Tough Enough to Tango

by Barbara Barrett

  He cleared his throat. “Sometimes the memories sneak under the radar and grab you when you least expect.”

  She reached across the table and took his hand in hers. When it dawned on her what she’d done, she quickly withdrew. Though her gesture had been offered in sympathy, the contact triggered vibes she’d fought so hard to repress. No, not now. She’d held back her feelings this long, surely she could keep them in check a little longer. How could she be all sympathy one minute and the next all stimulated?

  He rose, scraped the chair on the floor. “I, uh, should be going. Confession may be good for the soul, but it can also be tiring. We both need our rest.”

  She rose, too, her eyes bored into his. Now or never. “No. Stay.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The invitation just slipped out. But once offered, she knew this was exactly what she wanted, despite all the arguments she’d given herself.

  A muscle twitched on Ned’s forearm. Probably involuntary, but the movement shot ripples of pleasure throughout her body. Yes, this was what she wanted, all right, discretion be damned.

  In a hoarse whisper, she breathed, “I’ve got to know.”

  His eyes narrowed into a blur of gray curiosity. “Know?”

  “What it’s like. Making love with you.”

  He stepped back. “I…uh, where did that come from?”

  She removed her hand from his arm. “Left field, I guess.”

  He eyed her, probably to figure out how to rebuff her advances gently. But she’d put herself so far out there that anything he said or did other than drag her off to bed would be a rejection. Why had she set herself up like this?

  Finally, he said, “That’s quite an offer.”

  Was he considering or stalling for time? If he was the least bit interested, she had to push him over the brink. As if she’d always known what she had to do next, she moved into him, pulled his face to hers and kissed him. Out of pure improvisation, she added tongue.

  Ned willingly participated, slid his tongue along hers, augmented her moves as they went. Suddenly, he pulled back, “You sure about this?”

  One last chance to change her mind. “Yes, I’m sure. But what about you? You’ve accused me of running away from confrontations. Said I wasn’t tough enough to tango. I’m ready to prove you wrong.”

  He took her hand in his, rubbed his thumb against her palm. “Okay, then. Let the dance begin.” He folded her into his arms and kissed her back, ignited a fire within her that burned its way from her throat to her toes.

  She had no idea how she could stand upright and be kissed like this. Her body had gone limp in his embrace. Paradoxically, it came alive.

  At length, he drew away. “I’m not into long-term relationships. Can you deal with that?”

  She’d expected as much. Her passion cooled but not enough to renege. She was too far gone to stop. “Then we’re two of a kind.” Liar.

  Ned knew better. But the look in her eyes drilled into his resolve. Molten blue-green fire consumed his free will, beckoned him to jump in. His swollen cock urged him on as well. Hell. He’d fantasized about screwing her since the first day they’d met. No turning back now.

  He tipped her chin up to stare right into her soul. “No regrets?”

  “No regrets.”

  Understanding established, he couldn’t get her to bed fast enough. He picked her up and rushed up the stairs.

  In her bedroom, she paused long enough to turn on a small light on a bedside table. “My room’s a mess.”

  He didn’t care what the place looked like as long as the bed was clear. “You’re all I’m seeing.” He laid her on her bed and climbed in beside her. Though he wanted to rip off her clothes immediately, he forced himself to slow down, like a kid on Christmas morning who wanted to savor every last minute with his new gifts. He leaned into her hair and nuzzled her neck just behind her ear to breathe in the fragrance of citrus. “I love the way you smell. Fresh. Clean.”

  “Do that some more. It feels so good.”

  “I aim to please.” He massaged the area behind her other ear.

  Her chest jutted forward, her hips almost came off the bed. His restraint would last only so much longer. He slid his hand from behind her ear to the small of her back, brought her into him. He cooed and made lazy spirals along her spine. “Easy does it. Relax.”

  She tensed, tried to fold into him.

  His hand roamed south, covered the curve of her buttocks and squeezed ever so lightly.

  Her approval emerged as a moan. “Oh. Oh…”

  “Like that?”

  Her breathing grew raspy, disjointed. “I can…barely…stand it.” But she still demanded more.

  She wasn’t the only one about to lose it. “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

  “Then remove them.”

  Couldn’t resist that invitation. Her work shirt came first. “I’ve wanted to remove this since that meeting at my mom’s gallery.”

  “Nothing sexier than a work shirt.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. The lady hadn’t completely lost her sarcastic edge. Good. A little sauciness added spice. “Works for me.”

  As he slipped the garment from her shoulders and pitched it on the floor, goose pimples immediately dotted her arms. He eyed the result of his efforts. Didn’t expect this. The woman wore a lacy lavender bra, one of those low-cut, push-up jobs that produced incredible mounds above the top edge. “Had I known you wore such fancy lingerie…” He licked his lips rather than finish the statement.

  “Recent purchase.” Her words were sluggish, as if she were on drugs.

  She’d been lingerie shopping? Had she planned this? Never mind. They were here together now, a near naked Shae before him. He didn’t care how it happened. He’d take it from here. He placed a finger on the curving landscape. “Smooth.”

  “I, uh, thanks.”

  He finger-walked down the front of her bra until he reached her smooth abdomen. The lady got her exercise. “Firm abs.” He spread his palm, swirled it in a slow, clockwise motion. Gradually, he slid his hand up, continued the circular movement. Though she jerked as the tip of his thumb reached the bottom of her bra, she pushed into him, apparently wanted him to increase the pressure as his hand swept to the right, circled the tip of one breast.

  “Oh, Ned. I-I—”

  “Shh. Don’t talk. Just feel. I want you to enjoy this. Are you?”

  “God, yes! More.”

  Though he’d grown so hard he could barely move his legs, he took his time with her breasts, blew through the lacy fabric but swiftly shifted to kissing. His mouth worked its way around the tip of one breast, covered every inch of lace.

  “Umm.”

  “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, lady.”

  In one swift motion, he reached behind her, undid the bra, and threw it over his shoulder.

  She blinked in response to his boldness, then lifted cloudy eyes to his, as if to check his reaction.

  “God, you’re beautiful!” He had to remind himself to take a breath. As much as he wanted to plow into her, those gorgeous breasts couldn’t be ignored. “No wonder you wear those body-covering shirts. If your crew had any idea these beauties lay beneath, you’d need a bodyguard round the clock.” He grabbed one in each hand, began to fondle.

  Before his blood completely flowed south, he had to taste those goodies. He placed his mouth over one and suckled. His mind melded with every creature from the beginning of time that had engaged in the sex act. Unrestrained euphoria.

  Her pelvis arched inches off the bed. “Oh. Oh... Oh.”

  You got that right, babe. His dick was close to exploding, but he couldn’t leave this feast just yet. He licked around the engorged nipple, leaving a trail of moisture. The nubbin had grown so taut he tongued it back and forth just to see if it would grow larger.

  Beneath him, Shae squirmed, urged him to move on. But first, he had to kiss that glorious mouth. He crushed his own against it, deepened the kiss. His tongue soug
ht then danced with hers. He couldn’t bring himself to break away, like he’d been awakened from a long dream. Her mouth was his reality.

  The realization made him shudder. What was with him? This was sex. Sex with an incredible, willing woman but sex just the same. Get on with it, man.

  He tore his mouth from hers, reached down, undid and removed her jeans. She lay there, clothed in only silky black panties, which hardly shielded the delights beneath from his gaze. He tongued the flimsy fabric, inhaled the inviting scent of her sex. Shit! Enough of the preliminaries. Nipping the elastic waistband in his teeth, he pulled down the garment to reveal her mound.

  Throughout his ministrations, Shae lay there, her body so stimulated, she could barely move, pleasure like she’d never known coursed through her. All she could do was open herself—literally—to experience every nuance, and let Ned take her to places she didn’t know existed. Was he affected the same way? Was there more to this than two consenting adults who enjoyed each other’s bodies? Was this making love?

  Ned abruptly ended the kiss and moved lower, which negated her conjectures. No, this was sex, with all its flaming, demanding, incredible sensations. This was what she’d asked for and Ned was giving it to her. With a vengeance. Though somewhere deep within her a soulful prayer begged for this to be more, that would never happen.

  His fingers edged their way into her private region, stroked her repeatedly. She’d long ago gotten past the embarrassment of her wetness. He seemed to revel in it. The next several minutes were a blur, as Ned did things with his mouth that sent her whirling into a dreamlike stupor. She heard herself gasp, but she couldn’t do anything to stop it, like she’d entered a parallel universe where only feeling existed. Wonderful, powerful sensations so intense she thought she might pass out gripped her.

  Just when she felt she could absorb no more of this excruciating ecstasy, he peeled off his pants and briefs. Unbelievable! Ned was a man endowed, and at the moment, swollen, with passion. Enormously swollen.

  She nearly fainted at the thought of him inside her body. Not from fear. From sheer anticipation. She wanted this, him. Now.

  In a croaky entreaty, she told him as much.

  His eyes had grown dark and smoky, unfocused when he glanced up. But he got the message. He moved on top of her.

  Such demanding power about to overcome her should have scared her silly, but instead, she warmed to the idea of having her own power over him.

  But even in the throes of heated passion, she realized this wasn’t about power at all. This was about her offer of herself to him, and even if she didn’t give him the gift of her love, at least she gave the gift of pleasure. All she wanted now was to please him, one-night stand or not. “Now, Ned. I want you now.”

  He didn’t argue. From nowhere, he produced protection, deftly slipped it on and entered her. Nothing had prepared her for intimacy. Such swift connection with another human being was a kind of cosmic connection she hadn’t known existed.

  He moved in and out, agonizingly slow at first, then with increasing speed. Her mews crescendoed as his thrusts grew stronger. She screamed his name, grabbed his hair, and grasped her pillow to hold onto her sanity.

  She didn’t think it could get any better and then, in a cataclysmic burst of fireworks, she was proved wrong. Her world exploded. The embers that remained of her ardor engulfed her. She lay there gasping, tried to catch her breath while she congratulated herself for her wanton behavior. Gradually, her body stilled, her breathing calmed. Unbidden tears filled her eyes as the totality of the experience overwhelmed her.

  Ned collapsed next to her and lay there dazed.

  “That was…fantastic.”

  He didn’t reply. Chalk it up to post-coital fatigue. She’d wait. But when he remained silent longer than she thought necessary, she asked, “You okay?”

  “Yeah. Just, uh, regrouping.”

  “Want to do it again?”

  He sat up abruptly. “No!” Then, apparently when he noted the shock on her face, he added, “That is, not right now.”

  “Okay. I’m pretty blown away myself.” But she probed for more of a response. “Help me here, Ned. I’m pretty green at these things. Do you take a shower and leave? Do we nap a bit? Or do you stay the night?”

  He took his time to reply. Finally, he said, “What do you want from me, Shae?”

  “I want for you not to feel threatened.”

  “Threatened?”

  “I may not have much experience at this, and I may not be very good at reading people, but even I can tell the temperature has gone down about twenty degrees since we finished and reality returned.”

  “Picked up on that, huh?”

  “One minute you’re snorting like a horse on the backstretch and the next, it’s like you’re pawing at the fence trying to escape.”

  He released a deep sigh. “Thought we agreed this was just a physical thing before we hit the mattress?”

  She offered a shy smile. “I remember. I didn’t realize I’d feel quite so, like this, afterwards. But a deal’s a deal.” She licked her lips. “I feel…delicious. Happy with the world. Not a care, thanks to you. So how do I play this so you feel okay, too?”

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  His expression changed as she downplayed the sex they’d just enjoyed. Easier than she thought it would be. Were all men this gullible? All he’d needed to hear was she wouldn’t hold him to anything, and he’d relaxed to the point of sleep. He already snored softly.

  She allowed herself a few minutes to gaze, admire the way his nose curled up every so often, how his tight pecs twitched from time to time, and be truthful, Shae, how his cock, no longer quite so much like a stallion’s, was still magnificent. The media would pay thousands for just one picture of this. Women around the world would pay just to lie where she was now. And she had him all to herself.

  Correction, she had him all to herself for the fleeting present.

  Some deeply ingrained feminine insight told her to make light of their coupling and let Ned think he was off the hook. She’d told him how great it was, which was true, but this also appealed to his ego. She’d given him several options to end the night.

  But she’d lied. He’d been pretty clear he didn’t expect anything to come from their time in bed. Her brain told her it was for the best. But her heart, yes, her heart, now fully engaged despite their this-is-only-sex agreement, wanted more.

  She had no idea how she could get it unless she broke her word, which would only wreak havoc on both their careers and the project.

  Now, more than any time since she was a little girl, she wished she had a mother to turn to for advice. Though there was still her father, how could she tell the person who’d entrusted her with a multimillion-dollar deal she’d screwed the client?

  Shae found a quilt and covered said spent client. Then she dragged herself to her shower to dispense with the only remaining evidence of intercourse with that glorious creature.

  As she turned on the shower, an unbidden tear trickled down her cheek.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “You’re at it pretty early,” Mike observed the next morning as he lifted one of Ned’s earphones.

  Ned turned off the playback on his keyboard and pulled down the other side of his headpiece. “Got inspired and didn’t want to lose it.”

  “Yeah? Good to hear. What was that? Didn’t recognize it.”

  “One of my own.”

  “Good idea. No need to sit around waiting for the next project. Have something warming up in the bull pen.”

  Mike meant well. Though misguided, his comments were intended as support. Nonetheless, Ned couldn’t resist unsettling his friend’s world. “Actually, this is something to promote Sullivan’s Creek once it’s done.”

  Mike angled his head, narrowed his eyes. “Really? How?”

  “Not sure. I’ve heard these arpeggios and chords in my head as we’ve progressed through the various stages. Hey, why don’
t you take that part—figure out how to use it?”

  “Me? I’m no PR type.”

  Ned shrugged. “Just a thought. Never mind. I’ll find someone else.”

  Mike held up a hand. “Not so fast. I didn’t say no. Sounds intriguing. Might expand my horizons.”

  Like Mike’s horizons weren’t already stretched beyond capacity with his family’s business, his consulting business, and Ned’s career. But now the idea was out there, it appealed to him as well. One of those bones he could throw Mike to keep him out of his finances.

  “Can I hear it?”

  “When it’s done.”

  “And that will be…”

  Ned threw up his hands. “Beats me. But a while yet. I need to live through the rest of the construction phase first.”

  “That’s what it’s about? Building houses?”

  Ned considered. More than that. It’s the excitement of what I’m doing. The fear and anxiety and hope that I’ve captured Gramps’ vision as well as my feelings about the land.”

  Mike placed a hand on Ned’s shoulder. “Okay, okay. I didn’t realize so much was going on in that composer’s brain of yours.” He stepped back and studied him. “It’s really important to you.”

  “Uh, yeah. But like I said, it’s just a concept in its infancy right now.”

  “Well, keep it up. I want to hear it as soon as you’ve got something.” Mike turned to leave. Then he stopped just before he reached the door and came back. “You apparently were out on the town most of the night.”

  His second mother must’ve heard him return to the house in the wee hours of the morning. “Didn’t know I had a curfew.”

  “Of course not. But since you’ve been back in Des Moines, you’ve rarely been out past ten. Found it odd, that’s all.”

  “Should I call the next time? Get it cleared with you first?” His sarcasm would only urge Mike on with his inquisition. But Ned couldn’t help it. He was a grown man of thirty-five, who should be able to come and go as he pleased.

  Mike gazed at him again. “Mighty touchy this morning. Did the lady say no? Nah, you would’ve been back sooner, if that were the case. So what happened? She kicked you out as soon as…well, you know.”