Tempting Tatum (17 page)

I hear a few low murmurs and then a door closing. Ember and Jackson must have gone to her room. I shudder at the idea of hearing my little sister in any form of, well…that.

Another door closes; this time it’s the main door to the apartment. Tatum joins me in the living room. She is standing beside where I’m sitting on the couch. I’m sure she feels out of place no matter how hard we tried to make her feel welcome. This is all new to her. I reach over, then gently lace her fingers with mine.

Tatum stares down at our hands, and then those beautiful green eyes seek out mine. “Hey you,” I say softly.

She doesn’t respond again, she doesn’t pull away. I tug on her hand and lead her to sit down with me on the couch. She sits down and I pull her hand to get her to move closer.

“What?” she laughs. Music to my ears.

I gently tug her hand again, fingers still laced together. “You’re too far away,” I tell her.

Tatum just laughs. She thinks I’m playing with her, flirting. Nope. She is really too far away from me. She’s not moving any closer, so I slide next to her. I rest our joined hands on her leg. I pull the remote from the coffee table and settle in.

“Uh, Blaise…What are we doing?” Tatum asks with hesitation.

I wink at her. “Watching a movie,” I say. I can’t tell her I’m grasping at straws to spend more time with her. Nope, if I tell her that, she will run and I don’t want her to run.

Tatum kicks off her flip-flops and brings her feet up on the couch, settling in against me. “So what are we watching?” she asks.

“You choose; tell me when to stop,” I say, flipping through the channels.

Tatum surprises me when she tells me to stop as I reach the comedy channel. “I love Jeff Dunham,” she says.

There is a sparkle in her eyes; the sadness from earlier is gone. I did that. I made her smile, and I want to every fucking day. I want to make her face light up. “Jeff Dunham it is,” I say, laying the remote on the arm of the couch.

Not able to control myself with her being so close, I gently rub my thumb across hers. Tatum doesn’t act like she even notices my touch and me. With the exception of her eyes, so expressive. She glances at me and smiles, then settles further against me.

Best. Day. Ever!

Holy Hell!
Blaise is confusing me. His touches, his words. He’s not treating me like a playboy would treat his conquest. Then again, what do I know? Josh treated me well, and look how that turned out.

As soon as Leah and Brent leave, I feel a little out of place. Blaise must sense my unease. When his fingers lace through mine, it feel as though I have been shocked by the connection, the same one I feel every time he touches me. Maybe I should consider a fling with Blaise. He’s a decent guy. I’m sure he knows his way around the bedroom. Actually, the more I think about it, the more the idea appeals to me. Why continue to resist temptation? Why not jump into bed with the most beautiful man I have ever laid eyes on?

Blaise runs his thumb across mine, my fingers still tightly entwined with his. I relax my body and sink closer to him. His touch does that to me, calms me. Again, why am I trying to resist him?

I hear a throat clearing. I slowly open my eyes and see Ember standing at the end of the couch, arms crossed with a smirk on her face. It takes me a minute to realize my situation. I’m lying on the couch; I must have fallen asleep.

Blaise.

I feel his strong arms around my waist. I try to break free.

“Don’t move. I’m not done holding you,” he mumbles into my hair.

Ember is now smiling from ear to ear. Jackson walks up behind her and places his arm around her waist. He winks at me.

“Blaise, you’re giving your sister a show and I have to pee,” I whine.

“I don’t care,” he says sleepily.

I release a heavy sigh. “Fine, I’m up,” Blaise says, releasing his grip on my waist. “What time is it?” he asks.

I look at Ember and Jackson for the answer. I have no idea how long we were asleep.

“It’s six thirty, big brother. You need to get ready. I called Asher and Grace; they are going to meet us at Backwoods as well,” Ember tells him.

“I’m gonna run home and change. I’ll be back in an hour,” Jackson tells Ember as he gives her a chaste kiss.

Ember walks him to the door.

I stand from the couch and start to walk away. Blaise is up and grabbing my arm. He pulls me against him with one hand while the other lifts my chin so he can see my face. “Thank you,” he whispers.

I take him in. He’s got this sleepy look on his face, his hair is tousled from sleep, and his five o’clock shadow is more prominent. He’s sexy as hell. It doesn’t help that I can still feel him wrapped around me.

“For?” I ask, my voice soft.

Blaise leans down and places his mouth next to my ear. “For letting me hold you,” he says as he kisses my neck. “Best sleep ever.”

He stands back to his full height without releasing his hold on me. “I’m going home to change, too. I’ll be back before you know it,” he tells me.

He kisses my forehead before releasing me and walks out the door.

I hear him talking to Ember and Jackson. I have to walk past them to get to my room and I really need to use the bathroom. I decide to act as though nothing happened. I walk through the kitchen and head down the hall.

“See you guys in a few,” I say over my shoulder. Nothing like avoidance.

I take a quick shower, and shave my legs. I am barely dressed when I hear a knock on my bedroom door.

“Can I come in?” Ember asks.

“It’s open,” I yell through the door.

“Wow, great outfit,” she says. I’m wearing a denim skirt with a teal, off the shoulder shirt with a black tank underneath. “What shoes are you wearing?” she questions.

“I don’t know yet.” I point to my closet. “What do you think?” I ask her.

Ember studies me for a minute. “Hold on, I’ll be right back,” she says as she dashes out of the room. I can only assume she has shoes she wants me to wear.

Ember comes back holding a pair of teal cowboy boots. “These will set that outfit off,” she tells me. I have to admit, she’s right. “Are we the same size?” I ask her.

“Eight,” she says, holding up the boots.

“Yep,” I say, taking them from her hands.

“So, are we going to talk about earlier?” Ember questions.

I shake my head no. “There’s nothing to talk about. We were watching TV and fell asleep.”

“Okay. How do you explain my brother wrapped around you like a pretzel? Not to mention, he was refusing to let you go,” she taunts me.

“I guess we just gravitated that way in our sleep.” I shrug my shoulders. “It’s no big deal, really.”

“If you say so,” Ember says with a smirk. “I’m going to finish my hair. The guys will be here soon,” she says as she walks out of my room.

Is it too soon in our friendship to tell Ember I want to seduce her brother? I want a no strings attached fling. I no longer want to resist the temptation that is Blaise Richards. I think I’ll start tonight.

I braid my bangs to the side and pull my hair up into a ponytail. I hear deep voices mixed with Ember’s. Jackson and Blaise are back. I grab my wristlet and make sure I have my license, cell, and cash before joining the others.

I follow the voices and end up in the kitchen. The sight of Blaise causes my heart to race. I wipe my sweaty palms against my skirt. He’s wearing a pair of jeans that hang just right on his slender hips. His black form fitted t-shirt molds to every line, every muscle. I lick my lips. It’s then Blaise looks up and our eyes meet.

Hunger.

His takes me in slowly, every inch. I feel as though he’s undressing me with his eyes. This fling might be easier to initiate than I originally thought.

I’m standing in the kitchen talking to Jackson and Ember, and I feel her. I know she’s watching me. I give her time to take in her fill before I raise my gaze to hers. I pull in a breath. Holy shit, she’s fucking stunning. I shove my hands deep in my pockets to keep from rushing to her and pulling her into my arms, where I want her. Tatum is wearing a short jean skirt and a shirt that is hanging off one shoulder. Her hair is pulled up and I can see the creamy skin of her neck exposed, for me. I want nothing more than to bury my face in the crook of her neck and taste her, consume myself with her sweet scent. I allow myself another pass to make sure I’m not missing one single inch of her body. My eyes flow past her short skirt to her legs that end up in cowboy boots that match her shirt.

I’m hard as a rock. I shift my weight from one foot to the other, trying to relieve the tension she’s created just from walking into the room.

Jackson’s laugh pulls me out of my Tatum induced trance. He slaps a hand on my shoulder. Leaning in he whispers, “Dude, you’re drooling.” He chuckles.

“I’m good with it,” I tell him. I am. I don’t care who knows I want her. I want her to be mine.

Ember and Tatum are turning off lights and making sure the patio door is locked. When Tatum is finally close enough for me touch, I snake my arm around her and pull her into a hug. “Hey you,” I whisper in her ear.

I feel her relax into my embrace. She doesn’t say anything, and she doesn’t need to. Her body is telling me everything I need to know.

I keep Tatum in my embrace as I lead her to my truck. Jackson and I had already talked about who would drive. Since my truck is four door, I volunteered. My only stipulation was that Tatum was to be up front with me. Considering my sister has him by the balls, he was eager to agree.

I lead her to the passenger door, opening it for her. I turn her so she’s facing me. I ache to kiss her. Those big green eyes of hers watching, waiting. She knows I have to lift her in, which is a big part of why I wanted to drive. I place my hands on her hips. I kiss her forehead before gently lifting her into my truck. I try like hell to ignore the way she shudders as soon as I touch her. I pretend that as soon as I touch her that I don’t feel the electric current. Instead, I shut the door and make my way to the driver’s side.

Tatum’s eyes are on me as soon as I open the door. I climb in and start the truck. I see Ember and Jackson walking toward us. I reach over the console with my right hand and caress her cheek. She leans into my touch.