that there were no hard feelings, it just
simply wasn't meant to be between them.
Though Deb was standing right beside him, clear eyed with no
sign of tears or hostility, his father had obviously thought it was a lie. He'd
decided then and there to send him to Australia on the first flight out the
following morning. Over a week earlier than he'd been scheduled to leave. His
father's version of punishment was apparently time away from Deb. Knowing his
dad, Josh was sure this was intended to make him 'see reason'.
And it had been a punishment of sorts. Only, it hadn't been
Deb he'd been missing. It had been Gia. He was beginning to think it had always
been Gia. He had no idea how he'd ignored it for so long, but he couldn't
ignore it any more. He'd thought that maybe it was just physical, that he had a
need to sate some secret desires, things he'd tried to keep hidden even from
himself, but lately he was coming to realize it was more. She had always pushed
him, driven him to the point where his control over himself snapped. While that
should scare him, and to some extent it did if he were honest, it was also
incredibly freeing. With Gia, he could finally be himself, the person he truly
was, not the image he projected.
Now, he was a free man. And he just needed to convince
Georgia Ann McClellan that everything she thought she knew about him, about
them, was wrong. As daunting as that task sounded, he was still excited about
the prospect. Excited enough that he hadn't slept a wink in thirty six hours.
He should go straight home and go to bed. He was tired,
wrinkled, sweaty and probably stinky. He should at least go and shower first.
But first, he needed to see Gia.
After two weeks... with no communication... there was
probably a good chance she was less than pleased with him.
He knew it was his own fault. He shouldn't have left like he
did after what happened between them. He should have at least called her first
thing the next day. Told her how much that night had meant to him. He had
wanted to wait until he'd had a chance to talk to Deb, to break things off.
That way, when he next spoke to Gia he was a free man. The best laid plans...
When he'd found out he was leaving the next morning, he'd
had to go home and pack. He had tried calling her that night, at least five
times, but he got her damn voicemail every single time. This wasn't a conversation
he wanted to have with her voicemail, so he'd simply hung up. So, instead of
heading home like he should, he was going to have the driver stop at her shop.
Since it was only Thursday, Josh was hoping that it wasn't
too busy in there. Maybe he could even talk her into closing up early. He knew
the weekends were always busiest for her, so if he didn't get to talk to her
tonight, he might have to wait until Monday, and he couldn't wait that long. He
needed to make things right with her, apologize for not calling. Hell, he'd
grovel if he had to. He also needed to tell her the wedding was off. Then he
needed to kiss her again. God, how he needed to kiss her. He had been plagued
by the hottest and most erotic dreams of his life for two, very long, weeks.
Even the ridiculously long hours he'd been working hadn't been enough to
completely take his mind off her. Her lips, her crazy hair, her firm, round
breasts with those fucking hot rings in the nipples.
He groaned, feeling his shaft jump to life at just the
thought of sucking those nipples again. When he realized they were in the
Village, he tried to think of sweat socks and wrinkled, naked grandmas to try
and stop the raging hard-on he already had. He needed to talk to her before he
could touch her. Better get his body back in control.
As they pulled up to the curb in front of the shop, Josh
jumped out before the driver had a chance to even completely stop, let alone
get the door for him.
"I may be a while. Just park and take a break, please.
"
Josh almost ran to the door, throwing it open, excited to
see Gia again. What he
Alys Arden
Claude Lalumiere
Chris Bradford
Capri Montgomery
A. J. Jacobs
John Pearson
J.C. Burke
Charlie Brooker
Kristina Ludwig
Laura Buzo