18. Tammy
EIGHTEEN
TAMMY
“See what a great houseguest I am?” Ray said, holding a cup in my direction as I entered the kitchen. “Not only do I give great orgasms while you scream my name, but I also make great coffee.”
I felt a rush of heat course through my body at that thought. “Is the screaming out of terror?” I teased, grabbing the cup from him and taking a big sip of that hot, delicious elixir.
I was trying to be funny to hide the nerves that were threatening to overtake me. He joked about getting me naked and making me scream his name, but we hadn’t had sex since that fateful Sunday night two weeks ago, when the second attempted break-in had happened.
He’d made plenty of flirty comments, given me many soft caresses on my arms and face when we were alone, but he hadn’t seemed to want to try for another tryst in the sheets since.
I was torn because for the longest time I hadn’t wanted to get involved with him again because of the conflict of interest, but now…well, now I didn’t know what I wanted.
That was a lie. I wanted sex.
Last night I’d tried to make a move on him when we got back to my place after my shift at the bar. We’d made out hot and heavy in my living room for a few minutes before he pulled back, wished me sweet dreams, and turned to go to the spare bedroom.
I was an overthinker, and when it came to situations like these, my brain was working on overdrive.
Why didn’t he want to sleep with me anymore?
Was he over it?
Did he suddenly have a change of heart and decide he didn’t want to have any hanky-panky while we were working together?
It was making me uneasy, and I did not get uneasy. This man just had a way of making me feel weird emotions.
“Never, Tammy,” he said, breaking me out of my internal debate. “Never out of terror. Only from pure, unadulterated pleasure.”
The sound of a groan reverberated through the air, and I realized it had come from me.
“Don’t say stuff like that if you have no intention of acting on it,” I told him, sick of wondering what his reasoning was and recognizing that my sexual frustration was at an all-time high.
“You asking me to move into your room with you?” he asked.
Was I?
There were definitely perks to that, and I wanted those perks. But I also found I liked the idea of him just lying in bed with me some nights and talking, reading books, maybe snuggling up to him while we watched a show.
Was he the snuggling type? He’d let me snuggle close to him that first night together, but most men were okay with it if they got sex in return. It didn’t mean they liked it all the time, though. Only one way to find out…
“Yeah, I think I am,” I told him assertively.
If this was some kind of holdup for him, I needed him to know how I felt so we could get past this obstacle. I was not leaving any room for miscommunication.
“I want you in my room for as long as you’re here, with all the perks that arrangement comes with.”
He gave a knowing smile, one that spoke volumes. “Glad to hear it. How about we fix that tonight? I’ll move my stuff over and see how that goes.”
Tonight. I could work with that.
Plus, it would give me something to look forward to for the rest of the day.
Hours later, that sexual frustration was no less calm and restrained. If anything, having him close, but not close enough to really feel his body heat as I worked my shift behind the bar, just made my libido that much more heightened.
Which, apparently, I wasn’t doing a great job of hiding.
Ray watched me like he had all the time in the world. His fingers lazily tapping against the bar; a slow smirk building like he knew something I didn’t. Or worse…like he knew exactly what I was thinking.
And instead of letting me suffer in peace, he leaned in just enough to become a problem.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were looking forward to after work tonight,” he said, that cocky grin of his spread across his face.
“Maybe you should wipe that smug grin off your face and perhaps be a bit more worried about what I have planned for tonight,” I shot back.
He paused to take in what I’d said. “Why? Are you about to tell me you’re into some weird, freaky kind of stuff that I might not like?”
“What exactly do you consider ‘weird freaky’?” I asked, leaning forward, my forearms now resting on the bar top.
I couldn’t tell if he was trying to get a rise out of me or being serious. Never one to back down from a challenge, I gave him what he’d asked for.
Two can play this game, Ray.
“You asking me to lick hollandaise sauce off your ass cheeks or something,” I deadpanned.
I heard a glass break next to me and turned to see Axel wide-eyed and staring straight at me. A fraction of a second later, he turned his head, still bug-eyed, and then slowly bent to pick up the glass he’d dropped.
Well, shit. I’d likely scarred that man for life in my attempt to be funny.
Not the man in front of me, though. Oh no. That man had the biggest grin on his face. Not because he agreed with my answer, I was sure, but because he found it extremely hilarious. His shaking shoulders proved he was getting a good chuckle right now.
Whatever.
If this man didn’t completely piss me off by the time we made it back to my place tonight, I planned to ride him like a bull. But the way things were headed, I was fixin’ to hand Jasper his keys on purpose as payback for all this torture he seemed to be enjoying.
“What are you thinking about over there, gorgeous?” he asked me, and I knew he was trying to get another rise out of me.
I took a deep breath, channeled all my Army training, and changed the topic to something else entirely, like a professional would handle this situation.
“When are you plannin’ to head back to Texas?” I asked, hoping it sounded casual.
I wanted to know his answer, so I went for it, but I also didn’t want to sound too clingy.
“Not sure, actually,” he said, taking a sip of his drink. “Funny thing is, I’ve met someone. She’s a great woman. We’ve had a lot of great breakfast dates the last few weeks, and I’ve enjoyed them a lot.”
To say there were butterflies in my stomach was the understatement of the century. The excitement of his statement and what it meant had my insides doing cartwheels.
“She’s got an attitude the size of Texas, but for some crazy reason, I can’t get enough of it,” he said with a slow curl of his lips.
I snorted. “People say that, but if there’s too much of it, they start to feel differently.”
“Maybe, but I’m not most people,” he countered. “I find that I not only like it, but it turns me on.”
“Ahh, so this sassy woman rocks your world, does she?” I joked, and he chuckled.
“Oh yeah. She definitely does.” His answer was in his deep, growly voice, and his gaze was directly on me.
The weight of that stare gave me shivers in the best way possible.
“I guess if you leave, it would be kind of hard for her to rock your world.”
He paused and then nodded slowly. I knew he wanted to say something, but he took his time as though he was measuring his words. “Which is why I’ve decided to move here.”
I felt my jaw drop before I thought better of it and popped it closed just as quickly. I immediately turned my head to look forward instead of into his eyes.
He’d made his decision?
Oh wow.
I kept my gaze forward as four thousand questions rolled through my brain.
What did I say to that?
I needed to say something so he didn’t think I was being rude…but what?
“You decided to take Susan up on her offer to be your real estate agent, then,” I said. That seemed like safe territory.
“That’s definitely a perk, but it wouldn’t be why I’d move,” he replied.
This time I moved my gaze back to his. I needed to see his face. Needed to see what his eyes were saying without words.
There was nothing but honesty and a mellow attitude.
“You seem awfully calm for such a big decision,” I noted, because I would not be nearly as calm about a big move like that.
“No reason to worry myself over it,” he said, again in a very composed, easygoing manner.
“I’ve lived five decades, Tammy. I’m at that point in my life where I don’t want to waste time thinking about decisions too much.
I’ve lived in Texas long enough, and I don’t regret that part of my life.
But now I’m ready for another chapter, and my gut is telling me that chapter needs to be here in Georgia with a beautiful woman I met and see where it goes with her.
She checks all my boxes and even added a few I didn’t know I wanted.
I’d be an idiot if I didn’t at least give it a try. ”
God, that was more meaningful to me than he likely realized, and my heart pinched a little.
“You definitely don’t want to be an idiot, then. Besides, this woman sounds smart, so she’d probably never let you live it down.”
He gave a little laugh. “No, I have a feeling you wouldn’t.”
The ride home was intense. On the surface, it was calm and casual, but the sexual tension inside felt alive and wired. The atmosphere around us crackled with unsettled energy just waiting to pop.
After exiting the car, I walked up to my door, keys in hand, my fingers shaking slightly at the excitement of what was to come. As I moved to line the key up in the slot, Ray moved my hair delicately off my shoulder while his other hand went to my hip and squeezed lightly but possessively.
A red-hot thrill swirled through my body as his lips brushed against the space where my neck met my shoulder.
My hand froze, unable to complete the task of entering the key into the door as his mouth worked its way up my neck, his hot breath working a trail along my skin.
He whispered into my ear, “Are you gonna unlock the door, or do you just plan to stay out here all night?”
I knew he was teasing, but my brain couldn’t handle him kissing me and any other task at the same time.
“Stop distracting me,” I whispered back.
His chuckle near my ear made me irritated all over again.
I slipped the key into the door and unlocked it, turning the knob and letting us both in.
I was ready and wasn’t delaying this any further. I moved quickly through my townhome, kicking my shoes off at the door, dropping my purse on the counter, and booking it upstairs like my life depended on it. All the while listening to Ray chuckle in amusement behind me.
I immediately started to strip out of my work clothes in my bedroom and opened my drawer to grab my sleep bra and tee that I would eventually put on once we were actually ready for sleeping.
I set them on top of my dresser and was starting to take off my current clothes when Ray appeared in the doorway.
I turned to see him staring at me with a bit of confusion.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re taking off one bra, only to put on another before you go to bed?”
“This one is more comfortable to sleep in,” I told him as I slid my tank top off.
“You could just not wear a bra,” Ray said, a sly grin plastered to his face.
Tell me you’ve never had big boobs before without telling me you’ve never had big boobs before.
“Ray, these girls,” I said, pointing to my chest, “are big.”
“I know,” he said with an approving grin.
Men.
I rolled my eyes but sallied-forth. “Wearing a bra is more comfortable than free balling because they are heavy. They also cause back and shoulder pain. Even while wearing a bra, I still have to hold my arm under my boobs when I run down the stairs. The only time I go braless is when I shower.”
“The first night we met you didn’t wear a bra when you slept.”
I knew he thought he was proving a point, but it wasn’t the win he thought.
“That’s because the orgasms you gave me turned my brain into spaghetti squash.
The next morning, my boobs made me very aware that they’d been left to their own devices.
I woke up with the right one underneath me and the left on the other side of the bed. ”
He laughed, but again, he wouldn’t understand. I started to explain further, but he held up his hand in protest.
“Sweetheart, you wear whatever you want to bed, but just know that I’m gonna take it all right back off again at some point.” His husky voice did things to me, including making my nipples get hard. The same nipples that were on my traitorous big boobs.
Anticipation filled me with excitement as I pictured his large hands sliding my sleep clothes right back off me.
“I like whatever you’re thinking right now, so how about we get into bed and explore those naughty thoughts swirling in that beautiful brain of yours,” he said, taking a few steps closer to me.
I started to inhale and exhale faster, trying to get more air into my lungs, as it was suddenly hard to breathe.
He leaned over me, his lips so close I could feel his breath. “You wanna tell me what you’re thinking? Or do you want me to show you what I was thinking?”
My brain must have been focused solely on getting enough oxygen to my body, because I was incapable of voicing words. I just nodded quickly and watched as his smile slowly overtook his face.
He pulled me in and kissed me fiercely, but there was a desperate need from both of us. That kiss sent a shiver down my spine, and my hands moved on their own accord up under his shirt and across his bare chest. My nails lightly scraped a path down to the waistband of his jeans and slid inside.
The sound his growl made against my lips vibrated from my mouth to the bones in my feet.
All I was wearing was my bra and underwear, and as his rough hands scraped against my skin, I knew I was ready for more. Now.
“Ray,” I whispered as he unclasped my bra and tossed it overboard to the floor somewhere.
“Lie down on the bed, Tammy. Let me worship this body like I was meant to do.”
Now that’s what I’m talking about.