Page 59 of Coveted Justice

He didn’t ask it like a question. This was a statement.

“Yes, can’t they see that he’s not that person anymore?”

“Probably not,” Josh replied, his voice soft. “They don’t know him like you do, or even like I do. And they’re not interested in knowing him that well. They want to sell newspapers or get clicks on their article. Who he is as a person isn’t on their radar, although they’ll act like they care. They’ll pretend that they’re asking these questions for the public good. But look where that’s got them. Crooks in office, not even bothering to lie about their actions. They’re ripping off citizens all over the country and smiling while they do it. Like they’re doing people a favor. We’ve become so numb to it all. We don’t expect much of our public servants. We just hope that they reach into someone else’s pocket, not ours.”

“My dad would never do anything like that.”

“I know, and that’s why the press doesn’t have a clue how to deal with him. He wants to talk about education and taxes, and they’re trying to find out if he steps out on his wife or cheats in business.”

“He doesn’t do any of that.”

“Nice honest politicians don’t get clicks, Amanda. And if they don’t sell newspapers then reporters don’t want to cover them. If they don’t get coverage, then people don’t hear about them and they lose elections. It’s a nasty circle, but it’s sort of like the old saying about the squeaky wheel. People who do newsworthy things get in the paper. Then they get elected.”

“So you’re saying my dad should do something newsworthy. Have an affair? Drive drunk and hit an old lady crossing the street?”

“I’m not saying that at all. I’m simply trying to explain why the reporters won’t let this story die.”

“I want my dad to be governor, but I don’t much like what he has to do to get there.”

Amanda placed her phone on her lap and turned to look at Josh directly. He was gazing at her intently, his brow furrowed, as if trying to figure out the secrets of the universe. She could only dream about being that complicated and mysterious.

“Your dad is going to be an amazing governor. He truly wants to help people.”

She nodded but didn’t reply, her attention captured by Josh. His eyes were the deepest blue, almost the color of well-worn jeans with a gold ring around the iris. His jaw was covered with a slight dark stubble and she had the craziest urge to reach out and run her fingers over it, feeling the roughness against her skin. What would it feel like against other parts of her body?

She could feel her skin flush at the thought, a million intimate images flooding her dirty mind all at once. It was wrong to have these feelings for a friend, but she couldn’t seem to stop. If anything, it was getting worse.

“Josh—“

She didn’t know what she was going to say but she didn’t get to finish it. Before she could catch her breath, Josh’s lips had crashed down onto hers.

They were kissing.

Amanda had been kissed before. She wasn’t innocent or naive. Or at least not a virgin. Her father didn’t know that she’d had sex with an ex-boyfriend but she’d told her mother about it. He had been about as clueless as she was regarding intercourse so their sex hadn’t been all that great. The earth hadn’t moved and it definitely wasn’t like what she’d read about in books.

But this kiss…was…something. Something far more than anything she’d experienced before.

First of all, Josh knew what he was doing. He must have had a hell of a lot of practice or maybe he was simply born to it, but his mouth and tongue were doing absolutely naughty things and she could feel a bar of arousal beginning to form in her abdomen.

She didn’t know when, but at some point she’d clutched at his wide shoulders, if only to keep from flying off the surface of the earth into the blue Montana sky, skipping from cloud to cloud as if playing a game of hopscotch. Her heart was racing, and the world was spinning out of control. Her fingers crept into the short dark hair at the nape of his neck, the strands silky against her palms.

Before she knew it, the kiss was over. He’d lifted his head, his pupils blown wide. They were both breathing heavily, not wanting to be the first to speak.

Amanda hated a vacuum, and she found herself being the first to break the silence.

“You kissed me.”

She had a firm grasp of the obvious, but her brain was clearly not cooperating at the moment.

“You kissed me back.”

Okay, she could admit that she did. But where did that leave them? She didn’t have a clue.

Josh looked…surprised and a little guarded. She was sure he hadn’t planned that kiss ahead of time. Was he regretting it? Should she?

She wasn’t going to find out, it would appear. Before either of them could say a word, there was a knock on the window startling both of them. Amanda inwardly jumped, sliding back across the seat until she was pressed against the opposite door. Josh had collected himself enough to reach for the window control, rolling it down to reveal Brian.

“There you are,” he said with a grin. “I was beginning to worry about you. Listen, we’re about ready to call it here and head back to the office. Amanda, I think your dad wants you to ride with him in the other car.”

“Sure, I’ll do that.”

Dragging her gaze away from Josh, she climbed out of the car to stand on shaky legs. She still couldn’t quite believe what had just happened. She didn’t know what it meant, or if it meant anything at all. Maybe Josh was the kind of guy who went around kissing all sorts of girls. It was no big thing.

One thing was for certain…everything had changed whether she liked it or not.

She’d kissed Josh. Now what?

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