“Actually, that wasn't intentional to distract you, but now that I know...” he wiggled his eyebrows.
“I get two more games, and you'd better not distract me. Don't be a sore loser now,” she teased.
His eyes lit up with amusement. “I do love a challenge,” he growled playfully.
Taryn and Chris got so lost in the challenge of the game that they both played several rounds. When it was his turn, the first time, he moved her stool over a little and played by her side. The second, he decided to be silly and try to play while standing behind her. That one sent her into overdrive, because his body was pressed up against hers and his arms were around her, though his hands were on the controls.
“You're undefeated for now, drummer girl. Congratulations. You know, we got so lost in the game, our food's been sitting at our table getting cold. Did you work up an appetite?”
“You sure you don't want your butt whooped some more?” She cocked her head to the side, totally teasing.
“Your winning streak can't always last, can it?” He placed his hands at her sides, staring directly in her eyes. Chris' were a blue green color.
“Guess you'll have to find out.”
“I want to find something else out.” Without another word, Chris dipped his head and kissed her.
Whoa. Just whoa.
Taryn wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. She hadn't expected this. Chris trailed two fingers along her jaw as his lips claimed hers endlessly. He curled his fingers through her hair. Just as she was getting more into it, Chris pulled away abruptly. “I don't know what possessed me to do that, Taryn.”
“You do like a challenge.” She smiled weakly, her entire body overcome with strange sensations.
He chuckled. “I did say that, didn't I? Ready for me to move you back to your chair?” His hands never left her body, and she didn't mind one bit.
“Yeah.” Taryn tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. What bothered him so much about kissing her? Was she not attractive enough to him? Didn't a lot of people kiss out of the blue sometimes? Or was she losing it completely? They'd been having a blast. Now Chris seemed uncomfortable.
“Hold on to me,” he said softly, looking her in the eye. She couldn't read his expression. Taryn complied, and Chris moved her back to the wheelchair. The rest of the night they had decent conversation, but Taryn's mind was full of worry, and she couldn't even begin to know what Chris' thoughts were.
It was just a kiss, a damn good one, and until he said something or she asked, Taryn wouldn't know what made him stop and have the whole mood shift.
*****
“So, how did it go?” Kyra lingered in the doorway of Taryn's room as she finished transferring from her chair to the bed. She grabbed her body pillow and worked her legs around it before grabbing the blanket to cover herself.
“A lot better than I thought it would,” Taryn admitted. “When did you get back, anyway?” Kyra hadn't been home when Taryn returned.
“Just now.”
“Did you spend the evening with Matt?”
“I did, but not what you'd expect. I got my hands dirty tonight,” Kyra chuckled.
“I don't want to know!” Taryn covered her eyes. “Wait, yes I do.”
“Yeah, but I asked about your night first,” Kyra shot back playfully.
“Come on over here. We'll exchange stories,” Taryn suggested. “Not that it's cold out, but do you happen to have any hot tea?”
“Hot tea, curl up under the blankets, and girl talk? You bet your butt I do.” Kyra moved away from the door frame. “I'll go get it started.”
As she waited for Kyra's return, Taryn studied her new temporary room. Kyra had a spare room downstairs which she'd originally planned to use as an office, but halted those plans when Taryn was laid off. There was also an adjacent bathroom which had a door right from the room. Interesting set up, but she'd bet it had been altered at some point. Either way, it worked for her. She didn't have to bother anyone at night when she had to make the move to her chair, then to the bathroom. The bed she'd been given was a full size, and Kyra had made sure to get it at a good height. With only a few of her things here right now, the room was pretty bare. There was a nightstand, a long dresser, a small desk in the room, and that was about it. The closet needed some work, but it wasn't high on the immediate list. The walls were painted a simple beige, and some darker colored curtains covered the window. Kyra had no carpeting in the house and the floors were all hardwood, but an Oriental rug covered half the floor in this room.
It definitely wasn't a place she could make out with a man, if it ever came down to that. She thought about Chris and his kiss earlier. Taryn couldn't be too sure how much of him lingering over her had been intentional or not, but her skin tingled just thinking about it. The last man who'd been that close to her, that intimately without actually being too intimate, had been James. Six long years and drastic changes later, Taryn's hormones were in overload, and she tried to piece together what tonight meant.
Chris asking her out had been a surprise to them both, and she knew this. Aside from tonight, he seemed like one of those quiet types that didn't have a lot to say.
And when he'd picked her up carefully, going so much out of his way to help her ease nostalgia pains, well, it warmed her heart.
“Hot tea, as requested.” Kyra sailed into the room, carrying two steaming mugs. She set them both down on the nightstand beside Taryn's bed.
“Burn the roof of my mouth hot?”
“Absolutely.” When Kyra faced her again, Taryn noticed she hadn't taken off her necklace.
“You wore it the rest of the night?” she asked softly, touched.
The corner's of Kyra's lips turned upward. “It felt right. Matt asked about it.”
“I kept playing with the charm all night. Get up here. Let's do this.” Taryn shifted slightly to make room.
Kyra climbed up on the bed, but didn't get under the covers. She leaned back on the pillow. “So, details.”
Taryn couldn't wipe the smile off her face. “Well, we ended up going to the arcade, of all places. Before going on tour with you, arcades were like my second home. I haven't been in one since after I left my dad's house. Anyway, Chris begged the staff for a barstool, which he brought out so I could be level enough to play. From there, things shifted into a more physical level. He even kissed me. And then he got uncomfortable, probably because he doesn't want to kiss someone like me-”
Kyra clapped a hand over Taryn's mouth. “Don't say that. Don't you dare.”
Taryn nodded, then raised her hand to move Kyra's. “Okay, okay, but I'm afraid that if we move to another intimate level, if we actually continue to go out and … whatever we're doing, that I'll eventually disappointment him. I haven't been with anyone that way since becoming this person. That's why I thought he stopped kissing me so abruptly, because he doesn't think he can or wants to try getting anything more from me.”
“Or maybe, in the heat of the moment, he just panicked, because you're on your first date, barely knowing each other, and he respects you,” Kyra pointed out.
“Ahh, Kyra Sanders the optimist is back,” Taryn mumbled.
“You know as well as I do I'm not always the optimist.” Kyra handed Taryn her mug, then picked up her own. “Besides, kisses end abruptly all the time. Matt used to kiss me, then stop suddenly a lot. He was sorting through his feelings.”
“I still have to wonder what Chris thinks. This is a whole new territory for me.” Taryn sipped her tea, then clutched the mug with both hands.
“It's fair, and I get it. You're thinking ahead to the future in the land of what ifs.”
“I have to. Aside from that, we really did have a good time. He was a different person tonight. Playful, talkative … I wonder about him.” She enjoyed getting a different side of Chris she'd never seen before. He had a lot of personality, which he hid behind a quiet, reserved attitude normally.
“I don't know a lot about
it, but Chris and Melody had a rough few years. Melody dated some guy for a year who turned out to be a murderer. Melody went to surprise him one night, and she walked in on it. Chris got her to flee so she'd be safe, which is how she ended up in Harmony's Echo. They lost their father at the hands of Melody's ex,” Kyra explained. “After everything was said and done, Chris moved down here to stay close to Melody.”
“That's horrible!” Taryn gasped, nearly spilling her drink. Holy hell, not the story she expected. No wonder he was the way he was! “I lost my dad too, but damn, not at the hands of a killer. I can't even imagine. Okay, I can see why he seems so lost.”
“I still wonder if it's more than that, but I'm a people watcher and tend to make up stories and emotions to use in songwriting. So, are you going to go out with him again?”
Taryn thought about it. “I wonder if he'd even ask. I don't know. I guess I'll play it by ear and see what happens.”
“Okay, next question - did the kiss have chemistry?” Kyra shot her a wicked grin.
“Did it ever,” Taryn mused, thinking back to the surprise gesture. They had both been very into it.
“That's a plus.”
“Yeah. So, what did your night consist of?” Time to distract herself from thinking about Chris and the kiss.
“I spent it with Matt, restoring a classic car for Andrew. He plans to give it to him when he gets his permit. Who would have thought I'd be getting my hands dirty messing around with an old car?” Kyra took a drink again. “We ended up in the backseat kissing and cuddling together, nothing more, since the car is for his son, but it was nice.”
Taryn laughed. “You know, did you ever think our lives would turn out this way? You're head over heels for a small town mechanic with a son. You've got a second chance at a music career, and you own a house in Sunset Hills.”
“And you're back in my life,” Kyra said softly. “All I knew was I wanted music. The rest fell into place.”
“I'm beginning to believe in the hope that comes with second chances,” Taryn fiddled with her charm again.
“Me too,” Kyra replied, meeting her eyes.
*****
Two things weighed on Chris' mind. The fact that after twenty years, his mother wanted to see them again, and Taryn McAllister. Today, he'd see Taryn again, as she would be at band practice. And he wanted to kick himself in the ass for not calling her after their date night. What must she think? Should he have called her? Things got awkward after that kiss ended. It didn't help that he'd never explained why he stopped kissing her so quick, and he could only guess the thoughts in Taryn's head about it. He sensed her hesitation, and his silence on the matter probably didn't help any.
His impulsive ways when it came to Taryn drove him nuts. This was out of character for him, or at least, as of lately. He used to be able to walk up to a woman and talk to her much easier than he could now. Well, except for that one woman who worked at Harmony's Echo Inn, but they weren't ever really talking. They'd only hooked up. A lot. There'd been no need for talking. Hell, he barely remembered her name, because every time they met up, it was all about sex.
This time, he wanted something more than casual sex. Taryn was the first woman he didn't want a hook up with. He could have interesting conversations and actual fun with her.
Fun. A word he hadn't been able to describe about himself for a long, long time. And honestly? He wouldn't mind kissing Taryn again. Call it a wickedly awesome added bonus.
What the hell are you doing to my mind, Taryn?
The morning of band practice, he called her. “Hey, drummer girl. Want a lift to band practice?” he asked when she answered. “That way, if I get this urge to take you out somewhere, I can without worrying about whether Kyra or Matt need to pick you up. And,” he added, “I'm sorry about not calling you sooner.”
“Wait, wait wait. Did I just get an apology from a man about not calling me?” Taryn gasped in mock surprise. “This is unheard of! Times have changed since...” There was a scuffle on the other end, although Chris bet she'd started to say too much and changed her mind about actually saying it. “Sorry. I shouldn't have joked around about that. It's no problem that you didn't call.” Her voice came out soft and quiet.
“Things got a little weird after that kiss, and I didn't want you to think it was something about you. I mean, it's about you, but not the way I'm thinking you're thinking. Okay, I'm making a big mess out of my words here.” Chris slapped a hand to his head. He should have just stuck to casual sex, because now he kept getting tongue tied over Taryn. “So, maybe you'll let me pick you up and we can talk about it.”
“Okay. If you want to pick me up and drop me off, that sounds fine. But Chris … I'm not sure why you get so weird around me and freak out about what I may or may not be thinking. Everyone seems to do that around me. It's frustrating. I'm just like anyone else, so I don't get the need to overanalyze me.”
“That's fair,” he replied, guilt washing over him. He couldn't help himself, though. “I know I find myself doing that too, but part of it is because I like you. I haven't felt a pull to spend time with a woman the way I want to with you in a long time.” There. He'd put it out there. Now what?
An uncomfortable silence fell over the line.
“Taryn?”
“I-I don't know what to say.” Was she blushing right now?
“That seems to be my problem too. Well, I don't know the right thing to say. All I know is I can't get you off my mind.”
“I really hope you aren't toying with me.” Taryn's voice held wariness.
“I'm not, Taryn. Okay, my first thoughts about you were whether you were going to join the band. Then my curiosity grew, and after the night at the arcade, I can't get you out of my head. It's not often I meet a woman who loves to play drums, loves arcades, and can hold a fun conversation.”
“I had a good time with you, too. Come and get me whenever. I've already showered and gotten ready.”
The thought of Taryn naked in the shower made him rock hard. He imagined her scrubbing soap all over her shoulders, with her wet tangles falling behind her back. Hell. Where'd that thought come from? Okay, so his thoughts of Taryn had a lot of physical sides to them as well. Then it made him wonder how much of a sex life she could have. He shook his head. Better not go there. He smacked his hand against his head again. “Have you eaten?”
“Yeah. I had breakfast with Kyra and her family this morning. I'm going to start working at the animal hospital where her mom works, so we were going over paperwork and stuff.”
Are you moving to Sunset Hills because of your opportunity with Baby Stetson?” he blurted, unable to help himself.
“Kind of. I was laid off. I'm in between opportunities, so this is why I'm trying to see if playing for the band is going to work out. There's a lot for me to think about, especially because I know Baby Stetson is Nashville bound.”
“You're a damn good drummer, that's for sure. Everyone in the band is impressed,” Chris told her. Her drumming was one of the first things that drew him to her. The rest came as he learned more about her.
“It's more than that, though. I have a lot of adjustments. I have different needs that might be an inconvenience to many. Tour buses, venues, the works. Kyra offered to let me stay on her tour bus this summer, since Baby Stetson is her opening act, but I worry. And what if it doesn't work out? I have to figure out what's next.” She fell silent. “I don't know why I'm telling you this. I don't normally spill my life story.”
Chris understood, even though it was for different reasons. “I don't mind you telling me your life story. It means I get to learn more about you. I'll come get you right now.”
“Great. At least my drums are still at Jameson's, but it's weird leaving them there. It makes sense, since I committed to coming to practice the next few weeks.”
“They wouldn't have fit in my car anyway. See you soon.”
Chapter Ten
“Tell me what it is you were thinking that I was thi
nking.” Taryn laughed. “Gosh, that sounds like a tongue twister.” They were en route to Harmony's Echo for band practice. Taryn didn't want to beat around the bush, so she made herself ask Chris. Time to stop the awkwardness once and for all.
He gripped the wheel tighter, then glanced at her briefly. His face was twisted up in an odd, uncomfortable frown. “I hoped you didn't think I stopped the kiss because I didn't want anything physical with you.”
“Because of my wheelchair?” She supplied the unspoken words, pretty sure she wasn't far off.
“Yeah. That's not why I stopped kissing you all of a sudden, though. I just didn't want you think that was why. Do I even make a bit of sense?”
She laughed. Hell, she shouldn't laugh, but the way he got all tongue tied, Taryn couldn't help it. “No. Well, kind of. Maybe if you'd explained why, then it would make more sense.”
He sighed. “Okay. I hope you don't think less of me. I've had several casual sex relationships. I don't want the same thing with you. Kissing you was an impromptu move, and my mind went into a weird place. Then I realized you might think something else, and it really didn't have to do with that. Damn, you're right. I am over analyzing things, and I'm sure that's uncomfortable for you. Look, I've been suffering from … a lot recently, and you're the first woman in a long time to make me feel something. Something good.”
“Do me a favor next time,” Taryn said softly. “Don't wonder what I think. Just talk to me about whatever it is. But I have to admit, I was thinking it. I haven't been very social in quite some time, and our date was the second I've been on since the accident.”
Chris flicked his gaze to her again briefly. “You said next time. Does that mean I get another chance?” His lips quirked up slightly.
“Of course there's a next time. Who else am I going to beat relentlessly in the arcade?” Taryn joked.
Chris chuckled, then reached for her hand. He clasped his fingers over hers, sending tingles all along her arms. “See? This is why I like you so much. You're a little offbeat, just like I am.”
Offbeat (Love and Music In Texas Book 5) Page 9
