Hidden Depths Read online

  * * * *

  Gia went back to her office. She had paperwork to finish and she needed the distraction anyway. If she let herself, her mind would simply replay every kiss, every touch of her little interlude with Josh. Either that or she would tear herself apart with guilt.

  He was engaged. To one of her good friends. A warm, sweet, kind hearted woman. And she was sitting here lusting over Deb's man. Awesome... that was just perfect.

  As much as she wanted to believe that there was a reason Josh had started seeking her out, started kissing her, started watching her until she was so hot she soaked through the crotch of her swimsuit, she just couldn't fathom what it was. She knew from their talk at the river that Josh and Deb weren't all that sexually active right now. Maybe this was just sexual frustration and she looked easy. It wouldn't be the first time someone had mistakenly thought that.

  She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. After all her years of acting so brazen, flirting with everyone, dating constantly, was it any wonder that people thought she was a little bit of a slut. The tattoos, piercings and less than prudish attire probably didn't help matters. But she wasn't easy. Not really. She could count on one hand the number of guys she'd actually slept with. And there were just a few more that she'd been with in other ways. That wasn't easy, was it? That was just being someone who truly enjoyed sex. There was nothing wrong with that.

  As she silently reassured herself, it finally occurred to her that in this one case, she was in fact, easy. Josh had kissed her twice. Sure, there were some pretty intense comments designed to rile a girl up, but he had actually kissed her exactly twice. And the second time she was grinding herself against him until they both shot off like horny teenagers. So much for playing hard to get. And not only was she easy, she was screwing around with a guy that was completely and totally taken. After all this time, after all the guys she had turned down, she had just become Josh's dirty little secret.

  That was too much to handle. No matter how hot he was, no matter how much she wanted to see him really let go, to see that wild side she just knew was hidden under the surface, she was not going to do this again.

  They were not the type of people that belonged together and she was not delusional enough to pretend otherwise. Just like she wasn't masochistic enough to actually risk falling for him. She just wanted to see the fire underneath the calm. Just to see if she was right. To see what he was like when he truly let go. That's all it was.

  But even that would be forgetting one absolutely vital detail. He was engaged. And she was better than that.

  Chapter 9

  Georgia was cranky. No, she was furious. Or maybe she was just frustrated. Or just plain horny. Whatever she was, she didn't like it at all. It had been two weeks since her little incident with Josh. She had done her level best to avoid him, and the process had meant avoiding most of her friends as well. She wanted some time to put the whole thing behind her, to forget about it, before she had to face Josh again. Or Deb. Or anyone else in the wedding party.

  In her efforts to put him completely out of her mind, she had done everything she could to keep busy. Including cleaning her house top to bottom, even going so far as to wipe down the blinds, ceiling fans and the baseboards. She had done the same to her shop. When she ran out of chores to do, she even went so far as to join a gym. Yep, a gym! Not the club where all her friends frequented, of course, but the little one across town where all the giant muscle heads worked out. She had hoped that maybe a little physical exercise, along with some new faces, might help to keep her mind occupied. Or keep her body occupied. Or at least she'd be too tired to think about Josh, or 'ass hat' as she had taken to calling him in her head.

  She had decided that the entire thing had been a simple, hormonal reaction to being kissed. It had been a very long time since she'd been kissed, and even longer since she'd had sex. When someone, anyone, kissed you with that much pent up energy, you couldn't help but respond. Throw in her celibate status as of late, and she went off like a roman candle. While she did feel guilty having done that to one of her best friends, she placed most of the blame on Josh. Hence the name, 'ass hat'. After all, there is only so much celibacy one woman can take. And he was gorgeous. She couldn't really be blamed for a natural physical response to a stunning male's touch. Pent up lust did crazy things to a person. No, not lust... lust implied some sort of feeling for Josh specifically, and that just wasn't the case. Couldn't be the case. It was just plain horniness and he'd had good timing. Or rather... bad timing.

  So, since she had decided to join a gym anyway, she figured that she could also find herself some nice eye candy, and possibly even a new 'friend'. Or, just some easy sex. She didn't want husband material, just someone casual and fun to hang out with sometimes, and enough chemistry to make it enjoyable. If she were being honest with herself, she just wanted someone to replace Josh in the, now almost constant, erotic dreams she was having. Unfortunately, no luck so far, but she was going to keep trying.

  On the plus side, she had managed to find a new tattoo artist in the last few weeks. He was definitely easy on the eyes, as well, if you liked the dark hair, goatee, very buff, inked up type. Aaron, the new artist, was funny, sarcastic, and great company to have in the shop. If business kept increasing, she would even bring him in on a more full time basis. His work was terrific and the customers seemed to love him as well.

  Gia had even gone out with him a couple times after work. They got along really well, yet as gorgeous as he was, there was nothing there. No sparks at all. However, since he was willing to man the shop tonight, she was going to change up her routine and go to the gym this evening, rather than in the morning. Maybe, with a different crowd, she could find someone that might at least intrigue her enough to flirt with. And, with any luck, she could burn off this bout of cranky she seemed stuck in.

  "Hey Aaron, if you've got everything here, I'm going to run out to the gym for awhile. I'll be back in an hour or two."

  "Sure thing, boss. I've gotcha covered."

  Aaron, looked up from his drawing and let out a wolf whistle. Gia was dressed for working out in a spandex tank sports bra and yoga pants. She looked down at herself, then back up at Aaron and laughed. "Yeah, okay. Thanks for the confidence boost. I'll be back in a bit."

  She shook her head as she walked to her jeep, wishing she could feel even the littlest bit of attraction to him. Unfortunately, though she could list his attributes, and even appreciate the package as a whole, there was just no chemistry. Oh well, maybe tonight!

  * * * *

  As Josh finally got his luggage, he turned and trudged outside, never so glad to see the town car as he was right now. He always hired a driver to take him to and from the airport. He hated leaving his car in the long term parking. The driver opened the door for him and he slid into the seat, feeling bone weary.

  Melbourne, Australia was seventeen hours ahead of Sacramento, which meant that he was now seventeen hours behind. He should be feeling wide awake at eight o'clock since it was only about one in the afternoon according to his body. Unfortunately he hadn't slept much in the last few weeks, and he hadn't slept at all last night.

  After his night with Gia, he had immediately called Deb. She'd come over the next night, and a simple conversation had ended their engagement. Not too surprisingly, she had felt the same lack of enthusiasm he'd been feeling. He was a little more restless about it than she was, but even she admitted that their relationship had gotten stale, and wasn't it a blessing they had discovered this before they had gotten married and not after. Even their break up had been relatively peaceful and emotionless. Somehow he found that more disturbing than tears would've been.

  After they'd talked, they'd immediately gone and told their respective parents that it was over. Standing together, to display a united front, they had diligently explained 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 sig
n 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 saw instead was some guy he didn't know drawing something at the front desk. Gia was nowhere to be seen.

  "Hi there, can I help you with something?" the man asked.

  "No, not really. Where's Gia?" Josh knew it was rude, but he was too tired to make small talk.

  "She's out right now, but I can help you. I'm Aaron. Are you looking for a tattoo or a piercing?"

  "No, I'm looking for Gia." His tone sounded a little snide even to his own ears.

  "And you are?"

  "Josh," he said, like that would explain everything.

  Aaron stood up, giving Josh a better look at just how massive this guy was.

  "Well, Josh, Georgia is not here right now, as I've already said. If there is work you need done, I'll be happy to do it another time. However, I think you need to go now. Right now."

  Knowing it was stupid, but too tired to care, Josh decided to push his luck. Maybe he just hadn't made it clear that he was a friend of Gia's, and he wanted to know where she was. 'Out' wasn't working for him.

  "Well, Aaron, I'm a friend of Gia's and I would like to know where she is, or at least when she'll be back. Now. I've been gone for over two weeks and I want to see her. Tonight."

  Aaron's stance relaxed somewhat, although he still looked like a giant, tattooed guard dog.

  "You're a friend?" At Josh's nod, Aaron continued. "You're not some crazy stalker who got a tattoo from her and now you think you're friends."

  Josh growled. "Look, I just got off a plane, I haven't slept in like thirty six hours, I just want to say hello. Where the fuck is Gia?"

  Aaron seemed to relax even further, a small smirk making him look a little less intimidating. Then he asked, "You do know I could kill you with my bare hands, right?"

  Surprised, Josh started speaking without thinking. "Maybe. But I'm stronger than I look. And I'm fast."

  Aaron chuckled a little, but didn't back down. "Maybe you are. It really doesn't matter. Gia's not here, I don't know when she'll be back, and you're leaving."

  Exhaustion was pulling hard at Josh, making him fuzzy. The dickhead that wouldn't let him see Gia was only making it worse. Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Josh finally sighed. "Fine. I'm leaving. But I will be back, and I will see Gia."

  Josh turned and left before he changed his mind and decided to try his luck against fuckhead guard dog Gia had apparently hired.

  Chapter 10

  The next afternoon, Gia was still cranky. She had spent two hours at the gym last night before coming back to the shop. She hadn't seen anyone worth writing home about, no one that had sent even the faintest glimmer of a shiver up her spine.

  If she was honest with herself, she knew why she was cranky. She was horny, frustrated and she couldn't get Josh off her mind no matter what she tried, including ice cream and even one good drunk. She had practically fallen into her bed face first one night and she'd still dreamed of him. Yep, he had managed to go from a mild itch that she couldn't quite scratch to a painful rash, all in one earth-shattering orgasm.

  It obviously hadn't been that earth-shattering for him. He had only tried to call her once. Well, okay, five times, but all in one day, so it really only counted as once. He hadn't even called enough to realize that she was deliberately avoiding his calls. Ass hat!

  She turned when she heard the back door open, seeing Aaron walking in. Maybe she should make more of an effort to fall for him. He was sweet, funny, into the same things she was, not to mention all kinds of gorgeous. He smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling, and she couldn't help but grin back.

  "What are you thinking?" he asked as he set down his backpack.

  She shrugged her shoulders a bit, "I'm thinking you are incredibly hot."

  "Feeling's mutual, sexy. Want to do something about it?" He wiggled his eyebrows, leering at her like the wolf in an old cartoon.

  She laughed outright, feeling moderately better, at least better than she had in the last few days. "And what would you do if I said yes? Run the other way?"

  He leaned against one of the tables and crossed his arms over his rather substantial chest, giving her a great view of bulging biceps. "Hell no! I would take you up on that yes in a heartbeat. However, I feel it's only fair to mention that some guy stopped by to see you last night. I think he said his name was Josh. Do you know him? He said he was a friend."

  She felt her heart stop, the breath whoosh out
of her lungs, despite her best efforts. Forcing a nonchalance she didn't feel, she managed a quick shrug. "Yeah, I know him."

  Those blue eyes were watching her, seeing things she was sure she'd rather he didn't know.

  "Still want to take me up on the offer? We could go upstairs right now. I guarantee it'll do more to relax you than the gym did last night, and it's infinitely more enjoyable."

  She smiled softly. "What would you say to a rain check?"

  Aaron nodded. "Sure. You let me know whenever you decide you're ready."

  And just that easily he turned and started setting up for work.

  Gia couldn't help but think about Josh. There is no way that he would have been that casual about an offer of sex. At least not with her. She thought about the heat in his eyes when he'd heard about the nipple rings, the way she could feel his eyes on her breasts. She remembered the power, the passion he had shown when he'd pressed against her. He'd desired her enough that he'd come in his pants. And he hadn't even seemed the least bit embarrassed by it.

  But that passion was wrong. Even though he'd given into it once, Josh obviously knew it was wrong. That's why he had barely tried to contact her since it happened. She understood that and even agreed. In fact, she really needed to find someone else, someone safe... someone available. Someone she had more in common with. Passion wasn't enough. Chemistry only carried you so far and then you needed common ground. And they had none. If there had been any real connection, other than a little physical reaction, they would have gotten together years ago, not just one little slip when he was stressed over his future.

  And none of that mattered anyway. Gia didn't want a relationship. Never had, never would. She just wanted to feel that kind of heat again. Since Josh was off the table, she needed another option. So, she would find one... come hell or high water.