Entice

  Nice try, Georgia, but I’m onto you.

  Georgia: Pretty sure you’re not, or I’d be much happier right now.

  She ended that flirty little comment with a wink. Josh grinned, typing back.

  Happier, huh? You’re happy when I’m on top of you?

  Oh yeah, sexy I can do. Heartfelt, I’m not ready for, Josh thought.

  Georgia: Happy is probably the wrong word. Hot? Horny? Wet?

  Josh groaned, and then shook his head. Crazy, sexy woman.

  What are you wearing?

  Georgia: A smile.

  Laughing, Josh wrote back.

  And…

  Georgia: A bigger smile?

  Josh smiled over her antics, and then wrote.

  I want to kiss that smile soon.

  Georgia: If you told me where you are, I’d come see you.

  Josh sighed as he always did when she asked. Then, he responded.

  I know. That’s why I haven’t told anyone. I’ll be back for the wedding.

  Georgia: That’s in a month! That’s a long time to wait for a kiss.

  Josh sat up before writing.

  Trust me, it’ll be worth it. I gotta go sleep now. You okay?

  He waited, wanting to make sure she was feeling alright.

  Georgia: Yeah, I’m fine. Josh?

  Josh felt his heart hammer in his chest again.

  Yes?

  Georgia: Thank you for being there. I wish you were here to hold me tonight.

  Josh read the words and was just about to send, I want to be there every night, when he noticed she was already gone.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  August

  Josh was packing up his truck and getting ready to drive back to Chicago. He had a wedding to attend.

  He opened the side door for Mutley, and his dog took a bounding leap, landing in the passenger seat before turning back to look at him.

  Yeah, you aren’t as pretty as my last road trip partner, Josh thought before ruffling his dog’s head.

  Mutley whined, and then lay back down.

  As Josh walked around the front of his truck to the driver’s side door, he looked up at the clear sky and took in a deep breath of fresh air. He had been on his way to hitting the highway, but before he got on a long stretch of road, he had wanted Mutley to stretch his legs a little. And he had some things he wanted to think over.

  So, he’d driven by a small place he had found recently and pulled the truck over. As he sat on the back of the tailgate, he thought about his future. He knew what he wanted, and she was living in Chicago. He wondered if she was happy there. Is that the place where she sees herself growing old?

  Shelly was such a contradiction of personalities. Sometimes, he wondered who it was he was talking to, but he knew it was time to lay out some options for her.

  He had to admit that in the months he had been gone, she had been extremely persistent. He didn’t know if the saying absence makes the heart grow fonder applied to her, but she sure did keep in daily contact with him, and it just made his evenings that much sweeter.

  Taking one last look around at the serenity in front of him, he stretched his hands above his head with a smile.

  Now is the time, Shelly Monroe.Now is the time to let me know what you want from me and when you want it, he thought.

  He climbed into the truck and started the ignition. As the vehicle hitched and bumped over the gravel road, he smiled at his dog and rubbed his head. Let’s go see Georgia, Mutley.

  ***

  Shelly was a mass of nerves.

  It was ridiculous really. It should have been Lena that was nervous. After all, tomorrow was her wedding day, not Shelly’s. However, as she stood in front of her full-length mirror, all Shelly could do was think about her last email to Josh and the sexy but vague response she had received in return.

  The man was utterly frustrating. He blocked her at every turn, never giving an inch. She wasn’t sure if he still had real feelings for her or if she was fighting a losing battle.

  Shelly was done fighting people. After the weekend with her parents, she had come home feeling freer than she ever had. Even though everything her father, and then her mother, had said to her was still not ideal, the fact that they apologized at all was a miracle.

  After that weekend, she had also started to reflect on her decisions in life.

  Exiting was the Shelly who thought she needed to date a man merely based on his success, and entering was a Shelly who wanted a man whom she couldn’t seem to get out of her head. And that man happened to be coming to the rehearsal dinner tonight.

  ***

  Tonight, Josh had opted to take a cab from the hotel he was staying at. The dinner was being held at Exquisite, and Josh had to admit that he was excited to see everyone. Even though he had only been back for a short time a few months earlier, hanging out with the Langley crew had been like living with a second family again.

  He was also looking forward to seeing a certain blonde.

  Oh yes. He hadn’t seen her since the end of June in his kitchen, and that had been such a hot and desperate parting that he had trouble remembering anything about that day except for taking her over the countertop.

  As the taxi pulled up in front of the valet, Josh got out and made his way to the front door. He knew that Mason had shut down the place tonight due to the private party. As Josh pushed open the doors and made his way inside, he had to admit that he was more than ready to see Shelly again.

  He looked around the dining room and saw Rachel and Lena sitting at a large table off to the left of the entrance. They were chatting among themselves and hadn’t seen him walk in yet. From the door, he saw a very serious expression on Rachel’s face as she shook her head at Lena. Then, Mason’s fiancée reached out, touching Rachel’s shoulder, and nodded.

  Okay, something is definitely up there. It’s none of my business though, so I’m not getting involved.

  He was about to move forward when the door behind him whooshed open. He turned around to see who had just walked in, and there standing a few feet away from him was Dr. Monroe. Tonight, every inch of her looked like the man-eater.

  ***

  Shelly opened the door and was treated to a fine view of Josh’s ass. She had forgotten how much she liked that part of the male anatomy.

  When he heard the door close, he turned, and they locked eyes for the first time in over a month and a half.

  “Well, hello, Josh,” she purred as she stepped closer in her red high heels.

  “Evening, Shel,” he greeted, now turning around fully to look her over.

  She’d opted for a blue blouse tucked in at the waist of a simple black pencil skirt that ended an inch above her knee. She had secured her hair into a waterfall braid around the crown of her head.

  “You sure are a sight for sore eyes, Josh.”

  She watched as he took a step toward her.

  He asked in a voice as smooth as whiskey, “Did you miss me?”

  Shelly knew he was testing her, checking to see if she would hesitate or deviate from the direct question that would make her reveal her true feelings.

  Instead, she told him sincerely, “Very much so.”

  ***

  Josh hadn’t been expecting that simple and honest answer, and just as he was about to tell her that, he heard Lena shout out her name.

  With the moment now gone, he watched her smile at him with those sexy lips, and then she brushed by his arm to make her way toward her friend. Hmm, she even smells amazing.

  As he turned around, he saw Mason standing over at the bar with a huge grin on his face. Josh shrugged and walked over to his friend.

  “Hey, man. What’s up?” Josh asked as he settled on a bar stool.

  “Not much, Josh. The business is great, the weather is supposed to be amazing, and tomorrow, I am marrying the woman I love.”

  Josh chuckled. “Could you be anymore smug?”

  Mason poured him a Goose Island Beer and shook his he
ad. “Nope. Well, maybe. I could add to my list my prediction that you and Dr. Monroe would hit it off, but that would just be obnoxious or annoying, right?”

  Josh lifted the glass to his mouth and took a sip.

  As he placed the glass back on the counter, he nodded and told his good friend, “Or just annoyingly obnoxious.”

  Mason laughed before asking, “How are things going between the two of you?”

  Josh thought about that for a moment. “Good. We’ve kept in contact while I’ve been away. I think things are going well.”

  Mason acknowledged that silently, and then looked beyond him to the table of women. Josh turned around just in time to see Shelly let out a loud laugh that then had Lena chuckling and Rachel frowning.

  All of sudden, Josh found that he too wanted in on the joke.

  ***

  “Super Domme? That’s my new nickname?” Rachel asked incredulously.

  “Well, only in private, like in my head,” Shelly told her with a laugh.

  Rachel did not look impressed. Lena was chuckling, and Shelly thought it was downright hilarious.

  “Oh, come on, Rach, you took us completely off-guard. Who knew you had that in you?” Shelly asked her with a smile.

  Rachel arched her brow. “Was I supposed to announce it?”

  Shelly thought about that, and then lowered her voice. “Well, no, but hell, I didn’t even know you had any tattoos until that night.”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. “I just like to keep that part of my life private. Is that such an issue?” She paused, looking over to where Mason and Josh were now staring at them. Then, she turned back to Shelly. “Kind of like you and Josh Daniels.”

  Shelly thought about that as she turned and gave Josh a flirty wink before looking back to the girls.

  “No secret there. I am head over heels for that man.”

  Shelly watched as Lena’s face split into a huge grin, and Rachel’s mouth fell wide open.

  “Does he know?” Lena whispered.

  Shelly shrugged and then told her, “I’m pretty sure he has an idea since I’ve cyber stalked him every night since I don’t know where the hell he is staying. But, no, I haven’t straight out said it.”

  ***

  “Said what?” Josh asked as he stopped beside the sexy doctor.

  She looked over at him and smiled in a way that made every part of his body tense and achy.

  “None of your business,” she replied with a smug smirk that he wanted to kiss.

  Josh looked at the other two women sitting in front of him, and suddenly, he felt like he had been a large part of their conversation.

  “If I had wanted to tell you, handsome, I would have. I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” she said as she reached out a sassy finger, tapping his nose playfully.

  Reaching up, he grabbed that finger and squeezed it tight as he brought it down from his face. “Watch where you’re pointing that,” he warned her.

  He noticed her eyes narrow as she took a step closer to him.

  Suddenly, everyone seemed to vanish from the room except for him and Shelly.

  “Or else?” she inquired.

  Josh felt his cock stir. Every single emailed word, innuendo, and thought that had crossed his mind over the last couple of months flashed before his eyes, and he was a millisecond away from dragging her somewhere, anywhere, to act them all out.

  That was when Mason came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Okay, guys, let’s eat!” his friend declared.

  ***

  An hour later, Shelly was still seated opposite Josh, and she had to admit that he looked sexy as hell. He was dressed in black slacks, something she had never seen him in, and a white button-up shirt that had been left loose and unbuttoned at the neck. Just as she licked her lips in anticipation of finally nibbling that spot, he looked up and locked gazes with her.

  Shelly pulled out her dirtiest smile, directing it at him, as she relaxed back into her chair, taking a sip of her wine. The man was making her crazy with all of the stolen glances, promising hot, sweaty, back-scratching sex. It was amazing she had even made it through dinner with the obvious sexual tension he was throwing her way.

  She wanted him, and she wanted him now.

  “So, Shelly, are you ready for tomorrow?”

  Lena’s voice cut through her sensual haze, and she turned to look at her friend.

  “Yep, I sure am. All I have to do is walk down the aisle, and then stand off to your side, right?”

  Lena grinned, nodding. “Yeah, that’s it. Nothing special and nothing complicated. Just a simple, smooth wedding that will give me full legal rights to claim him.” She grinned up at Mason.

  Mason took that opportunity to bend down and kiss her gently on the lips.

  As he did that, Shelly looked over to Rachel, who was watching them both with an odd expression. She almost looked sad. Shelly didn’t know what that was about, but when Rachel looked her way, she plastered on a grin. Shelly returned it, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

  Then, Shelly looked back across the table to the man she had been missing for the last month or so. He was finally here. She could actually touch him and tell him what she had been thinking about and what she had decided. She could finally ask him how he felt.

  Her face must have given something away because all of a sudden he stood and made an announcement rather boldly.

  “Shelly and I need to leave.”

  Shelly looked around the table at the shocked faces that were now looking at her.

  “We do?”

  Josh nodded, and then moved away from his chair, pushing it in under the table. Then, he gripped the back of it, and Shelly noticed his knuckles were going white.

  “Yeah, we do,” he replied in a voice that warranted no questions and no explanations.

  Shelly looked at his clenched jaw, then her eyes dropped down to his slacks, and—damn it, his shirt is covering his crotch.

  Standing slowly, Shelly noticed Lena and Mason grinning like idiots, and then she turned to see Rachel looking at Josh like he had three heads.

  Huh, apparently, this side of Delicious Daniels isn’t often exposed, and quite honestly, Shelly wasn’t sure she recognized him either.

  She moved around the table and made her way toward Josh.

  When she got there, she whispered, “In a rush?”

  Josh grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her toward the front door.

  When they were out of view from the table, he made a quick detour, pulling her into the coatroom. The small space was dark, and as he tugged her inside and shut the door, they were thrown into pitch blackness.

  ***

  Josh was going insane.

  He had tried to be civil, play it nice, laugh, socialize, and all of that good stuff, but what it boiled down to was he wanted his hands and mouth on this woman. He planned to achieve that—right this second.

  As he clicked the lock on the door, he moved forward and backed her up to the wall. She stumbled a little due to his haste, and when she was finally flush up against it, she dropped her bag.

  He moved directly in front of her until his hands were by each side of her head on the wall.

  “Did you hear anything during that dinner?” he asked.

  It was dark in the little room, and he couldn’t see her well. All he could do was wait and listen. He could hear her breathing intensify and kick up a notch, and then she whispered close to his mouth.

  “Not a damn thing.”

  “Me neither,” he told her.

  Then, he pressed his lips to hers in a crushing kiss. He dipped his tongue deep inside her mouth and felt his eyes almost roll to the back of his head when she sucked on it. He heard her moan as her hands crept around his waist to land on his ass.

  Moving his body in against hers, he rubbed it up against the length of her as she molded her front to his. When he lifted his head, he heard her panting, and she clutched him close.

  “God,
I’ve wanted to touch you for weeks,” she confessed.

  He brought his hands down from the wall to trace along her body until they reached her hips, and he pulled her even closer. He nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, nibbling it, and then he dragged his tongue up to flick it against her earlobe.

  “I’ve wanted to be touched, Georgia. You’ve been making me crazy,” he told her.

  Her nails dug into his ass, and then her fingers moved without hesitation up his body and under his shirt where they stroked his bare flesh.

  Pulling his mouth away from her neck, he groaned in her ear.

  “I want inside of you so badly.”

  ***

  If it was possible, Shelly could have sworn that she just got wetter than she already was. It was hard to believe that the man held such power over her.

  As they stood in complete darkness in the tiny room only a few feet away from their close friends, all Shelly could think about was how quickly she could remove her panties and hike up her skirt.

  Apparently, that was all Josh could think of too because suddenly he disappeared from in front of her. She heard a soft thud and realized the man had gone down to his knees.

  Yes, yes, yes! Shelly thought when she felt his big rough hands cup her ankles, make their way up her naked calves, and then over her knees until he reached the hem of her black skirt.

  He paused there, and Shelly stood still, her harsh breathing the only sound thundering through her ears.

  “Any reason I should stop?” he asked.

  Shelly knew that he was trying to give her an out if things were getting a little too real for her, but as she stood there with her back to the wall and darkness surrounding them, Shelly couldn’t think of one reason for him to stop.

  “Not if you don’t want me to die,” she said, trying to inject some lightness into the situation.

  Instead, she felt his hands squeeze her legs, slipping a little ways under the hem of her skirt.

  “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you ever,” he told her much more seriously than she had anticipated.

  Shelly heard a rustling, and then his hands slid further up her thighs, the fabric slowly bunching up at his wrists and forearms. Then, she realized the rustling had been him rising up higher on his knees.