TamingTai (4 page)

Her face went bone white as he threw her earlier words back
in her face. As she stared at him through eyes clouded with pain and confusion,
guilt knotted tight in his gut. And still, he refused to back down. She had
abandoned him when he needed her most. Tossed him aside like a piece of
well-chewed gum. Hell, at the end of the day he was probably doing her a favor.
She’d only regret slumming again. He looked away, finding it hard to witness
her pain.

“Okay.”

His gaze snapped back to clash with hers at her quiet
pronouncement.

“Okay what?” he asked.

The eyes that had been so filled with hurt were snapping
with anger now. “Okay, if you come to the hotel and talk with me, I’ll…” She
paused and let out a shaky breath. “I’ll fuck you.”

“You can’t be serious.” Even as he protested, his abs
tightened and his cock thickened, pressing against his zipper.

“What, you planned on me saying no? That seems like playing
dirty.”

He shook his head slowly as he tried to get his bearings now
that she’d effectively blown his mind. “Not at all. I’m just trying to get you
to see I’m not the same kid you used to know. Sensitive Tai, madly in love with
you. That guy is dead and buried.”

“Were you?” she whispered.

“Was I what?”

“Madly in love with me.”

“See what I mean? This is the shit I’m not doing. You want
to get some stuff off your chest and have a tumble with me, I’m down with it.
But this isn’t some melodramatic love story. The two people you think we are?
They’re ghosts. Memories. Gone. Get it through your head now or it’s going to
be a real letdown later.”

She didn’t say anything so he leaned close, until their
faces were level. “So what do you say, doll? You still in?”

He waited, every heartbeat an agony, every breath a
struggle. When she finally spoke, it was like a body blow.

“I’m in.”

“Leave my name with the front desk.” He turned on his heel
and strode back to the bar, cursing himself the whole way.

As he approached, Anya held out a fresh beer. “So glad you
came back. I see your friend got the hint.” She nodded to the door where
Christa exited the building without a backward glance.

He gave a distracted nod and set his empty bottle on the
bar. What the fuck was he thinking? He’d basically signed himself up for
voluntary torture. No matter how things went, he’d all but undone every stride
he’d made toward getting over Christa with one cocky-ass speech. He’d rolled
the dice and failed. Now to figure out how to get out of this mess with the
least amount of damage to his mental health.

If he went to that hotel, there was no way he was talking
about anything of consequence with her. It would be like tearing a tidy bandage
off a gaping wound. It just wasn’t an option. Even if they didn’t sleep
together, he’d still be around her, in her presence, and she would slowly infiltrate
every fiber of his being until he couldn’t go five minutes without thinking of
her again.

It had been like that the whole time they were together, and
straight through the first year of prison. He could have forgiven her then. It
had been a rough night, she was afraid and under pressure. Had she come at any
point then, he would have accepted her with open arms. It was only when he’d
realized that she wasn’t coming to see him, not ever, that he’d given up hope
and tried to exorcise her from his mind forever. It hadn’t worked, exactly. But
it had at least gotten to the point that he could get through the day and find
some joy again. Until now.

The other option was to blow her off. Just not go. That was
a stop-gap measure. It would keep him safe for tonight, but what about
tomorrow? Or the next day? He’d seen that look on her face before. When she had
her mind set like that there was no stopping her. And how much of a chicken
shit was he that he was about to take that sad little reprieve?

“Whatcha thinking about?” Anya asked, running a coy finger
over his biceps.

He met her frank gaze head-on, ruthlessly squashing the
guilt cramping his insides. “I’m starved. Want to go get a bite to eat? Maybe
come check out the tour bus?”

She shot a questioning look to Maya, who in turn gave a
lascivious smile and thumbs-up. “You two have fun. Leave me your keys, I’ll
drive myself home.”

Anya turned back to face him, stepping close enough for him
to feel her 36 DDs. “I’d love to go out to eat with you.” She took the last
swallow of her beer before adding, “But just so you know, I only eat soup.”

He stared at her for a long moment, waiting for the punch
line, but she just gazed back at him.

He raised an eyebrow in question. “Ah…what do you mean?
Like, ever, or…”

“Dr. Maltby’s Soup Revolution. You never heard of it? It’s
not a diet. It’s a lifestyle. It sounds restrictive but, I mean, I can
basically eat whatever I want, and as much as I want. As long as it’s soup.”

For a second he wondered if maybe he was on some kind of game
show or maybe someone was screwing with him. One more look at her earnest face
and it finally sank in.

“Why is your eyelid twitching like that?” she asked.

“Is it? I didn’t notice.” He scrubbed a hand over his face.
This was all wrong. He had no interest at all in this woman. He could be a real
shit sometimes, but bimbo or no, she didn’t deserve to be a pawn in some game
between him and Christa. Granted, she knew the score and this wasn’t some love
match, but he didn’t feel right about any of it when he couldn’t give her even
half his attention. Until he confronted Christa and dealt with these feelings
roiling inside him, he was going to be basically useless. Time to face the
music.

“Listen, I’m really sorry but I can’t do this. I’m not in a
good place right now mentally, and it wouldn’t be fair to you. Can I take a
rain check on the soup date and cash in when I’m less distracted maybe?”

Her face fell, but she nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

She jotted her number on a napkin and handed it to him,
sliding her fingers against his palm suggestively before letting go.

“You sure?”

He sent her a pained smile and nodded. He slapped a fifty on
the bar and motioned to the bartender. “Take care of these ladies for me, would
you?” His feet were already in motion as he called over his shoulder.

“Thanks.”

Christa checked her watch again. Ten more minutes and she’d
know for sure. If he hadn’t come by then, he just wasn’t coming. She
straightened the pillows on the couch and tightened the knot on her robe.

It had been almost two hours since she’d left the bar. She’d
run through the gamut of emotions countless times and had finally settled on
abject terror. Terror that he wouldn’t show. Terror that he would. She hadn’t
banked on the price for their conversation when she’d planned it all in her
head. She still couldn’t believe she said yes. Even as the words tumbled from
her lips she’d wondered who’d spoken them. She’d agreed to a one-night stand
with the man who had the power to obliterate her heart.

Judging by the poleaxed expression on Tai’s face, he was as
shocked as she was. His reaction was almost comical and his surprise was so
genuine that she nearly burst into semi-hysterical laughter.

She was going to have sex with Tai. Again. Her stomach
clenched tight. How could something that had happened so long ago be so fresh
in her memory? She could almost feel the balmy summer breeze coming off the
lake. See the stars shining against the inky sky. Hear the song playing in the
background…

When your baby

Leaves you all alone

And nobody

Calls you on the phone

Don’t you feel like crying?

Come on

Cry to me

* * * * *

“Put your hands on my hips,” she whispered.

“Like this?”

Tai’s big, warm hands closed on her hips and gave a
squeeze. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Yeah. Just like that. Now I put my arms around your neck
like this.” She slid her arms around to caress his nape. “Sway with me, back
and forth. Good.”

It was so much better than good. Tai’s hard body pressed
against hers then pulled away only to return and set every nerve ending on
fire. She resisted the urge to bounce her hips forward…to get closer.

“In the movie, she lets go of him and leans back all the
way. He holds her tight and swings her back up again, until their mouths are
close enough to kiss. Remember?”

“I oughta. You’ve made me watch it three times in the
past six months.” His teeth gleamed in the moonlight, the warm huskiness of his
voice sending a pulse of heat between her thighs. He didn’t hesitate as she
released his neck and bowed her back. He swung her from one side to the other
then pulled her back to face him, his movements sure.

“Ohh, that was gooood. Patrick Swayze has nothing on
you,” she murmured.

“I may have been practicing.” The confident smile wavered
and he looked away.

The warmth that had suffused her body spread straight to
her heart. God, she loved this boy.

“I love that you did that for me. And I love you.”
Tonight, she was going to show him how much.

“You too, doll. More than anything.”

Christa jumped at the sharp rap on the door, the memories
scattering like leaves in the breeze. Panic gripped her, and for a second she
was frozen in place, staring at the blurry TV set. She wiped a hand over her
eyes and it came away wet.

“Be there in a second,” she called. She ran into the
bathroom and splashed cold water on her face, then patted it dry with a fluffy
hotel towel. Sparing a quick glance in the mirror, she groaned. Her eyes were
red and puffy and her nose was all red at the tip.

“Awesome.”

Nothing to do about it now. She made her way through the
living room and the knock came again, more insistent this time.

She peered out the peephole and there he was. Tai, looking
gorgeous, angry and bitterly sad all at once. At least she wasn’t the only one
with swirling emotions. She swung the door open and stepped back.

“Come on in.”

He stepped in but didn’t respond as his hot gaze made a
sensual slide down her neck, over the demure collar of her robe, and lower.
“Not exactly dressed for seduction,” he murmured.

She cleared her suddenly parched throat. “I didn’t come to
Cincinnati for seduction, I came to talk to you.”

“Sorry to throw a wrench in the works, but I still don’t
quite know what we possibly have to talk about after all this time. On the
other hand, one thing hasn’t changed. I still want you. Bad. We were good
together, do you remember, Chris?”

His pupils dilated as she wet her lips. “I remember.”

He took a step forward and she instinctively took one back.
His lips curled in a feral smile. “It would be even better now, you know. Now
that we’re older. More in tune with our bodies, more mature.”

She dragged in a shallow breath and with it, his woodsy
scent. Her focus wavered. They were supposed to talk.

He reached out a hand and ran his thumb over her bottom lip.
“Remember how we used to make each other come with just our hands? And then our
mouths? I used to dream of that mouth and the way it felt on my cock. Like
liquid fire. You’d look up at me with those big blue eyes. Jesus, I loved
that.”

His words sent a rocket of heat straight to her clit. “Me
too,” she heard herself whisper. What the hell was she doing?

He muttered a curse and bent toward her. She closed her
eyes, anticipating his kiss, gasping as his teeth closed over the sensitive
tendon in her neck. She grabbed his shoulders for support, marveling at their
breadth. Her Tai had grown.

He closed his hands around her waist and dragged her closer,
until there was no question that he wanted her as badly as she wanted him. She
pulsed her hips against his, reveling in the pressure of his thick cock. His
hands trailed over her breasts, the silky material of her pajamas stroking her
straining nipples in a sublime caress.

“Tai,” she groaned.

He pinched one hard peak between his thumb and forefinger
and all thoughts of talk melted away.

In every scenario he’d played out in his mind, despite his
desire, none of them had involved actually sleeping with Christa. He’d had
plenty of time to think too. When he left the bar, he went back to the bus and
changed into gym pants and a t-shirt then went for a run in hopes of burning
off some of the anxiety and frenetic energy coursing through him. It hadn’t
worked. After a lightning-quick shower, he’d taken a cab to the hotel and stood
in the parking lot for a good thirty minutes before he finally got up the
cajones
to go in. As long as he kept it short and sweet then hightailed it out of
there, he might be okay.

Now, with Christa’s body twisting against his, he wondered
what had ever made him think he could resist the chance to touch her again. She
was pure magic. Whatever the price, he couldn’t walk away now. He needed her.
Needed it. One more time. One more memory to last him the rest of his life.

He pulled back to watch her face as he slipped one hand
between her thighs, cupping the molten heat of her pussy through her
nightclothes. She bucked toward him. Parting her robe with the flick of his
wrist, he pushed up the short hem of her nightgown. His cock throbbed as he
realized she wasn’t wearing panties and he paused in hopes of regaining even an
ounce of sanity.

“Please, Tai,” she groaned. “Please.”

He wanted to roar with satisfaction when she said his name,
begging for his touch.

Fuck sanity. “Tell me what you want. Is it this?” He closed
his hand over her, flexing his finger until it was buried deep in her tight
sheath. She gasped, he growled. “Fuck, that’s tight. Just like I remember. Like
wet silk. I can’t wait to feel your pussy clench over me when you come. I still
dream about it.”

Sanity returned for a brief moment as his words rang in his
ears. He wanted to bite his tongue off
. Don’t let her in. Don’t you fucking
do it.

He bent his head, slanting his mouth over hers. Her lips
were swollen from her biting them and he nipped her hard. Her pussy tightened
over his finger and his cock jerked in response. He slid out then thrust in
again, grinding against her clit with the heel of his hand.

Her hips arched against him, fighting for leverage, trying
to find the rhythm her body so desperately needed. He pulled back, gazing down
at her flushed face. She stared up at him, eyes wild with need. “Spread your
legs,” he whispered, pressing his knee against one of hers, urging her to open
for him. She did, a shiver running through her.

“That’s right. Now untie that robe.”

She lifted a trembling hand to the sash, clumsily untying
it. The sides fell open and the sight that greeted him almost brought him to
his knees. The modest, perky breasts he’d remembered had grown a little fuller,
heavier. The dusky-pink nipples called to his mouth and he couldn’t resist,
bending low to capture one. He pulled deeply and she whimpered.

“Your mouth is so hot.” She threaded her hands in his hair
and pulled him tighter to her satin skin. The smell of honeysuckle filled his
nostrils, rushing to his head.

He had been so right. She was already bewitching him. He
briefly imagined stopping, walking away, before coming to the humbling
realization that he didn’t possess the power to do it. The hold she’d had over
him since the day they met had more than weathered their ten years apart. He’d
been fooling himself pretending otherwise. It wasn’t discipline that had kept
him away from her. It was only physical distance and lack of opportunity. The
sooner he could re-create those conditions, the better.

She closed a hand over his jeans-clad cock, her sure grip
banishing all coherent thought from his head.

“I want you inside me. Please.”

Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his fly and he
pulled his hands away from her body to yank them open. His cock sprang free,
unencumbered. She didn’t waste a second, closing her fist over him, stroking
him just how he liked it. Long and hard. His hips pumped forward and back of
their own accord as every nerve in his body lit up with need.

“Mmm,” she groaned, dropping to her knees to lave the bead
of pre-cum that had escaped him.

He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing the sight of her golden
head bobbing over him would be the end. Battling the clawing need to feel the
back of her throat with the head of his cock, to pound into that hungry mouth
until she sucked him dry, he wrapped his hand in her hair and urged her to
stand.

He stepped forward, pushing her back until she was flush
against the wall.

“Open those thighs for me, doll.”

Her legs bounced against his but she did as he asked. He
splayed a hand over her flat stomach, then lower, past the light smattering of
feathery hair to her soaking-wet slit. He slicked a finger over her plumped
clit and her whole body tensed.

“You ready for me?”

She tossed her head in a semblance of a nod. He pulled away,
jamming his hand into his jeans pocket, fumbling for a condom, but she stayed
his hand. “I’m on the Pill, and I…well, I’m safe. You? I know with the groupies
and—”

“No. I’m safe.” Him and Christa, with nothing between
them…but everything.

She lifted her leg high and draped it over his hip. He
shoved his jeans down to his knees as she closed her hand over his length
again, robbing him of the ability to speak. She worked his shaft until he took
both hips in his hands and hoisted her up, bracing her against the wall. A
breathless moment passed as he hovered over her entrance, the heat and moisture
from her pussy bathing the tip of his cock. She reached between them and
pressed forward, slowly feeding his cock into her clutching heat inch by
torturous inch. He ground his teeth together as the tight channel gripped him,
stealing his sanity.

Unable to stand it another second, he gripped the backs of
her thighs and flexed forward, thrusting hard. Her breathy gasps became keening
moans as his cock pulsed and bucked deep inside her.

“Don’t move for a second,” he said, his voice ragged with
the strain of holding back.

She nodded mindlessly, but her hips fluttered against him.
“I just need…”

His fingers dug into her pliant flesh as he searched for the
last of his shredded discipline. “I know what you need, doll, and I can’t wait
to give it to you.”

Her face twisted with need. He took a steadying breath and
began the advance and retreat she was pleading for. Deep, then deeper, the drag
of her inner muscles stroking his cock, milking him. She tossed her head, her
back arching as he pounded into her, his thrusts coming faster, harder.

“Oh God. Tai, I—”

Her hoarse scream nearly stripped him of the little control
he had left but he weathered the onslaught. This was the last time he’d ever
touch Christa Reilly. He wasn’t leaving until he’d marked her as surely as
she’d marked him. She would never forget this night.

He pinched his eyes shut as she quieted against him. Her
soft moans became sighs and he pulled away, the molten drag of her pussy
against his cock a lure so strong it almost brought him to his knees.

She let out a grunt of protest as her feet touched the
ground. “What are you doing?” she mumbled. “You didn’t…”

“Oh believe me, I will. But I need to taste you first.”

He pinned her hips to the wall with firm hands, making his
way down her body, nipping and licking along the way. A light mist of sweat
clung to her stomach where they’d been locked together and he flicked out his
tongue to collect the salty droplets. Her muscles tensed as he moved lower. She
was so damn responsive, he found himself wishing he had hours to explore her.
But each minute he spent would turn into countless hours of torture later as he
relived every move, every touch, over and over.

She speared her fingers into his hair, urging him lower, and
his troubled thoughts melted away. Just a few more minutes of this. A few more
minutes of Christa. He pressed a kiss to one lean hip, then the other. He sank
to his knees and pulled back to stare. The wisp of golden hair between her
thighs was a sorry camouflage for the succulent, slick flesh beneath. His cock
pulsed as he struggled for some superhuman discipline that might allow him to
take her with his mouth gently, savor her. He lost the battle, leaning forward
with a muffled curse and plunging his tongue into her folds.