A pretty red dress caught my eye. Being a redhead, whose favorite color also happened to be red, has proved to be difficult. The wrong shade of red looked terrible on me, but there were a handful of red items in my wardrobe that worked. The dress that had caught my eye was a design I loved, but the shade wouldn’t work on me.
The price tag peeked out from under the sleeve, and I saw a four-digit number there. Whistling, I walked away, knowing there was absolutely no reason to waste any thought on that expensive dress. I couldn’t afford that in my wildest dreams.
But I looked back longingly for a second anyway, and that’s when I ran into someone. “Shit! Sorry.”
“Hey!” came a surprised male voice that I instantly recognized.
“August!” This time I fought the urge to jump into his arms, but was happy to find him pulling me in for a hug. Once again, my feet left the ground as he picked me up, hugging me tightly.
My arms wrapped around his neck, and when his lips met my cheek, an inferno erupted inside of me.
Damn, I’m easy!
Putting me down, he looked into my eyes. “Tawny, I’m sorry I haven’t called.”
Even though I wanted to ask him why he hadn’t called, I just waved my hand in the air, as if waving the words away. “No, that’s okay. I mean, I’m sure you’ve been busy. Or maybe you just didn’t want to call. It’s not like you owe me anything. I understand.”
“No, it’s not like that.” He looked around then took me by the hand, pulling me along with him. “Let’s get some coffee and talk.”
We went into a café, the trendy 208 Rodeo Beverly Hills, where he ordered us a couple of cappuccinos, and then we took seats at an outside table.
“August, you don’t have to feel bad or try to explain anything to me,” I said before blowing across the top of my steaming cup.
“I want to, though.” He took my cup, setting it down before taking my hand and holding it on the tabletop. “I’ve only held off because of my condition.”
“Condition?” That threw me off. I couldn’t see a damn thing wrong with the man.
His eyes clouded, and his demeanor changed. “I have PTSD. I don’t talk about this with many people, but I want you to understand. When I was serving, a gun misfired, and I accidentally shot and killed one of my fellow marines. He was also my good friend. It’s done a number on my brain—that and the other things I’ve seen during my missions.”
My heart stopped. He’d gone through so much more than I ever would have guessed while serving our country. “Oh, God! I’m so sorry, August.”
He squeezed my hand. “Thanks, Tawny. It happened a few years ago, and I’m in therapy. I don’t get violent or anything like that, but sometimes I go into this state where…it can be pretty scary for the people around me.”
“I am a nurse, August. I’m accustomed to helping people deal with things like that.”
He laughed as he let my hand go, only to run his fingers over the back of it, making butterflies swirl around in my stomach. “I hadn’t thought about that, Tawny. I really hadn’t. I suppose you could handle me if an episode came on.”
I nodded, knowing I’d handled a lot of tough situations. I could definitely handle anything he had going on. “So, anything else stopping you from taking me out? My son perhaps?”
“No, just my condition. I don’t have an aversion to kids if that’s what you’re thinking.” One wink told me that was true.
An aversion to kids or not, I wasn’t the kind of mother who brought strange men around her kid. But there was one man I’d let Calum be around—if that man wanted and when the time was right. “That’s good to hear. That said, I’m picky about the men I bring around my son. I don’t think it’s healthy for a child.”
He didn’t seem put off by my words and even smiled. “I think that’s the sign of a pretty good mom. So, I can take you out, but the kid’s going to be left out of it?”
I nodded. “So, it’ll just be you and me on any date you’d care to take me on, August.”
He looked away and then back at me as he contemplated what I’d said. “I can handle that. For now.” He took my hand in his again and squeezed a bit. “I thought about you a lot while I was away. Your going away present was a thing I cherished. I still do. It was the best present I’ve ever gotten.”
A yearning filled me, a desire to tell him more, but I managed to stuff it away. “Oh, yeah?” With so little, the man set my senses on fire. It amazed me, how much he could affect me. No one else had ever come close to bringing out this side of me—and August could do it without even trying.
He nodded. “And that night is just about all I’ve thought about since I saw you ten days ago.”
“You’ve been counting the days?” I asked with surprise, and a little smile. I thought he hadn’t been thinking of me at all.
“I have. I was going to call you and take you out that very night we met, but my sister put me off the idea. She told me to wait a week and see if you were still on my mind, and you were. Then I called my therapist, and he told me I should wait a while longer before inserting myself into anyone’s life.”
I laughed. “One date doesn’t mean you’d be inserting yourself into my life.”
“I know.” He smiled sexily and pulled my hand up, kissing it. With just that kiss, wet heat pooled inside of me. “But I can think of at least one place that I would like to insert myself.”
My cheeks were hot, and my entire body flushed. “August!”
“I’ve missed you, Tawny. You’ve always held a place in my mind, and even my heart.” His words only served to affect me even more. I’d always thought he probably didn’t think much about me at all. I assumed he’d have other things on his mind, with what he was doing and all.
“We hardly knew each other. It doesn’t seem possible that one night of having sex…”
“Making love,” he corrected me, and then began kissing each one of my fingertips.
God help me, this man is going to make me have an orgasm right here by doing hardly a thing to me!
“Okay. Anyway, it doesn’t seem possible that we could form a bond so quickly. Not that we have a real bond, but you know what I mean. I’ve missed you, too. I’ve thought a lot about you, too. Even more so once we ran into each other after so many years.” I sucked in my breath as he leveled his eyes on mine.
Those hazel eyes took on an intensity that made me squirm in my seat. “Seven very long years. And now that I’ve gotten to sit and talk to you, I know I want more. Screw what my therapist said. I forgot to tell him that you’re a highly trained nurse, and that you’re more than capable of dealing with me if an episode occurs. So how about tonight? Wanna go out with me?”
“I’d love to.” But then reality hit me, and I groaned, “Ugh. I’ve got to find a sitter. Crap.”
“My sister would love to watch Calum for you,” came his quick response.
“You think she would?” My heart skipped a beat at the knowledge that he’d remembered my son’s name.
With a nod, he answered, “I know she would. She’s got six kids. They’re all older now, and she misses having little kids around.”
I remembered his sister. She was a down-to-earth young woman; I bet she’d be even more settled now. And with six kids of her own, she had to know what she was doing in that department. “Well, if she doesn’t mind, then I guess we have a date.”
“Looks like we do.”
Well, I wonder just how long this date will last before he and I topple into bed together. I’m thinking a half hour, tops.
Chapter Seven
August
I’d sent my driver to pick up Tawny and her son to take them to my sister’s, understanding Tawny’s desire to keep the men she dates away from Calum. My driver then returned Tawny back to her place so that she could get ready for our date, which I was getting increasingly excited for as time ticked by.
I’d gotten us a table at a restaurant that usually took reservations three months i
n advance. Money talks in this city, and when I offered to make a very generous donation to the chef’s favorite charity, he was quick to give me two seats in his limited-seating establishment.
I had every intention of showing Tawny a very good time—a better time than anyone else could give her.
What my sister had said to me earlier curled around my brain. I had taken the girl’s virginity and given her nothing in return. Sure, we’d both had an amazing time, and our night had left her with some great memories, but I hadn’t given her anything else.
We’d exchanged a few promises that night, promises that veered dangerously close to faithfulness. Of course, I was just talking, the way men sometimes do. I remember telling her that if I hadn’t had to leave her that she’d be my girl. I’d meant that, yet when I came back I didn’t even try to find her.
My parents had moved shortly after I took off for the military. I had no idea if Tawny or her family still lived in the house next to my parents’ old place. But I could’ve made some calls or even taken a drive through our old neighborhood to find out. The fact was, I hadn’t even tried. And that seemed odd to me, because Tawny had been a part of so many of my dreams and fantasies through the years—before and after we’d had sex. But life just hadn’t seemed to send me her way—until the day at the Science Center. And then again on Rodeo Drive.
Forces seemed to be throwing us in each other’s paths now. Who was I to fight unseen forces?
I’d told my sister about the date, of course, as she had to babysit. She seemed to understand why I’d gone against the advice of my therapist but cautioned me, telling me to let Tawny in on my tells, the things that I did before the onslaught of an episode. And she told me to call my therapist to let him know what I was doing as well.
That conversation was a bit tenser than I cared for. Doctor Schmidt had major concerns about Calum. Even though I’d assured him that the boy wasn’t going to be around me, he said that he might be eventually, and that worried him.
His concern for the welfare of Calum was unfounded in my opinion. Tawny hadn’t told me the boy was mine, so there was absolutely no reason for me to get to know him. I could have a thing with Tawny without the boy being involved at all.
It might sound callous to some, but Tawny and I had some unfinished business to attend to. One night with her had never been enough for me. I’d fucked many a woman in the last seven years, thinking of Tawny on more than one occasion. I needed to feel her body underneath mine again. Craved it at times. Especially since seeing her again.
My driver stopped in front of her apartment, and I walked up to her door to get her. After only one knock, she was opening the door and there stood a vision of perfection. I felt my jaw drop.
“You…” I looked her up and down, and my breathing stopped as I took her all in. Her long red waves had been tamed into one silky-straight sheet of shiny hair. Tawny’s hair wasn’t copper red, but more on the auburn side, with copper strands throughout that made it shine. Her green eyes popped, her makeup perfectly applied to accentuate them. It was a toss-up as to whether I found her hair or her eyes more attractive. “You look amazing.”
Her green dress hit her just above her knees, hugging her curves. It had a deep plunging neckline that exposed her generous breasts in such a way that was daring, sexy, and absolutely fascinating. I could look at those babies all night. Or rather, I could suck those babies all night.
Sweet Jesus, I hope she lets me fuck her!
Images of taking her sweet ass in the back of my town car had already begun to flitter through my mind. Tawny on her knees, that emerald green dress pushed up to expose her ass—an ass that had become even rounder and plumper than when I’d last touched it. My cock had gone stiff just thinking about it.
Tawny’s hand moved over my shoulder. “These suits you wear make you look so handsome, August. You don’t look much like the young man I knew back then. You’re much more sophisticated. And you have your own driver, too. Thank you for sending him to take Calum and me to your sister’s by the way. That was very nice of you.”
My eyes were glued to hers. “It was nothing, really. Was Calum okay with you leaving him with Leila and her brood of children?”
She shook her head, making me frown for a moment before she smiled. “No need to frown. He loved her and all the children. She does have a houseful, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, she does.” I took her hand, leading her to the waiting car. “I’m glad he liked them all.”
“He told me I could leave, and that he’d be fine with Aunt Leila. Your sister introduced herself to him as that. I hope you don’t mind.” She looked back at me as I opened the car door for her.
All I could do was smile. “Of course, I don’t mind that.” It was a little shocking how much I didn’t mind—how much I was hoping that might be the case in truth.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. It just occurred to me that you might think that was a bit forward.”
“Nah.” I slid in after her, making sure to stay close. Any bit of contact I could get with her did things to me that I’d never experienced with anyone else—whether it was her hand on my shoulder or my thigh pressed tightly to hers as we sat side by side. “So, I’ve scored us a couple of seats at Maude this evening.”
“Maude?” She looked enthused. “August, that’s like impossible to get into. How’d you manage that? Oh, wait. You must’ve had reservations already, didn’t you? I heard you have to make them three months in advance.”
“No, I didn’t have reservations. I just did a little wheeling and dealing is all.” I took her hand, kissing the top of it before trailing my lips up her arm until they met hers.
My heart beat like a base drum as I kissed her softly, not wanting to rush, only wanting to take my time, tasting her in the way I’d dreamt about doing for years.
Our chests were heaving when our mouths parted. The kiss hadn’t gone beyond just lips touching lips, yet it had affected us in a way that neither of us had expected, judging by the dazed look in her eyes.
“I’ll take it slow tonight, Tawny. I won’t rush a thing. There’s no reason to now. I’m not going anywhere.” Her hand felt so good in mine as I ran my hand down her arm to grasp it.
She blinked a few times. “I think I’d like that. Nice and slow. We haven’t done nice and slow, have we?”
“No, we did it hard and fast, if I recall that night correctly.” My fingertip ran over her bronze-tinted lips. “Hard and fast was good, but I think long and slow will be even better.”
“I agree wholeheartedly.” She leaned her head on my shoulder. The smell of her hair captivated me.
“Lemons and honey,” I commented as I took a long sniff.
She looked up with a questioning gaze. “What?”
“Your hair. It smells like lemons and honey. That night, it smelled like strawberries.” The smile she gave me hit me like a fist to my heart.
“You remember that?” She blushed, and I loved how I’d already made her do that. I was yearning to see her entire body flush with that same color. Plans for later that night were already beginning to form in my head.
Dinner, a bit of dancing, then back to her place to get horizontal once again. The way my cock pulsed had me wondering if we’d be able to get through all the courses that night before giving the chemistry between us what it demanded.
Chapter Eight
Tawny
The date went far past any expectations I’d had. Dinner at a restaurant that defied imagination: small, quiet, and phenomenal food. Later, August held me in his arms as we swayed to soft music. Soft kisses placed on random areas of my head then down my neck, leaving my legs feeling like jelly.
The man had me, and he knew it. What he’d do with me was still a question that needed to be answered. We’d gotten back into the backseat of his car, the driver taking us to his place. A surge of disappointment traveled through me when I found out he’d be getting out there, leaving me alone so his driver could take
me to pick up Calum before dropping me home.
My thighs clenched as he told me the plan.
No sex?
I bit my lower lip, unsure of how to tell him that I wanted more. “Um, August, you don’t have to go to all that trouble. I can take my car and run by your sister’s to pick Calum up. It’s not a problem at all. And you could maybe come in for a little…um, what do they call those things?” I searched my memory and found an old Love Boat episode locked away. “Oh, yeah. Nightcap.”
“A drink?” he asked, his fingertip moving along my jawline.
“Sure, a drink.” My body sizzled at his soft touch. I’d been on fire for hours, and I needed the flame doused. Only August had the magic elixir to do that.
“I don’t want you to have to do any driving after even one drink.” He leaned in close, trailing kisses along my collarbone.
So, I had to come up with another idea, and I did so quite quickly. “Ride with me then. Stay with me while we go get Calum.”
“But you said you don’t like to introduce men to your son, Tawny.” His lips moved up my neck. When his hands took my wrists, holding my arms to my sides, I almost begged him to take me right then and there.
“I don’t. I haven’t.” My breathing became sporadic as he nibbled my earlobe then blew warm breath into my ear. It reminded me of the way he’d given me oral sex that night so many years ago, how he blew on my sex before eating me until I came, screaming his name over and over.
God, I want to feel that again!
“I don’t want to make you do anything that would make you uncomfortable,” he whispered as he moved those soft lips all around my ear, then licked the spot just behind it.
I’d already been wet for him, but with that sensation, I gushed. “Oh, August!” I gasped. “Please, just ride with me to get him. I don’t care about my old rules. I won’t feel uncomfortable.”
“Well, if you’re really sure, then your wish is my command, Princess.” He pulled his mouth off me then pressed a button. “Max, change of plans. Go to my sister’s first, please.”
Nightclub Surprise Page 4
