Defying Gravity (Healing Hearts Book 2) by Laura Farr (23)

Thankfully I managed to avoid Josh’s parents for the next couple of weeks, the days and nights filled with school and wedding plans. Josh stayed with me every night after his parents returned home from their cruise, and it was beginning to feel like he had moved in for good. I loved being with him, but I didn’t want him to distance himself from his parents. He’d hardly seen his mom since the disastrous evening a couple of weeks ago, and after speaking to his dad at work, it was clear that his mom still thought he was making a mistake by being with me. Josh brushed it off, telling me he wasn’t bothered, saying as long as he had me and the baby, he had everything he needed. He didn’t fool me though—I’d known him too long for that. I knew he was hurt that his mom wasn’t being supportive and encouraged him to go talk to her, but he wouldn’t.

It was the night of Mason’s bachelor party and Libby’s bachelorette. Jack had flown in the day before, and the boys were heading to Austin for a night out before heading back to the ranch. The girls were having a meal and a night of dancing in Marble Falls. I was in my bedroom in just my underwear, trying to find something to wear that made me look half decent, when I heard the cottage door open downstairs.

“Honey, I’m home,” Josh called out and I smiled; he’d taken to saying that every time he came through the door, and I loved it.

“Upstairs babe,” I called out as I continued to flick through my closet. I heard footsteps on the stairs and turned as the bedroom door swung open. I watched as Josh’s eyes tracked over my nearly naked body, and I felt heat pool between my legs. Biting down on my lip, my eyes met his. “Hi,” I said quietly, squirming as a familiar ache began to develop in the pit of my stomach.

“Hi,” he whispered back, crossing the room in two strides and wrapping me in his arms. “Do you have any idea how sexy you look, standing there in your bra and panties?” he murmured into the crook of my neck, his lips brushing against my skin and making me shiver. I moaned as he slipped the strap of my bra off my shoulder and kissed down my neck and arm. Unclipping my bra with ease, he gently pulled it off my body and tossed it onto the floor. His fingers found my breasts and he cupped them, one in each hand, his thumbs flicking over my sensitive nipples. My head dropped back and I moaned again.

“I love your tits baby,” he murmured as his head dropped to my chest, his hot mouth enveloping my nipple. As his tongue began licking and nibbling my sensitive skin, I felt my knees buckle. Quickly releasing my breast from his mouth, Josh’s arms shot around my waist and he picked me up, carrying me the short distance to the bed. I whimpered at the loss of his mouth on me and he chuckled, brushing his lips against mine. I wrapped my legs tightly around him, kissing him like he was the oxygen I needed for my next breath, and I pushed my tongue into his mouth, stroking it against his. My hands pulled sharply on the hair at the base of his neck and I ground my hips against him, feeling him hard against the thin material of my panties. Still kissing me, he groaned into my mouth.

Pulling away, he placed me gently on the bed, his hooded eyes boring into mine. I watched as he quickly took off his clothes, his erection springing free as he removed his underwear. Climbing on the bed, he lay on his side next to me. As he leaned over to kiss my lips, I felt his hand brush over my bump and his fingers slide between my legs. They brushed against my clit and I whimpered as he teased me, stroking me into a frenzy. I raised my hips off the bed in an attempt to get more friction from his fingers, and sensing that I needed more, he slid one finger then another inside me and began pumping them in and out while his thumb circled my clit. My body was on fire and I could feel my orgasm building. Suddenly, he removed his fingers.

“Don’t stop,” I begged.

“I’ve got you baby,” he said huskily against my lips. His mouth began moving down my body, peppering small kisses along the way. His kisses continued until his head was between my legs and his tongue began circling my center. After a few seconds, he pushed two fingers inside me.

“Oh God Josh,” I cried as he began pumping his fingers while he sucked my clit into his mouth. My hands gripped the sheets tightly at my sides and I raised my hips in an attempt to get closer to him. His tongue continued to flick over my clit and as he pushed in a third finger, my orgasm crashed into me, rolling through me in waves. He continued to stroke me with his tongue as I writhed beneath him. Reaching down, I gently pushed his head away when I couldn’t take it anymore. Dropping my legs open, I relaxed back onto the comforter, my breaths coming out in pants. Josh moved up the bed and lay next to me.

“God I love you!” I told him when my breathing had returned to normal. He chuckled and pulled me against him for a kiss.

“I love you too,” he replied. I pushed against his shoulder so he was lying on his back and straddled his waist. Sex had become a little difficult over the past couple of weeks with my bump getting bigger by the day, and we had to experiment with what positions were best. My current favorite was me on top. He gazed up at me, his eyes full of love, and I leaned down and kissed him, my tongue snaking into his mouth. Moving my hips against him, I felt his erection, hot and silky against my bare skin. He groaned as I teased him, rotating my hips as I kissed him.

“As hot as you look sitting there, baby, I need to be inside you.” He growled, his hands going to my hips and lifting me up slightly, sinking me down onto his erection. We moaned in unison as he slid inside me. Moving slowly against him, I watched as his eyes closed and his head dropped back. His hands gripped my waist and his hips thrust up to meet mine. As I rocked against him, his breathing became ragged and he reached his hands up, his fingers finding my nipples. I felt Josh grow even harder inside me and I rocked faster against him, a second orgasm building. He continued to roll and pinch my nipples with his fingers and he dropped one of his hands between my legs, stroking my clit. He gently rolled me over so I was on my back and held both of my legs in the air while he pounded into me. Leaning down, he kissed my lips before kissing around my jaw and neck. His kisses went lower and his mouth found my breast. He bit down on my nipple and I felt my orgasm hit me. As I cried out, my hands pulled on his hair. He continued to thrust against me until his body shuddered and he mumbled my name before dropping my legs and collapsing to the side of me.

His sweat-covered body was pushed up against mine and I could feel his heart thumping in his chest, his breaths coming out as ragged pants. “It just gets better and better,” he said, brushing his lips against my arm. “I’m going to miss you tonight.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” I told him. We had spent practically every evening together since our first date in Austin, and it would be strange to go out without him.

“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” he asked, his voice full of concern. “Stay with the girls, don’t go wandering off on your own.” I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. “I mean it Savannah.” He reached his hand over and placed it on my bump. “You two are the most important people in my life. You’re everything to me.”

Realizing he really meant it, I stopped laughing. “Of course I’ll be careful. We’re only going to the Brass Hall, I’ll be fine babe,” I promised.

He snorted. “I remember the kind of jerks who hang around in the Brass Hall!” he exclaimed, raising his eyebrows.

My face flushed as I realized he was talking about Alex. “Don’t worry about me,” I told him, trying to change the subject. “You’ll have a great time in Austin. It should be me worrying about you anyway,” I said, swatting him on the shoulder. “Don’t go getting too drunk—I’m not driving to Austin to pick you up at 2 in the morning!” He laughed and tickled my side. Squealing, I moved up the bed away from him.

“I’m driving sweetheart.” He laughed. “Someone’s got to be designated driver, and I can’t see Brody offering!”

“He should, he’s the best man!”

“He’s more excited for the bachelor party than Mason. It’s Brody who insisted we go to Austin—Mase was happy with Marble Falls! Anyone would think it was Brody who was getting married,” Josh joked.

“I can’t see that happening any time soon—he’d have to actually date someone for more than five minutes first!” I said with a snort.

“He just hasn’t found the one yet Sav, that’s all,” Josh said quietly, reaching for me and kissing me on the lips.

Pulling back, I bit down on my lip. “And you have?” I asked shyly, and he nodded.

“I found the one when I was 16, it just took me a while to get around to making her mine.”

“Have I told you that I love you?” I asked him with a grin.

“Once or twice, but I’d happily hear you say it forever.”

“Forever isn’t long enough,” I said as he wrapped me in his arms.

We lay on the bed until my phone chimed with a message from Libby, saying she would be over in an hour. As much as I wanted to stay wrapped in Josh’s arms, we both had places to be.

An hour later, Josh had left for Austin and I was waiting for Libby to arrive. Josh had left me strict instructions to text him every hour so he knew I was okay. As much as I loved him and thought it was sweet that he was concerned, there was no way I was texting him every hour. I’d probably forget once I got on the dance floor with Lib and the girls, and I was sure Josh would feel the same once he was with all the boys. There was a knock on the door and Libby, my mom, and Aunt Emma all walked into the cottage. We were planning to have a meal first and then go on to the Brass Hall; my mom and Aunt Emma were coming for the meal then heading back to the ranch while me, Lib, and some girlfriends went on to the bar.

“Hey Sav, you look great,” Libby said, coming over and hugging me.

“Meh! I feel like a whale,” I moaned, looking down at the maternity jeans and floaty top I was wearing.

“Well you don’t look like a whale,” Aunt Emma said as she too came up and gave me a hug.

“No, you look beautiful darling,” my mom said, squeezing my hand.

“Thank you. You’re all lying, but I appreciate you trying to make me feel better,” I joked. “Enough about me, what about the blushing bride to be? You look great Lib…but you’re missing something.” I watched her look down at her black dress, her eyebrows pulled together in a frown.

“What am I missing?” she asked, confused.

I reached behind the sofa and grabbed the paper bag that was hidden there. Reaching inside, I pulled out a veil and garter. “You’re missing these!” I exclaimed, holding them up for her to see. She laughed when she saw the veil, and I walked over to her, gesturing for her to turn around. I pinned the veil in her wavy brown hair and kneeled down to put the garter on her leg. “There, that’s better. Now you look like you’re on your bachelorette.” My mom and Aunt Emma laughed, and I reached for my phone, snapping a picture of Lib before we left. “Let’s go. Rose, Harper, and Ava are meeting us at the restaurant.” As we left, my phone chimed in my hand and I glanced down to see a text from Josh. I frowned—he should have been driving, so why was he texting me?

We’d reached the car so I slipped my phone in my purse, not waiting for a reply, and opened the doors. Lib and Aunt Emma climbed in the back and my mom sat next to me in the passenger seat.

“Was that Josh?” Libby asked from behind me, and I nodded as I started the car.

“As much as I love him, I think he’s going to drive me insane tonight. He wants me to text him every hour so he knows I’m okay!” I said exasperatedly.

“Well I think Mason and Josh must have come up with that bright idea together,” Libby said with a smile as I caught her reflection in the rear-view mirror. “Mason said the same thing to me.”

“That’s southern boys for you. You’d better get used to it girls—they just get worse as they get older,” my mom said as she laughed next to me.

“Great!” I exclaimed, although I secretly loved that he cared enough to want to check up on me.

Rose, Harper, and Ava were waiting for us at the restaurant, and after introducing Aunt Emma to everyone, we were seated at a table. The meal was delicious, and after I ate, I really wanted to crawl into bed and sleep, but I knew once I got to the Brass Hall, I would liven up and want to dance. After we paid the check and ordered a taxi back to the ranch for Mom and Aunt Emma, we said a quick goodbye and walked the short distance to the Brass Hall. People were lining up out the door, but earlier in the day, I’d called Sadie, my friend who worked the bar, and asked her to let the doorman know we were coming. Giving our name to the bouncer, we were ushered in and escorted to a table Sadie must have reserved for us. It was a good thing she had, because the place was packed as usual.

After getting a round of drinks, we hit the dance floor, dancing in a tight circle to keep away any unwanted attention. No one would be hitting on me that night, but guys were drawn to Libby knowing she was on her bachelorette. When Lib had first come to the ranch, she’d sworn off alcohol after what had happened to Mia, and while she didn’t drink a lot now, she did have a drink when we went out.

Harper came over to me and shouted in my ear so I could hear her over the music. “Shots?” she asked, raising her eyebrows at me. I nodded and held four fingers up to her. She smiled and made her way to the bar.

“Let’s head back to the table for a drink,” I shouted across to Libby, Ava, and Rose. They nodded at me and we fought our way off the dance floor. My feet were killing me and I flopped down in the booth when we reached the table, glad to be able to sit down for a bit. Reaching into my purse, I pulled out my phone, noticing that I had five messages and two missed calls. Sighing, I unlocked it and quickly read through my texts, all of which were from Josh asking if I was okay and why I hadn’t messaged him. Laughing, I held my phone up.

“Have you checked your phone Lib? I have a bunch of messages from Josh because I haven’t texted him!”

“Shit!” she shouted, digging around in her purse. “I forgot to text Mason too, I bet they’re going crazy! You know how protective they are.” I watched as she looked at her screen and nodded. “Yep! Seven texts and three missed calls!” she exclaimed.

“God, that’s worse than Josh!” I said with a laugh. I sent Josh a quick message telling him I was fine and having a good time. Looking over to Lib, I saw she too was typing out a text. My phone chimed with a reply from Josh, and I smiled as I read his message.

“I’m not in trouble,” I joked as I put my phone down on the table.

“I think it’s sweet,” Ava said with a sigh. “I wish someone cared enough to check up on me!”

“What about Cooper?” Libby asked, putting her phone back in her purse.

“Urghhh!” Ava moaned. “I thought everything was going great until he just stopped calling and texting. I messaged him a few times but I’m not chasing him. If he’s not interested, that’s his loss.”

“Good for you!” I told her. “Ava, you’re gorgeous! Any guy who’s not interested is an idiot.”

She threw her head back and laughed. “Thanks Sav,” she said, blowing me a kiss. “When is that hot brother of yours coming over Lib?” she asked, wriggling her eyebrows.

Libby laughed. “Jack flew in yesterday and is heading home just after New Year’s.”

“Is he single?” she asked with a smirk.

“As far as I know,” Lib replied with a roll of her eyes. “I’d better warn him that you’re on the prowl!”

“Well you know what they say—the bridesmaid has to sleep with the bride’s brother!” Ava giggled.

“I think you mean the bridesmaid and the best man, and Ava, I don’t think anyone is expecting you to sleep with anyone!” I told her.

“Well I’ve already slept with the best man!” she announced, waving her arm in the air.

“What! When?” I cried, shocked that neither of them had said anything to me.

“Erm…a few months ago,” she replied sheepishly. “We bumped into each other here and one thing led to another. Are you mad?” she asked, her face flushing from embarrassment.

I sighed. “No, I’m not mad. I can hardly be mad when I’m dating my brother’s best friend, I’m just surprised you never said anything, that’s all.”

“You had a lot going on,” she said, gesturing to my bump. “And what was I going to say? ‘Oh, by the way, I slept with your brother—he’s great in bed and does amazing things with his fingers.’”

“Oh God!” I shouted, covering my ears with my hands. “That’s my brother! I don’t need to know all the details!” I said, horrified. She raised her eyebrows at me and I nodded. “Okay, okay, some things we don’t need to share with each other,” I said, laughing. “Let’s change the subject.”

Just then Harper arrived with a tray full of drinks. “Look who I found at the bar,” she said, motioning behind her. I looked past her and saw her older brother, Aaron, carrying another tray of drinks. Aaron was a few years older than Brody and Josh and was a mechanic at the garage in Marble Falls.

“Hey Aaron,” I called out. “Has Harp got you playing bartender?”

“Something like that,” he said, rolling his eyes as he placed the tray on the table.

“Bloody hell Harper! How many drinks did you buy?” Lib asked, her eyes wide as she looked at the two trays.

“It’s four deep at that bar. This will keep us going…for a bit anyway.” She laughed, handing out the shots before passing me my Diet Coke. Aaron grabbed his bottle of beer off the tray and squeezed into the booth next to me. “To Libby!” Harper yelled, thrusting her glass into the middle of the table in a toast. We all moved our glasses in, clinking them against each other.

“To Libby!” we all shouted in unison, the four of them chugging their drinks as I sipped on my soda. I laughed as I watched Libby’s face as she swallowed the drink Harper had given her.

“Urghhh! That was disgusting!” she yelled, closing her eyes and shaking her head. Libby rarely drank so I knew a few more drinks like that and she wouldn’t be able to walk.

“Let’s dance!” Ava cried out, pulling Libby from the booth.

“I’ll stay with the drinks,” I offered. “I could do with a rest anyway,” I said, placing my hand on my bump.

“I’ll stay with you,” Libby said. “I don’t want to leave you here on your own.”

“I’ll stay with her, you go off and dance,” Aaron said, waving his hand toward the dance floor.

“Nobody needs to stay with me! I’ll be fine!” I exclaimed.

“I’m staying,” Aaron insisted. “I’m not in the mood for dancing anyway.”

“Fine. Lib, go have fun. I’ll come find you in a bit,” I promised. She nodded, letting Ava lead her onto the packed dance floor.

After they were gone, I turned to Aaron. “You really don’t need to stay with me you know.”

“I know, but I could do with the company anyway…” He trailed off.

“Are you okay?” Aaron was usually the heart and soul of any party, and although I didn’t know him that well, I could tell something was wrong.

“Just man trouble.” He sighed. “I don’t really want to talk about it.” I knew Aaron was gay, and from what Harper had said, he was in a long-term relationship, but obviously, things weren’t going too great.

“Okay, well if you change your mind, I’m happy to listen,” I told him, not wanting to push him into telling me anything, even if the nosey side of me really wanted to know.

“Thanks Sav. What about you anyway? I hear you and the very sexy Josh Miller are now an item—and baby makes three,” he said with a smile, his eyes dropping to my bump.

“Yes.” My hand rubbed over my stomach. “I finally landed the man of my dreams. I’ve only been waiting since I was about 14!”

“Bet he’s worth the wait though darlin’,” he said as he wriggled his eyebrows at me.

I laughed. “Yeah, you could say that,” I replied, my mind drifting back to his head between my legs just a few hours before.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking about Savannah, but you’re looking a little flushed,” he teased. I laughed as I felt my cheeks flush even more, and I quickly picked up my drink, taking a gulp.

We chatted easily for the next half an hour or so then suddenly, the baby began to move. “Quick, give me your hand Aaron,” I said excitedly as I reached for his hand and placed it on my stomach where I’d last felt the baby kick. I placed my hand over his and waited. A few seconds later, I felt a kick, and I looked up at Aaron.

“Wow Savannah, that’s incredible!” he said, his face beaming, his eyes focused on his hand, waiting for another movement.

“Well this looks cozy!” I heard a voice boom from the other side of the booth, and my head flew up as I recognized the voice.

“Josh, what are you doing here?” I asked, my tone full of surprise.

“Well, I came to spend the night with my girl, but it looks like someone else is already doing that,” he spat, moving closer to where Aaron sat. Aaron’s hand moved quickly from my stomach and he stood up, extending his hand out for Josh to shake.

“Hi Josh, I’m Aaron, Harper’s brother.”

I saw Josh glance down at Aaron’s hand before looking back up to his face. “I don’t give a fuck who you are. Why are you touching my girl?” he shouted, his face clouded with anger.

“Josh!” I exclaimed, getting to my feet and going to stand in front of him. “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing? What are you doing?” he yelled, his voice getting louder every time he spoke.

I’d never heard him speak to me like that and I took a step back, my heart pounding in my chest. “He was just feeling the baby kick,” I said, noticing for the first time that Mason, Brody, and Jack were standing behind him.

“He had his hands all over you Savannah!”

I marched up to him and prodded my finger into his shoulder. “He had his hand on my stomach because he was feeling the baby kick. He wasn’t feeling me up under the table! God, you can be a real jerk sometimes,” I cried.

“Look, this is getting out of hand. Let me start again.” Aaron reached his hand out again for Josh to shake. “I’m Aaron, Harper’s brother—Harper’s gay brother.” I watched as relief and embarrassment flooded Josh’s face upon hearing Aaron’s words, and if I hadn’t been boiling mad at him, it would have been pretty funny.

Josh shook his head before reaching for Aaron’s hand and shaking it. “I’m sorry man, I thought…” He trailed off, embarrassed.

“It’s fine, I know what you thought. The girls wanted to dance, Savannah didn’t, so I offered to stay with her. I’m going to find the girls, I’ll leave you to it.” He threw me a wave as he disappeared onto the dance floor.

I sat back down in the booth and Josh slid in beside me. Taking my hand, he turned me so I was looking at him. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

I sighed. “Do you know how much I love you?” I asked him quietly.

“Enough to forgive me for being an overprotective, jealous ass?” he asked with a wince.

“I’m hurt Josh, hurt that you would think I would be interested in another man. Even when we weren’t together, I wasn’t interested in anyone else.”

He hung his head and took a deep shaky breath. “I’m sorry. I saw you pressed up against him, his hands on you, and I saw red. I can’t bear the thought of going back to living a life you’re not a part of. I’ve waited so long to be with you. You’re mine, both of you, and if I lost you…” His voice cracked and my heart stuttered at his words.

“Hey, you aren’t going to lose us,” I told him, my fingers lifting his chin. “I love you Josh Miller. I will always love you, even when you’re being an overbearing jerk!” I smiled at him, wanting to see him smile back at me. He pulled me into his arms and I went willingly.

“I love you,” he whispered in my ear, and as I pulled out of his embrace, he grinned at me.

“Right, now that that’s taken care of, who wants a drink?” Brody asked from across the table.

I rolled my eyes at him and stuck out my tongue. “What are you even doing here anyway?” I asked, snuggling into Josh’s side, noticing that Mason had disappeared and Jack was sitting across from us in the booth.

“Ask the groom!” Brody exclaimed, gesturing with his arm in the direction Mason must have gone. I looked across at Jack and then up at Josh expectantly.

“Mason wanted to come back to Marble Falls and spend the rest of the night with Lib,” Josh explained, bending down to kiss me on the top of my head.

“I tried to talk him out of it, but I had no backup from Romeo here,” Brody said, gesturing to Josh. “He wanted to get back here as much as Mason did, and Jack didn’t care either way!”

“You’ll be the same one day Brode,” Josh told him with a laugh.

“I won’t!” he exclaimed. “You’re both pussy-whipped!” he grumbled. “I need a beer, come help me Jack,” he said, and I laughed as I watched them disappear into the crowds in search of a drink.

“Where are Dad and Uncle Phil? Are they here too?”

“No, I dropped them off back at the ranch on the way through.” He paused and looked down at me. “So, we’re good?” he asked nervously.

“Yeah babe, we’re good.” He bent his head and kissed me, the whole bar disappearing as I became consumed by him. The noise evaporated and all I could hear was my own heart pounding in my chest. I loved this man and the way he made me feel, and I could only hope he would always make me feel like I was the only girl in the room.