Revue by K.M. Golland Page A

death.
    “I still don’t get what the big deal is. It’s just some mutt on a box.”
    I glanced over to where the voice had come from, finding Josh eyeing the statue, his face bunched in distaste. “That doesn’t surprise me. It’s a testament to true loyalty, something you’d know nothing about,” I snapped.
    “Don’t pretend to know me, sweetheart, because you don’t.”
    “And that’s exactly how it’s going to stay,” I hissed, storming off in the direction of the toilets. I needed to pee, and I needed distance. The guy had swallowed me whole in the week we’d known each other. Our connection—or relationship, if that’s what you’d call it—had been emotionally exploding from the moment we’d met. I’d never experienced anything like it.
    Hearing the sound of footsteps following closely behind, I escalated my already racing heartbeat, as I knew it was him coming after me. I upped my pace, jogging when I rounded the corner. In hindsight, I was never going to get away from him. At least not for another three months.
    “What’s your problem?” he growled, catching my arm and pinning me up against the brick wall of the building.
    “You!” I growled back. “Let me go.”
    “No. Not until you tell me why you’re so angry with me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”
    I scoffed and looked to the sky, anywhere but at his cocoa-coloured eyes. “Are you serious?”
    “Yes.”
    Having no choice but to drop my gaze to the searing one before me, I let him have it. “Obviously where you grew up, you were taught that it’s okay to flirt with a girl, tell her you want her and attempt to kiss her, and then in the next breath take some other slut home and fuck her instead.” I pushed against his chest to try and get free.
    He didn’t budge.
    “You called me vermin. Where I grew up, I was taught that was a rejection.”
    “Yeah? Well … I didn’t mean to say that. And I wasn’t referring to you at the time, although now? I’d say you epitomise it.”
    Josh moved like a flash and mashed his lips to mine, the sudden attack taking me by surprise. I pushed at him and whacked his rock-hard chest. “Josh, stop,” I mumbled against his lips, my efforts to push him off, failing considerably.
    “Shut up and kiss me, Corrine.” His hands left the wall and cupped my cheeks, the motion allowing him to hold my head still. I tried to say no, but his tongue slid into my mouth and slowly possessed my own.
    My God! If a tongue had the power to subdue all movement from a person, then Josh’s wielded that power, the rhythmic lapping, heavy breathing and melding of his lips all working to strip any fight that remained.
    I fell limp.
    Hypnotised.
    Tongue-tranced.
    He pulled away, stepped back and placed one hand back on the wall. “That’s what I wanted to do last night before we were interrupted.”
    “Yeah?” I asked softly, catching my breath and moving out from my caged position in front of him. “Well, lucky for you, you got what you wanted. Except last night, it wasn’t with me.”
    I walked away and left him standing there, hopefully with the realisation that actions have consequences.
     
    ***
     
    After a quick lunch in the café, I boarded the bus, and we were once again on our way to Canberra. I pulled out the book I’d found stashed in my suitcase by Em, when Josh appeared at my seat. “You mind if I sit?”
    Holy shit! He asked permission for once in his life. Deliberating my answer, I stared him down for a few seconds then shrugged. His demeanour was hesitant and that had me curious.
    “Sure.”
    “I’m sorry,” he said quickly, sliding into the seat.
    I turned to look out of the window, uninterested in his apology. “It doesn’t matter, Josh. What’s done is done.”
    “It does matter. I’ve been a jerk, and I’ve fucked you around. You don’t deserve it.”
    “No, I don’t. That’s why it’s best we steer clear of each other as much as possible.”
    “Yeah, not gonna