Secret Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 5) (10 page)

Instead, he just looked at the picture, really
looked
at the woman that he loved. When he glanced up at her, he saw the worry on her face, and he shook his head.

“Is this what you were trying to get back to?” Curtis said. “This is what you wanted to be again?”

“Yes.”

“Why, baby?” He made sure the question wasn’t an accusation or attack, but he heard the sadness and confusion in his own voice. “You look so stressed and miserable here. Why’d you want to go back to this?”

“Because this was the only time in my life that things ever made sense to me. When I was this weight and in this place, I had routine and predictability… I had a profession and money and a boyfriend, and I was totally in control of everything, all the time. I was – I
thought
I was happy. But what I see now is that being in control isn’t being happy… not when it hurts you.”

“OK.” Curtis set the picture down. “So it represented things that you wanted and needed badly. Control. Predictability. Being settled and belonging somewhere. Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I get that. But what does it mean to you now?”

She stared at herself in the photo. “Fear.”

“Of what? What were you so damn afraid of?”

“Everything. Of – living.”

“So why do you hang on to it?”

She shook her head slowly, her blonde hair glowing bright in the weak winter sun. “I have no idea. Not anymore.”

“Tessa. Look at me.”

She did, and he saw that she was near tears again. God, she was so fragile right now, and not just physically, and that knowledge made Curtis even more gentle than he already was.

“You have to let all this history go, baby. You know that, right?”

Tessa nodded.

“You want me to help you with that?”

Her beautiful eyes widened. “You – you’d do that? You’d help?”

“You thought I wouldn’t?”

“I didn’t think about it at all.” She gave him a small smile. “I’m still only really thinking about numbers on a scale. My focus is kind of… ummm…. limited.”

“Well,
I
thought about it,” he growled. “It’s
all
I’ve thought about for months, how the hell to help you. It’s all I want to
do
, baby, and I’ll do whatever the hell you need.”

“Curtis,” she said, her voice breaking. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“You got that backwards,” he said, signaling for the check. “I’m fighting like hell to deserve
you
, Tessa, and I’m not gonna stop trying. Now…” He stood up, extended his large hand to her, palm-up. An idea came to him at this moment, and he wondered if he’d be able to convince her to go along with it, decided to give it a shot. “We’ve both got the day off today and tomorrow, so we’re going back to my place.”

“Your place?” she whispered, taking his hand. He pulled her to her feet easily. “What are we going to do at your place?”

“You’ll see when we get there.” He left some cash on the table, then held her coat for her. “Oh, by the way? We’re going to stop by the grocery store. I need a few things.”

“OK,” she said, clutching his hand as they headed for the exit. “No problem.”

Curtis held the door for her, then looked back at the table, his heart in his throat. He was
sure
that she’d left it there, but he hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about it in case he was wrong. He needn’t have worried, though. She’d made her choice, and she’d chosen well.

The photo of Tessa was folded up, still on the table. He smiled.

Message received, baby, loud and clear. You want to let all that go – and I’m the man to help you do that. Just trust me
.

Chapter Nine

Curtis unlocked his apartment door, and paused.

“Tessa?”

“Yeah?”

“My place – it’s not very nice.”

She peered up at his face. “OK.”

“No, I mean it. It’s small, and it’s kind of ugly.”

“OK,” she repeated.

“OK.” He sighed and swung the door open, grateful that at least he was a neat-freak by nature, and so didn’t have to dash around picking up socks and underwear off the floor. “Come on in. Make yourself at home.”

Tessa stepped in, and looked around. She smiled. Curtis was being hard on his home, she saw immediately. Alright, it wasn’t the biggest apartment on the planet, that was for sure. And it was pretty sparse in terms of décor, with some basic furniture, a few prints on the walls, and lots of books. But it had good light, and there was a view of the Rockies from his living room, and his kitchen was open-plan and gleaming.

She turned to look at him, saw the anxiety on his face.

“It’s not much,” he said. “I mean, it’s just me here.”

“I love it,” she told him.

“You do?” Curtis looked around, wondering if they were looking at the same place. “How
can
you?”

“Because
you
live here, babe,” she said. “And I love you.”

His eyes sparked at the endearment. God, he loved how it sounded coming out of her sweet, sexy mouth.

“Say that again,” he said, his voice low.

Tessa smiled, knowing exactly what he was asking for. “Babe.”

“And the other part?”

“I love you.”

“Fuck, baby.” He wrapped his arms around her, loving how she slipped right on in to his body, like a puzzle piece just sliding in to place. “I love you, too.”

“I know,” she said. “I can feel it.”

“I sure as hell hope so.” He lowered his lips to her forehead, and mouthed a gentle kiss on her soft skin, loving her pure, clean scent. Reluctantly, he released her, helped her take off her coat. “Sit, Tessa. You want some tea?”

“No, thanks.” She watched him take off his own coat, and carry the two bags of groceries to the kitchen. “You want some help with putting the food away?”

“Nuh-uh.” He shook his head. “I’m not putting it away.”

“No?” She wandered over to the sofa, and relaxed on to it.

“Nope.”

“So… what are you doing with it?”

Curtis leaned back against the kitchen counter. “I’m going to blindfold you and feed it to you.”

Tessa almost fell off the damn sofa. “You –
what
?”

“I’m going to sit you here on the kitchen floor blindfolded, and I’m going to feed you by hand.”

“Oh, my God.” Tessa burst out laughing.

“What?” Curtis said, grinning back at her. “What’s funny?”

“It’s just…” She giggled. “I think I saw this in a movie once.”

“Baby,
everyone
saw this in a movie once.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“So.” He cocked his head at her. “We gonna do this, or what?”

She stopped laughing now, seeing how totally serious he actually was.

“Uh.” She flushed. “You mean it? Like, you’re going to blindfold me with a tie and feed me?”

“Nope.”

Relief flooded over her, but only for a few seconds.

“I’m not going to blindfold you with a tie, ‘cause I’m not a tie kind of guy, and I ain’t
got
a tie.” Curtis held her eyes. “I’ll blindfold you with my scarf.”

“You – what?” she whispered.

“You heard me.” He crossed those huge arms now, and she looked at him, transfixed and terrified. “You heard me as clear as day.”

Tessa blinked. She didn’t have the first goddamn inkling what to say to
any
of this, so she just sat and stared at him. Curtis saw the uncertainty on her face, and he waited. He wanted her to think it over without him pushing, and decide how far she was willing and able to go.

“You – you…” She faltered and fell silent. He waited some more. “You’re going to
feed
me?”

“Yep.”

“By hand?”

“Mmmm-hmmm.”

“On the floor?” She choked out the next word. “
Blindfolded
?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, my God.” Her voice was hushed now. “You’re serious?”

“You
know
it, baby.”

“But –” She stuttered to a stop again. “But why?”

“I’m going to help you learn to enjoy the taste of food, Tessa.”

“You….” She shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. “Really?”

“Yes.” He gave her a slow smile, and her stomach tightened up. “Really.”

Tessa opened her mouth to say
really?
yet again, then shut it. They’d been in a conversational loop for almost a full minute now, and Curtis’ answers remained unchanged. He wanted to do this, and she had to decide if she wanted to, too.

Oh, Lord. Who was she kidding? Of
course
she did. The thought of being close to Curtis in this way – while vulnerable and supplicant, her mouth open and her eyes covered – was turning her on. Big-time. Her pussy was actually
fluttering
, her clit was pulsing and throbbing. Tessa had never been so aware of her sex before… and now it was literally the
only
thing that she could think about.

Curtis saw it in her face, and his cock jumped to attention. Was she going to agree to this? If she did, it said a lot about how she felt about him. If she let him do this, it meant that she was starting to trust him, and right now, that was
all
that Curtis wanted from her. If he got that, he’d wait for everything else.

“OK,” she said softly. “I – I’ll try.”

“Come over here, baby.”

She got to her feet, slowly walked to him. He opened his arms and gathered her close, then cupped her sweet face in his huge hands, holding her eyes.

“I love you,” he said. “You know I won’t take advantage of you, right?”

“Right,” she whispered.

“Sit down.”

Her legs weak and shaking, she sank to the floor, leaned against the kitchen cupboards. She watched him go over to the door, grab his scarf from his coat pocket. He approached her, so large and muscular, and she swallowed hard.

Curtis knelt down in front of her, and stroked her cheek. “You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

The scarf came towards her now, and she shut her eyes. Curtis tied it around her head, adjusted it a bit.

“Alright?” he asked. “Too tight?”

Right away, she noticed how
different
he sounded. She’d always found Curtis’ voice sexy as all-hell, but listening to it in the dark was an entirely new experience. It was low and husky and rough – and beneath his words, she heard his molten, simmering desire.

Desire for me.

“No, not too tight,” she said now, her voice constricted. “I’m OK.”

“So you relax for a minute, then.” She heard him stand up, and move to the kitchen island. “Let me grab a few things.”

Tessa nodded. Feeling oddly exposed, she pulled her legs to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, rested her chin on her knees. She listened intently as plastic bags rustled, objects clinked and thudded on the counter, and he cut something in to pieces. She tried to remember what Curtis had bought at the grocery store, but it had been a bewildering selection. All she recalled off-hand were lemons, croissants, carrots, and butterscotch chips.

She heard bowls and plates being set on the floor around her now, and she tensed up a bit. In her disorientation about being sightless, she’d completely missed the fact that she’d actually be
eating
. And based on what she knew he’d bought, Curtis would be feeding her several things loaded with sugar, carbs and fat. Suddenly afraid of the calorie-bonanza coming her way, she felt her breath catch.

Curtis heard it and in a flash, he was kneeling in front of her again, his hands on her shoulders.

“Tessa? What’s going on?”

“I’m just –” She fought to stay calm. “I’m talking myself out of panicking.”

She sensed his stillness. “You about to panic?”

“I don’t know.” She gulped. “I don’t
want
to.”

“Talk to me, then. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

She concentrated on his voice, on his hands, on his body so close to hers. “I’m worried about eating too many calories, all at once.”

“OK.” He stroked her hair, and she leaned in to his touch. “What else?”

“Uh.” She considered. “That’s it, actually.”

“That’s the truth?”

“Yes.”

“So then you have nothing to worry about. Yeah, I bought some sugary things, some fatty things, but I
also
bought lots of healthy stuff. This isn’t about topping up your calorie intake – it’s about trying as many different tastes and flavors and textures as possible.”

Tessa felt her chest open up a bit. “It is?”

“Yep. I’ll give you a tiny bit of everything, and not too much of anything. I want you to just
taste
the food, Tessa. Just – just enjoy it. OK?”

She nodded again.

“Good.” He kissed the top of her head, got to his feet. “Two more minutes, baby. Hang in there.”

Feeling much better, she relaxed. And as she did, she started to think about what was going to happen here. She was going to sit, blind and defenseless, and let this giant of a man
feed
her. She was going to open up to him, let him in. She was going to take from him, take what he gave her, take without question.

She was going to trust Curtis. Really,
really
trust him.

Curtis sat down in front of Tessa slowly, giving her lots of time to know where he was. He opened his legs, tugged her between them. When she came willingly and rested her hands on his thighs, his heart jumped at her total lack of fear. He looked around them, eyed the food, and then with a grin, he picked up a peach from the fruit bowl.

“Open up, baby,” he said, holding it to her perfect mouth.

Without any hesitation at all, she did. She opened up. And Curtis’ cock hardened in his jeans as he watched those rosebud lips clamp down tentatively on the golden-pink flesh. She bit, sucked, withdrew with a smile.

“A peach,” she breathed. “I love peaches.”

He tried to focus. “How’s it taste? How’s it feel in your mouth?”

She chewed, really seemed to think about his question. “Sweet. Juicy.” Her tongue snaked out and licked her lips, and Curtis almost groaned at the sight. “Soft.”

Beating down the dirty, erotic fantasies that her words evoked in him,
and
giving himself a stern talking-to about the purpose of this little exercise, Curtis set down the peach and reached for the lemon slice. “And this?”

Obediently, she bit down on it. Her nose wrinkled in the most adorable way, and she grimaced. “Lemon!”

“Yeah, clearly.” Back in control of himself, he grinned. “How’s it taste? Feel?”

“Sour, obviously. But also… it’s stringy. Ummm.” She swallowed. “It makes the sides of my mouth tingle and water at the same time.”

“You like it?”

“I don’t know. It’s… refreshing, in a way.”

“Good, baby. You doing OK?”

“Yeah,” Tessa said. She really was, too. She was actually enjoying this, and to a surprising degree. She’d never taken the time to sample food before, to savor flavors. She was eager to see what taste or texture she’d be introduced to next, and any fear or trepidation she’d had at first was long gone.

Curtis grabbed the bar of chocolate. “Stick out your tongue.”

Playful now, she did, and he deposited a square on it carefully. She chewed, smiled a bit.

“That’s bitter. Is it chocolate?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Dark chocolate. Ninety percent cocoa.”

“Hmmmm. I’m not crazy about it. It’s kind of grainy too. Sandy.”

“Yeah?” Curtis ate a square too. “You’re right, actually. Weird that I’ve never noticed that before.”

“You should eat blindfolded.”

He laughed. “Maybe.”

“What’s next?”

And so for the next twenty minutes, Curtis fed her. Tessa sampled everything, and discovered a whole new world.

She found out that marshmallows were too damn sweet, and also unpleasantly spongy; that carrots were hard enough to hurt her teeth, and were weirdly acidic. She decided that salt-and-vinegar potato chips made her lips itch, but she liked the crunch; that cheddar cheese had a great, sharp taste, but the consistency was buttery. She declared that brown bread tasted like a damp blanket, that tuna was slimy and oily, that salsa was fiery and chunky, and that meat was a delicious combination of smoky and earthy.

Curtis had almost as much fun as she did. OK, sure, there was still a sexual element to all of this, but it had taken a backseat to her genuine enjoyment of really
tasting
food for the first time in her life. Her beautiful face was alight with excitement, and she laughed and chattered without any self-consciousness or embarrassment. Seeing her like this – relaxed, free and natural – was incredible. Curtis didn’t think he’d ever
seen
her so fucking gorgeous.

Tessa smiled up at him now. She’d totally lost any residual discomfort about wearing the blindfold, and she didn’t want this to end.

“Alright,” she said. “What else have you got?”

He grinned, sure that his girl with the sweet-tooth was going to love
this
. “One last thing.”

“OK.”

“Open up,” he said, and when she did, he gently rubbed his finger on her lower lip, then slipped it in to her mouth. Immediately, she closed her mouth around him, sucking the maple syrup off him. She was greedy and hungry, and suddenly, the sexual component was back; back in a goddamn
big
way.

Tessa felt it, too. Without even fully realizing it, her tongue started to swirl around and stroke Curtis’ finger. Her mind went straight back to the world of dirty fantasy, and her small hands came up and covered his large one. She held him in place as she began to move back and forth, sucking and pulling. She slid his finger in and out, slowly, then faster.

Without her sight, her other senses were so heightened, so hyper-aware. Tessa heard his breathing change, smelled his clean, lemony soap, felt every muscle in his legs pressing in to her sides. Curtis felt like pure, deep, wicked temptation to her, and she knew that she wasn’t even going to try to resist him. He just felt too damn
good
.