Chapter 8
BLAIR
As Tate’s face inched toward mine, I lost the ability to breathe.
Is this really happening? Within seconds, his mouth was on mine.
He growled as he pushed me against a wall and not so gently shoved his tongue down my throat.
I couldn’t open for him fast enough. The way he guided my face with his hands on my cheeks, controlling every aspect of the kiss, told me exactly what I needed to know about how he’d be in bed.
As he groaned down my throat again, I met the vibration with a whimper, dragging my fingernails through his thick hair.
Oh, how long I’ve waited to run my fingers through his damn hair.
This kiss was more than I’d hoped for. My heart pounding, I felt frenzied, feral, wanting to climb him like a damn tree.
He was so delicious, sweet yet somehow masculine.
But if he thought this kiss was going to satiate me, he was sorely mistaken.
If I’d thought I was addicted before, it was going to be so much worse now.
“Tate...” I muttered, not even sure what I was supposed to be saying.
“Don’t fucking say my name like that. I can’t take it,” he said over my lips.
“Taaaaate...” I repeated, taunting him, pulling his hair and opening my mouth wider.
Pressing my body against his, I could feel his hardness through his pants. He pulled back, covering his mouth with his hand.
“Why’d you stop?” I breathed.
He rubbed his finger along his bottom lip. “Because I’m this close to carrying you to my fucking room.”
“So?” I panted.
He glared.
I tucked my hair behind my ear and exhaled. “Okay...”
He ran a hand through his tousled mane. “Can we go and have a nice dinner?”
“You want me to forget that you just dragged me down a hallway and mauled my face?”
“It would be great if you could, yeah, at least for the moment.”
“Okay. I can forget the kiss.” I paused. “But not the way you stuck your tongue down my throat.”
Tate groaned.
“You’re gonna pretend like you didn’t want that?” I asked.
He gritted his teeth. “You’re not getting it. I wanted it more than you could ever imagine. The problem is that I want a hell of a lot more right now. So I need to come up for air, give my dick a damn chance to calm down.”
“Okay. Whatever you want. I told you I wouldn’t be initiating anything anymore. And I’m sticking to it. You going off the deep end and kissing me won’t change that.”
“Good.” He sucked in a breath. “I’m sorry I practically attacked you just now. The way you reacted when I touched your face, it made me...really want to kiss you. So, I did. And I don’t regret it.”
“I don’t either.” I sighed. “I wish you’d do it again.”
He turned and began walking back toward the restaurant. I followed.
When we returned to the dining area, the woman he’d been speaking with earlier was still there, as if she’d been waiting for him. My stomach sank.
She came right up to us. “Where did you go?” she asked.
He looked at me. “I needed to get her.”
She turned to me. “And who is this?”
“She’s my travel companion,” Tate said matter-of-factly.
“Oh...” She blinked. “You said you came alone. I just assum—”
“I did come here alone,” he interjected. “But then she and I met. You never gave me a chance to elaborate.”
“I see.” She looked me up and down. “Okay. Well, it’s…nice to meet you. I’m Langley.”
It was time.
“I’m Blair,” I answered.
Tate turned to me, his eyes widening. “Blair?”
Grinning, I repeated, “Blair.”
His mouth curved into a smile as our gazes locked. We entered our own world while Langley stood there and watched.
“Well…you two have a good night, then,” she said awkwardly.
“Take care, Langley,” Tate said, never taking his eyes off me.
After she walked away, he rubbed my cheek with the back of his fingers. “Blair. That’s really your name?”
I nodded. “You earned it.”
“I did?”
“When you told her I was your travel companion and didn’t try to act like you didn’t know me.”
His smile faded. “Why would I ever do that?”
“Because you think I’m too young.”
“I might think you’re too young for me, but I’m not ashamed of you, Blair.
I am ashamed of me for not being able to stay away from you when I know that would be the right thing to do, given the circumstances.
” He paused. “Thank you for telling me your name. It’s so fucking nice to meet you, Blair. ” He smiled. “I can’t stop saying it.”
“Nice to officially meet you, too.”
“Such a beautiful name that matches your beautiful face.”
A woman’s voice interrupted us. “I see father and daughter have returned,” she said tauntingly.
I turned to find the waitress who’d caught us talking inappropriately the night I’d lied about my “dad’s” fiftieth birthday. Whoops.
“Want to go to the other restaurant?” Tate suggested.
“Let’s,” I promptly agreed. “This one has bad juju.”
Once Tate and I got situated at the other place, we had a wonderful dinner, our best together so far.
Maybe because I’d finally given him my real first name, I found myself opening up to him even more easily.
I’d told him a bit about growing up in Western Massachusetts as an only child.
I went into more detail about my failed relationship with Daniel and even relayed the story of losing my virginity.
Tate also told me how he’d lost his. To my surprise, it was to his son’s mother when he was sixteen.
He admitted to going a little crazy after they broke up, since he’d only been with the one girl.
That was sort of how I felt at the present moment, having only been with Daniel.
But what began with me being horny and bored on this trip had turned into something completely different.
I didn’t want just anyone anymore. I wanted Tate.
Only Tate. I couldn’t imagine wanting anyone else for a very long time.
I’d always compare my attraction to the way I was feeling right now.
How do you go back to boys when you’ve fallen for a full-fledged man?
As we lingered over dessert, the restaurant staff began shutting things down, which was our cue to leave. Who knew how long we’d have stayed here talking if we weren’t forced to vacate? I suspected Tate was happy to have a safe public place to be with me given his loss of control earlier.
“Can we go down by the water?” I asked as he paid the bill.
“Yeah. A walk sounds perfect,” he said as he stood from the table.
Only, a walk wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.