by Tina Martin
“Yes, I enjoyed the festival. It was nice. I enjoyed every moment of it,” she said, holding Preston’s gaze. She watched a smile touch his lips, then he finally resumed eating.
* * *
“Tamera, can I speak to you for a minute, please?” Tyson asked from the kitchen. He was getting dessert ready.
“Sure,” she said. She glanced at Preston. “Be right back.”
Once she stepped into the kitchen, Tyson leaned up against the cabinets and crossed his arms. “I don’t want you to get hurt again.”
“I know, Tyson.”
“Do you know what it did to me when I found out Mark was hitting on you? I saw blood whenever I saw him. I wanted him dead, Tamera. I can’t have that happen again.”
“It won’t, Tyson. I’m trying my best to trust my own judgment again and I trust that Preston is a good man. I thought you did, too. Why else would you ask me to invite him here?”
Tyson expelled a breath. “Let me remind you of the reason he came into your life. You wrote a horrible review about his sister’s restaurant. I read it. It was horrible. You really think he won’t do everything in his power to get you to take that review down? Even if it means seducing you?” Tyson shook his head. “Tamera, I can’t be there to save you every time a man mistreats you. I need you to start thinking with your head and not your heart.”
Tamera crossed her arms. “Are you done with your lecture?”
Tyson’s frown deepened.
“Good. Then I guess I can go now, or do I need your permission, Tyson?” Tamera stormed out of the kitchen. Walking back into the dining room, she said, “We’re going to head out, Gabrielle.”
“You’re ready to leave?” Preston asked.
“I am.”
“Don’t you want to come upstairs to see T.J. first?” Gabrielle asked. T.J. was asleep when they arrived and he was still sleeping.
“No. I’ll see him next time,” Tamera said, heading for the door.
Preston stood up and said, “Thank you for your hospitality, Gabrielle.”
“You’re welcome.”
He followed Tamera outside, pressing the unlock button on the keychain remote so she could get inside. She did so, slamming the door closed behind her.
When he was in the car with her now, he started the engine then glanced at her. “What happened?”
“Nothing, and I don’t feel like talking. Just take me back to the hotel, please.”
Preston grimaced. “Okay.”
Chapter 18
Driving and catching glimpses of her every now and again, Preston said nothing. Tyson had asked to speak with her and while he couldn’t make out what they were saying, he did hear their voices raise right before Tamera returned to the dining room to let Gabrielle know she was leaving.
Finding a parking space at the hotel, he shut off the engine then looked at her again.
She could feel his eyes against the side of her face and decided to ask, “Why didn’t you tell me you called my brother?”
“I didn’t think I needed to. It’s not like I had any malicious intent. I told him I liked you.”
“But you didn’t know me well enough to like me, so why were you calling him?”
“I just told you why,” he said.
Tamera grabbed at the door handle quickly getting out of the car and headed to the lobby entrance. While she was angry with her brother, she couldn’t help but feel he was right. Maybe Preston was playing her although it didn’t feel like it. But she was thinking with heart and not her head. If she was thinking with her head, she’d never spent the night with him in a tent. On the beach. Under the stars. She’d never let him kiss her or hold her hand like they were the happiest couple in all of North Carolina. She would’ve kept her guard up.
“Tamera, wait up.”
“What is it?” she asked when he was closer.
“Can you talk to me?”
“No,” she said. They passed through the lobby and continued on to the elevators. She pressed the button to open the doors.
“This, all of this, was a mistake on my part,” she told him. “A huge mistake…has nothing to do with you. It was all me. All my fault.”
He frowned. “What was your fault?”
“Letting my guard down with you. Thinking that for one weekend, I could have a good time with someone besides myself, but…”
“We did have a good time together until tonight…until dinner at your brother’s.”
“Yeah, we did,” Tamera said sadly, stepping onto the elevator.
Preston walked in and pressed the third-floor button. Turning to look at her as she leaned up against the back elevator wall, he asked, “Then what happened tonight?”
“My brother reminded me of my most detrimental flaw—being too trusting. He’s right. I don’t know you. I shouldn’t have spent the night with you. For all I know, you planned this whole trip with the sole purpose of getting me to take down my article. That would explain why you ended up in the same hotel as me. Same floor. Room directly across the hallway from mine.”
He shook his head. “You really believe that?”
The elevator doors opened to the third floor. Preston stepped aside to let Tamera by.
“I don’t know what to believe,” Tamera said. “All I know is, I’m leaving in the morning and I need to get my suitcase packed.”
“Tamera,” he said, trailing her to her room.
“There’s nothing more to talk about, Preston.”
“There is. You accuse me of this elaborate plan to trick you into taking down the review and that’s simply not true. It’s not.”
“Then I don’t care,” she said, stopping in front of her room door. He was standing in front of his, still looking at her. “Take the review out of the equation and I still think we should go our separate ways from here. Make it a clean break.”
“No,” he said. “I won’t do that. No clean breaks. No end to this. I haven’t done one thing to deceive you and I will not let our weekend end this way,” he said, taking a step closer to her, shifting her body so she was looking at him. “I won’t, Tamera. What we felt last night was real. I didn’t force you to do anything. I didn’t make you stay with me and I every time you bring up something about the review, I change the subject because it’s not what has me occupied. You are.”
“I have to go,” she told him.
“You said trusted me.”
“I thought I did.”
“No. You either do, or you don’t. Do you trust me, Tamera?” he asked with pleading eyes.
Her hands trembled.
He touched them, covered them with his. Holding her gaze, he asked once more, “Do you trust me, Tamera?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know. Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” she replied softly, forcing everything her brother told her to the side and trusting her own judgment, feeling her eyes close as his hands squeezed hers before their lips slammed together.
“Mmm,” he said audibly, pulling and sucking her lips into his mouth. Then he gave her lips a break and kissed just below her ear and down her neck.
“Spend the night with me,” he whispered.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and felt his lips there, kissing her until her legs grew weak.
“Spend the night with me,” he said again looking for her reaction.
“I have to...I have to pack, Preston.”
“You can pack in the morning. Tonight, I need you with me.”
When she didn’t offer a rebuttal, he took his keycard from his pocket and unlocked the door to his room, leading her in by the hand. Once inside, he wasted no time consuming her lips again.
Tamera’s heart went as weak, as limp as flimsy as her body while she surrendered to him. She knew she was feeling him, especially after last night, but she didn’t know to what extent. But now, she realized what was happening to her. She had fallen in love with Preston Michaels.
Tyson was wrong. Had to be. Pres
ton was a good man. She didn’t need to know him for an eternity to recognize that. She knew it from the way he kissed her – gently, yet with a need that made her blood burn, yearn and flow through her body seeking more. She could feel it from the way he cupped her head with his large, strong hands in a passionate way, yet firm with his grips – like the way he was gripping her now, kissing her towards the bed.
Every inch of her mouth he kissed, possessed briefly and every cell in his body responded to this degree of desire that was sure to drive him right off the cliff. When she fell back on the bed, compromising that edge, he settled in place on top of her devouring her mouth, owning it. “I couldn’t imagine not spending the night with you,” he said, then pulled her earlobe into his mouth, flicking his tongue in the concave of her ear.
Her body trembled. With unsteady hands, she tightened the hold on his biceps, muscles so hard, she shuddered to think what other parts of him felt like. Jeez. He was all man, pure male. Perfect in every way. She wanted him in every way.
He stopped kissing her when he felt her nails digging into his biceps. “Tamera.”
“Yes?” she said, opening her eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“Hunh?” she panted.
“If you squeeze me any tighter, you’ll draw blood.”
“Oh. Oh! Sorry. I didn’t realize I was holding on to you so tightly.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m only teasing. I can handle it.” But could she handle him? He fell on the bed next to her, staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. I just like looking at you.” Not only did he like looking at her. He could see himself waking up every morning to her, admiring her gorgeous face every day. “So, it’s pretty apparent your brother doesn’t like me. Wait, let me rephrase—he likes me in a professional sense, but when it comes to you—”
“Don’t feel bad. He would be that way with any man I liked.”
He grinned. “So you admit it. You like me.”
“I thought that was a given.”
He smirked.
“But, yes, I do like you. I think you’re a decent guy.”
“But—”
“But I think whatever this is between us is happening way too fast. My brother was right about some things he told me. We don’t know each other that well, and the only reason we met is because of the review I wrote about your sister’s restaurant.”
“Some people might call that fate.”
“My brother seems to think it’s your way of coercing me into taking my review down.”
“My connection with you has nothing to do with that review. In fact, I don’t want to talk about it anymore, ‘kay?”
“All right. Fine.”
He found her hand and fiddled with her fingers.
“You’ve must’ve started on your article already,” Tamera said.
“Why do you say that?”
“I see your laptop open on the desk over there.”
“Oh. Yeah, I figured I would start on it before I leave. I plan to have it finished before Wednesday. Have you started on yours yet?”
“No. I’ve been distracted.”
He smiled. “By what?”
She locked eyes with him. “More like who.”
“Okay, then. Who?”
“A man who makes me forget my problems. Who I enjoy spending time with.”
“I’m getting jealous,” Preston teased.
“You’re silly, is what you are,” she said twisting her body to straddle him. Lowering her face to his, she whispered, “Because you know I’m talking about you.” Then she dipped her head and kissed his lips loving the taste of him just as much as he enjoyed the taste of her. She could get used to this – to feeling his hands touching her back, their rough breaths comingling. For a second, she opened her eyes, looked down at his closed eyes and imagined, just for a moment, that he wasn’t some crush of hers, but her man. Her husband.
“Preston?”
“Yes, sweetheart.”
She rested her head on his chest. “You think we can have breakfast together in the morning after I pack?”
“I would like nothing more.”
“Good.” She released a gratifying sigh.
“Good night, Tamera.”
“Good night, Preston.”
Chapter 19
Tamera woke up next to Preston in the morning looking at him, feeling a strong urge to reach out and touch him. Run a finger along the bridge of his nose. Press her lips against his lips. But she didn’t want to wake him.
She eased up, stood and stretched a few minutes after seven. She couldn’t believe how fast the weekend flew by. In a few hours, she’d be checking out of the hotel. For now, though, she’d enjoy the view of him – of Preston.
She stared at him again. He looked just as handsome while he was sleeping as when he was awake. She could appreciate his muscles now without him catching her in the act of gawking, and she loved the way they seemed to bulge out without him even trying to flex.
She turned her attention away from him when she remembered he told her he was working on his article already. Curious about what he’d written so far, she walked over to the table, sat down and placed her palm on the wireless mouse. Then she looked at the screen, her hand inadvertently clicking the mouse to a new screen – away from the article and to an email. Looked like the email came from his sister a few days ago.
She turned away. She didn’t want to snoop through his emails, but then she saw her name in the subject line of the email…
Tamera frowned. Why is my name in the subject line? She had to see what it was about.
From: Serenity Michaels
To: Preston Michaels
Subject: Tamera Alexander
Hey, I know you said you would handle it, but I want to give this girl a taste of her own medicine. I started this article for you to publish in your magazine. It’ll have more of an impact if you’re listed as the editor. Anyway, tell me what you think. We have to find a way to discredit this woman. She’s not going to get away with this.
- - -
Tamera frowned, felt her heart rate quicken. She continued reading the article Serenity drafted about her:
Recently, Central Grub House was reviewed by a county restaurant health inspector, Tamera Alexander. She’s the same inspector who visited the restaurant to inspect it, gave it a passing grade, but came back to do a so-called food review. She posted that review in a magazine she works for – Charlotte Magazine – in an attempt to discredit Central Grub House.
Can you see the conflict of interest and the threat this poses to area businesses? This woman is a restaurant health inspector. She’s also a writer for the most popular magazine in Charlotte. She writes bad reviews about restaurants she doesn’t like in an effort to deter business from one restaurant and sway them towards another. Maybe she’s getting paid to do this. Who knows? What I do know is, this is unjust and this lady should be fired.
Her review of Central Grub House was unfair, totally off the mark and just as rigid as her bad attitude when she comes to visit area restaurants. Other restaurant managers have complained about her attitude but the county does nothing about it.
- - -
Tamera felt faint as betrayal sunk deep into her veins. Serenity closed the email by saying:
That’s all I have for now, Preston. I may have lied a little about her attitude, but you get the picture. Add a few more paragraphs and make sure her manager at the health department “accidentally” gets a copy. LOL! She’ll be fired in no time! Thanks for your help on this. Love ya!
Serenity
__________
Tamera sat there stunned for a moment as she glanced over at him. She hated to feel like Tyson was right but looks like he was, yet again. Preston was playing her the entire time.
Disgusted, she stood up, picked up her shoes and hurried out of his room, crossing the hallway to her own room. After quickly taking a shower, she packed her
suitcase. Skip waiting for her one o’clock flight. She called the airline, got an earlier flight and immediately headed for the airport.
Chapter 20
She must’ve gone to her room to pack. That’s the first thing Preston thought when he woke up alone in bed. He glanced at the clock: 9:18 a.m. He’d have time to eat breakfast with Tamera this morning since her flight didn’t leave until one.
He took his phone from the pocket of his jean shorts, dialing her number.
The call went straight to voicemail.
He dialed it again, got the same result. Thinking nothing of it (and that maybe she forgot to charge her phone the same way he’d forgotten to charge his) he sauntered to the bathroom and took a short shower. Then he dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a plain white T-shirt before calling her again.
For the third time, he got the voicemail.
Deciding to step across the hallway and knock on her door, he was surprised to see the door open with the maid service cart in front of it. The maid was in the room, vacuuming.
He glanced at his watch again: 10:05 a.m. She’d checked out early. Maybe she was in the restaurant downstairs waiting for him. Heading towards the elevator, he smiled, anticipating the sight of her beautiful face – the face of the woman he watched fall asleep next to him last night. But anticipation soon turned into disappointment when he discovered she wasn’t there.
“Where’d you go, Tamera?” he asked in the lowest of tones. He checked the indoor pool.
She wasn’t there.
He checked the parking lot for her rental. She’d parked next to him but the space next to his car was vacant.
Did she leave without telling me?
Odd, he thought. Why would she do that when they’d made plans to share breakfast together before she left?
