Beneath the Surface (31 page)

She lost herself for several moments, reveling in the broad muscled expanse, enjoying the flex and tone of his tendons and tissues beneath bronze skin. God he was so beautiful, sometimes it frightened her to touch him, that when she did, he would disappear in a puff of smoke as if he never existed. Just a dream.

“Go dry off and get in bed. I’ve got a treat for you.”

“I can’t wait.”

He actually got out as she instructed, and that’s when she knew he wasn’t well.

How were they going to work out this evening? Could she talk him out of going out when she knew all those people were going to be waiting at his loft later on, counting on her to bring the birthday boy home?

Tabitha got out of the shower a couple of minutes later, clad in a bathrobe and trailing hot steam into the bedroom as she opened the bathroom door and came out.

Eric was sprawled on the bed face up, still and breathing steady.

She tiptoed over to the bureau to put on a thong and a bra, hung her bathrobe over the back of the rocking chair across from her bed.

176

Beneath the Surface

“You never told me you have a cat,” he murmured.

“It never came up.”

“What’s her name?”

“Vogue, and how do you know she’s a she?”

He shrugged. “She looks like a she. At least the brief glance I got of her when she sped under the bed a few seconds ago.”

“She likes to hide.” Tabitha dimmed the lights and lit the aromatherapy candles she had strategically placed throughout her bedroom. Vanilla and spice and everything nice. At least she hoped so for Eric. “Is she going to be a problem? Are you allergic?”

That’s all she needed, for him to have an allergy attack on top of how lousy he was already feeling.

“No allergies. I like cats. Though I’m more of a dog person.”

“You would be.”

He chuckled as she opened the top drawer of her nightstand and pulled out her bottle of Tantra sensuous massage oil. She’d gotten it as a gift, part of an entire beautifully wrapped basket of sensual products, from Cynthia a couple of years ago, and had never found a reason to use it before now. But now seemed like the perfect moment.

Tabitha climbed onto the bed and Eric barely stirred. “Ready, tiger?”

“Grrr…ready when you are.”

She giggled, pulled off his towel and said, “Turn over, Vega.” before she could get a really good glance at his semi-erection and become anymore turned on. She was supposed to be helping him relax, giving a soothing massage, not getting turned on.

He winced, but obligingly turned over, folding his arms beneath his head and resting a cheek on his wrists.

The backside view was as titillating as the front, so much so Tabitha just sat back on her heels and admired his tight round butt for several seconds before smacking him on that delicious part of his body.

“Bondage
and
spanking? I’m going to have to do something about you.”

She climbed on top and straddled him, liked the feel of him beneath her, liked the feel of his shoulders beneath her fingers as she gently caressed him.

Tabitha poured a generous amount of oil into her palm and rubbed her hands together before working the oil into his shoulders and upper back.

Eric groaned as she worked, completely still under her ministrations, never once moving or making a pass at her, never coming close.

She silently moved down to his lower back, enjoyed her work, pressing her thumbs into his spine and moving them in a slow circular motion as he sighed beneath her.

“That feels so good.”

177

Gracie C. McKeever

“Does it? I was beginning to wonder if you’d fallen asleep on me.”

“I would never.”

She moved further down his body to his legs, giving each thigh and calf the same thorough attention that she had given his back, working the oil into his skin as the luscious aroma mixed with his piquant musk and wafted up, making her stomach spiral with lust.

Tabitha sat back on her heels again, and gently spanked his butt. “Over, Vega.”

He turned over, eyes closed as she climbed back on top of him, felt his erection poking against the seam of her ass, thought at least that part seemed to be functioning to capacity.

She massaged his chest, rubbing the oil into his skin, circling his flat nipples with a fingernail before bending her head to kiss his chest.

Tabitha abandoned the oil, kissed her way down his front until she reached the promised land, licking him from his scrotum to the moist head of his hard shaft. She kissed him, stuck her tongue in his slit before taking him into her mouth.

He moaned, bending his knees beneath her and burying his hands in her hair.

She tickled the underside of his penis as she slid her mouth down to the base then back up before slowly drawing him into her mouth again. She pulled for several lingering moments, forceful and adding her teeth before she came back up to tease his head, then swallowed him whole again, suckling until she felt him throbbing in her mouth.

He didn’t warn her this time—probably too tired to care, too weak to stop—her only signal that he was about to come the tension she felt in his thighs, and the fierce grip he had on her hair as he pressed her closer to his groin and writhed beneath her.

Tabitha sat up and licked her lips as he trembled, still coming down from his climax.

He reached for her and she laid across him, resting her head against his chest and listening to the lulling sound of his strong heartbeat against her ear.

“Let’s catch a few hours sleep before this evening?” he whispered.

She swallowed, feeling protective and tender. “Anything you want. It’s your day.”

178

Beneath the Surface

EJ woke several hours later, confused and achy as he turned to find himself alone in bed.

Tabitha came into the room just then, putting in her earrings and clad in a simple short-sleeved black dress, Lycra cotton material clinging in all the right places, and displaying her rich curves to their best advantage.

Sick or not, he appreciated her beauty and wanted to do right by her tonight, enjoy the evening she had planned for him. So far he was enjoying his birthday much more than he had thought possible when he woke up this morning, and despite still feeling like shit.

He cleared his throat and immediately felt the swelling and soreness. Damn, this was not getting any better.

“Welcome back to the world of the living, sleepy head.”

“How long did I sleep?”

“A few hours. I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever wake up this century.”

EJ rubbed his eyes and sat up, realized he was naked beneath the comforter as it fell beyond his waist. He glanced at Tabitha’s bedside clock then out the window.

“It looks later than it is.”

It looked like what it was, six o’clock and he’d slept the day away. “So, what’s on the agenda? Tennis under the lights? A little one on one basketball in the school yard?”

Tabitha giggled as she came over and sat beside him on the bed. She palmed a lightly whiskered cheek. “Just dinner at a restaurant of your choosing and a movie if you want. No working except a little mastication and getting from one location to the other.”

“Sounds like a plan.” EJ rooted around in the sheets for his shorts, found and put them on before he got out of bed.

179

Gracie C. McKeever

His garment bag was already in the room draped across the back of Tabitha’s rocking chair. When he reached out to retrieve the bag, fingers brushing the chair’s varnished wooden back, a vision burst before his eyes with startling clarity.

Tabitha sitting in the chair, cradling and nursing a baby against her breasts
.

EJ jerked away his hand and stumbled back a couple of steps.

“Eric, what’s the matter?”

“Uh, I got a shock. You know, the carpet, friction…”

She came over to him, smiling as she slid her arms around his waist. “I know it’s so hard to keep all that electricity all bottled up.”

He grinned as he returned her hug.

If he told her what he’d seen, she’d never believe him. How could he get it out there in a way that wouldn’t freak her out?

“Have you ever thought about having kids?” he blurted.

Tabitha froze in his arms, gawked up at him. “Sheesh, where did that just come from?”

EJ shrugged, trying to play off his question as if its answer wasn’t all that important to him. Obviously, just throwing it out there hadn’t been the best idea, but now that it was out there… “Just something I’ve been thinking about.”

“There’s usually a few steps that come before a baby.”

“Yeah, I know.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Hot unbridled sex without protection.”

She playfully punched his shoulder, easily moved out of his arms. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

“I know,” he said, suddenly serious as he pulled her back in his arms. “And in case you’re wondering, I’m clean.”

“So am I.” She nodded. “I got tested two years ago, and I haven’t been with anyone since.”

His heart expanded in his chest at that little tidbit. He’d known it had been a while for her, just not how long.

“But that doesn’t exactly address unplanned pregnancy and I’m not on the pill.”

“Would that be so bad? Having a baby?”

She shrugged, moved out of his arms again and crossed her arms over her breasts as she turned her back to him.

EJ went to her, put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back against his chest. “I know a lot of women might be scared away from having as many kids as my mother did.”

She chuckled and turned around to face him. “Yeah, six is a bit much.”

180

Beneath the Surface

“But you would like to have a couple some day, right?”

“Someday, with the right person, at the right time.”

Inwardly, he sighed, relieved she wasn’t completely averse to the idea. “That I’m glad to hear.”

He had deep feelings for this woman and didn’t think he could further foster a relationship with her if she were against kids.

Deciding to push his luck, he said, “I’d want at least three, but we could compromise and have four, just to make things even.”

“Two’s an even number also.”

“Hmm, guess it is.”

“But we should talk about this at another time maybe. You, mister, need to get dressed so we can be on our way.” She pulled out of his arms and left the room.

EJ quickly went into the bathroom, shaved, came back to the bedroom, unzipped his garment bag, removed and put on the black chinos and black turtleneck in short order.

Barefoot, he went into the living room where Tabitha was downing a glass of OJ.

She took her glass to the kitchen, came back and asked, “Any thought to where you’d like to go birthday boy?”

“Haven’t thought about it.”

“I hear Smith and Wollensky is a pretty nice spot. They’re in Zagat’s and the steaks are to die for. Ever been?”

“Uh, yeah. It’s nice but not the most romantic spot in the world. More like a corporate, business lunch type place.”

“Oh, I was kind of looking forward to sampling the food there, but it is your day.”

“If you’re interested in Zagat places but want a nice ambience…”

“I’m listening.”

“The Shark Bar has great soul food, and good music. We could eat and dance off the calories.” What was he saying? Dancing?

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

* * * *

“How do you like your food?” Eric asked.

“It’s absolutely delicious! I’m glad you mentioned this place.”

He smiled, reached for his glass of lemonade.

181

Gracie C. McKeever

“I don’t know why you didn’t get a drink-drink. It’s your day. You’re supposed to be celebrating.”

“Just being with you is celebration enough.”

She glanced at his face, his peaked appearance plainly saying he wasn’t well, but knew that he’d never admit it, determined to stick out the evening for as long as it lasted.

She’d seen him popping Tylenol from her medicine cabinet earlier, heart welling at the obvious pain he was trying to hide.

Tabitha thought of calling Angela and asking her to cancel the party. She just as quickly discounted the idea when she realized how late in the game it was to suggest such a thing. Not days before, but the day of. Eric would have to be dead for his family to abide a cancellation.

As she looked at him across the dimly lit table, she knew that he was probably feeling pretty damn close to death warmed over.

She’d gotten the flu exactly twice in her life and had been getting the shot religiously ever since, never wanted to feel so bad again.

She could ask Angela to reschedule. Nah, that was just as bad as canceling.

Tabitha glanced at her watch thought even now the Vega clan was probably gathering at Eric’s loft waiting for her to bring him home.

Maybe she could suggest they wrap the festivities up early, she thought, inwardly laughing at ending something that hadn’t even begun yet.

She could imagine trying to slow down and disperse the rowdy, close-knit group, knew that the Vegas probably partied hardy, in typical big-Italian-family fashion.

Tabitha and Eric quietly finished their meal—she the broiled salmon and he the southern fried chicken, both of them having collards, cornbread, potato salad and lemonade.

After the meal, Tabitha ordered the sweet potato pie with a dollop of whip cream on top for Eric and the chocolate mousse for herself. Of course once the desserts arrived they each sampled the other’s dish as they had done with dinner.

“You’re trying to make me fat,” he said.

Tabitha smiled at the impossibility and said, “After our earlier workout don’t you think we’ve earned it?”

“Thanks for reminding me.”