“Sorry,” she said again. “I’m not usually like this. I never forget to turn my phone off.”
But everyone was already breaking up, heading backstage for a drink of water or outside for a smoke.
Tara turned her phone back on and checked the message that had interrupted the play. Her heart beat a little faster when she saw it was from Luis.
“Hi. Just calling to make sure everything’s good with your car.” There was a long pause. Clearly he hadn’t rehearsed what he’d say if he got her answering machine. “So, anyway, I was wondering… The other night… What would you think about…” He tried on three opening lines, then sighed. “Okay. This is really weird. Guess I should’ve texted instead or not have contacted you at all. Anyway, I wondered if you’d like to go out sometime. Call me back if you want.”
He said the end part all in a rush, then hung up.
A date. Luis Ramirez was asking her out on an actual date.
Tara played back the message a second time, then a third, mulling it over. Maybe he simply wanted to meet to confront what had happened between them and lay it to rest so it wasn’t hanging over them. That was probably it.
She listened again. Or, he was asking her on a date just as it sounded.
What would that mean to her friendship with Graci? Was it something she had to tell her about? Probably Graci wouldn’t care or might even be happy about it. Her best friend and her brother dating—what could be bad about that? Except things could get messy if it didn’t work out. And, whoa, was she putting the cart before the horse worrying about the ramifications of a relationship. For Christ’s sake, it was one date. Probably nothing could come of it.
She texted Luis. Sure. Let me know when you want to meet. And thanks again for fixing my car. I’ll pay you back soon.
Only after she’d sent the message and reread what she’d written did it occur to her the “pay you back” part sounded vaguely like sexual favors. Of course, nobody would think of that but her. And Luis, whose mind worked the same way. They’d always teased each other with innuendo and dirty jokes. It was their shtick. So, yeah, he’d probably smile and think of something other than money as he read those words, especially given the way they’d been all over each other that night in the garage.
She started to heat up at the memory of it; his hands, his mouth, the hardness under the fly of his jeans pressing against her pussy, making her crazy. Luis might have had a bit of a big-brother role in her life growing up, but there was nothing brotherly about the sparks between them now. She was no longer a kid with a crush, and her powerful surge of lust was purely adult in nature. If Luis felt anything like she did, then ‘one date’ wouldn’t stop at dinner and a movie. She was pretty sure of that.
From the house, someone called, “Places.” Tara turned off her phone and headed back onstage to resume standing like a statue while other people acted.
Chapter Four
“Why are you here, Tara?” Luis regarded her across his plate in the nearly empty restaurant where he’d taken her for dinner.
“Like in the philosophical sense?” she asked. “I believe God put us here as a sort of game or test. Our job is to see through the distractions and delusions of life and find our way back to him.”
“Fun game. A little cruel. God’s got a nasty sense of humor.”
“Can seem like that when we fall into the traps and forget the goal.” She smoothed her napkin on her lap, then rested her hand on the red-checked tablecloth. “You still Catholic, Luis?”
“I’m not much of anything right now. I still believe in something out there, but I don’t feel too close to it.” He absently twirled a bite of spaghetti around his fork over and over.
She imagined all he’d seen and done since she used to know him. It would be pretty hard to survive combat and not be shaken to the core of your beliefs, whatever they were.
“Anyway, why are you sidestepping my question? You know what I’m really asking. Why are you here?” Luis studied her so intently she wanted to squirm.
“I’m here because you asked me out,” she answered smartly.
“Come on,” he pressed.
“Maybe if you weren’t so vague in your questions, I’d know what you were talking about.”
“Why are you living here in Cinci again?”
“I told you about New York. I gave it a shot, several years’ worth, but I couldn’t make it on, off, or even off off Broadway. All my Audra McDonald dreams fell apart. I couldn’t afford to live there and didn’t want to take charity from my mom so I came back here where my friends are.”
“One of your other best friends lives in the acting capital of the US,” Luis reminded her. “I’m sure Bree would help you meet people and find work if you went to LA. Do you still even want to be an actress?”
“I am a working actress. Don’t knock my gigs. Mattress Town is as legit as any other job. I’m finding work here. Better to be a big fish in a little pond than lost in an ocean.” Tara frowned, partly because his grilling was starting to annoy her, but also because she’d been wavering for days now about this trip to see Bree. Too coincidental that he’d brought it up on his own.
“Have you been talking to Graci?” she asked.
Now Luis frowned. “No. Have you?”
“I couldn’t face her right now. I’ve texted a couple of times. We’ve always told each other everything, so it’s kind of hard to keep quiet about…that thing that happened.”
“Yeah, that.” His gaze dropped to her mouth, and Tara unconsciously licked her lips. Luis’s eyes narrowed and darkened. “Sex kitten. Stop trying to change the subject. I’m asking about why you settled, why someone as talented as you are wimped out.”
“You’re really fucking annoying, you know that? Why are you still here and working for Hugo? What happened to all your dreams? Didn’t you used to want to travel?”
“Tried that. Joined the army to see the world, like the ad says. Didn’t much like the part I toured. Dry and rocky and cold as hell in the winter. Plus the hospitality left a lot to be desired.”
“Maybe you need to try again, but not in a war zone this time. I remember when you used to be obsessed with seeing the statues of Easter Island and the ruins of Machu Picchu. You were always watching travel and history shows.”
“With what money? I’ve got to earn a living.” Luis set down his fork and took a long sip of wine.
She could be just as relentless as he could. Now that she’d put the spotlight on him, she refused to take it off. “Figure something out. You can do anything you want to. There are careers that take you all over. Look at Corinne.”
“From Denver to Dallas to Tampa. She’s hardly jetting to foreign destinations.”
“Oh nice, now you’re disparaging Corinne’s job too. So glad I came out with you tonight, Eeyore. And did you really just call me a sex kitten?”
A smile almost broke through his deadpan expression. “Triangular face, cat eyes, that slinky walk—you’re all cat.”
He stood suddenly, leaving some cash on the table to pay the bill, and reached out a hand to her. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” She took his hand, letting him pull her along with him, out of the restaurant, and down the street to his car. “Did I already mention how weird and annoying you are? So maybe you and I are both treading water right now, but what’s so wrong with taking a breath while you figure some things out?”
He held open the car door for her, went around, and got in before he answered. “How long have you been back? Two years? If you really want to be here, that’s great, but I think you’re scared to take another chance outside of this cocoon.”
She wanted to argue. It was easier to say you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about than admit to the truth. College in New York had been great. Learning her craft and hanging with other would-be performers had psyched her up to plunge into the theater world and give it her all. But wanting something badly and working toward it didn�
�t always achieve success, no matter what people liked to spout about perseverance. She’d failed in New York, and maybe she was afraid to try again someplace else.
“I like it here,” she said. “I have friends. I have some acting work—maybe not world changing, but it all adds to my résumé. I don’t even really mind my waitress job. So, yeah, I’m content.”
“Good. Glad to hear it.” Luis started the car and pulled away from the curb.
“Where are we going, anyway?” she asked again.
“You’ll see.”
***
Luis held her hand again as he led her down some steps and into a room full of people. Salsa music blared from the speakers while couples whirled and dipped and gyrated.
Tara leaned close to shout at Luis, “I wish you’d told me we were coming here. I would’ve dressed up more.”
He looked her up and down. “You’re wearing a dress and high heels. You look hot. I think you’re good to go.”
All that her mind snagged out of what he said was that he thought she looked hot. Then Luis tugged her onto the floor and spun her around.
Tara had practiced some mambo, among other ballroom steps, in college dance classes, but this was fast. She struggled to keep up as he thrust her away from him, then reeled her back in, twirled her again, then dipped her nearly to the floor. It was a different sort of dance from the clubs she usually went to.
“Don’t try to guess the steps, just follow my lead,” Luis said in her ear after she spiked his foot with her pointed heel.
Tara didn’t argue, even though it was her favorite thing to do with Luis—okay, maybe second favorite—and she tried to relax and respond more intuitively. He gave signals, a pressure on her waist to turn her, a slight clench of her hand before he spun her out. All she had to do was tune in and let him steer her. That was the number one lesson for female partners in ballroom—trust your partner and let him lead.
The dancing got more fun after she let go a little. Luis was experienced. She remembered him leaving for dates with various girls back when she and Graci weren’t old enough to date or drive and their Saturday nights consisted mostly of sleepovers. How Tara had wished to be one of those beautiful girls in their sexy dresses going out dancing with Luis. Well, hell, now she was.
After a couple of fast numbers, the music slowed to a sinuous bump and grind. Luis held her close, and they moved to the tropical drums. The air in the club was as steamy as a jungle and smelled like perfume and perspiration. As her hips gyrated along with Luis’s, heat built within her. Her sweat-slicked skin slid against his when he stroked a hand down her arm. He reached toward her face, and she thought he was going to touch it, but he ran his hand over her hair instead, feeling her braids.
“How long have you been wearing it this way?” he asked.
“About a month. Time for a change, though.”
“Why? I like it.”
“Can’t leave braids in too long. It’s not good for the hair.” Were they actually discussing hair care while sexy-dancing?
“Oh.” Luis let her hair slip through his fingers, then moved his hand down—all the way down to her ass. He cupped it and pulled her up close to him, leaving her in no doubt about the hardness of his package.
Her pussy ached as it rubbed against him, and, oh, her nipples were diamonds. The slight brush of silky fabric against them felt like rough burlap. Her entire body throbbed along with the beat and swayed in unison with Luis’s. No more false steps or heels spiking his foot. They were in perfect sync.
And then the dance ended.
He stepped away but didn’t let go of her. His chest rose and fell as he breathed hard, even though this dance had required considerably less exertion than the previous one. Sweat gleamed on the V of tan skin framed by his shirt.
Tara nearly panted too. She felt breathless, light-headed, extremely thirsty, and so damned aroused she needed to press her legs together against the pulsing.
“Want a drink?” he asked.
She nodded.
They wove through the crowd toward the bar, but when Luis saw how long the line was, he leaned to hoarsely mutter, “Want to get out of here instead?”
“Uh-huh.”
They didn’t even make it to the door before passion broke like a thundercloud finally exploding into a storm. Someone bumped into Luis, knocking him against Tara, and in the moment they struggled to regain their balance, his arms went around her as naturally as dancing, hauling her up against him. She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him.
In the middle of a group of people, not even a dark corner of the room, they devoured each other’s mouths. Losing equilibrium and falling into each other seemed to be their thing, she thought as she tasted salt on his lips and beer on his tongue. Several times now, they’d crashed together unexpectedly and then run away from each other.
But this time she would see it through, bring the teasing and sexual banter to its natural conclusion. She wanted Luis, and she would have him.
Tara pulled her mouth from his. It was like letting go of quicksand that wanted to drag her right back in. “My place is closest,” she gasped. “Drive fast.”
***
Having sex with someone she knew so very well was different. Many partners had come and gone from Tara’s bed; some she’d thought she loved, others were one-offs, and a few, like Dre, were friends with benefits. Sex with a friend could be very comfortable. No strings attached. No chance of either party caring too much. That casualness was what she expected to have with Luis, but it didn’t feel that way.
After the initial rush to get inside the apartment and attack each other, shed the clothing that kept them apart, Luis slowed down. He explored every inch of her with avid eyes and searching hands. He examined her face, her body, tasting her skin and molding her breasts in his palms. Tara held still and submitted to this exploration, her flesh burning from every touch, every kiss, and the way he looked at her as if she was a marvel. She’d never been so aroused, not even with hunky Dre.
How strange to have someone who’d been part of the background of her life suddenly become something different. Inconceivable to have Luis Ramirez standing naked in her bedroom, years after she’d put aside her teen fantasies.
Luis was certainly worth staring at. That wrestler’s body was as hard and muscular as when he’d been on the team in high school. She supposed the army had something to do with that. Only a light haze of black hair disturbed the smooth expanse of brown skin across his pecs and ridged abdomen. Fully erect, his thick cock thrust aggressively toward her.
Tara reached out to begin her own exploration, and it was Luis’s turn to hold very still while she stroked her hands all over his body. The way he tipped his chin up when she kissed his throat and trembled slightly when she finally grasped his cock whipped her arousal to a new level. His pleasure was at her whim. She could take hold of him just…so…and make him groan. Scratch her fingernails lightly up his length and make him shudder.
Tara continued to kiss the side of his neck and his shoulder, a solid mass of muscle, while she rubbed and stroked his erection. She glanced up at Luis’s face, eyes closed in bliss, dark locks of hair falling over his forehead. His military buzz cut was quickly growing out.
Her old friend’s familiar face appeared different relaxed and exposed like this. More vulnerable than when he was grinning and teasing her, and much younger than the rather haunted look he’d worn since coming home. She was glad to be able to distract him from whatever memories troubled him.
Luis opened his eyes to look at her. “You’re good with your hands, girl.”
She just smiled.
He slid his hands beneath her ass, picked her up, and carried her over to the bed, which was still a rumpled mess from the previous night. The smart move would’ve been to tidy up her apartment in case they came here, but Tara hadn’t planned that far ahead. She suddenly wondered if Luis had.
“Did you think we’d end up doing this?” she asked.
“I didn’t plan it, but I wasn’t going to turn a lady down if she asked, bad idea or not.” He sat on the tumbled sheets and drew her onto his lap, her knees straddling his hips on either side. He inclined his head to take one of her nipples in his mouth, and tingling pleasure filled her.
Tara’s eyelids fluttered. She grasped his head, thick hair sifting between her fingers and hard skull underneath. Every bit of him was so solid and there. She couldn’t help but compare him a little with Dre. That big, hulking athlete had also been an undeniable presence beneath her hands and surrounding her body, and she wouldn’t say she hadn’t enjoyed their time together. But this wasn’t just some nice, friendly guy with hard muscles. This was Luis, which made an indefinable difference.
Maybe part of it was their shared history. Hanging around the Ramirez house she’d seen both of Graci’s brothers at their best and their worst. She really knew who he was, and Luis understood her in the same elemental way. They had the same sense of humor. They generally thought the same way—although she still disagreed with him joining the military. They were mentally on the same wavelength and that compatibility came to a physical manifestation now. He seemed to know exactly where and how to touch her, the right pressure, the right length of time to tease before giving her satisfaction.
Tara drew his face up from her breast to kiss him, a long, slow, deep kiss that felt as if it could go on forever. When she pulled away, her sight was hazy. She exhaled in contentment. “You’re a good kisser,” she told him.
“And you’re going to make me come before I ever get inside you,” he warned. “You feel too good.”
Tara didn’t want to break contact with him even long enough to get a condom. She rolled to the bedside table and grabbed a packet, then returned to straddle Luis once more. Her hands shook so she could hardly rip open the packet.
He frowned. “Are you nervous?”
“No!” she said. “Maybe. A little.”
He took the half-opened condom from her, set it aside, then held her hands while he looked into her face. “I am too. This isn’t just… We can’t go back from this once it’s done. And we haven’t exactly thought too hard before plunging in.”
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