There are three messages from my mother, each one angrier than the last, all demanding to know how in the world I attracted the attention of a psycho stalker in the first place, and also who the hell is Joshua Pierce and what has possessed me to even give a cop the time of day? Her implication is crystal clear: dating a police officer is completely beneath you, young lady! I roll my eyes as I erase them all, looking up at Josh as he is thanking his mother for bringing dinner over last night. Their relationship makes me slightly jealous. Why can’t my own mother be more … motherly? The thought makes me miss my dad.
“Hey, Mom,” Josh says before he hangs up. “Thanks for the talk last night too. I want you to know that I … I heard what you said.” His voice sounds timid and he looks slightly uncomfortable, and I wonder what they talked about. I can’t hear Olivia’s response but he smiles. “Yeah, we will. Bye.” He sits his phone on the nightstand and looks at me for a moment and then smiles. “Your turn.”
I roll my eyes again and groan as I return to the bed and climb on top of the covers, facing him. “Just get it over with,” Josh tells me, and I know he’s right. I take a deep breath and hit the button, feeling the butterflies in my stomach as I wait for the phone to make the connection.
“Yes?” She sounds crisp and agitated. Businesslike.
“Hi, Mom,” I say quietly.
“Hello Samantha,” she responds coolly, saying nothing more. I realize immediately that she is in passive-aggressive mode, refusing to ask how I’m doing or even acknowledge that anything should be wrong with me at all. I hate this game, but two can play it. If she won’t bring up Josh or the attack, neither will I. God knows I don’t want to talk about either topic with her anyway.
“Did you have lunch at the club today?” I ask innocently, choosing a benign topic.
“You know very well that I have lunch at the club every day, Samantha,” she responds with exasperation.
“Hmm. And what did you order today?” I ask nicely.
“Today, I had the grilled salmon.”
“That sounds really good. Was it as mouthwatering as I’m imagining?” I ask, suddenly aware that I haven’t eaten all day.
She lets out an irritated sigh and I know that I’ve got her. “Is there a point to this mindless conversation, Samantha?”
“Well, no. No point at all,” I answer. “But you left three irate messages on my phone last night so, I assume you want to talk to me about something.” I can’t help the sarcasm in my voice, and I don’t have to see her to know that she’s flushed and angry.
“All right, fine. Let’s talk!” Her voice is raised in frustration and I sigh heavily and roll my eyes once again. Here comes another lecture on why a young woman of my status should not be working at a museum and certainly should never be dating a police officer.
“Can you explain to me this self-destructive streak you seem to have? Are you completely incapable of choosing suitable pastimes and suitable men to occupy your time? Or do you do this solely to annoy me, Samantha?”
I shake my head slightly and look down at the covers on the bed, trying desperately not to cry. How does she always manage to make me feel as though my life is inadequate? Taking a deep steadying breath, I say softly, “I had a pretty difficult night. I kept waking up with nightmares about the attack. I’m doing better today though … not that you asked.”
I know that my words have hit their mark when I hear only the sound of her breathing on the other end of the line. Finally she sighs, and when she speaks again, her tone has softened and she sounds somewhat contrite. “I’m sorry, darling. That should have been my first question. I was frantically worried after I talked to Lucas yesterday, Samantha. And then seeing it on the news … what you must have gone through. I wanted to be with you but I didn’t know where you were, and Lucas refused to tell me! He just kept saying that you were safe and that you needed to rest.” She is silent for a moment, and then says, “On the news, they credit that officer with saving your life. The one Lucas says your now involved with.”
I glance up at Josh and he is watching me closely. “Yes. He did save me.”
“Am I to understand that’s where you were then?” she asks quietly. “With him?”
“Yes.”
“And that man. They say he’s a rapist?”
“Yes.”
“But he didn’t … I mean, you weren’t … ”
“No. Josh and his partner … they arrived just in time.” My voice is slightly tearful, and it surprises me. Maybe I’m not doing as “better” as I thought.
There is a long pause, and then, “Well, I suppose I’m grateful to him for saving you, at least.” She takes a deep breath and then softly asks, “Just how involved are you with this detective, Samantha?”
I don’t hesitate to answer her question. “That’s none of your business, Mother.”
“Dear God,” she breathes after a beat. “That tells me it’s gone further than I’d wish.”
“What you wish for my love life is irrelevant, Mom,” I say quietly.
“So you and Lucas keep telling me,” she says disgustedly. “Well, he was very rude to me last night on the phone; do you know that?”
“He wasn’t rude to you, Mom; he was taking care of me.”
“Hmph. Well, I don’t suppose I get to meet this pillar of justice anytime soon?”
“We’ll see. Look, Mom … I just woke up and I have to go and run a couple of errands before the rest of the day gets away from me.”
“Very well,” she says quietly. “Take care of yourself, Samantha. And for the hundredth time, I am really getting tired of learning about what’s going on in your life from your brother. You can talk to me, you know.”
I roll my eyes at her comment and glance up at the ceiling. “You don’t always make that easy, Mom.”
“Neither do you,” she fires back. Oh, this is getting us nowhere! I sigh as I roll my eyes yet again and she finally puts us both out of our misery. “Have a good day, Samantha.”
“You too, Mom.” We hang up then and I feel like my head is going to explode. Why does it always have to be this way between us? Would it be so difficult for her to just pretend to approve of the choices I make? I am an adult; why can’t she ever treat me like one?
“Hey.” I look up and Josh is watching me with big, concerned eyes. He reaches out and takes my hand. “I’m sorry if she gave you a hard time because of me.”
He is so pretty. His dark, wavy bed hair is shooting off in all directions and he looks tousled and sexy. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” I say quietly.
He takes a deep breath and sighs. “What do you say we get a shower and get out of here? Go to your place and grab some of your things, then get a bite to eat?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I say lightly and he smiles at me. He gets up then, and I am captivated at the sight of him. His tall, naked frame is perfection, his lean muscles rippling as he moves slowly about the room, that enticing ‘V’ at his hips drawing my eyes in. He is simply beautiful. He reaches out his hand to me, but I am momentarily immobile as I gawk at him. He gives me a wicked smile and tilts his head at me.
“Sam?”
I blink at him, feeling foolish, and then place my hand in his. “Where are we going?” I ask quietly as I stand.
“To get a shower,” he responds slowly, frowning at me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine,” I mumble, feeling my face flush, and he chuckles at me. “Um … we’re showering together?”
He nods his head, frowning at me again. “Unless you don’t want to.”
I blush even more, biting my bottom lip. Why do I feel so shy with him all of a sudden? “We’ve never done that,” I say softly.
“That’s because I’m usually dashing off to work in the mornings. And I have a feeling that showering with you would make me very, very late,” he smiles as he wraps his arm around me and pulls me close, kissing my temple.
“Oh.”
He looks down
at me, studying my face for a second. “Baby, if it makes you uncomfortable, we don’t have to. You can shower alone, it’s no big deal.”
“No, it’s okay,” I whisper. I am such an inexperienced dork.
“You sure?” I nod my head at him, still chewing my lip. He takes my hand again and turns toward the bathroom.
“Oh, wait.” I stop in the middle of the hallway and dash quickly back to the bedroom, to my overnight bag. I pull out my shampoo and two toothbrushes, and head back to Josh, who’s still standing in the middle of the hallway, watching me curiously. “Here,” I say, handing him a toothbrush, and he gives me a puzzled look. “Your toothbrush was still at my place.”
He laughs at me. “Thank you for remembering,” he says, shaking his head at me as he takes my hand and proceeds down the hall.
Josh’s bathroom is small, but very clean and efficient. I watch as he opens the sliding glass shower doors that fit around the standard-sized tub and shower unit, and turns on the hot water. Then he takes my bottle of shampoo and places it on the shelf inside the shower. I take a nervous breath and decide to brush my teeth before getting in. He joins me at the sink and we brush in silence as I anxiously wonder how this showering together thing is going to work. I need to … take care of a couple of things first.
I spit into the sink and place my toothbrush into the small cup that sits on the counter. As Josh is rinsing off his toothbrush, I take a deep breath and work up my courage. “Um … I need a … private moment,” I say nervously, and I blush again. He cocks his head at me and smiles slightly, turning away. He puts his toothbrush in the cup with mine and leans down to chastely kiss my lips. Then he turns and exits the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind him.
I let go of the breath I wasn’t aware I was holding and relax a little as I take a seat. He must think I’m such an idiot. But, what do I know? I’ve never had a sexual relationship before. Do couples do things like pee in front of each other? I don’t see how; I find the thought mortifying! I’ll bet he’s laughing at me right now. Josh wouldn’t do that. Would he?
I finish up my business and flush the toilet. As I’m washing my hands, I hear a soft knock on the door. Such a gentleman. When I open the door, he is smirking at me. “Ready to shower?” I blush again. Bastard. Pulling his t-shirt off over my head, I turn away from him, stepping into the shower and moving forward to stand beneath the water. Closing my eyes, I lift my face to the stream and run my hands through my hair. Oh, it feels so good to just stand here and let the hot water flow over me, rinsing away the grime and the horror of yesterday.
Eyes still closed, I continue to run my hands through my hair, wetting it down so that I can wash it. I am startled when I suddenly feel Josh’s hands on my hips. They move slowly up my waist and then around to my back and down. He caresses my ass, squeezing it lightly for a second, and I immediately become putty in his hands. I melt into him, feeling his chest against my back.
He chuckles slightly and kisses my temple, and then he stops abruptly and reaches for my shampoo. I turn around to face him as he squirts a dollop into his palm and sets the bottle back on the shelf. Then he reaches up and slowly begins to work the solution into my hair. Oh! This feels really good. His strong hands and fingers massage my scalp for several minutes as I rest my hands on his abdomen, lightly running my fingertips over the ripples of his muscles.
He reaches for more shampoo and then begins moving down the length of my hair, working a lather into my long tresses. And I suddenly want to reciprocate. I take the shampoo and squirt some into my hands, and then reach up, my fingers itching to delve into his wet hair. He moans softly as I begin massaging his scalp, and we stand washing each other’s hair thoroughly. He bends down slightly to allow me to reach the back, and when I’m done he steps forward, maneuvering me under the water, and begins rinsing my hair. When my hair is shampoo free, he trades places with me and washes the shampoo out of his own hair.
And I think I’ve gotten the hang of this showering together thing. I reach for his shower gel sitting on the shelf and squirt some into the palm of my hand and rub them together. It has the same wooded spicy scent as Josh’s cologne and I inhale deeply. Without invitation, I place my soapy hands on Josh’s chest and begin to lather him up. He looks down at me with a small smile and I think he’s surprised at my forwardness. He reaches for the shower gel then and follows suit. Soon, we are slowly and gently working over each other’s bodies, exploring every inch of one another with bold, soapy hands as our fingers venture into wonderful, unexplored places. Mmm. Showering together is fun!
Josh moves so that we are both standing beneath the water flow and the suds begin to run off our bodies and down the drain as our hands continue to explore. He pulls me to him, kissing me passionately for a moment as his hands move over my back and down to my bottom, squeezing softly. He lifts me suddenly then, his hands supporting my bottom, and I wrap my legs around him reflexively. He turns, gently bracing me against the wall of the shower and I feel the cold, hard tile against my back as he kisses me again, devouring my mouth with his own.
With no further preamble, he enters me slowly and I moan softly into his mouth as he continues to kiss me ardently. He begins to move then with slow deliberate strokes, in and out, long and deep, skin against skin. And to think that just a few hours ago, he was apprehensive about the whole no-condom thing. Afraid it would mean that we were really in a relationship. Now he seems to be embracing that fact. Reveling in it as he moves inside me, pushing me higher and higher as my body moves and rocks with him, overtaken by his steady, fervent rhythm.
As he moves, he kisses a trail from my lips, across my jaw and to my earlobe, taking it into his mouth and teasing it with his teeth before suckling lightly. My fingers twist in his wet hair as I hold him closely to me as my body builds and builds. Oh, I absolutely love showering together. We should definitely do this more often!
“Joshua!” I moan as I feel the pleasure spiking and spiraling out from deep within me. His responding groan is such a sexy sound, it spurs me on, fueling my passion and feeding my desire. I can feel my inner muscles beginning to tremble and I moan loudly.
“Ah, come with me, Sam!” His words are strained and harshly whispered at my ear, and I do as I’m told, exploding right on cue and calling out as he thrusts into me deeply, stilling as his body goes rigid and we climax together. His face is buried in the crook of my neck and his breath tickles my skin as he pants, both of us struggling to catch our breath amid the steam. I hold him tightly to me, loving the feel of him in my arms as the warm water flows over us.
He pulls out of me and holds me steady as I lower my legs. Then he kisses me passionately once more. “Showering with you on a school day would indeed make me very, very late, Miss Colby,” he whispers, as he kisses a trail around my ear and I giggle as he lightly bites my neck.
We exit the shower a few moments later and, as we dress, we watch one another silently, smiling shyly at each other, and I wonder if he’s feeling as bashful as I am. I put on the blue jeans that I packed yesterday and a v-neck, long sleeved t-shirt with light and dark green stripes on it, and my Nike tennis shoes. Then I pull my brush out of my bag.
“Do you have a hair dryer?”
“Yeah,” he nods at me as he ties his black Timberland boots. “It’s in the linen closet beside the bathroom.”
I turn and venture to the hallway just outside the bathroom and open the small closet. There aren’t many linens here, just a few towels and washcloths and an extra set of sheets that look like they’ve seen better days. Perhaps I’ll bring over a few sets of towels from my place. Or better yet, maybe I’ll go buy him some new ones. On the top shelf, I find the hair dryer and go into the bathroom to dry my hair.
We head out once we’re dressed and since it’s a nice day, Josh pulls out the Charger. He looks so cute as he proudly uncovers her; I think his smile could light up a small city. He obviously loves that car! What is it with boys and their toys? I roll my eyes at
the thought and climb in. He shuts my door and I watch him as he walks around the car to the driver’s side and slides behind the wheel. He’s dressed in a faded pair of blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt, and the blue and black and white plaid flannel shirt he’s wearing over the t-shirt is concealing the gun that I know he’s carrying in the holster at the back of his jeans.
We’re both quiet on the drive over to my apartment and I pull out my phone and send Megan a quick text letting her know that I got her message and I’m okay. I get an immediate response from her:
Sam, OMG.
I’ve been so worried!
Can u talk?
I sigh as I read her text. I know that she’s concerned but, I just don’t feel like talking about the attack right now. Especially since I’m about to be confronted with the scene of the crime. I’m already feeling a little freaked out about going to my apartment; I don’t want to have to relive it for Meg too.
Sorry, can’t talk now.
On my way 2 apartment 2 get my things.
Call u later.
Again, she responds quickly, which tells me she really is worried about me:
Get your things?
To go where?
What’s going on, Sam?
R u ok?
Now she sounds frantic. And she calls me a drama queen! I roll my eyes at my phone and text her back:
I’m fine, Meg!
Just staying at Josh’s for a while.
Call u 2nite. I promise!
That seems to settle her down and I sigh and look out the window. When we pull into the parking lot of my building, I feel a sense of dread wash over me. I don’t want to go inside, but I know that I have to. Josh gets out of the car and walks around to my door and opens it for me, reaching his hand out to me. I take a deep breath and take his hand as I get out of the car.
I think he can tell I’m nervous as we walk toward the building, and he wraps his arm protectively around my waist. As soon as we enter, we are met by Mr. Nelson, the building manager, and I wonder what he’s doing here. Has he been standing by the front doors of the building all day waiting for me to show up?
Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set Page 53