Tease Me (6 page)

He didn’t know how to answer the
question. Now that MJ and Tess started talking back and forth on
the phone, he wasn’t sure how to proceed. Part of him knew he
needed a place, and the house down the street would be perfect. But
there was a bigger part of him that didn’t want to leave Tess’
house.

“
Okay, still
looking.”

A beat of silence. And that was a bad
thing with MJ. “You know you can’t mooch off Tess forever. And
besides, she has a personal life.”

“
I know that.” Then he
realized what she said. “Wait, has she talked to you about
that?”

“
What, that you’re a
mooch? Not in detail.”

“
Her personal life. Has
she complained to you?”

“
Nope.”

Then nothing. She just let the silence
stretch. She might have been the youngest Johnson, but MJ knew just
how to control all of them. And one way was with silence. Even
knowing that, he took the bait.

“
What do you mean by
personal life?”

“
Listen, I talked to
Jesse, who told me she is gorgeous. Of course, I always knew she
would be. She was just one of those girls who needed to grow into
her looks. Now, with you there, you could be cramping her
style.”

“
Cramping her
style?”

“
Yeah. I mean, if I were
her and working on a base with a ton of military men, I know I
would probably be busy. Okay, if I hadn’t sworn off military men
like I had.”

There was some kind of talking on the
other side of the phone.

“
Of course, not now, Leo.
It’s all about you, the sex god of my dreams.”

Bran was amused and disgusted at the
same time. MJ and Leo had a relationship most people would call
just about perfect, but then those people didn’t have to hear them
be disgusting.

“
Could you two not talk
about sex while I am on the phone?”

“
Better than us having it
on the phone while you listen.”

“
Ugh, I don’t know how you
turned out the way you did.”

“
Anyway, back to your
living arrangements.”

“
I’ve been here a few
days. I looked at houses and apartments one day. We hit the beach
another day. And, Tess has been working like crazy hours since
then.”

“
Maybe you drove her
away.”

“
I didn’t drive her away.
Oh my God, you are such a pain in the ass. Stomach flu hit the
hospital staff, so she’s helping out.”

The door to the garage opened in the
kitchen and he looked over. All of a sudden, he felt the air leave
his lungs, and he felt a little off center. Tess was smiling and
she looked like she hadn’t had much sleep since he’d seen her that
morning, but…damn, she was beautiful.

Every ounce of good sense drained from
his head…along with the blood. His body reacted even if his mind
hadn’t caught up yet. Heat surged through is his veins and
everything he had been fearing seemed to fade away. There was only
one thing that mattered now and that was touching Tess.

“
I gotta go now,
MJ.”

“
Wait, I’m not done with
you—“

But he hung up the phone. “Hey. You
look beat.”

She sighed. “I am. I think I’ll strip
down, crawl into bed, and go into a coma sleep.”

His brain sputtered to a stop. Right
there, right then, he wanted her. There was no denying it now. His
body ached, his head spun. Never in his life had he wanted a
particular woman this much. It left him slightly dizzy and
confused. Over the last few days, he had denied his need for her so
many times, but right then, at that moment, he couldn’t. There was
something about Tess that tugged at his heart. It was probably a
mistake, but he didn’t think he could stop himself from taking
action. He walked over to her and slipped his arm around her waist.
In that instant, it just felt right.

She frowned. “Bran?”

“
I’ve been thinking about
this all day.”

He had been. Since he stopped by for
breakfast that morning, he’d been thinking about it. He wanted a
taste. Her mouth. Her flesh. Bran wanted to savor every bit of her
body.

The moment his mouth touched hers, she
shivered. He was enough of a man to admit that it turned him on to
know she was vulnerable to him. She moaned against him as he
pressed his body to hers.

Before he knew what was happening, she
pulled back shaking her head at him. It took him a second to
realize she was trying to disengage from him. There was a split
second where he thought about denying her that. Not allowing her to
go. Then, his common sense hit him. With much reluctance, he
allowed her to step back.

“
What’s wrong?”

She looked at him strangely, and he
didn’t blame her. Even Bran heard the arousal in his voice. It
vibrated just beneath the surface and pounded through his
veins.

She took another step back. “This
isn’t smart.”

“
I never said it was.” He
stepped towards her, closing the distance.

Tess held out her hand as if to ward
him off, but he took it in his and pulled it up to his
mouth.

“
Bran, you’re not
interested in me. You never have been.”

“
You’re wrong
there.”

She rolled those expressive green eyes
of hers, and he hid a smile as he nibbled on her
fingers.

“
I’m not wrong, Bran. I’ve
never been your kind of woman.”

He heard the doubt in her voice and
was stunned. This woman had always seemed so confident, so sure of
herself. But in this, she seemed…at a loss. She apparently didn’t
know how stunning her found her. That she was gorgeous inside and
out.

He guessed it was time to reveal that
little secret of his.

“
Do you remember
graduation?”

“
Yes, it rained, we had it
inside. It was hot as hell.”

“
Not high school.
Annapolis.”

She frowned in thought, then
nodded.

“
You were so excited that
you came running up to me and hugged me. Do you remember
that?”

She sighed. “Of course I do. It wasn’t
that long ago. I don’t know what this has to do with the fact that
you’re gnawing on my fingers.”

“
Then you kissed me. On
the mouth. You’d never done that before.”

Anyone watching would have seen a calm
woman, but Bran knew better. He was holding her hand and his
fingers skimmed over her pulse. It sped up a beat or two. Bran was
enough of a competitor to admit he enjoyed that.

She cleared her throat apparently
trying to compose herself. “And?”

He nibbled a little longer, taking his
time. He knew it was small of him, but he was enjoying her
discomfort. “There’s a reason I avoided you for a few months. For a
second there, I almost lost it.”

Now she looked very wary. “Bran if you
want me to believe—”

Irritated with her, and the fact that
he was dying to touch more than just her hand, he interrupted
her.

“
I am not lying. You
kissed me. It lasted a second and the only thing I could think was
that I wanted more.”

Her eyes widened and she shook her
head.

He nodded. “Thoughts of tearing off
your clothes and kissing every inch of your body took over. Then,
all the family came up and well, I felt perverted because the rest
of the night I wondered what you looked like under your
uniform.”

“
You ran off with Jimmy
and the rest of those idiots that night.”

“
And I came back to the
hotel without them. I couldn’t get you out of my mind. Then, you
were gone and we were both busy. It all hit me when I saw you the
other day.”

“
Bran.”

“
It’s true. I want you.
And I could tell from that kiss, you want me. Why does it have to
be any harder than that?”

“
Our families,
our…careers.”

“
And you date other
Marines. Unless there is something wrong with me.”

“
There’s nothing wrong
with you.”

The way she said it was as if she was
irritated with him for it.

“
Hey, I won’t push you,
but tell me…can you really say you don’t want this?”

He pulled her closer and kissed her
again, this time thrusting his tongue inside her mouth. She tasted
of minty toothpaste and lust. It was an odd combination, but need
poured through him. Then, slowly, she slipped her hands up his arms
and behind his neck. It was Tess who pressed her body against his
this time, and it was him who shook. She tilted her head to the
side and slid her tongue against his.

When he pulled back, they were both
breathing heavily.

“
So, what do you say,
Tess?”

He left it up to her. He knew that for
her, it was the right way to go. Tess always had to think things
over and if she said she wanted to wait, he would wait. He’d have
to take a cold shower for an hour, but he would do it. She lifted
her fingers to her lips and touched her mouth. She looked
stunned.

Damn, she was going to say to wait.
Or, worse,
no
. That would be ten times worse. But then, in a
blink of an eye, she dropped her hand and her lips
curved.

“
Tess?”

“
Yes.”

“
Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Have you ever known me to
not say what I mean?”

Then, he let out an
oorah
as he
bent to pick her up. He caught her unawares and she
squealed.

“
Bran, put me down,” she
said wiggling against him.

“
I will, when I can put
you under me.”

Then he marched into her
bedroom.

The moment Bran stepped into her
bedroom, he tossed her on the bed and then followed her down. He
couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her and he didn’t want to. Just
having to deny himself the pleasure of touching her was too much to
ask. He covered her body with his as he took her mouth in a long,
wet, open-mouthed kiss. God, the taste of her sliced through any
objections or worries he might have had.

When he pulled back from the kiss, he
was breathing heavily. His body felt like an electric spark had
been set off. Everything in him was hot and ready to go.

She had her eyes closed and her lips
curved up slightly. It was an expression he would remember until
the day he died.

But there was something he had to get
out of the way. “Tess.”

Her lashes fluttered against her skin,
but her eyes didn’t open.

“
Tess.”

She finally opened her eyes, but only
half way. Bran knew she wasn’t trying to be sexy, she just was.
That look could seduce him in so many ways.

“
Are you sure?”

For a second, he thought she would say
no. The moment stretched out, the only sound was the hum of the air
conditioner. Then, slowly, her smile turned into a grin. Relief
chased the fear away and his heart flip-flopped.

“
I would have to be stupid
to say no to you, Bran.”

He missed something in her tone,
something that told him she didn’t understand what he was asking
her, but in the next instant, she slipped her hand up around to the
back of his neck. The slight touch of her fingers against the
sensitive skin had him shuddering. All thoughts of getting her to
understand his intentions dissolved as he bent his head to kiss
her. This time though, he didn’t rush it. He brushed his mouth over
hers, savoring the way she shivered, the way her eyes slid closed
and the little hum of pleasure that slipped from between her
lips.

He kept it light, but then increased
the pressure, diving into her mouth for more of a taste. But it
wasn’t enough. He pulled back and grabbed the bottom of her scrubs
shirt, tugging it up and over her head. Bran made quick work of the
front clasp on her bra and the simple cotton fabric slipped
away.

The breath backed up in his lungs as
his head started to spin. That tough exterior she showed the world
had not prepared him for the treasure he had just
unearthed.

He had seen her in the bikini but it
hadn’t done her justice. It was trite to think it, but he couldn’t
help hearing the phrase
a work of art
drift through his
head. There were muscles, but they were encased in the softest
skin. Not overly hard, however. He liked that she had a bit of soft
belly. He skimmed his hands up her torso, sliding one hand close
enough to dance over that belly ring. Her breasts weren’t huge, but
perfect, high and tipped with the cutest pink nipples. He didn’t
even know where to start. He wanted to touch her
everywhere.

“
You look confused,” she
said, her voice a whisper.

He had to tear his attention away from
looking at her body to look up at her face. For the first time in
all the years he had known her, Bran had never seen her look so
unsure of herself.