“Reece—”
He silenced her with another deep, penetrating caress meant to devour and conquer.
Her skin was warm beneath his palms, silky and smooth, as they roamed her curves. On their own accord, his fingers found the ties of her sash. She gasped when the material loosened and his wayward hand cupped a heavy breast.
Dammit. His mind told him this was wrong, but he couldn’t stop from bending down and tasting. Tabby cried his name, arching her back as he licked a path around a sensitive peak, and then he took the sweet thing into his mouth and suckled.
Did she moan or did he when she pushed her palms beneath his T-shirt, stroking flesh? The pull of the garment forced his arms up before it was whisked over his head and released to join her sash below.
With just a flick of his fingers her hip scarf fell, leaving her in nothing but a skimpy thong. For a breath of a moment, he stood unmoving, staring at the beauty before him, her full breasts, a nip of a waist, and a vibrant tattoo that peeked out from beneath her panties.
“For Christ’s sake.” He ran a shaky hand through his thick hair. “What are we doing?” Shallow, rapid inhales left him breathless.
Tabby inched closer. “Don’t think, Reece.”
Determined fingertips pushed beyond the waist of his jeans, touching skin, sending chills up his spine and vanquishing all thoughts of right and wrong. Another growl surfaced from him when she jerked him to her and said, “Just fuck me. Now.”
Her hands worked feverishly to unbutton and release his zipper.
Those four little words, along with his jeans sliding down his legs, shattered his control into a million pieces. As the heat of the lights bore down on his naked back and ass, he toed off his boots, almost falling with his pants around his ankles. When he successfully achieved the impossible, she was once again in his arms.
Drinking from her mouth with abandon, he lifted her off her feet. Without being instructed, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he continued to ravish her mouth. His steps were unsteady as he carried her to where he had seen the discarded theater curtains lying on the floor. When he eased her down upon their softness, shimmering blue pools of desire stared up at him. He kneeled, reaching for the last barrier between them. When he disposed of her thong, he nearly swallowed his tongue.
Holy shit! The woman waxed. Not a hair hid her sweet spot. He ran his hand over the smooth skin, trailing a finger across the hood of her clit.
He swallowed hard.
Beneath long, lazy lashes, she looked up at him. “You like?”
“Mmmm. I like.”
“Come here,” she purred.
As much as he knew he should walk away, he was powerless against her temptation. When he crawled atop her, she parted her thighs, seating him into the vee of her legs. The second he felt her warm, moist pussy against him, another tremor slid through him. He buried his face into the hollow of her neck and shoulder and inhaled. Her essence surrounded him and he was momentarily lost. Only one thing brought him back to his senses.
“I don’t have a condom.”
Like an expert bowman, she shot down his excuse with, “You don’t need one. Just love me. Please, Reece, love me.”
Perhaps she was an idiot, having sex without additional protection beyond her birth control pills used to regulate her periods, but this was Reece, the man whom she had dreamed of for so many years. There was no way in hell she would let this moment pass her by. Not when all her dreams were about to come true. Right now all she wanted was to feel him deep inside her, making love to her as she had envisioned night after night.
As he rocked against her, his cock parted the lips of her folds, sliding up and down, teasing the heated bundle of nerves that throbbed with need.
“I must be losing my mind,” he muttered against her skin just before he nipped her neck.
“Reece!” His name came out on a cry as shards of sensations burst inside her. Her thighs sprang wider in invitation. “Don’t stop. Please. Don’t stop.” She braced her hands on his back. Desperately, she held on to him, afraid at any moment this would turn into a nightmare and he would push her away.
He adjusted his hips and she felt the tip of his penis start to penetrate her opening. She nearly screamed her elation. She had waited a lifetime for this moment. With aching slowness, he began to stretch her, the pleasure/pain bittersweet as he eased in with such care she thought her heart would break. What started as fast and out of control had turned into something more precious than she could have ever imagined. A pang of discomfort was overridden by raw emotion when he seated himself fully inside her. She mewled, the soft sound like that of a satisfied kitten.
“Baby, you’re so tight. So fuckin’ tight.” Reece reared back and then slammed home once again, forcing a whimper from her lips. He repeated the action, and she moaned again and again. He paused. Male appreciation curved his lips as he brushed the hair from her face. “I love those little noises you make.”
And I love you. She barely held back the admission, but it was true. She had loved him since they were children.
His fingertips skimmed gently down her arms until they reached her hands. He linked their fingers together and raised them above her head. His heated gaze trapped hers, and then he began to move, setting a slow, steady pace. She met each of his thrusts with one of her own. They fit, attuned to each other’s rhythm as if they had been making love for eternity.
“I need—” He groaned long and low as if he fought to hold back. “To touch you.” Extracting himself from her warmth, he rolled off her. “Get on your knees, back facing me.”
She frowned with the loss of his warmth, his fullness, but she complied, resting on her shins for his next instruction. No more came. Reece pressed his hips to her ass, driving her slightly forward, and entered her easily from behind. Once more she reveled in the feel of their bodies joining. When his hands cupped her breasts, kneading and squeezing, she arched into his touch.
“So lush.” He fondled and rolled her nipples. “So perfect.” Worshipping her peaks and globes, he once again began a pace that stoked her arousal inside and out.
While she nearly wept with happiness, Reece made her feel cherished and more beautiful than she had ever felt before. He touched her with so much tenderness, so much passion. This was what she had dreamed her first time would be. With the man she loved more than life itself.
Chills skittered across her skin as his palm smoothed down her rib cage, grazing her abdomen to tug on her bellybutton ring. His other hand lay against her back, guiding her down to all fours. Those gentle fingertips turned firm, melting into the flesh of her hips as he pulled her to him. His pace quickened as he pounded into her once, twice, three times, with enough impact that her groans rent the air.
God. He was so deep, thrusting into her with abandon. The slapping sounds their bodies made and their musky scents blending together left her breathless. She glanced over her shoulder just as her orgasm roared to the surface. It was too late for her to prolong the inevitable, and heat and shockwaves rolled through her like a thundercloud, leaving a path of ecstasy in its wake. She cried out, trembling with each quake rippling through her core.
She had barely begun her descent when Reece fell over the precipice along with her. Holding her flush to him, his rigid cock buried deep inside her, he released a long and low groan. His hips jerked once, twice, and then a fiery flood of heat filled her.
When the blood stopped roaring in her head, all that remained was heavy breathing—his, hers—and their hearts beating as one.
Her arms went noodly and she collapsed into the dusty folds of the drapes, Reece falling atop of her. They shared a moment of quiet laughter, and then he sealed his lips to hers. Limbs tangled, they lay together, until the creak of a door broke them apart.
“Reece? Tabs?”
Tabby recognized that voice. It was her brother.
“Fuck,” Reece moaned.
In a rush of movements, the two of them started to g
ather up their clothes.
“I can’t find my thong.” She panicked, her head swinging from side to side in search of her briefs, while her heart throbbed wildly against her chest. If Devon caught them like this, there was no telling what he’d do.
“Tabby? Where are you?” Concern heightened Devon’s voice.
Attempting to slip her last shoe on, her foot caught on something and she stumbled. “Here. We’re here.” Scooping up a pile of costumes she had chosen before Reece arrived, she slid beyond the stage curtains. Bright lights burned her eyes and they began to water. She squinted hard through a window of tears. When she became accustomed to the glare, she blinked, not liking what she saw.
Devon was frowning. If she wasn’t mistaken, a hint of suspicion darkened in his glare.
“Where is Reece?” he demanded.
“Where do you think?” Reece sauntered out onstage with an armful of the material that they had only moments ago used for a bed.
“What’s she doing here with you?”
She flinched. It was the first time Devon had ever shown any reservation when it came to his best friend.
“Harold. The old fool is becoming senile. He sent both of us on the same errand,” Reece said.
“That doesn’t explain why it’s taking you guys so long.”
Reece’s mouth thinned. “What are you insinuating?”
She barely held her eyelids from splaying wide at their aggressive interplay. “He caught me trying on the costumes—we took a break and had a movie montage. You should have been here. It was a blast,” the words rushed out.
Devon stared from one of them to other. Finally, he released a pent-up breath. “Hey, man. I’m sorry.” His chuckle still held a measure of unease. “It’s just that both of you look like you’ve been rolling around on the floor. I have half the defensive line of the Giants football team mooning over Tabs back at the site. Guess I’m a little on edge.”
Sparing a glance toward Reece, she realized Devon was right. Streaks of dust covered his face and his hair was a mess, spiking up in areas. If she looked the same, then Devon’s concern was warranted.
What was she saying? Devon’s concern was warranted. Only moments ago she was making love to his best friend and her body still tingled from his touch.
But damn, she was happy—so very happy.
She searched for some measure of guilt but couldn’t find an ounce of it. It had taken her a lifetime to get Reece to see that they belonged together and no one, including her brother, would come between them. Timing was the problem. Apparently like her, Reece understood that now was not the time to reveal their mutual attraction to her brother because he remained silent.
“I’ll help you load these things, and then we can get back to Tabby’s admirers. They’ve been asking about you.” Another scowl showed how Devon really felt about her newly acquired friends.
Reece tossed the theater curtains into the back of his truck and her thong peeked from between their folds. She almost laughed as he stealthily pushed the panties deeper into the curtains before Devon saw them as he walked up.
“I’ll see you both back at the site.” Devon climbed into his own vehicle and sped off.
A moment of awkwardness hung between Reece and her before she broke the ice and walked over to him, her arms circling his waist as she laid her cheek against his chest. It felt so good when he cradled her against him.
“Tabby?”
“Huh?”
“You know this was a mistake.”
For a second she wondered if she’d heard him correctly. “What?” She gazed up at him, almost choking on her emotion when she glimpsed his troubled expression.
He stepped out of her arms, placing distance between them. “I’m so sorry. I’ve betrayed my best friend and taken advantage of you.”
This couldn’t be happening. She swallowed hard, hurt and disappointment morphing into anger. “The hell you have.”
“Please. Let’s not make a bad situation worse.”
“Bad situation?” Her eyes widened. “Worse?” she repeated, her voice pitching, as she began to pace. “I can’t believe this.”
“Darlin’, please.”
“Don’t darlin’ me, Reece McGrath. You have taken something beautiful and-and precious, and turned it into something sordid and humiliating.” Sudden fury shook her, or was it embarrassment for the years she’d loved him? “I thought you had finally opened your eyes. That this meant—
“Oh God,” she breathed. Heat spread across her cheeks when she realized what had happened between them had only been lust for him—had meant nothing. He had no intention for them to become a couple.
It hurt to realize she had only herself to blame. Throughout the years she had dogged him. Hell. In the auditorium she nearly begged him to take her. A sudden spasm came out of nowhere, squeezing her chest so hard she couldn’t breathe. Before she made a bigger fool out of herself, Tabby whirled around and headed toward her Jeep.
“Tabby?”
Ignoring him, she yanked open the car door and slid inside, quivering like a leaf caught in a hurricane. How could she have been so wrong? When she saw Reece approaching, she hit the locks.
He tried the door to no avail. “Come on, Tabby. We need to talk.”
No. She needed to go. With trembling hands, she started the vehicle.
“Tabby?”
Jamming the Jeep into gear, she hit the gas pedal. Tires screeched and big rolling tears fell. Blindly she drove down the winding road, for how far and long she had no idea. When she couldn’t see anymore, she pulled over and stopped the car.
She had loved Reece forever. Childhood memories forced her forehead against the steering wheel and made her chest burn with emotion. He’d always been there for her. Protective. Supportive. Caring. There had to be something between them. There just had to be.
Time. He needs more time. The desperate thought whispered in her ear. That’s what she needed—more time.
Patience and fortitude had dogged her throughout the years. She could hold on longer. In time he would grow to love her. All he needed was to see her as a woman—not a child. The words raced through her mind.
Then she raised her head. Staring through a mist of tears, she realized today proved he no longer viewed her as a child. He had made love to her as a man loved a woman. They had shared the sacred act of give and take.
No. A chill shivered up her back as she released a weak, pitiful whimper.
Love and sex were two entirely different things. What they had done was fuck. She had given her heart, while he had taken, sated a physiological and basic male need. Opportunity and her willingness had been her downfall.
A sob caught in her throat.
What a fool she had become. She tried to control her outburst, but it was useless. When she finally ran out of tears, she felt the need to scream, to rage, to strike out and hurt Reece as badly as she had been hurt, but this wasn’t his fault.
Suddenly the clouds parted in her mind. Clarity opened up so quickly she felt dizzy.
Devon had been right about Reece and she had been wrong, so wrong.
If she was to survive, Tabby had to accept the truth. Reece would never come to her as she had dreamed. It was time to wake up.
Facing the facts hadn’t been easy on her, but necessary. After the festival she would close the book on her childhood, return to school, and move on with her life.
Now if only her heart would go along with her new plans.
Chapter Four
For the umpteenth time, Reece mentally chastised himself. He couldn’t believe what he allowed to happen. Making love to Tabby was the last thing he had on his mind when he arrived at the school. But the pain rimming her eyes when he had stumbled over his apology came back to haunt him.
He had hurt her.
As he maneuvered into a parking space, he could see the work on the cottage had come to a stop. Devon was chatting with Jack, both of them staring in Reece’s direction.
&nbs
p; When he got out of his vehicle and approached, Devon eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?” Reece answered, when he knew that everything was wrong. Tabby had led him down the streets of heaven only for him to have an attack of guilt—a mental tug-of-war between his conscience and desire for a woman who had turned his world upside down.
“You look like someone ran over your dog,” Devon said.
Reece forced a laugh. “Nah. I’m just tired. I’ll be glad when these booths are finished.” Yet what was really needling him, dug so far beneath his skin that it was beginning to feel part of him, was Tabby—her touch, the taste of her lips and the feel of her body moving against his.
Jack looked over Reece’s shoulder. “Where’s Tabby?”
“She mentioned a couple of things she had to do. I don’t know when she’ll be back.” One thing he knew for damn sure was that she wasn’t coming back to the building site. Not after she left like a bat out of hell, driving in the wrong direction.
“We’re finished here.” Jack wiped his hands with a rag, tossing it over a sawhorse. “If you see her, let her know I’m getting cleaned up and I’ll meet her at the Seaside Pub.”
As the man went to retrieve his friends, Devon breathed, “Over my dead body. Are you joining me to make sure these jocks stay in line tonight?” He quickly snapped his fingers. “Forgot about your date tonight with Lauren. Maybe the two of you can join us after dinner.”
Lauren?
Reece also forgot about his date with her, as well as the four men who would be sniffing at Tabby’s heels all night. He didn’t relish witnessing firsthand their attempts at seducing his woman, but he had no choice because tonight was the first night to pay up on the bet he’d lost to Hauk.
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