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  As Susan and Josiah made their way to the back of the bar to inform the others they would be leaving, she felt disappointed at the absence of his hand pressed against her skin. She didn’t need to have him guide her through the crowd, but having experienced it earlier, Susan wanted to feel it again. The strength of his hands replaced by the gentleness of his touch was a drug she craved now that she’d gotten a taste of it. Like your first cup of coffee in the morning, the first sip is heavenly, but it’s only a prelude to something that fills you with warmth and satisfaction to get you through the day or at least a few hours until you need another. Susan briefly closed her eyes as they neared the table, thankful that the area had been cleared from the earlier scene. She avoided looking at Rowan, but Tessa released Cade’s hand and met her before she reached the table.

  “Are you okay?”

  Susan nodded. “I just kind of feel like an ass now for the scene I caused.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You just did what we all have wished we could for a long time now. Come on, let’s get you another beer,” Tessa said as she pulled at Susan’s arm.

  Susan pulled free from Tessa. “I’m gonna head home, but Neanderthal Man here seems to think I need an escort. Maybe you can reassure him I certainly do not.”

  “Maybe it would be a good thing for him to –”

  “Not tonight. I just want to go home on my own tonight.”

  Tessa cocked her head to the side, but didn’t say a word. Susan figured she knew it was for the best for all parties involved that she be left alone for the night. With a nod of her head, Tessa leaned into Josiah, whispering in his ear. After a quick word from him, Tessa shot a glance at Susan with her brows arched. Josiah reached into his pocket, withdrew Susan’s keys and placed them in Tessa hands. Susan could only image what Josiah said to Tessa and what must be going through her mind. Susan dipped her head, picking at her manicured nails until she saw Tessa’s black heels come into her line of sight. She slowly raised her head and accepted the outstretched keys. Susan had no desire to draw out her departure so with a quick hug with Tessa she made a hasty exit.

  Chapter 7

  Josiah hadn’t been able to sleep through the night. Not because he wasn’t tired as hell or because the accommodations Rowan had him set up with weren’t almost better than the comforts of home. Hell, the queen size bed he lay in was more comfortable than anything he’d slept on in quite some time, so he should have been able to drift off to sleep as soon as his head hit the plush pillows that encompassed his head. His lack of sleep had little to do with his discomfort and everything to do with a blond haired beauty with piercing green eyes that kept skipping through his mind every time he let his eyelids close. The feel of Susan’s body pressed to his as they danced lingered against his skin, the scent of strawberries that had filled his nostrils as he leaned in close to her still teased the inner walls of his nose, and the sight of her holding her own against the woman who’d broken Rowan’s heart had his mind reeling and his body restless.

  Josiah hadn’t understood what had gotten Susan in such an uproar at The Launchpad a few nights ago until Rowan had filled him in on everything after she’d left the bar. Having been given the information had only made Susan more attractive to him. Anyone who put themselves in harm’s way for their friends was more than all right with him. His friendship with Rowan and Cade had taught him that nothing should come between friends and there was no limit that a true friend wouldn’t go to in order to protect that person. Her actions had spoken volumes about the person she was on the inside, proving that the beauty that he be held with his eyes was only a tiny morsel of what lay beneath. Josiah had wanted to chase after her once Rowan had told him that the woman Susan knocked on her ass, indeed had been the Erin who had almost ruined the friendship between Rowan and Cade, but Susan had already been long gone and he was without a vehicle. Something he would be remedying as soon as he could get Rowan out of the house to get him a rental car.

  As Josiah lay with his arms bent behind his head, his eyes squeezed tight, he allowed himself the freedom of enjoying the images of Susan floating around in his mind. The images started out with their dance around the small dance floor, but always returned to their interlude outside the bar. Susan had carried so much confidence when they’d been in the club together that even her encounter with Erin had revealed a woman who wouldn’t be shaken. Yet, as Josiah thought back on the events, he realized she had been dazed and it had been evident when he stood outside with her. Her eyes betrayed her, revealing the battle she waged within her mind. She’d stood at the ready, almost daring him to make her run away. Josiah wasn’t sure if it was because of everything that had happened or if it were his very presence that caused her unease. He hoped like hell it was the first and not the latter. Before Josiah could let another thought pass through his mind, a gentle knock against the solid wood door had him bringing his body into a sitting position on the edge of the bed.

  “Come in,” he croaked out.

  Rowan slowly opened the door, the hinges creaking as he leaned his head in. “Hey, I wasn’t sure if you’d be awake.”

  “Yeah, just barely,” he responded as he stood, lifting his arms over his head and arching his back.

  “Get dressed. Coffee is brewing and there is a surfboard with your name on it.”

  “Don’t you have to work today?”

  “Not until this afternoon. And Madison isn’t feeling well, so I thought maybe we could hit the waves before I have to go in.”

  “Sounds great. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go.”

  Josiah lowered himself to the bed as Rowan pulled the door closed. He gave himself a few moments longer to enjoy the lingering images of Susan then pushed himself from his sitting position. Grabbing the green duffle bag from the corner of the room, he tossed it on the mattress and began rummaging through it to find his board shorts buried at the bottom. Josiah hadn’t expected to put them to use right away, but was more than ready to hit the water after being away from it for so long. He’d spent most of the past year in Afghanistan and other than the fact there was a war going on, the desert wasn’t a place to catch some waves. Josiah smiled, calling up memories of when a few guys had improvised with the tops of trash cans and tried to ride the sand only to fall flat on their faces.

  The last time Josiah had planted his feet on a surfboard had been right after he graduated from medical school. It had been the last time that he, Rowan, and Cade had been together. They’d taken to the waves knowing it would be their last time on the water together before Josiah left for the Marines. They’d acted as if they’d not had a care in the world and all the time on their hands. The ocean was their playground and they gladly used it for such from sun up to sun down. Josiah wondered if they had known then that it would be years before they would be together again if they’d spent that day any other way. He let out a laugh and acknowledged to himself that certainly they wouldn’t have. It had been one of the best days of his life, other than signing off on his discharge papers from the Marines just a few weeks ago. And although it had been awhile since he’d been in the water, he knew surfing was a little like sex. No matter how long you went without, you never forgot how to ride. Maybe it was a bad analogy, but surfing was the next best thing to sex as far as he was concerned. Most people went to church to find the balance and peace they needed. Josiah found his serenity standing atop a well waxed surfboard, miles from shore as the waves of the ocean beat at him and his stick, trying with all its might to toss him into its angry arms. He sure as hell missed being out on the water battling against mother-nature’s fury and gloating in his victory over the old woman. Without wasting another minute, Josiah slipped into his board shorts, and made his way to the kitchen.

  “Are you sure you don’t need anything,” Josiah heard Rowan’s voice drift from the rear bedroom. “Okay, but call me later and drink lots of fluid, I love you.”

  Josiah stared out the back window after pouring a cup of coffee from
a pot big enough for a small squadron and savored the feel of the hot liquid as it traveled down his throat. His eyes took in the beauty of the clear blue ocean, while the rays from the sun shimmered on the face of the water. Only a few bodies littered the beach now, but he knew before long the crowd would increase, even though it was the middle of the week. He couldn’t wait to feel the heat of the sand against the soles of his feet, or slap of the water against his skin. He’d been away from it for far too long and his spirit ached to find that spot out on the ocean that gave him the peace to calm the restlessness he’d been feeling of late.

  As Rowan stepped into the kitchen he grabbed another cup from the cabinet, filled it to the brim for Rowan and handed it off to him. “She okay?” he asked when Rowan took the cup from him without a glance in his direction.

  Rowan nodded, sat at the oak table that consumed the kitchen and slowly began to drink. “Yeah, she’s probably just got the stomach flu or some kind of bug. I’ll check on her before I go into the office this afternoon.”

  “When did her symptoms start?” Josiah asked.

  Rowan chuckled. “Always in doctor mode, right?”

  “Aren’t you?”

  “That I am. A couple nights ago, after we went to The Launchpad. Now, let’s surf.”

  The two of them took two long swigs of coffee, set the cups on the table and bolted out the backdoor like the house was on fire. Rowan snatched up his surfboard first, only because Josiah had no idea Rowan leaned his boards against the side of the house. He should have remembered Rowan liked to have his boards at the ready at all times. Rowan got a quick start on Josiah, but he quickly caught up then passed him just as they hit the sand. They ran like two school boys trying to reach the shore before the other like they were in the Olympic trials. The splash of water against Josiah’s calves as he hit the water, was like a coming home. He flung himself and the board into the air, inhaling the salt of the ocean and enjoying the feel as his body meshed with the piece of wood that would be his ride on the waves for the next few hours. As he slammed onto the surface of water underneath his board, he pumped with his arms putting as much distance between him and Rowan as possible as he paddled away from the shoreline. Josiah had every intention of catching the first wave before Rowan did. For as long as they’d been surfing together, hitting the first wave was a rite of passage. Whoever rode the first sat at the top of the totem pole until the next person knocked them off.

  Josiah glanced over his shoulder, being sure to keep his arms pumping, and saw that Rowan was closing the distance between them. He pumped harder, reaching the channel first and waited as Rowan inched closer. As soon as Rowan paddled up next to Josiah, he saw the lines and readied himself to catch the first wave of the day. With a quick nod to Rowan, he paddled, picking up enough speed to be able to get up before the first wave caught his board.

  They spent the next two hours trying to outdo each other on the water, but Rowan had the upper hand since Josiah hadn’t been on a board in so long. It seemed like he spent more time in the water watching Rowan catch wave after wave, while he struggled just to stay on his board. As a matter of fact, he’d been more than happy to get out of the water and into a hot shower when Rowan had tapped on his watch to let him know their fun would have to come to an end. Rowan had cleaned up and headed off to work, but had asked Josiah if he’d check on Madison later to make sure she was okay and didn’t need anything. Josiah had seen the concern as Rowan’s face grew tight with worry, as if he’d never seen her sick before. Or maybe it was natural when you were in love with someone that something as simple as the stomach flu sent you into a panic. Josiah had never found himself in a situation such as that, so he didn’t know what would be considered normal and what would be out of the ordinary.

  When Rowan left, Josiah made his way to the bathroom, closed himself in and stripped down to nothing. After turning on the shower to let it warm up, he placed his hands on the white pedestal sink and stared at himself in the mirror. As the water heated, steam filled the small bathroom hiding his reflection. He swiped his hand across the mirror to wipe away the moisture that clung to the glass. “What are you going to do with yourself now?” he spoke to his reflection as if it held some untold wisdom. Unable to answer the question himself, he pushed away from the sink, ran his fingers through the thick mass on his head, and thrust aside the uncertainties of what the future held. Josiah had no idea what his next journey would be, where life would take him. He didn’t know if he would end up on a train returning to Texas or staying here in California. All he had planned for the immediate future was soaking up the sun, hanging with his boys and enjoying the downtime while he could. And for his most immediate future, a shower was in order to blow off the stink of the morning activities. He did a quick check of the water temperature then stepped past the glass door that held the water in and the world out.

  Josiah took his time, enjoying the feel of the hot water beating against his dark skin, washing away the film of ocean water coating every inch of his body. He turned into the steady stream hammering at him, scrubbing his hands down his face. The stubble he’d neglected for the past few days sprinkled his jaw and scratched at his palms. Josiah grabbed a bar of soap lathering it up in his hands then slicked up chest, and down to his abdomen. Before he could stop himself, images of Susan jumped into his mind and he felt himself grow painfully hard under the pounding water. The length of his manhood throbbed for attention as he envisioned her full lips pressed to his. Josiah imagined her in the shower with him, naked and wet, in more ways than from just the spray of the water. He could almost feel her lean body pressed to his, the transfer of soap from his body to hers inevitable as her pert nipples brush against his chest. The thought of her long wet tresses clinging to her shoulders and cheeks like a second skin caused a tightness in his belly. Josiah’s hands slipped down to the hard erection between his legs and began to stroke from base to tip as visions of Susan wrapping her lips around his cock danced before him. His fingers wrapped tightly around his thickness and stroked as if her mouth were taking him in completely. Pressing a hand to the wall, his hips moved of their own accord as he stroked up and down the length of his shaft. He squeezed his eyes tighter, threw back his head, and rode out the orgasm that came quick and hard. Spilling himself this way relieved him, but it was empty, nothing like it should be. In that moment he’d never wanted anything more than to feel Susan’s lips pressed to his mouth, to bury himself within her, to feel her clench his cock between the lips of her core and for her juices to run the length of his thickness as he brought them both to release.

  Josiah shook the images from his mind. He had no right to think of Susan, especially not in a sexual way at all. She hadn’t given him any indication that she was even remotely interested in him. As a matter of fact, when he’d offered to take her home she’d been pissed at him, thinking he was trying to watch over her, not even taking a moment to consider he might actually want to just spend time with her. She’d not once given into his touch at the small of her back and avoided eye contact with him at all cost. She’d thought she’d been coy when she pretended to look for a waitress, but he knew even then she was giving off signals that she was the most uninterested woman in the place. Here he stood all worked up about a woman who obviously had no interest in him and he’d just made himself come fantasizing about her.

  Pushing Susan from his mind, he rinsed himself off, grabbed at the navy blue towel hanging on the hook outside the shower, and stepped out past the glass enclosure. He needed to get dressed and check on Madison, anyway, then call around about getting that rental car he should have gotten when he stepped off the train.

  ****

  Josiah stood at Madison’s door ringing the bell for the third time. If she didn’t open the door soon, he’d have to call Rowan and see if there was an extra key to get in. He was sure she was sleeping if she was as sick as Rowan led him to believe, but he’d feel better seeing her to make sure she was okay. He pushed the toe of his b
lack sneakers against a crack in the wood porch, his cell phone in hand. His mind wandered to his time in Afghanistan and his buddies he’d spent the past year with. Although he’d spent any down time he had with them, other than their job and the war, he really didn’t have much in common with them. Several of them had wives or girlfriends back home, some received letters of adoration and pictures, but it was the ones who received those letters every person in the middle of a war dreads, who made him glad he was single. The ones where significant others end the relationship via the US postal service. They didn’t even have the courtesy to use the calls they were allotted to break it to them over the phone. It had been when he’d seen grown men who showed little fear while bullets rang in the darkness, break down consumed by their hurt and anger, that he was happy to get a letter from home with only happy, uplifting news.

  Josiah’s thumb slid across the face of his cell phone to make the call to Rowan just as Madison opened the door.

  “Holy hell, Madison. What the…” Josiah’s words faded as he caught Madison before her body hit the floor.

  When Madison answered the door, she was hunched over at the waist, wheezing like someone who lived on a ventilator. Now, her hair hung in a tangled mess off her shoulders and her breathing was becoming even shallower. Her skin was pale with the exception of red blotches around her eyes and slick with sweat. No doubt she was running a fever. Upon inspection after lowering her onto the sofa, Josiah confirmed that she’d busted the blood vessels around her eyes. He didn’t need her to tell him that she’d been vomiting or that it had been severe, he saw the evidence on her face and the way she clutched at her stomach. She lay on her side, her knees pulled up as far as she could without adding to the pain in her stomach. Josiah asked her questions with little response. The most he could get out of her was that she had worn a path from the bathroom to the bedroom over the course of the last twelve hours. She wasn’t sure if it had been something she ate, or the stomach flu, but she couldn’t even keep a simple thing such as water down. That even the most minute of sounds hit her temples like a blow dart had been speared into them at a high velocity. And that she didn’t want Rowan to know how bad she was or how horrible she looked.