TamingTai (3 page)

“Hold up there, bass-man. Why you making dates with my
girl?” Beau drawled as he strode into the room.

Awesome. Just what he needed to round out the day. It was
about to become a literal pity party.

“Sorry, pal. The lady already agreed to go out with me,
right, Gigi?”

Unshed tears made her eyes shiny as she nodded.

“Hey, you okay?” Beau murmured as he got closer.

“Not really,” she croaked.

Oh Jesus, not the waterworks.
“Come on, Gi. It’s all
right. I’m good. It was a long time ago.”

“I’m s-s-so s-s-sorry you had to go through that. I can’t
believe I felt sorry for her for a minute. Bitch.” She plucked a tissue from
the coffee table and blew her nose so hard, it honked.

“What the hell is going on with you?” Beau asked as he
hauled Gigi into his arms. “And what did you do to my fiancée?”

“It’s okay,” she mumbled into his chest. “Tai didn’t make me
cry. Well, he did, but not on purpose,” she amended quickly, then sucked in a
shuddering breath.

“Someone better start explaining why one of you is crying
and the other looks like someone stole your motorcycle or something.”

“Tai’s ex-girlfriend came to the show tonight. She was here
when I came in.”

“She’s not really an ex-girlfriend. She was a friend. You
know, the ‘super secret’ kind, where you only hang out when no one else is
around to witness it? Believe me, I wouldn’t have been considered boyfriend
material in the Reilly household.” The bitterness he’d tried so hard to mask
came through crystal clear in his tone and he cringed.

He bit off another chunk of apple then lobbed the rest into
the garbage can where it landed with a
thunk
.

“Good for two,” Beau said, offering up his fist for a bump.

Tai obliged him and stood. “I hate to break up this party,
but Gigi can fill you in on the rest if you’re interested. I’m beat and I want
to get a run in tomorrow early before it starts to rain again.”

He’d made it halfway down the hall before Gigi’s voice
stopped him. “You might be able to put
me
off for a while, but what are
you going to do about her?”

“There’s nothing to do. She wanted to get something
off her chest, get some sort of closure or something, and she got it.” Maybe
not the way she’d hoped, but he’d definitely closed that shit down, quick.
“Yeah, we won’t be seeing Christa Reilly again.”

Christa rifled through her suitcase with shaking hands. Her
life was now in total shambles, her future about as clear as coffee, but she
knew one thing for certain. She was definitely going to see Tai-Nan again. And soon,
if she had any say in the matter.

She thought back to the night before and wanted to scream.
With joy at having seen him again, with pain at the fury in his eyes, with
grief at the sadness. No matter that she hadn’t slept a wink, or that her whole
body ached from the fall. She felt alive again, in a way she hadn’t felt in ten
years. Since Tai.

She bypassed the neatly folded garment bags filled with
crisp suits, instead pulling out a soft, peach sweater and laying it on the
bed. There was no need to dress up now that she’d taken a leave of absence from
her position as Marketing VP. She winced, wondering if her father had heard the
news from one of his cronies yet. Apparently not, because he would have called
to ream her out by now. He was going to flip.

She poked around for some sadness and found none. She’d
never loved the job anyway, and had been biding her time, taking myriad classes
at night to try to discover her true passion. With enough money socked away
from investments and her stock in Reillytech, there was no need for her to work
there. She’d done it to please the family and fill her days. Now that she’d
finally found Tai, she wouldn’t be able to focus on anything until they had a
chance to really talk. She’d also realized some time ago that there was no
pleasing her family, short of letting them live her life for her. She needed to
cut the cord and there was no time like the present. Ideally, this leave of
absence would roll seamlessly into a resignation.

Her cell phone buzzed and she plucked it from the bedside
table, heart pounding as the familiar number lit up the screen.

“Hey, Mitch, what did you find out?”

“I’m doing well, and you?” he drawled, sarcasm thick in his
tone.

“Sorry. I’m just a little frazzled. How are you?” Christa
drummed her fingers against the phone, calling on her last vestiges of
patience. Usually her college friend’s dry humor made her laugh, but today it
made her want to shake him.

“Fine. And sorry, I can tell you’re not in the mood, so I’ll
get right to it. Tai-Nan Jose Rivera, age twenty-seven. Changed his name to Tai
Liu about eight years ago, which was probably why we couldn’t find him the last
time we looked. Liu is his mother’s maiden name. Apparently, he changed it back
to Rivera the year before last after being reunited with his paternal
grandmother. They’re very close now, he flies to Puerto Rico at least three
times a year to visit her and also pays her rent. His father Manuel is serving
fifteen years in Cook County Jail for a laundry list of repeat offenses including
battery and armed robbery.”

Christa slumped forward, clutching the phone tight in her
suddenly sweat-slicked palm. “He was a real winner when we were young too.
Sending Tai letters once every few months, making promises he never kept. I
knew he was a deadbeat, but this…”

Her throat ached at the memory of Tai’s tough-guy front when
his dad blew off yet another milestone event. No wonder he changed his name.
That explained so much. And the love of his grandmother convinced him to change
it back. That was Tai, leading with his heart. She swallowed a sob.

“What else? Tell me what else.”

“Well, with the new info on the names, we’ve managed to fill
in a lot of holes but there’s still a big blank stretch between the ages of
seventeen and nineteen. It’s like he was just totally off the grid those two
years. I spoke to a buddy of mine and his records are still sealed. We’ll have
to grease some palms but he’s going to poke around and see what he can come up
with as far as where he was and where he might have went after juvie.”

Father had told her that Tai would do six months max,
especially considering the statement she’d given. A slap on the wrist and a
stay at juvie for a first-time offender. The six months had come and gone, and
he’d never come back to town. She’d been looking for him ever since, with no
luck.

The shuffle of papers echoed over the line. “Put himself
through music school,” Mitch continued. “Then went on to become a studio bass
player, sitting in with some pretty big names. Last year he signed up with Hank
Lemon and the Law. Never married and no co-habs that I can see, except his mom.
Looks like he just bought a house a few blocks from hers in Maryland. He seems
to be her sole source of financial support as well. You know the rest.”

She heard the rest, but one part continued to ring in her
ears long after it was said.
Never married.
Neither had she, although
she couldn’t even hope his reasoning was the same as hers. She’d just never
found someone who could compare to him.

“As soon as I hear back from my guy with the connection at
the precinct, I’ll get back to you. He’s on vacation until Wednesday, so don’t
start bugging me about it until at least next week.”

“I really appreciate it, Mitch.”

She pressed the end button and tossed the phone on the bed.
The fear of further rejection that had kept her up all night and in her hotel
room all day melted under the burning need to learn the truth. If she had any
say at all, she was going to know what happened to Tai after that terrible
night long before Mitch called her back. She was going straight to the source.

* * * * *

“Everyone say cheese!”

Tai complied, forcing a smile. The pounding headache that
had started between his eyes was making its way over the top of his head and
heading down his neck. The young woman behind the camera gave them a thumbs-up
and the band broke their friendly embrace.

“Thanks so much for doing that, you guys. This is a birthday
I’ll never forget!”

She and her friend ran off giggling as the next group in
line stepped up. Tai swallowed a groan. The buxom blonde eyed him as if he were
the last life vest on a sinking ship, an almost desperate need pouring off her.
Although he wasn’t into it, usually this kind of thing didn’t bother him. He
knew how it was to be a fan. Hell, there was a time he would have given an arm
to get this close to one of his favorite musicians. Still, this woman seemed to
have much more than music on her mind and he was working on no sleep. Not a
good combo.

Quinn caught his eye and raised a brow. He held up his index
finger then ran it across his throat. One more photo and he was out of there.
She nodded.

“Can I just take mine alone with Tai?”

It wasn’t an uncommon request, and the rest of the band
melted away, Beau giving him a shit-eating grin.

Tai held out his arm and she snuggled under it, handing
Quinn her camera.

“Say Cincinnati rocks!”

Tai just smiled as the blonde followed Quinn’s directive
with gusto, adding on a “Whoohoo!” and breast bounce for good measure.

“Thanks for coming to the show,” he said, pulling away. She
kept her arm locked around his waist and gazed up at him with adoring brown
eyes.

“You’re going to be here for another night, right?” she
asked hopefully.

“Yeah. We’re playing at Simmon’s Theater tomorrow.”

“My friends and I are going to try to find tickets. Maybe
afterward…” She licked her lips and gave him a flirty smile.

“We’re leaving right after the show.”

“What about tonight?”

“I’m pretty tired, and—”

“Hey, didn’t you say we were all going to Moody’s for a beer
tonight?” Beau cut in, his eyes twinkling with repressed laughter.

“Yeah, after we hose off we might stop by there. No
guarantees,” he warned as her face shone with excitement.

Shit, maybe Beau was right. He’d been on him for almost a
year now to start taking advantage of the bounties fame had to offer. The
thought had never appealed to him, until the driving need to fuck had come
roaring back with the baffling appearance of Christa Reilly last night. Sure,
there had been a few affairs over the past ten years, but they were fleeting and
unfulfilling. He had serious trust issues. So far no woman had managed to
surmount them. Grueling workouts, a nimble right hand and some good
old-fashioned porn had gotten him through the rest of the time.

Then Christa showed up, and ever since, despite his roiling
emotions, he was a walking hard-on. When he wasn’t jerking off thinking about
her, he was picturing fucking her. Hell, he even fucked her in his dreams. The
softness of her skin, the sweetness of her breath, those lean, supple thighs.
Her very essence surrounded him like an intangible mist. He literally could not
escape it. Maybe a nice hard lay would do the trick.

He gazed down at the woman on his arm and nodded. “Yeah, I’m
thinking a beer sounds really good right now.”

She beamed at him. “Awesome. We’ll see you there. My friend
Maya will be with me too. My name’s Anya, by the way. Don’t forget it.” She
leaned into him, pressing her impressive rack against his chest. “Or me.” She
bounced up to her tiptoes and bussed him lightly on the mouth before rushing
off to find her friend.

Beau let out a low whistle. “She’s a looker, Tai. Don’t let
me down, bro.”

Gigi elbowed him in the ribs and he grunted.

“Hey, I’m not saying
I
like looking at her, I just
want to see my man get some action. Girl, you know I got all the action I can
handle,” he murmured and bent low to kiss her.

The hand that had started off pushing him away suddenly
curled into his shirt as she melted into him. Tai looked away. The biggest part
of him was happy for his two friends. They made such a great couple, and were
obviously madly in love. But a small, bitter piece of him, lodged in the place
where his heart had been, wanted to punch something. He would never have what
Gigi and Beau had because Christa had broken something inside of him. And the
woman with the power to fix it just didn’t exist. Period, end of story.

When Beau finally came up for air, he called over to Quinn
and Rex who were chatting with the crew about lighting for the next show.

“You two lame-o’s coming with us or what?”

“We’re going to check and see if the baby is awake first. If
not, we’ll swing by for one beer.”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “
If
she’s awake? Babe, you go
in and rub her back until she wakes up half the time.”

“Wow. That’s a pretty harsh accusation,” Rex said, feigning
hurt.

“But you’re not denying it because you know it’s the truth.”

“Is it my fault she knows her daddy’s touch and wakes up
because she wants to spend some time with me?”

Quinn shook her head and chuckled at her husband. If
Beau and Gigi were tough to watch, Rex, Quinn and baby Rosie were even worse.
They were everything Tai had ever wanted in a family growing up, and still
yearned for as a man. He couldn’t even conceive of having a father who would
forgo a beer so he could stand over his daughter’s crib just to be near her.
And Quinn was amazing. She’d been prepared to walk away from her dream, her
life’s work, if she hadn’t found the perfect nanny to bring on tour with them.
That’s exactly the kind of parent he would have been if he’d ever found the
right woman, but some things weren’t meant to be.

Yeah, it was definitely time for that beer.

The toilet in the stall next to hers flushed for the eighth
time and Christa grimaced. She’d been hiding in the bathroom for the past
twenty minutes like some kind of fugitive because she couldn’t muster the guts
to go out there and risk Tai’s rejection. Again. The pain was still fresh from
the night before. She’d never forget that icy look in his eyes. Even now it
twisted her up inside. If she went out there and he looked at her like that
again it would crush her. But he’d risked far worse for her and if that was
what he felt he needed to do, so be it.

She drew in a deep breath and opened the stall door to the
now-empty restroom. The bar had been pretty slow since she’d arrived right
after the concert. She’d managed to score some last-minute scalped tickets to
see the show, but they’d been crummy seats. Not that she minded. It gave her
two blissful hours to watch Tai do what he loved. Watch his eyes close as he
lost himself in the music. See his beaming smile as he interacted with his
band-mates, toes tapping, hips twitching to the beat. It was as if all his
cares melted away.

Those two hours could’ve carried her through until
tomorrow’s concert, where she’d managed to get floor seats and hopefully have
the chance to talk to him again. But fate, that fickle wench, had stepped in
for the home team this time and she wasn’t going to have to wait after all. Tai
and the rest of the band were coming to Moody’s. If she played her cards right,
she might be able to try to talk to him tonight.

She’d planned to give herself a week. One week of going to
shows, just letting him know she was there. That it wasn’t a whim and she
wasn’t giving up so easily. This time. If he still wouldn’t talk to her, then
she’d leave knowing she’d done everything she could. Because if there was one
thing she couldn’t abide anymore it was living with regret.

She took a quick look in the mirror, wincing at the pale
face and haunted eyes that stared back at her. That wouldn’t do at all. She
pulled out her makeup bag and swiped a fat blush brush over the apples of her
cheeks. After a quick check to make sure she didn’t have any lettuce in her
teeth, she slicked peach gloss over her lips. With a fluff of her hair, and
smoothing hand over her sweater, she headed to the door. She stepped into the
main bar area and scanned the stools and tables. No Tai yet, or any of the band
members, for that matter.

A flash of white-blonde hair caught her eye. What had her
friend called her? Anya, that was it. She’d overheard them chattering in the
parking lot after the show about meeting the band here.

Christa watched as the other woman adjusted her cleavage
while ordering a drink and her heart sank a little. Was that the type of woman
Tai was attracted to now? She sent a pitying glance to her own modest cleavage.
Decidedly lacking. A surge of envy pulsed through her before she was able to
stop it. Big boobs weren’t the be-all end-all, right? Too bad she also had on a
super sexy mini-dress that showed off a mile of leg and a spectacular bottom to
go along with it.

Christa turned away with a groan. What had she been
thinking, wearing jeans and a sweater? She’d been going for soft and
approachable and instead ended up looking as if she should be in the carpool
line at an elementary school.

She smoothed her sweater again and made her way to the
opposite side of the bar. Maybe she couldn’t change her clothes but there was
no point in setting up a side-by-side comparison shot either. It was a race she
just didn’t have enough horse to win. Hopefully her history with Tai would give
her some leverage to at least get his attention for a few minutes so she could
say what she needed to say.

“Help you?” The slim, bald bartender approached. Beads of
sweat clung to his forehead, and he gave her a rushed smile.

There were only thirty or forty people in the place, but he
seemed to be on his own. “Just a glass of Merlot, thanks.”

As he strode off to get her drink, she kept her eyes locked
on the door. Not thirty seconds later, almost as if she’d conjured him, Tai
stepped into the frame. The breath whooshed out of her as she took in the
sight. He’d changed from his stage clothes into a white button-down shirt left
untucked, which still managed to cling lovingly to his lean muscles, paired
with faded, much-loved jeans. His black hair was damp from the shower and a
bolt of lust hit her right between the thighs.

She swallowed hard and tore her gaze away as the bartender
returned with her drink.

“Cash or you want to start a tab?”

The ten-dollar bill she’d been holding was crinkled and a
little moist as she handed it over with an apologetic smile.

“Keep the change.”

She swiped her damp palms on her jeans and took a long sip
of her wine. If seeing Tai from across the room made her this nervous, how the
hell was she going to have a conversation with him?
Get a hold of yourself,
girl.

Before she had the chance to obey her own command, a
squeal cracked the air.

“You made it. Whoohoo!”

Christa didn’t need to look to know it was Anya yelping, but
she did anyway. Tai stood next to Anya’s stool and was giving her a melt-worthy
grin. “I said we’d come out for one, didn’t I?”

Gigi closed in behind him. “Hi, again,” she said with a
tolerant smile at Anya and her friend.

The women barely acknowledged Gigi with a quick nod, then
both focused their attention and their breasts back toward Tai. “So where’s
Beau? And is Rex coming too?”

Tai started to speak, but Gigi cut in. “Beau, my fiancé, is
outside taking a photo with one of the bouncers and Rex is with his wife
checking on their baby.” Every word was delivered with a smile, but her tone
was dead serious.

“Hey, girl,” Beau called to Gigi as he approached, wrapping
his big arms around her from behind. “You getting cranky without your big daddy
already?”

Christa bit back a smile as Gigi rolled her eyes while
simultaneously flushing with pleasure. Christa had liked Gigi the second they’d
met, and Beau’s warmth and buttery Southern charm had practically oozed off the
stage. It was a delight to get to watch them together. If she ever found that
combination of genuine like for someone along with the passion they obviously
felt for each other, she’d hold on tight and never let go. She’d had it once…or
at least she thought so.

“Who wants to do some body shots?” Anya squealed, her eyes
locked on Tai.

Tai shook his head. “Show tomorrow, so I’m just here for a
beer. Sorry, babe.”

His endearment made the wine in Christa’s mouth go sour and
she turned away. Clearly, this was more than just a couple of groupies
following the band. She’d stepped right in the middle of a planned hookup, or
worse, some kind of weird date, and there was no way she was going to put
herself through the torture of watching it to its inevitable conclusion.

“What about you, Maya? Wanna show Tai how to do a body
shot?”

Oh lovely. Now they were going to crank up some girl-on-girl
action to try to lure him in.

Make up your mind. It’s go big or go home, Christa.

She’d flown to Cincinnati for two reasons. To try to find
out what had happened to Tai that night so many years ago, and to see if there
was any chance that he might give her another shot. She’d let her father keep
her from him then, and had spent the next ten years regretting it. She was a grown
woman now.

She squared her shoulders and pushed off the stool.

No regrets.

“Hey.” A soft voice broke into the conversation and Tai
closed his eyes. His mind must have been playing tricks on him, because there
was no way—

“Hello, Christa.” Gigi’s voice could’ve given a polar bear
frostbite as she took a protective step closer to him.

His heart knocked against his chest and he turned away from
Anya to face Christa. She was looking up at him, her big blue eyes already
sucking his soul out by inches.

“What are you doing here?” he growled.

“I-I came to see you.” She sank her teeth into her lower lip
then looked away. “I just want to talk to you for a second, Tai.”

Short of making a scene and confirming to her and everyone
else there just how much she affected him, did he really have a choice in the
matter? That didn’t mean he had to make it easy on her, though.

“Yeah, no problem. What’s up?”

She flicked a glance at the four other people surrounding
them, then locked her gaze on him again. He raised a challenging brow.

“Alone,” she said with a defiant lift of her chin.

That was the Christa he knew. Fearless, confident and used
to people doing her bidding. Too bad those days were over. “Is there a reason
we can’t talk here? We’re among friends. Well, I am, at least.”

Anya leaned into him and whispered loudly into his ear. “Is
this chick like some kind of stalker or something? She looks like a
schoolteacher.”

Christa’s cheeks bloomed with fiery color and it was obvious
that she, along with everyone else in the immediate vicinity, had heard the
insult. An irrational blast of annoyance surged through him. Anya was wrong on
one count, Christa didn’t look like any teacher he’d ever seen. The peach
sweater she wore skimmed over her elegant frame the way his hands itched to,
the gentle swell of her breast beckoning him to reach out and trace it with one
finger. His throat worked as he struggled to swallow.

Before he could form a response, Christa bared her teeth at
the other woman in some semblance of a smile. “Nope, but we do know each other
from school. We go way back, don’t we, Tai? He was the first boy I ever
kissed,” she said with a conspiratorial wink at Anya.

Anya rolled her eyes.

“So what do you say?” Christa’s tone was light but her eyes
were locked on his, intense…searching. “Can I have a minute alone with you, for
old time’s sake?”

He shrugged and dug around for a nonchalant grin. “Why not?”
The bartender chose that moment to set a beer in front of him and he scooped it
up before facing Christa again. “Where to?”

“Are you sure about this, Tai?” Gigi caught his gaze and
held it for a long moment.

“Absolutely. Nothing wrong with a quick chat with an old
friend, right?”

She didn’t look convinced, but she backed away with one last
hard look at Christa. “We’re going to the game room to shoot some pool. Come
back and join us when you’re done.”

“We are?” Beau drawled, then caught Gigi’s pointed glare.
“That’s right. We’ll be back there. Shooting some pool.”

Gigi grabbed his hand and pulled him across the room.

“What about us?” Anya grumbled, running a hand over his
chest with a pout.

“No worries, ladies, I’ll be back in just a few. Don’t go
anywhere.”

“We won’t,” they chimed together and broke into a fit of
giggles. The tinny sound almost made him cringe but he refrained. Better
Christa thought he was into her. It would be easier that way.

Christa led him away from the bar toward a booth in the
back. He tried to ignore the sway of her hips, but failed miserably. Like a
charmed snake, he was mesmerized.

“Make sure she doesn’t try to boil your bunny,” Maya called
from across the room as the two women chuckled some more and gave each other a
fist-bump.

It was rude and immature, but it effectively distracted him
from Christa’s ass, breaking the spell he’d been under, and he was so down with
that.

Christa ignored them entirely as she reached the booth and
slid in. “New friends?” she asked, her face unreadable as he took a seat across
from her.

“Something like that. Listen, I thought we kind of did this
the other night. The whole reunion thing. What are you doing here?”

Her confidence seemed to waver in the face of his bluntness
and her composure slipped. For a split second, she looked seventeen again.
Vulnerable, scared but determined…just like the night they’d made love. He took
a long pull from his beer. Now was not the time to remember being with her that
way. Pressing between those sleek thighs, her breathy cries slaying him even as
her sweet kisses resurrected him.

“God damn it, answer me,” he demanded, slapping a hand on
the table between them.

To her credit, she didn’t bat an eye. “I have things I need
to say. Things I want to know. I’d like to go somewhere a little quieter but I
see you’re,” she gestured to the bar where Anya sat, glaring at them, “busy
right now, but maybe after you finish your beer and you’re ready to go, you’ll
let me take you out for a late-night breakfast or something?”

She must have sensed his impending refusal, because she
covered his hand with her own. “Please.”

He forced himself to stay still. To stop from jerking away,
or worse, returning her caress. “And if I say no?”

“Then I’ll ask you again when we get to Richmond. And again
in Memphis. I’m not going another ten years like this, ruled by regret, armed
with only assumptions and hearsay. I’ve finally found you again and I’m not
just going to walk away. Not until we talk some things through.”

He stared at her hard. “So you mean you actually
are
going to stalk me.” Why her persistence warmed the icy cavern in his chest just
a little, he couldn’t say, but whatever the reason, he didn’t like the
sensation one fucking bit. She thought she still wanted a piece of him? Time to
call her bluff. “Fine, you want to do this? Let’s get it over with. I’m not
having you cramp my style the whole rest of this tour. Where are you staying?”

Her eyes flashed with hurt, but she swallowed hard and said,
“The Flanders All-Suites Hotel. Room six-oh-eight.”

“Fine,” he said with a curt nod. “I’m going to have
another beer, then I’ll meet you there.” He stood, preparing to leave, then
turned to face her as if it was an afterthought. “Of course, if you expect me
to cut my date short, I still expect to get laid. I mean, it’s only fair,
right? So can I assume that, after our heart-to-heart, you’re going to fuck me?
You know, for old time’s sake.”