Entice

Chapter Twenty

June

Two weeks later, Shelly was standing in front of a full-length mirror, looking at the dress Lena had picked out for her.

She had to admit that the dress was gorgeous. It was pastel blue, strapless, and flowed gently over her curves, ending just an inch or so above the knee. The dress complemented both Rachel and her perfectly. With eyes on the mirror, Shelly looked at the two women who were standing behind her.

“So? What do you think?” she asked, raising a brow.

“Are you serious? It looks fantastic,” Lena exclaimed, stepping forward to run a hand down the material covering her hip. “It is seriously unfair how you sometimes resemble a Barbie.”

Rachel laughed behind them. “I don’t know if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

Lena looked over at Rachel, who stood next to her in a long purple, blue, and pink tie- dyed shirt and cutoff denim shorts that were frayed around the thigh. The girl sure does have an eclectic choice of clothes, Shelly thought.

“It was a compliment. Didn’t every little girl want to be Barbie when they were younger?” Lena responded.

“Not if she wanted to get laid. Ken always had his tighty whiteys on.” Rachel pointed out with a wicked smirk.

Shelly chuckled, and Lena burst out laughing.

“Okay, okay. Forget the Barbie reference. We all definitely like sex,” Lena said.

“Although it’s been a while for some of us,” Shelly mumbled.

All of a sudden, she had two pairs of eyes on her as she stood in the center of the pedestal.

“How long?” Lena asked quietly.

Shelly moved her eyes to Rachel, who seemed intent on her answer as well.

Oh, what the hell?

“Since Josh.” Both of her friends’ eyes widened, and Shelly shrugged. “Don’t read anything into it. I just haven’t wanted to date after that whole thing.”

Rachel stepped up close behind her, still keeping their gazes locked. For a minute, Shelly thought Super Domme was making an appearance, but then Rachel’s eyes softened.

“What happened with you two? He won’t tell me shit, and that’s not like him.”

Shelly looked to Lena, who was the only person who knew the whole story. Then, her eyes moved back to Rachel. “He wanted more. I didn’t. So, we ended it.”

It was silent for a moment. Shelly took the opportunity to step down from the small round platform, turning around to move into the dressing room.

“Are you high? Why wouldn’t you want something more with Josh? He’s one of the most amazing men I know,” Rachel asked.

Shelly felt her temperature rise as she faced that very logical question. Instead of answering Rachel, she went on the defensive. Always a great move among friends. Not.

“Why don’t you date him then, if he’s so wonderful? Or maybe you’re afraid he won’t follow orders?”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed as Lena moved to stand between the two of them.

“Alright, kitty cats, sheathe your claws,” Lena said.

Rachel was the first to speak. “I just don’t understand. He’s attractive, successful, and kind, and you’re going to just let him move away.” She stopped, shaking her head. “For a doctor, I thought you’d be smarter than that.”

Shelly blinked at Rachel as she continued pointing out all of her faults, but Shelly had blocked out all the sound. All she kept hearing was, You’re just going to let him move away. Those words repeated over and over in her head.

Finally, she snapped to. “He’s moving away?”

Both Lena and Rachel nodded.

“He told us last night at dinner,” Lena confirmed.

Shelly walked back into the dressing room like a zombie.

He is moving. He’s leaving.

She would never have to see him again. She would never have to worry that he was going to be at Lena’s and Mason’s or down at Exquisite.

She should have been thrilled, but as she stood in the dressing room, she felt as though her heart had made that final crack, and it was now completely broken.

Josh was sitting on his couch with a beer, watching the Cubs.

His afternoon couldn’t have gotten much better than that. He had finally taken the plunge the other day and gone down to the bank to apply for a loan. When Cole had called to tell him he had been approved, he had felt elated.

Finally.

Finally, something was going the way he had planned. He had worked things out with his crew, currently working on Mason’s renovation, and arranged it so he only had to be present once a month.

Ahh, the beauty of owning your own business. If you want to work on other projects, you are free to. You have no one to answer to, except your employees and the person that hired you. As long as you can deliver your services and pay your staff, then the sky is the limit.

However, Josh didn’t want to go to the sky. No, he had somewhere more specific in mind.

Just as he took another sip of his beer, there was a sharp knock at his door. Looking out the window, he tried to see who was there, but whoever it was must have been standing close to the door.

Sitting up, he placed his beer on the coffee table and went to answer it. When he pulled it open, he was surprised to see Shelly standing there, but in the back of his mind, he had known, or suspected, that she would eventually show up.

She stood there on his porch, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, a pair of cutoff jeans, and white flip-flops. She had her hair pulled to the side in a messy-looking braid. She looked cute, refreshed, and so utterly appealing that he almost felt like nixing his whole plan.

But, no, in the long run, he felt that what he was doing was for the best, and it would eventually work out for him. Right?

“Shelly? This is a surprise,” he told her.

Shelly looked Josh over as he stood there holding the door open. It was true. She didn’t know him as well as she wanted to. It was also true that it was her fault.

As she stood there taking him in, she thought it was highly unfair that she was just now realizing the enormity of her own stupid mistake.

“Is it true?” Shelly asked with no greeting whatsoever.

He stepped aside, and Shelly walked in past him.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment before continuing into his front hall. When he shut the door, she turned and saw him standing there, watching her.

“Is what true?” he questioned slowly.

Shelly knew he had to know what she was referring to, but he wanted confirmation. So, she gave it to him.

Dropping her bulky leather bag on the floor, she asked, “Are you really leaving Chicago?”

She watched as he nodded, but he stayed where he was, not making any move toward her.

“Yes, it’s true. I’ll be leaving in a couple of days.”

Shelly sucked in a deep breath, not realizing until that moment how much that admission was going to affect her. She felt like he had just punched her in the gut. Taking a step to him, she was a little shocked when he took a step back.

“What are you doing here, Georgia?” he asked her.

His face was serious and devoid of all emotions.

Swallowing deeply, Shelly turned away from him and looked around the living room.

“Where’s Mutley?”

He laughed and asked, “Really? You want to know where my dog is?”

Shelly turned back to face him, shaking her head. “No,” she whispered.

“Then what?” Josh inquired again.

Trying to find the courage, but not locating it anywhere, Shelly opted for evasive maneuvers.

“Well, I wanted to say goodbye,” Shelly rolled her eyes at herself, and then shook her head. “I’m doing a terrible job of lying, aren’t I?”

Finally, he moved.

He stepped forward until they were standing with only inches separating them.

Shelly looked up into his warm chocolate eyes and whispered, “I’ve been working on my brave face.”

Josh reached up with both hands and cupped her face. “It’s still pathetic.” He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. “What do you need to be brave about?”

He watched as she bit her lip, blinking those beautiful eyes at him.

“I wasn’t like this before you.”

Josh tilted his head and asked, “Like what?”

“Vulnerable. You’ve made me a walking bag of emotions!” she accused.

Leaning down, Josh laid his lips against hers in a gentle kiss.

Lifting his head, he told her softly, “But we were just a fling.”

She tried to shake her head, but with him holding her face, she could move it only slightly.

“You were never just a fling,” she whispered.

“Then, what was I, Shelly Monroe?”

She licked her lips and locked eyes with him. “You were a game changer.”

Shelly couldn’t believe what she had just said that to him.

What on earth am I doing?

Laying her heart on the ground is what she was doing. Laying it down and saying, Here you go, please tread carefully. She stared up at him, eyes locked with his. She saw sadness flicker into them before quickly disappearing.

“And what game are we playing, Georgia? Yours?”

Well, that didn’t sound good, Shelly thought as she pulled back. What did I expect? Well, she had expected…

“I thought that you wanted this?” She paused, pointing to him and then herself. “Us?”

She watched as he turned away, shaking his head. “I don’t trust you, Shelly.”

That hit hard. It actually physically hurt. “I don’t understand what you mean. I’ve never cheated on you or betrayed you.”

“Haven’t you?” he questioned, running his hand through his hair. Spinning back to her, he dropped his hand down by his side. “Didn’t you betray me and yourself when you reduced everything we did that weekend to a fling?”

Shelly stepped back until she bumped into the wall. “I was confused. I didn’t believe it could happen that quickly,” she tried explaining in a rush of air.

“Well, that’s convenient—for you. But me? I’m just thrown aside. Not trusted because an ex showed up?” he asked, moving toward her. “I’m left feeling like shit because you freaked out. And now that I’m leaving, now that I have my shit together and know what I want, you want to tell me how you feel? Jesus!” he ended on a loud sigh and pushed past her, storming into the kitchen.

Shelly stood with her back pressed to the wall, breathing hard.

Is that what I’m doing?It probably is, but screw that.

She was fighting for what she wanted. She was going to push all the sweet Jennys out of his mind and remind him who he met first—and that was Man-Eater Monroe. Delicious Daniels liked her. He couldn’t resist her.

Maybe she just needed to reintroduce them.

Josh stood in the kitchen, staring out the back window.

Mutley was outside running around, and he was in his house on this perfect afternoon with Shelly, confessing her feelings for him.

Of course, this is what he had wanted all along, but somehow, her showing up just because he was leaving pissed him off. He wanted her to turn up because she had realized every day would be better if they were together. Not because she was afraid that he was walking away forever. Shit, her timing is horrible.

“Josh?”

He heard her call from behind him. Turning, he saw Shelly standing at the door to his kitchen.

She had let her hair out of the ponytail holder and had kicked off her flip-flops, and suddenly, Josh was thrown back to months ago when he had first met this firecracker.

“What, Georgia?” he asked as he watched her look him over.

What the hell is the woman trying to do to me?

“Why are you angry at me? I just wanted to tell you how I felt before you left. You always tell me I never say what I’m thinking.”

He shook his head and watched as she pushed off the doorjamb, moving toward him.

“That’s the problem, Shel. You’re telling me because I’m leaving or because of Jenny.”

He watched her stop at that, and then she tilted her head.

“Are you and her serious?”

Josh almost lied. He almost said yes, just so he wouldn’t get pulled into her spell and be caught for the rest of his life. As he stood there with his ass leaning against the sink, he watched while Georgia walked toward him with those big eyes and her sexy hair spilling over her shoulders. And he thought, Fuck it. Sometimes a man has to know when to give in.

Shelly waited in the middle of his kitchen as he looked her over from head to toe.

He answered quietly, “Jenny and I only went on three dates.”

Something heavy lifted off of Shelly’s chest at that, and suddenly, she felt very confident. Continuing her walk across the kitchen, she stopped in front of him, reaching out to trace a finger down the white T-shirt he was wearing.

That was another thing she liked about Josh. He was such a simple guy when it came to the everyday things, but then again, he could afford to be because the man filled out a T-shirt and a pair of jeans like nobody’s business.

“Shelly?” he seemed to warn her.

Looking up at him with a raised eyebrow, she smiled wickedly, teasing a finger under his shirt down to the top snap of his jeans. She was thrilled when he uncrossed his arms and braced his hands behind him on the sink.

“Josh?” she asked in turn.

She watched his muscular chest expand on a deep breath.

“If we do this, you need to understand that I’m still leaving,” he explained.

That was not what she was expecting, but at this stage, she was willing to take what she could.

“Okay. Would you be open to email?” she asked him unexpectedly.

She was pleased when surprise crossed his face.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” he told her.

She continued to swirl a nail around the bare skin between his navel and the top of his jeans.

“Will you email me—stay in contact with me?” She paused, biting her bottom lip. “Or are you leaving and never coming back?”

Josh looked down at her, feeling every emotion he had tried to squash rush back in.

“I’m undecided at the moment, but yes, I’ll email you if you want me to.”

He watched as her eyes clouded, but she quickly blinked and nodded.

“I’d like that,” she confessed. She rose up on her tiptoes, placing both palms on his chest, as she laid her lips against his. “You know what else I’d like?”

Josh’s breathing was getting more and more labored with every word she spoke. “No. Why don’t you tell me?” he suggested, finally reaching up to grip her upper arms.

“I’d like to feel you inside of me again.”

Groaning low, Josh nodded as he straightened up from the sink.

Reaching into her hair, he pulled her face forward, pressing his lips to hers. She parted her mouth straight away as he slipped his tongue into the warm interior. He heard her moan and felt her hands move around behind his waist, landing on his ass.

Oh yeah, it’s been too long since I’ve kissed this woman.

As she pressed closer to him, he walked her backwards until her back hit his stainless steel fridge. Her eyes opened and focused on his as he reached for the hem of her shirt, tugging it up and pulling it over and off her head. Tossing it behind them, he then looked down at her beautiful breasts encased in a lacy yellow bra.

I’ve never liked that color so much, he thought with a smile.

Reaching up with both hands, he gently cupped and plumped them forward before lowering his head, biting at the straining nipple through the bra. A moan reverberated through her as he felt her hands come up and drag through his hair, gripping it tight.

Rubbing his tongue against the lace-covered tip, he’d finally had enough. He wanted her flesh. He reached up and slipped his fingers in the cup, moving the lace out of the way. Once the nipple popped free, he latched onto it with greedy lips, sucking the hard tip into his mouth. The scream that left her throat was deep and throaty, and as she flexed her hips toward him, he knew that she wanted this as much as he did.

“What, Georgia? Tell me what you want.”

Shelly tugged on Josh’s hair until he moved away from her sensitive nipple. She was standing in his kitchen in only her shorts and her bra that was now pulled down, and all she wanted was to be completely naked. Right now.

“I want you,” she panted.

“Well, that’s good because I want you, too.”

Shaking her head back and forth against the fridge, she told him, “I want you in me, over me, all around me. Now.”

He smiled at her and reached down to pull off his white shirt.

Shelly felt her mouth part, as her eyes traced every wonderful muscle defined on his chest. She wanted to lick and bite all of them.

He unsnapped his jeans, pushing them down his hips. All of a sudden, Josh—aka Mr. Delicious—was standing buck-ass naked in his kitchen in the middle of the afternoon.

Shelly licked her lips, lifting a hand to tug on her own nipple, as he stood there proudly displaying his own obvious attraction to her.

Holy shit! The man is hard.

His cock looked like an arrow that was pointing right to her. As she played with her nipples, he groaned, and she lifted her eyes from his hard-on to his face and smirked.

“You don’t even need me,” he told her as he stood a few inches away, watching her.

Shelly pushed her hips out as her back leaned up against the fridge, and she moaned while she tugged a little harder on the sensitive tip.

“Hmm, yes, I do,” she told him in a purr.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, stepping closer. “What for?”

Shelly let her eyes flutter closed, but when she felt big hands on the button of her shorts, they flew right back open.

“I need you to put that,” she said, pointing to his now weeping cock, “in here.”

Then, she palmed herself through her shorts, thrusting her hips forward.

Josh watched as Shelly played with her nipples while pressing her hand between her thighs, and suddenly, his control snapped.

Reaching out, he grabbed the hand between her legs, tugging her forward. Caught off-guard, she squeaked when she almost fell, but he was there to catch her as she stumbled.

He turned her around, pushing her toward the fridge. She was now standing so her breasts were pressed up against the cool stainless steel, and his hot naked body was pressed firmly against her back.

“Hmm,” he moaned, rubbing his aching shaft against the denim covering her ass. He leaned down and burrowed his nose under her ear, taking a deep breath. Ahh, apples. Reaching around her tiny waist, he slid his big hand down her shorts and into her panties. She groaned loudly as his fingers brushed past her hard little clit.

“Oh god,” she moaned, pressing her cheek to the fridge. “Just do it,” she told him boldly.

Grinding himself against her, he asked softly, “Do what, Georgia?”

She squirmed, pushing her ass back against him. “Put your damn fingers in me.”

Josh chuckled, loving this side of Shelly. She was so demanding and confident. She was never one to shy away, and she always asked for what she wanted.

“Not yet,” he told her.

Removing his hand, he unzipped her shorts, pulling them and her flimsy little yellow thong off of her.

If he hadn’t been so desperate to get point A—his cock—into point B—her wet, tight slice of heaven—he might have stopped for a minute to appreciate the little thong. As it was, all his blood was between his legs, and it wanted to start pounding something now.

As he looked at her creamy white ass now on display for him, he dipped his knees and stroked his erection up between her ass cheeks. He heard her curse, smirking to himself, as he did it over and over while he gripped her hips.

“Josh,” she groaned in warning.

“Yes, Georgia?”

She looked over her shoulder at him with her eyes clouded and dilated, her lips parting. She looked like someone who had been thoroughly fucked—or was about to be.

“Sometime this year, please?” She paused, pushing her hips back on him. “I never knew you were such a tease.”

Shelly was overheating.

She was burning up from the inside out, and Josh kept sliding his hard cock over her ass like he was going to start his own fire from rubbing wood—literally.

She was about to tell him to hurry up and get inside her when he pulled back and gripped her waist, tugging her over to the kitchen counter. Bending her forward so she was half lying on the cool granite, she felt his large hard body mold to hers from behind.

“Now, Georgia, you might want to reach across and hang on.”

Feeling her own juices dripping down her thighs, Shelly knew she was more than ready for a good pounding.

It had been weeks, no forget that, months since she’d had good hot sex, and it had been with this man. As she felt his throbbing tip brush against where she was aching, Shelly reached across the counter and held on tight.

Josh gripped Shelly’s hips, lining himself up, and then he thrust deep inside where she was hot, tight, and oh, so wet. She felt like every fantasy he had ever had, and as she moaned out loud, she also sounded like it.

Bending over her so his chest was touching her back, he gripped her small hips and started to flex his own, burrowing his cock deeper inside her.

He felt possessive all of a sudden, like he wanted to mark her, imprint himself on her, in her, wherever he could.

As he pistoned his hips back and forth, he leaned down, whispering in her ear. “God, Shel, how could you think this is anything other than fucking perfect?”

He heard her cry out, feeling her push her hips back to him, as he felt a deep chuckle leave his throat from the sheer animalistic nature of the act.

He had never been so rough or so forceful with a woman, but as she pushed herself up with her hands, arching that beautiful back toward him, Josh couldn’t help but lean down and bite her shoulder.

Oh fuck! Shelly thought when she felt his teeth in her skin.

He was fucking biting her, and she was loving it. She lifted herself up, using her hands to brace herself, as she slammed back against him, feeling his cock drive deeper inside her.

“Fuck, Shel,” he moaned.

Then, he wrapped one arm around her waist and really started to move. In and out, his hips bumped up against her ass with every forward stroke. As he leaned down, he growled in her ear.

“Nothing ever feels as good as being buried deep inside you while your hot little pussy squeezes me every time something excites you.”

Shelly clenched, and Josh cursed.

“Apparently, you like it when I talk dirty, hmm?” he murmured in her ear. “Hold on tight, Georgia. I need to get deeper.”

Shelly almost came right then.

Good God, the man has a dirty mouth on him, and she had to admit that she didn’t mind it one bit. Usually, she was the one who had to hold back, but when Josh pushed gently on the small of her back and she found herself with her cheek against the cool granite counter, she knew he was her exact match.

“Now, Josh. Oh god,” she groaned, needing completion.

She felt him flex his hips, his hands gripping hers on the counter. After three strong thrusts, he leaned down and kissed her ear gently.

Whispering, he confessed, “I knew from the very first moment that you would change me.”

He sucked her lobe and continued to move harder inside her. As her breathing quickened, she turned her head, and his mouth found hers. He kissed her hard, thrusting his tongue deep inside her mouth. As she felt him tense behind her, flexing once more, she fell apart, body and soul on his kitchen counter.