by J Santiago
Tank groaned.
She smiled in victory.
But, when she stepped toward him, he shuffled back, keeping a buffer between them.
Her hands landed on her hips with annoyance, and her smile slipped away.
“Really?” she sputtered, her voice startlingly husky.
He had the audacity to laugh while his hands made a sign of surrender. He kept the distance between them but reached up to cup her jaw. One swipe of his thumb against her scar, and her body temperature rose while white-hot heat collected in her belly.
“I just need to be clear about what this is.”
She was trying really hard to concentrate on his words, but the gentle sweeping of his fingers on her neck and mouth made it difficult. “Sex, right? I get it.”
He snickered. “Yes, definitely sex. But…”
He stumbled on his words, and she didn’t know how to get them to move forward. She stood in front of him, practically naked, his want for her a thriving presence in the room.
“But?”
He took a deep breath. His hand lingered on her scar, and his eyes locked on hers. “But so much more.”
Those four words made her stop and wish for her clothes. This time, she took a step back, and Tank’s hand dropped to his side.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she murmured.
Tank looked like he was going to argue with her as his eyes narrowed, and he took what she could only term a calming breath. Then, he grabbed her hips in his hands and yanked her forward, his body absorbing her momentum and melding perfectly with hers. Her hands meandered up his chest before meeting in a clasp behind his neck.
She’d meant it. She didn’t want to build this up between them, to think they were on the cusp of some brilliant love story. She wanted him. He wanted her. End. Stop.
But, as his hands encircled her waist and her nails lightly traced the almost shaved part of his head, their bodies merged together in a perfect line. Heat infused every part of her as her blood got hot. Her skin fired, and the space between her legs turned liquid.
They didn’t kiss. Rather, their mouths exchanged quickening breaths, like they needed each other’s air to live. The pounding of her heart reverberated in time with the pounding of his, her right breast almost vibrating with the rhythm of it. In all the rage of their desire, the overwhelming emotion she could name infused her with panic. Because, even though they were in the midst of a sexual inferno, she felt an all-consuming sense of serenity.
Tank had made pressure his bitch on more than one occasion. He never hesitated or questioned his decisions. In a game, quick thinking and taking action were imperatives.
But, suddenly, he hesitated.
He’d pictured a conversation, a plan between them, a sort of outline of expectations before anything happened. Maybe that was optimistic or even naive.
When had any part of their relationship gone as planned?
On the threshold of being with Amber again, Tank wondered if he should have wined and dined her more, courted her.
As her nails lightly scraped against the back of his neck and her body moved against his, he lost all sense of his plan.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured, his mouth incapable of keeping the thought locked down.
Amber chuckled against him, her smile a fraction from his mouth. He couldn’t stop himself from swooping down and capturing it with a gentle nip on her bottom lip.
She pulled away from him. With an smirk, she said, “Show me how much you’ve missed me.”
Tank laughed and then stepped into the gap. He bent down and picked her up in a fireman’s carry. He walked to the bed with her giggling body writhing on his shoulder. Then, he dipped and deposited her onto the bed. He leaned over her, his arms on either side of her hips, and he grinned down at her startled expression.
Amber reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him down. Their upturned mouths met in a chaste kiss. One, two, three small pecks, lips against lips, before Tank’s mouth opened, and he licked along the seam of hers. She opened on a small gasp, and Tank pressed forward, his mouth the frontal assault. His hands twitched on the sides of her, eager to claim, but he held back, wanting to enjoy being lost in her.
Their kiss in the film room had been mind-blowing. Kissing was one of those things he hadn’t done a lot of in the past couple of years. It had been too intimate for what he had in mind. Even with Madison, soul-sucking kisses hadn’t been on the menu. But, with Amber, he could happily be lost in her mouth for days. And, while his body begged for more, he continued to explore her mouth.
He could tell the second Amber began to get impatient because the grip on his neck tightened as she tried to pull his body down on top of hers. When he resisted, her leg came up around his waist, and she tried to leverage her slight weight against his. He couldn’t help the laughter that rumbled through his chest. She turned her head away from him, the only way to break his hold on her mouth. Her eyes flew open and met his. He knew the lust-filled, blown pupil look of her gaze mirrored his. They were both far gone.
“More,” she demanded.
He dropped a kiss on her nose. “I know. A lot more.”
“No. Now!”
He smiled but conceded by dropping his body on top of hers, aligning them for optimum contact, his groin cradled in the pocket between her thighs. Even with his clothes still on, he could feel the heat of her. The intimate meeting of his cock with her wet heat pulled a hungry groan from both of them.
“Fuck,” he sighed.
She arched up and tightened the grip of her arms and legs, gluing their bodies together.
“So good,” she murmured.
It was so good. So good that he needed a moment to revel in it. Having her in his arms, in his rented house, was like some far-reaching goal fulfillment. He knew this was what he wanted, but being on the verge of sinking back into her body made him soar. It was like winning the Heisman, being number one in the draft, earning the Rookie of the Year award rolled into one.
So, while she writhed and bucked against him, silently pining for orgasmic bliss, Tank exulted in the second—before it was suddenly too much and his body demanded more. He slid his hand under her, unhooking her bra with deftness. He leaned to the side, resting on his left elbow, before slipping his finger in the center of the material and pulling it down to reveal her perfect breasts. He dipped his head and dropped a kiss on each nipple, eliciting a moan from her.
“Seriously, enough with the fucking seduction, Tank,” she said breathlessly.
He looked up at her lust-filled eyes and laughed. “Always so impatient. And that mouth of yours. Always so damn dirty.”
She rolled her eyes and then reached over to start unbuttoning his shirt. “You have way too many clothes on. Naked. Now.”
He let her work on his shirt while he undid the belt, button, and zipper of his pants. He shucked them off with a shove of his hands and a hook with his foot. Then, he knelt and peeled off his shirt.
“Better?” He threw his hands out, showcasing his almost-naked form.
“Almost,” Amber commented as she eyed his boxer briefs.
She rolled over and got to her knees, kneeling directly in front of him. Her fingers hooked his underwear on each side, and she slid them down to pool at his bent knees. He mimicked her movements and divested her of her panties, so they were naked, facing each other on their knees.
He leaned over to the nightstand, opened the drawer, and pulled out a condom. Ripping it open, he sheathed himself. He moved slowly, savoring the moment, the anticipation of having a naked Amber looking at him with want, need.
He’d wanted to take this slow, draw it out, but now, with her hungry eyes focused on his body, he found that he couldn’t wait. The mattress depressed as he inched toward her, pitching her just slightly forward. Tank’s hands snaked out, his fingers eagerly gripping her waist. His thumbs caressed the taut skin of her stomach for a millisecond before his grasp tightened, an
d he lifted her. She knew instinctually what he wanted, and she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.
In one perfect movement, he thrust upward as he pulled her down onto him. The sounds of their mutual delight rang out in the room, a guttural cacophony of satisfied moans.
Neither of them moved. They froze, eyes closed, relishing the feel of each other. Amber’s hair teased his fingertips, and he could tell without seeing her that her head dropped back. His eyes sprang open, and he dove for her neck, her jaw, the most perfect part of her. His tongue started at the bottom of the spider web, tracing the intricate lattice up her throat, until he came to the deep gouge at her jawline, fanning from her now-imperfect lips.
Amber’s breathing tripled, her heart thumping so that Tank could feel her pulse thundering at her neck. He toyed with her scar, loving the feel of it under his mouth. He knew it was her most pronounced erogenous zone, and he loved to drive her crazy. And he was because her hips started moving,
“That’s it, Sunshine,” he cooed near her mouth, the words amping her up even more.
“Let me move,” she pleaded as her nails dug into the back of his neck.
He couldn’t restrain the chuckle that escaped him as he moved her once up and then back down. “Go ahead, Sunny. Mark me again. I love it.”
When she didn’t flinch at his use of her nickname, he knew she was too far gone, and her response to him snapped the last of his restraint. He dropped one of his hands from her to the bed, and as gently as he could, he laid them down. He started to slowly pump into her, cherishing the feel of her.
“More,” she demanded.
“That’s it. Tell me how you want it.”
“Just…more.”
He unwrapped her leg from his back and moved it up so that her knee kissed her shoulder. He shifted, thrusting up, bumping against her clit with the force of the movement. She sputtered, some nonsensical words leaving her mouth, as her hand moved down to the top of his ass, and she directed his actions. His pace increased, his attempt at controlling them gone.
He couldn’t get enough of her. He wanted to consume her, have her consume him. He could feel his orgasm brewing. He let go of her leg and moved his hand between them, wanting her to get there with him.
“So close,” she gasped.
“I know,” he stated with confidence as he could feel her muscles starting to tighten on him, to clamp down and pulse.
He dropped his head and lightly bit her scar as he worked her clit. Then, she was coming, hard and fast, gasping.
Tank looked up at her. He didn’t think she would do it, but she opened her eyes and stared directly at him, the ecstasy blazing. And that was all it took for him to let go.
Tank shifted and dropped to the bed beside her. He caught his breath and then rolled out of bed to deal with the condom. He strolled back in the room, crawled next to her, and pulled her up against him. He anticipated her fighting him, wanting the space between them. But she settled against him and dropped her hand to his chest. It moved in a lazy rhythm up and down, tracing random lines and shapes.
“You ever call me Sunny again, and I’m going to hurt you,” she said before pinching his chest and following it with a kiss.
Tank responded with a laugh. “That’s what you’ve got for me?”
“You know I hate that. I can barely stand Sunshine.”
He kissed the top of her head. “You love to pretend you hate it, but deep down, you love it.”
“You keep telling yourself that.”
He chuckled.
She picked her head up and looked at him, shifting so that she was almost leaning over him. “That was…” She looked away. “What can I say that won’t make your ego blow up like a frickin’ balloon?”
Tank laughed. “Nothing.” He held her gaze. “Your response told me everything.” The moment became heated, and his body immediately responded. Then, he shrugged. “But I can help you with some adjectives. Incredible.” He slightly lifted his head and lightly kissed her, basically touching his lips to hers. “Earth-shattering.”
She smiled at him then, and he knew she was feeling it, too. He kissed her jaw, and her eyelids drooped.
“Amazing.”
“You and your damn ego. You don’t even need anyone to feed it. You can manage it all by yourself.”
“Truth,” he said, smiling at her.
She dropped back down onto his chest, and the length of the sudden silence made him nervous.
He ran his hand up her side, tracing the line of her arm, until his hand interlocked with hers on his chest. “What are you thinking?”
When she squirmed against him, he braced himself. In the past, for Amber, thinking was on par with bumping up against his ego. It never led to anything good.
“It doesn’t really matter, but what’s up with you and Madison?”
The question shouldn’t have surprised him; in fact, he wanted to have this conversation with her. “What do you want to know?” He needed to let her lead this because, if he did, he’d probably gloss over details she wanted.
“How…well, when did it start? You said you weren’t together at the wedding.”
“We weren’t.” He continued to hold her hand.
She blew out a frustrated breath. “Just give me a timeline.”
He snickered, his chest vibrating with it. She squeezed his hand, demanding something.
“After the wedding, I, uh…binged for a while. I definitely didn’t want a relationship, and Madison and I crossed paths a couple of times, but we just hung out. We got to be friends though. I got a little bored with the hit-and-run one-night stands. We just kind of agreed to get together when she was in town.”
“After the wedding, you binged? What’d you do before that?”
Tank tried to withhold the tensing of his body. “Um, yeah…not a lot.”
Amber sat up, pulling the sheet to cover her breasts. Looking down at him, she asked, “Are you going to explain that?”
He cleared his throat. “From the time I left you in that hotel room until the wedding, I wasn’t with anyone.”
Amber’s eyes got wide. She blinked, like a newborn baby trying to adjust to a reality outside its mother womb. Tank tried to hold her gaze, but heat moved up his neck, and he knew Amber could see the embarrassed blush staining his skin. He shouldn’t be embarrassed, but he knew she’d want to know why, and that was a truth he wasn’t sure she wanted to hear right now.
“Why?” She reached out and ran her hand across his cheek. Then, she smiled mischievously. “Yeah, that boyish blush isn’t going to get you out of explaining.”
He laughed. Then, he reached out and pulled her down on top of him. She threw her leg over his hip, so she was straddling him, the sheet forgotten. She looked down on him like a queen surveying her domain. She tilted her head and cocked her eyebrow. Her hands slid up his chest, lingering on his cheeks, before she dropped down and kissed him hard, demanding his response.
“Why?” she whispered against his mouth.
Perhaps it was the kiss or the demanding tone of her voice, or maybe it was her naked body rubbing against his.
“I kept thinking you’d come back to me.”
Amber cued up the film and leaned back in her chair. She had a rare couple of free hours in the middle of the week, and she found herself in the film room, watching the AFC Championship Game.
When Tank had left the hotel room three years ago, she’d promised herself she’d stay away from all things Tank. It was a hefty promise. How could she love football and not watch one of the best players in the game, who happened to be on her favorite team and was coached by her father? For that first season, Franco called her and expected some feedback. It took him the entire five months to realize that she refused to watch his games. He’d never brought it up directly, but he’d stopped asking.
The game she was watching bothered Tank. She knew he wasn’t over the routing he’d experienced. For a player who hadn’
t had to deal with loss often, it was a devastating blow. Amber wanted to know what had happened.
They’d briefly touched on it the night before. They’d touched on a lot of things. She didn’t get one second of sleep, partly because she didn’t want to miss out on one moment with him. The conversation was almost as good as the sex. She only paused once the whole night. When he told her he’d thought she was going to come back, she almost got up and left. In that second, she knew vulnerable Tank was a lethal injection to her heart. He was everything she wanted and nothing she needed. Being with him was Russian roulette. She could protect herself, but eventually, the chamber in the gun would be filled with a bullet. The trick would be to get out before she got shot.
She’d waited until she knew Tank and Steele were working out before she snuck away to her sanctuary of the film room. And she watched and took note. She saw his mistakes and assessed the damage. She broke it all down. As she sat back with all her conclusions, the door opened.
Looking up from the computer screens in front of her, she was only mildly surprised to find a freshly showered Tank smiling at her from the door.
“Hey.”
“Hey yourself. Good workout?”
He nodded. “Surprisingly, yes. Maybe setting my expectations low helped make it feel like a good workout.”
Dropping her elbows onto the table in front of her, she smiled at him mischievously. “Why the low expectations?”
His dimples peeked out as he returned her smile. “Sleep and energy deprivation.”
“Ah. Well, maybe you should plan better.”
“Oh, I think my planning was spot-on.” He walked to the table and peered over the monitors, looking straight at her. “Scouting?”
“Sort of,” she answered vaguely.
His eyes narrowed. “Sort of?”
She shrugged.
Then, he leaned over and dropped a kiss on her forehead. The gesture spoke of familiarity and sweetness. “I have a question for you.”
