My hands tug at his shirt, moving until I can feel his skin against my hands. My fingers roam over the planes of his abs and down around his back until they’re pushing into the waistband of his shorts. Josh bends slightly before rising, making sure I can feel his erection growing. I have to touch him. I have to taste him.
Dropping to my knees, I work the zipper of his shorts to free his cock. He hisses and dives his hand into my hair after the first swipe of my tongue. Taking him into my mouth, I look up to see the hunger in his eyes. With his free hand, he’s caressing my face and each push and pull into my mouth causes his eyes to flutter.
“Joey.” My name falls from his lips in a hushed sound. He’s trying to keep our activities on the down low from my parents and the unsuspecting guests that are starting to arrive. I block out their voices and concentrate on my husband. Josh undoes his shorts and widens his stance to keep his pants up, but to give me better access.
“I can’t …” he says, pulling me up by my arms, forcing me to let go.
Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I wonder why he’s made me stop.
“Go to that tree and face it.” He nods at a tree, any tree, really.
I do as he commands and can see people mingling with my parents in their backyard. They’re here for Josh and me, and we’re too busy fucking in the woods to be with them.
Josh comes behind me and swats my ass. I let out a little yelp and he leans forward, reminding me to be quiet. His hands ghost down my sides, causing goose bumps to rise and a small chill to take over my body even though I’m heated. The button on my shorts is undone. Josh pulls my shorts down, painstakingly slow, letting the warm air coat my skin.
“Hold on, baby. It’s going to be fast and hard. My cock is dripping and my balls are about to burst.”
He wasn’t lying.
By the time we make our appearance the yard is filling up. My mom eyes me warily and brushes some bark off my shoulder. As soon as my aunts, cousins, and every other female member of my family and friends sees Josh, I’m no longer visible. It doesn’t matter that he’s holding my hand, or kissing me on my temple—these women are focused on him and only him. I could be standing here naked and they’d not see me. And the best part about it, all I have to do is tell Josh I need something and we’re moving on.
My parents dote on Josh all day, introducing him as their son and not son-in-law. My father says it with pride while my mother gushes on how she set us up. She wishes. As I sit now, watching Josh with my dad and the other men here, I see how much he has longed for a normal family. If normal is what we are. I mean, my mother did sign me up to be on a reality show where I had to marry a stranger.
Josh comes to me, kissing me on the cheek. “Have you seen the present table?”
I can’t help but laugh because he’s like a kid in this aspect. “I have.”
“Who gets to open them?”
“We do, tonight after everyone leaves.”
Pouting, he nuzzles into my neck. “Why do we have to wait?”
“Because it’s rude to open a present at a reception. What if we already have the item, or don’t like what they chose for us?”
Josh sits back up and implores me to look at him. When I do, he has a “are you kidding me” expression on his face.
“What?”
“We have nothing. We’re guaranteed to love everything.”
Shaking my head, I wonder how men survive in this world. “Would you like me to tell everyone that you live cheaply and ruin the Hollywood stigma that we all have where everyone lives in luxury?”
He looks around the yard for a few seconds before shaking his head. “Better not. Your dad might think I can’t take care of you.” Josh places his arm around me, using his hand to bring me closer to him. There are only a few instances when I appreciate this more than ever and this is one of them, because walking into the backyard is none other than my former best friend—the one who was to be my maid of honor, but decided screwing my fiancé was more important—and the dirt bag himself, Tony.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Josh blurts out.
I glance at him, wondering how he remembers what Tony and Erin look like. He’s seen one picture of us when we were younger.
“What?”
“Did you invite him?” Josh points toward the house and my mouth drops open. Standing there with gift in one hand and holding his wife’s with the other is Bronx. And my mother is gushing over him.
“Well this just got interesting.”
There are a lot of things I can take in life, but Bronx Taylor showing up at my reception at my in-laws’ house is too much to take. At one time in our lives we got along. We are competitive actors vying for the same roles. I used to consider him a friend, not in the sense that we were hanging out, but in the way where we’d grab a beer after an audition or chat when we ran into each other … until Jules got in the middle. I blame her, mostly, but his quickly earned reputation of sleeping with casting directors, producers, and directors didn’t help his cause. Once he set his eyes on Jules, our so-called friendship went downhill fast.
That’s when I learned that having friends in this business was tricky. Sure I trust Rob, but that doesn’t mean I’m divulging my secrets to him. I keep a lot of my shit bottled up because I don’t want him slipping up one night or using something I tell him to his advantage. Not that I think he would, but it’s better safe than sorry.
When Bronx entered the house and Joey went all googly-eyed, I started to think she was nothing more than a fan girl gone crazy and wondered if I should second-guess everything, but when he spoke to her that wonderment turned to pure jealousy. They knew each other and it seemed better than Joey and I knew each other. I hated that. Still do. To make matters worse, he fucking stole her from me after the show. He knew damn well that all he had to do was open the door and I would’ve come out, but he just had to play the hero.
My blood boils as he and Rebekah talk to my in-laws. The way Ava puts her hand on his arm and throws her head back and laughs does nothing to calm me. I down the rest of my beer and mutter some obscenities meant for only Joey to hear, except when I look at her for a reaction—something from her to tell me I’m overreacting—I see her eyes are focused elsewhere. I try to follow her gaze, looking in the general direction as to what has my wife so upset, and that is when I see him. The man I want to thank for being so fucking stupid as to cheat on Joey so I could have her. He’s getting a damn pat on the back for being a spineless piece of shit.
Another glance at Joey shows me that she’s equal parts angry and upset and that’s something I can’t tolerate. This is supposed to be a happy day for her, not one filled with drama and bullshit from exes.
“Hey,” I say, trying to get her attention. When she turns her head to look at me, it’s her eyes that tell me she’s about to fall apart and it’s because of my sexual prowess. I do what any self-preserving man would do and kiss her. It’s not chaste by any means. I make sure the onlookers see me putting my tongue in her mouth so they know she’s fucking mine.
“What was that for?” she asks, breathlessly and with fluttering eyes.
“One: I don’t need an excuse to kiss my wife. Two: because you’re beautiful. Three: because I fucking love you.”
“Is there a four, five, and six?”
“Are you being greedy?”
“Yes, because I’m freaking out on the inside. I’m afraid that my fairytale is turning into a nightmare and you’re going to vanish into the house with that wench over there.”
She says nothing about her ex, only her former best friend. Joey trusted her and her friend committed the worst possible betrayal. Taking her face between my hands, I make her focus on me.
“There isn’t a woman in this world that can make me leave you, Joey.”
“Even Jules?” she asks, catching me off guard. I thought I had squashed everything she’s been feeling about Jules, but apparently not. Maybe those thoughts will never go away. Sort
of like mine where Bronx is concerned.
“Especially Jules. What can I do to show you that I’m not going anywhere?”
“I don’t know, Josh. Every time I think things are the way they should be, shit like this happens. My ex is standing over there like he was invited and he brought her with him.”
“How do you think I feel with Bronx here?”
“I know,” she sighs. “We should go over and say hi.”
“To which evil?”
She shrugs. “I’ll say hi to Bronx and Rebekah, you go over to Tony and Erin.”
“Can I punch him?”
“Yep,” she replies, standing. I know she’s putting on a brave front for everyone when she really wants to go inside and hide. I don’t blame her because that is what I want to do right now. Instead of going toward her ex, I take her hand in mine and follow her to our former roommates. I’m promising myself that I’m going to be nice.
Bronx is the first to extend his hand toward me. I do the right thing and shake it, gripping it hard enough that he knows I won’t take any of his bullshit. I figure that while I can bury the hatchet, so to speak, for the day and let him enjoy the party, he still needs to know that he’s not going to get a chance to eat my cake.
“You guys, I’m so happy you’re here.” Joey hugs Rebekah first, making me happy that Bronx wasn’t her first choice. Maybe I’m worrying for nothing.
“When we heard about the party we couldn’t resist,” Bronx says, pulling my wife into his arms. Okay it’s a hug, but still …
“Thanks for coming,” I add, trying to be pleasant. “You look lovely as ever, Rebekah.”
“Thank you, Josh. I’m enjoying married life, that’s for sure.”
Bronx smirks and I imagine it’s what I do as well when I hear Joey say the same thing. Knowing your spouse is going to bed with you every night is definitely a perk of being married. That and I get to wake-up every morning with her in my arms.
“Are you going to say hi to Tony and Erin?” Ava asks Joey, who shakes her head. I don’t want Joey to feel uncomfortable at our party, but I also don’t want these bastards to know they got the best of her.
Or maybe she’s not over him?
Nah, I don’t believe that for a second. She’s made it very clear how she feels about cheaters, and I know she worries about that when it comes to Jules. I wish I knew what I could do to make her understand that she owns me heart and soul and I’m not interested in Jules, even with the baby. Jules isn’t who I want to be with—Joey is.
Taking her hand in mine, I walk us over to the people who shattered my wife’s world. The woman’s face lights up as if this is her dream come true. Too bad I’m going to be a fucking dick.
“Josh, what are you doing?”
Her hand goes rigid in mine so I tighten my grip. Joey has to know I’m not going to do anything to hurt her. Embarrass her, maybe, but it’ll be worth it.
“You must be Tony,” I say, standing in front of him.
He smiles. It’s cocky and pisses me off. “I am.”
“Right. Thanks for screwing her best friend so I could have her. Best fucking thing that’s ever happened to me.”
I don’t bother introducing myself. Everyone knows who I am and if he doesn’t then he’s been living under a rock. Joey’s and my love affair played out on national television and I honestly think that is the only reason they showed up here. They don’t care about her happiness, just that she’s married to me.
Joey doesn’t have a chance to respond and neither do Tony and the former bestie. I take her away, back to where we were sitting, only to have my steps falter when I see Bronx and Rebekah sitting near our chairs.
“I love you, Josh.”
Stopping midway, I pull her into my arms and subsequently my lips. Our family around us hoots and holler, making me smile against her lips. “I meant what I said. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
As soon as we reach Bronx, he’s giving me a high five. “I never liked that douche in college.”
That makes two of us.
“You guys are so cute,” Rebekah says, making us all laugh.
I figure that maybe hanging with Bronx and Rebekah won’t be so bad.
When Rebekah suggests we play Corn Hole, all I can remember is the day we sumo wrestled and she did some flying kick at my Joey. I think she scared the whole house with that ninja shit. But Joey wants to play, so we do. Others join in and before we know it we have a massive game going on. The best part, Joey isn’t watching for her ex and when they leave, no one cares to notice.
“Time to cut the cake,” Ava announces, much to the delight of the little kids that are here. I feel their pain; I’ve been waiting for hours while it’s mocked me with thoughts of spreading the frosting all over Joey’s body and licking it off.
Someone yells out speech and I look around, wondering who would even begin to say something about us. I could, but I’m a sappy bastard when it comes to Joey and I don’t want my words to end up on TMZ by the end of the night.
“I’ll say something.” Bronx steps up to the table, standing in front of us and holding a glass of champagne high in the air. “I think I’m the only one here who knows both Josh and Joey. It’s easy for me to say that they look happy, and it is because I’ve seen them both when they’ve been down. It’s clear to see that they make each other very happy, and while it may be a little sickening to see them giddy and in love, I wish both my friends a very happily ever after and want them both to know that whatever lies in their path, their love for each other will prevail. Here’s to Josh and Joey Wilson.”
Everyone says, “Hear, hear,” and starts chanting kiss so I do and kiss Joey as tenderly as possible. I can’t imagine a day when I don’t want to kiss her and hope that I never experience it. I have to admit that his speech was very nice when he could’ve slayed me. Maybe I’m not giving him enough credit and I can hopefully put my feelings aside for the friendship that he and Joey share.
“Stop that and cut the cake,” her mom chastises us. I pull away, but keep my hand on her neck with my thumb stroking her cheek softly. “I swear you two never stop touching each other.”
Her mother has no idea how bad I’m craving to be pressed against her body, to have my wife writhing in ecstasy underneath me, to have her ride me so I can see firsthand the pleasure she’s experiencing. As much as I love being here, a hotel would’ve been better for us. Or a tent, camper, anything where a bit of privacy is afforded so I can hear Joey scream out my name as she comes.
The knife is handed to the both of us and as we grip the handle we move slowly toward the cake. This is a symbolic moment in our marriage—who cares if it’s coming months after we tied the knot. One of the caterers appears behind us after we make the cut and gives us each a half of the piece of white cake.
Joey and I inch closer together, and a smile spreads across my face as we reach each other’s mouth with our slivers of cake. As soon as I feel the moist cake with buttery frosting hit my tongue, I know she’s not going to smash it into my face. I take it all, making sure to suck her fingers into my mouth, and when she does the same to me, my cock jumps to attention. Joey’s in my arms with her mouth pressed to mine. I clamp my mouth shut, fearful that she’s trying to steal my cake.
Everyone around us starts to clap and I can’t help but smile against her lips. “Are you happy, Mrs. Wilson?”
“Immensely.”
“Me too.”
Joey and I return to mingling with the guests and apparently now is the time for pictures. We pose with everyone and never alone. I refuse to remove my arm from her shoulder, even as my phone continues to vibrate in my back pocket. All day, Jules and Matt have been calling me and I’ve let them all go to voicemail and refuse to answer any of my text messages. Until I met Joey I was attached to that thing, but since her, since we got out of the house, she’s the only one I care about talking to. She’s the only one I need.
Leaving my parents was hard, but
coming back to Los Angeles is almost refreshing. As much as I love being home, the thought of making a new home with Josh is exciting. I’m ready for this new adventure.
He has one week before he begins filming his next movie, leaving us barely any time to find a place to live. Instead of going back to his apartment with Rob, we checked into a hotel where he proceeded to make me scream his name over and over again until even he couldn’t move. I was never this sexual with Tony and maybe that’s why he sought attention from someone else. With Josh, everything seems to click. We aren’t fumbling around and touching each other awkwardly. It’s natural and the responses we get from each other are automatic.
Today, we’re driving around, looking at everything from an apartment in a hotel, to houses and condos. Nothing has jumped out at us yet. The apartment and condos are nice because there isn’t any yard maintenance, but I want to feel my toes in the grass on a warm spring morning and plant some flowers. And I’m thinking of the future. There’s a baby coming and he or she will need a place to play, assuming Jules lets Josh parent in our home. Deep down I know it’s going to be a battle, and while he deserves equal custody, sometimes I wonder if Jules isn’t planning to make this extremely hard on him.
Before our reception ended, Bronx pulled me aside and spoke his mind again, telling me that he doesn’t think Josh is the father of Jules’ baby. I thought about bringing it up to Josh again, asking about the paternity test, but didn’t want to ruin our vacation. Now that we’re back in L.A., though, I’ll speak my mind more. This is my life that she’s messing with, too.
“This is the last house on the list,” Josh says, following our real estate agent through a gated community. The homes are all single-family with front yards, sidewalks, and charm.
“These houses look nice.”
“The one we’re seeing is brand new.”
I continue to look out the window at the people washing their cars; little kids riding bikes and jump roping.
“The house is fairly new, but it might be out of our price range.”
Twisted Reality (Blind Reality #2) Page 11
