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  He walked toward her rather than answering, taking slow, measured steps, giving her a chance to run if she wanted to. Or even to simply tell him to stop.

  She didn't.

  He heard her breath catch as he got closer, felt the sigh shudder out against his neck as he stopped an inch from touching her.

  "Tell me no, Gia. Tell me that you don't want me and I'll leave."

  She shook her head from side to side, but no words came from her parted lips.

  "Say it. Say you don't want this or I'm going to kiss you now. And once I start, I don't intend to stop. Not this time."

  Instead of words, she grabbed onto his shirt, making little fists against his chest, and pulled his lips to hers.

  He was lost. All rational thought fled, his mind became totally focused on the feel of her lush body pressed firmly against his. The kiss was a battle of wills, a dueling of tongues, both fighting for control. His shaft strained against his slacks, the dress fabric of his suit doing nothing to contain his raging erection.

  He wanted her. More than he could remember ever wanting any woman. All the dominance, the power that Josh fought down on a daily basis surged to the fore. In this he would not be passive, not with her. He was in control and he would prove it to her.

  He pulled his head away, scanning quickly for the nearest hard surface he could find. They were standing right next to one of the tattoo beds. He spun her around, backing her up until her ass bumped the edge. He met her mouth, this time more forcefully, nipping and sucking on her lips. When she whimpered, he took that as agreement. He lifted her slightly, setting her onto the bed, shoving hard at her shoulders until she lay back.

  Normally he was a gentle, considerate lover, taking time to prepare his partner, making sure she reached climax before he did. Not tonight, not with Gia. He needed to take her. Hard and fast.

  He leaned over, sucking her nipples through her shirt, biting down gently, then a little harder when he found them already erect.

  "Your body says you want this. If I reach between your legs will I find you wet?"

  She moaned, a little whimper escaping her throat. He felt his cock leap in response. "Answer me, Gia. Are you wet?"

  He trailed his hands gently down her legs, past the edge of her skirt, softly teasing the backs of her knees before sliding them up the inside of her thighs. She tossed her head from side to side, but still didn't answer his question.

  He trailed his hands higher, pushing her skirt up as he went, stopping when his thumbs rested at the apex of her slightly parted thighs. Pushing them open further and moving to stand between them, he waited. Still no words.

  "Do you want me to stop?"

  Her hips lifted, bumping into the air, her body wiggling, trying to get closer to his hands. He kept them firmly against her thighs, letting his thumbs softly tease the silky triangle of red lace between her legs.

  He could smell her arousal. See it in every move and wiggle. But he wanted to hear her say the words.

  "Tell me if you're wet, or I will stop. Are you ready for me? Do you want me inside you?"

  After another little whimper, she finally blurted out, "Yes! God yes. Please, Josh."

  He grabbed the strings of her lace panties and pulled, tugging them down her legs and throwing them off to the side. Finally she was bare to him. He could see the folds of her sex glistening with moisture. He wanted to bury his tongue there, taste every delicious inch of her, but he knew he'd never be able to hold off, and he desperately needed to fuck her. Tasting would have to wait for another time.

  He slipped one finger inside, finding her soaked and more than ready. A second finger joined the first, thrusting in and out, three rapid pumps. Her hips lifted, a little shuddering breath in and out as her fingers dug into the vinyl of the bed.

  Tugging loose his belt and slacks, he shoved his pants down to his knees. The cool air against his member did nothing to ease the ache. This wouldn't last long.

  He grabbed her hips, pulling her forward, lining her up with the edge of the bed, plunging into her in one deep thrust. She cried out, her voice roughened with arousal. Her little noises of pleasure, combined with the wet heat of her on his cock, were more than he could stand. He thrust, hard and fast, driving into her almost violently, his hands leaving bruises on her hips as he gripped her, holding her still. She wrapped her legs around his waist, using her muscles to pull him even closer. Meeting his every thrust with one of her own.

  He leaned forward, changing the angle and adding a little twist on the upstroke. He was close to the edge and he wanted to see her come first. He reached up with his left hand to flick and pull at her nipple. Even through the shirt, it was enough. She shattered, a guttural scream echoing in the empty shop. He felt her pussy clench, the muscles squeezing him, driving him over that peak. He felt the zipping sensation start at the base of his spine, burning a path to his balls as the first spurt shot out. He threw his head back and roared out his pleasure.

  The sound of his own moan woke Josh from his dream. He was still thrusting his hips against the sheet. He could almost feel her wet heat against his shaft. As his mind began to wrap around the fact that he was at home, in his own bed, not at the shop inside Gia, he let out a groan. He was so fucking hard it hurt. He started to move, to head into the shower to relieve the pressure, when he realized he'd never make it. His hips were still moving of their own volition, trying to fuck someone that wasn't even there. Unable to resist, he flung off the blankets, shoved his boxers down, freeing his aching erection. He wrapped his fist around his cock, that little contact almost setting him off. One tug. Two. On the third his orgasm hit, hard and fast, shooting hot jets of come up his belly and chest.

  He lay there, half passed out as the pleasure subsided. He should be embarrassed. Getting so turned on by a dream that he couldn't even wait to get to the bathroom to jack off.

  He should be humiliated, having a wet dream about a woman that wanted nothing to do with him. She wouldn't even acknowledge that he'd kissed her, let alone that she'd felt any of the passion that he'd felt. He hadn't wanted to stop. He'd wanted the dream he'd just had to become a reality.

  He should feel guilty. Really guilty. Desiring, dreaming about, a woman who was not his fiancée.

  What he felt was fucking fantastic.

  He couldn't remember the last time he had been able to really let go like that. Even when he masturbated it was controlled, calm. He thought back to the dream, to the feeling of chaos raging through him. He wanted to lose control, and in his dream he knew he could. Gia would not only accept that roughness, but would revel in it. She would respond in kind. With passion and energy. Desire, heat, strength... she would feed the chaos, let him dominate her, take her. She would use her body not only to sate him, but to please herself. At least, his dream Gia would. He was pretty sure the real Gia would simply shove him away, or maybe slap him.

  He knew he should have been dreaming about Deb, but she was as pristine and controlled in the bedroom as she was everywhere else. Their sex life was fine, they were compatible and they both managed to orgasm when they had sex. Like everything else in their life it was pleasant. Easy. But she would never even want to know about some of his fantasies, let alone act them out. They would scare the hell out of his soon-to-be wife.

  Shrugging off his thoughts, and the last lingering feelings of pleasure, Josh turned off the alarm clock and headed into the shower to get cleaned up. He was meeting his parents and Deb at the club this morning for tennis and brunch. Rubbing his hand across his jaw, he couldn't help but think that he'd much rather go down to his basement and beat the shit out of his punching bag.

  Chapter 4

  Gia finished closing up shop, locking the front door and pulling the blinds. She waved goodbye to Billy as he headed out the back, then grabbed her purse from behind the counter. She pulled her keys out and headed out the back door as well, flipping the last of the lights and locking the door. She thought about grabbing her car, but The Tavern wa
s just a few blocks down. Deciding to walk, she cut through the alley to the front of the buildings. She loved night time here in the Village. This was the old section of Fair Oaks. Its kitschy vibe had called to her immediately. There had never been any doubt as to where she wanted to open up her shop. When a small clothing store had decided to close their doors, she had immediately made an offer to buy the shop. Luckily, being a business major held some weight with the banks. She'd put together her proposal, had Deb do a quick once-over, and handled as much of the initial business by phone as possible. By the time she met with the loan specialist, their reaction to her appearance had been almost negligible. It probably helped that she'd worn long sleeves, removed the nose ring, and worn highly subdued makeup for the meeting. She knew how to look professional when it was warranted. And she had really wanted that loan!

  Now, three years later, she was turning a good business. She would never be a millionaire, but she made enough to pay her bills, her employees, and even save a little. That was more than she'd had growing up. And, she was doing it on her own terms. She was even starting to look for another artist to come in part time. Billy had another full time job and could only work weekends. She needed one more part time artist, but she was really picky and so far she hadn't seen anyone whose work she liked well enough to hire.

  She reached The Tavern, smiling a little at the number of people still out and about. It was ten at night. Most places, people were home in bed by now, but the Village was still hopping. She took a deep breath before heading into the bar, taking a minute to steady herself before facing Deb and the others. They were meeting for drinks, to discuss some details about the wedding. Gia was pretty sure one of those details was going to be an ass-chewing over Josh's new tattoo.

  Once inside, it took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the bar's lighting. When she spotted Kelly waving at her, she smiled and headed that direction. As she got closer, she was surprised to see Shannon's boyfriend Scott, as well as Josh and Blake. Mentally shrugging her shoulders she marched over, greeting everyone as she set her purse in the only empty chair.

  "Hey guys. So, no wedding plans?"

  Kelly shook her head. "We saved you a seat. The guys were here when we showed up and we decided that a night of drinking sounded like a lot more fun. We haven't done this in a while."

  Gia smiled, "Works for me. Hey Josh, how's your shoulder doing?"

  Deb looked at Josh, who was making a little grimace at Gia. "What happened to your shoulder, Josh?" Deb asked.

  With a raised eyebrow, Gia waited for the answer. She had no idea why or how, but clearly Deb knew nothing about the tattoo yet. It occurred to her then that Josh was wearing a work shirt with the sleeves rolled up, carefully keeping them at mid forearm. If you didn't know he was hiding something, you'd probably think nothing of it, since he wore suits most of the time anyway.

  "Oh, I got hit with a tennis ball at the club on Tuesday. Nothing major, really. I was still kind of sore and rubbing at it when I bumped into Gia."

  "Oh, bumped into her at the club?" Deb asked.

  "Yes, because I frequent the club so regularly," Gia popped off sarcastically.

  "No, at the coffee shop here in the .Village. I was grabbing some coffee before I headed back to the restaurant." Josh was referring to the original site, and now corporate offices, for the international restaurant chain his family owned.

  "Oh, well, is it all right now?"

  "Probably still sore, by the way it looked Tuesday, but it should be fine in another few days." Gia said, smirking at Josh. She grabbed her wallet out of her purse. "I'm going to get a drink. Anyone else need anything?"

  A couple of people tossed out drink orders as Gia made a mental note of what to get. Josh stood as she turned to go.

  "I'll go with you. Help you carry things back. I need a drink anyway."

  Gia shrugged, walking toward the bar. She waited patiently while they placed the order, laughing when Josh eyed the Amber Bock they had on tap and then ordered a martini instead. He turned to her with a questioning look at her laugh.

  "I'll take an Amber Bock too, please," she told the bartender.

  "I thought you didn't drink," Josh said.

  "I don't usually. I figured if I got the beer you could sneak sips when no one was looking, lawyer boy."

  "Huh?"

  "Well, I saw you eyeing the tap when he poured the last one, but you ordered a martini. So, do you hide everything from Deb, or just the fun stuff?"

  "Yeah, about that... thanks for not ratting me out. I just haven't seen her much the last couple days. It's been hectic at work. I'll tell her, but not here."

  "Not my business. You tell her whatever you want. She's marrying you, not me. But, I gotta say, you should've ordered the beer, at least. It's probably going to suck rocks if you can't even come home and enjoy your guilty pleasure once she moves in permanently." She smirked at him, watching his discomfort as he shrugged his shoulders and looked away. Served him right. "I'm betting there's at least a six pack hiding behind the fifty year old Scotch you keep for Daddy, right?"

  Josh turned and glared at her, his blue eyes shooting fire. She just kept grinning, finally wiggling her eyebrows at him. At last he laughed.

  "Yes, I have beer in a small fridge I keep in my basement. Deb used to drink beer on occasion too, but now it is apparently 'uncivilized'. She knows I have it, but I don't rub it in her face. Happy?"

  "Always. But, I do take great pleasure in breaking your unshakeable calm, lawyer boy."

  At her teasing comment, his eyes got hot, shooting out a whole different type of fire now. With that one look, she was reminded of that stupid kiss from the other night. The one she swore she would forget. Yeah right, like that was going to happen.

  Josh leaned closer, his eyes staring straight into hers. He was doing a damn fine job of convincing her he could actually see into her soul. With his lips just a couple inches from her ear he whispered, just loud enough she could barely make out the words. "If anyone could break the calm, Gia, it would definitely be you."

  While she was still trying to recover her breath, he scooped up three of the drinks and headed back to the table.

  She slowly grabbed the rest and turned to follow. She pushed all thoughts of Josh out of her mind and enjoyed the evening with friends. She flirted with a couple of cute guys, played a little bit of pool, even danced with a couple of the single guys there. All in all it was a great evening. She just had to ignore the fact that she really wanted to kiss her friend’s fiancé.

  It was after one by the time Gia left the bar. Since it was so late, Blake walked her home before heading off to his own house across town. Once she made it into her house, locked the door and crashed on her bed, she let the barriers fall. She tried to sort out when and why everything had seemed to change between them. It didn't seem possible that the constant attraction she'd felt had finally made itself known to Josh after eight years of sniping at each other. She'd always been able to push his buttons, but not in a sexual way. Not that she'd ever really tried. Gia was known to be a little bit of a wild child. She was loud, flamboyant, a ‘do what I want and to hell with you’ kind of girl. Always had been. She'd had her share, or more than her share, of lovers although not nearly as many as everyone else thought. She had very deliberately kept her feelings for Josh a secret, buried deep beneath layers of sarcasm and attitude. Often she was even able to keep them from herself. So, how had he picked up on her desire for him?

  This had to be about more than just that tattoo. More than just the kiss. Why had he kissed her in the first place? Was she sending off some sort of vibe, some pheromone that let him know she wanted him? She wouldn't do that intentionally, especially not now that he and Deb were engaged. That made no sense. Never, in all her flirtations had she made a play for a guy who was taken, let alone by one of her friends. Unless, the fact that he was engaged, and clearly off limits made him somehow more appealing? No, she had her issues, but she wasn't that screwed up. So, wh
at was she doing differently that was making him flirt with her, kiss her, tease her? Whatever it was, she had to figure it out and put a stop to it.

  * * * *

  Josh was losing his mind. He had almost kissed Gia up at the bar tonight. Again! Right in front of his fiancée and all his friends. What the hell was wrong with him?

  He scrubbed his hand over his face, feeling the stubble he hadn't taken time to shave off before heading to the bar. He had planned to go and play some darts and pool with a couple of his buddies. He hadn't known that Deb and the girls would be there. How screwed up was that? He hadn't even known what her plans had been for the evening. The guilt that he should have felt over that hotter than hell dream of Gia was finally kicking in. He was a bastard. A selfish, careless bastard. He had been so caught up in his own little pity party that he hadn't even asked Deb what she was doing tonight. Not that she'd asked him either. He was beginning to wonder if this was what the marriage would be like. Two people, living together, yet having totally separate lives.

  A quick flash of coming home to his wife, dressed in black leather, waiting for him on the sofa with a beer in hand, popped into his head. He let the scene play out in his mind. She stripped off his tie, yanked the buttons off his shirt, playing the dominatrix as she shoved him back against the wall. He let her have her way for a while before spinning her around and pinning her hands above her head. Long, deep kisses gave way to nips and bites, rubbing his beard across her neck, leaving a red trail as he marked her. Her cries of pleasure as he took her right there in the hall, never even removing her crotchless panties he was in such a hurry to be inside her. When he looked down into hazel eyes, framed by black and pink streaked hair, Josh knew he was screwed. He should be seeing Deborah.

  Peeling off his clothes as he headed up to bed, Josh made himself a promise. Tomorrow he would go see Deb. They would talk, he would apologize for being so selfish, for not even asking what she was doing. He couldn't apologize for the dreams he'd been having. To tell her would only hurt her unnecessarily. But, he promised himself that he would stop. He would work harder to be a better fiancé. Learn to be a better husband. And he would stop fantasizing about Gia.