Passionate Bid (15 page)

Was he wrong? “I think who ever showed you how to kiss was a bad tutor.” Joanie moved back her head an inch. Red hue quickly painted her cheeks.

“No one ever kissed me…before.”

“You”ve got to be kidding me?” He didn”t know what to think of her revelation, but one thing for sure—it made him smile. Why? He searched for an answer but failed to find one. “There must be something wrong with the men here in Bend. If—wait, did you say no one?”

“Yes.”

“Are you saying…we didn”t kiss that night in my room?

“No.”

And he hadn”t kissed her properly when the bushy eyebrowed priest said you can kiss the bride. Suddenly he didn”t feel like smiling anymore. He realized the humiliation he had caused Joanie. Damn, he”d been a cruel son of a bitch.

“I didn”t kiss you properly after the wedding, either.”

“No. I think your mind was somewhere else that day. Maybe you were thinking about finding a way to get out of our marriage. Or wishing for a miracle to happen. I-I understand though. Who would want to kiss a bride who looked more like a twig—hmm?”

He stopped her with a kiss. It could be the burgeoning urge to kiss her or guilt that drove him to tighten his arm around her waist and cup the back of her head, but whichever it was, he didn”t care.

Joanie”s soft body flushed against him felt so great. And her mouth—damn!

She tasted like honey. “I should have kissed you after we got married.” He dipped his tongue inside her mouth again. “Every bride deserves to be kissed on her wedding day,” he added in between kisses. Especially by her groom.

Joanie moaned. Her tongue touched the tip of his and then began sparring with him. A quick learner.

“And I should have kissed you when I took your virginity. I would have known then how good you tasted.”

“And I would have known how good it was to be kissed,” she said when he left her mouth to suck on her neck.

“Yes, it is good.” Bending his knee a bit to align his body with hers, he grounded his hips to feel her pubic mound. “God, you feel wonderful.”

“Julian…Oh,”

Wedging his knee in between her legs, he gripped Joanie”s ass and pulled her up. She felt hot against his thigh. With both hands, he cupped her firm round ass. He began rocking her hips.

Joanie whimpered and moved her body on her own.

“Yes, rub it like that. Hit the right spot.” Unable to stand it, he pulled her shirt over her head and exposed her breasts. Just as he”d thought—they were beautiful with rosy areolas and big nipples. He cupped her breasts and massaged them while devouring her mouth.

The tightness of his jeans was so uncomfortable he wanted to unbutton his fly and whip out his hard dick. But not yet. He wanted Joanie to take control, enjoy the foreplay, which he was sure hadn”t happened during the first time he had her. Tearing his mouth from Joanie”s unbelievably sweet one, he followed the length of her neck, bit lightly on her soft skin and enjoyed the soft moan that came out of her mouth.

“Julian, this is so good.”

“Yes, I know. And there”s more.” He supported her as he leaned her back a bit. His mouth didn”t leave her skin but continued to taste and leave a wet trail of kisses all the way down until he reached her hard nipple. “Beautiful.” He licked the taut nipple over and over until it shone from saliva. The sight only heightened his need. Opening his mouth, he captured the erect nipple and sucked it hard.

“My God, Julian.”

Joanie”s hips were moving in a thrusting motion, rubbing her pussy hard on his thigh. She”d be sore if he didn”t help her. He snaked his hand inside her sweatpants and didn”t stop until he reached the top of her mound. Only then did he move his thigh in between her legs. “Julian, oh my god.”

“Hmm, you”re close, babe. You”re going to have your orgasm.” Joanie moaned. Pure undulated pleasure registered on her face. Not only was she a natural beauty, but also an unpretentious woman. Her uninhibited side aroused him. He was close to ejaculating inside his pants, but he had to control himself. He”d give Joanie what her body screamed for. Pressing the tip of his middle finger on her clit, he rotated it.

Joanie panted. She was nearing her peak. A thin sheen of perspiration appeared on her upper lip. He leaned forward to lick her mouth the same time he plunged two fingers inside her tight pussy. She was so damn tight and hot. And he was having a great time.

“Oh God, oh God. Julian…”

“Yes, babe.” He continued to finger fuck her until he felt her contract. With his fingers inside her vagina, he pressed his thumb against her clitoris.

“Julian! Julian!” she screamed and convulsed against his arms.

He covered her mouth to swallow her screams.

Vaguely, he heard his cell phone ring. He ignored it.

With his heart beating against his ribs, he held Joanie tight. Her heart, too, was pumping so fast. “Are you alright?”

“Yes. For a moment, I thought I”d died and gone to heaven.”

“Well, you did go to heaven. Now you”re back. ” He wanted to stay the way they were until her heartbeat slowed down, but his cell phone kept intruding. He reached in his pocket and checked the LCD display. It was Georgina.

“You need to get that,” Joanie said as a statement rather than a question.

“No, I can call back later.” He kissed her before handing her the shirt. “Let me help you.”

“No, it”s okay. Answer your phone.”

Joanie stepped out of his embrace. She gave him a smile, turned around, and walked out of the kitchen. He waited until she was out of sight before he flipped the cell phone open.

“Hey, what”s up?”

“What”s up? What happened to, „hey, sweetheart?” ”

“It”s been a month, Georgina. Last time we talked you”re not my sweetheart anymore.”

“I know. It was bad of me to imply that. Sweetheart, I”m still yours. Body and soul. Guess what?”

“What?”

“I came by to your apartment today and read to Grandma this afternoon.”

“Really? Thanks. Bet she loved that.”

“Will you forgive me for giving you a hard time about your wife and for leaving?”

“There is nothing to forgive, Georgina.”

“Oh, you are so wonderful! I love you and I miss you so much. You know what?”

“No. What?”

“I”ll be in your bed when you get back. I can”t wait to see you.” Julian didn”t know what to make of Georgina”s statement. “I”m still married, you know.”

“I”m aware. Ricky told me, but I don”t care. I realized that you deserve another chance. Besides, you promised that you would make your wife sign the papers. I”m bending my rules just for you, you know.”

“Thanks.” Hey, what else could he say?

“Ricky told me about your daughter.”

Julian combed his hair back. Before Georgina left him, he kept promising that he”d be back as a free man. Now, she wanted him back, which should make him feel happy. But didn”t. Right now, all he wanted to do was follow his little wife who fell apart in his arms a minute ago. How could this happen so fast? What’s wrong with me? Did Bogart hit him in the head with the bat and didn’t feel it? “Yeah, Sam. She”s turning four in two weeks. She”s a beauty.”

“I”m sure. How”s your day?”

“Busy. Yours?”

“Lonely. But Ricky came over this afternoon and kept me company. So your wife hasn”t signed the papers, huh?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Awww…poo. I was hoping to celebrate our engagement next week.”

“Engagement?”

“Yes. Once your stubborn wife signs the papers, I know you”ll ask me to marry you, so I went ahead and told my friends to expect an engagement party.

You said you will make her sign.”

Julian pinched the bridge of his nose. In such a short time, Joanie managed to make him forget about Georgina. What happened to his bravado, eagerness, the in-and-out theory? Caput. They went pfft like a balloon because he looked at Joanie”s ass. Damn, what a fucker I am.

He went to the Pink Mermaid with the purpose of offering Joanie to cut her a check in exchange of her signature in mind. To end their marriage sooner just as Rick had suggested. But his mind changed when he saw her dancing on stage wearing a skimpy outfit, looking so delectable and moving so sensually she could raise any man”s dick. Seeing drunken assholes throw money at her feet, hooting obscene words as if she was an indecent woman cemented the idea that he would not let Joanie work in that bar again or in any bar for that matter. Estrange or not, she was still his wife and he”d protect her.

Protection. That he could provide. Julian thought for a moment. Protection?

He just seduced Joanie in her kitchen. I’m such a hypocrite. Shit! If truth be told, he didn”t want other men ogling Joanie because he wanted her for himself. He touched her like a husband exercising his right. And holy hell, he wanted to do it again.

There was something about Joanie that set her apart from the rest.

Innocence. Unpretentious. Uninhibited. Inexperienced. Qualities that oozed naturally from her being.

“…come back soon,” Georgina was saying.

Julian pulled his thoughts together. “Georgina, I”m gonna be staying here longer than I thought. Didn”t Ricky tell you that?”

“What?” Georgina whined the word.

“Yes, I want to get to know my daughter.”

Georgina tsked. “Julian, don”t believe anything she said. You didn”t see her for years. Who knows, maybe the brat belongs to someone else.”

“Don”t call Sam a brat, Georgina,” he snapped. “She”s a smart and wonderful child. Not a brat.”

“Oh, I”m sorry. I thought brat means a child. I didn”t know brat is a bad word. Anyway, if she insists that Sam is yours, have a DNA done.” Joanie wouldn”t let Sam wear his wedding ring, which he kept in his pocket since he took it, if Sam wasn”t his. If Georgina could see Sam, she”d be able to tell, just by looking at her dark blue eyes, that she was a Ravenwood.

“I believe she”s mine, Georgina.

“Make sure you really are the father, Julian. Your wife could be using the child to get money from you. Ricky should go there to help you slap her with…cases and lawsuits and whatever.”

“I already talked to Ricky about that. Thanks for the concerns, Georgina.” There was a long silence before Georgina spoke again. “Well, I trust you, sweetheart. Maybe you”re right. Is she a beautiful child?”

“She is beautiful. We have the same blue eyes.”

“Oh, Julian. That is great. Good thing she didn”t inherit her mother”s eyes.

You said Joanie had bug eyes, right?”

He imagined Joanie”s passion coated green eyes. No, they were far from resembling a bug”s eyes. They were beautiful. Round and clear with thick eyelashes that could be mistaken for a fake kind Georgina sometimes wore.

“Joanie”s eyes are dark green, the color of a forest.”

“Hmm. Sam. Beautiful name, especially for a boy. Tell me more about her.” Georgina”s comment annoyed the hell out of him. He shouldn”t say more about Sam, but knowing Georgina, she wouldn”t relent until she got what she wanted. “You really want to hear more about her?”

“Of course. If she”s going to be my stepdaughter, I should know her. Don”t you think?”

“Georgina, I don”t—”

“Aww, come on.”

What the heck? Where was the spark, the excitement, whenever he was on the phone with Georgina? Gone. It was as if they”d never shared many nights together. He really must have his brain checked. “Sam is turning four in two weeks. She loves hotdogs and butterflies. She”s always wearing pink clothes, allergic to insect bites and cashew nuts, loves butter and I love her. She”s the reason why I am staying here for two weeks, Georgina. She invited me to her birthday.”

“Aww…you”re going to celebrate her birthday. That”s sweet. Should I go there to celebrate with her?”

“I don”t think that would be a good idea.”

“Right. Wives are bitchy about their husbands” girlfriends. Do you think you could bring her here for a week or a month?”

“I doubt Joanie will allow that.”

“Hmm… sounds like she”s a greedy bitch. Play all your cards, Julian. Don”t let your unwanted wife take full custody of our Sam. Don”t let her fool you.”

“I think I was wrong about her, Georgina.”

“What do you mean?”

The snappy tone told him it would be best to keep his thoughts about Joanie. “Never mind. I”ll talk to you later.”

“I”ll be here waiting. When you”re done with your business over there, come home right away. I miss you. Do you miss me?”

Julian cleared his throat. Replying that he missed her as well would be a lie.

The moment he laid his eyes on Joanie, he”d thought nothing else but her. Not once had he missed Georgina. Crap. What would a smart man do in a situation like this? He took the safest route. “Yeah. Thanks, Georgina.” He listened to Georgina blow kisses through the phone and then hung up.

Damn! It was incredible how fates played on humans. Two days ago, he cringed at the thought of seeing Joanie again. Only yesterday, he was so adamant about seeing Joanie”s signature on the line. Now it felt like he had a bad indigestion whenever he thought about divorcing his wife.

Fuckin’ eh. This is unbelievable. I’m lusting over Joanie. That’s all.

He clenched his hand, feeling his fingers still sticky from Joanie”s juice. God, within a span of two days he”d become physically attracted to his wife, the woman he tried to forget, the woman who bore him a beautiful Sam.

Two weeks. He would spend two weeks to be with her and Sam. He”d focus his time with Sam. Perhaps that way, whatever spell Joanie had cast over him would disappear. When that happened, he”d go back to Manhattan, meet Georgina, spend a whole day with her in bed and rekindle their relationship. Then perhaps, he would forget about his green-eyed wife.

He was just suffering from great desire over an ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan. That was all. Maybe if he avoided touching her, he”d be okay.

The floorboard creaked above him. Julian looked up at the ceiling. Seconds later, he heard the sound of water running. Joanie was taking a shower. Blood pumped down his dick. “Maybe.”

“Bitch!” Georgina threw her cell phone against the wall. Parts of her iPhone flew everywhere. She didn”t care. Julian would buy her a new one. Oh yeah, if the bitch he called Joanie signed the damn papers, he”d beg her to come back to him and she”d get more than expensive trinkets from Julian. Listening to Julian, she could tell he”d gone cold on her.