically, it's the parts you can't see that are the most beautiful. Everything about her turns me on.
She works me with her mouth and hand, and when my abdomen is burning from the effort of not coming, and my dick feels like it's going to explode, I carry her to the couch, pull her panties to the side, and repay her in kind.
"God, Josh ... yes." She anchors her hands in my hair as I suck in the way I know drives her crazy. Fuck, I've missed this. It's not just about having my mouth on her, even though that's one of my all-time favorite things. It's also about bringing her so much pleasure, she moans my name, over and over again.
No other woman has ever reacted to me the way Angel does.
Being away from her for the past few weeks may have been difficult, but seeing how I affect her makes it all worthwhile. I'm barely getting started on making her beg for release when she pulls me up to sit on the couch. She doesn't take her eyes off me as she slides off her underwear and unclasps her bra. But when she bends over to unzip her boots, I grab her wrist.
"Leave them on."
She raises an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Fuck, yes."
I pull her forward to straddle me, and it's only when she slides down and I'm buried as deep as I can go that the tension that's been with me all night melts away. Being joined with her makes me feel like a god, and what's more, she looks at me as if she believes that's the case.
"I've missed you," she murmurs into my skin. "You feel ... ohhh ... incredible."
I don't even have the words to tell her how amazing she feels. I ache to please her. To try and show her everything I'm unable to express any other way.
We take turns at leading the pace. She circles her hips as I thrust slow and deep, and we're both so worked up, it doesn't take long before we're both holding on for dear life. She comes first, head thrown back, nails scraping my shoulders. Seeing her like that is enough to have me following seconds later, moaning and gripping her as tight as I can.
As the last shudders fade, we wrap around each other, sweaty and panting. We may be unable to move, but we're also happier than any two people have the right to be.
···
Later, when we've both showered, and I've washed my hair and packed away the contacts, Angel pulls me into bed and snuggles into my chest.
"There's the Josh I remember. Except for these of course." She pokes my pecs and abs. "These are going to take some getting used to, you know."
"Yeah? But you approve?"
She pushes up onto her elbow. "Josh, if you want to keep working out and being healthy, you know I'll support you, but please say you didn't do this because of Julian."
I turn on my side to face her and cradle my head in my hand. Her eyes widen when she spots my bicep, and she proceeds to caress it while I talk.
"Regardless whether Dickface Norman inspired me, I've worked my ass off to achieve these results. Are you telling me it makes zero difference to how attractive you find me?"
She laughs. "Don't be an idiot. I couldn't be more attracted to you if I tried. You can ruin my panties simply by saying hello, and that's not because of how many muscles you have. It's because you're an amazing, intelligent, sexy man with a fascinating mind and the best heart I've ever known. It has nothing to do with your body."
"Uh huh. Is that why you've been stroking my bicep like a pet?"
She looks at her hand as if it has a mind of its own. "Uh, yes. I just wanted to make your new bicep feel at home, because he's lovely and plump, and ... kind of hot." She leans over and gives it an incredibly sexy open-mouthed kiss. "Welcome, giant bi
cep. Maybe I wouldn't hate it if you stayed a while."
I narrow my eyes. "You're weird."
"Never said I wasn't." She snuggles into me and traces her fingers over my chest. "So, I get why you tried to bulk up, but why didn't you go as Kirk tonight? Are you too buff to be a Trekker now?"
"Of course not. It's just ..." And here's the part that's hard to explain. "I don't know. I guess I felt like for the first time in my life, I had the body to play a hero, so I wanted to see what it felt like."
"Josh ..." She looks up at me and strokes my cheek. "I hate to break it to you, but pulling on a neoprene body suit doesn't make you a hero. Jumping on a plane to help your best friend run one of the biggest shows of her career does. And helping Connor address his women issues does. And caring enough to urge Erika to follow her heart does. And don't even get me started on the sacrifices you made to help Zoe and Jack through their bullshit tonight. I thought you were going to choke on her lipgloss."
I cringe as I blush for the first time in years. "You saw all of that stuff?"
"Eh. Saw, stalked, eavesdropped. Even caught some of it on my phone. I was like a stealthy ninja, if ninjas had amazing legs and an ass that just won't quit." I slap her ass, and she squeals.
"And you don't mind that I kissed another woman?"
"If you hadn't looked more uncomfortable than a pastor at a porn convention, maybe. But as it was, seeing you do all that stuff tonight just made me love you more. You could have moped around like a self-centered asshole because you were forced to go stag, but you didn't. You chose to make a difference instead."
Okay, this blushing thing is getting worse. I don't like it. My face feels like it’s being barbecued. "I don't know that I chose to make a difference. That's just the way things went."
"No, it's not. You help people every day, and you're just so used to doing it, you don't even notice anymore." She grazes her fingers down to my belly button before coming back up to my chest. Then she repeats the pattern. "Want to know when I first realized I was falling for you?"
"Okay." The way she's stroking my happy trail is making it difficult for me to concentrate, but whatever.