Teague

by Juliana Stone

  She was silent, watching him, and her chest rose and fell, her nipples hard and easy to see through the thin material of her tank top. She was so feminine. So damn breakable. When she slowly pushed up onto her knees, with all that hair around her shoulders and those big eyes looking at him, it took everything inside him to stay still and not scoop her up into his arms.

  She was unsure. He could see that. Hell, he was unsure. But this thing between them, whatever it was, he wanted to explore it and a jolt ripped through him when he realized how badly he did.

  Or maybe it was more that he needed to.

  Sabrina slowly slid into the water and he eyed her hungrily. She would taste amazing. He knew this.

  She stood before him, arms crossed over her chest, shivering slightly, and something about the way she looked tore at a place inside him—a place that he thought was long dead.

  Teague reached for her and she didn’t resist when he drew her into his arms. He had no idea how long he held her like that, but he sure as hell loved the feel of her against him. If not for the thin cotton between them, they’d be skin on skin. That thought fired him up and Teague clamped his jaw together tightly, concentrating on keeping things relatively innocent.

  At least for now.

  “You ready?” he murmured into her hair.

  She tensed in his arms, eyes big when she looked up at him.

  “For your swimming lesson,” he said watching her carefully. Sabrina glanced to the side, eyes skimming over the water and he felt her fear. He wondered about it but didn’t press for details.

  “We’ll just stay right here where it’s shallow, all right?”

  She nodded but didn’t speak and he bent low, his lips close to her ear. “I won’t let you go.”

  “Okay,” Sabrina said quietly.

  He led her away from the dock making sure the water didn’t get any deeper, but looking for more room to maneuver.

  “Okay,” he said. “Lie back.”

  She glanced down at the water. “Won’t I sink?”

  “No. We need to get you used to floating on your back.”

  “Oh, okay.” She still sounded unsure and he slipped in behind her.

  “I won’t let you go under, but you gotta trust me.” Teague put a hand on her shoulder and felt just how tense she was. “Relax,” he breathed into her ear, pulling her back toward him. “I won’t let you go.”

  Carefully he eased her onto her back, moving to the side so that he could slip an arm underneath her waist. Stiff as a board, she looked like a soldier. “Relax,” he coaxed once more. “You’ll float.”

  He held her and kept her from going under until she eventually relaxed. “Move your arms,” he commanded, leading her in a circle. “There, you’re getting the hang of it.”

  Her clothes (which he realized must be her pajamas) were wet and he had no trouble seeing her breasts or the junction between her legs.

  Keep your eyes on her face.

  But it was hard to do. She was perfect for him, with pert breasts that were no more than a handful, a tight little body that would fit him like a glove, and eyes that were…

  “You’re so damn beautiful.”

  She froze at his words and her hands stilled. If not for Teague’s quick reflexes, she would have went under.

  “Hey,” he began slowly, helping her to stand. “I don’t want…” Jesus, he was screwing this up. His body was hot and tight and all he could think about was how she would taste and feel. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to put his hands on a woman this badly.

  “I don’t want to scare you,” he said softly.

  Her chest rose and fell. “You’re not,” she replied, her voice so low he could barely hear her.

  The water lapped at her ribcage and his hand slid to her cheek. He needed to be clear about things. He looked into her eyes so that there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings. “Sabrina, unless you say no, I’m going to kiss you.”

  Her lips parted and she blew out a long, shuddering breath. But she didn’t move away and she didn’t say a word. His thumb caressed the corner of her mouth and damn but his heart thudded inside his chest so loudly he was surprised she couldn’t hear it.

  “Sabrina?” he asked once more.

  But there was no need. Her hands crept up his chest as she moved closer and Teague took the opportunity to move his hands lower. He didn’t stop until he cupped her butt and then he pulled her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist.

  “This is good,” he murmured, keeping one hand on her backside while the other sank into all that silky hair that now hung in wet ropes.

  Her face was level with his and he stared into her eyes for half a second before sliding his mouth over hers. Her lips were soft and full, but there was hesitation there—he felt it.

  Teague eased into the kiss, taking his time to taste and to touch and to savor. He slid his tongue along the corner of her mouth, but went no further until he felt her relax. And then he slid inside, his tongue coaxing her open.

  Damn, if it was possible, she tasted even better than he’d imagined.

  Teague kissed her slowly. Thoroughly. He tasted every inch of her mouth before making his way down her neck. She was pliant against him and when he found the spot where her pulse beat so rapidly, he knew she was just as affected as he was. She moaned and clutched at his shoulders.

  “Teague,” she whispered.

  He paused, eyes on her face. “Do you want me to stop?” It was hard for him to get the words out because he was so damn worked up for this woman.

  Half lidded, she looked down at him and shook her head, those big eyes of hers glistening. She mouthed the word, ‘no,’ and with a wicked grin, he continued his assault. He held her tightly and when she bent backward, he took the opportunity and opened his hot mouth over her breasts.

  Even through the thin wet cotton of her shirt she felt amazing, and he nipped and tugged, using his tongue and mouth until she was squirming against him.

  By this time Teague was breathing heavy and dealing with his own situation. His erection was painful and if he could have ripped off her bottoms and buried himself inside her, he would have. The need in him was strong, and he paused for a moment, resting his head on her chest.

  “I want you,” he said roughly.

  For a few seconds, there was nothing but his heavy breathing, the gentle swell of water lapping at his waist, and the night sounds of cottage country.

  Tentative fingers rested on his shoulders and he tilted his head so that he could see her face. Wait…was that…was she crying?

  “I don’t think I can, Teague.” Her voice trembled. “I mean I want to but I…I’m not sure.”

  He took a moment, startled to realize how badly he wanted her. Maybe he should have backed off. Taken the hint and cut things off before they got too intense. But something in her eyes—the vulnerability and the pain—struck a chord inside him and he pressed one last kiss to that sweet spot in her neck.

  Her pulse still pounded hard. He liked that.

  “We’ll take this slow. You say when. We don’t have to have sex tonight. We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

  She gazed past him, up at her dark cottage. “Could we just sleep together?” Her eyes shot back to his. Anxious. Luminous. “Without the sex? I’m sure that sounds weird, but I…”

  He watched her intently, liking the play of shadow on her delicate features. Liking the heartbreaking honesty. “It doesn’t sound weird.”

  She stared at him for a long time, saying nothing, her hands tracing the scars that dimpled his shoulder.

  “I miss being held,” she whispered, her words tumbling from her. “I miss the warmth of another body beside me. I miss knowing I’m not alone. Even if it’s just for a night, that would be so…nice.”

  Something twisted inside Teague. It was hot and hard and painful. It was the realization that this woman was as scarred as he was.

  “Then I’ll hold you
until morning,” he replied, moving out of the water with Sabrina still in his arms. She didn’t utter another word when he turned toward his place. And when she rested her head on his chest, he felt something he’d not felt in a long, long time.

  Contentment.

  Teague was more than content to spend the night out under the stars with this woman doing nothing more than holding her in his arms—no making out and no sex. He had an erection to end all erections and he was so goddamn hot and tight he knew, there wouldn’t be any sleep for him.

  And yet he was fine with all of that. Him. Teague Simon. The selfish bastard who’d never put a woman ahead of his own needs before.

  What. The. Hell.

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  Chapter Fourteen

  Sabrina woke up with a crook in her neck and the sun shining in her face. For a moment she had no idea where she was and it was only when she rolled over that she realized she was on a deck, wrapped in a blanket.

  She took a second to relax, her brain still more than a little fuzzy, and closed her eyes, enjoying the peace of the early morning. It had been ages since she’d fallen asleep outside and she’d forgotten how much she enjoyed—

  With a start, she bolted upright and rolled all the way out of the gray and white blanket, pushing a big tangle of hair from her eyes.

  “Shit,” she whispered.

  This wasn’t her blanket and this sure as hell wasn’t her deck.

  Sabrina got to her feet just as a bundle of fur came flying around the corner. Bingo barreled toward her and nearly had her on her ass, but she recovered in time to scoop up the squirmy puppy.

  “How did you…”

  But she never got the chance to finish her sentence because Teague strolled onto the deck—his deck—wearing nothing but an old faded pair of cargo shorts that sat dangerously low on his hips.

  She knew he had nothing on underneath. You know. On account of the dangerously low situation.

  A sudden image of Teague in the water wearing his boxers flashed before her eyes and she buried her head in the puppy’s neck. He’d looked like a Greek god the night before and Lord knows she’d had a good look—more than one if she was being honest.

  She hoped like hell Teague couldn’t see the flush that crept up her neck.

  “Louise didn’t come home last night, so I let Bingo out. I figured the little guy needed to pee.”

  “Oh,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

  Bingo licked her chin enthusiastically and then wiggled until she had to let the dog back down. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at Teague from beneath her lashes.

  Everything from the night before came back and she swallowed thickly, wishing the floorboards would open up and swallow her whole. Oh god. He’d practically seen her naked. Hell, she was still practically naked. She was dressed in her pajamas with no bra and no undies.

  “I made coffee,” he said, walking toward her. Teague stopped an inch or so away but she couldn’t look up. How could she? Her eyes were glued to his rock hard abs. Abs that she’d touched. Abs that she’d slid up against.

  And she’d done all of that while she was practically naked. Ugh.

  He cupped her chin and she gulped, pushing back the golf ball-sized lump that sat at the back of her throat.

  “Bree,” he said quietly. “It’s just coffee. Nothing more.”

  Bree.

  Bingo barked and pawed at the patio door but they both ignored the dog.

  “Sabrina?”

  “I…” But she was stuck.

  “Did I do something?”

  “No. I haven’t been called Bree in a long time,” she said, eyes drawn back to his intense gaze.

  He was silent for a few seconds. “Do you want me to stop?”

  Did she? She shook her head and whispered. “No.”

  Teague’s fingers trailed down her cheek and over her collarbone. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so if I’m overstepping tell me. Last night was nice. Hell, last night was more than nice. I liked having you here.”

  His eyes darkened and she shivered.

  “I liked watching you sleep.” A soft smile played around the corner of his mouth. “You make these sounds.”

  “Sounds?” Oh God. Had she snored? “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  He leaned in close, so close that his warm breath fell over her skin. “From the back of your throat. It’s sexy as hell.”

  “Oh.” Cheeks pinker than ever, she didn’t know what to say.

  “So how about that coffee?” he asked, his hand finally sliding away from her collarbone. And that was a good thing, because it was hard for Sabrina to think straight when he was touching her.

  “I think coffee sounds good,” she said carefully, taking a step back.

  “Double cream and sugar?” he asked, heading to the glass doors and finally letting Bingo inside.

  “How did you…”

  “I’m a navy man, remember? I pay attention.”

  With that he disappeared inside the house, her traitor dog barking like crazy when he did. Still feeling more than a little weird about being on Teague’s deck in nothing more than her pajamas, Sabrina leaned on the railing and gazed out across the water.

  There were already boats dotting the large lake and she watched a couple jet skiers fly over the water.

  “They must feel so free,” she murmured, smiling as the woman squealed when she hit her partner’s wake.

  “Have you ever been on a jet ski?” Teague handed her a large mug.

  “No,” she said. “I’m sure you’ve figured out I’m not a water person. We just have the boat.”

  The two of them sipped their coffees for a few minutes and then Teague set his cup down on the ledge, resting his elbows there as he leaned forward.

  “So what’s your story?”

  The question was from left field and it took a bit for Sabrina’s fuzzy brain to focus and even longer for her to get the words out.

  “My story?”

  He nodded. “Everyone’s got a story. What’s yours? Where do you come from?”

  Her story wasn’t exactly unicorns and rainbows. “There’s nothing much to tell. I’ve lived here since I was a kid. I met Brent when his family bought their cottage and he started spending summers here. We got engaged when I was barely twenty and married the next year.” She thought back to that time, her mind turning pages of memories.

  Walks in the park with her husband.

  Dinners at the Irish pub down the street from their townhouse.

  Thirty-six hours of labor before she delivered her twins.

  Louise and Brent cheering her on the entire time.

  “I went to school to be a nurse but quit when I had the babies.”

  “And your parents?”

  Yes. Then there was that. “My mother died when I was nine.” Eyes on the water, she tried to ignore the man watching her so intently. “She was in a car accident. The roads were bad and she hit a patch of black ice.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s when we moved here. I have no idea why my dad chose Gravenhurst because we’d never been out of the city. But living in a house of memories wasn’t something he could do.” She paused, voice a little shaky. “He loved it up here and he did manage to find some kind of happiness.”

  “That’s good,” Teague said quietly.

  “It was good for a while. He died a month before my wedding. He was out in the garden trimming his rose bushes and had a heart attack. I found him, but it was too late. By the time we got him to the hospital, he was gone.”

  “Jesus,” Teague said roughly, pushing off from the ledge and facing her.

  Things she didn’t like to think about—things she’d tucked away into the small dark corners of her soul—were suddenly filling her head.

  “I walked myself down the aisle.” Sabrina’s eyes
slammed shut as the pain of her loss hit her squarely in the chest. “I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone but my dad on my arm, so I...I did it on my own.”

  “Oh Bree, you’ve been through a lot for someone so young.”

  His voice was gentle and she nearly cried out when he touched her arm. He took her coffee mug and set it down before folding her into his arms.

  She needed this. His touch. His smell. Or maybe it was just the idea of him. Of a man holding her and taking some of that burden.

  “So have you,” she whispered without thinking.

  He stiffened for just a moment, but it was enough for her to know that she’d hit a nerve. Sabrina slowly pulled back so that she could see him again. Really see him. Teague looked tired. She thought about what he’d said to her the night before.

  “Did you sleep at all last night?” she asked.

  “If I said yes…”

  “I wouldn’t believe you.”

  Teague shrugged. “Sometimes my brain doesn’t turn off.”

  “I get that.” How many nights had she lain awake staring at the ceiling? How many nights had she tried in vain to forget about her pain?

  “But that’s not what my problem was last night.”

  “No?”

  “Not even close.” There was that lopsided grin again. It must be addictive because suddenly Sabrina wanted to see more of it.

  “What was your problem last night?” she asked lightly.

  “You would be my problem last night.”

  “Me.”

  “Uh huh.” Teague nodded, taking a step closer. “I already told you. I like watching you sleep.”

  Sabrina took a moment because she thought that just maybe she was about to cross a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Not if she was smart.

  “You watched me sleep?”

  “All night.”

  “Are you flirting with me, Teague Simon?”

  His eyes were heated and her heart jacked up so fast she felt dizzy for a second.

  “Honey, I think we’re way past flirting.”

  She smiled at him, but it soon faded when reality hit. She was a young mother of two and he was…well, she didn’t exactly know what he was but she was pretty sure of one thing. Teague Simon was temporary. He was up here looking for something, but that something sure as hell wasn’t Sabrina and her kids.