by Hadley Quinn
Now if he turned those lights on, she was going to have a problem…
“Do something for me, beautiful,” he whispered against her neck. He kissed her again and lightly bit the flesh below her ear. A shiver instantly covered her skin with a delicious thrill.
“Anything,” she answered, her eyes closed while he softly ran his fingers up her arm.
“See that bike over there?” he murmured as he kissed her jaw line.
“Mmhmm,” she answered, even though her eyes were still closed. God, the feel of him on her skin…
“I want you to go straddle it, facing me.” Her eyes popped open and she instantly tensed up. It resulted in Tate’s soft laughter and he added, “Just humor me. Please?”
If he wanted to have sex on the motorcycle, she was game. But it kind of required him to be present too, so when she straddled the bike backwards like he instructed but didn’t join her, she gave him a questioning look.
“Absolutely beautiful,” he smiled as he stared at her.
It made her feel uncomfortable, so she leaned forward just slightly to cover herself.
“You’re ruining the view,” he told her lightly as he reached for something in the bag he’d brought in. “Kellie, you’re absolutely the most perfect thing I’ve ever seen. You don’t have to hide from me.”
“I’m not hiding,” she mumbled, knowing full well it was a lie.
It was obvious Tate knew it too, but he pulled something black out of the backpack and started messing with it.
When she realized what it was, she shot up, almost falling off the bike. “Hell no, Tate. NO.”
“Hang on, babe,” he held his hand out with the camera in it. “God, do you realize how incredibly gorgeous you are right now?” He shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “I just want one photo of you—just one, I swear—and that’s it. You on the bike… Oh my God, ever since you pulled up to my shop on that thing a few weeks ago, I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. I’ve had this image etched in my brain—you on the bike in barely anything…”
She couldn’t help but chuckle, but just the look on his face was priceless. He was pleading with her. Pleading. Huge puppy dog eyes that ripped down her insecurities almost instantly. She bit her lower lip in thought, but repositioned herself back on the bike. This time she leaned forward onto her stomach and propped her chin in her hand.
“Oh good God,” he exhaled, and it made Kellie laugh. He seriously looked like he was about to lose his fucking tongue on the floor.
“Just take the damn photo before I change my mind.”
He quickly popped the lens cover off and turned the camera toward her. He made a single adjustment and lifted it to his eye. “Scoot forward on the seat a little more,” he instructed.
She did.
“Ehh, take your left arm and bring it out a bit.”
She did.
“Lower your eyes and look at the ground.”
She did.
“Now just—”
“Just take it,” she growled, barely moving her mouth.
He clicked the shot and then put the lens cover back on.
As he slid the camera back into the bag, Kellie sat up a bit and asked, “You’re not even going to check it?”
“I promised you only one shot, so it doesn’t matter how it turned out. It’s all I get.”
Oh, she wanted to punch him right now—especially because of that facetious little grin on his face—but for something she was so set against in the first place, why did she want him to keep going?
Because he knew how to shed her anxiety before she could over think too much.
“So that’s it?” she asked skeptically. “That’s the surprise? Bring me to my brother’s house, strip me almost naked and take photos of me?”
He laughed as he walked across the garage to her. “You really think I’m that lame?”
She smiled easily. “Well…lame wasn’t the word I was thinking of. Maybe…selfish.”
Laughing, he stopped in front of her with his eyebrows raised. “Selfish, huh?” he repeated, tapping her nose with his finger. “And what would make me unselfish right now?”
“Strip down to nothing,” she motioned to his body with her head. “Here I am, pretty much naked, and there you are fully clothed. What is wrong with this picture?”
He pretended to consider it. “You still have a bra and panties on, that’s what’s wrong with this picture.”
She was amused, but he grabbed the edge of his shirt and pulled it up over his head, causing her to swallow. His tattooed chest, abs, and arms were right there in front of her and she perched herself eagerly on the edge of the seat with her bare feet on the concrete floor.
“Is this better?” he asked. He slid his arms around her shoulders, his hands splayed against her skin. Then he grabbed a fist full of her hair and tipped her head back, leaning over to kiss her mouth. “You’re throwing off my surprise, you know,” he whispered against her lips.
“I’m sorry?” she asked timidly as she trailed her fingers over his stomach.
“No, you’re not sorry,” he told her. “But you might be in a minute since you’ve excited this beast in my fucking shorts.”
She pressed her hand against his cock and rubbed him a little bit as she stood. “Sounds good to me,” she winked while she slid her other hand around his shoulder to the back of his neck.
But he shook his head and replied, “Nah, not here. I have better plans for you, beautiful.”
He grabbed her tank top and skirt and handed them over. All he did was fling his shirt over his shoulder and wait for her. She dressed quickly and slid her flip-flops back on while he re-covered the motorcycle, and then she followed him out to his truck, more curious than ever.
But…shirtless Tate. She’d take that and not ask questions. Shirt off, hat on backwards, sunglasses while he drove… Gahh, he made her heart melt. It was fairly warm out, which was why she was dressed the way she was, so she just sat in the truck and enjoyed the ride with the windows down.
He held her hand the entire ride and it was truly one of the most relaxing times she could think of.
Chapter Twenty-One
Tate was headed west, to the coast. Kellie assumed he was taking her to watch the sunset, which sounded perfectly amazing right now. When he pulled into a driveway near Topanga Beach, she silently questioned him again.
He turned to her with a big ass grin, knowing he was driving her crazy. What a shit.
“Ready?”
She shrugged, trying to remain nonchalant. “Sure, I guess.”
He laughed and put his truck in gear again, but this time he cranked it into reverse and backed down a narrow concrete pad next to the back deck that faced the water. Kellie was just beyond guessing at this point and had to go with the flow. She had to admit that Tate’s excitement was extremely sexy, and she told herself to just relax and enjoy that instead of her intolerance of the unknown.
“Come on, gorgeous girl. You. Me. Bed of the truck. NOW.”
Those deep, sexy commands made her insides dance with arousal, and she watched him come around to her side of the vehicle to open her door.
“Get your fine ass out. Come on,” he motioned with a wink.
She was so turned on she could barely function, so finally he had to take her hand and pull her along.
It was beautiful out—the sun about to set within the next twenty minutes—but she was not expecting Tate to hoist himself into the bed of the truck and start pulling out a bunch of blankets from nylon bags that were tied down below the back window. He even hopped back out and grabbed some pillows that were stuffed behind the driver’s seat; then he lined the edge of the truck bed with glass votives and lit the candles inside them.
“Well?” he asked, standing there with a happy smirk on his face. He motioned to the bed of the truck—which was now a real bed, thick with blankets and pillows, and lovely candlelight. “Join me?”
He flipped the tailgate down
, hopped up, and held out his hand to assist her.
“Okay, I’m seriously… I’m impressed,” she finally said.
“Oh? So you’re not mad at me for taking your picture and I might be getting thank-you sex tonight?”
“Hmm, trust me, you didn’t have to do all of this in order to get sex out of me. All you have to do is look at me and I’m wet.”
He lightly laughed. “Good to know.” He sat down against a pile of pillows and patted the space right next to him. “Join me.”
She easily complied, sitting next to him on the soft bed of blankets as his arm came around to hold her close. With the tailgate open, it was the absolute perfect view of the ocean as the sun descended.
“I could go to sleep here,” Kellie said after a few minutes of silence. It was so peaceful listening to the waves crash while she was in her own little private nest with Tate.
“If you’re tired, go ahead,” he replied softly, running his fingers along her arm. He must have felt the goosebumps on her skin, and even though it was from his touch, she was glad he pulled a blanket over them. With the sun disappearing into the water, it was starting to get chilly.
She nestled up against him tighter than she’d already been. They were now stretched out lying down, and it was hands down the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.
“This is perfect,” she whispered, almost afraid to break the idyllic setting.
“Yeah, it’s pretty amazing,” he replied. It was starting to get dark out, and the sound of his voice in the dark was always sexy. “I’d do anything for you, Kellie,” he added unexpectedly. “I hope you know that.”
She did, and she realized it more and more every day. “I do know that,” she answered softly.
“Good because…you mean a lot to me and…”
She could detect a bit of nervousness in his voice, and because her head was resting close to his chest, she could feel his heartbeat getting more intense. Was he really going to say it? Her heart picked up speed and was beating right along with his, just in anticipation of—
“I love you, Kellie,” he finally said.
She hadn’t expected the words to take the air right out of her, but they did. It was like the thrill and elation of his admission sent a celebratory cheer throughout her body, using her very breath to make it happen.
He kissed her on the top of the head as his arm tightened around her more securely. “I just wanted you to know that.”
She realized she hadn’t responded. How awful she was for making him think she didn’t return his feelings!
Kellie turned just a bit and propped herself up on an elbow. There was enough candlelight that she could see his face as she leaned forward and kissed his lips. “I love you too. So much.”
His grip tightened on her again, pulling her closer to him. Half her body was on top of him as she put everything she had into proving how much he meant to her. It was the first time she’d ever told a guy she loved him and he was going to be the last. It was funny how she’d been so hesitant to fall in love but all it took was… Well, Tate. All it took was Tate. And she couldn’t imagine anything different.
“Make love to me,” she whispered against his lips.
He gently rolled her onto her back as he pulled the blanket back over them. His hand slid up her skirt, rubbing his palm against her skin before gripping her hip tenderly. His touch set her on fire, and a minute later when they were both skin-to-skin, Tate laced his fingers with hers and kissed her deeply while he rocked in and out of her.
If there was a way to bottle this moment up, she would. There were few things in her life that were worth remembering forever, but this was definitely the best one. In fact, most all of her happiest thoughts and moments were of Tate and she was quite all right with that. It was such an unexpected fate that she would be at this point in her life already, but definitely a place she now wanted to be.
So much for Ice Queen status…
***
A night in the bed of Tate’s truck. He’d offered to take her home but she refused. She couldn’t leave the paradise she’d been in, entwined with him all night, making love a couple more times, and cuddling under the stars. And he’d come prepared with snacks and drinks, so Kellie was perfectly content staying all night. She knew he had the next day off, so when it was Tate’s turn to use the bathroom in the house, she sent a text into work to say she wasn’t coming in.
She rarely ever did that, but they could deal with it this time.
Then she realized why she’d had that day scheduled in the first place. Her mother. Amelia was coming to town and Kellie had deliberately booked as many hours as she could to avoid her. She knew she couldn’t dodge her entirely, but the less she spent around her the better.
Tate knew about her mommy and daddy issues. He knew the back-story of her childhood and the issues between her parents. He knew she lived with her grandfather for a couple of years until she moved in with Jay and Teague. He definitely knew she wasn’t close to her mom, but what she hadn’t told him was their entire history. She felt that kind of needed to be addressed before Tate met Amelia, but it was a subject she would have preferred to sweep under the rug.
However, after a very long walk on the beach and a little bit of fruit for breakfast, they sat in the bed of his truck again, talking about anything and everything; from some of the people Tate had met during his recovery, to his grandmother and how much he knew she liked Kellie, and then at last the mention of her mom. She figured it was as good a time as any to get it over with.
“So yesterday I said I wanted to talk to you about something,” she began. Tate only nodded, but she had his full attention. “I’m just going to be blunt with this because I don’t want anything hazy lingering between us.”
“I very much agree with you. And you can tell me anything, Kellie. I promise I will keep it to myself.”
“It’s not really that…”
“Then what is it? Why do you hesitate?”
She sighed and looked into his dark green eyes; those eyes that could penetrate her heart in a matter of seconds. “It scares me. I’ll just put that right out there. I’m scared that you’re going to hear something that you won’t like and—”
“Kellie,” he sighed, shaking his head. He looked totally devastated right now and it crushed her. “Nothing is going to disappoint me, okay? Is that what you’re worried about?”
“Yes,” she answered right away.
He licked his lips and shook his head again. “I’m truly sorry you feel that way, but believe me when I say I know there are many different sides to people and even though something might be a bit surprising, it doesn’t take away from who you are. We’ve all got our demons—our challenges—and I know that for a fact.”
She stared across the beach at the waves crashing one by one. Why did insecurities get the best of her? She knew what he was saying—she even agreed with him because she couldn’t imagine Tate telling her anything that would make her love him less—so why was it so hard for her to see herself from that same perspective?
God, the complexities of the human brain…
She took in a deep breath of ocean air and slowly let it out. “Growing up in my family—the only girl out of a bunch of boys—was actually more than I could handle at the time. My parents had a rocky relationship from as early as I can remember, their business was always in the tabloids, and my mother was forever concerned that I was not making a good enough impression in Hollywood.
“After she and my dad split, she became even more obsessed with me making my mark as a McCallan. I was in everything you could think of: voice lessons, dance, modeling, acting classes… anything that could help me become a prestigious figure in Hollywood. I hated it all, I’ll tell you that. And my mom knew it. However, it’s like it propelled her into becoming more obsessed, like she needed to do more to “convince” me to accept it. My appearance and my weight had always been an issue, but when I hit fifteen/sixteen, I became w
ay more insecure. Tabloids have a way of doing that, posting less than appealing photos and sometimes even photo-shopping them to look worse.
“Well, I’m ashamed to admit it, but it really got to me. So bad that I was barely eating any food just to stay tiny for my mom’s approval. I got carried away with diet pills and working out two hours a day, seven days a week. Finally my body took a huge crash. I passed out at one of my grandpa’s fundraisers. Thankfully it was behind-the-scenes and not in front of anyone but Max, but he’d kind of been catching on to what had been going on with me. Long story short, Max convinced me to see a specialist—which basically put me into a rehab program for a month, particularly as a break away from the public. My sudden absence was all over the media in a matter of days; rumors that I was having a baby, I have cancer, I eloped or moved away… It got so bad that my mom was focused more on making up stories to appease the public than she cared for my health.
“I kicked the problem, with the support of Max, Teague, and Jay. They were the ones that were truly ‘there’ with me through all of that, not my parents in the least bit. I was doing pretty well, but a few months later—when I was eighteen—I started dating Aidan Sanderson.” She looked at Tate to catch his recognition. He did. He obviously did not live under a rock since Aidan was the frontman to a hugely popular rock band. “My mom and grandpa had set us up, and since I was still at an age where I let them have a say now and then, I went with it. It was a huge deal, right when Aidan’s career had made a gigantic impact on the music industry. Twenty-one-year-old rock star and he was dating the granddaughter of the most prominent movie producer in Hollywood.
“I started feeling the pressure again by being in the public’s eye. I got all kinds of horrible shit said about me—from stupid bitches that were in heat for him and didn’t know a damn thing about either one of us. The media had a wonderful time picking apart every aspect of our relationship—or lack of, as they stated more than once, which was basically true. I began to hate myself all over again, feeding into the criticism and bullshit that was spewed on a daily basis. Some people may not understand that it’s like putting a recovering addict around the very thing he has a hard time resisting. For me, it was hard to ignore all of the crap that was being said, and it caused me to start spinning out of control again.
