Chapter Eighteen
Girls, Girls, Girls
Tom woke me up with a soft brush of his knuckles on my cheek. “Hey, sleepyhead, open your eyes. You’re gonna miss the best part.”
“Huh?” I mumbled as I rose from my drowsy state, annoyed at being pulled out of the best sleep I’d had in ages. “Miss what?”
“The most beautiful sunset you’ve ever seen. Come on.”
“I have to get dressed?” Clumsily, I pulled out a pair of sweat pants from my luggage, tugged them on, then fell back onto the bed, body slamming down on the mattress. Face first.
“Let’s go, get up.” He took me by the arms and helped me up, hauling me over his shoulder and carrying me down the two flights of stairs to his garden room. Once there, he put me back down and by then, I was able to walk on my own. He handed me one of his oversize hooded sweatshirts. “You may need this. It can get a bit cool near the water.” Grabbing a bottle of champagne, two flutes, and hooking two beach chairs under his arms, he nodded for me to join him. “I don’t want you to miss this.” He skipped out onto the sand through the French doors of his garden room.
Still in half a daze, I stared.
He looked back at me. “We only have a few more minutes before the sun sets.”
Barefoot, I walked out through his patio door and onto the sand. The powdery grains felt cool and the breeze was brisk. He settled us down near the water, close enough for the waves to splash at our feet. The chilled wind was picking up, so I pulled the hoodie over my head to keep warm. It was the lingering remnants of his scent still clinging on to the soft cotton that heated me, though.
Tom broke the seal of the champagne and poured us each a glass while we sat in silence waiting for the quiet spectacle. The ping of our flutes coming together signaled the beginning of a memorable evening. I took a sip of the delightfully sweet champagne, a crisp tingle lingering on my lips.
It was as he said—the most beautiful sunset I had ever seen. The hot fiery sphere looked immense as it fell beneath the horizon, leaving a trail of burnt yellows, purples, and reds that sailed over a sea of blue sky. I sat speechless as my eyes lingered on the departing sun and the endless beauty left at its wake.
“I’m happy you had a chance to see it,” he said with a toothy smile. The wind swirled his hair and the soft fading rays gave his skin a rosy glow.
I smiled back at him, my heart throbbing inside my chest. “Thanks for waking me up. I’ve never seen a sunset like this.”
“Well, I’m glad I was the one to show it to you.” Leaning closer, his eyes lingered on my lips as he spoke, then he stopped half way before reaching me. Silently, his eyes asked for permission to kiss me. I couldn’t deny him. Closing my eyes, I waited for his warm breath to touch me.
It was the first time he’d kissed me since the morning. His lips were soft and tender and the kiss was gentle and unrushed. My fingers buried themselves in his hair as we nibbled on each other. His wet tongue dipped inside my mouth and stroked in fluid motion, sending a straight current to the tip of my sex.
Instinctively, my legs parted a fraction as he summoned heat from all parts of my body, causing my breath to catch in my throat. We made out like teenagers, indulging the only parts of our bodies allowed to join, silently wishing our entire bodies were dancing to the same tune.
The cold water hit our feet and the chilly wind cooled our exposed skin. Inside, I was still warm. It was surreal and perfect. When my eyes opened, I saw the early moon shining in his eyes. My chest felt heavy as I realized I didn’t want to be anywhere else. Hand in hand, we walked back to the house; neither one of us wanting to get there in any type of hurry.
I left him back in the garden room to get ready while I went up to the master bedroom to find my dress. It looked like Tiffany had spared no expense—with Tom’s money that is—and had bought me several designer dresses. I opted for a mid-length, white, loose-fitting dress with a plunging backline. Silver stiletto heels and matching clutch finished my outfit. The dress was gorgeous and accentuated my body well. Dark hair smoothed straight, my reflection stared back in astonishment, but this time the face holding those eyes told me I was happy.
Downstairs, Tom waited for me, freshly showered and with a hint of sunshine on his face. He was dressed in a fitted, black casual suit and dark turquoise shirt open at the collar. His hair was mussed up as usual. In his right hand rested a small black box. My heart raced as I thought at the possibilities lying inside.
Tom couldn’t keep his gaze off me as I descended the staircase. His jaw dropped as his eyes widened. “Baby…you look…wow.”
I winked at him. “You look wow yourself.”
With a slight smirk, he handed me the box. “Here, I bought you these to wear for tonight.”
My blood tingled with excitement as I slowly opened the square, velvety container. Inside were two diamond studded earrings. They were easily close to a carat each or more. “Christ, they are gorgeous. I can’t possibly accept these…” I tried to hand them back.
He closed my palm around the box. “Sara, don’t deny me the pleasure of showering you with gifts. Seriously, diamonds were made to be worn by you.”
With trembling hands, I took the studs and put them on. As I regarded myself in the foyer mirror, I couldn’t have wiped the smile off my face even if I tried. He had me feeling like Cinderella on my way to the ball.
“Do you like them?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist and his nose nuzzled my ear lobe. My lips didn’t need to utter a single word, but his eyes still sparkled with anticipation as our gaze met in the reflection.
“They are beautiful. I don’t know what else to say. Thank you seems so…”
He interrupted me and whispered in my ear, “Your smile is good enough.” Electric shivers rose on my skin as he kissed my neck. As his lips left the heated skin of my flesh, his fingers entwined through mine and he guided me down the stairs.
We walked down to the bottom level toward the garage, and when he flicked on the lights, my eyes startled at the sight. Parked inside was a Maserati Gran Cabrio convertible. The metallic, ocean-blue exterior glimmered under the fluorescent lights.
I stood speechless at the entrance of the garage.
Tom gingerly opened the passenger door, waiting for me to enter. “Sara?”
“I thought you told me you didn’t own a sports car?” I said as I walked toward him.
“Um, not entirely. What I said was I didn’t have to always drive one just because I could. That didn’t mean I didn’t own one. Plus, you didn’t really think I’d take my girlfriend anywhere—looking like a million bucks—in anything other than a sexy sports car, now did you?” Once I was inside the luxurious, beige, leather interior, Tom closed the door and left me to ponder his last statement for a few seconds before he popped into the driver side.
I looked at him with questioning eyes. “Girlfriend?”
“Well, that is, if you’ll have me?”
“You mean exclusively?”
“What other kind is there?”
“You’re sure this is what you want?”
“I wouldn’t have asked you if I wasn’t.”
I wanted to shout yes at the top of my lungs, but I turned into an ice cube. Tom stared at me for a long minute before venting his frustration in one solid breath. He ran his hands through his hair then looked at me. “Listen, I know I kind of sprang this on you, so you don’t have to answer me right now. Just think about it, okay?”
I nodded. “Tom, it’s not that I don’t want to…I just…it’s so sudden…”
He brushed his knuckles across my cheek. “It’s okay. I understand.”
“No. You don’t. What I mean to say is…it’s so sudden and so soon, but it couldn’t feel more perfect.”
He took my hand in his and kissed me, and with his hot breath still on my lips, he uttered, “So, how ‘bout we go for that ride, baby?”
The car sprung to life as the engine purred beneath the hood. The garage door opened and we spilled out onto the pavement. That morning I’d thought Tom fit perfectly into the surfer mold and his rugged Jeep, but watching him handle the hot Maserati had me second guessing myself. Sexy was an understatement. The speed and sensuality of its roar made me blush. The heat on my face was an indicator of my fevered thoughts.
The sound of the engine tearing down the highway had me reeling with excitement and awe. You could tell Tom really loved his four-wheel toy from the amused look on his face as he hugged every curve on our drive to Hollywood. Reluctantly, I peeled my eyes away from him and tried to admire the evening panorama. My mind and heart couldn’t stop racing, and by the end of the evening, I was pretty sure I wouldn’t have remembered where I was or how I had arrived there.
I’m his girlfriend.
I repeated those words in my head, but I simply couldn’t solidify them. The concept felt unreal, dreamlike. We went from needing to get to know each other better to going steady?
Exclusively.
How did this happen?
I said yes without one single conscious thought. Had he really swept me up with his dashing good looks, lavish gifts, and his fancy sports car? There was no way I was that shallow or naïve…was I?
No. What I was feeling for Tom was real. It was his thoughtfulness and tenderness. It was the gentleness of his touch and the hidden desire behind each kiss. It was the way he looked at me with such adoration.
Like I was the only woman for him.
****
We arrived at Jake’s party a little after eleven. The place pumped to the sounds of a club remix. I didn’t see anybody I particularly recognized, but it was pretty obvious the prerequisites to attend this party included: a) have a lot of money, and b) be inhumanly good looking. Bobbing and weaving through the sea of gyrating torsos, Tom led me to the VIP lounge area where he expected Jake to be. As we approached, heads pivoted in our direction. Women lit up and tucked their hair behind their ears as their gazes lingered on Tom, completely ignoring the fact he was with me. I should have walked prouder, but my confidence wavered a wee bit. Standing in a room full of supermodels was downright intimidating.
As we neared a mixed group of guys and girls, a man sitting on a white leather couch—and flanked by two gorgeous Eurasian looking women under his arms—smiled as he noticed us. He immediately rose, leaving the women on the couch. “Bruh, you made it!” he said to Tom as he came near and they shared a man-hug.
Guess this must be Jake.
He was a bit taller than Tom, and had a thick mop of curly, dark brown hair. His blue eyes twinkled brightly underneath beautifully sculpted dark eyebrows. His tailored navy-blue, silk suit did little to hide his muscled body. Exceptionally good looking, yet nothing like Tom, Jake gave off a sinister vibe that rolled off his shoulders; a menace lurking behind his easy smile. My body shuddered when his hand touched mine in a gesture of friendly encounter. It felt intimidating and filled with caution. Something about Jake frightened me.
“Jake,” Tom said, “this is Sara…Sara, Jake.”
He smiled crookedly. “This is the famous Sara?” He eyed me head to toe, the cold gaze of his blue eyes leaving icicles on my skin.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Jake,” I replied.
“Likewise. I’ve heard so much about you. You are as beautiful as Tom described.” His sly smile made me cringe.
“It’s a great party,” I said, shifting the attention.
“Please, make yourselves at home. Let me get you something to drink.”
Tom grabbed Jake by the arm. “I’ll take care of it. You guys get to know each other.”
As our only common denominator, when Tom left to get my drink, both Jake and I noted the awkward space between us.
He turned to face me. “So, Sara…what hotel are you staying at?”
“Actually, I’m staying with Tom.”
“In LA?” he asked, his brows knit in a tight pinch.
“Santa Monica.”
“You mean the beach house?” The tone of his voice continued to ride with an air of bewilderment.
I couldn’t understand his confusion. “You seem surprised.”
“I was simply not expecting that,” he chuckled with little amusement.
“Expecting what, exactly?”
He took a couple of steps closer and leaned in toward my ear. “The thing is, sweetheart, Tom never brings his girls home.”
Girls?
My bones splintered.
The insinuation of what he’d meant made me boil with embarrassment and distaste. “I’m not one of his girls, Jake. I’m his girlfriend.” The word girlfriend felt foreign. It was a meaningless expression that had me questioning if I’d understood what he meant.
Tom had girls? Which he apparently set up in hotels? And he had Jake believing I was one of them? He had some serious explaining to do. I turned from Jake without bothering to say excuse me, and pushed through the thick crowd of impossibly beautiful people. My body turned to stone when I caught sight of Tom standing by the bar.
He wasn’t alone.
Perched on six inch stilettos, next to him was a tall, gorgeous redhead. Her fiery, silky curls cascaded down to her lower back. Dressed in a form-fitting, black cocktail dress, her outrageous curves screamed sexuality. Miss Hot and Sexy was all over my man and I was about ready to go punch a hole through her face. The closer I neared, the hotter my blood raged. I hadn’t felt this kind of jealousy in a long time, and I was about to lose it.
The intense possessiveness inside me was unnerving. It wasn’t only about this other woman flirting with him, it was the way she looked at him, and the way she leaned in on him, and the way she smiled at him, and laughed as they talked. Because of the loud music, they were almost nose to nose when they spoke. Their proximity to each other brought me close to an eruption. What enraged me even more was Tom’s nonchalance about the whole thing. He was so comfortable with her. Clearly, they were close friends or perhaps, something more…
I was ready to interrupt their private conversation, but as I drew closer, the sea of dancing bodies fading behind me, I lost my nerve. Who was I? What right did I have to demand explanations? Watching their intimate conversation with each other, I felt insignificant. They looked perfect together. She was beautiful and polished, and I could never be that woman. Suddenly, I felt ashamed and foolish. Realization hit me like a stampede. I didn’t belong in some high-rise, Hollywood party with a man clearly out of my league. As I started to turn back around to walk away, Tom caught me in his gaze.
I was about to run, but the way he lit up when he saw me stopped me dead in my tracks. I could never escape him, not when he looked at me like I was the only woman in the world. He reached out with his hand and gestured for me to join them. Tom grabbed me by the wrist and drew me close, wrapping his arm around my waist and planting a soft kiss on my neck. “Here she is. Tiff, this is Sara.”
Tiffany? The close friend?
Gravity pulled the blood from my head straight to my feet.
“Sara, meet Tiffany, my personal assistant,” he said while wrapping his arms tighter around my waist. I stretched out my hand to greet this woman, but all I really wanted to do was slap her across the face. Tom may have been oblivious to it, but I sure as hell wasn’t. Women can sense when another woman is trotting on our territory, and this one was stepping a bit too close for comfort.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Tiffany.” I flashed her my best forced smile, hoping she’d see right through it. I wanted her to know I knew her deal and I was not about to play nice.
“Same here,” she replied coolly. Our grip tightened, both of us wanting to stake our ground.
“Where’s Jake?” Tom asked.
I pointed in some random direction. “Somewhere back there. Where’s my drink?”
“Oh, right. Sorry. Got sidetracked. Tiff was telling me about one of our clients who apparently has been trying to hunt me down. A certain Mrs. Westinghouse seems determined to meet me in person. It’s why I try to avoid these social events.”
“Mrs. Westinghouse,” Tiffany added, “is a well-respected philanthropist. She’s been looking to move to the West Coast for years, but could never find the right home. She’s a very eccentric woman with distinct tastes. One of our agents found her the perfect home, but the clients couldn’t agree on a price. Mrs. Westinghouse wasn’t about to walk away without this historic mansion, but she wasn’t willing to pay a single penny more than she had already offered. It was a tough deal, but Tom worked his magic and closed the sale in thirty days and even managed to save her a few million. This would never be her type of venue, but she was adamant to meet our Tom, the man who got her the home of her dreams.” She flashed Tom a crooked grin accompanied by a light squeeze to his arm.
“Of course, who wouldn’t want to meet our Tom,” I replied, smiling and looking at Tom. “So how about that drink, baby?” I added, trying to change the subject and wedging a gap between us and the viper.
Tom released his arm from my waist and turned to find the dancing bartender behind the bar who was expertly flipping bottles to impress the hordes of beautiful women spilling over the counter trying to catch a glimpse of his show.
Tiffany wasted no time dropping the nice act. “You chose the white one.”
My brow creased with confusion. “Excuse me?”
“The dress. Safe choice.”
“Safe choice?”
“A bit muted. Not too flashy or overly sexy. Fits you, I guess.”
“Actually, Tom chose it over the short, black dress,” I spit back, eyeing her overly snug black attire. “He said classy was sexier than slutty.” He never said any of that, but who cared. She pressed her lips into a tight line and gave me a murderous look. Victory flamed in my veins, and before she could reply, Tom returned with my drink.
“Any sign of Mrs. Westinghouse?” Tom asked Tiffany.
“Haven’t seen her,” she replied dryly.
“Well, I’m not sticking around here long. We’ll probably be heading out in a bit, so if you see her, tell her I’ll give her a call first thing tomorrow morning.”
The tension rose. Tiffany stood stiff as a board with her arms crossed over her chest, plumping her already generous bosom. I gently whispered in Tom’s ear about wanting to dance. Happy to leave her presence, as Tom led me to the dance floor, I placed my drink on the counter and glanced back over my shoulder, smiling with triumph, a glint of dark glee in my eyes. Tiffany’s flaming face assured me she was ready to jump out of her skin with anger.
Sara: One.
Viper: Zero.
Hoorah!
Trying to forget everything Tom’s tactless friend had said, I gyrated against his hot body, deliberately showing off my best moves in a juvenile attempt to make Ms. Flaming Face a bit more jealous. The problem was, I couldn’t pull Jake’s words out of my head. How many girls did Tom bring to Los Angeles? And how many did he set up in hotels? The thought made my head spin. Not to mention my interaction with Tiffany left me uneasy. There was so much about him I didn’t know, and now I wasn’t so sure I even wanted to know any of it.
I couldn’t concentrate on the music, and what normally would have been hot and sexy chemistry between us felt like forced biology. He sensed it too because he reached down, and brushing his warm lips against my ear, he whispered, “What’s the matter, Sara?”
I hated the glimpse of a life I didn’t understand, but I couldn’t deny he still had power over me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and squeezed him tight as I rested my forehead on his shoulder. His arms enveloped my torso and I couldn’t have felt more secure and safe than when I was tucked in his chest.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he whispered again, sounding concerned.
Despite all the nonsense around us, he was still so attuned to me. It filled me with hope. Perhaps what we had was real. Yet, I still hurt inside. Confused and wounded, I needed answers. Raising my head, I met his gaze. “Can we get out of here?”
“Are you not feeling well?”
“I don’t know…this place, the people…I’m not feeling the vibe. If you want to stay I can take a cab back to your house.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll take you home right now.” He grabbed my hand in his palm, lacing his fingers through mine, and guided me out from the stuffy heat of the party. With our hands still clamped together, we rode the elevator down several stories in pure silence. Once in the garage, we waited for the valet.
As we drove through the late-night traffic of Hollywood’s streets, I turned to him. “We were barely there for an hour. You didn’t even say goodbye to Jake.”
“Jake won’t realize I left, and he couldn’t care less for pleasantries. I told you, I don’t like those parties anyway, so I’m happy we left. Right now, I’m concerned about you.” He waited for a reply. I struggled for the right words.
“Sara, are you going to tell me what happened back there?”
“Tom, why did you invite me here?”
“To the party?”
“No. California.”
“What do you mean? Aren’t we trying to get to know each other better?”
“Tom,” I said more firmly, “why did you ask me to stay with you at your house?”
He let go of my hand. “I was clear about how I felt. I asked you to be my girlfriend tonight.”
“Jake told me.”
“Told you what?”
“About the hotels…the girls…he thought I was one of them.”
He didn’t take his eyes off the road and I sensed the increased tension as he gripped the steering wheel and the car sped faster.
“Escorts, Tom?”
“Is that what he told you?”
“Is it true?”
“You seem to have your mind already made up.”
“I want to know the truth. I’m confused and a part of me feels betrayed.”
He snapped his head toward me, swerving as he took his eyes off the road. “Betrayed? I’ve been more open with you than I have been with anyone in a really long time.”
“Then what the hell was Jake talking about? He asked me what hotel I was staying at. He was shocked when I told him I was staying with you. He said you never bring your girls home.”
With his eyes back on the road, he pressed harder on the gas. “I neither need to nor am I interested in paying for sex or companionship.”
Neither one of us uttered another word for the rest of the ride. For the first time since I met him, I thought I was sitting next to a stranger. When we arrived back at his house, he jumped out and rushed to open my door. He didn’t look at me as we walked back into his house. He thrust the door open and stormed in, leaving me to trail behind him. He flicked on the lights and flung his keys onto the kitchen counter, and with his back to me, dropped his chin to his chest and placed his hands on his hips.
I approached him slowly. “All I did was ask a simple question. I felt like shit when your friend said those things to me. My blood literally drained from my head.”
“Jake had no business saying anything.”
“So, it’s true? I was hoping perhaps I’d misunderstood what he said. Look, I don’t care what you do with your life, but I don’t need to be part of it.”
He turned in a fury, his hands still at his hips. “Let’s just make one thing very clear, Sara. You don’t know anything about me to be making any kind of judgments about my life. I don’t need to explain anything about me to anyone, especially to some girl I just met two weeks ago.”
It was a slap to my face. His words were cruel, but I guess he had a point. I didn’t have a right to demand any answers. I knew him a whole of two weeks and literally been his girlfriend for only an hour. What the hell had I been thinking? Apparently, I was just some girl.
I dug my nails into my palms, squeezing as hard as I could into such tight fists I almost drew my own blood. It was all I could do to distract my heart from the pain it was feeling. “You’re right, Tom. You owe me no explanations. I should’ve never come.”
I sucked my chest in and walked past him toward the stairs. I wanted to be tough and pretend it didn’t torch me to leave him there. Yet, as rigid as my body tightened, inside I was crumbling to ashes, and all I wanted to do was escape from the one man I knew would destroy me.
“Stay,” he said in his deep voice.
The word planted me where I stood. Knowing I would not survive looking at him, I didn’t turn around. My eyes filled with tears, a river ready to crest. I couldn’t let him see what his words had done to me.
“Sara, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. Any of it.” His breaths grew ragged. “Jake wasn’t wrong with what he said, but he wasn’t right either.”
With my back still to him, I stood in silence.
“Sara, please turn around,” he implored.
My mind begged me to run up the stairs to his room, pack my bags, and leave. But I was weak. Too goddamn weak. And my body refused to comply. The power of his voice disarmed me. “What is it?” I asked, turning around. “You’ve already made it perfectly clear you don’t need to explain anything to me. I’m just some girl you met two weeks ago.”
“That’s not true.”
“That’s what you said.”
“I was mad and I was an asshole for saying it. I didn’t mean it…you have to believe that.”
“I don’t know what to believe. One minute you are the most charming man in the world, the next you are speeding down the freaking highway and talking to me like I’m some chick you picked up off the street.”
“You have every right to be pissed at me.”
“I’m hurt, Tom.”
“Let me explain.”
“Explain what? That moment came and went. I don’t even know if I care to learn the truth anymore. Right now, I want to get my things and go.”
“I’m not about to let you walk out of my life that easily. Not without you knowing the truth.”
“All right, what exactly is the truth?”
“I’ve never brought women home, but it wasn’t because they were escorts.”
“I’m listening.”
“Sara, up until two weeks ago, I was a different guy. I worked and then…I liked to have fun. I wasn’t interested in relationships. I wanted to have a good time and then go back home to my place, where I was able to unwind and be me. I was happy. Things were simple and uncomplicated and that’s the way I wanted it.”
“What changed?”
“You came into my life.”
“So, you’re telling me you met me two weeks ago, and all of a sudden, you are a changed man?” I scoffed at him in disbelief.
“I can’t deny who I was. It’s all I knew how to be for a long time. I met women and—”
“And you slept with them and probably never called them back.”
“It was never like that. Everything here is personal and I didn’t want them to think they—”
“Mattered?”
“Oh, my God. Would you please just let me finish what I want to say? I didn’t want them to get attached to the idea of a life I couldn’t offer them. My life was mine, and I was happy not sharing it with anybody.”
“What about me? Where does all that leave me?”
“Sara, you are here. In my house. You are the first woman to ever set foot here. Christ, for the past two weeks, I’ve done things with you I haven’t done with anyone. I can’t believe it myself, but hell, things are different now. I can’t imagine myself without you. I can’t explain it, but here I am, pouring my heart out to a woman, and it’s killing me. It’s killing me because I don’t want you to think I’m some scumbag who just wants to fuck you and then dump you. I care about you, and it scares the shit out of me.”
“Why was Jake so shocked about me?”
“Jake’s an idiot. He’s my best friend, but when it comes to real personal stuff I tend to keep that to myself. You are not some chick off of the street, Sara. I’m so sorry for saying it or for giving you the impression you don’t matter to me. You’re everything that matters, in fact, the only thing that matters to me right now.”
“What about Tiffany?”
He shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “What does she have to do with anything?”
“I saw the way you two were with each other.”
Tom’s brow pinched as his jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding me.”
“She cares about you.”
“We’re friends. We’ve known each other for years and she’s my assistant.”
“I mean she really cares about you.”
“You’re threatened by her?”
I took two mental steps back at his words. It shocked me he picked up on the exact issue. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction by answering him with the truth. My pride was already too injured. Although I remained silent, my eyes blinked fast as I tried to keep my emotions in check. My lips pursed into a tight line as my chin trembled in anger.
How did I’d let him and Tiffany get to me like this?
“She is just a friend who also happens to be my assistant. Nothing more,” he reaffirmed, as if he read the doubt circulating in my mind.
Did he really think I was that naive? “Two people like you can’t be just friends. You said you have never lied to me, so tell me, have you ever been more than just friends?”
He looked away from me in silence, contemplating his answer. I knew I had asked a question to which I didn’t want the answer, but I had to know. “Tom? Were you ever more than friends?”
“It was a long time ago, Sara. I don’t see her that way anymore.”
My heart stopped. I should have ended my questions there, but I couldn’t help myself. “What happened between you two?”
“Nothing happened. That’s the point. She wanted something I couldn’t give her. I could never be that guy for her.”
“So, you broke it off?”
“We were never really together, Sara.”
“Friends with benefits.”
“You sure like to phrase things real bluntly, don’t you?”
“Well?”
“We fucked. Happy?”
Christ. I knew it’d sting, just not how badly. My blood sizzled at the thoughts of them together. Strong heavy breaths pushed in and out of my chest. I had asked the question. I had pushed him. Now I needed to deal with the aftermath.
He took a few steps toward me. “I know that’s not what you wanted to hear, but I told you I wouldn’t lie to you. Tiffany is a great girl, but we would never last. She wasn’t the woman for me, and I certainly wasn’t good for her.”
I put a palm out to keep him from coming closer. “So, why did you stay friends?”
He stiffened at my gesture, but respected the silent request. “We are better at being friends. She is a great assistant and I know she needs the job. She was getting attached and if we continued messing around, she was only going to end up hurt. Eventually, we wouldn’t be able to work together and neither one of us wanted that. It was better that way.”
I couldn’t really process anything I was hearing. All I kept seeing in my head was the both of them tangled in sheets, naked. It was infuriating. My body could not handle all that emotion. My hands trembled. I knew there was no way Tiffany was ever going to be out of the picture. “I…don’t think I can share you with her.”
Before I had a chance to stop him, Tom walked over to me and took my face in his hands. He speared me with his gaze, and all I could see was a love and a devotion to me I could not explain. “Share me? Baby, look at me. I’m totally yours. Only yours. You aren’t sharing me with anybody.”
He crashed his lips into mine and instantly all my fears faded. I melted into his lips, welcoming his wet tongue into my mouth. He made me believe in him with every inch of my body. His love was fire and ice ravaging my body. We consumed each other’s breath until nothing was left. Anger, pain, frustration, lust, love—all melded together into the pure heat of our bodies. He was hard and panting, and I wanted him with such ardor my heart ached.
Still, I wasn’t ready. I had so much to process, and Tiffany’s face was still too vibrant in my mind. The thought of them together haunted me. I needed to get away from him. I needed to be alone to figure out what I wanted. Being so close to him clouded my mind. It took every ounce of my will to separate from his mouth. He held on to me; the fire inside him was molten iron.
Eyes flaming with longing, he spoke to me in a breathless whisper, “I need you, baby.”
He nibbled on my bottom lip as he kissed me again. He cradled my face in his hands as his tongue gently parted my lips. He took a few steps forward, forcing me to step back until I felt my spine press against a cold wall.
Tom placed his hands on the wall, caging me with his arms. His large body pulsed with heat, and with his mouth, he began a slow and torturous downward trail down my neck. He kissed every inch of my skin until his lips met my collarbone and shoulders. My body was boneless. The muscled planes of his chest vibrated with carnal need. It was intoxicating. My body craved him like a flower hungers for the sun.
His hand gingerly crept up my thigh and dress. The heat of his skin caught me off guard, but it sent a jolt of pleasure to my core. Our lips found each other once more, and I knew it would lead me to an undeniable defeat. The thin fabric of my underwear was drenched by the time his hand found the center between my legs. When his breathing stopped, replaced by a moan, I knew he felt it too, how wet he made me. His deep growl rumbled in my chest, and it was all that was needed to undo me.
“Christ, baby,” he panted. “I want you so bad. I can take you right now. Just ask me to.” He rubbed and pressed on my mound so expertly with his hand, I was about to erupt. “Tell me you want it,” he pleaded.
My mind was lost.
He forced his eyes on mine. “Do you want me inside you?” he demanded again.
All I desired in that moment was for him to make me his again, to feel his body pushing against mine. Determined to claim me, he slid his hand inside my panties and parted me with his fingers. I gasped. The touch almost incinerated me. I would have given myself wholly to him. There would have been no turning back. While my body screamed at me to surrender, my mind refused to succumb.
“Stop,” I finally said, high and dizzy from the torment of his passion.
Tom looked at me with confusion, but didn’t hesitate. He withdrew immediately and took two steps back. His chest heaved, his face flustered. “Sara?”
“Tom…I…can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“After all that happened tonight…I’m not ready.”
He brushed his hands through his hair. “You’re right. This would have been a mistake. I’m sorry. I really am.” He walked back to the kitchen counter, took his keys, and stormed out of the house. A minute later, the Maserati purred to life. I ran after him, but by the time I made it to the front door, the car had peeled away and Tom was gone.