Hidden Depths (10 page)

He chose a seat next to Blake and Dev on the far side of the
table, that way he had a perfect view of the door. They all ordered more drinks
from the waitress and the normal chit chat resumed.

When the drinks came, Josh picked up his beer to take his
first sip just as Blake lifted his chin and nodded towards the door.

Gia was here.

He stopped with the glass halfway to his lips, looking her
up and down. Her black hair was in its traditional braid, her highlights
glowing in purple streaks woven through it. Purple... just like his dream. She
was wearing one of those skirts that damn near killed him. A black and white
plaid, school girl skirt that was short enough it barely covered her ass. She
had on thigh high black tights with a tight red T-shirt that hugged every
curve. The front of the shirt said "PEACE" with little skeletal
fingers in a peace sign below it. Her shiny red Doc Martins completed the look.
Josh was pretty sure this particular outfit had been chosen specifically to
drive him out of his mind.

When Blake elbowed him, he cleared his throat and took a
long, deep pull of his beer, wishing it was something stronger.

Making her way to the table where her friends sat, Gia
couldn't seem to stop her racing pulse. She didn't know if it was from nerves
or excitement, or maybe some blend of the two. She saw Josh, dressed in a
T-shirt rather than work clothes, and her heart rate sped up a little more. Her
mind immediately jumped to stripping it off and admiring what she now knew was
underneath. Then she saw Deb watching her and her heart damn near stopped
completely.

Taking a big deep breath, she forced a smile on her face and
took the only remaining chair at their table. Right next to Deb, with Dev on
the other side and Josh next to him. No, this wouldn't be awkward at all.

Once seated, she looked at Deb, watching her face to see if
there was any anger or blame. Deb smiled in greeting and seemed to be fine.
Maybe she didn't know about the kiss after all.

"The waitress was just here, but she seems to be moving
pretty quickly, if you want to wait. Otherwise, I would go to the bar to get
your drink, Gia," Deb said.

Deciding that was a good idea, Gia headed to the bar. She
definitely needed a drink tonight. When the bartender made it over to her, she
ordered a vodka tonic.

She felt Josh beside her before he ever spoke.

"Vodka tonic, huh? I thought you didn't drink? Or wait,
is this one for me too, so I can sneak sips when no one is looking? In case you
didn't notice, I ordered my own beer tonight."

His voice was right by her ear, she could feel his breath
tickling her neck. Afraid to turn her head, she stayed frozen exactly where she
was.

"Nope, this one's for me. I don't usually drink, but
tonight it sounded good. I'm walking home, Josh, so no need to worry I'll be
drinking and driving. I will not be calling you to bail me out of jail, lawyer
boy."

Now his front pressed up against her back and he brought one
arm down beside hers, effectively pinning her against the bar. "I wasn't
worried about that at all Gia. Just wondering why. Are you a little nervous,
tonight? Or stressed about something?"

Gia tried to ignore the effect his nearness was having on
her body. She could feel the little shivers tingling from her neck all the way
down her spine, her nipples tightening and wetness pooling between her legs.
Her reaction made her angry. As if her body was somehow betraying her mind.

As the bartender placed her drink in front of her, she
plopped down a ten mumbling, "Keep the change."

Just as she was about to turn and tell him off, Josh
whispered, "You look amazing, by the way."

Suddenly his heat was gone. She spun around just in time to
see Josh sauntering back to the table. Yes, sauntering... cocky bastard!

Taking in a deep breath, Gia grabbed her drink and followed
him. She still wasn't sure if she was going to cuss him out, ignore his
presence completely, or beg him to kiss her. When she caught sight of Deb, she
decided ignoring him was probably the best course of action.

Chapter 12

One hour and two drinks later, Gia was happily
congratulating herself on her ability to ignore Josh. She had been chatting
with everyone, relaxing, laughing and having an all around great time despite
him sitting only one seat away. She still wasn't entirely sure what Deb knew or
didn't know, but she didn't seem to be upset with Gia either way, so she was
pretty sure their friendship would survive this. And she was glad. She really
liked Deb, regardless of their polar opposite personalities, and despite her
behavior to the contrary. She was also determined to stay away from Josh, just
to prove to Deb that she was worth the friendship. Gia didn't have a lot of
friends, so she valued the few she did have all the more.

As she ordered her third drink, she had a brief thought that
she should stop at two. Since she rarely drank alcohol, her tolerance was next
to nothing. Just as she was about to go find the waitress and cancel the order,
Josh leaned behind Dev and said, "Do you think maybe you've had enough to
drink, Gia?"

Having him ask that just plain pissed her off. She knew it
was a childish reaction, but she couldn't seem to help it. "No, Josh, I
don't think I've had enough. And I'm fairly certain that is not your call to
make."

Josh opened his mouth to say more, just as Dev leaned back
in his chair, effectively cutting him off. Gia couldn't help the little smile
that lit her face. She was still smiling when Dev turned to her and asked,
"Hey, Gia, how about a dance?"

Letting the smile get bigger she nodded, "Absolutely.
Let's go."

As she got to her feet, she felt a little wobbly, falling
sideways into Dev.

"You okay?" Dev asked.

"Yep, I'm good. Those vodka tonics pack more of a punch
than I thought they did." Shaking her head a little to clear it, she
smiled again. "I've got it now. Let's go."

Josh watched them go, jealousy settling like a fist in his
gut.

Not only was she dancing with Dev, but she was drunk and
dancing with Dev. Dev, who seemed to flirt shamelessly with every female within
his line of vision.

He managed to grunt out a few comments, even laughed at
something Kelly said, but he couldn't seem to drag his eyes away from Gia.
After awhile, Blake must have noticed, because he leaned over to say, "Why
don't you just go out there and cut in. Dev won't mind. He's just having
fun."

Josh turned to look at his long-time friend. "That's right...
Dev being here is all your fault, isn't it. And here I thought you said he was
a nice guy."

Blake laughed, "He is a nice guy."

"Then why hell does he have his hands all over Gia?
He's a nice guy that's never heard of the bro code?"

Blake laughed again. "His hands aren't all over her
dude, they're just dancing. And, it's not like you have any claim on Gia. Until
a few weeks ago you were engaged to Deb, remember?"

Josh rubbed his hands over his face and straight through his
hair. "Damn it. Yes, I know. I just can't seem to get my head on straight
right now. Watching him dance with her, I just want to rip his damn arms off
his body."

"So, why don't you go dance with her yourself? It would
be just the two of you. Might give you a chance to talk to her alone. Or, kind
of alone anyway."

Josh tossed his head to the side, indicating Deb. "I
don't think it's a good idea. I'll go try to catch Gia at work again tomorrow.
See if her guard dog is off duty."

"Her guard dog?"

"Oh yeah. Trust me, it's an appropriate description.
He's a new artist she hired for the shop. He's this giant, muscle bound tank
that seems inclined to keep me away from Gia."

"Guard dog, huh? Well, in that case you should
definitely go dance with her. Might be the only chance you get."

When a slower song began, and he saw Dev's hands cruising
south toward her ass, Josh was out of his seat like a shot, heading over to
break up the 'happy couple'.

"May I cut in?"

When Gia looked up and saw it was him, she answered
"No", at the same time Dev said, "Sure."

Grabbing her before she could walk away, he pulled her
close, pressing her body tightly against his. When he felt her start to pull
away, struggling against the hold of his arms, he leaned forward and whispered,
"It's just a dance, Gia. Where's the harm?"

The squirming stopped, replaced by stiffness. But at least
she wasn't trying to escape any more.

"I wanted a chance to talk to you. I want to
apologize... again... for not calling. I can't say enough how sorry I am."

"Yes, you mentioned that the other day."

"I know. I just wasn't sure if you actually listened. I
meant to call, Gia. I just needed to clear the air with Deb first. After what
happened between us, I needed to officially end it with her."

"No, Josh, you didn't. What happened with us should
never have happened. It was stupid, and I'm sorry I let it go that far. It's
been a while since I've been with someone, that's all. It was a simple reaction
to being touched. A mistake. It won't happen again."

"So, you're actually saying that it was just a heat of
the moment thing? A one time, never to be repeated mistake. You feel no
attraction to me whatsoever?"

"That's right. That's what I'm saying."

Her voice was breathy even through the noise of the bar. He
took one hand and lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.

"Bullshit."

A quick look of shock registered just before her gasp. He
saw her open her mouth to argue, and knew he had mere seconds before she left
to go back to the table.

"Just give me one dance, Gia. One slow song, and if you
still feel nothing, I'll let it go. We'll just go back to being friends.
Deal?"

"One dance, and that will convince you there's nothing
between us?"

He nodded and stood waiting for her answer. Josh didn't even
realize he was holding his breath until he saw her silent nod and it whooshed
out on a sigh. He quickly danced his way to the other side of the floor, away
from the prying eyes of their friends. As the next song began, he was thrilled
to hear it was another slow song.

Josh pulled her closer, thrilling to the feel of her body
against his. Until he realized she was still standing rigid, holding herself
stiff as a board.

"Come on Gia, if you're going to prove there's nothing
between us, you have to relax."

Slowly, as the music played, she loosened up. After another
few seconds, she was warm and soft, their steps beginning to merge into a
gentle sway more than a dance. Her arms came up and around his shoulders,
pressing her even more firmly against him. He could feel her little nipples
pushing into his chest, reminding him of the tiny silver rings she wore under
that shirt.

He couldn't have stopped either the groan or his growing
erection if his life had depended on it. Wrapping his arms even tighter around
her waist, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I meant what I said at
the bar. You look incredible tonight. You can't even imagine what kind of ideas
that little skirt is giving me. I keep thinking about what you might be
wearing, or not wearing, underneath it."

He felt more than heard her sharp intake of breath. He
nipped her ear, sliding his thigh a little further forward, pushing it between
her legs. "Are you going to tell me what's under there? Or should I check
for myself?"

He knew she was getting aroused when she didn't step away
from his leg, but rather pushed a tiny bit closer to him. His shaft jumped,
throbbing and pushing against his zipper almost to the point of pain. 

Someone bumped his elbow, a quick reminder that they were in
public. It briefly crossed his mind to back away, to end this before he pushed
it too far. To hell with it, he didn't care. He wedged his leg a little further
between hers, making sure it was pressed firmly against the juncture of her
thighs.

When she gasped again, rubbing ever so slightly against his
leg, he couldn't stop from asking, "If I slipped my hand under this skirt,
would I find you wet?"

Chapter 13

Gia gasped, the sound escaping despite her best efforts. She
could feel Josh's hard shaft pressing against her belly. Combined with his
closeness, his warmth, and that damn thigh pressing against her mound, Gia was
going crazy.

She had been ignoring him all night, but her traitorous body
had other ideas. From the moment she walked in and saw him, then having his hot
breath on her neck at the bar, she had been aroused. Almost painfully so. Now,
with his thigh pressed between hers, she couldn't stop the tiny little wiggles
as she rubbed against him, her body seeking what it needed despite the turmoil
in her mind. She'd had just enough alcohol that her thoughts were slow and
soft. She was sure it was the alcohol...it couldn't be desire. Whatever it was,
the thought that she should stop this was fuzzy and distant, being overwhelmed
by the need she felt.

When his hands slipped down from her back to settle on her
ass, the heat searing through the thin cotton of her skirt, she moaned,
grinding against his leg.

"Josh, stop. Someone could see us."

He leaned into her ear again, "There's nothing to see
Gia. We're just dancing. Relax and enjoy."

He nipped again, the little bite on her neck sending another
round of tingles through her body, heat zipping right behind it to settle
between her legs.

This time, the rush of wetness was enough she was sure it
would soak through her panties.  His hands gripped harder, pulling her slightly
up and tighter against his leg. The extra pressure against her already engorged
clitoris dragged another moan from her lips.

"Fuck Gia, you are wet. I can feel the heat against my
leg, even through my jeans."