Ivory Tower Read Online Free PDF

physically
destroyed. He pulled her tighter to him and parted her lips with his thumbs as
he played, until the crescendo built again.
    Bam! Bam! Bam! “Jenna? Are you in there?”
    The euphoric fog Jenna and Josh were enveloped in
disappeared as if a balloon had been popped right next to them. Gasping for
breath, Jenna still managed to recognize the shrill tenor of her mother’s
voice. It did not bode well and, in fact, it sounded like world peace was at
risk. On shaky legs, Jenna grabbed her clothes and threw Josh’s shirt at him. “Get
dressed. Hurry.” she whispered.
    “I will not rush on account of that woman,” he said.
    “ Shhh . She’ll hear you.”
    “Let her.”
    “Jenna?” Her mother’s voice was even higher-pitched this
time.
    “We’re in the bedroom, Mrs. Wilton.” He grinned and raised
his voice as Jenna attempted to cover his mouth with her hands. “We’ll be out
as soon as we’ve finished.”
    “Shit. Shut up, Josh.” Jenna tried to infuse some sting
into her words but her grin was too wide to effectively chastise him. “I am
going to pay for that.”
    “Hey, at least the pounding has stopped.”
    Jenna could just picture her mother standing on the other
side of the door thin-lipped, arms crossed, and foot tapping away.
    “Damn it. You’re trying to cause me trouble, aren’t you?”
But Jenna couldn’t keep the smile out of her voice.
    “You may do that woman’s bidding. I will not.”
    “God, I love you,” she said.
    Five minutes later, Jenna chewed her lower lip as she stood
in front of the still-closed door. What she really wanted to do was climb out
the bathroom window and run. Not giving herself a chance to consider that
option, she turned the handle.
    No one stood, toe-tapping or otherwise, on the tiny porch.
    “What? No ogre at the door,” Josh said, his chin on her
shoulder.
    “ Shhh .” Jenna nodded toward the
house where her mother stood ramrod stiff on the back porch as she searched the
yard.
    Josh tucked her hand under his arm and, with a grin, said “ready?”
    Grateful for Josh’s calming presence, Jenna smile up at
him. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
    At the base of the back-porch steps, Josh turned to Jenna
and, in the good mood that lingered in his eyes, she saw her doom. Uh oh. She
gulped a lump stuck in the middle of her throat. What was he up to? With a
gleam worthy of a leprechaun, he tipped her back and lowered her over his arms.
He held her gaze in a way that had nothing to do with revenge and her blood boiled
with desire as he kissed her. Slow, long, languorous, and scorchingly kissed her, leaving her panting for breath when he stood her up. With a wink,
he whispered that they needed to talk, but it could wait for now. Then, tipping
his non-existent hat, he bid Jenna’s mother goodbye and headed for his car.

 
    Chapter Four
     
    Running a finger over her lips, a dazed Jenna watched Josh
leave, enjoying his ass in the form-fitting slacks until his last words
filtered into her brain. They needed to talk? She turned in time to watch her
mother whip around on her heels. The back door slammed with uncharacteristic
noise behind her.
    Jenna followed, thoughts of talking pushed aside by the
memory of their cottage play. Josh’s kisses, the way his lips proved again and
again how much he cherished her, made the world background noise to her love for
him. She smiled. Marriage to him would definitely be fun. Satisfying, too. Very
satisfying.
    All feelings of contentment fled when Jenna saw the neat
stack of stuffed, addressed, and stamped invitations on the kitchen table. Guilt
flooded her. This was the job she and Josh were supposed to help with tonight.
    “Ah, Mother, I’m sorry.”
    Her mother neatened a stack of the invites by pounding them
on the kitchen table.
    “Come on. You remember being in love, don’t you? I wanted
to spend some time alone with Josh.”
    Her mother gave her a pointed glare. “Did you give that man
your virginity?”
    Jenna