Flat-Out Sexy (15 page)

“No, no, I can get them. You stay.” She was actually looking forward to a moment of privacy away from the snarky barbs going back and forth, and the uncomfortable awareness of Elec sitting just inches to her right.

Tamara tried to walk, not run, down the hallway and into Ryder’s bedroom. It was very classy and masculine, with lots of chocolate brown and very artistic black-and-white photos of various racetracks around the country, plus one of him winning the championship two years earlier. She wondered if Suzanne had decorated it, or if he had hired someone. She couldn’t picture Ryder picking out duvet covers on his day off, but the end result was soothing and quiet, and she was grateful just to be alone for two minutes.

Ryder’s bathroom was a mess like his coach had been, with dirty clothes lying on the floor and his shaving accoutrements scattered all over the counter. She stepped over a dirty towel and a pair of boxer shorts and opened the medicine cabinet. Ryder had four half-used tubes of toothpaste, a giant bottle of aspirin, dental floss, mouthwash, and three boxes of condoms. It appeared his goals in life were fresh breath and ensuring he never had the headache of children.

Tamara grabbed the aspirin and untwisted the cap.

“Tamara.”

She jumped and let out a shriek. Good Lord, Elec was standing in the doorway, watching her. “Geez, you scared me.” And what the hell was he doing? There was a powder room in Ryder’s front hallway, so if the beer was catching up with him, he could have used that bathroom.

“Sorry.”

He didn’t look sorry. He looked sexy, damn him. How any man could do nothing more than prop up a door frame with his shoulders and look that intense and hot was beyond her. And it was annoying.

“Did you need the bathroom? I’m leaving.” She rolled two aspirin between her fingers and wondered how she could exit past him without touching any part of his body with hers.

“I don’t need the bathroom. I came to talk to you privately.”

The pain behind her eyes gave a throb of protest. She did not want to talk to him. Not now. Not tomorrow. Not ever until she could learn to be rational in his company and not want what she couldn’t have, which was sex with him on a daily basis, twice on race days.

“What did you want to talk about?” Damn her mother for teaching her manners. She should have just told him they had nothing to talk about.

“You didn’t know I was going to be here tonight, did you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“I knew you were going to be here. That’s why I came. But I’m sorry if it’s making you uncomfortable.”

Well, that was nice enough. “It’s not.” Liar. “Why would I be uncomfortable?”

“Why would you cancel our date?”

Tamara had known that was coming. She cleared her throat and stared for a second at Ryder’s dirty towel on the floor as she gathered an ounce of courage. “Because it’s not a good idea. My kids, my in-laws—”

“Are not invited on our date.”

That almost made her laugh. “I know that. But it’s complicated, Elec. I am not free to just do whatever I want with no regard to other people’s feelings.”

“It’s not a big deal, it’s only dinner. I would just like to get to know you a little better.” His eyes rolled over her body, all the way down and all the way up again. “Better than I already do.”

Wincing as her head throbbed harder, Tamara rubbed her temples. She needed to explain—without sounding like a total bitch—that she didn’t regret their night together but that she couldn’t actually have a relationship with him. Even going into the whole thing with inhibitions thrown out the window, she had known enough to assume one night was all it was going to be, and she had still gone with it. It was flattering and nice to know that Elec was actually interested in her as more than a random hookup, but she just didn’t see how in their reality of his crazy traveling schedule and her many responsibilities, they could manage anything resembling normalcy, and it was stressing her out, frankly.

“Your head really hurts, doesn’t it?” he asked softly, moving into the bathroom.

She wasn’t popping aspirin for the fun of it. “Yes,” she said, knowing her face had to be sour and pouty.

“Turn around.”

That sounded like a trick.

“I’ll rub your head,” he said when she didn’t move.

Touched by the thoughtfulness of that, Tamara turned around as he came up behind her. His fingers touched her hair and gently undid the tie that was keeping her ponytail in place.

“This thing can’t be helping. It’s pulling all your hair back really tightly.”

It did feel better the minute her hair fell loose. “You’re probably right. Thanks.”

His fingers were gliding into her hair, working the strands free of the shape the ponytail had left it in, and Tamara shivered at the tactile sensation. She had always loved having someone touch her hair and it had been so long since she had felt that. Too long, just way too long. Her eyes drifted closed as he stroked, digging his fingertips into her scalp and rubbing away the tightness and tension.

“Does that feel good?” he murmured. “Or am I doing it too hard?”

“No, it feels great. Thank you.”

Elec massaged up and down her scalp and down her neck with all of his fingers, his breath audible next to her ear, the scent of his aftershave drifting up into her nostrils. She felt her shoulders relaxing, and when he rubbed her temples with the pads of his thumbs in a deep circular motion, she sighed.

Shifting her hair to the side, Elec focused on her neck again, then kneading the tension out of her shoulders. He went up the sleeves of her T-shirt and pulled her bra straps down a little so they wouldn’t impede his movements as he systematically worked her muscles. It occurred to her maybe she shouldn’t let him take that kind of liberty with her clothing, but it felt too good to put a halt to it, and really, it wasn’t like he hadn’t already touched every inch of her.

She shouldn’t have been surprised when his lips brushed against her ear, but she was. Sucking in a breath, she tried to shift forward, her eyes opening, but Elec pressed his hands into her forearms.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’m not finished.”

“Elec …” Yeah, that was really putting up a stellar protest. Especially since she was settling back into his grip.

“You’re feeling better, aren’t you? I can make you feel even better.”

Oh, she just bet he could. The question was whether or not she should let him.

Now that his lips were strolling down her neck, his fingers peeling back the neckline of her shirt so he could lick along her shoulder, it seemed like a moot point. His tongue felt so good and she wanted to stop him, she really did, but it was relaxing and it was just a little kissing, and what difference did it make? Really.

Her fingers unfurled and the aspirin rolled out of her hand onto the countertop.

“I don’t know … we should go back to the party …” Aware that she sounded more breathy than resolute as his fingers wandered around the front of her T-shirt and brushed over her nipples, Tamara wondered why she had even bothered to speak. She was full of grade-A horseshit and she knew it.

Elec knew it, too, since he turned her around by her shoulders and looked into her eyes, his own dark with desire. “Not until I do this.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

HE was going to kiss her, and she was going to let him. No doubt about it.

And when his mouth brushed over hers, then settled in for a nice, long, lovely worship of her lips, she decided she’d made the right choice. This was definitely a better way to spend the dinner party than watching Suzanne glop extra sour cream onto Nikki’s plate while Ty squirmed in chronic embarrassment.

Letting go of the countertop she’d been clenching, Tamara wrapped her arms around Elec’s neck and kissed him back. It was amazing how much she hadn’t realized what she’d been missing until she had it again. The feel of a man’s arms around her, the hitch and catch of their breathing as they both became aroused, the press of his leg against hers, the soft silkiness of his hair beneath her fingers as she stroked the back of his head. She had been touch deprived, she realized now. It had been something she’d taken for granted in her marriage, the soft and random brushes, the right to invade someone else’s personal space, and the ease of having a man’s strong hand on her waist.

“You taste good,” he murmured as his hands went lower to grip her backside and his lips caressed her chin and neck.

“So kiss me again,” she said, wanting his tongue inside her, wanting more.

“You got it.” Elec returned, and this time, the minute he touched her mouth with his, desire exploded between them.

They were gripping each other, hands here, there, everywhere, digging into each other’s hair in an effort to get closer, to meld their mouths completely, Elec’s tongue doing amazing things to hers as he thrust into her. Tamara could feel his erection pressing against her thigh and she had a feeling she knew this was going to the point of no return, but she somehow couldn’t bring herself to care.

When Elec broke away, panting, his hair sticking up, and leaned back and closed the bathroom door and locked it, she knew he was having the same thoughts.

“We shouldn’t be doing this …” she said, trying to hold on to some vestige of respectability.

His answer was to bend over and suck her nipple through the fabric of her T-shirt and bra. It was exquisite torture, the sensation of pleasure intermingling with the need for more freedom, to have him touching and tasting her bare flesh. When he moved lower and did the same to her inner thighs, Tamara leaned back against the sink. She needed something to hold her up. Especially since before she could blink, he had her skirt lifted and was sliding his tongue along the front of her panties.

“Elec,” she whispered, squirming at both the intimacy of the position and the fact that it just wasn’t good enough. It was a tease for what she really wanted, and he obviously knew it.

He kissed her thighs, licking a wet trail across her bare flesh, causing goose bumps to appear as she shivered in anticipation. He sucked her clitoris through the satin of her panties and she couldn’t prevent a soft moan from slipping out.

“Do you like that?”

“Yes.” And she was wet to prove it if he cared to investigate that.

He did. Elec pulled her panties down to her knees and used his fingers to spread her folds. Tamara wanted to feel embarrassment, wanted to tell him that he really should stop, but she couldn’t work up any sort of protest. Especially not when his tongue slid over her, again and again and again until she was spreading her legs wider, clutching at his hair with eyes half closed, and drowning in the wave after wave of tight hot pleasure he was creating.

Who the hell was she kidding? There was no putting the brakes on. She wasn’t feeling worried or regretful or inhibited in the least. She wanted his mouth on her, she wanted him inside her, and she wanted it right now, rough and racy and raw.

“More,” she said, yanking her skirt up so she could see him better. The fabric was blocking her view and she wanted to see his tongue dipping inside her, wanted to see his dark eyes clouded with desire.

“More what?”

Tamara wasn’t sure what he meant, but damned if he hadn’t stopped touching her to look up at her, and that just wasn’t allowed. “More,
please
?” she said, thinking he was teasing her for being bossy.

But Elec just laughed softly, his breath tickling her thighs. “No, I meant what do you want more of? More of me licking you, or by more, are you saying you want me inside you? But I like the way you said that so politely. You really are a lady, you know. The kind my momma would like.”

She didn’t think there was anything particularly ladylike about being pressed against the vanity in a friend’s apartment with a man’s head in her crotch while she held her skirt up for him. “Somehow I doubt your momma would agree if she saw us right now.”

“Well, I’m just going to say how grateful I am she isn’t here. But you still haven’t answered the question.”

And all this talking wasn’t getting her what she wanted. She wasn’t sure if she had the courage to say it out loud, but she bit her lip when he gave a soft, teasing flick across her clitoris. She could say it after all. “More of you licking me.”

Elec murmured into her thighs, “You got it, gorgeous.”

He started doing the most amazing and delicious things to her, dipping inside her and stroking up and down, slow, then fast, until she lost the ability to speak or think or do anything other than moan in encouragement. When he sucked her clitoris softly, a finger inside her, she came, bucking forward, clamping her lips shut to hold back a sharp cry.

It was good and long and intense, her entire body shuddering in ecstasy. When she was finished, and she’d forced her eyes to refocus, Tamara loosened her grip on Elec’s poor maligned hair and struggled to catch her breath.

“Good?” he asked.

“Oh, yes.”

Elec stood up and yanked open the medicine cabinet. “Condoms.” His movements were so jerky that he dropped two boxes of condoms into the sink and knocked Ryder’s dental floss onto the counter. Tamara wanted to help, but she needed all of her strength to stay standing. Elec got a condom out and his pants unzipped while she felt her panties slide all the way to her ankles, giving in to gravity as she pulled her legs slightly together.