Hidden Depths (30 page)

She kissed his chest, gently taking one nipple between her
teeth and pulling. His breath hissed out between his teeth. She pulled back
with a little lick to soothe his nipple, whispering, "I'm sorry."

He tilted her chin up to meet his eyes again. "Me too,
Gia. I'm so sorry. We should have talked about this a long time ago."

She was already shaking her head. "It doesn't matter.
We're here now."

God, he loved her. This time when his lips met hers, it was
with all the desire he had buried for the last two months.

His kisses turned fierce, finally letting out the fire she
had come to expect from him. The fire she needed.

Her body responded as if they'd only made love yesterday.
The last several weeks hadn't really happened, but had actually been just a bad
dream. She knew him, heart and soul. And this time, she knew he was truly hers.
He loved her and she loved him.

She let the desire replace the last vestiges of fear,
pushing them out so that she felt only him. Safe, warm, loved... and so needy.

He kissed down her belly, soft tender kisses, keeping the
pace frustratingly slow, despite her wiggles and moans of encouragement. When
his lips reached her core, parting her folds to pull at the little silver bar
he found there, her first orgasm rolled in, surprising her with its intensity.

He lapped at her wetness, tasting what he'd wrought with his
talented mouth, before moving back up to kiss her. She tasted herself on his
lips and tongue, just as he plunged into her.

His thrusts were slow. Long and deep, keeping the pleasure
on a slow burn rather than a raging inferno.

Every inch of her skin was covered by every inch of his. The
sensuality of touching head to toe brought a level of intensity that was not
better, but different than the spankings. She would be hard pressed to ever
decide which she liked better.

As she felt her sheath tighten, his pace suddenly ground to
a halt, only to resume in a burst of speed as he thrust into her, hard and
fast, sending her over the edge into her own pleasure as he released his seed
into her.

The words bubbled up inside her, needing to be released as
desperately as her body had needed his. "I love you."

He pressed his lips hard against hers, his thrusts slowing,
letting her ride out the last of her pleasure.

She'd said she loved him. While she was awake. His heart
soared at the words. He hadn't realized just how badly he needed to hear her
say those words until after she'd said them. Giving one last little thrust, he
looked into her eyes.

"Say it again."

She smiled, a secret laugh lighting her hazel eyes, looking
green after her tears. "I. Love. You." She punctuated each word with
a little kiss.

He rolled off her, pulling her into his arms to keep her
close, but not wanting to crush her with his weight.

"One more time."

Now the laugh bubbled over. "I love you, lawyer
boy."

He chuckled a little too, pulling her closer to kiss her
nose. "It's about damn time you realized it. I love you, too."

Another kiss, a little longer than the others. He ran his
hands down her sides, tickling her arms, teasing by one nipple.

Before he could think better of it, he said, "So, marry
me."

She froze, going completely still for a second. Just long
enough for Josh's heart to come to a stop.

She leaned up on one elbow, grabbing his chin and forcing
him to meet her eyes. "Are you serious?"

"I've never been more serious, Gia."

He watched the smile spread across her lips, now red and
swollen from his kisses not from tears. After just a second, she burst out,
"Then... Yes!"

Epilogue

Gia had been terrified of what Josh's family would think,
even going so far as to apologize to his mother that she wasn't 'tall and
blonde and perfect' like Josh deserved. His mother had laughed, hugging her
closely and telling her that since her son was finally happy, Gia was far more
than she could have ever wished for him.

It was the second time he'd seen Gia cry, only these were
tears of joy.

Josh had expected a little difficulty from his father,
seeing as how he was pretty sure that Gia wasn't in the 'plan'. He had been
absurdly shocked when his father had merely laughed and said, “It's about
goddamn time.”

Apparently his father had merely been waiting for him to
find his own path in life. Or, to 'show a little backbone' as he'd put it. After
a good laugh, and some good scotch, his father had told him that there was an
inheritance from his grandfather that had been set aside for Josh to use for
any business venture he chose.

His great great grandfather had never wanted any Taylor to
be stuck in the family business if that wasn't what they wanted to do. Now,
Josh was seriously considering becoming a prosecuting attorney. He and Gia were
still discussing it although she told him she would support whatever he wanted
to do.

Which is how they ended up with the honeymoon they had
planned.

Their April wedding had been beautiful. Gia had managed to
take a traditional wedding and still make it her own. Deb and Kelly had both
stood up with her, Blake and Scott standing for Josh.

She had looked stunning. Rather than try to hide her tattoos
she had worn them proudly, choosing a strapless dress with simple lines. No
lace or frills for this bride. She had even put her bridesmaids in red, to
match the streaks in her hair.

Now, as he waited for her to change out of her dress and
into something more casual to wear for their flight, he contemplated the
honeymoon.

He had offered to take her anywhere she wanted to go; Italy,
Spain, Ireland, anything tropical. She had opted for Las Vegas. Apparently,
there was a private club there that offered lessons.

Lessons in bondage. His Gia thought he might enjoy a little
peek inside the world of BDSM. She figured if he wanted to play, he should
really know how to play.

So, while their family and friends thought they were heading
off for a week of gambling, drinking and sunbathing, they were actually off for
a week of exploration. Courtesy of his new wife. 

He heard her heels click on the stairs and turned, his
breath catching at the sight of her. She was wearing one of those short skirts
he loved so much, a pair of tights and thigh high boots. Completely impractical
for a plane ride, but perfect for driving him crazy.

As she walked by, giving him a quick peck on the cheek
before wiping away the purple lipstick with her thumb, she smiled.

She leaned up to whisper in his ear, "The tights are
crotchless. Do you suppose the flight will be long enough we can join the mile
high club?"

On a groan, he adjusted his jeans trying to hide his
erection, before following her outside to greet the crowd of their friends and
family waiting to send them off.

     He was the luckiest man on the planet.

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About the Author

I am a wife of fifteen years to a Navy Chief. I am the
mother of two wonderful children, a boy and a girl. Generally that is about as
far as I get before everyone assumes they have me summed up. However, I am so
much more. While those two things have and continue to be the most important
things in my life, they are not the sum total of who I am. I am stubborn,
mildly OCD, sarcastic, stubborn, feisty, independent, a fighter, oh and did I
mention stubborn?

Throughout my life I have been many things. A daughter, a
girlfriend, a student, a business woman, a wife, a mother, all the things that
come with that title (taxi driver, housekeeper, diaper changer, caregiver,
toddler chef making everything from chicken fingers to mac and cheese, school
aide, tutor, football AD, and currently working my way back to swimming with my
daughter). Now, as I sneak up on forty, I am finally discovering who I want to
be for the rest of my life. According to friends, I am a goth hippie. While I
am truly neither of those, I probably have pieces of each. What I am is exactly
like many of you... A woman on a journey to self discovery, self satisfaction,
and joy. Writing brings me much of that and I look forward to sharing my books with
you. Take a few hours for a peek inside my mind...