Whose Bride Is She Anyway (13 page)

“I’m sorry, I slip—ped…” Her breath fanned his face, minty and clean. When she licked her lips quickly, it was all over for August but the cryin’.

He lunged for her, crushing those raspberry lips to his and dragging her body against his. His cock pressed painfully against his shorts, seeking the warmth of her round ass. August’s tongue found hers and tangled with it, the recesses of her mouth hot and sweet. Tara’s arms went up around his neck, her fingers skating through is hair, clinging to him. Her breasts lay flush against his chest, driving him to fight to keep his hands to himself.

He groaned, low and guttural, into her mouth, digging his fingers into her hips. Tara’s ass sank further into his aching crotch.

Ding, ding, ding ding, ding!
The old siren of lust sounded in his head.
August! You must stop this instant! You gonna get in some real trouble here…

Think co-n-t-r-a-c-t.

Nuh-uh. August ignored the warning bells clanging in his head and kissed Tara harder. She arched toward him, running her hands along his arms, gripping his biceps.

His cock was on fire, his hands itched to yank off her dress and his lips ached to taste her erect nipples. Jesus H. he had to stop this before it went too far…

Good idea.

August’s hands brushed her shoulders as he tried to remove them from her body. Her skin was soft and silky … and … he didn’t wanna stop.

August Guthrie!

Tearing his lips from Tara’s August spoke harshly, taking ragged breaths between words. “Do you want me to stop? Because I’m not sure I can, but I will if you want me to, because what we’re doing is completely and totally against all those rules you keep spewing for the sh…”

She didn’t answer him. Instead, she pulled his mouth back to hers and licked at his lower lip.

See, she didn’t want to stop either…

Oh, August…

August overruled his conscience and stuck with his cock, which by now, was screaming Tara’s name like no others before her. He hauled her to her feet, fastened his hands to the underside of her ass and lifted her. Tara’s legs automatically straddled his waist. The heat between her legs seared his cock through the material of his shorts.

August stumbled toward the small patch of sand he’d seen earlier and they sank to the ground. Wrapped tightly together, under the shelter of a palm tree, their lips continued a fevered exploration.

Now he couldn’t control himself as his hand cupped the underside of her breast, thumbing her nipple. Tara responded by wrapping her fingers around his wrist and curving into his body. His fingers skimmed the skin exposed at the top of her bikini and she moaned in response. He kissed his way down the smooth column of her neck, nibbling at the hollow. Tugging at her bikini top, he unclasped the metal hook between her breasts.

The moonlight wove its way between the palm fronds, shedding enough of a glow to give him his first look at her full, round breasts. Her nipples were small, dark, and erect, stiffened from the warm breeze.

“Christ, you’re beautiful,” he ground out. Tara hid her head in his shoulder, but her hands found the outline of his shaft.

The heel of her hand rubbed him lightly as she located his zipper and slid it down. Freeing him, Tara wrapped two soft hands around his cock and caressed him lightly. Hand over hand she grasped him, touching every last sensitive nerve in his body.

Heat, hard and like white lightning shot to his groin. All sanity left behind, August arched into her as his lips found a nipple, skimming it with the warmth of his breath and the wisp of a lick. As the tip of his tongue tasted her lightly for the first time, his senses exploded. Blood rushed to his ears, pounding out a rhythm of lust.

Tara cupped his balls, gently massaging them. His cock thrust forward into her soft hand, letting the warm tunnel envelope him.

He nipped the swell of her breast and quickly wrapped his lips around the pebbly surface of her nipple. She straddled his thigh, rocking against him. Finding the top of her bikini bottoms, he let his fingers linger there, tracing a small pattern on her smooth abdomen. Dying to touch the heat of her, yet loving the anticipation of discovery, he suckled her nipple. Licking and kissing as he fought to keep his hand from tearing her bottoms off and driving his fingers between the wet lips of her pussy.

She gasped sharply when he tugged at her breast, her legs squeezed his thigh tightly. Wedging his hand between them, he ran a tentative finger inside her bikini bottom, tracing the crease where her thigh joined her pelvis.

Smooth, she was smooth, soft and wet. With forefinger and thumb, August spread her folds and grazed her clit. Tara shuddered under him, groaning as she held fast to his cock, milking it with her hands, fondling his balls until he wanted to explode from the building pressure.

Pulling his lips from her breast, he continued to drag his fingers through her warmth. Her head fell back on her shoulders, and her chest rose and fell with rapid intakes of air.

August wanted her to come, from the touch of his fingers, the rasp of his tongue. He found her ear, sucking the lobe and whispered, “I want you to come, Tara.

Tara’s response was to hike her body upward, sliding her bikini bottoms over and pressing her pussy to his erection. The smooth lips of her wet warmth enveloped his hard cock, gliding along the hard surface, leaving a trail of moist desire. His hand was caught up in the friction of her wet cunt against his cock. Aching fingers grazed her swollen clit, over and over, eliciting small moans of delight from her throat. His mouth, open and hot, surrounded a nipple again, rolling his tongue over it.

They rocked together, locked in an embrace of heat. August felt his own orgasm build, steam-rolling over his body, clutching his balls and pulling them tightly. Tara’s body jerked and rolled, undulating against him. He reveled in the small sigh she let go as she came.

The first spasm of release hit him like a freight train and he pulled back to keep from exposing her to his climax. His cock jerked, yet Tara didn’t take her hands away, she milked his response, as her hips fell from his and he spent himself in the sand.

Tara looked up at him and focused on his ga ze for the first time. She had that “what the fuck have we just done ” look and she was looking like he was the only one who’d done it.

Uh oh.

Well, this is a fine mess you’re in, literally and figuratively. Look what you’ve done. You’ve left your mark in the sand. Nice …
he chided himself silently.

Ms. Douglas was back on terra firma and looking just a bit bent out of shape. Or was she just freaked out? Tara pushed her skirt down and tried to sit up, but August pulled her to him and refused to let go, because she wanted him to.

“I know what you’re thinking. I’m not going to let you run away, Tara. Now, look at me.” She didn’t struggle, but held herself tense and unyielding.

August smoothed a hand down her spine and kissed her lips softly. “We probably shouldn’t have done that…”

“Probably? Probably? Um, yeah, I think that’s the understatement of the millennium,” she squawked, cutting him off.

“Hey, we
did
, now, we can choose to forget it, or we can acknowledge it and move on. I don’t feel an ounce of regret. It only solidifies what I was feeling anyway. ”

“Move on to what, getting kicked off the show? Humiliated in front of the entire nation? Do you remember what happened to the guy who fooled around with one of the staff members a season or so ago? They threw him out and told the entire world…”

August kissed her again, silencing her as her body leaned into his. Tara put her hands on his chest and tweaked his nipple, hard. “Ouch, ” he complained against her lips. “That hurt. No one has to know what happened between us, Tara, but this isn’t the end, Tara, not by a long shot.” He damn well meant it too, screw Kelsey, and screw the show. It was a dumb idea, brought on by a decade-old adolescent crush that was now, officially over. Kelsey held little appeal for the adult August. He realized that in a rush of clarity. The guilt he felt over it dissipated and replaced itself with having Tara. He would just flub a competition or something and get booted out by the jury. Easy as the proverbial pie.

Tara lay on top of him, making his cock hungry for more
and
making him forget everything else but her. “Why aren’t you on your date with Kelsey? We’re going to get in so much trouble. They’ll sue us, you nymphomaniac!”

“No name calling,” August scolded, licking at her neck. “And my date with Kelsey was canceled. She had some migraine or something and what can they sue me for? They can’t sue me for what they don’t know about.”

“Arghhhh! ” Tara yelped. “You never know what’s going on when you’re not looking. Not only did the jury pick
you
to go on to the next round of elimination, but your contract states clearly you aren’t supposed to be fraternizing with me! Besides which, the jury thinks you have the most chemistry with Kelsey and all this time you’ve been hovering around me is bound to be noted. I can feel it, August, they’ll find out about what just happened. Or someone will claim to have seen us. How can I explain
this
,” she waved her hand at their tightly locked bodies, “to the jury?”

The jury, he’d forgotten all about them. If they kept voting for him he’d never get the hell off this island without having to say no to Kelsey and marriage publicly.

Oh, fuck.

“Okay, so the jury doesn’t need to know. ”

“I’m so glad you agree. For a minute there I felt compelled to rush in and scream my joy poolside to them. Just as a heads up that I’ve been toying with the contestants and breaking every rule this damn reality show has.”

“You’ve toyed with the others like
this
?” August mocked.

Tara snorted, “Sure, of course I did. I rolled around on a beach with every last one of them. I just want to be sure Kelsey’s getting a prime cut of man. Only way I can do that is if I stick my hand in the hunk jar, right?” she rolled her eyes at him.

“Well, she ain’t getting this cut of man. ”

“August?”

“What?”

“I don’t want to hear anymore.”

“Hear anymore what?”

“You’re breaking another rule. I’m not supposed to know how you feel about Kelsey. So shut up!” Tara put her fingers in her ears to block out his words.

He pulled them out. “I will not. I don’t like Kelsey.”

“I can’t heeeaarr you. ”

“Can so.”

“Cannot.”

“Can. ”

“Not.”

“Can. ”

“Arghhhhhhhhhh! August we’re in a lot of trouble. Stop it and take this seriously! ”

“I am and I don’t—like—Kelsey—Little!” Accent on
don’t
.

“August?”

“What?”

“We’re screwed. We violated the contract
big time
.”

He sighed. So they were immoral, unethical, contract breaking pieces of white trash.

But holy orgasm, baby…

I’ll get you, my pretty, and your Barbie dream house too!

T
ara panicked, yanking away from August and paced in the sand. Her heart slammed against her ribs and her throat was clogged.

Omigod, omigod! What had she done?

She’d had a wonderful orgasm, courtesy of a guy who’s named after a month. That’s what she’d done. Who’da thunk?

She’d slept (sorta) with Kelsey’s (sorta) man … realization hit her like a freight train.

I slept with Kelsey’s man! I slept with Kelsey’s man!
Tara wanted to sing! Take that you, cheerleading/baton twirling/blonde Barbie-like/skinny/stuck up/tramp!

Oh, she’d sunk so low … so very, very lo w. She was a wicked girl.

Yes, this
was
bad. Very un-Tara like. Tara didn’t even feel badly that in a small, as of yet, unrecognized way, she’d beaten Kelsey without even trying. But they were going to find out and sue the snot out of her for breaking every rule in the show’s damn contract.

Had she said this was bad yet? This was soooo bad, so very bad. Tara was going to Hell in a handbasket and so were her plans to ruin Kelsey. Oh, God what had she done?

Yes, that’s it, Tara told herself, remorse. Remorse is good. It validates me, your conscience. She just didn’t do things like this! Tara Douglas always followed the rules.

Always.

August caught her by her arms and pulled her to him.

Tara flattened her palms against his chest and pushed away from him, but he wasn’t letting go so easily. He circled her wrist and held her with a firm grip.

“Would you calm down? Okay, so the jury picked me … did
you
pick me?”

Tara snorted, “I thought we weren’t going to talk about the show?”

“Don’t you think that’s irrelevant no w?”

Yeah, after all, she was just half-naked and clinging to him for all she was worth. This was definitely what one would call irrelevant.

Oy.

What part of no fraternization with the contestants had she been remiss in remembering? Could it be the part where you’re not supposed to be alone with them? Or was it the part about no ‘familiar relationships’ with the jury or contestants that wasn’t spelled out clearly enough for her hormones?

Tara brushed sand from her legs. “You can’t be caught with me, August. You can’t. Kelsey likes you and you haven’t even given her a chance to get to know you … and your contract says you shouldn’t be screwing around with me or they’ll sue us.” Tara wanted to scream over that. Just throw herself on the ground and howl in a fit of temper. Damn Kelsey Little.

“Well, I
don’t
like her. I spent a little time with her the other night at the pool and she wasn’t doin’ it for me like you were. I tried to figure it out, but you kept popping up. So, too damn bad, because I
do
like you. ”

“That’s only because you copped a feel off me. You haven’t even had a chance to get to know Kelsey, much less cop a feel. ”

August chuckled, his big, goofy shoulders shaking. “I copped a lot more than a feel…”

Tara’s face burned with fury and humiliation. “O h, just throw it in my face! I wasn’t the one popping out of my pants, bucko. You started this.” She shoved a finger under his nose.

He nipped it and smiled, “Yep.”

Damn him and his stupid, sexy grin. He sent a wave of pure lust spiraling through her body. He left her breathless and giddy. She felt no shame in thrusting her trampy body right up against his like she’d been doing it forever. “Don’t yep, me, man of the infamous sentence in one word or less. We’re in
big
shit here.”

August tangled his hands in her hair and nipped at her neck. “Yep.”

Oh, my… Her nipples began that tingle. “August, please, we have to figure this out.”

“Can’t we figure it out later? I have other, far
bigger
shit, we can get into together.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

Tara giggled, unable to help herself. Her eyes sought his, and cupping his chin, she kissed him just one more time. He was like a potato chip, you couldn’t have just one, and they were bad for your thighs… Especially if you spread them wider than the great state of Montana for a man who was marked for someone else!

Tracing the outline of his lips with her tongue, Tara found she just couldn’t resist. But she had to. Who was this woman, wanton and wild? Doing some guy she’d known less than a week? Where was the Tara of old who didn’t sleep with men who were contractually obligated to someone else?

August interrupted her thoughts with, “I thought we were gonna talk?”

Talk, yes
… “Look, you can’t be caught with me. You have to go through with this because the contract is clear. You stay till you’re voted out. We would be massacred in the press if they found out what we just—just—did,” she tripped over her words as she thought about the tabloid headlines she’d seen on previous contestants who’d done far less than she had. “And I ha te to be the center of attention. Can you imagine what the press would do if they found out? Besides, you’ve been voted for by every last jury member
and
you were just talking with me at the barbeque. What if someone saw us under that tree? People might get suspicious. And I’m going to reiterate here, the
entire
jury voted for you to stay. You have no choice. This isn’t like the ‘Bachelor’ where you can just leave and take your toys with you when you choose to go.”

August’s arms were around her waist, squeezing her gently, his fingers splaying over her hips. “I know I can’t. I know the rules. They all voted for me? Even you? ”

Tara shook her head. “I can’t tell you that. I
won’t
tell you that, because I’ve already broken enough rules to satisfy a litigation attorney for a lifetime! But I will tell you, you
have
to show up tomorrow and smile nice for the cameras and ignore me. Don’t even look my way, or we are dead meat! Hear me? And, by the way, did we graduate together? Class of nineteen-ninety-two? I don’t remember you. ” Tara’s brow furrowed into a frown at hearing the question out loud, but she
had
to know.

“Only if you promise to meet me back here, tomorrow night and yes, I think we did graduate together.”

“I can’t, tomorrow is another competition, remember? You have to show up and win, win, win. ” Tara paused for a moment. “Why don’t I remember you? Seems to me your name is so unusual, I’d remember it. When I heard that guy calling you at the water fountain the name August didn’t ring any bells.”
Had he been on the football team?

August smiled. “I have no intention of win, win, winning the stupid date. If I don’t win, I can’t go on a date now can I? Then we can meet here and I don’t think I remember you either, but I won’t forget you now. ”

“I can’t control who wins the date. Besides, the jury likes you. They could vote you right into the ‘last man standing round’ even if you don’t win the dates, unless you like really make Kelsey hate you and it shows on camera. Our voting is based on our impressions of you, not necessarily whether you win a date or not.” Tara frowned again. “I can’t believe we graduated in the same class and I don’t remember you. ”

“Then I’m going to screw up the next competition no matter what it is and I wasn’t very memorable.”

Tara laid her head against his broad chest. “No, you can’t screw it up, everyone knows how physically deft you are and brainy to boot—so stop being macho man because we—we—well, you know. You’ve been playing this game like a champ so far, except for that dress you chose… Please don’t stir up suspicion. For me? Besides, we hardly know each other. Give Kelsey a chance.”

Ugh, the very idea made Tara ill. Not to mention the fact that she wanted to rip Kelsey’s hair out, follicle by follicle for having a shot at a man Tara wasn’t allowed to have. This was ridiculous, she’d just met August and she was jealous.

Green with envy even. Wasn’t that part of the problem she’d had with Kelsey to begin with? She was jealous of her … and now she’d done something that would leave Kelsey curled up in the fetal position and she couldn’t even share it proudly. Damn. What a waste of a good taunting.

August’s voice was tense, “I honestly think they make you sign that contract on the off-chance you just might turn the bride down. I almost think the producers would like that better, ya know? It would really stir the ratings up wouldn’t it? On almost all of the other reality shows you can hit the road if you find you aren’t attracted to the other person. So now I have to get voted out. It’s nuts.” August sighed. “Look, what if I told you I don’t like Kelsey
quite
the way I like you? And
we
were working on getting to know each other, if you would have talked to me at the barbeque.”

I’d tell you, good answer.
He liked her better than Kelsey? Well, shut up. Not in a million light years would she have believed this. August was also right. What kind of reality show made you stay until they kicked you out? Maybe it was because the contestants could opt not to propose in the end.

Tara closed her eyes and said, “I’d tell you, you don’t know Kelsey any better than you know me.” Her stomach clenched into a tight knot
. Nice answer, very PC.
Shit. She was backpedaling and doing a piss-poor job of it. She couldn’t force August to do something he didn’t want to do. He could lose a competition if he wanted to and she couldn’t stop him. It was even tickling her ego—just a little, mind you—okay, more than she was willing to admit—that he might go to such great lengths to get out of this stupid show because he was interested in her.

August sighed. “Fine, but I’ll only agree to play nice if you agree to meet me here tomorrow night.”

“Okay, ” Tara gave in, even if it left her feeling edgier than she already was. “I’ll meet you here tomorrow night, after date night is over. Then we can do all that getting to know one another.” She couldn’t believe she was agreeing to break more rules. But her body didn’t seem to care as much as her conscience did when it was pressed up against August’s. He was competitive. Tara had witnessed it when he’d won his first canceled date with Kelsey in the trivia contest. If she humored him, maybe that competitive spirit would kick in and he’d forget all about what happened between them.

Which would be the story of her life. Once he got a moment or two that was almost completely alone with Kelsey, he wouldn’t want any part of Tara again.

Damn Kelsey Little and her charm to hell.

Tara gave him one last lingering kiss before they parted because it could well be the last. Her heart clenched tightly as she realized the best almost schtupp of her life was officially over once Kelsey got her hands on August.

They were in major trouble if they were caught. The tabloids would have a blast if they knew the jury foreman had her hand in the cookie jar labeled “hunk”. After Tara was kicked off the island for burning her contract in effigy—that Henry guy would exploit the hell out of what she’d done, because that made for good promotion. Then, the press would dig and dig into her life and they’d find out why she was here. Or someone from high school would remind them of the “moo incident”.

On the other hand …
what an orgasm, baby…

* * *

Tara tugged on her shorts and crossed her legs as the phenom, otherwise known as Kelsey, trotted up and down the length of the pool. A restless night last night led to a cranky Tara this morning, as the next elimination round began.

It was another day in paradise. Balmy breezes, hot sun and enough testosterone to make a woman tear up. Each jury member was again lined up and at the ready to observe Kelsey as they sat under the large canopy by the pool.

Kelsey’s job was to take the list of men chosen by the jury and present them with a key to her hut, thus signifying they’d made it to round two. A key to Kelsey’s hut meant you had a shot at getting inside with it. If your key opened her hut door, you won the door prize.

A date with Kelsey.

Of course, Tara and August hadn’t known that last night. Tara figured the date would have to do with a physical effort, not just plain luck of the draw.

Tara couldn’t summon up much interest in it anyway. She was too busy thinking about August, his biceps, his lips, and his … well… his
skills
and how that was all over if he won this date with Kelsey. He’d finally have the woman of his dreams and his roll in the sand with her would be history. All his talk of liking her better than Kelsey would be forgotten.

“Hey, Tara,” Diana snapped her fingers at Tara to get her attention. “How much more of a show do you think Kelsey could put on? ”

Tara blinked and caught the look of disgust on Diana’s face. Kelsey wasn’t making a real hit with the jury which was exactly what she wanted, wasn’t it? “She
is
good with the camera, huh? ” Tara kept her comment nonchalant and objective.

Diana scoffed, “I’ll say she’s good. Or at least her boobs are.” A ripple of laughter skittered down their row of chairs around the pool.

Kelsey teetered on her heels toward August, unaware that the jury was having a good laugh at her expense.

Tara gazed at August, shoving Kelsey out of her thoughts. Why couldn’t she get a clear image of him from high school? Was he a part of the popular crowd? If they’d graduated together, surely he knew what Kelsey had done to her and that made Tara cringe. He’d learn her motives for being here and then it wo uld be all over between them.

There was nothing to be over, Tara reminded herself.

August’s gaze kept locking with hers from across the pool, making her flush with guilt, no doubt. She didn’t need this. Screw him.

Tara averted her eyes to keep from hurling pool toys at Kelsey and whacking her in her big, fat, blonde, curly head. She clenched the arms of her chair, digging her nails into the wood and sinking further into the puffy cushions.

Walter nudged her. “So who do you think will get lucky tonight?”

Walter knew … no, no he didn’t. Now Tara’s tendency to see shadows where there were none was on overkill. Tara leaned over and smiled casually at Walter. “It’s anybody’s game tonight, I think.”