by Tina Beckett
The least she could do was be graceful about it if that was the case, although now that Marcos’s doctor had her cell phone number she would love nothing more than to go to sleep with Clay next to her. But she wouldn’t.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
They stepped through the emergency room doors into the balmy night air. “That depends on how long you plan on staying over.”
“Staying over?” Said as if her heart had not just leaped in her chest at the idea that he might not be saying good-night quite yet after all.
His eyes narrowed. “Nothing’s changed, Tessa. And if I know you, you won’t get any sleep.” He wrapped his hand around her nape. “I still want you to come home with me. Will you?”
He was asking. Not demanding. Not assuming, as he might have when they’d been together before.
Relief washed through her. “Yes. If you’re sure.”
“Honey, I’d like nothing better than to be pinned down by you in circumstances other than standing in a roomful of men watching our every move.”
Capoeira.
She grinned, her eyes holding his as her fears over Marcos began to fade. “You just don’t like to lose in front of a bunch of people.”
“I don’t like to lose at all. But what I have in mind has two winners and zero losers. And no one around to see the outcome except for us.”
He drew her a little closer and then bent down to give her a light kiss.
Unfortunately, he didn’t move to deepen the contact, and considering they were standing outside the hospital, that was a good thing. For both of them.
He didn’t release his hold on her, however. So his next words were whispered inches away from her lips, giving them an intimacy she was dying to explore.
“My place. My bed.” The promise from a week ago flowed over her skin, making her shiver.
“Your car?” She didn’t have a vehicle at the moment, preferring to zip around the huge city on public transport or her own two feet.
“I think we can make it to the apartment.”
Only after he’d said it did she realize he’d taken her question about how they were going to get to his place and expanded it to include whether or not they would even make it that far. Or whether they’d have to park his car and consummate things inside. As they’d done before.
An ambulance pulled into the circular drive in a blare of sirens and Clay finally lifted his head and backed up a pace. But he didn’t leave her totally without contact. Reaching down, he grabbed her hand, tugging her to his side. “Ready?”
She made a sound of affirmation that found her being towed behind him, his long steps requiring two of hers for every one of his. She didn’t care. All she knew was that she was going to feel him around her in a way that she hadn’t in four long years.
And she couldn’t wait.
Maybe they wouldn’t make it back to his apartment after all.
She managed to climb into his car with shaky legs and settle into place. She even managed to keep her hands to herself, although she couldn’t say the same of Clay. Because once they got out of the parking lot and onto the street, they were immediately caught up in a snarl of traffic that slowed to a crawl.
“Damn,” he muttered.
Double damn, she echoed in her head. Balling her hands together in her lap, she tried not to squirm on the leather upholstery beneath her thighs. Or dwell on the warm ache between those very same thighs.
Clay let go of the gearshift and dropped his palm onto her left leg, just above her knee. “This wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but…”
Her breath caught in her throat when his thumb brushed over the loose, gauzy fabric of her long skirt. The ache grew a little stronger.
The car in front of them crept forward a couple of inches, and Clay followed it, the slow pace evidently not requiring him to shift, since his hand stayed right where it was. In fact, his fingers ran in little waves of motion along her inner thigh in a way that caused the hem of her skirt to rise almost to her knee, where he caught it with his index finger and lifted it higher.
“Clay?” His name came out a bit strangled.
“Shh…” This time when his fingertips came back in contact with her it was against bare skin. “Who knows how long this ride is going to last? Just keeping you interested.”
Interested? She didn’t need him to do anything to hold her enthralled. And the only ride she wanted right now was one where she was straddling his hips and moaning.
His windows were darkly tinted, and between the streetlights and headlights she doubted anyone could see inside the vehicle. Still, when his hand changed legs and bunched the fabric up until it was halfway between her knees and her hips, her stomach tightened in anticipation, along with everything else.
He dragged his palm with painful slowness up her skin, raising goose bumps in its wake, his eyes never leaving the road. And yet, even without glancing at her once, he seemed to know the havoc he was wreaking on her mind… and her body.
Traffic moved forward another couple of feet, and suddenly Tessa wasn’t in such a hurry to arrive at their destination.
He continued to tease with light strokes up… down… across, never quite reaching his destination. Eventually, she couldn’t take it any longer and her eyelids slammed shut, unable to concentrate on anything other than what Clay was doing, how he made her feel.
And it was incredible. She trusted him not to go so far that he would get them both arrested, even as she turned her body over to him, allowing him to do things she never would have let anyone else do.
Because she did trust him.
Wanted him.
Despite their past.
And when he got them home she was going to show him exactly how much.
His fingers slid between her thighs and urged them a few inches apart with a gentle pressure that she immediately responded to, although she did have enough common sense to reach down and flip the fabric of her skirt down over his hand and her knees.
“No fair, Tessa.” He ventured higher, wringing an unwilling moan from her throat, her head lolling back against the seat. “I’m beginning to think I should have chosen the car option.”
She felt the vehicle move forward again. Each time it did, Clay seemed to grow a little bolder.
When he withdrew his hand completely, though, her eyes jerked open in disappointment.
“Truck,” he murmured, as a big vehicle rumbled forward and moved twenty yards ahead of them.
Thinking she’d give him a taste of his own medicine, she twisted on her seat and moved her hand to the gearshift, sliding her fingers over the top of it and then down its stem, watching him. He wasn’t looking but she knew he was aware of exactly what she was doing—of the game she was playing.
“Dangerous.”
“No more dangerous than what you were doing,” she whispered.
“I’m driving.”
Yeah, driving me insane. She didn’t say it out loud, though, because it sounded stupid, even to her own ears. But it was true. And Clay knew it was. He always did somehow, even when she’d tried to hide how devastating his touch was to her. And when he’d shown up at her dorm room she’d kept the door between them, knowing that if he touched her it was all over.
It always would be for her.
That fact should make her wary, should make her back away from him emotionally, even now. That’s what she was trying to do, actually. Accept that they’d always been more than compatible physically, even if they weren’t good as life partners.
She needed to be self-sufficient. He’d tended to smother… trying to take care of her, even when she’d longed to do things herself.
Traffic opened up suddenly, and Clay spent the next few minutes threading his vehicle through the congestion, making several turns before finally veering into the parking garage of what looked like an exclusive apartment building.
Of course it would be.
Even as the thought ran through her mind
, she banished it. The brownstone she lived in wasn’t exactly a pauper’s abode, thanks to Holly’s family. Besides, tonight wasn’t about houses or money or anything else. It was about her needs and Clay’s needs and how they could come together to find a mutually satisfying solution.
The second he pulled his car into a space and shut off the engine he threaded his fingers through her hair and turned her face up for his kiss. And as soon as his lips met hers she knew there was no turning back. She and Clay were destined to reignite the fires of the past. She just hoped that when it was all over she’d have the strength and courage to put them out again.
CHAPTER TEN
TOUCHING HER MADE something inside him come alive.
And at the moment he wasn’t touching anything except her hand as they rode up in the elevator. But she was gripping back as if her very life depended on maintaining that contact.
If someone had told him four years ago that he’d find himself riding to his apartment with this woman, he’d have said they were crazy.
But maybe he was the crazy one. Setting himself up for another big knock to the gut.
Nope. No gut involved. Just that single night of summer madness he’d been craving for what seemed like ages. Nothing below skin level would be involved. Because anything she touched would be on the surface. No emotions. No longing. Just skin-to-skin contact that he could wash off with a single quick spray of his showerhead. Just like soap or shampoo. Once applied, he would simply rinse it all off again.
But didn’t most of the instructions on those packages say “Lather, rinse… repeat”?
Maybe one night should become two.
He tugged her closer, until their arms were touching. As long as he was smart about this, he could have sex with her as many times as he wanted and not be affected. After all, when Lizza had finally filed for divorce, it hadn’t hurt that much. In fact, he’d been relieved in some ways, except for the fact that Molly had been left without a mom for the most part.
He’d had superficial sex since then. Not very often, because he did have a daughter to think of. But the times he had, he’d been able to roll from beneath the woman’s sheets and get on with his life without a backward glance.
Except he hadn’t brought them to his place. He and Lizza had never even lived in this apartment. His home had become sacrosanct… a place reserved for him and Molly only.
So what was different now? He was about to violate his own unspoken rule: no liaisons of the sexual kind happened in the apartment. Ever.
Madness.
To keep from trying to rationalize things beyond that one word, he let go of her hand and draped his arm around her shoulders, allowing his fingertips to glide across the bare skin of her arm. On the second pass he moved the contact forward just a couple of inches, so that he was still on her arm, but the backs of his knuckles grazed the outside of her breast as he made his way back down. A shiver went through her.
The elevator stopped on his floor before he could do anything more.
And there was still a whole lot he wanted to do.
He spun her out of the elevator and against the door of his apartment, settling his mouth on hers in a way that he hoped left no question about what they were going to do. It wasn’t as if he thought she was going to angle for a cup of coffee and then flee for her life. But why take any chances?
When her palms landed on his butt, fingers splayed apart and urging him closer, he combusted, a flame shooting from his groin to the top of his head. She was evidently taking no chances, either.
He obliged her, pushing one knee between her legs and settling his stiff flesh against her thigh. Digging into his pocket for his key, he managed to get it into the lock beside her waist and twisted. The door gave way, and so did Tessa, tumbling to the hardwood floor and dragging him down with her. He was somehow able to keep from crushing her as he landed, her husky laugh washing over him in a flood he just couldn’t resist. So he stayed there, pushing the door shut with the sole of his shoe as he sank deeper into her soft curves, his aching flesh wanting nothing more than to yank her skirt up and be done with it. To hell with all the formalities.
But if he hurried it would be over.
As in… no second chances.
So he tried to rein himself in, thinking he would stand up calmly and lead her to the bedroom. But Tessa’s hands were on his ass again, only this time they’d somehow wormed their way beneath his waistband and briefs and were now on his bare skin. Her mouth found his at the same time, and he knew it was all over, because her kiss was warm and thorough, shot through with sensual promise.
He gave it one last shot. “My bedroom is just down the hallway.”
Her fingers traveled lower, setting off another set of explosions within his skull. Then she pulled her hands free. But before he could protest she shoved him up and over, until he was the one on his back and she was straddling his hips.
“Damn, Tess, if you wanted to be in charge, all you had to do was ask.”
She leaned over, elbows beside his shoulders, her breath washing over his lips. “I prefer to keep my opponent off guard.”
Hell if she hadn’t done that the whole time he’d known her. When she leaned over and gave his lower lip a quick bite, sucking it, his eyes closed as a wave of ecstasy swept over him.
“So I’m the opponent?” His voice came out rough, sounding very much as he felt—that what little control he had was rapidly crumbling.
She sat up and pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a tiny black bra that barely covered the tops of her breasts. “If you fight me on this, absolutely.”
“Honey, I have no intention of fighting anything.” He decided to have some fun of his own, reaching up to take hold of the fabric barely holding in her curves and tugging it down to expose them completely. “I just thought you might want a soft bed to do this in.”
Her fingers trailed along his jawline and one brow edged up. “I don’t want a soft… anything.”
To prove her point, she widened her legs and settled fully against him, shifting her hips along his length.
No softness there. Just a pulsing need that wouldn’t quit.
Tessa balled her skirt up and allowed it to rest on the tops of her thighs, baring them, while she reached for the button of his slacks.
“Wait.” He gritted out the word. “I told you I don’t want this to be a quickie. I want to enjoy you.”
“After getting me all worked up in the car as we drove here? No chance. And, believe me, I intend to enjoy it. Fully. Deeply.” The button popped free, and his zip went down. “And I somehow think you’ll manage to come along for the ride.”
At the rate she was going it would be a very short trip. But if that’s the way she wanted it, who was he to turn her down?
Then she had him in her hands. Squeezing. Stroking. Driving him out of his mind.
“Condom.”
“Pill.”
“In that case…” He took hold of her butt with both hands and lifted her slightly, waiting for her to hold herself in that position. Then he reached beneath her skirt and found her panties. Moist heat met his touch as he edged aside the silky fabric. “Let’s see just how fully and deeply we can go.”
He guided himself into position. She immediately pushed down hard until she was fully seated, a soft sound coming from her lips as she paused there. “Damn.”
Damn? Damn?
“Too deep?” Afraid he was hurting her, he started to reach for her, only to have her wave away his hands.
“No. Too good.” She sat very still, her bared breasts rising and falling as she breathed in and out, mouth open, eyes closed.
Hadn’t she just suggested that she was going to make him pay for what he’d done in the car?
Too late for you to try to draw things out now, darling.
And he was going to make sure she suffered as much as he was suffering. One hand went to her breast and the other beneath her skirt, both finding their targets within seconds.
<
br /> Her eyes flashed open. “Wh-what are you doing?”
“Keeping my opponent off guard.” With that he pressed up deeper with his hips and used his thumb to glide over that most sensitive part of her.
Tessa moaned. “No, I won’t be able to—”
“Don’t, then, baby. Let it go.”
He kept up his assault, stoking with his hands and pumping with his hips, until she joined him, riding him, her hands on his shoulders.
A few seconds later her movements became jerky and erratic, fingertips digging into his skin.
Yes!
She cried out, and her flesh clenched down tight on him, sending a searing stream of pleasure through his system that he no longer tried to fight. Instead, he released his hold, his own orgasm breaking free with a violent series of spasms that made his vision go dark for several long seconds.
When he finally came back to himself Tessa was half lying across his chest, one arm curled around the top of his head.
They were a tangled mess of clothing and limbs.
And Clay wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Or maybe he would. Because he wasn’t done with her. Not yet.
So, keeping the contact between their bodies, he rolled her beneath him, his body already responding to the thoughts that were beginning to filter through his head. “Let’s say we try that again. Only this time in my bed. And without our clothes.”
She smiled up at him and the pure contentment on her face sent a twinge of warning through him that he ignored.
“What fun would that be?” she murmured.
“Oh, I bet we can figure something out. And I promise I can make it a whole lot of fun.”
Tessa actually laughed. “Then lead the way. And if you think I’m not going to hold you to that promise, buster, you’re very much mistaken.”
They had a small going-away party for Caren, just the housemates. But it was hard to concentrate on sending her friend off when her mind was on what she’d done last night with Clay. They’d made love several times and it had taken her until tonight when she’d opened up her packet of birth control pills to realize there were three extra pills in her little round compact.
