HotTango

by Sidney Bristol

  Danger! Danger! Danger!

  “Something on your mind?” he asked, despite knowing better than to ask. Whatever Tanya wanted to talk about, she’d damn sure let him know.

  She had the grace to appear abashed. “I just want to talk to you about something. I know this isn’t great timing, there’s a lot going on over the next two weeks, but I just want to talk about it.”

  Cole’s mind raced with the possibilities. Children? A new business move he wouldn’t like? A trip? Something from home? He tested each but came back to the same one.

  It had to be kids.

  They’d been married for over a decade and everyone was on their case about popping out the next Cole or Tanya. Parents, siblings, friends, coworkers—they hounded Tanya and him all the time about babies, but he and she had been on the same page about where they were in life. Sweat broke out across his brow and his vision sharpened the way it did before a raid.

  “God, forget it.” Tanya shoved away from the table and grabbed her plate.

  Part of him wanted to let her storm off, but she didn’t deserve that. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Tanya, wait.”

  “No. Anytime I want to talk about something serious you get like that. Start looking for a way to escape.” Dishes hit the bottom of the sink and the sound of water rushing out of the faucet punctuated her words.

  He winced.

  Great move.

  She had him figured out.

  Cole picked up his plate and brought it to the sink, where Tanya was resolutely ignoring him. He scraped the last of the dishes off in the compost bin and waited for his wife to acknowledge his presence. Her mouth was frozen in an adorable frown he wanted to kiss away. God, he had fantasies about that mouth. Even when she was angry.

  “Babe?”

  Her scrubbing increased in speed.

  “Babe, please talk to me.”

  “Don’t be patronizing,” she snapped and plunked the dish in the opposite sink to rinse.

  He pushed her hands aside and took over the rinsing, letting her go back to scrubbing. Their first date had been dinner at her parents’ house, after which they’d washed dishes together. It was one of their oldest routines.

  “I’m not.” He took a deep breath and stepped off the proverbial ledge. “The truth? I keep waiting for you to bring up the topic of kids.”

  The plate Tanya was scrubbing slipped out of her hand, suds flew up in her hair and water doused the front of her dress.

  “Kids?” she yelped.

  He turned toward her and rested a hip against the counter. “Well, yeah.”

  Tanya wiped her hands off, staring at him as if she didn’t know who he was. “You know what has to happen in order to have kids?”

  Danger!

  That tone was downright scary. There were two exits from the kitchen, if he didn’t count leaping over the bar that partitioned off half the space. From there he could make a tactical retreat to the backyard, the hallway or the den. Cole took a deep breath and shoved aside the urge to flee.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Sex, Cole. People have to have sex in order to make babies.”

  “Well, not technically. This is the twenty-first century. People get shot up with sperm all the time now.”

  “Oh my god, just forget it.” She threw the towel on the counter and began to storm off, but he caught her wrist and swung her around. The way her eyes flashed shouldn’t make him hard, but it did.

  “Hey now, it’s just a joke.”

  She tried to jerk out of his grasp but he kept his hold on her. Not enough to bruise, just contain. “No it’s not. I’m trying to be understanding of all the stress you’re under and still talk about stuff like grown-ups, and you’re evading the discussion without even knowing what I want to talk about.”

  Put that way, he was being a shithead.

  He took a deep breath and reversed his hold on her so that their fingers laced together. He could take anything she had to throw at him if it wasn’t kids. “Okay, what did you want to talk about if not kids?”

  “Sex.” Tanya tried to pull out of his grip again, but he clutched her hand harder. “We aren’t having any. Hell, if we don’t fight we seem to not even talk, so maybe I’m getting ahead of myself and should just be asking you for a conversation about the weather every now and then.”

  “Wow. Wait. Back that up. Sex?” Color him surprised.

  “Yes, sex, Cole. Is that such a shocking thought?” She wiggled her hand free of his and crossed her arms over her chest, plumping her breasts.

  Sex, her boobs—it made for a distracting cocktail.

  “Well, uh—”

  Tanya steamrolled over him. He’d opened the door and she’d stepped through. There was no shutting it now.

  “I miss you actually talking to me. God forbid, I miss sex. I miss feeling like we’re a goddamned couple. And this is not how I wanted to have this discussion.” One of the hair ties that were all over the house seemed to appear magically in her hand, and up went her hair.

  The truth was he missed those things too, but any time he opened his mouth or got the urge, she was busy. If he were honest with himself, he could do more. He knew it and still he pulled back.

  “You know what’s embarrassing? The girls took me to an adult novelty store today and I actually bought their crap thinking it might help. But no. Never mind. Go to bed. You look exhausted.”

  “You bought stuff at a sex shop?” Suddenly he didn’t feel quite so tired.

  Tanya busied her hands with the dishes again, but her cheeks were turning a bright scarlet. The idea of his wife surrounded by dildos and masks was going to fuel a good laugh—later. Right now his shortcomings as a husband were glaring at him.

  “Yes, okay?” The anger seeped away, replaced by her signature frustration with compressed lips, high color and refusal to look at him. Tanya could never stay angry long, for which he was eternally grateful. He’d never slept on the couch as a result.

  “What did you buy?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Yes, you did. You said so.” He stepped behind her and placed his hands over her hips, pulling her firm ass against his groin. Her scrubbing rhythm faltered. “Come on, tell me what you bought.”

  “Forget it. It’s stupid.” Her voice quavered in the telltale fashion that foretold tears.

  Shit.

  He reached around her and unplugged the sink.

  “Cole.”

  He turned her in place so she faced him. “Babe, it’s not stupid. I’m sorry we don’t talk as much. We’re both busy and—”

  “And you’re my husband. We should make time for each other.”

  Busted.

  There was no denying the truth. He kissed her forehead in a silent plea for forgiveness. She answered it by looping her arms around his waist and hugging him, her head tucked perfectly under his chin, their bodies lining up just right.

  “You’ll show me?” he said into her hair.

  Tanya turned her face into his chest and muttered something that sounded like, “Yes.”

  “I’m going to take the trash and recycling out. Why don’t you go get your new toys ready and I’ll be back in a minute?” He would need a moment to get his head screwed on straight. Besides the weird stuff her friends had given her before their wedding, they’d never brought anything into the bedroom with them. They’d never needed toys or anything to get off, so he didn’t see the point. Still, the novelty was appealing.

  “Okay.” Tanya pivoted and walked swiftly out of the kitchen.

  Cole watched her leave, committing the image to memory.

  What kind of an asshole was he that he ignored his wife’s needs and made her genuinely embarrassed to approach him about something like sex?

  He stalked across the kitchen, dug the trash and recycling bags out of the receptacles and took them to the garage.

  Early on, when they lived in Nowhere, USA, the sense of wonder that she loved him, Cole, the guy who could barely graduate h
igh school by the skin of his teeth, never ceased to amaze him. Hell, he’d only passed because his grand scheme of getting the pretty girl to tutor him had worked out so well. Not only had she tutored him, she’d given him her heart. Even after thirteen years he was still waiting for her to wake up and realize her mistake and divorce him. Waiting for it was wearing him thin. The higher she rose, the farther he had to fall, and that would kill him.

  He reentered the house with a dark mood clinging to him.

  How fucked up was he? He had a hot piece of ass for a wife, whom he was in love with, and he was trying to get out of their marriage. Something had to be seriously unhinged upstairs.

  Cole flipped the lights and radio off, taking his time progressing down the hall to the square of light that taunted him.

  He could face down drug lords and armed robbers, but his wife left him anxious and uncertain. He sucked in a deep breath and strolled through the bedroom door.

  Tanya glanced up from where she sat in the middle of their bed, still wearing the soft green dress from dinner. Two boxes sat in front of her on the bedspread, one red and the other black.

  “What’s this?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  She sighed and picked at her nails. “It’s called Pandora’s Box and it promises to equip you with challenges to spice up your sex life. Dumb. I know.”

  “It’s not dumb. I just don’t get it.” He picked up the box and popped open the magnetic top.

  “The instructions say that you should give all the challenges a go to properly explore your sexual adventures.”

  He picked up the black box and turned it to read the script. “What about this?”

  Tanya snatched it from his hands and bounded off the bed. “I’m returning this.”

  Now his curiosity was piqued, but he didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she already was. He held up his hands. “Okay.” He turned his attention back to Pandora’s Box. “So do you or I pick the challenge?”

  “Whichever.”

  Tanya didn’t seem that interested in the box or amorous activities.

  Cole peered into the box. There was a booklet he skipped, dice, a feather, some black folded stuff and a deck of cards.

  Tanya deserved to be treated to pleasure, and if she wanted to use the box, he’d get on this train. He was aware of her gaze tracking his movements as he investigated the cards. They seemed to be ideas, suggestions for something a little out of the ordinary. A few of the cards were downright ridiculous, but the rest he could work with.

  Cole peered at her over the top of the cards. A light bulb went on. He fanned them out, displaying the image on the card to Tanya but the text to him.

  “Pick one,” he dared.

  Tanya’s brows rose and her mouth formed a little “O”. A thread of tension, sensual and full of lust, stretched between his wife and him. He held her gaze and neither breathed as she selected a card with two people, arms wound around each other, on the brink of kissing. He took the card from her, placed the others in the box and cleared his throat. He peered into the box.

  Why not?

  Cole pocketed one of the dice.

  “Rediscover the sensual pleasure of kissing. Frequent kissing can improve the appearance of the face, giving the thirty muscles a workout. The racing pulse of a passionate kiss boosts metabolism and helps burn calories. And lastly, kissing is nature’s antidepressant, releasing the feel-good chemical oxytocin into the bloodstream.” He chuckled at all the data, but the reality was that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d kissed Tanya with anything more than a quick peck.

  Tanya’s brow wrinkled. “That’s it?”

  He shrugged and placed the box on the bench at the end of the bed. “I’m resourceful.”

  “This is silly. Let’s just go to sleep.”

  Cole circled the bed, watching how Tanya kept her gaze anywhere but on him. “I think we should give it a try first. Come on.” He stopped inches away from her.

  Tanya’s gaze landed on his chest and he watched her trace the SWAT letters on his shirt with her eyes.

  Sometimes he wondered if she resented his job and how much it took him away these days. It was an odd exchange for them, but he couldn’t deny that she was getting a taste of what the first ten years of their marriage had been like for him. But he wasn’t about to hold it against her. He’d never wanted to stand in the way of her dreams and, in the end, she’d pulled him with her. Making him who he was today. So he could help her.

  Cole tugged the elastic band out of her hair. The way the light shone off her wavy tresses mesmerized him.

  Chapter Three

  Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.

  Embarrassment.

  Hope.

  Shame.

  Frustration.

  Lust.

  A hundred different emotions warred within Tanya’s breast. She watched through her lashes as Cole wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger and lifted it to his lips. She drank in the sight of him kissing her as if she were a dehydrated plant.

  She hadn’t realized she missed being kissed until she grew jealous of her damn hair.

  Cole tugged the lock, tipping her head forward. He pressed his lips to her forehead and kissed a line to her temple. Her skin tingled everywhere he made contact. She leaned forward into his touch and tilted her head to the side, acquiescing to his questing mouth.

  “Where should I kiss you?” he whispered.

  I have a choice?

  There were a couple of options, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them.

  Cole produced a die from the Pandora’s Box and tossed it on the bed.

  “Neck,” he said.

  Tanya sucked in a breath.

  Cole was doing it. He was playing along. She didn’t know what to think or feel or even do. It was as if she’d never had sex with her husband before.

  He hooked his fingers in the straps of her dress and pulled her forward against his chest. She gripped his shirt in both her hands and shut her eyes.

  Tanya loved Cole’s strength, the rough quality of his personality and how no matter how long they’d lived in the city, he was still a small-town boy at heart. But right now she loved his mouth the most. The way he didn’t rush this silly request of hers, but paid special attention to her cheek, jawline, the tip of her nose.

  And now her neck.

  He started at her collarbone and kissed around the base of her neck, turned her in place and trailed kisses up her spine. She shivered and leaned against him, relishing the way his arms closed around her, supporting and protecting her. He pulled her head back against his shoulder, exposing the column of her throat.

  His lips moved over her skin, caressing, planting kisses here and there. Each time she felt the contact, her breath shuddered in her throat.

  She turned her face toward him, seeking his mouth, but he straightened out of her range.

  “Cole.” She hated the whining quality to her voice, but damn it, he was teasing her.

  The twinkle in his gaze told her he knew what he was doing to her and meant to keep going.

  He tapped her lips.

  “Not yet. Dice didn’t say to kiss you there. Where should I kiss you next, hm?”

  Cole picked the die up from where he’d tossed it on the bed and let it fall again.

  “Thighs, huh?” He sounded amused, and she could only guess at the evil ideas running through his head.

  Tanya glanced from the die to her husband.

  Cole twisted the straps of her dress and bra off her shoulders. Thighs be damned, her breasts ached.

  Her breathing hitched as he dipped his head to press kisses to the fronts of her shoulders and along her collarbone. Cole turned her and pushed her back against the mattress. The room spun; her heart was pounding too hard against her ribs. Her nipples were tight, sensitive buds against the abrasive fabric of her bra.

  Cole grasped one ankle. She propped herself up on her elbows. He caught her watching him and held her gaz
e while he brought her foot to his lips. Tanya held her breath as he kissed the top of her foot and up to her ankle. He grabbed her other leg and repeated the worshipful treatment.

  Tanya’s panties were soaked. Honest-to-god wet. She couldn’t remember the last time arousal had ruined her underwear for a night. The damn box was worth every penny on these grounds alone.

  Her husband didn’t stop at her ankles. He pushed her knees farther apart and peppered her calves and shins with more kisses, running his hands over her skin, investigating the ticklish crease behind her knee. She giggled and tried to roll away, but Cole surged up and pinned her to the bed.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” A smile the likes of which she hadn’t seen in ages graced his face.

  Looping her arms around his neck, she felt the dusty cobwebs of her heart loosen their hold, as if someone had opened a window and a fresh breeze blew through. “Nowhere.”

  “Good.” He kissed one cheek then the other. His dark gaze promised more than his smile foretold. “I’m not done with you yet.”

  God, I hope not.

  “Now where was I?”

  Cole pushed to his knees and studied her for a moment. He shoved her skirt up to the tops of her thighs and she shivered. Tanya licked her lips and forced herself to relax. Enjoy what her husband was doing.

  He slid his hands up and down her thighs, from the outside in, working his fingers higher and closer to her pussy with each motion. She shifted her hips, silently begging for more.

  She grabbed the die and pushed it into his hand. Cole chuckled at her and let it drop onto the bed again.

  Did it have “pussy” on it anywhere? She prayed it did.

  “Fuck yes,” Cole muttered, his voice low and rough.

  “Huh?” She pushed up to her elbows, finding it hard to focus on his face.

  Cole grinned at her and tugged the top of her dress down. When her bra didn’t go south willingly, he yanked the fabric down around her waist, freeing her breasts.

  Tanya gasped, surprised by the aggressive move and overwhelmed by the riot of sensation radiating from her nipples.