Torched (9 page)

“Yes, I do. By the way, have you talked to your mother since you left?”

She shook her head, but never looked up. “No, but it’s fine.”

“Do you know what she’s doing for Thanksgiving?” he asked, trying not to interfere.

“I haven’t really thought about it. I think she might be dating someone.”

“What?” Kevin asked. “Wow. I didn’t see that one coming.”

“Maybe I’m wrong. It’s just a hunch.”

She seemed aloof, but Kevin knew she cared. For a short time, they ate without saying a word. Then he asked, “What are
you
doing for Thanksgiving?”

“Probably staying home and eating a TV dinner.” She smirked, taking a bite of her macaroni and cheese.

He scowled. There was no way he would let Tara stay home on the holiday and eat a microwaved dinner.

“I talked to my parents, and they would like you and your mom to join us.” He hadn’t exactly discussed it with them prior to telling her that, but he didn’t see any reason why they would mind.

“Really?” she asked with a smile. “I’d love that. My mom may like the company, too.”

“Great,” he said, standing up when they were finished. “Let me help you clear these dishes away.”

“Just put them in the dishwasher and I’ll get rid of these leftovers.”

“Deal. We’d better get upstairs soon. If we get done studying, maybe we can test out the bed again.”

She chuckled. “I like the way you think. And those are my bed sheets on there. It was the first thing I did when we got here.”

“Why am I not surprised?” he teased.

“You know me well enough, that’s why.”

Before they left the kitchen, he grabbed her arm to stop her. “I forgot. Do you think he has any rope around here?”

She stared at him, and erupted into laughter.

“Are you going kinky on me?”

He snickered, realizing how it sounded. “Sheesh, that came out all wrong.”

“Then what’s it for?”

“Remember last year’s midterm with those knots we had to be able to identify or describe? Well, I’ve got to be ready for it again. Come on, you can help me practice.”

She raised an eyebrow once again, and he shook his head.

“I see your wheels turning, but that’s not what I have in mind.” He hesitated as the vision entered his thoughts. “I just thought we could tie each knot a few times, so I can get a feel of it. I have to describe how to do each one.”

She slapped his shoulder and laughed again. “I’m just messing with you. There may be some in the garage. Want to go check?”

He shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

He used the side door in the kitchen to get into the attached garage. It was well-kept and organized. He stood there for a moment, and imagined having a place like this one day. Several lengths of rope were hanging on hooks along the far wall, so he took one and headed back. Tara had finished cleaning up when he returned, rope in hand.

“See? This’ll do.”

“Great,” she said, and led the way out of the kitchen and back up the stairs.

He could barely wait to finish his classes so they could get past this hurdle, and move on to the life in Montana they had been planning for so long.

***

J
ake surveyed the house. The lights were all turned off, except for the one light upstairs. He was sure it was her bedroom. It had become a full-time job watching where Kevin and Tara went. He needed to keep tabs on her and protect her, if needed. They came into view when he found a spot with a direct line of sight into the room. She was hiding her pain. He could see it.

He watched as they kissed for a second, but they stopped and left the room. There was no other vantage point to check through other windows, so he left and walked toward his car. He’d found the perfect spot. The vehicle was concealed by the tall pines lining one side of the house. Now that he knew where she was staying, he could return another day.

It was time to get his girl back.

T
ara glanced at the clock. They’d been in bed with the laptop, studying for four hours, and he seemed to be answering every question she threw at him. He would ace the test. She just knew it. “That covers it. You know the answers. You’ll fly through that exam. Do you feel good about it?”

He frowned, nodding. He didn’t appear as confident as she thought he should be.

“What’s going on? Do you have anything you want to go over again?”

“Just one thing,” he said, reaching for the rope. “I want to make sure I can describe this bowline knot if it comes up. Will you show me again?”

She took the rope. “Of course. Put out your hands,” she ordered.

He tilted his head. “Is it about to get kinky in here?”

She laughed, rolling her eyes. “You wish.”

He put his hands out and she wrapped the rope around them. “Remember the notes? The bowline knot is what they use to tie a rope around an animal’s body. Remember why?”

“Because it won’t slip and hurt them?”

“Yes. It doesn’t tighten after it’s tied, and it’s pretty easy to undo. Here. First, I’ll put a loop in the rope, right where I want to tie the knot. Like this. You point the loop toward the free end.”

“Right,” he agreed, his eyes lighting up as it came back to him. “And the working end can point backward.”

“Exactly. Next, you put the free end through the loop from the part pointing back. You go around that working part and bring it back through the loop to tighten it. Wait. Can’t you remember Professor Neuberg joking about the way people memorize this?”

“Um... no?” he answered.

“The rabbit jumps out of the hole, runs around to the front, and pops down behind the tree before jumping back in the hole.”

“When did he teach that?” he asked, almost unable to keep a straight face. “I think I would have remembered that lecture.”

“Maybe you skipped class, party boy.”

“Yeah, I guess I did have a little more than my fair share of keg nights, didn’t I?”

“Well, that was the past,” she answered. “So, you got it?”

He looked down at his hands and nodded. “Yep, I think I can do it.”

“Great.” She untied the rope and released him. “I’m really tired from the move and all the unpacking earlier. Let’s get some sleep.”

She stood up to take off her robe, and placed it in the armchair on her side of the bed. Kevin watched her every move, unable to look away from her stunning body. Sleep was the last thing on either of their minds.

She sat down on the bed and stretched out.

“Are you going to join me?”

He moved closer, pulling off his jeans to climb on top of her.

“I might,” he answered, “but first I want to practice that knot. On you.”

Her breathing hitched as he took her hands in his.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, kissing her wrists.

She could only nod her response as she felt her inner core heating up. He pulled away, leaving her suspended in desire. The rope slipped around her wrist and he tied it with precision. It wasn’t tight at all, just enough to make it impossible to pull away. He sat back and stared at her.

“Great job, Kevin. You can untie the rope, now.”

He shook his head and lifted her arms above her head.

“You trust me, right?”

“Sure I do. But wh-what are you going to do?” She shuddered with a mix of heated excitement and nervous anticipation.

He tied the loose end of the rope to a spot on the headboard and lowered himself on top of her. She moaned when his lips went to hers and he kissed her gently.

“Just relax,” he whispered, trailing kisses down to her stomach and back up, finally latching onto her breast.

“Oh God.” Her voice trembled at the touch of his lips brushing over her arms and back to her stomach. 

The heightened sensations sent Tara to another world. Her body quivered with yearning as he slid his fingers down between her breasts, all the way to her throbbing clit.

“God, Kevin. Fuck me hard,” she begged. She desperately wanted to touch him, longed to feel him and run her fingers through his hair. She jerked her wrists, checking to see whether she could free herself, but he had tied it correctly.

“Kevin...” she whimpered, writhing beneath him as he lowered his mouth and blew a wisp of air on her sweet spot.

“How much do you want me?” he whispered, sending a warm dose of ecstasy to her clit.

“I want you so bad, Kevin,” she said, a little louder this time.

He licked on her clit and gently clenched her hard nub with his teeth. She moaned, arching her back and hanging on to the need he unleashed. Her legs stretched over his shoulder, clamping his head as he slid his tongue down her inflamed, needy slit. It was her complete undoing. She let out a scream of pure pleasure, and he darted his tongue inside. Every thrust of his tongue sent another jolt of passion through her body, from the strands of her hair all the way down to her toenails.

Her body seized beneath him, trembling with want as she came hard. Still, he didn’t stop ravishing her. She crashed down to the bed, tingling all over from her climax and his unrelenting tongue. Her breathing came in spurts, and as she begged again, he leisurely lifted off and spread her legs wide. Her arms ached from being immobilized, but every other part of her body buzzed in the scorching hot moment.

Kevin had clearly been enjoying his task. His raging erection pressed hard against her thigh.

“You’re so hot and sweet when you come, baby. God, if I don’t get inside you now I think I’m gonna explode.”

He clutched her inner thighs and spread her legs even farther out as he readied himself to get his cock where it belonged. She moaned her desperate ache for him, but he insistently held back, cupping her ass in his palms and holding her in place.

“Please...” she whispered.

“Please, what?” he asked.

She bit back a groan, writhing beneath him, begging for his mercy.

“Please...fuck me...” she whimpered. She had never begged for him like that, but she couldn’t take waiting much longer. His wide grin spoke volumes as he maneuvered to enter her. With one eager jolt, he slammed his hardness into her, all the way to her core.

“Oh God!” she cried, feeling her channel tighten around his shaft.

He groaned, bucking his hips heavily against her until they hit their orgasmic crescendos at the same time. His explosion was so strong and warm inside her and soon, he collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily against her skin.

“That was so good, Kevin,” she said in a breathless whisper.

She had never felt so vulnerable and yet so in touch with her femininity. Unable to move, so enthralled and worn out from their love-making, she closed her eyes. She barely noticed when Kevin slid up her body and removed her wrists from the binding. Her arms collapsed to the bed.

“How did it feel?” he asked softly.

“I can’t explain it. I feel amazing and I’ve never felt so...so alive.”

“I love you so much.”

She would never tire of hearing those words. He lowered himself beside her and pulled her into his arms, and they slept.

***

K
evin anxiously awaited the test scores for his Midterm. Despite being told they would have the results within two weeks, he could barely wait. As the days passed, his confidence about whether he passed would wane. He couldn’t shake the nagging feeling his grade would suffer, somehow.

On Thanksgiving morning, he reluctantly sat at his bedroom computer desk and logged on to the school website. He held little hope the result would be there, but after looking at the grades, he sighed with relief. A near perfect score was beside his student number, staring him in the face. He stood up from the computer, whooping with delight. It was progress. He was halfway through the course and on the right track to make their dreams a reality. He couldn’t wait to tell Tara their efforts had made all the difference.

The doorbell rang as he turned the computer off. Tara was right on time. He ran down the stairs, eager to share the news with her. He opened the door and pulled her into an embrace, pressing his lips against hers. Stunned, she threw her arms around him. A gentle moan escaped her mouth, and she breathlessly pulled away from him. “Wow. That was a nice welcome.”

He was beaming. “I passed!”

She shrieked, throwing her arms around him and peppering him with kisses. “That is amazing, babe,” she said softly, against his lips. “I knew you could do it.” She pulled away, massaging the nape of his neck. The loving way she looked at him made his body react. His bulge hardened, and he yearned for her. He was ready to forget Thanksgiving dinner and drag her off to his bedroom.

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

It was the truth. She was there for him, and that meant so much more than the stellar grade.

“Wait. Wasn’t you mom coming?” he asked.

A gleam shone in her eyes as she looked around the foyer. “I was right. She’s on a date with a guy she’s been seeing. She wanted me to go to his place with her, but she understood when I told her I wanted to be with you.”

“Wow. Well, are you happy?”

“Yes, of course. Let’s talk about it later. Where’re your parents?”

“Mom’s in the kitchen and Dad’s out back preparing for the game.”

“Game?” she asked.

“I told him we shouldn’t bother with it, but he wants to make this Thanksgiving as normal as any other.”

“What game?” she asked again.

“I forgot you aren’t familiar with the Crawford Family Thanksgiving Foot-Brawl.” He chuckled, motioning with his finger, directing her to follow him. “Come on back and you shall see.”

She followed him down the hallway and peered out the back door.

“Football?”

“No. Foot-
Brawl
. Like football but with a whole lot of throwing down. Every Thanksgiving, we would have a less than friendly game of football. It can be pretty vicious, so I hope you have good running shoes.”

He enjoyed seeing her squirm, and this new information didn’t disappoint.

“Um...I’m not playing,” she said. “You go ahead and have a fun game with your parents. I’m not up for throwing down with you.”

She started to turn around, but he stopped her.