by Haley Travis
Although an innocent sleepover had seemed like the perfect way to bond with Tara, now that I couldn’t possibly let myself go any farther, it was the only thing I could think of.
7
_____
Tara
The way Jared stared at me made my stomach flutter. He wasn’t just admiring me. He looked like he needed to wrap me up and keep me forever. He made me feel wanted, through and through.
This would be the first time I ever spent an entire night with a man, and I was curious to find out If I’d be able to relax enough to sleep in his arms.
Jared stood up as I plugged my laptop into the large monitor on the wall at the foot of my bed, which was how I watched television.
As I called up a show, it was impossible not to stare as Jared unbuttoned his black shirt and threw it over the back of the chair. He was utterly ripped. The layers of muscle were hypnotic. A large tattoo wound up his side and across his ribs, giving him a much more dangerous look than I would have expected.
Jared slid off his jeans, and I saw another tattoo on the side of his right thigh of an ancient dagger that might have been a Viking relic. I wasn’t sure why this made my pulse pound even more.
We climbed into my tiny bed together, sitting up with our backs against the wall as Jared held me almost casually. I appreciated that he wasn’t trying to get too close too fast, but I found that I wanted his touch. I wanted him.
Our score while playing along with the game show was basically a tie, and at times we lost track completely, but with all of the laughter and teasing, it didn’t matter.
After I turned everything off, Jared lay down, holding us tight together in the narrow bed. “How’s this?” he murmured.
“Good.”
His hand slipped under my top and caressed my lower back gently, which sent prickles of lust over every inch of my skin. “You’re so soft, baby.”
He kissed me gently, sweetly, until I was flushed and breathless. A deep tug pulled at my hips, as I felt the need for more. It was enough to be sleeping next to him so soon, and I knew we shouldn’t go farther, but I wanted him so badly.
His tantalizing kisses were passionate and I could feel the pull between us growing stronger every minute.
Jared broke away reluctantly, smiling in the dim light. “Sleep, gorgeous. Sweet dreams.”
“Good night,” I whispered, pushing my hair out of the way so it didn’t tickle his chin as I arranged my body against his.
Every point where we touched felt like fire. I couldn’t explain it. It was a deep, primal feeling that we were supposed to be together.
Slowing my breathing, I tried to drift off. Breathing in with a count of four, and out with a count of four usually worked, but having Jared’s heartbeat right under my ear was distracting.
Was his heart going too quickly? Was he as aroused as I was?
My hand was splayed across his stomach, and I could have simply reached down to check. I nearly giggled out loud at the thought of being so bold.
I had no idea how long I laid against him, trying to sleep, before he whispered, “Baby, you seem jumpy. What can I do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Should I leave?”
“No – please.” I stretched up to stare at his distractingly handsome face, smiling at him in the dim glow from the streetlights outside the window. “I’ve just never slept with anyone, as in, sleeping beside them. I’m sorry.”
“No, baby, don’t be sorry.” His hand drifted from my hair to my shoulder, then settled at my waist. “Is there anything I can do to help you relax?”
He pulled up my pajama top just an inch so that his fingers rested against my skin. “I can think of one way to drain all the stress from you,” he said gently.
I wanted to answer, to tell him yes, but my lips were already on his. Rolling toward him, my thighs parted in a clear invitation.
Instead, his hand slipped up, trailing slowly across my stomach and up between my breasts. Trailing his palm along the underside, I could feel him shudder. “Soft as a dream, my gorgeous girl,” he murmured.
It wasn’t natural that I was falling in love with him so fast, but I didn’t care. The way he caressed my breasts so tenderly made me dissolve at his touch. Having this man’s attention riveted on me felt incredible.
Then Jared laid me on my back, rolling nearly on top of me as his hand slipped down my quivering stomach. “Is this what you want, Tara?”
“Yes,” I gasped, as his fingers slipped straight down into my panties.
Oh my God, I was already drenched. His fingers dragged through my crease, slowly bringing my juices up to coat my swollen little bud.
“I love that you’re so wet,” he murmured. “That’s going to make it a lot easier someday when I’m right here.” His thick middle finger slid lower, circling my inner lips as he pressed inside just a pinch. My faint gasp seemed to amuse him, as his surprisingly rough finger returned to my clit.
Somehow he knew exactly what I needed. Swirling around slowly, his finger simply nudged across the surface gently. My breathing felt harsh as the pressure began to build too quickly.
My thighs tensed and my hips began to move against him, rocking as he kissed my cheek. “That’s it, baby. Let go for me.”
Having Jared’s huge, muscular body over mine almost made me feel pinned. I couldn’t help wondering what it would feel like if we were both naked, to have him on top of me, taking me completely.
The thought of giving myself to him, feeling almost helpless, pulled me under a wave and into a savage climax. My hands gripped Jared’s shoulders hard as I kissed him to muffle my squeals, while splinters of lust ran up my spine.
After I stopped moving, Jared lifted his hand to his mouth, slowly running his tongue along his finger. As his eyes blazed, his desire was clear. He wanted me.
“Tara, are you ready for sleep? Or should I taste you, just to make sure you’re properly worn out?”
My head was spinning from the way he seemed to need more of me. “Yes.”
His eyebrow quirked up as he grinned. “Which one? I need to hear you say it.”
My usual hesitation was kicked aside by the powerful urges taking me over. “Taste me.”
8
_____
Jared
Watching Tara forcing herself to be bold was indescribable. Her shy, quiet demeanor shifted when she tried to be saucy. There was something about her energy I found absolutely addictive.
Slowly pushing her pyjama top up over her breasts, I rolled so that I was on top of her. My lips circled her nipple, gently exploring her silky skin as Tara settled under me.
Moving my tongue in circles around her tender flesh, I adored the sound of her tiny gasp. Kissing my way across to the other side, her full round breasts were so sensual that I could have admired them for hours. But I was starving for the main course.
Sucking carefully, I watched Tara’s eyes, applying just enough pressure that she almost squealed. Then I kissed my way down her stomach. I hooked my thumbs into the side of her pants, pulling them down her legs as I nuzzled her sensitive inner thighs.
Her mouth fell open as I took hold of her panties. “May I take these off? I asked.
“Yes,” she breathed.
Another pang of guilt tugged at the back of my mind, knowing that we were going too fast when she didn’t know enough about me yet, but she needed to know how precious she was to me.
Slipping her white panties slowly down her smooth legs, I tossed them aside. My palms pressed her thighs apart, and I dropped my mouth toward the feast beneath me.
I remained still for a moment, taking in the breathtaking view of her bare pussy. So pink and fresh, with just a dusting of light blonde hair. Spreading her open with my thumbs, I placed my tongue at her inner lips, pressing inside slowly as she trembled.
Her low exhale was raw and ragged. It was thrilling to feel how juicy she was. How much she wanted me to touch her.
I’d never been w
ith a woman who was so responsive. So hungry for me. Somehow it drew me even closer, needing to please her. Plunging my tongue all the way inside, her body arched, writhing as her little bed creaked.
The taste of her sweet nectar on my tongue was like a drug. Pulling out slowly, I replaced my tongue with my finger, so that I could lick all the way around her swollen button.
Staring into her eyes, I lapped across the surface. “Is that what you want, baby?”
“Uh huh,” she gasped, gripping my hair as she squirmed.
Pressing down on her hip bone with my free hand to hold her still, I moved my finger inside her slowly, pressing just deep enough to feel her begin to tighten around me.
It was so sensual to watch her in such beautiful distress, as her entire body began to quake. Flicking my tongue faster, harder, I gave her a tiny nod.
When she let go, her wail hung in the air around us, and I felt her spasms squeeze my finger. Her hips shook as the climax seemed to go through her in waves.
All the while, I stared into those gorgeous blue eyes, knowing that the only thing I wanted in this world was to become as close as possible to this wonderful girl.
I moved back up to lie beside her, and managed to hold her against my hip without putting any pressure on the throbbing tent in my shorts.
“Thank you,” I said gently, giving her a soft, sweet kiss.
Then she giggled. “I think I should be the one thanking you.”
“Gorgeous, you don’t understand what it does to me to know that you trust me, letting me into your life like this.”
“I like being this close to you,” she said.
It was positively beautiful the way Tara relaxed into my arms, melting completely against me. As her breathing became slow and steady, my mind began to race.
What the hell was I going to do? Was I just supposed to come out and say, “Hey, it’s the funniest thing, but I’m not really rich.”
I would hate for her to be embarrassed that she was mistaken. I’d truly hate it if she turned out to be one of those people who thought that money was the most important thing in the universe.
But this time when the thought entered my mind, I dismissed it completely. There was no way she could be that type. I still didn’t know her that well, but the way she seemed to quietly study the world showed me that she was a well-rounded person.
But what would she think of me for not telling her right away? The thought of Tara being disappointed in me was nauseating.
If I wanted to continue thinking of myself as a strong man, I was going to have to make it through this. There had to be an answer. I’d wait for her to stumble on the information naturally, so that she would be all right with it.
Since I couldn’t toss and turn in her tiny bed, I stayed perfectly still, hoping that the solution might come to me in a dream. In the meantime, all I could do was keep trying to make her fall in love with me.
9
_____
Tara
After Jared left mid-morning to hit the gym and run errands, I cleaned my tiny apartment, then flopped back across the bed. There was so much to think about.
Perhaps my mind was still scrambled from that unbelievable five minute kiss in my doorway before he left.
Also, he had said something the day before that had been rattling around in the back of my mind ever since. There was no reason I shouldn’t work my way up to the management job. I was already qualified, more or less. I just needed some more experience.
Why had it never occurred to me to try?
By all accounts, I was a clever girl. I was always coming up with good ideas that my coworkers agreed with. I could make a prototype of my idea for a new company website, and pitch it to my boss. Even if Lynne didn’t like it, she would have to respect my initiative. Or at least, be amused by it.
Grabbing a small round pillow, I hugged it to my chest, curling up into a ball. It was hard to admit that there were many times in my life I didn’t try very hard, because I assumed it wouldn’t matter anyway.
My older sister Angela was the one with all of the luck, and all of the wonderful attributes. I’d always assumed that I would be wasting my time if I bothered to try.
Now, I felt like kicking myself in the butt for thinking that way. Why shouldn’t I try?
I was living on my own, with a decent job, a couple of friends, and now what seemed to be an absolutely incredible new boyfriend. A giggle bubbled out of me as I pictured my sister seeing me with a hottie like Jared.
Jumping up, I made a cup of tea then sat down with my laptop. The first thing I did was look for the photos from the student fashion show.
I wasn’t going to tag myself in any of them, until I saw the photo of Jared holding me as I leaned back over his arm at the end of the runway.
Technically, it was a beautiful photo. My white dress against his black suit, with pink and purple lights behind us looked incredibly dramatic.
Zooming in, my breath grew uneven. I could see the hunger in his eyes. He wanted me before he even knew me.
I tagged myself, reposting it on my own page so that my sister and a few friends could see that I did something crazy and brave.
Closing the tab before I could get lost in endless scrolling, I spent an hour doing research on children’s supply websites.
It seemed that they were mostly divided into three categories. Toy stores, which only had toys and some books. All-purpose children’s stores, which had mostly clothing and bedding, with a few toys as an afterthought. And then there were the massive big box stores that had a children’s section that covered everything, but many of the products were extremely low quality.
Bouncing around between the different types, I got a feeling for what I wanted to create for Thompson’s Toddlers.
There were so many easy online website builders that I managed to find something with a template similar to what I had in mind.
My rumbling stomach demanded that I take a short break for a snack, but by dinner time, I had a reasonably good start to what I wanted to do. Grabbing my phone, I couldn’t wait to tell Jared.
Me: You were absolutely right. I need to go for what I want.
Jared: Awesome! What do you mean?
Me: I spent most of the day figuring out what kind of website my company needs. If I pitch it to my boss, she might see that I’m serious, and consider me for the manager’s job next season.
Jared: Baby, I’m so proud of you.
Me: Thank you for being so encouraging.
Jared: We all need a little help sometimes.
Jared: Well, not me. I’m supposed to be the big strong manly type who is there for everyone else.
Me: I know you’re joking, but that’s not fair. Tough guys need help too.
Jared: Sure – I do need help, actually. I need a date for a thing next week. I’ll tell you the details later.
Me: You’re just going to leave me stewing in curiosity?
Jared: You’re already stewing in beauty. I’ll tell you soon. xoxo
He was so charming it was almost too much. But I felt that he was being sincere. The important thing was that he was making more plans for us together.
I knew that it was too soon, and I didn’t quite trust it yet, but I was definitely falling in love with Jared.
It wasn’t just that he was a great man. I liked the way he made me feel about myself. From the very beginning, he treated me like he wanted to keep me. Like I was good enough for him, no matter how different we might be.
10
_____
Jared
Saturday night I almost popped by Tara’s apartment for a quick makeout session, but knew I would have been too tempted to bring her with me to Mark’s birthday party. He was one of the guys on my crew, and the place would have been full of great people, but I didn’t want Tara to see me in a bar yet.
Maybe it was silly, but she seemed to have such a high opinion of me. Even though it was likely misplaced, because she somehow thought I was ric
h.
Damn Jessie and her over-attention to details. I loved that my sister was so immersed in creating characters for her work, but it had really bitten me in the ass this time.
Tara needed to know the truth about me, but I had to reveal it carefully, so she could figure it out in a natural way. She had to understand how much I cared about her, and that the mixup wasn’t my fault, or the least bit intentional.
