The hours raced by in a blur of credit cards and cash, chitchat, refilling coffee dispensers, and keeping Fern on point.
“These people are mowing through food like they ain’t eaten since the Fourth of July!” Fern made this observation as she carried a tray of dirty plates, cups, and flatware back to the kitchen.
Though the festivities were scheduled from noon to three P.M., by two-thirty the place was still packed with people. It seemed everyone in Bigler had stopped by. Tanyalee visited with people she hadn’t spoken to in years—a whole slew of Viv’s neighbors; the entire newspaper employee roster; Turner’s mother, brother, and nephew; and Candy’s mother, Jacinta, and her new boyfriend from the senior home, Hugo Stevens. She had a chance to visit with her probation officer and his pretty but shy wife, Laureen. It was clear that they’d patched things up, and Temple Smathers winked at Tanyalee as they walked off with their croissants and herbal tea.
Of course, Tanyalee encountered a few men she’d dated in the past, and was kind to every one of them. Poor Buddy McGreevy, who owned that car repair shop just down the street, seemed a little shocked at the sight of Tanyalee behind the counter. She was sweet as pie with him, which seemed to confuse him even more.
And speaking of pie, Tanyalee had already filled out the paperwork for thirty-four advance holiday orders, Christmas cakes and pastries and Thanksgiving pies and dinner rolls. This caused Candy to squeal with happiness.
Cheri had arrived quite early so she could help out wherever needed. The first thing she did was hug Tanyalee and tell her how happy she was to see her. The second thing she did was jump up and down with Candy and kiss Turner’s cheek. Of course, J.J. didn’t show up early with Cheri. He wandered in at two-fifteen and kept all the way to the other side of the dining room, putting as much physical space between himself and Tanyalee as the square footage would allow. At least he’d shown up. Fancy that—they were in the same confined space and the world didn’t end! Tanyalee supposed it was a start.
But there was no sign of Dante. Tanyalee kept glancing up to be sure she hadn’t missed his arrival, scanning for a dark head of hair rising above most everyone else. She didn’t see it. She checked her phone for messages from him. There were none.
Suddenly, Tanyalee was hit by a wave of worry. Had she pushed him away? Was he so impatient that he couldn’t wait a couple weeks for her to sort out her life? And if that were the case, then why had he told her he’d see her here at the bakery?
Just before three P.M., the front door opened and a striking woman with glossy black hair entered under a man’s arm. Tanyalee was impressed that a gentleman held the door open for a lady like that.
The arm belonged to Dante.
Tanyalee froze, a thousand questions prickling at her brain. Who was the woman? Why was Dante with her? Could it be that she was actually … jealous?
Just then, Tater Wayne—Thomas—pushed his way through the clusters of customers to reach the woman. He kissed her hard and shook Dante’s hand, then swept her into the room and headed toward Turner, Candy, J.J., and Cheri.
Well, what about that? That woman was Tater’s—Thomas’s—girlfriend and Dante’s boss! Tanyalee felt her entire body flood with relief.
As if sensing she was near, Dante turned his head and his dark and intense gaze found her. Tanyalee couldn’t move. He didn’t look away and he didn’t blink, just strolled toward her, every inch the gorgeous man from two weeks ago and completely in command. Tanyalee suddenly experienced déjà vu—this was just how she’d felt at O’Hare airport the first time their eyes met. Now as then, the noisy environment faded to silence. No one else existed in the room, in Bigler, in all of North Carolina, or the entire world. He used his eyes to hold Tanyalee in place until he could get to her.
Dante reached the counter. He flattened his palms on the glass surface of the display case and leaned in. “I need something sweet.”
Lord-ee! Tanyalee felt her legs wobble and gripped the edge of the counter to stay standing. Knowing how Dante’s vortex of manliness could suck in the attention of everyone in a room, she gestured to the only remaining items in the bakery case—two poppy-seed muffins—and pretended to be just a cashier dealing with just another customer. “What a shame,” she said kindly. “I don’t think there’s a single thing I could offer you.”
The corner of Dante’s mouth twitched and his eyes flashed. “I beg to differ.”
Fern chose that moment to walk by with another tray of dirty dishes. She raised her chin at Dante and smiled. “Yo,” she said, slowing to a stop. “You know how to bowl? You free tomorrow?”
Dante smiled at Fern. “Miss Bisbee, lovely to see you after all this time. And yes, as a matter of fact I do know how to bowl. I was the Northeast conference junior champion and placed sixth overall at Nationals. And I’ve got nothing planned for tomorrow, why?”
Fern’s mouth went limp. “Are you shi … kidding me?” She wiggled her eyebrows at Tanyalee. “We’ve got our team! Sign him up.”
Oh, sweet Jesus. For the next couple hours, Tanyalee could barely concentrate as she and Fern tidied up and closed the register. Dante was still there. He occasionally glanced at her and smiled. He’d even introduced her to his boss, a rather uncomfortable experience as Tanyalee sensed she was being mentally frisked and arrested.
The crowd dissipated, but Dante stayed well past the end of the event, eventually joining a handful of people gathered around a few café tables. The group included Candy and Turner, Cheri and J.J., Aunt Viv and Granddaddy Garland, Bitsy Stockslager and her husband, Kelly O’Connor and Tater (Thomas, dammit!), and Temple and Laureen Smathers. Tanyalee kept an ear out during the chatting and laughing, making sure she did not hear her name. Wouldn’t that be a fascinating topic of conversation? That little group happened to have intimate knowledge of Tanyalee’s entire life from birth to childhood, marriage, miscarriage and divorce, assorted misdemeanors and felonies, conviction and probation, and even her most insanely private sexual desires.
Thank God they talked of nothing but home-repair projects, weather, gardening, crime rates, and the tourism economy while they drained the last of the coffee.
“He’s hot.” Fern whispered this as she cleaned the glass counter. “You should go for it.”
“Fern Bisbee!” Tanyalee felt herself blush from hairline to heels.
Luckily, Bitsy soon decided to take Fern home. Everyone congratulated Candy and headed out the door, and soon Candy thanked Tanyalee for all her hard work and told her she could go home for the evening. “Turner and I will make the dessert delivery to Cherokee Pines.”
So Tanyalee fished her car keys from her bag and headed out the kitchen door. Of course, she was disappointed that Dante had not made plans to see her later. He hadn’t even left her a voice mail or texted her. She feared his “man of mystery” routine would get old real soon.
She made her way toward the edge of the rear parking lot, where she had left the Cadillac. Right there under the security lights was a handsome man in a suit, leaning up against the driver’s side with his big arms crossed over his chest.
He smiled at her.
Mystery solved.
Chapter 18
Tanyalee put some roll in her stroll and came to a stop just in front of Dante. “Hello, Dan Carnes.”
“Hello, Pink Taffy. I’ve missed you, and I mean bad.”
“Well, what a nice thing to say. I—”
Dante was on her like hot fudge on a sundae, apparently not all that interested in small talk. After he had kissed her so thoroughly that she was seeing stars, he gently removed the keys and bag from her limp hand. “I have a confession to make.”
Tanyalee felt her eyes widen—was he hiding something else? She was too damn tired for any more confessions! “What now?”
Dante chuckled. “I’ve been dying to drive this car since the first night I saw you behind the wheel. It’s kind of a fantasy of mine.”
Tanyalee pursed her lips in an attempt to hide her
smile. She walked around the rear fender and slipped into the passenger side. “So…” She waited for him to get situated behind the wheel.
“I’m sorry for cutting you off on the phone earlier. I was in a meeting.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I suppose I have no room to complain, seeing as I ignored your calls for two weeks straight.”
“Ah.” Dante drummed his fingers on the wheel. “Tanyalee, I’ve got a favor to ask you.”
She blinked. “All right.”
“Have you ever dated a cop before?”
“Heavens, no! Not before you, at any rate.”
He smiled. “Well, there’s something you’ve got to know about cops in general and me in particular.”
“Okay.”
“I’ve seen just about every horrifying, brutal, senseless thing one human being can do to another. I know exactly who’s out there, and I know what they’re thinking. So when I care about somebody and I can’t get in touch with them, I go a little crazy. No…” Dante lowered his gaze for a moment. “I go a lot crazy, because I’m thinking something bad has happened. So all I ask is that you pick up and tell me you’re okay. You can tell me to go to hell or that you never want to see my ugly face again or that you want to date other people—it doesn’t matter. All that matters to me is that you’re all right. Anything else I can handle.”
Tanyalee felt herself press into the passenger side door, overwhelmed with the two most significant parts of that lecture. First, he worried about her! Second …
“Do you want to date other people?”
“Hell, no. Do you?”
“Absolutely not!”
“Fine.” He leaned over and gave her a quick but reassuring kiss. “So you won’t ignore my calls?”
“I promise. I certainly don’t want you to be worried like that, but goodness gracious! I think you might be just a tiny bit overdramatic. This is Bigler, North Carolina, after all.”
Dante gave her a funny look. “It certainly is.”
Maybe he had a point. With all the murder, drugs, corruption, blackmail, guns, and kidnapping lately, Bigler had become a one-stop shop for crime.
“But this town is no different than anywhere else,” Dante said. “Atlanta, Asheville, Bigler, Boston … it’s all the same. Criminals can telecommute like the rest of us.”
“Well, fine.” She sighed. “I promise I’ll answer your calls.”
“Thank you, Tanyalee. So very much.” Dante turned over the engine, nodding his approval of the powerfully smooth rumble under their feet.
“So where, exactly, are you driving me?”
Dante shot her a wicked grin. “I’m driving you to distraction, baby.”
* * *
Of course it would be like this. Dante had been a starving man for the last two weeks, dry as the desert, empty, always craving what he couldn’t have. So the instant he got Tanyalee into his apartment, it was on.
He was happy to see that the little sexual dynamo from the hotel had reappeared. She tussled with him through the living room and down the hallway toward the bedroom. Their mouths crushed together, their hands tugged and pulled, they moaned. Dante feared Tanyalee would rip the buttons right off his dress shirt if he didn’t assist her, although she might deserve to have her turn. After all, the last time they did this he’d destroyed a very fancy pair of her panties.
“Hurry.” Her breath was hot against his lips. “Oh, Lord, would you please hurry the hell up?”
Dante laughed at her greedy words and her wild lips and tongue, bundling her up in his arms for expediency. As he carried her to the bed and laid her down, his mind and body were in turmoil. What he was feeling at that moment was way beyond lust. Just being in the car with her tonight had calmed his unease, erased what he now knew was loneliness, pure and simple.
These last two weeks, Dante had been lonely as hell for the crazy-sexy, crazy-funny, crazy-sweet Tanyalee Marie Newberry.
And now, she was his. She lay in his bed, the tops of her rosy breasts about to bust out of her low-cut bra, the flesh of her belly silky and firm against him as he covered her. They wrestled with what was still way too much clothing, lips locked, moans louder, hands everywhere at once. And then, finally, there she was—absolutely naked and impossibly beautiful, and all of her was just for him.
Suddenly she grabbed his face in her hands and, panting, gazed up at him. Her eyes pleaded with him. Then so did her words.
“Take me up against the wall. Please!” Her whimper was helpless. “I want that again. So bad, Dante. Please?”
He thought about pinching himself, but decided he’d rather keep his fingers where they were.
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes! Do it!”
He hated to disappoint a lady, so Dante did exactly as she’d asked. He jumped up and snagged a condom from the side table, then grabbed her ankles and slid her to the edge of the bed. He reached for her hands and brought her to a sitting position. And then he picked her up.
Tanyalee squeaked with pleasure, immediately gripping his waist with her strong thighs and throwing her arms around his neck.
Dante walked, her mouth hot and sweet on his, her thighs wide, opening herself to him. They reached the wall near his dresser. Her bottom nudged against the plaster.
“Is this good?” he teased her, pulling his lips away. “Will this wall work or would you like to move over by the window?”
“Oh, Lord!” She arched her neck dramatically, letting her head fall back. “You are cruel, Dante Cabrera! Heartless!”
He chuckled, nibbling her throat, so vulnerable and exposed. He kissed her collarbones and nibbled on the firm flesh at the top of her breasts. When his lips touched her hard and pink nipples she cried out with shock.
Dante knew what she wanted. But he wanted something, too, and he was going to enjoy getting it. He straightened, dropped the condom to the floor, and gripped her tight under her thighs with his hands. He pressed her against the wall. Her head was still back, and her eyes were closed.
He started with her face, kissing her softly on the cheekbone. “Blush pink,” he mumbled.
Taffy stirred. “Hmm, what?”
“Your cheeks. They’re a blush pink. You’re pink all over, you know, a thousand different shades of Pink Taffy everywhere I look.” He dragged his lips down to hers and kissed her, gently but thoroughly, and she purred like a kitten. “Rose-pink lips and a bubblegum-pink tongue.” He opened her with his own lips and tongue, feasting on her, taking every bit of what she had to give. He kept his mouth moving, down to her throat again, her breasts.
“Your nipples are the color of a summer peach. So sweet…” He bit down on one with tenderness, then the other, moving back and forth. When he began to suck, her body rippled with pleasure. He let the nipple pop from his mouth, continuing on, holding her in place as he lowered himself into a half squat.
“What are you—”
“Shh, baby. Be patient.”
He dragged his lips and tongue across the tight skin over her ribs, then toward the middle, the downy soft hair brushing against his lips as he progressed down the center of her, the soft flesh giving just as bit as he arrived at her belly button. “I love your baby-pink skin.”
“Oh, God.”
He lowered himself further, dragging his tongue across her navel and down to the crest of her mound. He adjusted her. She squealed and gripped his shoulders. “I got you. Just relax and enjoy.”
He put his mouth on her. She was soaking wet and hot, and she tasted like saltwater. Saltwater Taffy. He helped himself to the intricate delicacy that she was, spending many long minutes parting her with his tongue, nibbling on her swollen lips, and sucking her rigid clitoris until she cried out.
He pulled away. “All I see right now is the inside of a seashell, Taffy. Seashell blush, soft and sweet. Are you going to give that to me?”
“Oh, Lord!” Her head knocked against the wall.
Dante pushed himself up again, grabb
ing the condom as he went, sliding Tanyalee’s body higher as he rose to full height.
When he ripped the condom with his teeth she laughed. When he slipped it on while holding her in place, she sighed.
“Sweet baby Jesus,” she said, her eyes huge. “I’m having a flashback.”
“It’s old home week,” Dante said.
Then he took her. Hard. He slid right to the center of her and made her come on him over and over again. She cried out, then simply cried. Dante had been dreaming of this pussy for weeks and weeks, dreaming of this woman spread wide for him and needing him as much as he needed her.
Reality was better than the dream.
Dante moved them to the dresser, clearing it with one hand while gently depositing Tanyalee with the other. He was wild. He gripped her thighs and took her rough and she asked for more. Dante pounded her relentlessly. He was a wild man. The mirror banged against the wall and out of the madness Tanyalee released a carnal howl of surprise and delight.
That’s when the downstairs neighbor began pounding on the ceiling.
“Your neighbors can hear us!”
“I think everyone can hear us.”
Dante came so hard he thought he would black out. When he caught his breath, he picked up a wilted and damp Taffy, and carried her to the bed.
They took a quick nap and made love again, and this time it was sweet instead of fierce, more tenderness than wildness. The next time he opened his eyes the world was still and pitch-dark. He had no idea how long they’d been asleep but he was faced with a dilemma. He didn’t want to disturb Tanyalee, but was in desperate need of a bathroom break.
“It’s okay. I’m awake.” The whisper was right against his ear, slightly above him. Had he fallen asleep on her shoulder?
He rose and kissed her cheek. “Be right back.”
When he returned a moment later, he brought two bottles of spring water. He found Taffy sitting up against the pillows with the bedside lamp on low. She tracked him entering the room, a faint smile. But there was something else in her eyes.
He went to her side of the bed and sat down, handing her the water. “Everything all right?”
Stealing Taffy Page 23
