Hidden Depths Read online

  "Don't give me that look... answer the question."

  "Same reason that nothing else is going to happen now. It won't work, it can't work. Not then, not now, not ever."

  "Okay... so then what's with the 'dancing'?"

  Gia sighed again, "That would be my body betraying my mind. I'm blaming it on vodka."

  They talked for awhile longer, until Gia was actually convinced that Kelly didn't hate her. After awhile they moved on to different topics, including some things happening at Kelly's work. Specifically a cute guy that had recently been hired. When Gia looked at the clock and realized she needed to shower and get ready for work herself, Kelly headed for the door.

  "Kell, let's not mention anything to anyone else please? About my... rather indiscreet behavior. It's over... it won't happen again. I promise."

  Kelly nodded. "Sure thing. But Gia, just so we're clear, if it did happen again, or if you wanted a relationship with him or something, I still wouldn't think less of you. He and Deb are done, regardless of why they're done, they are. And I don't think it was because of you and a kiss, regardless of how amazing it was. There has been something... off... between them for a while now. Or at least, nothing seemed exactly right. So, if you want to, then go for it. He is a free man."

  Gia smiled, "Thanks. But no, it's not going to happen."

  Kelly shrugged, then smirked at Gia. "Well then, I'll keep it to myself. But, you may want to put some makeup on that giant hickey you're sporting."

  She turned and left, shutting the door behind her, leaving Gia gaping after her, stunned right down to her toes.

  Hickey? She had a hickey?

  Damn that man!

  Chapter 15

  Gia's day had sucked. It turned out that her morning coffee with Kelly, blended with the inquisition and the grueling admissions, had actually been the highlight of her day. Her constant trips to the restroom to make sure her makeup was still hiding the bite mark on her neck had done nothing to improve her mood. So, by the time nine o'clock rolled around Gia was more than ready to close up early and go home.

  As soon as Aaron was done with his last customer Gia sent everyone home. Her mood was apparently bad enough that no one even questioned her, simply grabbed their things and headed out the back. Gia turned off the lights, dropped the blinds and locked the front door behind her.

  She turned to see Josh sitting in his Shelby, watching her, a predatory look in his eyes. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't stop the little shiver of pleasure that ran over her skin.

  "Josh," she said by way of a greeting. She flipped her keys around, finding the key to her jeep and walking toward her car. Which just happened to be parked right next to Josh's. Something she had no doubt had been intentional on his part.

  When she didn't say anything else, he jumped out of his car, over the side not through the door, and walked over to her, pressing up against her back as she tried to open the door.

  "So, you really think that you can just ignore me? Ignore this? That will make it all go away?"

  Gia took a deep breath, trying to ignore his body heat, his chest, his groin, all brushing against her back. Apparently she didn't respond quickly enough, because Josh continued.

  "I told you I was going to come over tonight. I wasn't entirely sure what time you were going to close up, so I thought I would wait for you. I'm guessing you're done for the night?"

  She nodded, not trusting her voice.

  "Good, then I'll drive you home."

  "My car is right here and I only live a couple blocks away, lawyer boy. I'm fairly certain I can get myself home."

  Now he pushed harder against her, bringing his hands up to rest against the side of her jeep, effectively trapping her with his body. She could feel his breath against her ear when he answered, "I'm sure you can. But I'm not letting you out of my sight until we talk about this, Gia."

  He nipped her neck, reminding her of the bite mark she had spent all day hiding. She may still have chills running through her body, but she was done with his overbearing attitude. Done with his assumptions that she was simply going to give him his way.

  She bumped her hips back...hard. Hard enough to cause a quick intake of breath as she slammed into his already obvious erection. The shock, and probably a little twinge of pain, caused him to move his hands and back up a step.

  "I happen to agree that we need to talk Josh, but I will drive my car home. You may follow me and we can discuss this... behavior of yours somewhere more private."

  Her body may give in to him, but she'd be damned if her will would.

  Without saying another word, Josh turned and walked back to his car, starting it up as she climbed into hers.

  She must have been mistaken, but she could have sworn she heard him chuckle as he walked away.

  The drive to Gia's house took less than five minutes, even when driving cautiously to avoid hitting any of the pedestrian traffic. The Village was hopping... pretty standard for a Saturday night. She would bet that she could walk into The Tavern and find any number of her friends there. As she passed, she gave thought to a detour, but quickly decided against it. If she was reading Josh correctly, they were having this conversation whether she wanted to or not, and she wasn't kidding that she'd rather do it in private.

  She parked in her garage, letting Josh park in the driveway. She closed the garage door behind her then headed inside and upstairs to open the front door and let him in. A small childish piece of her wanted to let him stand there while she went to hide in her room. Trying to ignore her inner whiner, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

  He stood there, one arm resting beside the door, the other on his hip. He was in black combat boots, faded old jeans that fit like a glove, and a tight black T-shirt. His windblown hair looked somehow even darker than normal, a stray lock hanging just over his left eye. And his eyes... those incredibly blue eyes, were looking back at her with some blend of humor and something darker. Desire?

  He looked absolutely freakin' amazing. She wanted to slam the door in his face. She wanted to jump up and kiss him. She wanted to screw him senseless.

  She invited him in with a small hand gesture, stepping back to give him room. And to give herself a little distance from him. She stopped when she hit the edge of her sofa, leaning against the arm rather than sitting down.

  He closed the door behind him, turning back to face her, the amusement starting to overpower the darker edge to his eyes.

  "So, how long did you debate before deciding to open the door?"

  She would never admit to that. "Why would I debate anything? It's not like you've never been here before."

  He smirked. "True. But, I've never been here to discuss sex before."

  Swallowing hard to push the saliva past the lump in her throat, Gia finally found the breath to answer.

  "Is that what you think we are going to be discussing? I was figuring we'd chat about your sudden need to explore your latent interest in the 'other' half. Or maybe your sudden need to grope me in public. To stare at my breasts in front of all of our friends. Or how about your foolish assumption that there is something going on between us other than a few mistakes. Or even your absolute stupidity in breaking up with your fiancé because of those stupid lapses in judgment. Shall we talk about that?"

  "Right... the mistakes. The 'one time' mistake that you swore would never happen again. Is that the one you mean? Or, maybe the mistake was you coming against my thigh last night. Is that the mistake you wanted to talk about?"

  He was walking towards her, one slow step at a time. She quickly stood, folding her arms across her chest as if she could somehow shield herself from him.

  Finally, at a loss for words, Gia just gave in. "What do you want from me?"

  * * * *

  Josh stopped where he was. She looked... defeated? Was that possible? Gia was never at a loss for anything, let alone at a loss for words. And she was never defeated.

  His brain finally managed to wrap around
her last question. A difficult task since his head was clouded with anger and lust. Why did she keep denying what was between them? It couldn't be one sided. Even if he had believed that before, last night had proved that she felt something too.

  So, what did he want from her...?

  "I want you to just admit that there is something here, Gia. Just admit that this wasn't a 'one time mistake never to be repeated'. Admit that you're attracted to me."

  "Attracted to you. A stuffy, uptight lawyer, who until recently was engaged to one of my best friends. Why in the hell would I be attracted to you?"

  That stung. He knew it was a defense mechanism on her part, but it still stung. Willing himself to calm down before he did something stupid, he took a deep breath, sighing it out long and slow.

  "If you're not attracted to me then explain what you think is going on here. Explain the night in your tattoo shop, explain why your nipples get hard when you know I'm watching, despite the fact that our friends are sitting right there. And then, explain last night."

  He took another step toward her, somehow compelled to be closer to her, to physically prove her wrong.

  She backed up another step. So he took another. And she went backward. Another, and another step back. Finally she hit the wall, shock registering in her eyes. There was a mere three feet between them. A distance he could close with one long stride. So, he waited, unable to stop the smile that flitted across his lips at seeing her so... nervous. Gia was nervous, and it was because of him.

  He loved it.

  "Fine, I'll explain it, although you're not going to like the answer. It really has nothing to do with you, Josh. It is simply a physical thing. I haven't had sex in a while... a long while if I'm being honest. And you came onto me pretty hard and fast, stirring up a response before I had time to really even think about who I was kissing. It is a simple physical reaction. Just like my nipples getting hard when I know someone is looking at them. Plus, everyone was looking, not just you. And we were all talking about how they feel, do they enhance pleasure and what not. Everyone was feeling a little spark of something, which is why Blake put a stop to the conversation. See, it really has nothing to do with you personally, like I have already told you."

  Josh took another small step toward her and watched as her hands made little fists against the wall. Another little smile before he asked, "And last night. How do you explain that away, Gia? It was just me and you, no one else looking, no hard and fast attack from me. We were just dancing. So, what made you hot enough to orgasm, on a dance floor, surrounded by people, if it has nothing to do with me?"

  He took one more step, raising his arms beside her head as he finished speaking. He watched as her breathing accelerated, her chest started to heave in small, shallow breaths. He took a quick glance at her nipples, delighted to see them pushing into tight little points against her shirt, before looking up into her emerald green eyes. Eyes that were watching him, warily.

  "What is this new thing you have with trying to pen me in, Josh. Back up and give me some breathing room."

  "No. Answer the question. What about last night?"

  She pushed at his chest, trying to get space... space he had no intention of allowing her.

  "Answer the damn question, Gia."

  "I was just drunk," she blurted out.

  He smiled again, knowing it was a lie. "Drunk. So, did you have an orgasm with Dev, too?"

  "No!"

  She actually seemed upset that he would even think that.

  "So, then why with me?"

  She shrugged her shoulders dismissively. "Better angle."

  He leaned in, bringing his face within inches of hers, not close enough for their lips to touch, but close enough that he could feel her breath hot against his mouth.

  "Do you want me to prove you wrong? Right here, right now... stone cold sober."

  "It still wouldn't prove anything, Josh. I told you it's been a long time for me. You've known me long enough to know that I like men, and I like sex, and I haven't had any of either. I just need to get off, to scratch an itch."

  "I thought you did get off. Want me to try again?"

  "No! Yes... no, that's not... I mean... it will take more than once."

  Now Josh let the smile show. He was sure it looked as predatory as he felt, and just a little smug as he felt the first little glimmer of triumph begin to run through his veins.

  "I accept your challenge."

  Chapter 16

  "What? What challenge?" Gia asked, her voice sounding breathless even to her own ears. Why was he standing so damn close? She couldn't think with him right in her face like this. God was it hot in here. She pushed at his chest again, trying in vain to get away from him.

  "You need sex, or at least a few good orgasms. I accept the challenge of giving them to you. So, how many? Two? Four? Six?"

  "How many?"

  "Yes. Give me a number. How many times do you need to come in, say, the next forty eight hours, for you to be satisfied? What's it going to take for you to realize that it is not just physical desire, but rather desire for me?"

  Deciding that she would just name a random number, a number he couldn't possible achieve, she blurted out "Ten."

  He raised his eyebrows, but didn't seem even a little bit worried. "You're feeling greedy I see."

  "Well, if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen."

  "Deal."

  "Deal? What deal?" She was confused. What had they just agreed to?

  "I give you ten orgasms in the next forty eight hours and you admit that there is something between us worth exploring."

  She froze. Had she actually just agreed to that? She agreed to have sex with him, just to prove she didn't want to have sex with him? How was that possible? He must have played some stupid lawyer trick on her.

  "Just a sec there, lawyer boy. You think you just won something, I can tell by your eyes, but I think you misunderstood. I want ten orgasms... without us having sex."

  "And by sex you mean..."

  He just left the question hanging there, waiting for her to fill in the details. She took a deep breath and started setting parameters for this little deal. Something to make it impossible for him to succeed.

  "I mean no actual sex. And no toys. It has to be all manual. If I wanted a vibrator I could handle it myself."

  "So, manual stimulation, without intercourse. What about fingers?"

  As he asked, he ran the tip of one finger gently from her ear down to her collarbone, then back up her cheek, outlining her lips until she gasped for air.

  "Fin... fingers are fine."

  Now he leaned in, trailing the same path with his lips, his hot tongue peeking out occasionally to taste her skin. He traced the edge of her ear with that tongue before whispering, "And mouths... what about mouths?"

  "Mouths are... good... good too." She wanted to grab his head and force his mouth to hers. Now. Right. Fucking. Now.

  Just as she was sure she was going to melt into a puddle right here in her living room, Josh stood up straight, taking his heat and support with him.

  He casually looked at his watch, then looked back at her with a grin. "So, let's make sure I have this correct, shall we? I can touch, taste, kiss, lick, suck... anything and everything... as long as I don't use a vibrator or any other toys. I have forty eight hours, which gives us until..." another quick glance, "ten p.m. on Monday night, to make you come ten times. But, no sex... which I am understanding to mean no actual intercourse, since this is all a form of sex. Does that sound about right to you?"

  Gia stood against the wall, her traitorous body still humming just from his closeness, from his measly little lick of her ear. She nodded mutely, unable to form words around the visions playing in her head of all that touching, and tasting, and licking...

  "Good. Then I guess we'd better get started."

  Josh grabbed Gia and throwing her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, he turned and stomped up the stairs toward her room.
r />   * * * *

  Josh couldn't believe what had just happened. He had come over here, desperate for a way to make Gia at least consider the possibility that there was something between them, and she had just handed him his answer. Not only was he going to prove to her that this was not just a hormonal need, but he was going to have one hell of a good time doing it.

  He smiled as he found her bedroom, walking in and tossing her rather unceremoniously on the bed. She huffed out air as she landed, clearly still shocked by everything that had just taken place. He had expected her to be pounding on his back and ass as he carried her up here. Possibly even biting if she'd had the chance. In an effort to keep her off balance, he dove forward landing over her and catching his weight on his arms. Without giving her time to think about... anything, he went straight for her mouth.

  He needed to kiss her. He hadn't been able to kiss her, or even touch her, the way he'd wanted to last night. Here was his chance.

  His cock jumped, doing a little happy dance of its own in his jeans. Knowing there was no way he was going to get inside Gia's hot little body tonight, he willed his shaft to calm down. This was about her... her body, her pleasure, her release. If he did it right, he would get a hell of a lot more than forty eight hours with her.

  Slowing his pace, he laid on top of her, pressing her into the mattress, letting her slowly adjust to his weight while he kissed her. She gasped into his mouth when his erection pressed against her thigh. Using her open mouth to his advantage, he licked, grazing her tongue with his.

  When her body relaxed into his, her hands sneaking up around his neck, Josh finally pulled away, dipping down to sip and nibble at her neck.

  God he loved the way she smelled. Some blend of vanilla and spices, mixed with a smell that was all Gia. As he licked her ear, nibbling the edges before trailing his lips down the column of her throat, she let out a small quiet moan. When she wiggled her hips against him, her body already seeking what it needed, he groaned. He was pretty damn sure he was going to end up coming in his pants again.