Entice (38 page)

“Cole!” Josh shouted out.

He watched as his friend turned slowly on his heel, and then he strode over toward the bar. There wasn’t a smile on Cole’s face, or even a grin, just a serious expression accompanied by a frown.

Mason had left a few minutes ago to go and socialize. Cole came over and took the seat beside him.

“Want a beer?” Josh asked.

“How about a cognac?”

Josh chuckled. “Of course.”

After putting the order in, he looked back to his lawyer and friend. “Another long day?”

Cole reached up and scratched his chin. “Yes. Very long and tedious.” He paused as the bartender passed him the lowball, and then he turned back to Josh and gave him a thoughtful look. “However, I think it just got interesting.”

Josh raised an inquiring brow. “Oh? Because of the party?”

Cole scanned the room, and then turned back to Josh.

Without answering Josh’s immediate question, Cole asked, “Do you know the three women who were over there?”

Josh stiffened, immediately feeling the ugly green-eyed monster creeping into his gut.

“Yes. Why?” he asked in a tone much shorter than he had intended.

Cole must have caught that because he turned narrow eyes on him, raising his glass to take a slow sip.

“No reason,” he told him smoothly. “I thought I knew one of them.”

Automatically, Josh started to think the worst until Cole continued.

“The one in black. She’s not there anymore.”

Suddenly, Josh’s heart slowed to a normal rate. “Rachel?” Then, he found himself laughing. “I doubt you’d know Rachel. She’s a pastry chef slash florist. Not really two things you have a lot of use for since you’re married to your job.”

Cole nodded slowly, tapping the side of the glass with his finger. “Perhaps I’m wrong.” He paused and then asked, “Maybe you could introduce me?”

Josh nodded, suddenly thinking this would be great. After all, look how good his set-up had turned out—well, almost turned out.

“Sure, let me go and get her.”

Cole nodded, and then muttered quietly, “I’ll just wait here.”

***

Shelly turned to Lena. “Okay, who’s the guy with Josh?”

Lena shrugged the best she could. “Why don’t you ask him? He’s coming over here.”

Shelly turned her head and saw that Josh was in fact making his way toward them. When he stopped, Shelly felt all the nerves from earlier come fluttering back.

Forget the stranger at the bar, here was her man.
The man I want to spend the rest of my life with.

“Hey there, Zuko,” Shelly sassed, trying to hide her nerves.

He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. “God, you’re sweet.”

“Hmm,” she hummed, and then asked, “Can we talk?”

Josh grinned against her lips. “I’d love to talk to you.” He paused. “But first, where’s Rachel?”

Shelly pulled back and told him, “She left.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. My friend, Cole, wanted to meet her.”

Shelly looked over at Peaches and widened her eyes in the universal sign of
holy shit
.

“That guy at the bar?” Shelly asked, turning back to Josh.

She watched him nod, and then he reached out to twirl her ponytail.

“Who is he?” Shelly asked before she lost all focus.

“He’s my lawyer and friend.”

“Oh,” Lena squeaked behind them.

Josh looked over Shelly’s shoulder.

“What?” he inquired.

“Nothing,” they both answered in unison.

So subtle.

Shelly knew that she needed to distract him from getting Rachel. For some reason, this Cole guy was determined to meet the Super Domme, and Super Domme wanted nothing to do with him.

Shelly stood and Josh backed up a little.

“So? Can we talk?” she asked again.

Josh nodded and held a hand out to her. Shelly gripped it and was about to walk away with him. Before she did, he turned back to Lena.

“If you get a chance, go ahead and introduce the two of them. I think Cole is interested. It’d be funny to watch.” Josh said to Lena.

Lena gave them a strained smile, and when Josh turned around, she looked at Shelly panicked. Yeah, Shelly heard her loud and clear.
That would be one big hell no
.

***

Josh had taken Shelly’s hand and tugged her into the newly renovated and empty space. He knew he had to leave soon if he wanted to make some good time tonight, but as he stood with her in the silent room, he was finding it difficult to walk away.

“I love you,” Shelly blurted out.

There was no gentle delivery and no build-up. Just straight to the point, like the bold, brave man-eater he had first met.

However, this time she was standing with her hands balled together in front of her in a dark room, illuminated only by the passing taxicabs.

She looked sweet, innocent, and full of the love she spoke, and Josh was trembling with how much he wanted to believe what she was saying.

Taking a deep breath, he took a step closer, reaching out to cup her face.

“Don’t play with me,” he told her as he looked down at eyes shining with nothing but pure emotion.

“I’m not,” she whispered, licking her lips. “I want everything you talked about. I’m ready.”

Josh shook his head, not believing he was finally getting everything he wanted. He stroked a hand down her neck and cupped the back of it, tugging her closer to lean his forehead against hers.

“You really mean it, Georgia?”

She blinked her eyes, and he felt her eyelashes against his skin. Then, she looked back at him.

“Every single word. I want everything you said you wanted. I want to wake up with you in the mornings and fall asleep with you every night. I want you to stay,” she whispered.

Josh felt his heart clench. “I still need to go back tonight, Shel.”

She stepped back from him and shook her head. “I don’t understand.” Pausing, she asked softly, “You still don’t believe me?” Then, she reached forward and gripped his hands. “Because I mean it,” she told him almost desperately. “I really mean it. With everything inside of me. Just thinking about you leaving...”

She sniffed a little, and he realized she was actually crying.

He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “You crazy woman,” he spoke against her head, hugging her tight. “I have to go. I have responsibilities. But, Georgia, I believe you.”

Pulling back from her, he tipped up her chin and wiped away a tear from her cheek. “Where’s your brave face?”

***

Shelly laughed a little and tried for a smile.

“Still pathetic,” he commented and leaned in to kiss her.

His lips were so sweet and so very gentle that Shelly felt her heart crack even wider when he pulled back.

“I need to go. But, Georgia, if you mean everything you said tonight—”

She nodded, confirming quickly, “I do.”

She watched as a big grin crossed his face.

He squeezed her hand. “Then, will you do me a favor?”

Shelly nodded before he even finished. He looked so sexy standing there, eyes and mouth smiling at her.

“If you mean everything you said tonight, next Saturday at 4 p.m., meet me.”

Shelly cocked her head to the side as he dropped her hand. She frowned at him. “Does that mean you’ll finally tell me where you’ve been staying?”

She watched as he walked backwards toward the door, and Shelly literally felt her heart gaping wider apart the further he moved away from her.
Saturday will take forever to get here.

“Where, Josh?” she demanded.

She almost afraid he would vanish before she knew where to find him.

Giving her the biggest grin she had ever seen, he shouted back, “Saturday! Four o’clock! Where I once wished for you on a penny!”

Shelly thought for a moment, and then gave him a huge grin of her own. “I’ll be there!”

When he reached back and opened the door, eyes still on her, he called out, “Don’t be late, Georgia.”

All Shelly could think was,
For once, I plan to be right on time.

Chapter Twenty-Six

November

It felt like a year had come and gone by the time Friday morning finally arrived. Shelly had been anxious ever since Josh had disappeared out the door Saturday night.

When Sunday evening had rolled around, Shelly was woman enough to admit that she had checked her email around twenty times.

Nothing
.

On Monday, after a shift that had dragged forever, she upped her email monitoring to thirty times before reminding herself that she was acting like a complete idiot.

The man had clearly stated he was going to meet her on Saturday, and just because he didn’t send her an email every night did
not
mean he had changed his mind. She needed to stop worrying, stop obsessing over what may happen, and just trust him.

“Hey there, Dr. Monroe.”

Shelly was standing just inside the doctor’s lounge, and when she turned, she saw Dr. Robert McKinney strolling in. He smiled in her direction, and then made his way over to the coffee pot. Shelly returned the smile and moved over to the doctor she now considered a kind and friendly colleague who she had
once
dated.

“Good morning, Dr. McKinney,” she told him as he passed her a mug of coffee.

“I heard a little rumor that you’re off to Georgia for the weekend.”

Shelly grinned over the lip of her mug and nodded, feeling her heart squeeze inside her chest.

“Yes, that’s right. I fly out at two o’clock.”

McKinney nodded, and then asked, “Going to see family?”

Taking another sip, Shelly lowered the cup to the counter and leaned against it. “Actually, yes and no. I’ll see the family while I’m there, but I’m going to meet Josh down there.”

McKinney frowned, and then almost like a light bulb went off, he nodded. “Oh, yes, Bob the Builder.”

Shelly laughed at that image, and then thought of Josh that one time she had seen him with a tool belt around his waist.

Hmmm, maybe I’ll have to get him to put that on again around his jeans, so I can get on my knees and unzip—

“Shelly?” McKinney interrupted.

“Oh, sorry. Yes, that’s him,” she replied, pulling herself out of her fantasy.

McKinney looked into her smiling eyes, and then gave her a huge grin. “It’s serious, isn’t it?”

As Shelly stood there, she thought back to the Halloween party and how Josh had smiled at her, telling her to come and meet him.
Meet him where he wished for me.

She felt her heart melt as she answered McKinney with complete certainty, “Yes. Very.”

***

Josh was exhausted.

It was Friday night, and he and his crew had been working around the clock. Although the project was nowhere close to being finished, he felt that they had definitely gotten things to a point that he was happy with. He had a couple of things to do tomorrow morning, but none of that came close to what he planned to do tomorrow afternoon.

He had to admit that not emailing Shelly all week had been something he was unsure of at first. Ever since he had originally moved away, he had made sure to keep in contact with her, usually every night, just so he knew she was always thinking about him. And, he also got a shot of adrenaline every time he opened his email and saw Dr. Shelly Monroe in his inbox.

However, this was different. He had laid down the rules this time, told her what he expected from her, and now, it was
her
turn to show up and follow through.

Josh only hoped she didn’t disappoint.

He looked around the cramped space he had lived in for the last several months.

If things go according to plan tomorrow, this will all have been worth it. If it doesn’t, this sad, lonely room will be a fitting place for me to bury my broken heart.

***

Saturday morning had arrived.

Shelly’s flight had been smooth the whole way through. Her father had been there to pick her up. This time around the drive back to the house was not in the least bit awkward,
and
they actually had a decent conversation. He’d asked her about work, how she was enjoying it, and then he’d even gone so far as to ask how she and Josh were doing.

Of course, Shelly wasn’t really comfortable divulging all of that, so she had just told him things were good, and then smiled and moved the conversation along. Dinner that night had been a civil affair as well. To Shelly, this was a huge step in the right direction because, for as many years as she could remember, their family dinners had always been awkward and strained.

As she climbed up into her father’s truck, she put it in gear and drove down the gravel driveway to exit the property. As she pulled out onto the main road, she was reminded of the day she had taken Josh down to her favorite place, her dreaming tree.

She glanced at the clock up by the rearview mirror and saw that it was just now 2:45 p.m. She had plenty of time to stop by the river and take a moment to work out everything she wanted and needed to tell Josh.

When she reached the exit, she slowed down and made the turn only to discover a huge red and white sign that read,
PRIVATE PROPERTY! NO TRESPASSING!

Shelly stopped the truck and hopped out, making her way to the now huge padlocked fence that was across the dirt road.

Well, shit,
Shelly thought. She tried to look down the road, but she couldn’t see anything. That was
not
the way she had wanted to start they day. The one place she had always found peace and solitude was now owned by someone who would never truly appreciate it.

Sighing and knowing there was nothing she could do about it, she turned and walked back to the truck.
Well, maybe it’s for the best anyway.
After all, it could be a sign that it was time to actually live her life and quit standing under a tree just dreaming about it.