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  “Trust me,” Josiah whispered in her ear. “Just listen to the music, relax and let me take control.”

  As Josiah counted off the steps in her ear, Susan relaxed and allowed him to lead her around the dance floor. The wood beneath their feet was smooth, making it easy to glide with each step they took. She mentally counted as Josiah did. One two one. One two one, became her chant as others on the dance floor breezed past them with ease. She lowered her eyelids to avoid eye contact with him, afraid that if she got caught up in those cocoa eyes she’d end up tripping over his feet again. Closing herself out to everything but the music and the feel of Josiah pressed to her, she silently admitted to herself that she didn’t mind the dance at all. Josiah proved to be quite the dance partner, able to take the hapless dancer and turn her into a dancing queen. Okay, dancing queen was a little far-fetched, but Susan conceded to the enjoyment of the moment. With each pass around the dance floor, the tension she’d felt at the beginning of the dance eased away, and her body became putty in Josiah’s arms. So caught up in the way their bodies moved together flawlessly, she didn’t realize the song had gone from a two-step to a swing, until Josiah pulled her from the dance floor.

  “Swing might be a bit much for you right now. That’s something we can work on together on another occasion.”

  “Good thinking,” she said as they slipped past excited couples stepping onto the dance floor.

  Chapter 5

  Josiah placed his hand at the small of Susan’s back guiding her through the crowd of people to the hidden table their friends occupied. A shiver ran the length of her spine as the heat of his fingertips penetrated the thin v-neck shirt she wore, the only barrier between his skin and hers. Susan lifted her eyebrows to Tessa as they neared while Josiah still walked behind her, letting her friend know that this night out had been exactly what she needed. With work keeping her busy these past few months and helping her father out with her mother, Susan had had little time to enjoy herself and even less time to enjoy any male refreshments.

  When they arrived back at their table, Susan snatched up her Corona and drank until she reached the bottom of the bottle, resisting the urge to finish off Josiah’s. The cold liquid did very little to extinguish the burning she felt in her veins by the nearness of him or the lingering heat at the small of her back. Much to her surprise, Josiah didn’t break contact with her, even as she slid onto the bar stool. His fingers rose to the top of the stool and rested against the middle of her back. Susan enjoyed the touch of a man, almost craved it more than anything else, so even though Josiah’s hand on her was unexpected, she welcomed it. A million thoughts ran through her mind as she caressed the empty bottle like a lover. The insecurity she hid from the world beat against the inner walls of her chest, panic rising as thoughts of her mother laid up in a hospital bed, her father at her side, made an appearance at the most inopportune time. She’d stopped to see her mother on her way over to The Launchpad tonight and the scene played out vividly in her mind now.

  She’d sat next to her mother, Sharon, in the fifteen by fifteen room she shared with another woman, watching old re-runs of Little House on the Prairie as her mother’s roommate called a nurse over and over without pause. A thin, yellow faded cloth curtain pulled around her mother’s small cubby may have kept out the visual reminders of the place her mother now called home, but it had done little to mute the sounds or the stench of the fellow residents. The vibrant woman Susan remembered as she passed from childhood to adulthood no longer resided in the body she had sat next to tonight. Sharon’s once long beautiful hair hung limp around her shoulders, uncared for, something her mother would never have allowed before her sickness took over. The nursing staff could only schedule showers three times a week for their residents and since her mother’s condition worsened and she’d become more belligerent, many weeks she’d only get two. As of late, they’d had to sedate her because her mother’s outbursts would upset the other patients.

  Tonight, all had been calm until Susan had reached out and placed her hand over her mother’s balled up fist. She’d closed her eyes for a brief moment and enjoyed the warmth of her mother’s flesh just as she had when she was a child. The harsh slap against the back of her hand had caused her eyes to fly open. Her mother had snatched her hand away knocking over a half-glass of orange juice left over from her latest meal. Sharon’s nose had flared and her eyes widened as she’d clutched at the blue terry cloth robe draped over her shoulders. Confusion and anger had been etched on her face as she had begun to attack Susan verbally with the foulest language Susan had ever heard flow from her mother’s lips.

  “It’s okay mom,” Susan remembered saying, trying to reassure her as she’d wiped up as best she could the spilled juice with tissues she’d pulled from the side table of the bed.

  “Where are my things?” her mother had asked. “What have you done with them all?”

  Susan had asked her what things and her mother had sat and accused her of stealing jewelry Susan didn’t even know she owned. Susan's cheeks had grown hot with anger as her mother yelled at her and before she could try to calm her, the night nurse assigned to her room,, Cynthia, had pulled the curtain back. She’d placed a hand on her shoulder, no doubt to comfort, but it had only made Susan’s body tense. The anger emanating from her mother had been thick in the room then her words that she didn’t have a daughter when Cynthia tried to explain who Susan was, pierced her to the heart. Susan had dropped the tissues and made a beeline to the parking lot, needing to free herself of the nursing facility and the pain that resided there. The echo of her shoes hitting the linoleum floors rang in Susan’s head now. She’d known she shouldn’t have stopped by, but she’d promised her father and now she wished she hadn’t. She needed this night, needed to be with friends, and still her mother and her condition hung over her head even as this sexy cowboy towered over her.

  Susan slid her thumb from the lip of the bottle to the bottom where it touched the table. As if doing so would erase her uncertainties and the pains of her life. She pushed the bottle to the center of the table, scanning the room for their waitress, more out of a need to avoid eye contact with Josiah than needing a refill. She suddenly felt an intrusion, as if some outside force were trying to edge its way past the invisible border surrounding her little group, and her instincts were dead on. Susan watched as Erin made her way across the bar, not once taking her beady little eyes from Josiah's ass as he leaned over the table to say something to Rowan. Oh Susan hoped the bitch would open her mouth, tonight would be a perfect night for her to put the smack down on her. She wasn't a violent person normally, but she'd been fed up with all of Erin's shit when it came to those Susan called friends and she would be more than happy to put someone like Erin in her place and not think twice about it. She'd heard all the horror stories from Tessa about what Erin put Cade and Rowan through. Erin had tried to seduce Cade into the bed she shared with Rowan and on the night of their wedding. As far as Susan was concerned, if someone played games with her friends, they played games with her.

  In regards to Josiah, Erin could look all she wanted because Susan didn’t have a claim on him. She just met him tonight and who knew if she’d ever even see him again. No one even knew if he were sticking around or heading back to Texas. There was no way Susan was letting that conniving little bitch anywhere near the rest of them, though.

  "You'll have to excuse me," she said to Josiah, but loud enough for the others to hear, never taking her eyes from Erin.

  "Where..." She didn’t let Josiah get the rest of the sentence out before she stepped away from the group and headed straight for Erin.

  "Erin, wow what a surprise to see you here," Susan said as she blocked the path Erin's feet and eyes were fixed on.

  "Susan. What is it, charity night at The Launchpad? Didn't realize tonight was skank night."

  "Really? I figured that’s why you showed your sorry ass here."

  "Move out of my way," Erin spat as she tried to step past
Susan.

  "Well, see that depends on where you’re going. I know you don't plan on going over to where Rowan is."

  "I have no interest in Rowan or his little gang of misfits. Although the tall cowboy with the nice ass is more to my liking."

  Susan felt heat rise into her cheeks, not the same kind of heat she'd felt when she’d first laid eyes on Josiah. No this heat caused the muscles in her arms to constrict and every hateful word possible rest heavy on her tongue. She wanted to snatch the woman by the hair and drag her ass from the bar and offer her up as a sacrifice to the drunks littering the parking lot. Susan had no right to feel that way, not when it came to Josiah. Hell, she just met him herself, but the thought of Erin even looking at him suddenly sent bile rising into her throat. For all Susan knew, Josiah might just get off on being with a woman like Erin. She knew absolutely nothing about him, other than that he threw off a sexual vibe that made her want to shimmy out of her panties quicker than a pig jumps in the mud. And while Susan stood contemplating what to do with Erin, visions of her and Josiah making use of mud in the most primal way danced around in her mind. Damn it, she knew she should just step aside and let Josiah make his own choice with regards to Erin, but all the pent up anger Susan had in that moment and all the pain Erin had caused wouldn't give her the leeway to do so.

  "Ahh, see that's not happening," Susan said leaning in toward Erin.

  "Whatever. Just move out of my way. Don't you have someone to go throw yourself at near the men’s bathroom? That’s more to your liking, isn’t it? From the looks of Mr. Cowboy there, he has better taste than to even allow you to breathe on him."

  Those few words pushed Susan beyond any coherent thought process and before she could mentally adjust her approach to the situation, her hands clenched into tight fists and she threw out a right hook landing against Erin's cheek, sending her flying a few feet and landing on her pious ass. Susan stood for what seemed like hours, a smirk on her face, and satisfaction oozing from her pores. She took two long strides towards Erin, her hands still clinched in tight fists and resting at her sides. Erin struggled to get up as the crowded bar suddenly began to part like the Red Sea. As Susan prepared for a battle, the muscles in her legs and arms shook from the adrenaline shooting through her body. Susan felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and swing her around. Her eyes tried to focus as the bar blurred from the movement, the Corona she’d just downed threatening to make a hasty exit.

  "Whoa, little lady," Josiah's deep hypnotic voice drowned out the music overhead and filled her ears as he released her and placed his body between her and Erin.

  "You bitch," Erin spat as two men were helping her to her feet. Erin pulled herself free of their grips, pushing at them without hesitation and launched herself toward Susan.

  Susan ducked under Josiah’s outstretched arms and found a fist full of Erin’s hair, yanking until she had Erin on her ass again. Erin’s fingernails dug into the skin at her wrists, the pain shooting up her arm weakening her grip and she could do nothing else but release her hold on her. Susan gave a swift kick between her shoulder blades. Erin pushed herself from the dirty bar floor quicker than Susan expected and pushed at her shoulders, sending Susan stumbling backwards. Josiah just as quickly caught her before she found herself in the same predicament Erin had just been in.

  "Enough, Erin!" Rowan's voice filled the space between them. "This is not the place or the time."

  "You need to let Ms. Sleep Around know that. She's the one going all possessive over him and getting her panties all twisted," she said with a jerk of her head in Josiah's direction, pressing her palm to the cheek where Susan had connected her fist.

  "Fuck you!" Susan yelled, her eyes avoiding Josiah. If he hadn’t had a grip on her now, Susan would have gone another round, knocking Erin back where she belonged, on the soiled carpet under their feet. Both were reactions to her embarrassment for allowing herself to lose control and for the announcement of her jealousy sliding past Erin’s twisted lips. Susan averted her eyes from Josiah’s direction, wanting to scamper away like a frightened mouse about to be caught in the snares of a trap. She searched her mind for some explanation to why she’d felt the intensity of such anger toward Erin. Her initial thought had been because of Erin’s history, she'd quietly tried to convince herself that she only wanted to steer Erin away from the table so that Tessa and the rest of the group wouldn't have to deal with her. She’d even tried to convince herself it was because of the incident with her mother. Then Erin opened her mouth and started talking about Josiah and an intense jealously coiled inside her belly and erupted like a champagne bottle after being manhandled. She knew it had been a ridiculous reaction. Even if she and Josiah went home together, she knew it would be nothing more than a one night stand. That was her reality. Usually a one night stand, although not as often as people perceived.

  Chapter 6

  Josiah turned to face Susan, the corners of his mouth curving upward causing his eyes to sparkle even in the darkness of the club. He reached out his hand to Susan and without thought she took it as if it would give her an anchor as her emotions were tossed around on a turbulent sea. She was uncertain what the gesture meant and uncaring at the moment of its meaning, she needed something or someone to calm the raging war she battled within herself. The urge to pummel Erin for all the hurt she’d caused and somehow continued to cause along with the overwhelming need to run as far from the situation as she could get, caused a jumbled mess that Susan had no idea how to compartmentalize.

  "Let’s go dance," Josiah said, breaking through the rollercoaster of thoughts flying through Susan’s mind. “I think now would be a good time for a swing lesson to help get rid of that excess energy you have going on there.”

  Susan shook her head although she knew the distraction Josiah was offering her would do her some good. "I don’t want to dance.” Her gaze slid past his shoulders to where Erin stood unmoving.

  "You do now. Let Rowan take care of her," he said as he motioned to Erin and the bouncer who stood next to Rowan looking as if he were ready to throw the whole bunch of them out.

  “Seriously, I think I just need some fresh air. I’ll be back shortly,” she responded releasing his hand, heading for the exit.

  “Not on my watch,” Josiah told her as he followed her out the door.

  Susan spun around when they cleared the door, stepping out into the night air. “Look, this whole not on your watch thing is getting a little irritating. Now would be a great time to put that ego away because honestly, darling, it’s not working for me.” She drew out the word darling as if to mock him, but hearing it pass her lips, she realized how ridiculous it sounded coming from her, which in turn only pissed her off more. “Besides, I didn’t realize you were here to watch after me. Last I checked I was a big girl able to take care of myself.”

  Josiah threw up his hands. “It’s just an expression. I had no intentions of offending you. Look, why don’t we go back inside and have another drink? No dancing, just drinking.”

  “I’d rather not. I’m just gonna head home. I think I’ve punched too many holes in my excitement card for one night.”

  “Come on. We were just getting along.”

  Susan tried to pull her keys from her pocket, her hands shaking from the adrenaline surging through her body. Yanking just a little too hard, the keys flew from the pocket of her jeans, landing at Josiah’s feet. She watched without a word as he tipped his hat back, bent at the waist and scooped the keys from the pavement. Dangling them out in front of her as if to tempt her with something forbidden, with a gleam in his eyes, he flashed a crooked grin, daring her to pull the keys from his grip. When Susan reached trembling fingers to take possession of the shiny objects, Josiah took a long step away from her, shaking his head from side to side.

  “We have two choices here. You can come inside with me, or I can take you home.”

  Susan stood motionless for only a split second then began to shift her weight from one foot to the oth
er. The buzz of lights hanging from the building grew louder in Susan’s ear as time seemed to stand still. The choices Josiah gave her were unacceptable. On any other night, she would have been more than happy to find a cowboy in her car on the route to her place, but tonight would not be one of those nights. The argument with Erin, her own outburst, and the uncertainty of her actions put her in a rancid mood. The sour taste of her emotions settled on her tongue and vibrated throughout her body. Susan just wanted to be back in her apartment gorging herself for the second night in a row on a gallon of ice cream and attending a church service in honor of the porcelain god.

  “Josiah, please hand over my keys. I am going home, but not with you riding shotgun.”

  “Good because I had no plans on being the passenger. I much rather like being the one driving,” he said with a wink. “Let me go tell the gang we’ll be leaving.”

  “No. I’m going home alone. I don’t need a babysitter and I’m quite offended that you think I do.”

  Josiah’s shoulders shook as Susan watched him try to reign in his laughter unsuccessfully. He slipped her keys into his pocket, held his arm out toward the entrance to The Launchpad, and waited until she obliged him. His relaxed stance as he waited for her to make a move only added to her already bad mood. She crossed her arms over her chest, let out a heavy sigh, and reluctantly walked past Josiah without a word. The bastard was cocky and although she would like him even less if he had a rubber backbone, she was in no mood to deal with an egotistical son of a bitch tonight. The nerve of him to just assume that she would allow him to come home with her. Was she really that easy? Did she really come off as being a quick, easy lay for him?