After that weekend, she had also started to reflect on her decisions in life.
Exiting was the Shelly who thought she needed to date a man merely based on his success, and entering was a Shelly who wanted a man whom she couldn’t seem to get out of her head. And that man happened to be coming to the rehearsal dinner tonight.
Tonight, Josh had opted to take a cab from the hotel he was staying at. The dinner was being held at Exquisite, and Josh had to admit that he was excited to see everyone. Even though he had only been back for a short time a few months earlier, hanging out with the Langley crew had been like living with a second family again.
He was also looking forward to seeing a certain blonde.
Oh yes. He hadn’t seen her since the end of June in his kitchen, and that had been such a hot and desperate parting that he had trouble remembering anything about that day except for taking her over the countertop.
As the taxi pulled up in front of the valet, Josh got out and made his way to the front door. He knew that Mason had shut down the place tonight due to the private party. As Josh pushed open the doors and made his way inside, he had to admit that he was more than ready to see Shelly again.
He looked around the dining room and saw Rachel and Lena sitting at a large table off to the left of the entrance. They were chatting among themselves and hadn’t seen him walk in yet. From the door, he saw a very serious expression on Rachel’s face as she shook her head at Lena. Then, Mason’s fiancée reached out, touching Rachel’s shoulder, and nodded.
Okay, something is definitely up there. It’s none of my business though, so I’m not getting involved.
He was about to move forward when the door behind him whooshed open. He turned around to see who had just walked in, and there standing a few feet away from him was Dr. Monroe. Tonight, every inch of her looked like the man-eater.
Shelly opened the door and was treated to a fine view of Josh’s ass. She had forgotten how much she liked that part of the male anatomy.
When he heard the door close, he turned, and they locked eyes for the first time in over a month and a half.
“Well, hello, Josh,” she purred as she stepped closer in her red high heels.
“Evening, Shel,” he greeted, now turning around fully to look her over.
She’d opted for a blue blouse tucked in at the waist of a simple black pencil skirt that ended an inch above her knee. She had secured her hair into a waterfall braid around the crown of her head.
“You sure are a sight for sore eyes, Josh.”
She watched as he took a step toward her.
He asked in a voice as smooth as whiskey, “Did you miss me?”
Shelly knew he was testing her, checking to see if she would hesitate or deviate from the direct question that would make her reveal her true feelings.
Instead, she told him sincerely, “Very much so.”
Josh hadn’t been expecting that simple and honest answer, and just as he was about to tell her that, he heard Lena shout out her name.
With the moment now gone, he watched her smile at him with those sexy lips, and then she brushed by his arm to make her way toward her friend. Hmm, she even smells amazing.
As he turned around, he saw Mason standing over at the bar with a huge grin on his face. Josh shrugged and walked over to his friend.
“Hey, man. What’s up?” Josh asked as he settled on a bar stool.
“Not much, Josh. The business is great, the weather is supposed to be amazing, and tomorrow, I am marrying the woman I love.”
Josh chuckled. “Could you be anymore smug?”
Mason poured him a Goose Island Beer and shook his head. “Nope. Well, maybe. I could add to my list my prediction that you and Dr. Monroe would hit it off, but that would just be obnoxious or annoying, right?”
Josh lifted the glass to his mouth and took a sip.
As he placed the glass back on the counter, he nodded and told his good friend, “Or just annoyingly obnoxious.”
Mason laughed before asking, “How are things going between the two of you?”
Josh thought about that for a moment. “Good. We’ve kept in contact while I’ve been away. I think things are going well.”
Mason acknowledged that silently, and then looked beyond him to the table of women. Josh turned around just in time to see Shelly let out a loud laugh that then had Lena chuckling and Rachel frowning.
All of sudden, Josh found that he too wanted in on the joke.
“Super Domme? That’s my new nickname?” Rachel asked incredulously.
“Well, only in private, like in my head,” Shelly told her with a laugh.
Rachel did not look impressed. Lena was chuckling, and Shelly thought it was downright hilarious.
“Oh, come on, Rach, you took us completely off-guard. Who knew you had that in you?” Shelly asked her with a smile.
Rachel arched her brow. “Was I supposed to announce it?”
Shelly thought about that, and then lowered her voice. “Well, no, but hell, I didn’t even know you had any tattoos until that night.”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “I just like to keep that part of my life private. Is that such an issue?” She paused, looking over to where Mason and Josh were now staring at them. Then, she turned back to Shelly. “Kind of like you and Josh Daniels.”
Shelly thought about that as she turned and gave Josh a flirty wink before looking back to the girls.
“No secret there. I am head over heels for that man.”
Shelly watched as Lena’s face split into a huge grin, and Rachel’s mouth fell wide open.
“Does he know?” Lena whispered.
Shelly shrugged and then told her, “I’m pretty sure he has an idea since I’ve cyber stalked him every night since I don’t know where the hell he is staying. But, no, I haven’t straight out said it.”
“Said what?” Josh asked as he stopped beside the sexy doctor.
She looked over at him and smiled in a way that made every part of his body tense and achy.
“None of your business,” she replied with a smug smirk that he wanted to kiss.
Josh looked at the other two women sitting in front of him, and suddenly, he felt like he had been a large part of their conversation.
“If I had wanted to tell you, handsome, I would have. I’ll tell you when I’m ready,” she said as she reached out a sassy finger, tapping his nose playfully.
Reaching up, he grabbed that finger and squeezed it tight as he brought it down from his face. “Watch where you’re pointing that,” he warned her.
He noticed her eyes narrow as she took a step closer to him.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to vanish from the room except for him and Shelly.
“Or else?” she inquired.
Josh felt his cock stir. Every single emailed word, innuendo, and thought that had crossed his mind over the last couple of months flashed before his eyes, and he was a millisecond away from dragging her somewhere, anywhere, to act them all out.
That was when Mason came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Okay, guys, let’s eat!” his friend declared.
An hour later, Shelly was still seated opposite Josh, and she had to admit that he looked sexy as hell. He was dressed in black slacks, something she had never seen him in, and a white button-up shirt that had been left loose and unbuttoned at the neck. Just as she licked her lips in anticipation of finally nibbling that spot, he looked up and locked gazes with her.