Josh's Challenge Read online

  He looked down at himself and asked with mock confusion, “What? This isn’t what you were expecting? I’ll try not to be insulted.”

  Her eyes flashed up to his as redness stained her cheeks. Still she said nothing. Talking was overrated at a time like this, anyway. Slowly, he put his hands to her knees and drew them apart. He slid his hands up the inside of her thighs. So soft, so warm, and she was so ready. He climbed back onto the bed and didn’t stop heading north until his body was cradled by hers. When she wrapped her long, silky legs around his hips, his blood heated to an unholy temperature and he lost his usual skill and finesse. When her sweet mouth attached itself to his neck and her small hands did their own exploring, he groaned and hugged her body to his. He’d wanted her for so long.

  She ground herself against him, making his plan to be careful dissolve into nothing. He reached down to her core and found her hot and wet, one finger slipping inside with ease, small and tight. When he tried for a second finger, she tensed. The fog cleared a little as he realized he’d been right. The knowledge humbled him at the same time it amped up his need to claim what she was so freely giving to him.

  “Melissa, Melissa,” he whispered as her breathing increased and she ground herself into his hand. He replaced his hand with himself and looked into her eyes. “I love you,” he said and then slammed home.

  If the unmistakable pop hadn’t jerked him back to reality, then Melissa freezing in pain did. The confirmation of her virginity shocked them both. He raised himself onto his elbows and stared at the woman he loved, the woman who’d just given him everything. Her face was turned to the side, eyes pinched closed, and her teeth bit into her bottom lip. He put his forehead to her temple and tried to slow his breathing. Other than that, he didn’t move an inch.

  “Are you still with me?” There was no use discussing the obvious. She’d been a virgin and hadn’t told him. What wasn’t clear was whether she was injured. “Did I hurt you, love?” A tear slipped from the corner of her eye and his heart broke. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

  But when he tried to move from her body, she squeezed him tight, trapping him with her legs. “Please don’t stop, Josh,” she whispered. “Please…just don’t stop.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Finally looking at him, her deep purple eyes luminous in the fading sunlight, she ran her fingers through his hair and brought his mouth to hers. He loved it when she touched him, and he once again stirred inside her. She hissed in a breath and said, “I’ve never been more sure of anything. Please don’t stop loving me now.”

  “Never,” he promised. “I’ll never stop loving you.” Slowly he began to move. He watched her closely, making sure that he wasn’t hurting her. He kissed her, caressed her, and as their bodies moved together, he patiently waited until her breathing sped up again and she began to match him thrust for thrust. A fine sheen of sweat began to coat her brow, her neck. He couldn’t resist licking it, tasting her. He felt her passion grow, and when it finally crescendoed, he let himself go. “Melissa, oh God, Melissa!”

  Arms giving out, he fell lifelessly onto her still-panting body. He nuzzled her neck, relishing the essence that was uniquely Melissa. He kept her close, not wanting to lose their precious contact. She was still holding him, calm and content.

  He was absolutely spent.

  Shifting to her side, he ran his hands along her face, wiping the damp hair from her temples. She was beautiful and she was his.

  “You’re incredible, you know that?”

  “So are you,” she whispered tiredly before her eyes slipped shut. He watched as her breathing evened out into sleep.

  Incredible. Breathtaking. Earth shattering. It had been a long time since he’d taken someone’s innocence. Taking Melissa’s brought out a possessiveness he’d never known existed. He was hers and she was his, even if she hadn’t returned his admission of love, but she’d given him something that he could never give back. At the very least, she trusted him, but why hadn’t she told him? He could only pray that she felt the same way because if he had this all wrong, he didn’t think his heart would survive the blow.

  MISSY WASN’T ALONE in her bed. She was on her side facing the window with Josh plastered to her back. His cologne floated around the room while one of his hands coasted down her hip, swirled around her bellybutton ring, and then swooped down between her legs.

  “Oh God,” she moaned as his magic fingers began casting the spell that had kept her from getting any sleep last night. “I don’t think I can,” she whispered.

  His chuckle tickled her ear. “Sore?”

  “M-hmm,” she murmured as her hips swayed to the rhythm he strummed, belying the denial she’d just given. He knew it, too, the wretch.

  “Tell you what,” he said as he rolled her to her back, his fingers not skipping a beat on the instrument they were playing. “Just lie still for a minute and let me do all the work.” He tickled her lips with his tongue, cutting off her excuse that they should get up. Half an hour later, she didn’t care if they ever left the bedroom.

  MISSY WIPED THE steam from the mirror and tried to concentrate on her hair again. She didn’t look any different than she had yesterday. She had the same tanned skin with freckles scattered over her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were still a weird shade of blue that changed with her moods. They were deep purple this morning. Her hair was the same plain-Jane auburn it had been her entire life. She ignored her insecure thoughts, concentrating instead on weaving her boring hair into a single French braid down her back. Water dripped to the floor as she twisted three sections into the complicated plait. She picked up the towel to wipe the ever-forming steam from the mirror again.

  “Can you hand me a towel, babe?”

  Josh had finally shut off the water and opened the shower curtain, blasting the mirror with steam again. He was gloriously naked and wet, his big hands smoothing back his overlong hair from his face. She handed him the towel and stared in awe. His muscles moved seductively as he dried his face and his tattooed torso, then headed south. Her eyes followed that lucky towel before he wrapped it around his narrow hips. Lost in indecision, she wasn’t sure if he looked sexier with or without that damp bit of cloth slung low around him.

  “If you keep looking at me like that, you’ll never make it to the clinic on time,” Josh warned, interrupting her lustful perusal.

  “Fine,” she said, pouting. “I’ll just have to dream about you all day.” She slapped her hand to her mouth.

  Holy hell, where did that come from? She cringed as his face split into that wicked grin he was so well-known for, and he threw his head back and howled with laughter.

  “I should’ve gotten you into bed sooner, Melissa. I like it when you talk dirty.” The towel around his perfect body was beginning to tent.

  Now red-faced, she opened the bathroom door and skedaddled down the stairs to the kitchen like a ninny.

  Honestly, his stamina was astounding.

  It was early, and she assumed that Angelica was still upstairs. She’d been too preoccupied with Josh the night before to hear her roommate come in from her shift at the hospital.

  God, she hoped she hadn’t made a lot of noise. How embarrassing. Speaking of which, she couldn’t get Josh’s look of surprise at discovering her secret out of her mind. He hadn’t commented on it this morning, so maybe it wasn’t a big deal to him and he’d leave the matter alone. It was her business anyway, and she didn’t want to discuss her lack of a love life with anyone, not even Josh. Maybe he hadn’t noticed. She continued to live in that fantasy until he entered the kitchen.

  “How does a beautiful, intelligent woman like yourself keep her innocence for so long? How is that even possible, Melissa?”

  He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and gently bit her neck, making her heart rate speed up. His unique scent overshadowed the flowery soap that he’d used in her shower. Maybe he didn’t wear cologne at all, and it had just been him all along? She didn’t know the answer to t
hat, but if she didn’t get a handle on things soon, they’d be rolling around on the kitchen floor, and she couldn’t remember the last time it had been swept.

  “Now who’s the one to keep us from work?” she asked.

  Again, he chuckled. “Who said anything about round…how many was that again?”

  God, he was naughty.

  She spun around in his arms and pushed him back to arm’s length. “Seriously, we are going to be late,” she scolded. “Do you want coffee?”

  “I want answers,” he said, leaning back on the opposite counter and crossing his arms over his muscled chest. Oh, that chest, with its ridges and bumps, tattoos that ranged from scary to funny, leaving her mouth watering and her body aching for more.

  “Stop that.”

  “Sorry!” She quickly turned around and poured coffee into two mugs. “Cream and sugar?”

  “Yes, please. And get on with the ’splainin’. I’m not leaving until you do.” He raised an eyebrow at her when she handed him the mug.

  “Fine. What do you want to know?” She left him standing in the kitchen alone while she began the process of getting Ginger ready to leave. Food, water, carrier, kitty toys…

  “Let’s start with, why me?”

  Was he serious? She couldn’t tell him that. She tried not to blush but wasn’t sure if she succeeded, so, taking a page out of her sister’s book, she brazened it out. “Why not you?”

  “Don’t screw with me, Melissa. What happened last night wasn’t casual and you know it.”

  Oh no. He was angry.

  “No one else has taken an interest in me in that way,” she mumbled. It was the truth, sort of. Harold had been interested in possessing her, but that wasn’t love, which is why she’d slapped him with the restraining order.

  Josh didn’t look satisfied, so she admitted weakly, “And I know last night wasn’t casual.”

  That seemed to appease him. He jerked her into his arms for another hot, deep kiss. “Not. Casual.”

  She smiled. “I gotta get going, Josh.”

  “I know. Here, let me help you.”

  As they gathered up her things, she wished she could tell him what last night had meant to her, but nothing came out of her mouth.

  He escorted her to the car, helping her get the cat carrier situated on the front seat while she climbed behind the wheel. She shut the door, and he leaned into the open window for a goodbye peck. “We’ll finish this conversation tonight.”

  “Fine,” she grumped before backing out of her driveway, knowing that she wouldn’t have anything brilliant to say tonight either. She gave one last look at Josh as he headed to his own townhouse wearing the same clothes he’d worn the day before. He tossed her that cocky grin before swaggering up his walkway. As she pulled away, she noticed the upstairs curtains in Angelica’s room above her garage fall forward.

  What’s with the sappy grin?” Jason asked while he instructed Charlie and Marco on what to do with the sofa. Jason, Julie, and the twins were moving into their new house today. A room had been built for Charlie, but Julie’s younger brother had opted to stay with James and Camille until he left for college. Josh was going to miss that kid in the fall, but meanwhile, Charlie and Marco were part of the moving crew.

  Josh set down Jason’s ottoman. “I’m just happy for you, brother.”

  “No, it’s something else,” Charlie said before he moved past him to the front door for more furniture.

  “He’s lovesick,” Marco said with disgust. “He looks like you did right after prom.”

  “I did not look like that,” Charlie argued.

  “Dude, the unicorns coming out of your ass were rainbow colored and spewing gold sparkles from their horns,” Marco said as they hopped off the porch and headed for the van. They were still bickering when they climbed inside to get the coffee table.

  “I swear, I think those two were brothers in another life,” Jason murmured. “Which brings me back to my own little brother. Spill it, Josh. Did you add another notch to your bedpost?”

  Jason was only kidding, but damn it, Melissa wasn’t another notch, and the jibe stung. He said nothing, hoping he wouldn’t lose his temper and that Jason would take the hint. His hope was for naught.

  “What? No sex-ploits, Josh? You must’ve lost your touch. Maybe you should just ask Melissa out instead of insulting the local ladies.”

  Josh shoved Jason against the wall, catching his badass brother by surprise. The big fat smirk fell off Jason’s face, giving Josh a bit of satisfaction. “Do not talk about Melissa like that.”

  Charlie and Marco walked in with another armload, still bickering about prom. They were followed in by James and Camille.

  “Good lord, what are you boys fighting about now?” Camille addressed the room at large with exasperation. “This is moving day, gentleman. Unless you all want to spend the rest of the afternoon helping me in the craft room, I suggest you all knock it off.”

  His father chuckled. Camille’s dictates were not to be ignored and they all knew it. No one wanted to spend time in her Room of Doom.

  Josh let go of Jason, whose smile spread across his face. “Sure thing, Mom.”

  “Sorry, ma’am,” Charlie and Marco said in unison.

  “That’s more like it. Now, let’s get the rest of the crew in here so we can get this place ready for Julie and my grandbabies, shall we?”

  Soon they were a well-oiled machine under Camille’s supervision, furniture and boxes being placed in the correct rooms as they went. She’d asked a few of her event volunteers to help with the unpacking, and by lunchtime the house was looking like a home.

  The next item Charlie carried into the living room was Jessica. “Come an’ get it!” she announced from the safety of Charlie’s arms.

  “Is Jujyfruit here?” Jason asked as he shouldered past them in the foyer to find his wife and kids.

  Josh followed his family outside to the picnic table he’d built years ago that still sat under the shade of an enormous cottonwood. Jason had opted to keep the tree in the yard instead of cutting it down. They’d trimmed it up quite a bit, but the tree still provided ample shade on a hot summer’s day. It would be haunting in autumn when the leaves turned gold.

  Lauren and a few ladies Josh recognized from church were setting up a buffet. Others had brought folding tables, chairs, and picnic blankets. Julie had left the twins in their car seats while Jason set up a portable playpen that would serve as a bassinet.

  “Where the hell is Jarod’s lazy ass?”

  Lauren grimaced. “He couldn’t make it. He said there’d been a body reported in one of the abandoned motels just outside of town.”

  “A body?” His mind immediately went to Melissa. How long had it been since he’d seen her? Six hours? Had she been lured out on a call? He reached for his cell phone and tapped out a text.

  “Don’t you think if something had happened to Missy, we’d know it by now? Marguerite would be on a warpath.” Lauren had finished setting out the food and was now standing in front of him with her arms crossed across her ample chest, emphasizing her growing belly.

  “Yeah, you’re right, Sassy. I just get…” he trailed off.

  “Obsessed?”

  He looked at her from under his lashes sardonically.

  “Concerned.”

  She sighed in sympathy. “Have you asked her out yet?”

  “Uh…”

  “Josh, you’re going to have to take control. Missy is a sweet girl and I know she likes you, but she’s just, you know, awkward sometimes. But once she gets to know you, she’ll be more comfortable in expressing herself.” She patted his back and went back to setting up for lunch.

  If she only knew how right she was, he thought as he made his escape. He didn’t want to discuss last night with his family. They didn’t need to know just how much he’d gotten to know Melissa, how comfortable she was with him. Physically. Things still weren’t settled between them. She hadn’t told him how she felt about hi
m, and as the day wore on it was starting to eat at his psyche.

  Once everything was set up, he fixed himself a plate and sat on the blanket next to his niece and nephews. Jessica was sitting cross-legged with a plate of macaroni salad, ambrosia, and half of a turkey sandwich. Though the sandwich looked small, when she picked it up, her little hands barely fit around the roll stuffed with turkey, cheese, lettuce, and pickles.

  “Need some help there, princess?”

  “Nuh-uh,” she said before she crammed a bite into her mouth. He watched closely for a moment, making sure she didn’t choke herself. When he was satisfied that she had her sandwich under control, he dug into his own meal. Of course, Julie had outdone herself. How she’d had time to prepare this much food with two newborn babies was beyond him. The woman was a genius.

  One of the twins cooed—Michael, he thought—and Josh made to pick him up.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Jessica warned around a bite of ambrosia. “Joojee don’t like it when ya pick ’em up without askin’ first.”

  Josh sat back, unsure. The baby looked fine, he wasn’t fussing, just looking around. Maybe he didn’t need to be picked up after all. Then Josh considered his niece. “Have you been helping with the babies, Jessica?”

  “O’ course.” She raised her eyebrow at him.

  Yeah, that was a stupid question. No wonder “Joojee” wants her to ask before she picks them up. He settled back down with his plate, content to sit next to the babies and Jessica in the shade of the cottonwood. Conversations took place around him, but he wasn’t interested in engaging with anyone.