Triple Shot (12 page)

“I’m staying at Rowan’s, that wouldn’t
be a good idea. We can go to your place or get a hotel.”

“My place is good,” she responded.

Josiah placed his hand on the small of
Erin’s back and led her to the bar. He couldn’t help but notice how differently
it felt, his fingertips not traveling the length of her spine as he had with
Susan, the desire to do so absent. He shook his head to push the woman out of
his mind. He came here tonight to relax, to find some action, and to forget
about Susan. Waving over the bartender so that he could close out his tab, his
cock pressed against the denim he wore as Erin’s hand slid down over his ass
while he signed off on the bill. They quickly navigated their way out to the
parking lot, Josiah informing Erin he didn’t want to drive after having the number
of drinks he’d had. She offered to drive, vowing to bring him to his car once
he sobered up. A quickie to release the ache in his crotch and he’d be done
with her, he thought.
Just one night,
became his mantra. He wasn’t sure
if it was to get him through what he knew he shouldn’t be doing or to remind
himself that he wasn’t looking for something long term just this one night. When
they reached Erin’s car, he walked her to the driver’s side ready to open the
door for her. She leaned her ass against the car, the buzz of the parking lot
lights the only sound as she pulled him into her. Lowering his head to hers, he
pressed his lips to her mouth. His left hand found the nape of her neck as he kissed
her with a bruising force. All the pent up frustration and need he had coursing
through his body came out in that kiss. Erin mistook it for passion, but in his
heart he knew there wouldn’t be the true passion he was sure he could have with
Susan. This night would be only about slaking his need to bury himself deep
within a woman. Pushing Susan from his thoughts, he ground his hips into Erin’s
as the kiss deepened. She moaned into his mouth then pressed the palm of her
hand into the bulge in his pants. God, it had been too long since someone other
than himself touched him there. He pressed himself into her hand harder,
wanting desperately to release himself here and now. As she rubbed at his
thickening cock, he pulled the hem of her shirt up, his hand sliding underneath
and finding her bare breast. Of course, she didn’t wear a bra. A woman like
Erin wouldn’t and at the moment he was more than thankful for it. Exploring her
mouth with his tongue, his fingers pinched her nipple then kneaded her breast
as she continued to stroke him through his jeans. He needed to find himself buried
deep within her core and he needed to do it quickly. Releasing her breast and
breaking the kiss, he quickly pushed her hand aside and pulled open the door,
ushering her in.

“In a hurry, are we?” Erin laughed.

Josiah didn’t answer. A conversation
with her wasn’t what he was looking for or intending to have during the night. All
he wanted was to bury his cock deep within the heat of a woman and Erin just
happened to be readily available.

Chapter 16

Susan sat at Rowan’s kitchen table
listening as Rowan made yet another feeble attempt to get in touch with Josiah.
She’d come over at eight this morning to hang out with Tessa and Madison while
the guys went surfing. Madison was finally feeling much better, able to go
longer periods without having to lie down and was up for some company. She
still wasn’t ready to sit out in the heat while the boys played, so they
decided that while the guys surfed, the women would have a chick flick
marathon. Only, apparently, Josiah had never returned last night after making a
trip to The Launchpad. Susan was certain he’d probably picked up some woman and
gone home with her, but Rowan and Cade reassured her and the others that Josiah
wasn’t that kind of guy. When she’d asked what they meant, both Rowan and Cade
in unison had responded, “The kind that picks up women at the bar.” Relief flooded
through her at their proclamation then she quickly squashed it. She didn’t give
two blows to the wind what kind of guy Josiah was or what kind of women he
would or wouldn’t pick up. At least that’s what she’d told herself for the
umpteenth time since she’d asked the question. As Rowan pressed the phone to
his ear and Tessa grabbed another cup of coffee, Susan found herself worrying
right along with the others though. According to Tessa, Josiah had never been
one to just not show up without calling.

“Damn it!” Rowan said as he tossed his
cell on the kitchen table and Susan watched as it skidded across and came to a
stop at the napkin holder. “If I hear that goddamn voicemail one more time I’m
going to do…I don’t know what. I swear I’m going to beat his ass if he isn’t
laid up in the hospital.”

“Rowan,” Madison’s voice was soothing. “Maybe
he did go home with someone. There’s always a first, right?”

Just as Rowan opened his mouth to
respond, they heard a car pulling in the driveway. All at once, the five of
them bolted to the front door, fear slamming into Susan as she brought up the
rear. For some reason, the thought of it being a police officer with bad news
flitted through her mind, but she quickly brushed it away. Had he been in an
accident and the worst had happened, no would know to come to Rowan’s. This
wasn’t Josiah’s place. He was only here visiting. As they all filed out onto
the porch, Susan heard a collective gasp as her feet hit the wood. She stepped
to the side of Tessa so that she could get a better look then anger and hurt
slammed into her chest so hard she almost lost her balance. Susan watched with
the others in astonishment as Josiah slid from the passenger side of Erin’s
blue mustang. Well, he just debunked Rowan and Cade’s theory that he never
picked up anyone at the bar. Either that or he actually sought out Erin, which
Susan thought of the two scenarios, the latter had not even crossed her mind. She
hadn’t taken him for the kind of guy that would do that to a friend, but then
again, she didn’t really know him all that well either.

“What the fuck?” Susan expected it to be
either Cade or Rowan who threw that question out there, but it was Tessa who
voiced what everyone was thinking.

Erin flashed a grin up to the group on
the porch, making eye contact with Susan, thanked Josiah for an amazing night
as she put it, then sped off with a wave of her hand out the window like they’d
all just had some jovial gathering. Susan avoided glancing in Josiah’s
direction and had begun to turn to head back inside when Tessa’s voice brought
her to an abrupt halt.

“You are fucking kidding right, Josiah
Allen Hunter?” Tessa’s words had Susan swinging her head in the direction of
the two of them. Josiah stood with his chin tucked to his chest like a teenager
who’d just been caught sneaking in after breaking curfew, while Tessa poked a
finger into his chest. “After everything we told you about that skanky woman
and you go and put your-"

“Whoa! Tessa!” Cade interrupted as he
wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away from Josiah.

“It’s not what you think,” Josiah said
it loud enough for them all to hear, but his eyes were trained on Susan, his
brows drawn together.

“The hell it’s not what we think,” Tessa
all but yelled. “And don’t look at her, Josiah. You don’t deserve to breathe
the same air as Susan.”

Susan turned a shocked look to Tessa
then again to Josiah. His eyes were no longer on her, but on the toe of his
boot as he kicked at a pebble shoving his hands in his pocket. Susan almost
felt sorry for him, until images of him and Erin having a roll in the hay, so to
speak, flashed through her mind. The thought made her stomach churn. Not so
much because she wanted it to be her, but because of who he chose – Erin. Why
her, of all people? And really what kind of friend did that? At least she found
out what kind of person Josiah really was before she spent any more time with
him. Tessa had been bugging her to go out with him since their day at the beach,
to spend some time with him just to get to know him and now she was happy she
hadn’t given in to Tessa’s request and wasted her time on him.

Rowan pushed past Tessa and Cade,
encouraging them along with the rest of the group to go inside so that he and
Josiah could talk in private. She began to turn, but stopped when Josiah’s
voice drifted up to where she stood.

“I want you to stay, Susan. I want you
to hear this, also.”

Susan shook her head, making sure she
didn’t make eye contact. What he had to say she didn’t want to hear. The things
he did with his life and
who
he did, didn’t concern her. She turned on
her heel and walked into the house without another word. As she walked in she
heard Josiah tell Rowan that nothing happened then she shut the door to him and
the conversation.

****

 “J, please, please tell me you didn’t
have sex with Erin. Please just tell me that.”

Josiah blew out his breath, walked to
the steps, and lowered himself resting his elbows on his knees. “I didn’t have
sex with Erin.” He glanced to Rowan and saw the relieved look on his face and
could have kicked his own ass for being so stupid last night. Since meeting
Susan, his hormones had been all hyped up and last night he’d been hell bent on
getting laid, so he picked the one woman he was certain would be easy to bed. “Honestly
man, I had every intention of doing so when she bought me a drink last night at
The Launchpad. I’m so sorry. I didn’t choose her to hurt anyone, she just
happened to be there and willing.”

“Yeah, Erin is always willing, that you can
be assured of. Well, what the hell happened that she had to bring you home?”

“This isn’t my home,” he said on a sigh.

“You know what I mean, J. And as long as
I have a home, you have one.”

Josiah ran his fingers through his matted
hair. As much as he’d wanted to have sex, to find a woman’s core wrapped tight
around his cock, he hadn’t had sex with Erin. Sure he’d intended to, but when
it came to the deed his conscious got the better of him. He knew it would kill
Rowan and realized that not only one of his best friends, but both would be
hurt by it, not to mention that if he wanted to find a way to get Susan to
spend any time with him he’d lose all chance of that also. Of course, from the
disgusted look on her face and her refusal to hear his explanation, he pretty
much killed any chance of hanging out with her, or anything else for that
matter.

“We went to her place, but she drove
because I’d already had three shots and two beers, so I wasn’t about to get
behind the wheel and when we returned to The Launchpad this morning the rental
wouldn’t start so I just had her bring me here.”

“And the time in between?” Rowan asked
in almost a whisper.

Josiah shrugged. “I don’t know. I had
her almost completely undressed and then I couldn’t do it. I kept hearing your
words about what she’d done to you and then seeing Susan put her on her ass the
other night.” He let out laugh laced with a sigh. “It had been like a bucket of
ice water had been thrown on my crotch. I swear all I was thinking about was
getting laid. I guess I wasn’t thinking with the right head, that’s for sure.”

“You’re damn right you weren’t,” Tessa’s
voice boomed from inside the house.

“Tess!” Rowan yelled in return.

Josiah put his head between his knees
like he would if he were hyperventilating. “It’s all right, Rowan. Let her get
it out. Honestly, I deserve it.”

Rowan nudged at Josiah with his shoulder,
stood up and began to walk inside. Josiah continued to sit, not really wanting
to face anyone else. Cade would forgive him for being so stupid, but the women,
especially Tessa wouldn’t. As a matter of fact, he already knew it would be a
long time before Tessa let him live it down. Of the three of them, Susan was
the only who he cared about what she thought. Sucking up his pride, at least
any he had left, he pushed himself from the steps and made the walk of shame
into the house.

Chapter 17

Rowan pulled the group together with his
arm wrapped around Madison’s waist as Josiah changed, and informed them that
Josiah hadn’t had sex with Erin. When Tessa asked if he’d done anything with
her at all, Rowan had told her to drop it. Rowan looked directly at Susan when
he’d told them that Josiah had had too much to drink and that was why he ended
up with Erin. Why he made it a point to focus on her, she wasn’t positive. She
didn’t deserve an explanation, nor did she want one. That should have gone to
Cade or Tessa, not her. She’d be lying, though, if she said she wasn’t a little
relieved that he didn’t have sex with the wench. At least he had enough
self-control and thought of his friends to not follow through with his
intentions.

After the guys left and the tension in
the house lessened, she and Madison had declared that they did indeed need a
chick flick marathon, but it had taken some convincing when it came to Tessa
because she’d wanted to follow Josiah out to the beach as he carried his
surfboard to give him the third degree. Susan just wanted to forget about the
whole thing.

Sitting on the couch squished in between
Tessa and Madison, Susan waited for the next movie to come on.
Steel
Magnolias
, though it was an oldie, was one she knew scene for scene, almost
word for word. Every Saturday afternoon when she was growing up, she and her
mother would watch it. Her father had been disgusted with it. It hadn’t been so
much the movie, as it was the two of them sitting in front of the television saying
the words simultaneously with the actors. And then crying when Julia Roberts’
character died, even though they knew it was coming. Her father had always
questioned why they kept watching the damn thing if they knew exactly what was
going to happen or what was going to be said at the exact moment it did. For
Susan, it was a special time she looked forward to. It had been a time her
mother set aside for her no matter what chores she had waiting or what errands
she could have been doing. When her mother had gone into the nursing facility,
Susan had taken the movie in for them to watch in hopes that it would trigger
some memory. Some happy time for her that would bring her back to the here and
now. She had hoped that maybe by some miracle the woman who would watch it
religiously with her would make an appearance. Unfortunately, her mother had
just stared at the screen with little emotion and kept asking Susan if she was
a new nurse. That had been when Susan finally resigned herself to the fact that
her mother would never be from the hell she lived in now, no matter that her
body still functioned.