Tempting Tatum (21 page)

I grab the bottle of syrup and douse my plate before joining Ember and Jackson at the table. I know they’re watching me. I don’t make eye contact. Instead, I focus all of my attention on the mouthwatering pancakes Blaise has created.

Ember bumps her shoulder with mine. “I don’t know what you did to my brother to bring that smile to his face, but whatever it was, keep it up.” She sits back in her seat and cuts a big bite of pancake. Her hand stills in the air. “I hope he makes breakfast every time he stays over. We may have to move him in,” she teases.

“Hey! I can make a mean pancake myself.” Jackson fake pouts.

Blaise joins us at the table, taking the seat next to me. “Good, next time it’s your turn so Tate and I can sleep in,” he says without missing a beat. He looks at me and winks.

He did say he was going to make it hard for me to resist him.

The pancakes are as delicious as they smell and soon all four of our plates are empty. Jackson cleans the kitchen since Blaise cooked. Ember and I try to help, but he pushes us away.

“Let us take care of you,” he tells us.

Ember smiles sweetly at him and pats him on the ass. I, on the other hand, am having a hard time accepting it all. Brent and my father are the only two men I know who treat the women in their lives like precious gifts. I know men like that are out there. However, what are the odds of Ember and I having found them. Of course, it’s her brother and his friend, but still. To find a man like that, it’s a rarity. My mom always used to say I needed to hold out to find a man to love me like Daddy loved her, and mutual respect and love were key ingredients to a relationship. Tears spring to my eyes at the thought of them. Would my parents approve of Blaise? Would I have ever met him if not for the move and the events leading up to it?

Suddenly, I need air. I can’t let them see me cry. Let him see me cry. Not again. I grab my keys and cell from the hall table. “I’m going out for a walk. Be back in a little while,” I say as I walk out the door.

The apartment complex is amazing. Not only do we have a pool, we also have a garden area. I make my way to the garden and find a shade tree, a weeping willow. Fitting. I rest my back against the tree. There is a slight breeze blowing; that with the shade of the tree, is relief from what is looking to be a hot July day in Tennessee.

I hear footsteps and I know it’s him. I don’t have to look; the connection we share is so strong it’s scary. I’ve never had that.

Blaise sits down beside me and leans up against the tree. He holds out his hand for me to take. “Come here,” he says quietly.

I scoot closer to him. The next thing I know, his hands are on my hips and he has me between his legs, my back against his chest. His arms wrap around me and I settle against him. Blaise kisses the top of my head. We sit there in the quiet, just being. He doesn’t try to make me talk; he just holds me.

Breaking the silence, I say, “I was in class when I got the call. It was a nurse from the hospital. All she would tell me was my parents were involved in an accident. I had no idea what happened or even if they were okay.” I pause to rein in my emotions. This will be the first time I’ve ever told the entire story, and I want to tell Blaise. “The college was close to the hospital so it didn’t take me long to get there. I went straight to the ER and asked for them. I could tell by the look on the receptionist face that it wasn’t good. I was scared. She led me into a room and said she would get the doctor. I didn’t have to wait long. I remember he tried to get me to sit down, but I couldn’t. I kept my back against the wall and my legs were trembling. My parents were traveling home from settling my grandmother’s estate. They were a day earlier than I expected. Dad was driving on a winding road. They were on an uphill stretch going around a curve when a semi coming the opposite direction lost its load. The trailer swung over into my parents’ lane.” I stop to compose myself. My tears are causing a lump in my throat at the thought of what my parents went through. Blaise doesn’t speak. His arms remain tight around me, holding me to him. His embrace brings me comfort. “The detective said it happened so fast that Dad didn’t have time to react. Their car hit the tractor trailer head on. He also said they didn’t suffer; they died on impact. They were pronounced dead at the scene, but they had to bring them to the hospital to the coroner.”

Blaise lifts me in his lap. I’m sitting sideways. He guides my head to rest on his shoulder while gently rocking me. He still doesn’t say a word. His s

My throat is sore and my eyes burn from the tears, but I want to finish. “I remember being on the floor, feeling the walls closing in on me. My parents were gone. I’m an only child and so were my parents. I had just lost my last living grandparent two months prior. All I could think about was getting to Josh.” I feel Blaise stiffen, but he still doesn’t say anything. He just holds me tight, allowing me to draw from his strength. “I ran out of the hospital. The doctor was yelling for me, but I didn’t stop. I needed to be with someone who cared about me. I drove to Josh’s apartment. I don’t remember much of the drive. He wasn’t supposed to be there. I knew he had class, but I wanted to be there when he got home. He had been trying to convince me to move in with him, but I just wasn’t ready. Our relationship was different. Anyway, he had given me a key. I didn’t have to use it because the door was unlocked. It didn’t dawn on me at the time that the door was actually unlocked.” I pause allowing him to process what I’ve said so far. I nuzzle closer to him and I feel his muscles relax for the first time since I mentioned Josh.

“I opened the apartment door and got the second dose of tragic events for the day. Josh was in the living room having sex with some blonde bimbo. He had her leaned over the back of the couch. What happened after that is really inconsequential. I yelled, and he tried to tell me it wasn’t what it looked like. As I was leaving, he tried to stop me. His neighbor heard the yelling and stepped out into the hall. He stood in Josh’s way so I could leave.”

I sit up and sit on my knees beside him, facing him so I can seek out his silver eyes. “That brings me to now. Leah and Brent were moving here for Brent’s new job. Leah has been my best friend since kindergarten. There was nothing left for me in Ohio. Leah and Brent sat me down and convinced me to move here with them. I closed up my parents’ house, and here I am.”

Blaise reaches for my hand. I take it. “Stand up, Tatum,” he says, his voice low and gruff. I do as he asks without question. He tugs on my hands and guides me so I’m now sitting on his lap facing him. He places his hands on my cheeks and wipes away my tears with his thumbs. “Thank you. Thank you for trusting me, for letting me in.”

I’m speechless. He’s right. I haven’t even told Leah the entire story. It was always too painful; I didn’t want to relive it. Today, well, I just needed to talk. Blaise was there for me.

He moves one hand to the back of my neck and pulls me close. “Hey you,” he says, a soft smile gracing his lips. “You might want to close your eyes for this.”

“For what?” I ask, confused.

“For this.” He leans forward and his warm breath caresses my lips. Slowly tracing them with his tongue, gently nipping. All I can do is close my eyes and relish the sensation his lips and tongue are causing. His hold on me is gentle, yet firm. He wants me to know he’s not done with me yet. His free hand slips under my shirt as he softly traces my side, causing my body to shiver from the sensation. His hand comes close to my breast and I long for him to touch me, but he doesn’t. His touch is driving me insane. He moves his lips from mine and slowly kisses a soft trail down my neck. I tilt my head, allowing him access. His soft lips cause a shiver of pleasure to run through me.

Way too soon for my liking, Blaise ends his assault on my senses. He rests his forehead against mine. “Best day ever,” he says.

I can’t help it, I laugh. I know he’s trying to lighten the mood and I’m grateful. I lean forward, place my arms around his neck, and hug him. “Thank you,” I whisper, my lips next to his ear.

Blaise squeezes me tight. “Ready to head back?”

Pulling back, I say, “Yes.” I hop off his lap. He gets to his feet and laces his fingers through mine. We walk back to the apartment without speaking, no words are necessary after what we just shared.

Today is Monday and I’m starting a twenty-four hour shift at the firehouse. Yesterday, after Tatum told me about her parents and the dickhead Josh, we spent the day together. We watched a few movies, and later that night, Jackson and I put some steaks on the grill. Jackson seems to be really into Ember. I’m happy for them. Things with Tatum are good. I didn’t hold back yesterday. I constantly found reasons to touch her. When I left, she walked me to the door and I stole a quick kiss. Nothing like the one under the willow tree, but a kiss from her sweet lips all the same. My ass is dragging today. I tossed and turned all night, and after not sleeping Saturday night, I feel like a zombie. I couldn’t stop thinking about Tatum. What if she had a bad dream and called out for me? I wasn’t there to hold her.

As a volunteer on the department, I’m not required to report until they actually need me. Most of the time, I spend the day here and hang out with Dad. We clean the trucks, inspect equipment, and things like that. The full-time guys have other duties, but not me. I’m going to check in with Dad and the guys, then hit the bunks. Hopefully, I can get a few hours of sleep.

I walk into Dad’s office and stop in my tracks. Tatum is sitting across from his desk.

She looks up when she hears me walk in and a smile lights up her face. That smile, all for me. I want to push my chest out and spread my feathers like a proud peacock. That smile makes me feel as though I can conquer the world.

I walk straight to her, thoughts of saying hi to Dad and catching some sleep forgotten. Once I reach her, I bend down and place a kiss on her cheek while whispering in her ear, “Hey you.” This day just got a whole hell of a lot better.

Dad clears his throat.

I stand up to my full height and move to stand behind Tatum. I place my hands on her shoulders and begin to gently rub.

Dad smirks. He knows the deal. He’s the one who told me to go for it. “Harry sent Tatum over to talk about fundraising ideas for the department,” he tells me.

Tatum looks over her shoulder at me. “We were just brainstorming ideas.”

Dad’s phone chimes. He picks it up and swipes the screen. “Shoot. I forgot some of the guys and I are supposed to be doing a presentation at the local YMCA to the summer camp. I’m sorry, Tatum. Can we reschedule this?”

Tatum waves her hand in the air. “It’s fine. I just popped in at the suggestion of Harry. Call me when you get back and we can reserve a time to meet,” she tells him.

“Thank you,” he says as he grabs his phone and keys before heading out the door.

I walk in front of Tatum and pull her up out of the chair. As soon as she’s up, I have her in my arms. “I missed you,” I tell her.

She laughs. “Blaise, you left last night at ten o’clock. We spent the day together. How could you miss me already?” she asks me.

“I missed this,” I tell her, pulling her back into my embrace. “I didn’t sleep last night. I wanted to be with you.” I’m not going to hold back with her.

Tatum sighs. “Blaise, we’re not…I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere,” I say with conviction.

Tatum reaches up and places her soft hand on my cheek. I didn’t shave today. She runs her hands over the stubble. “You look tired, B.,” she says.

I nod my head yes. I’m exhausted. I just need to be able to actually fall asleep, and then I would be good to go. That’s when the idea hits me. “What time do you have to be back?” I ask her.

She shrugs her shoulders. “No rush. There’s not a lot going on today. I don’t have any other meetings. Maybe a couple hours or so.”

“Can you do something for me, with me?” I ask.

“Yes,” she answers with no hesitation whatsoever. She has no idea what I’m even going to ask and she said yes.

“I’m on call, but since I’m volunteer, I’m not required to be here. I just have to report if there’s a run.” She nods her head in understanding.