Chapter Seven: The Secret Ends
“Voice mail.” Josh grumbled when he couldn’t get though to Kitty on her cellphone.
“Hi! I can’t answer your call right now. I’m filming a scene that’s gonna win me an Oscar. Say what you need to say. Bye!”
He had to grin at her message. “Hi, sweetness. Just callin’ to say I love you. Love the message by the way. Try and call me if you get the chance—“
“Josh! Don’t hang up!” Kitty’s voice broke in. She was a bit breathless.
“Hey, sweetness.”
“Hey, yourself, blue-eyes.”
“Whatcha doin’?”
“We’ve been filming since five this morning and I decided to take a nap while we had some down time. What are you up to?”
”Missing you.”
“Yeah, me, too, baby. Besides that.”
“We’ll be leaving for the sound check in a few minutes. I hadn’t heard from you in a coupla days. I was getting lonely for the sound of your voice.”
That gave Kitty an idea for later. “Well, here it is.”
“We’re gonna be in LA in two weeks for a talk show, you still gonna be around?”
“As far as I know. Does that mean I have to put clean sheets on the bed?”
“Not if you join me at the house.”
That was never going to happen. “You know the press’ll be hanging out there – especially since we’re officially a couple.” She deliberately lowered her voice to a soft, seductive timbre. “And I want you all to myself, lover.”
Damn! She had the sexiest voice. Josh felt himself getting hot listening to her. “And I want you to have me -- in the worst way.”
“The best way,” she corrected.
“Yeah, that, too.”
“Hey, C!” Joey bellowed.
“Sweetness, I gotta run,” Josh told her, hating to break the connection.
“Later, blue-eyes.”
Kitty dialed Josh’s cellphone number, knowing he was unavailable.
“Hey, blue-eyes, it’s your sweetness.” She kept her voice low and intimate. “Keep this message. Then the next time you need to hear my voice, play it back. I love you, Josh – and I can hardly wait until we can be together again. Later, lover.”
Josh wanted to melt into a puddle when he played Kitty’s message. That sweet, sexy way she had of talking evoked thoughts of cool sheets and hot love making. Closing his eyes, he blocked out the sound of the bus speeding down the highway. He replayed the message. He could almost feel her warm breath in his ear as she spoke. “Thank you, sweetness,” he whispered into the night. God, he missed Kitty! Being apart from him was killing him in slow motion.
He wanted the pretense to end, Josh thought wearily as he climbed the stairs to Kitty’s apartment. She was his wife. She should be living in his big house, not wasting money on a place of her own. Yes, he had agreed not to go public with their marriage since she was afraid of the media circus it would cause
-- But, damn, at the time, he would have agreed to anything to get her marry him!
Putting the key, in the lock, he turned the doorknob and let himself in. “Kit baby!” he called. “Kitty!” Only silence answered him. “Well, that’s what you get for trying to surprise her,” he muttered to himself.
Wandering into the bedroom, he sat on the bed and kicked off his shoes. He had to grin. The room wasn’t spacious enough for a large bed. The full-sized mattress made for more intimate sleeping. How many times had they been awakened by the other, only to end up making love? Stripping off his socks, he stretched out on the coverlet. Might as well take a nap. Kitty kept some pretty erratic hours. Who knew when she’d show up?
It was then he spotted their wedding picture on the bedside stand. Kitty’d made a beautiful bride. His English rose, he’d called her. Her raven wing’s hair. The porcelain, flawless complexion. Her eyes the color of rain-washed violets. Soft pink, full mouth just made for kissing. Damn, he missed her. He touched the framed photograph. Kitty wasn’t looking at the camera. She was gazing lovingly up at her besotted groom.
Josh had fallen for her -- literally -- like a ton of bricks. The day she ran into him, knocking them both to the ground, they had fallen in love -- and for him, there had been no looking back.
Dammit, he wanted to wear his wedding ring full-time -- not just in the apartment! It had been nearly five months and it was time to tell the world they belonged to each other.
Kitty crept quietly into the bedroom. Her heart had given a joyous leap in her chest when she saw Josh’s jeep parked in the drive and found his bag in the front room. She figured he’d be asleep and wondered how long he had been home. She gazed down at the man who slept sprawled across the bed, his face turned into her pillow. A great tenderness swept through her. He looked so young and sweet when he was sleeping...She almost hated to wake him.
She sat on the edge of the bed gingerly and smoothed her hand over his dark hair. In his sleep, Josh smiled at her touch.
“Hey, blue-eyes, do you want to wake up?” she called softly.
Slowly, Josh opened his eyes to find Kitty beside him. God, she was so beautiful, she still took his breath away. “Hey, sweetness,” he purred as she continued stroking his hair.
“If I’d known you were here, I would have been home sooner.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“What a wonderful surprise!”
Her smile made him forget his earlier irritation.
Sitting up, he put a hand on the back of her neck to bring her closer. “You know, when we’re apart, I find myself thinking you can’t possibly be as beautiful as I remember. Then I see you again and you’re even more beautiful.”
“You flatterer.”
“It’s not flattery when it’s true.”
“You’re not to shabby yourself, Joshua Scott.” Kitty had never been one to be swayed by good-looks, not after living and working in L.A. Josh’s face had held an innocence and a sadness when they had met. The innocence had intrigued her and the sadness had spoken to her own lonely soul.
“Kiss me, Kit. I’ve been starved for you too long.”
The roughness of his voice sent a tingling skittering along her nerve endings as she allowed herself to be drawn closer. She opened readily for his hungry kiss -- adding her own demands. Their tongues mated and tangled until they were breathless. Tearing his mouth from hers, Josh made a foray across her cheek, along her chin, down her neck. He found the erratic pulse beat at the base of her throat and sucked hard. He wanted to brand her as his so no one else would try to steal her away. Kitty sank her fingers into his hair to bring his lips back to hers.
Josh moved his hands beneath the hem of the tee shirt she wore. Her skin was warm and silky as he slid his fingers upward, to his goal. He cupped and gently squeezed her firm breasts. He drug the pads of his thumbs over the peaks.
Kitty gasped, “Oh, Josh!...”
“What, baby?”
“You know.”
“Maybe I don’t.”
“Don’t tease me, please...”
“As long as you said ‘please’, sweetness.” Josh removed his hands to grasp the hem of her shirt. Kitty lifted her arms so he could remove it all together. He tossed it aside as he laid her back on the bed. Her breasts were as gorgeous as the rest of her. Ivory globes with sweet rosy nipples begging for his mouth. Even before they were lovers, he had wanted to feast on her. Lowering his head, he flicked his tongue across one taut bud.
“Oh, Josh!”
“You like, baby?”
“You know I do.”
“And this?” He drew the nipple into his mouth, grazing it lightly with his teeth before suckling deeply.
“Oh!” Kitty arched her back to receive more of his exquisite torture, then he transferred his attention to the other breast.
“This isn’t fair,” Kitty whispered. “What about you?” Her hand stroked the front of his jeans.
“Oh, yeah...” he murmured as she unfastened his jeans to rub the hard bulge hidden by his boxer-briefs.
“I think we have entirely too many clothes on,” she announced when he groaned at her touch.
“I think you’re right. Let’s get naked.” Josh rolled off the bed to his feet and helped her up. He watched as Kitty shimmed out of her jeans and cotton panties. He had to chuckle. She certainly hadn’t been expecting him if she was wearing those!
“What?” she demanded at his smirk. “Why am I the only one naked?”
He wrapped his arms about her. “To question one: you’re wearing your granny panties. Now, I know you weren’t expecting any male visitors.” When Kitty knew she’d losing her clothes, she wore skimpy silky things made to be taken off! “And to question two: I love to watch your body.”
She skimmed her hands under his shirt, caressing his flat stomach and muscled chest. “Lose the shirt, lover.” Her voice was husky with desire.
“Yes, ma’am!” Josh whipped the garment off and let it drop to the floor. Then he was treated to some of the most pleasurable torture known to mankind. Kitty’s soft, talented hands moved over his exposed flesh. Lifting her head, she nipped and sucked at his neck. Before long, her tongue circled the flat discs of his nipples until they sprang to life. He moaned as she suckled on them as he had hers.
“You’re killin’ me.”
“Then I guess you’ll just have to die,” she teased. “I’m not stopping.”
Dropping to her knees, Kitty peeled the tight jeans and shorts from him. Once they hit the floor, Josh kicked them away. He realized what she was about to do, but he couldn’t prevent to groan of shocked pleasure when he lips touched the sensitive skin of his taut abdomen.
“Whatever happened to my innocent bride?” he rasped.
“You happened.” Kitty’s mouth moved down to the inside of one hard thigh, his prominent manhood brushed her cheek. “Someone’s impatient,” she mused.
“Mr. Happy’s been without you a long time,” he reminded her.
“Tell him to hold his horses and I’ll rename him Mr. Lucky.”
Despite the fact he was aroused to the point of exploding, Josh had to laugh. This was the best part about loving Kitty. She was openly curious, willing to experiment -- and never boring! However, his mirth died in his throat when she licked the hot length of him. “Damn, baby!”
Kitty rose to her feet.
“Where’re you going?” he demanded as she moved away from him.
Fairly ignoring him, she pulled the coverlet and blankets to the foot of the bed. “Got any ideas now?”
“Kit, you amaze and confound me.”
Taking his hand, she urged him to lie back. When she joined him, he reached for her. They shared a lingering, deep kiss. Smoothing his hands down her back, he moved against her.
“I love you so much, sweetness,” Josh whispered against her lips. “These weeks without you, I’m only half-alive.”
It was in her mind to tease him about how alive some parts of him were at the moment; but looking into his deep blue eyes, she saw the truth of his words and was humbled by them. “It won’t always be this way, Josh,” she promised him. Her career had taken off like a rocket just before they met -- meanwhile his was as hot as ever. They had been apart more then they had been together during their short marriage.
“I don’t grudge your success, baby. I just wish we had more time...”
“Shh...” Kitty kissed his mouth, his cheek, his jaw. Her mouth trailed lower until it reached his undiminished erection. Taking as much of him as she could into her mouth, she licked and sucked as his hips lifted for more.
“God, sweetness! You make me feel so good!” Josh held the dark head bobbing up and down to pleasure him. “Nobody’s ever made me feel this way.”
Kitty felt his body go taut and his manhood started to twitch. He was going to erupt soon. She quickened her pace.
“Yeah, baby...Oh, God, Kit!” Mindlessly he thrust up, forcing her to swallow to accommodate him. Josh cried out her name as he exploded, feeling her drink him all in.
After a final lick or two, Kitty rested her head against his washboard abs. “Just for future reference, Joshua, no one else had better make you feel that way -- or Mr. Happy’s gonna get a new nickname.” She lifted her eyes to meet his dazed, sated gaze. “Stubby.”
Josh laughed. “Are you threatening me, girl?”
“Mmm...hmm...”
Holding his arms out to her, he was pleased when she came to him so readily. “You got no worries there, Kit. You’re the only woman I see.” He tasted himself on her lips when he kissed her deeply. “I can’t think of a single reason I could ever want anyone besides you. You elevate love to a whole new dimension.”
“The Twilight Zone?” she asked breathlessly as his mouth moved down her throat.
“You are such a brat sometimes,” he mused as he grazed her nipples with his thumbs.
“Josh!”
“Remember before we were married, how I’d take off your shirt and play with these?” He flicked his tongue at one tight bud. “You wanted to lose your virginity so bad.”
“But you wouldn’t do it.’’ she reminded him on a short intake of breath.
His one hand strayed down over her belly. Readily, her thighs parted for his investigation. Inserting one finger deep into her heat, he found her wet and ready.
“Josh!”
“You nearly died of shock the first time I put my mouth on you here.” Almost absently, he pumped his finger in and out of her. His mouth decided to travel the route his hand had taken. “Who knew a Hollywood starlet could be so innocent?”
“You...I told you...”
“Yeah...” Withdrawing his finger, he parted the petals of her womanhood for his mouth. Alternately, he flicked and probed with his tongue until her pleasure bud presented itself to him. “You know, baby...you’re unbelievably sweet and beautiful here, too.”
“Please...” Kitty’d had enough of his seductive words. She wanted to feel that talented mouth on her. “Josh, baby, I need you so bad,” she pleaded.
“What do you need, sweetness?” he demanded softly. “Tell me.”
Her hips lifted in entreaty. “Please...put your mouth on me...”
“Where?”
At this, Kitty guided his head down so his breath whispered over her hot button. She quaked with her need.
“A feast for one.” He plunged his tongue into her drawing a gasp of surprise from Kitty. Josh sucked and nibbled on her.
“Oh, yes, Josh...That’s what I need...”
Teasing Kitty fled his mind. He devoured her until her body trembled, then shook with the force of the pleasure he gave her. When she creamed against his mouth, he cleaned her out -- and that sent her into another convulsion of pure bliss.
“Oh, Josh...lover!...”
“Wanna try for three?” he asked as he moved over her. While her body was still contracting with the last wave, he plunged into her.
“Josh!”
“You’re so hot and tight, Kitty.” He moved against her, then nearly withdrew, only to thrust deep again. “C’mon, baby girl. Fly with me.”
Kitty pushed her hips up on his downward stroke, causing their bodies to slam together. It still amazed him how hard and deep she liked him to go. She was such a little thing! She pulled his head down so she could kiss and nibble at his mouth -- and he was more than willing to join in.
“Trade me places,” she whispered against his ear.
Rolling to his back, Josh remained locked within her. As she rocked against him, he licked and sucked at the breasts bouncing in front of his face.
“Now, Josh!” Kitty’s body tensed as if every bone in her would shatter. “Ohh!” Rapture swamped her and she softened.
Josh reversed their positions again, riding her up one more time. “That’s it, sweetness! Come with me this time,” he groaned as both of them were tossed on the same wave of pleasure and crashed to the shore together.
“Damn, baby! One of these days, you’re gonna kill me with your lovin’.” Josh rolled to his back again, carrying her with him to rest on his chest. He stroked her soothingly as the final shudders of release rippled through her.
Kitty lifted her head after a long moment. “Me? You’re the one who made me marathon,” she complained half-heartedly. Her man certainly knew how to love her completely! If there was one thing Josh excelled at, it was making love.
He smiled as he smoothed her long hair. “We’ll die happy.”
“Josh...” Coming down from their blissful high, Kitty felt a little lost. Married couples got to do this all the time. She and her husband were lucky if they managed a few days out of every month! When they did get together, they nearly destroyed each other trying to make up for the lost time.
Reading her mind, Josh kissed her softly. “I know, sweetness. I just don’t know how to change it. I’ll think of something.”
“Make it soon, okay, Josh? I love you and I miss you too much.”
Gently, he laid her on the pillows and reached to cover them. With his arms firmly around her, he urged her, “Go to sleep, Kit. I can hold you all night.”
Josh came into the kitchen where Kitty was preparing one of his favorite dinners, her chicken stir-fry. Moving behind her, he slid his arms around her waist. He liked this married feel he had when Kitty cooked for him. Smiling at the though, he was amazed at how married he felt most of the time. And for a career girl, Kitty was truly domesticated. For a guy who spent only a handful of days a month with his wife, Josh was domesticated as well.
“Smells wonderful, sweetness,” he told her as he buried his nose in her raspberry-scented hair.
“My cooking or me?” she asked.
“Both.”
“While you took your nap, I went to the grocery. I figured you were due for some home cooking.”
“Was I ever.” He knew what it took to prepare the vegetables for the dish, since he had watched her one day. It was a labor of love. “You’re good to me, Kit.”
She turned her head to kiss him. “I enjoy doing things for you.”
“So, you’re comfortable as my wife?”
“I’d be more comfortable if we were together more often – and so would Mr. Happy.”
“Yeah, he would,” Josh chuckled, temporarily distracted.
Kitty leaned back against him. She hadn’t been teasing. She was very happy when she could do ‘wifely’ things for Josh. Somehow, she hoped, it made up for all the time they spent apart.
“Baby, I got a favor to ask you.”
“Anything…Well, almost anything.”
“Are you ready to be my wife? Publicly I mean.” His hopeful tone was not lost on Kitty. “It’s been long enough, hasn’t it?”
Kitty removed the wok from the heat and turned within his arms. He was nearly a year older than her, but at that moment he looked like an eager little boy.
“Well?” he demanded impatiently.
“Yes,” she answered softly.
“Yes?…Yes!” Grabbing her up, he spun her around, the set her back to her feet. His mouth sought hers in an unbelievably sweet kiss. “I love you so much, sweetness, and I want the whole world to know you’re mine.”
“And you’re mine,” she reminded him quietly.
“Yeah,” he agreed dreamily.
“So, how are we going to do this? A press release?”
“That would cause a media frenzy. No, I thought we’d just start showing up places wearing our rings.”
That didn’t sound too painful, Kitty thought. Definitely more subtle than a news release. “So, where would you like to go first?”
Josh shrugged. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
Kitty turned back to preparing their dinner. “This is nearly ready. Want to set out the plates?”
“Sure.”
As per usual, they sat on the floor at the coffee table.
Once they were seated and eating, Kitty asked, “How long are you here for?”
“Only two days.” Since his marriage, when there was a traveling break in the tour, he hopped a plane to wherever she was, instead of staying with the bus. It was the only way he got to be with Kitty at all.
“Well, I’ve got a premier to attend to tomorrow night. If you want to go with me, that’ll pretty much take care of the announcement,” she told him.
“You won’t mind?”
“If I minded, I wouldn’t have offered. It’ll be more Hollywood glitz, but I’m sure someone will figure out who you are.”
“And you’re cool with that?” he asked again. He had expected to have to do more pleading. This was almost too easy.
Kitty leaned forward to kiss him. “Yes. I’m cool with it.”
His smile was big and grateful. “Thank you, sweetness. I’d love to come. What movie?”
“One I did early last year. It was held up in release. I don’t have a big part.”
“Guess that means I have to dress like a real grown-up.” He wrinkled his nose teasingly. He was pretty sure the jeans and tee shirts he preferred wouldn’t fly with her crowd. He generally dressed to please himself, not caring what others thought, but this was Kitty’s world. She was so much more sophisticated and worldly, and he didn’t want to embarrass her.
“Don’t strain yourself too much. Slacks and a nice shirt will be fine. I won’t ask you to wear a suit – or God forbid – a tux,” she teased lovingly.
“What’ll you wear?”
“I have a dress picked out. Nothing too flashy or revealing. Nothing like those over-done gowns that make me look like a little girl playing dress up.”
“Baby, you’ll be dynamite in anything.”
Actually, Josh looked very good dressed as a ‘grown-up’ as he had declared himself for the night, Kitty decided. He had chosen black slacks and a dark blue turtleneck. The shade made the color of his eyes even deeper.
Stepping out onto the red carpet, Josh helped Kitty from the requisite limo as flashes went off all around them. He thought she looked particularly beautiful and exotic tonight. Her hair was piled atop of her head. Her dress of royal blue brocade satin was sleeveless and had a high, mandarin collar. She almost looked like a china doll.
“Kit!” A woman called out to her. “Kit Winston!”
Kitty turned to the older blonde woman and smiled. The woman held a microphone between them.
“You’ve been one busy girl, haven’t you. One film after another.”
“It’s good to be working.”
Josh wasn’t in his element here. Kitty was the one people wanted to see and speak with. He wasn’t used to that – but he certainly didn’t mind! He was proud of his wife.
“I see you are sporting some new jewelry.” The woman held up Kitty’s left hand to inspect her wedding ring. “I heard you were quietly engaged.”
“And quietly married.” Kitty smiled warmly at Josh. “My husband Josh.”
“When did you find the time to fall in love and get married?”
“Some things just happen whether you have the time or not,” Kitty answered truthfully. She certainly hadn’t planned to fall in love!
After a few more questions about the movie, Kitty and Josh made their way further up the carpet, posing for pictures as they went.
“I’m pretty sure by morning, someone will have figured out just who you are,” Kitty told Josh as they entered the bedroom after the premier.
He pulled her close to nuzzle her neck. “I’m content just to be your husband Josh.”
“You aren’t ‘just’ anything. You are my sexy, handsome, talented, wonderful husband.”
“And you are my sexy, beautiful, talent, wonderful wife.”
“Then we must be a perfect match.”
“We must be,” he agreed with a smile.
Josh plucked at the picks holding her hair in place until it came tumbling down. “I was so proud of you tonight. You’re so poised, so natural…You were born to be in the spotlight.” And yet she was willing to give it up to have his baby. It was amazing.
“I’m certain someone would say I’m textbook Freudian. Attention seeking and all that.”
“I don’t know anything about that. All I know is that you got this big generous, loving heart – and you gave it to me.” Lowering his head, he kissed her softly. "I love you so much.”
Kitty put her arms around his neck to press another kiss on his mouth. “And I love you, blue-eyes.”
“Let’s go to bed. I leave in another ten hours.”
“Give me five minutes to take off my makeup. You can get naked and I’ll join you.”
It was probably less than five minutes. Josh had undressed and gotten into bed. He sat against the headboard only a sheet covering him from the waist down. He smiled at his wife when she re-entered the room freshly scrubbed. “You’re wearing too much,” he complained of the scarlet wrapper she wore.
Lifting the sheet, she climbed astride his thighs.
Evidently, it was all that covered her, he decided, since her bare bottom settled on his legs. His body’s reaction was immediate. The combination of silky skin and body-warmed satin was a sensual feast for his flesh. How did she know these things? She knew what was a turn-on and what buttons to push. Did she know it naturally? Idly tracing the vee of exposed skin between her breasts, he said, “Answer me a question, sweetness.”
“Sure, blue-eyes.”
“How did an innocent girl like you get to be such a seductress?”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
He reached a hand up to smooth the wrinkle her expression left on her forehead. “It’s not a bad thing, baby. It’s just I’ve never known anyone like you. You give me a look and you make me hard. You seem to do all the right things to make me crazy. Did you just know or—“
“I’m an actress, not an idiot. I can read,” she retorted.
“You read this stuff?”
“Some of it.” She leaned forward to lick the shell of his ear, then blew softly. Her reward was his shiver of delight. “Most of it you taught me.”
“Me?” He couldn’t remember any tutelage he had given her.
“Sure. Just by the way you react to certain things I do. If I get the reaction I’m looking for, I know to do it again.”
"Kit, I’m always reacting to you.”
“I know,” she whispered just before she kissed him softly. “You’re pretty easy, Josh.”
“With you, I am.”
“So, I’m not much of a seductress if you’re easy.”
“You make me easy.”
“Then we’re even. You make me so easy. Some days, just hearing you call me ‘sweetness’ makes me want to crawl beneath you and spread my legs.”
Could she possibly know how good that statement was for his ego? Kitty was every male’s fantasy come true: beautiful, sexy, and eager. He wasn’t blind to the way other men had reacted to her that night, some had fairly drooled at the sight of her. Some of the most eligible bachelors in tinsel town had tried to seek her attention. Kitty, being typically Kitty, hadn’t even noticed.
“You don’t have to get beneath me.” He arched his hips so they made intimate contact. “You can be on top.”
“Okay.”
Even though, no seduction was required, Kitty began with soft nibbling kisses – Josh was only too happy to be seduced.