Entice

  Josh: I’m annoying like that.

  Yes, you kind of are. Are you sure you want to go to the party with me?

  Josh: I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t sure, Georgia. Nothing for me has changed. Just know that I’ll be leaving after the weekend.

  Shelly sat, staring at the screen. Nothing has changed for him.

  Over the last month and a half, this had been his very obvious approach, letting her know he still wanted to be with her, and that it was her holding up this leg of the race.

  She also had a distinct feeling that her time would soon run out if she didn’t catch up.

  He had been clear in all their emails since the wedding. Until she knew one-hundred percent what she wanted, he didn’t want to hear it.

  Shelly would like to argue that it wasn’t fair. But is it really fair to ask him to settle for anything less? So, here she was—stuck in a conundrum.

  She had a man who loved her and wanted everything, and she had a terrifying fear that she would fail him. How do I get over that?

  So, at the party, am I allowed to touch you?

  Josh: I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.

  Well, that’s something at least.

  Josh: Don’t mistake me walking away as me not wanting you. I’m just sure of what I want, and I have been for a very long time. I refuse to let you go on thinking this can’t be more.

  Shelly thought about that last sentence. Is that what I’m doing?

  She had been looking for the perfect man in so many places, yet it seems he may have turned up in the last spot she would have thought to check.

  Josh: So, see you on Saturday? I’ll be there around 4:00 p.m.

  Sounds good. Josh?

  Josh: Yes, Georgia?

  I’m trying.

  Josh: Try harder.

  With that, she watched him sign off.

  ***

  Josh was sitting on Cole’s couch, staring at his computer screen.

  Josh had known if he’d mentioned he was in town, Shelly would have invited him to stay at her place, and Josh was pretty sure his resistance was failing. Instead, he was going to let her believe he was arriving in two days. Meanwhile, he was going to hang out on his friend’s couch.

  Cole had gone out for the night and still had not returned. When Josh had asked where he was headed, he had just told him, “Out.”

  Seeing as how he was such a tight-lipped guy, Josh had decided not to push it further. He was just happy he could bum for a few days on the man’s couch. He was exhausted.

  This new project had him working around the clock like a dog. He hadn’t known at the beginning just how much work it was going to be to have his vision come to life, but in the end, he knew it would fulfill that part of him that was gaping wide open. Just knowing that he could go to work and use his hands to create a perfect structure was so satisfying. He couldn’t even begin to explain it.

  He was also happy that the expansion on Exquisite was going as planned. It seemed like they were on schedule, and within a few months, it would be ready to open.

  Sometimes life handed you the perfect opportunity to do something that you feel is vitally important, as well as the right thing, and for Josh that had happened. It had also given him the perfect excuse to get away and think about what he wanted.

  With Melissa, he had been so caught up at first that he had dropped all of his thoughts and plans and followed her to L.A. so she could pursue her dream. When he had met Shelly, he felt himself doing the same thing. He had decided to change tactics, switching gears in a sense.

  So, before he could even begin to invite her inside where he wanted to keep her, he left, knowing that he needed to sort out his own feelings without her clouding his mind.

  He knew she was scared. Hell, he was scared, too, but he wasn’t about to let her make their relationship less than what it was. As far as Josh was concerned, it was everything.

  ***

  Saturday afternoon rolled around, and just as the clock hit 4:00 p.m., there was a loud buzzing through the condo. Shelly ran over, and pressed the button to let Josh in, and then waited.

  She was seated on the couch, tapping her foot. She was nervous. The party didn’t start until 9:00 p.m., and Josh was here now.

  So, what does that mean?

  Every single time Shelly had made a move on him recently, he had flat out told her “no.” But, now that he would be here, she was starting to wonder if she was expected to just hold hands and watch TV with the man. She wanted him, and she wanted to know what he thought about that—or if he intended to do anything about it.

  When the knock sounded, she stood and made her way to the door, wiping her hands down her black leggings. Opening the door, she found him leaning against her doorjamb, looking more delicious than ever. He had a sports bag in one hand with his leather jacket draped across it, and Shelly assumed it held his costume.

  Holding onto the door, she crossed one leg in front of the other, allowing herself to look him over. Her eyes traveled to the ripped knee of his overly washed jeans, and then up to the nice display of tanned, bulging muscles where the midnight blue T-shirt hugged his biceps. He had a blue baseball cap on backwards, and as he raised his arm with the bag, slinging it back over his shoulder, Shelly was even more determined to convince him to let her touch.

  “Hey, Georgia. Gonna let me in?” he asked in a voice so low and gruff that Shelly felt it rub all over her naughty bits.

  Shelly nodded without saying a word and moved aside.

  As he brushed by her, she took a deep breath and realized she had even missed how he smelled. He dumped the bag on the floor as she shut the door, and when she turned, she noticed he was looking right at her. That was when he gave her a full on DD smile.

  “You look really good, Shel.”

  Shelly finally found her brain and her tongue. “You look hot as hell.”

  He seemed shocked at first, but then laughed as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “Oh yeah?”

  She unconsciously licked her lips and moved toward him. When she got close enough to raise her palms to his chest, he took his hands out from his pockets and gripped her wrists before she could physically touch him.

  “Please don’t stop me,” she begged.

  ***

  Josh held her by the wrists and looked down into eyes that were pleading with him.

  How can I continue saying no to her? The answer was simple. He couldn’t.

  Finally giving in to his own desire, he tugged her forward and dipped his head, crushing his mouth down onto hers.

  Immediately, she parted her lips, and he slid his tongue inside to taste her.

  God, she is sweet, and it had been too long.

  Months without touching her, kissing her, or just being near her had made him ravenous. With her hands trapped between their bodies, she could do nothing but go along with his demands. Taking the kiss deeper, he felt her sensuous little tongue slip forward between his parted lips, flirting and tangling with his own, until she had him groaning deep inside his chest. Pulling his head back, he looked down at her.

  “Why can’t you hurry up and decide what you want? It’s killing me not having you with me,” he growled.

  Just as she was about to respond, he pulled her arms behind her back, arching her whole body toward him.

  Josh trembled as he looked down at her. She was dressed in sexy little black leggings and a cream sweater that was falling off her shoulder. Her hair was swept into a messy notch at the back of her head, and wisps of hair were all around her face.

  Her feet were bare, and as he pulled her forward, a little rougher than he had intended, she went up on her toes, and those magnificent breasts were crushed against his chest.

  She gasped, and then pushed herself harder against him. Moaning, she tipped her head back, parting her lips as the sensuous noise broke free.

  Leaning forward so he was bending down into her, he whispered against her mouth, “I need to be in you, Shelly.”
br />   Her eyes tried to focus on his, but she seemed to be having trouble keeping them open.

  “I’m going to pull you down onto this carpet, get rid of those sexy tights, and then I’m going to bury myself so deep you’ll never not think of me again.”

  ***

  Shelly could barely breathe, let alone answer.

  The man holding her arms behind her back and leaning down into her was desperate. This man was strung tight on emotions, and this man was going to consume her.

  Licking her bottom lip, she watched his eyes focus on her tongue, and then he released his grip, dropping to his knees. Reaching up under her loose sweater, he gripped the leggings and her panties around the waist, and with one smooth move, he removed them from her body. When they were at her ankles, she stepped out of them, and then dropped to her own knees, tugging the sweater over her head and throwing it to the floor.

  He was kneeling opposite her, still fully dressed while she was now completely naked. His eyes couldn’t seem to get enough of her as they looked her up and down, and then up and down again. He finally went into action, lunging across the short distance to grip her face between his large palms.

  Moaning, Shelly let him push her down onto her back, humming in sensual delight as he laid his fully clothed body against hers. The friction is amazing, she thought as she arched up and rubbed her aching breasts and pelvis against the fabric covering him.

  “Oh fuck,” he groaned into her mouth, pushing his denim-covered erection gently against her bare mound.

  ***

  Josh was dying. He could swear his blood was leaving his brain and going straight to his cock. And because it was confined behind his zipper, it would explode, and he would die.

  Beneath him on the carpet was a naked, writhing Shelly, and she was on fire. She was making the sexiest noises he had ever heard as she arched up against him, rubbing all of that perfect naked skin against his tense body.

  Then, her eyes snapped open, and she reached up, taking his hat off and flinging it behind them. Running her hands through his hair, she gripped it tightly. He watched her lick her lips as she leaned up slowly to slide her tongue across the stubble on his cheek.

  “I can feel your heart going crazy,” she whispered against his ear.

  Josh let out a puff of air. “That’s because you’re rubbing yourself all over me.”

  Shelly giggled. “Want me to stop?”

  Pushing his hips down, Josh turned his head and gently bit her grinning bottom lip. “Not even a little bit.”

  He heard her moan as he kissed her hard, rolling them so she was now straddling him.

  ***

  Shelly was now sitting astride a fully clothed Josh.

  She herself was completely naked, and as she rocked against the bulge behind his zipper, she reached down to unbutton and unzip him. She looked at his face and smiled slowly as she parted the jeans, and then left them to smooth her hands up under his shirt.

  Pushing up the blue material over all those ridged and tight muscles, Shelly couldn’t help but lick her lips, bending down to drag her tongue over his impressive six-pack.

  She felt his abs quiver as she pushed the shirt higher, tracing every dip and valley up along his ribs until she got to his nipple where she gently bit his solid pec.

  Hmm… Finally, she was licking all of his warm muscled skin, and she loved it.

  Looking up at him from where her mouth was nibbling, she watched his eyes darken. As she felt his hands move to land on her bare ass, he squeezed her flesh.

  Sitting up, Shelly dragged her palms down his body, and with her eyes on his, she slowly dipped them inside his parted jeans.

  His eyes narrowed, and he focused on the hand that was now wiggling down into his pants. She grazed her fingers against his boxers, and then winked. She started to move off of him, so she could tug the jeans down.

  However, as she moved from his waist, Josh jackknifed up and came for her, obviously thinking she was going somewhere. Giggling a little, Shelly decided to play and moved to dodge his hands, which just made his eyes take on a fiercer look. She got up to her knees and was about to stand and run to the bedroom. As she got one foot up under her, she felt two big hands grab her around the waist, pulling her back down to the floor.

  He flattened her out on her belly and stretched out over her. She heard him breathing a little harder while he rubbed against her ass.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he growled in her ear.

  Shelly smiled into the carpet and pushed her hips back.

  “I was just going to pull off your pants, but you panicked.”

  Josh moved away, and then tugged her hips up and back until she was on her hands and knees. Looking over her shoulder, Shelly saw his eyes had zeroed in on her ass and between her thighs, where she knew she must have been glistening wet.

  “Well, do you blame me?” he asked as he slowly stood.

  Shelly watched him from where she was, waiting for him to get down behind her and take her. However, this view she liked, too. As she watched, he pushed off his pants and boxers, and then removed his shirt.

  Awestruck, she silently followed his movements with her eyes. He dropped down onto his knees behind her, and before she knew it, she was whimpering as she felt him reach out and slide his fingers between her thighs. He removed them from her heat and slipped them into his mouth for a taste.

  “I have to be careful with you, Georgia. You often change your mind,” he told her.

  Shelly moaned at the raw sex in his voice, and then dropped her head forward, presenting herself in silent invitation.

  The man is insane. There was no way in hell she’d be changing her mind anytime soon.

  ***

  Josh watched as Shelly arched, pushing her ass back at him. He was so fucking hard he thought he might physically hurt her when he finally got inside all of that waiting heat.

  Moving forward, he rose up on his knees and gripped her hips. He heard her breathy shudder as he moved the throbbing tip of his cock along her ass, sliding it down against her wet puffy folds.

  “Now, Josh! God, do it now,” she almost screamed.

  He punctuated her request with a solid thrust.

  Even though she had braced herself on her hands, when he first thrust forward, he felt her slip a little. Her naked back arched, and he gripped her hips, slowly pulling his glistening erection out from between her juicy wetness.

  Watching his own departure from her tight little body only served to spur him on further. So, he tightened his fingers into her hips and slid them down to the sides of her thighs before thrusting forward again. When he heard her moan, that was the moment he lost all control.

  ***

  Shelly could swear that she felt every inch of him as he slowly withdrew the first time, only to drive back inside of her time and time again after that. The sheer desperation in him pulled at Shelly more than any gentle lovemaking could have. As she felt his hand move smoothly up her spine, gathering in her hair, she felt her body contract and tighten around him. She felt him thrust in hard and deep, and then they both screamed.

  Shelly thought they were lucky they didn’t pass out from the sheer erotic pleasure of it all.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  As Shelly stood across the crowded room from Josh that night, three things occurred to her at the same time.

  One, Danny Zuko had never looked so hot. Two, she was a complete and utter moron. And three, she was one-hundred percent in love with Joshua Daniels.

  It was funny because she wasn’t one to believe in “aha” moments, but this was most certainly one of them.

  He wasn’t even looking at her or doing anything remarkably special. He was just standing by the bar with Mason, laughing at something his friend had said.

  Suddenly, every little piece of the puzzle finally moved, shifted, and locked together. Shelly sat down gingerly at the table and watched the man she was finally seeing for the first time.

  If sh
e had to pinpoint the moment it had started to all slide into place, it would definitely have to be the desperation in him this afternoon. When he had come to her and taken her with such raw passion, something had switched on inside of her. It was like he had lit a fuse, and it had spread like wildfire up through her body, setting her heart ablaze.

  Resting a hand on the table, she reached out with her other one to take a glass of water in her shaky hand.

  What the hell do I do now? Just go over and tell him?

  After all, it hadn’t been like he had been very receptive lately, always shushing her.

  “Hey there.”

  Shelly looked up to see a little round peach beside her—Lena in costume. If Shelly hadn’t known the story behind the outfit choice, she might have thought her friend was slightly insane. As it was though, the peach was a lovely nod to a creative date Mason had once come up with.

  Shelly tried to smile but felt it came off a little strained. “Hey.”

  “Are you okay?” Lena asked as she tried—and tried was the exact right word—to sit beside her.

  That made Shelly chuckle a little before nodding. “I think so.”

  Lena finally situated herself, even though the outfit pushed up to just under her ears. It really was rather comical. She had bright green tights on, so showing anything she shouldn’t wasn’t an issue. On her head was a nice little green cap shaped like leaves. The overall picture was downright hilarious.

  “What do you mean you think you’re okay?” Lena asked, looking over to Mason and Josh. She turned back to Shelly. “Did you two have a fight?”

  Shelly swallowed, shaking her head. “No, not at all. Just the opposite actually.”

  Lena frowned, and then probed, “Opposite meaning?”

  “I’m totally in love with him,” Shelly blurted out.

  She then widened her eyes and clapped a hand over her mouth. She watched as a wide grin split across Lena’s face.

  “Did that feel good?” Lena asked. “Or are you going to throw up?”

  Shelly looked over to the guys again. This time Josh was staring right back at her, and then he winked.

  All of a sudden, Shelly was thinking that she felt just like Sandra Dee from Grease, and yes, she had gone as Sandra Dee. She was dressed in the white preppy sweater, red skirt, ponytail, and all.