Irresistible Impulse (2 page)

“Right.” Tania’s gaze captured hers. “What sparks with you?”

You do
, Latisha almost said. She quickly looked away and began rummaging through her large shoulder bag. “Oh, lots of things.” What was going on with her? She hadn’t reacted to another woman this way since… “I wrote some questions out on cards. They’re in here somewhere.”

“That would make quite the weapon,” Tania joked, referring to the overstuffed purse.

“That’s true. I don’t know why I carry so much in it.”

“You like to be prepared.”

Latisha’s mouth hitched up in a grin. “You’ve got me there.”

“Don’t you know how much fun it is to be spontaneous?” The purr in Tania’s voice made Latisha’s pulse spike.

Not knowing how to respond, Latisha continued digging through the purse, evading the redhead’s piercing gaze. She was normally someone who faced things head on. So why the evasion?

You know why.

At last she located the index cards, jammed at the bottom of her bag. To reach them, she removed a paperback and set it on the table.

“Oh, I loved that book,” Tania exclaimed.

Latisha’s heart bumped. “You’ve read it?”

“Several times. It’s one of my favorites.”

Latisha felt an immediate affinity for this woman who re-read her favorite books, something she liked to do as well. She held the index cards up with a flourish. “Ta da!”

“Your questions.” Tania’s lips curved in a playful grin. “Ask me some.”

“Ask you?”

“For practice. You like to be prepared, right?” Tania inclined her head to the three males in attendance, still several tables away. “It looks like we have plenty of time.”

****

Latisha had a beautiful mouth. Tania couldn’t help but think so, even as said mouth pursed in disapproval when Tania admitted that her favorite food was bacon cheeseburgers.

“Real greasy ones,” Tania went on. “You know, when it soaks right through the bun.”

Latisha laughed even as she gave a little shudder. “I hate to think what they’re doing to your arteries.”

Tania shrugged. “We all gotta go sometime, right? And what a way to go. It’s like dying in the middle of making love. What could be better?” Her heart thumped, quickening at the image of making love with this woman. Kissing that luscious mouth. Running her fingers over soft brown skin.

Latisha glanced away, as though she’d read Tania’s thoughts. “What indeed?” she murmured.

“Are you a doctor or something? You’re very concerned about people’s arteries.”

Latisha’s brows lifted, and she gave Tania a teasing look of warning. “We’re not supposed to talk about professions, remember?”

“That’s right. My bad.” But she wanted every crumb of information she could gather about Latisha. Tisha. She’d already started thinking of her that way.

But Latisha’s playful smile and shrug seemed to say,
oh, what the hell
? “I’m a nurse.”

A nurse. Tania could see it. Everything about Tisha gave off that calm, in-control vibe. She would keep a cool head in a crisis. Her dress tonight was classy yet understated—a knee-length navy floral skirt, an ivory silk blouse, and pair of neutral pumps. As good as she looked, Tania’s mouth watered when she flashed to an image of Tisha in a crisp white uniform. She pressed her thighs together as a crackle of lust zapped through her.
You can take my temperature anytime.
“Cool. So, what’s yours?”

“Excuse me?”

Tania leaned closer. “What’s your favorite food?” She remembered the long beans at the Chinese restaurant. “I’ll bet it’s something disgustingly healthy, like tofu or—”

Latisha rolled her eyes. “It’s embarrassing.”

Oh, now this was interesting. “What? What is?”

“Peanut butter and marshmallow crème sandwiches on soft white bread.”

Tania laughed in delight. “Oh, that doesn’t sound much good for the arteries, either.”

“Well, I don’t eat them very often. When I was little, my mother made them for me whenever I was sick and stayed home from school. They were a special treat. Every once in a while, I get a craving and just can’t help myself. I have to have a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich.”

“It’s like recapturing the past,” Tania heard herself say.

Latisha blinked at her as though surprised by the comment. “You’re right. My mother passed a year ago, but any time I eat one of those things, it’s like being with her again.”

Latisha’s eyes clouded. It was clear she still ached from the loss of her mother. Tania fell into a respectful silence, allowing Latisha time to relive a few of those precious memories, then placed her hand over Tisha’s. “I’m sorry about your mom.”

Latisha glanced down at Tania’s hand and only slowly drew her own away. “Thank you.” She cleared her throat. “All right. Next question. What’s your favorite television show?”

A no-brainer. “The Honeymooners.”

Latisha’s eyebrows winged up. “Seriously?”

Tania leaned back in her chair and grinned. “You don’t approve.”

“That bus driver’s terrible, always threatening to send his wife to Mars.”

“To the moon. Oh, I know it’s not politically correct. But he’s just a big mouth,” Tania laughed. Big mouths didn’t bother her—hell, she was quite the mouth herself. “He never hurt Alice, never touched her on the show. Deep down, he knew she was always right. She was his rock, and he couldn’t make it without her. They always ended the show in a lip lock.”

And man, would she like to end this evening in a liplock with Latisha. Her lips tingled as if they’d already been kissed.

In another minute or two, the bell would ring, signaling the men to rise and move to the next table in the circle. The muscle-bound guy, mirror man, would claim the next seven minutes of her time. But she didn’t want to waste a second on him. Not when she could be getting to know Tisha better.

Her empty score card fluttered to the floor. She didn’t need to write anything down. Latisha’s score was a big fat ten, an A double-plus, in every category—beauty, personality, and intelligence.

But how would she rate Tania?

Only one way to find out.

She leaned forward again. “Listen, I’m having more fun with you than I’d have with any man here. Why don’t we just ditch this and go to the bar for a drink. Or get something to eat. There’s a Chinese place down the block. You like Chinese.”

****

You like Chinese.

Recognition flashed in Latisha’s brain. She’d had a niggling feeling of déjà vu, as though she’d seen Tania somewhere before. And of course. Of course she had. At the Eighth Moon Buffet.

They’d bumped against each other while filling plates. As soon as Latisha looked into Tania’s lovely face, a surge of heat rose through her. Heat that had nothing to do with the steam table.

Tania had spoken, said something about being clumsy, and Latisha had replied. But she couldn’t remember now what she’d said. A buzz had filled her ears and her legs felt unsteady as she’d headed back to the table she shared with Amira and their friend Carol. Her entire body vibrated with awareness, a response she’d only experienced once before.

When she’d been with Danielle.

So why did she only now recognize Tania from that Saturday? Maybe because she’d tried to push the memory away, just as she’d done with memories of Danni.

But now the floodgates were open. She wanted to go with Tania, just as she’d wanted to return to the Eighth Moon a few months ago. Hoping to see the pretty redhead there again. She’d lost her courage, though, especially when she remembered how things ended with Danielle. She’d decided it was best to put the encounter out of her mind for good, let it fade away.

Which it almost had, until today.

Would she let fear win again?

“Let’s go.” The words burst from her lips. The bell rang and she stood just as a heavily-muscled man reached Tania’s table.

The redhead stood and shrugged apologetically. “Sorry.”

He turned to Latisha in confusion.

She shook her head, feeling just a twinge of guilt. “Sorry.” Swinging her purse over her shoulder, she accompanied Tania out of the room.

They found a table in the cocktail lounge and ordered a couple of drinks that Tania insisted on paying for. As they chatted and laughed Latisha again felt that sensation vibrate through her body, that combination of nerves and sexual longing. She was light-headed with anticipation and weak with fear.

Of course, the alcohol didn’t help. But as Tania shared some funny stories about her experiences working with the public, all Latisha could think about was leaning forward and pressing her lips to Tania’s pink mouth.

Don’t go there.

Tania grew blurry as Danielle’s face floated in front of her. “
I’m not in love with you
.” The words echoed in her memory.

Tania’s voice brought her back to the present. “Latisha? You all right?”

“Excuse me.” Latisha stood so abruptly she bumped the table and made the glasses jiggle. “I need to use the bathroom.”

“Is everything okay?” Tania’s eyes were wide with concern. “These drinks are delish, but they pack a pretty good kick.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“I never said—”

She had to get away. “Excuse me.”

She brushed past a waitress with a tray of drinks and several others in her rush to the Ladies’ Room. Once there, she washed her hands and patted her cheeks with a damp paper towel, trying to collect herself.

A wash of embarrassment poured over her as she thought of how she’d run from poor Tania. But it was only from herself she was running. She prided herself on facing issues head on. But this issue, this part of herself, was something she’d avoided for a long time.

“I’m marrying Jackson.” Danielle’s voice was firm, but her tone was expressionless, her eyes empty. She resembled an automaton who’d been programmed to say those words. A robot. Or one of those pod-people from that old sci-fi movie.

Latisha was so stunned that the announcement barely penetrated her mind. She couldn’t think. All she could do was react. “No. You can’t. I’m in love with you.”

“No, you’re not. And I don’t love you. I love Jackson. You and I were just, we were just experimenting.”

How could Danni say that her feelings weren’t real? “A year and a half is not an experiment. It’s a relationship.” As the numbness receded, pain filled the void, pain unlike anything Latisha had ever known. She wrapped her arms around herself to hold it in. Hold herself together.

Danielle shook her head. “You knew Jackson and I were engaged, that we’d get married after graduation—”

“And you kept telling me you’d break it off when the right time came.” She and Danni had been lovers since their junior year of college, but always on the low. Latisha hated living a lie, but Danielle was frightened of her parents’ reaction to her “lifestyle.” She was terrified they’d disown her, refuse to continue funding her education. “You told me you’d only gotten engaged to make your families happy—”

“That’s not true.” Danielle cut her off sharply.

Tears burned Latisha’s eyes. “Danni, you know it’s true. You can’t do this. It’s not fair to us or to him.”

“Next month we’ll graduate. Jackson and I will move in together. He’ll join his father’s business, I’ll get a job teaching, and we’ll start planning our wedding.” Danielle blinked, her eyes as lifeless as a doll’s. She spoke the lines as though she’d memorized them. Without emotion. “I don’t love you.”

The bathroom door opened, and Tania entered. “Tisha, I was worried…”

Latisha turned away to grab another paper towel. “No need. I’m fine.”

“Have you been crying?”

“Of course not.”

Tania stepped closer. “Yes, you have.” She gently cupped Latisha’s face and turned it toward her. At Tania’s touch, a thrill zinged through Latisha. Her lips tingled, her nipples bunched.

“You
are
crying.” Taking the paper towel, Tania carefully blotted the wet tracks on Latisha’s cheeks. Their gazes met, and the crumpled wad of paper fell from Tania’s hand into the sink. Latisha’s heart hammered as Tania drew her close and claimed her lips in a kiss.

Tania’s lips were sweet and fruity like her mai tai. Delicious. She smelled delicious, too, her scent light and flowery. Latisha sighed as all the tension flowed out of her, and she sank into the embrace.

Tania moved in closer, pressing her full breasts against Latisha. Tania’s own nipples were hard. She sighed as her mouth opened, and her tongue flicked Latisha’s lips, teasing them apart. With a moan, Latisha surrendered and welcomed Tania’s seduction.

Their tongues caressed sinuously. Tania slid her hand up Latisha’s waist and cupped her breast, brushed her thumb over the beaded nipple. Latisha’s knees wobbled as the sensation streaked straight to her clit. Tania’s kiss had awakened something in her that had lain dormant for years.

As they kissed, Latisha felt the edge of the counter against her ass and hitched herself up until she was sitting on it. Her skirt had worked its way up her thighs, nearly to the lacy tops of her thigh high stockings.

They broke the embrace, both of them breathing hard. Their gazes locked as Tania lightly caressed her knee, smoothed her hand up Latisha’s thigh. Another spark of need crackled through Latisha. Her pussy was creamy and moist, her panties wet. Tania’s face was flushed, her lips full with arousal.

“Tisha.” As Tania softly spoke her name, there was a question in her gaze.
Do you want this?

She did. It had been so long…so long since she’d been touched. Since she’d had an orgasm not delivered by her own hand.

“Yes.” She took Tania’s hand and placed it to the juncture of her thighs, over her panties. Tania groaned and swooped in to kiss her hungrily. As their lips and tongues melded, Tania flicked and played with Latisha’s hard, needy clit. The sense of urgency, the knowledge that anyone could walk in on them, fired Latisha’s desire even more.

Tania slid her lips to Latisha’s cheek, then down her throat to the open collar of her blouse. With her free hand, she cupped Latisha’s breast and pinched her nipple. Red-hot sparks shot through her. “Yes. Oh.”