One Last Call (18 page)

It was obvious she’d been staring at him. Josh was alone at his table. Sarah’s heart took off at a gallop.
Think! Try not to look like a weird stalker!
She panicked and pretended to read her textbook. Considering it was the first day of school, she probably should have opened it at the beginning and not halfway through the book. Maybe he hadn’t noticed. She turned pages, doing her damnedest to look studious and not like a lovesick girl.

The blood rushed to her cheeks in a flash of heat.
God, how embarrassing.
Flip, flip, flip…not staring at the new boy, just reading this engrossing chapter on…hell, she didn’t know. Was this her history text? He was still watching her. Sarah felt the weight of his gaze. Why wouldn’t he look away so she could breathe? Maybe she should smile at him and show him she was normal?

Sarah gathered her courage and glanced up. It wasn’t her imagination. Josh was still looking. He appeared completely focused on her as if he were waiting for something.
Now or never.
In a movement as scary as stepping off a cliff, Sarah smiled at Josh. His entire expression changed. Gone was the boredom and disinterest. Miracle of miracles, he smiled back. If she thought he was attractive before, Josh smiling at her was downright awe-inspiring.

She broke eye contact first and spent the rest of the period gathering her wits. After the bell rang, Sarah took her time collecting her books and notebooks, giving Josh time to leave ahead of her. She’d used up her extent of flirting knowledge with the smile. A game plan was forming. Maybe she’d try another smile on him tomorrow, possibly some more eye contact once she worked her way up to it again. If all else failed, she could slip an anonymous note in his locker telling him how cute he was.

Sarah never expected Josh to be leaning against the wall right outside the door. She’d hurried past him, heart thumping, feeling completely out of her depth. He caught her by the elbow before she could make her retreat. When she spun around, Josh watched her warily, probably waiting to see if she’d yank her arm away. Not happening.

This was the boy who’d made her stomach do flip-flops. He could hold on to her arm as long as he wanted as far as Sarah was concerned. He had nice hands. This close to him, she could smell the tangy scent of his cologne, or maybe it was his soap. Whatever it was, it was perfect.

“Hey there, I’m Josh. You’re Sarah, right?” When he said “right” it sounded like “rawt” with the drawn-out vowels. She loved his accent. She wanted him to talk some more.

“You know me?”

“Not yet, but I wouldn’t mind gettin’ there.” Then he flashed that knee-weakening grin he’d given her in study hall.

Josh had beautiful teeth.
Is that even the right adjective for a boy’s teeth?
Sarah couldn’t think of anything more masculine. They were straight, white, and beautiful, so that was that. She couldn’t seem to stop staring at his mouth long enough to form a reply.

While Sarah had been waxing poetic over his perfect teeth, Josh had taken her books out of her hands and stacked them on top of his. “C’mon, sunshine, I’ll take you home.”

Wait! What?
She was still stuck at the secret-admirer-note-stuffed-in-the-locker stage of their relationship. Adoring him from afar and all that. A ride home had skipped all the levels she’d been prepared for.

“What makes you think I’d go?” Brave words for Sarah.
Go her.
She set her hands on her hips and tried to look put out by his antics. Inside, she’d been doing a happy dance that he was interested in her.

He took in her bravado and feigned confidence and most likely saw right through her. “Simple. I’ve got your books. I saw how much you like to read.” Josh shot her that sexy grin again and off he went for the parking lot, ambling along like he had all the time in the world. The boy thought nothing of holding her textbooks hostage. What else could she do? Sarah followed him.

From that day on, he’d taken her home from school in his old black Mustang, sometimes with a detour to the Falls, and if Lucy got suspicious, a straight shot back and as much kissing as they could sneak in. That had been one of the happiest times of her life.

Sarah was still caught in her time warp when she opened her bedroom door, so it took her a second to realize that there was a man in her bed.

“Don’t scream, sunshine. You’ll wake up the neighbors.” Josh was reclined on top of her covers, bare feet crossed one over the other and his hands tucked behind his head. His black T-shirt stood out starkly against the pastel colors of her quilt. His faded blue jeans were slung low and outlined his lower half to perfection.

Sarah didn’t know what had her heart pumping faster, getting startled by seeing a man in her bed or the actual sight of that sexy man reclining on her bed like he belonged there.

“Josh?” Sarah hissed. “What the hell are you doing in here? How did you get in? You better hope my mom didn’t hear you!”

He sat up and ran his fingers through the short layers of his tawny brown hair before rubbing the back of his neck. “Am I the only one here havin’ déjà vu?”

“How did you get in here?”

His grin was anything but innocent. “You should lock your window, darlin’. Anyone could climb on in here.”

“What if my mom heard you? You could have woken her up!”

“Doubt it.”

“Why is that?”

“She’s not here.”

“She’s not?” So Sarah had been tiptoeing for nothing? “How do you know?”

“She’s still with my dad.”

“At this time of night?” Sarah felt ridiculous as soon as she asked the question.

“Yep. Guess they’re havin’ a slumber party.” He raised his eyebrows in innuendo. She ignored the images that volley brought forth.

“Then why didn’t you knock and come through the front door like a normal person?”

“I was feelin’ nostalgic.”

“You’ve never climbed in my bedroom window before.”

“I know. But I wanted to.” He held up a bouquet of wild flowers that were resting on the mattress next to him. “I got you replacement flowers since I threw away your other ones.”

That was beyond sweet of him. “Where did you get them?”

Josh lowered his gaze to the blooms. “I picked them. Sorry they’re not store-bought.”

“They’re perfect.”

“I don’t know what they’re called. I knew you liked the purple and pink ones. Remember when we used to walk around the lake and I would pick some for you?”

“They’re beautiful.” Josh got points for
not
bringing red roses. “Is that what you had to do?”

Josh rolled a shoulder. “I wanted to make you feel better.”

“You know what would make me feel better?”

He took in her charcoal gray and pink striped boxer shorts and matching tank. Her hair was still damp and brushed back from her bath. Josh’s eyes got caught up on her hardened nipples. “I know what would make me feel better. Get over here.”

“On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“I want a world-famous Josh Logan foot rub.”

“Darlin’, bring yourself closer and I’ll rub any part you want.”

SARAH
leaned back against the door to close it. She reached behind her and pushed in the button to engage the lock. The lamp on the nightstand didn’t throw off much light so the left side of Josh was cast in shadow. Before she went over to the bed, Sarah closed and locked the window, then drew the blind all the way down.

Josh piled pillows at the end of the mattress. “Sweetheart, come here. You lay down this way and I’ll show you what the fuss is all about.”

Sarah tried to slow her pulse. This scenario was straight out of one of her fantasies. She curled her toes into the carpet to keep from jumping on the mattress with him and looking like an overeager tart. He held a hand out to her. “Come on, Sarah. Let me make you feel good.”

Who could say no to that?
Not Sarah. She sat on the edge of the bed and swung her legs up until they were pointing toward the headboard. Josh took an ankle and pulled until she was flat on her back.

“What are you going to do?”

“Right now, I’m lookin’ up your shorts.”

“Josh!”

“Cute panties.”

“Don’t…” He took that moment to press his thumb into her instep. “…don’t stop doing that!” Sarah felt tingles rush from her foot all the way to, well, all the way to her panties. She closed her eyes and arched her back with the sensation.
Are there erogenous zones in my feet?

Josh tugged her a little closer until her foot rested on his chest. Both thumbs worked into her arch and pushed up toward her toes.

“Oh, my God. Oh, Lord. Oh, shit.”

Josh chuckled at her outburst. “Sugar, I haven’t even started.”

“Just don’t stop!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He repeated the maneuver, pushing into her arch with his thumbs and sliding up to her toes.

Sarah moaned. There was no stopping it. Zinging tingles kept shooting up her legs. “Where…oh…where did you learn this?”

Josh’s voice had gotten husky. “I had a lot of physical therapy. Have to say, though, I don’t think I liked it half as much as you are right now.”

His warm hands enveloped her foot, kneading sore spots and pushing erotic buttons Sarah never knew she had. Once she was a boneless puddle of goo, he switched feet and started all over again.

“Oh, my God!” Sarah slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from sounding like an overacting porn star. It was hopeless. She was getting wet from the best foot job ever.

* * * *

Josh had always known that Sarah was responsive, but when it came to her feet, she was one huge erogenous zone. He was hard as a rock listening to her little cries and throaty moans. Part of him wanted to get her naked and the other part wanted to see if he could get her to come just by rubbing her feet. He dug his thumb into her arch, and she lifted her hips. There it was. That was the spot that drove her crazy. He did it again.

Sarah’s nipples were pebbled up and straining against the thin cotton of her tank top. He wanted to get his mouth on them and suck until she called out his name. His mouth watered at the sight of her.

He set her foot down and stopped the massage.

Her eyes opened slowly. “Why did you stop? Don’t stop!”

“Take off your top.”

“But…”

“Take off your top and I’ll keep rubbin’ your feet. I want to see those little pink nipples you’re teasin’ me with.”

“Josh!”

“Do it, Sarah.”

It showed how far gone she was when she pulled the top over her head and tossed it at him. “There!” Sarah settled back on the pillows bare-breasted and glorious. Her golden-blonde hair fanned around her face and trailed over her shoulders. She pushed into his sternum with her heel.

Fair was fair. Josh pressed into her instep again and watched her back arch. Her breasts swayed with the movement. Her nipples looked impossibly tight. Sarah’s pink and gray striped boxer shorts rode low, and Josh could see the subtle points of her hipbones lift when her lower half did a small upward thrust.

The rhythm of her hips matched the circular sweeps of his thumbs. She grabbed on to the carved oak footboard over her head and held on.

Jesus Christ.
He was on the verge of climax from watching her bump and grind on the mattress.

“Feel good, Sarah?”

“Mmm.”

“Tell me, where do you feel it when I touch you here?” He pushed into that magic spot on her instep.

“Oh, God!” She’d started panting when he swept his thumbs up and pressed down again.

“I think you’re gettin’ wet for me. You know what I want to do?”

Sarah shook her head, eyes squeezed tight and body trembling.

“Darlin, I want to pull you on top of me and suck those pink nipples until they’re cherry red.” Sarah moaned. Talking to her when he touched her was a turn-on for Sarah. “Then, I want to slide those shorts off that gorgeous round ass of yours and feel all that slick heat between your thighs.” He moved his fingers up to her calves and then slid them back to her feet. “Baby girl, I want to feel all that heaven gripping around me, stroking me, clenching around my cock as I thrust harder and faster…”

“Oh, Josh. Oh, God.” Sarah’s entire body arched up and locked in place. Her breasts and belly trembled while she bit her lip and then gave in to her climax. She settled back on the pillows in a languid pose and opened her emerald green eyes, staring at him in shock.

“That really happened.”

“Sure did.” He slid a hand up her smooth bare thigh. “Want it to happen again?”

Sarah nodded and licked her lips. “This time, you take your shirt off.”

* * * *

Sarah didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or elated that she’d just come—and in record time—off of a foot rub. Make that a foot rub and verbal foreplay. Listening to Josh talk dirty would have sent her to the moon in and of itself. For the moment, she tabled that thought in favor of more important matters. Josh taking his shirt off. She raised herself up on her elbows to get a better view.

He grabbed a handful of fabric and pulled the shirt over his head one-handed. His chest was just as chiseled as it had been this morning. Tonight, she was going to take the time to enjoy it. Josh took her by the hand and pulled until she was sitting up. From there, she took the lead and straddled him. She felt the definite ridge of his erection when she settled on his lap. Feeling him press into her sensitized flesh was so right. It was perfect. This was the man who belonged under her body.

“What are you starin’ at, honey?”

“You.” She ran her hands from his broad shoulders, down the smooth, hot skin of his pecs, and along the corrugated muscles of his abs. He sucked in a breath when she got to his waistband. Sarah popped the top button, then continued her exploration north again. Her gaze settled on his left arm.

“Josh, shift toward the light so I can see your tattoo. I keep getting little peeks of it, and I want to know what it is.”

Josh squeezed his fingertips into her hips before letting go. He angled his torso so she could get a better view of the tattoo covering the muscles from his shoulder halfway down his arm.

“Is that…?” It was. It was a tattoo of the sun. The image was done in an intricate tribal style. Golden rays etched in black shot out in glorious detail. “It’s beautiful.” Sarah took a closer look when she noticed three letters woven into the center. “S.E.B. That’s…”