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  Jumping out to take her bag from her, he tossed it in the backseat and went around to open her door. Before he even got there, she simply sat on the edge of the door and swung her legs over the side and into the convertible. Sliding down into the seat. His already aching shaft gave another little pulse, pressing against his zipper.

  Her position in the car, with him standing right next to it, put her directly eye level with his growing erection. Rather than try to hide the effect she had on him, he simply let her look. When she glanced up, smirking at him before pursing her lips, he couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face.

  "Yes... you have that effect on me. But, you knew that when you put that skirt on."

  He walked around, hopped in and started the car. When he glanced over at her, she was still smirking.

  Chapter 20

  Josh had pulled the car into the garage, helped Gia out and opened the door to let her in. The short ride had been in silence, the wind blowing through their hair, whooshing around their ears, the music playing loudly enough to be heard above the road noise and making conversation impossible. The chaos of the convertible had done nothing to ease the sexual tension rife between them. As she headed into the kitchen, Josh tossed her bag on the floor next to the sofa.

  Gia looked around, taking in the obviously expensive, yet distinctly male decor. Josh's house had always reflected his mother's good taste and still managed his own sense of style. He had purchased his house a few years ago, as soon as he'd finished law school. It was in an older neighborhood, with custom homes. The simple one storey, with an open floor plan, offered a great room, with one lone hallway leading to the bedrooms. The colors were all dark, rich earth tones, shot through with dashes of color. And of course, the high quality art work to match. He managed a comfortable, homey feel, yet combined it with the vibe of an Italian villa.

  She was familiar with the floor plan, having spent quite a few weekends here, enjoying the sun, the pool and good friends, so there was no reason for him to offer a tour of the place.

  She turned, feeling that she had to say something... anything, to break the silence.

  "I've always loved your house. I don't remember the last time I was over here. I think it was for Deb's birthday party a couple of years..."

  She trailed off, realizing just how stupid that sentence had been. The last thing she should have brought up was his ex-girlfriend. But they couldn't really ignore it either. They needed to talk.

  "So... should we just go ahead and discuss the giant elephant I just dropped into the room? Or did you want to try to ignore it?"

  Josh laughed, but didn't look nearly as uncomfortable as she felt.

  "It's only an elephant if you want it to be one, Gia. Deb is not an issue... unless you make her one."

  "As nice as that sounds, that's not really true, Josh. Yes, you guys broke up, but not that long ago. You were together for years. And, let's not forget, she is much more well suited to you than yours truly. You and I both know this is just some passing, physical... itch, you want to scratch."

  "Itch. This is just some itch I need to scratch? What about you? You're the one that keeps telling me your response is only because you haven't had sex in awhile. That sounds a lot like an itch to me."

  Gia nodded, acknowledging the truth in what he said. There was no way she was going to contradict him. She couldn't. Not without letting him know that she felt more for him. She was in no way ready to admit that this was more than just physical for her.

  When she said nothing, Josh stepped closer, pushing into her personal space. "Speaking of... I think it's time I get back to work on correcting that situation. I believe we left off at six this morning, right? So, that means I need to bring you four more orgasms to win the bet. What say we head up to my room and see if we can't take care of that right now?"

  Just that easily she felt her body start to respond. Denying him was stupid. Denying herself was even more foolish. Remembering the decision she'd made this morning, she shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs enough to finish this conversation.

  "Wait. Just... Stop. There's no need..." He leaned in and nibbled at her neck, ignoring her words along with the hand pushing at his chest. "Josh... we need to... talk... the bet..."

  His hot breath tickled her neck, then her ear, before she felt his lips tug gently on her lobe, pulling softly on the earrings there. "Wait... seriously... You win!"

  He stopped, his lips nibbling once at her collar bone before pulling away.

  "I win.... what?"

  "The bet. You win the bet."

  The beginnings of a slightly smug smile settled across his full lips, but his eyes squinted as if he didn't quite trust what he was hearing. "What does that mean, exactly?"

  "It means... you win. This is not just because I haven't had sex in too long. I am... attracted to you."

  "Okay..." he said, dragging the word out. "So, you're attracted to me, specifically to me, not just anyone that could 'scratch an itch', so to speak. Is that what you're saying?"

  She nodded, not trusting her voice not to give too much away.

  "And, what does this mean for us? Are you agreeing to date me now? To quit fighting this?"

  She shook her head. "No, not date. Not exactly. We can... enjoy this while it lasts, but we need to set some ground rules."

  Josh stepped back, crossing his arms over his chest. His look was still some blend of pleasure in winning, and doubt.

  "Ground rules. Okay, like what?"

  "Like no dating."

  "No dating. I don't think I understand then. Why don't you tell me, in complete detail, what exactly you mean, Gia. You agree that there is something here, agree that we can 'enjoy' it, but we can't date. So, explain what that means."

  "It means it's just physical, Josh. We can see each other, we can be physically intimate, the 'no sex' thing I said last night is off the table, but we aren't dating. We need to keep this completely between us."

  "So, let me just make sure I actually understand this... We can have sex, be together physically, but only behind closed doors. You don't want anyone to know we're together. Does that sound about right?"

  Gia nodded. Did he sound angry? Wasn't this what every guy dreamed of? A no strings attached, purely physical relationship.

  He stared at her. Actually, glared at her would be more accurate. Long moments passed before he finally spoke again.

  "So, tell me why exactly you're embarrassed to be seen with me?"

  * * * *

  Josh had to admit she honestly looked a little shocked when he asked that. It seemed to him that she was attracted to him, but ashamed of it for some reason. But she really seemed surprised by his assessment. Maybe he was wrong?

  "I'm not. Embarrassed by you, I mean. It has nothing to do with that."

  "Okay, then why exactly does this need to remain a secret? That is what you're proposing, right? A secret relationship."

  "Well, yes. But not because I'm embarrassed, at least not the way you make it sound."

  "What other way is there, Gia? You're either embarrassed to be with me or you're not. There's really only one way to take that."

  "No, I'm not. I just..."

  She blew out a breath, tossing her head to the side to get her hair out of her face. She started pacing. Josh wasn't sure if it was a stall tactic or if she was simply trying to sort out her words, so he waited. As much as he wanted to be with Gia, he wasn't going to become involved with her if it was truly only sex she was after. He already knew he wanted more from her. He was willing to wait, to be patient and let her catch up to him, but not if she was ashamed to be with him.

  "You and Deb just broke up, Josh. Everyone knows that. Just like everyone knows us, knows that we bicker and argue. They know that I make you crazy. We would be an unlikely match under the best of circumstances. Toss in the fact that, less than two months ago I was supposed to be a bridesmaid in your wedding to someone else, and it would just be... too much. I'm not saying that
we can never tell anyone, just not now. Not any time soon. I just want to keep it a secret for awhile. Until the dust settles. There's no reason to rub Deb's, or anyone else's for that matter, face in this. Okay?"

  Josh was still skeptical, but what she said made sense. Kind of. Or maybe he just wanted it to make sense. He wanted her. Desperately. And apparently he was willing to take her any way he could get her.

  Before he could even really process the thought, he found himself nodding his agreement.

  Despite his hesitation, his body was more than ready to take her up on her offer. A physical relationship with Gia. A chance to finally lose himself in the body that was driving him to distraction. The body that was right in front of him, dressed like a fantasy made reality. The body that seemed to call out to him like a siren of myth.

  "Fine. We'll keep it a secret... for now."

  Moving quickly, before she changed her mind again, Josh grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into him, planting his lips firmly against hers. He kissed her until he felt her relax against him, her hands coming up to tangle in his hair.

  It occurred to him that this may not be so bad. She clearly responded to him, whether she wanted to or not. Maybe he could use the physical attraction they had to foster the kind of relationship he truly wanted. After a while, she would become more comfortable with this fire between them. Maybe then she would be willing to have a more traditional relationship. If nothing else, he would have one hell of a good time trying to convince her.

  He pulled his lips away, just long enough to smile down at her as he brushed her hair off her face, tucking it behind her ear. He looked into her eyes, watching the beautiful green color start to darken with desire, her breathing already accelerated. "So, since I won the bet, I think it's time to collect my prize. Don't you?"

  Chapter 21

  Now that the decision was made, the parameters laid out, Gia felt free to relax and enjoy this. For the time they had together, she could indulge all her secret fantasies, touch every delectable inch of his body, lick and taste every little piece of his skin. And she intended to. Starting now.

  She grabbed his hand and tugged, pulling him behind her as she all but ran down the hallway to his room. She heard him chuckle a little, followed by "In a hurry much?"

  She smiled over her shoulder at him, dropping his hand to quickly peel off her shirt, revealing the black and purple lace bra underneath. At his quick intake of breath, she figured she had made her point. She knew she had when he grabbed her wrist and tugged her up against him, kissing her hard.

  On a little chuckle of her own, she pulled her mouth away only far enough to ask, "Now who's in a hurry?"

  Another deep kiss, this one she felt clear down to her toes. She was more than ready to strip down and go at it right there in the hall if that's what he wanted. As good as last night had been, as many times as she'd come, there was just no replacement for actual sex. She wanted to feel his hard length moving inside her, feel his strength as he pounded into her. And she wanted it soon.

  She grabbed at the hem of his shirt, yanking and tugging until he finally released her lips long enough to let her pull it off. She took a moment to admire what she'd revealed. His body just didn't fit the image of any lawyer she'd ever seen. He was all hard planes and sculpted muscle. His abs were still well defined, breaking into not six, but eight little ridges. His jeans were hanging low on his hips. Just low enough to tease her with what she couldn't quite see. And she really wanted to see. And touch. And taste.

  Last night she had been too lost in her own pleasure to really notice his... attributes. Now she wanted, no she needed, to get up close and personal with those attributes. To pay her respects, so to speak.

  He let her look her fill. Or maybe he was too busy looking her over to notice. When she reached for the button on his jeans, however, he grabbed her hand and shook his head.

  "We are not going to rush through this Gia. I have waited a very long time for this and I intend to enjoy every minute of it."

  "Can't we just rush through the first one? We have all night to keep 'enjoying'."

  Now he laughed deeply. "Nope. No rushing. Not even the first time. Especially not the first time." He turned and headed to his room, this time tugging her behind him.

  As she crossed the threshold, she toed off first one shoe and then the other, reaching down and peeling off her socks. He watched raptly, his eyes running up and down her now bare legs. As she reached for the zipper on her skirt she said, "Bet I can change your mind about that 'rushing' thing."

  He grabbed her wrist again, stopping her from removing the skirt. "Leave it on."

  She raised her eyebrows a little at the command in his tone, but dropped her hand. Apparently, he really liked these skirts. She smiled a little as she pushed him backward onto the rather large bed in the middle of the room. When he fell back into a sprawl, she knelt before him and proceeded to remove his boots and socks.

  "Wait, Gia. I'll do that."

  "Lay down Josh. You won't let me remove your jeans or my skirt, but I am damn well going to get these boots off."

  He laughed again, finally conceding to let her have her way, at least in this.

  Once his shoes and socks were off, Gia decided to have a little fun. She curled her fingers into little talons and slowly raked her rather short nails up his legs. She was scraping them over jeans, so she didn't figure she could hurt him. She dug deep, pressing hard into his calves, grazing more gently past his knees, and digging a little deeper again into his thighs. As her hands made it up to his hips, she heard him suck in his breath, a little groan escaping on the exhale. Pleased by his response, she moved her hands inward, just grazing the sides of the erection straining against his zipper, before running her nails down, between his legs brushing her knuckles against his sac.

  When he groaned again, she decided she was finished. Standing upright she spread her legs to straddle his thighs and climbed up onto the bed, settling herself gently but firmly onto his groin. With a little twist of her hips, his eyes popped open, their blue depths shooting fire. She felt heat pool between her legs, her already throbbing core responding to the desire she felt emanating from him.

  She gave another little twist, this time to please herself as much as him, thrilled when his hips lifted in response to her movement. "Still want to take this slow?"

  She grabbed his hands, raising them up to settle against her heavy, aching breasts. His eyes closed, his hands squeezing her fullness, testing the weight, before his thumbs brushed across her nipples, wringing a little whimper from her as pleasure shot straight down from her breasts to her center. Her clit pulsed against the ring there, seeking the pleasure she knew was coming.

  His hips pushed against her again, his erection rubbing that little bundle of nerves, bringing an even louder cry from her. "Please, Josh," she said, surprised to hear herself begging already. "Please... I need this. I need you."

  * * * *

  Josh was going crazy. Gia was sitting on him, rubbing and twisting against his shaft, riding him like he'd always dreamed of. He was straining for control, fighting to keep from simply flipping her over and fucking her senseless. He wanted to make this first time special. Memorable. He wanted it to be something she'd never forget.

  He sucked air into his burning lungs, squeezing her breasts, flicking the nipples and trying to calm his raging erection all at the same time.

  And then she said, "Please Josh."

  It was too much. Her little whimpers and cries, followed by her words, broke through what little control he had left.

  With a growl he flipped her over, pushing her further up onto the bed as he went. He stood quickly, removing his jeans and boxer briefs in about one second flat. He opened the nightstand drawer, grabbing a condom before he climbed back up pressed his lips firmly against hers.

  When he felt her curvy little body writhing against his, he groaned into her mouth. Her tongue snaked out, wrapping around his with an answering moan.
He felt the lace of her bra brushing against his chest as she wiggled her breasts against him. He needed to feel her, skin on skin. Reaching behind her, he snapped the clasp, freeing her breasts to his view. He pulled his mouth away, only to kiss his way south, nipping and licking as he moved lower.

  She struggled out of the bra, tossing it across the room just as his mouth settled over one nipple. He loved the feel of the ring against his tongue, swirling around it then gently biting the hard peak. When she cried out, grinding her hips against his ribcage, he smiled even as he groaned against the pleasure.

  There was no way he could hold off much longer.

  "Fuck, Gia, you're driving me crazy. I want to go slow with this, but..."

  "Not slow... fuck slow. I want you in me. Now... please."

  Groaning again at her words, he reached between her legs, her skirt already twisted around her waist. When he felt her hot, wet flesh instead of the satin he'd expected, he damn near shot his load against his comforter.

  He separated her folds, brushed her straining clit once, twice, then circled around it and moved down to her opening.

  "You're so damn wet, baby. I can't wait..."

  He thrust two fingers inside her heat, gritting his teeth against the silky feel. He wanted to bring her right to the edge, make sure she got her pleasure. He knew that once he was inside her he wouldn't last, not this time. He thrust his hand again, and again. When he felt the first ripple against his fingers he stopped, pulling his hand out.

  Gia cried out at the loss, her body twisting and writhing against the bed as she reached for the pleasure he'd denied her.

  Josh sat back, quickly sliding the condom in place, before he settled himself between her thighs. Her eyes were closed, her teeth biting into her lower lip, her hands thrown up above her head. She looked stunning lost in passion.