Page 129 of Stanton Adore

“I don’t care if she fucked you up the ass with a broomstick, you kissed her and that’s cheating! She waited seven fucking years for you, Josh, and this is how you repay her? Shaming her in public?”

He drops his head again in shame. “It was a bad decision, I will admit.”

“Oh, how big of you to admit it. You loser!” she screams.

He scowls at me and I know he wants to fight with Bridget but is holding back for my sake only. It’s not in his nature to handle someone being so aggressive toward him without snapping.

“I’m going to take a shower,” he growls.

She glares at him. “Don’t slip on the soap and break your neck, you asshole, I couldn’t handle it.”

He narrows his eyes at her and comes over and runs his hand down the length of my spine and gently kisses me on the lips. It’s a power play, he’s showing her who’s the boss. He’s lucky she doesn’t kill him on the spot; at this point I wouldn’t put it past her.

She glances around the living room and notices the suitcase. “Why do you have a suitcase out?” Oh god, not now, Bridget. Why is she so good at playing the bitch? My eyes drop to the ground, this is not the way to tell her.

“Natasha’s moving to LA with me.” My eyes snap up to him and he raises an eyebrow in defiance. I can’t believe he just said that. Bloody bastard.

“What?” she screams, “Have you lost the plot, Natasha? Over my dead body are you moving anywhere with this asshole.”

Joshua glares at her. “That could be arranged, Bridget. Don’t tempt me.”

“Is that a threat, Stanton? Because I swear to god it will be go time if it is.” Jeez this is getting out of control.

“Bridget, honey, calm down. Joshua, get in the shower. Now!” I throw him a dirty look and he frowns at me as if not understanding what he has done wrong. He storms toward the bathroom and she pulls me into an embrace.

“Natasha, please…don’t put up with this…he’s frigging brainwashed you or something. Let’s leave now. You can stay at my house.”

“Bridget, Bridget, Bridget,” I sigh as I hug her back. How do I get around this? “Bridget, I believe him and if that makes me an idiot so be it. But I can’t go against my gut instinct.”

Bridget pulls back and frowns at me. “You know you have always had a dodgy digestive tract.”

I laugh out loud. “Can you trust me, please, Didge?”

She scowls at me. “What would you say if this was Jeremy in that photo? How would you be acting?”

I give her a sad smile. “Exactly like you are, thank you for being a great friend.” She nods and flops on the lounge chair and blows out a deep breath.

“Fine but if he thinks he’s having any of this McDonald’s he can fuck off.”

I laugh again. I love Bridget. She has such an articulate way with words.

“I fucking adore you, precious,” he whispers as he withdraws from my body and rolls onto the mattress next to me. His open lips linger on mine. I lie panting, still trying to catch my breath. Honestly, he couldn’t get any hotter. Sex between us is incredible. The sheen of perspiration thickly covers us, and I can still feel his heart beating heavily against my body. I smile against his neck. He hasn’t said that to me for a while and I have to say I’ve missed hearing it.

“What’s so amusing?” he smirks.

“You are.” I smile.

He frowns. “Why am I amusing?”

I bend up and kiss him with an open mouth, my lips holding on to him. “Of all the things you say to me, that means the most.”

He frowns. “The most, of all the things I say to you? I fucking adore you means the most?” I smile and bend and kiss his shoulder and rub my cheek on his chest.

“It sounds crazy I know, but it was my olive branch. When we first started hooking up you always said it to me. It gave me hope that somewhere deep inside on some level, you still loved me.” My eyes tear up.

“Baby,” he whispers as he kisses my forehead. “How could you ever think anything else? I will always love you. I’ve loved you since I was a nineteen-year-old boy. When I saw you at the wedding I started freaking out because I knew instantly that I wasn’t strong enough to stay away from you.”

I get a really large lump in my throat and my eyes tear up again. “Josh, you nearly broke us. How could you throw me away so easily?”