Breathless (14 page)

Sitting in one
of the guest chairs, Ava said, “Tara told me you tried to talk her
into staying with you.”

“Yeah, but she
wouldn’t go for it.” He claimed the leather chair next to her. “Did
you have any luck getting through to her?” He was going for casual,
but he failed miserably.

Lines appeared
on Ava’s forehead, and she leaned in closer. “No, and I don’t know
what to do. Tara’s so independent. She hates asking anyone for
anything. Being helpless is killing her.” Ava clenched her hands in
her lap. “I practically begged her to stay with us, but she
refused. She said she’d stay in a cheap motel until she figured
something out.”

“Like hell she
will!” Keith refused to think about her sleeping in some
flea-bitten dive while he slept in a king-sized bed on 800
thread-count sheets. “Where is she now?”

Ava leaned
back, obviously startled. “She said she was going into the office
for a bit.”

***

Tara heard
someone slam the door in the lobby, and she jumped up from her
desk. She looked up and saw Keith scowling at her. “What are you
doing here? You look stressed.”

“With good
reason.” He paced the carpeted floor, his hands shoved into the
pockets of his black bomber jacket. “No way are you staying in some
no-tell motel. I don’t care what you say.”

Obviously he’d
talked to Ava and Brent. They must have decided to gang up on her.
“I’m a big girl. Nobody gets to call the shots in my life but me.”
When Keith opened his mouth to object, she planted her hands on her
hips and glared at him.

Keith glared
back at her. “We’ll see about that.”

Tara rolled her
eyes. The Armstrong brothers were accustomed to getting what they
wanted, but she didn’t intend to let them dictate how she lived her
life. Where she lived was her decision and she’d already made it,
whether Keith and Brent liked it or not.

“I don’t need
help, Keith.” She stepped forward and softened her tone when his
big brown eyes took on that wounded puppy look. “But it’s nice to
know you care.”

He surprised
her by grabbing her hands and pulling her forward until she
collided with his chest. “I couldn’t sleep last night, thinking
about this.”

Tara hadn’t
slept either, but Keith didn’t need to know that. “I’ll be fine. I
can take care of myself.”

“Why are you
being so stubborn? You have friends who want to help you. Let us.”
He squeezed her hands. “Please.”

His eyes were
outlining her body, searing her all over. She’d be lying if she
said Keith didn’t do it for her, but she owed it to Ava to respect
her wishes. Tara didn’t want to make future meetings with Keith
awkward by indulging in a quickie. Her breathing was rapid, every
muscle in her body tense as she waited to see what he would do
next.

Keith muttered
a curse before cupping the back of her head and taking her mouth
with the force of a tortured man. He kissed her as if he couldn’t
control himself, as if his mouth had a mind of its own and was
intent on obliterating her objections. He changed positions,
delving deeper and holding her prisoner as he moaned into her
mouth.

Backing her up,
he pinned her to the wall, and she felt a little dizzy when his
hand found its way beneath her top. He brushed the pad of his thumb
across her peaked nipple, and she barely resisted the impulse to
slide down the wall and take him with her. It was so much more than
a kiss. She felt as though she was signing over her body’s title to
him to do with as he pleased.

That
realization hit her with the impact of a bucket of ice water. She
pushed against his shoulders. “Stop…” She turned her face away,
trying to suck in a much-needed breath. “You need to stop. We need
to stop. Ava. Brent. We can’t…”

“I know.” He
buried his face in her hair. “I know. You’re right.”

Tara knew he
was as stunned by that kiss as she was. He hadn’t intended for it
to happen either. They couldn’t take it back, she didn’t even know
if she wanted to, but they couldn’t let it happen it again. Ava and
Brent were two of the most important people in their lives, and
they had reason to be concerned about Tara hooking up with Keith.
He was a player, a very charming player, which meant she would
probably end up with a broken heart. She couldn’t let that
happen.

“I didn’t… I
mean…” He inhaled unevenly. “That’s not why I came here. I really
did want to talk to you about your living arrangements.”

“I know. And we
did… talk about it.” She cleared her throat when her voice came out
hoarse. “But I meant what I said. I’m not going to let you call the
shots.”

“Baby, please.”
He slid his hand into her hair, holding her face captive. “Do this
for me.”

Wow.
She
was willing to bet a woman would do anything for him when he
begged, but she wasn’t easily manipulated and he wasn’t asking for
a small favor. “I can’t.” She tried to inch out from beneath him,
but he pinned her with his body. His very lean and sculpted body.
She swallowed, trying to ignore his obvious arousal, but that
wasn’t easy when it prodded her where she needed it most. She
hadn’t slept with anyone since Biagio, and her body was telling her
she was long overdue.

“I’m worried
about you,” he whispered, his eyes shifting to her mouth. “I… care
about you. A lot.”

“You’re sweet
to be concerned, but you don’t need to be. I’m gonna be fine.”
Just as soon as you step back, and I remember how to breathe
again.

“Stay with me
for a couple of months, until you get back on your feet.”

“A couple of
months? No way! That’s not going to happen.”

“Give me one
good reason.”

He looked
angry, but she didn’t care. He was being totally unreasonable. “It
may surprise you to know I have a life. I date. How do you expect
me to get to know anyone while I’m living with you?”

He lifted his
shoulder and played with the drawstring inside the waistband of her
yoga pants. “So maybe you’ll take a little hiatus from dating.
Would that be so terrible?”

“Yes!” She
heaved an exasperated sigh. Was he really that clueless? “I have
needs, Armstrong. I’m not going to put them on the shelf just to
appease you and Ava and your control-freak of a brother!” Pushing
his chest, she tried to make a break for it, but his arms closed
around her waist.

“Think about
the dirtbags who hang around those seedy motels. You can’t tell me
you’d feel safe there. What’s more important: getting laid or
staying safe?”

She gasped,
shocked by his audacity. Who the hell did he think he was? “I’m
sorry, have you ever gone months without sex? I’m willing to bet
you couldn’t last a week.” He didn’t need to know she’d been
celibate for the past year.

“I’ll take that
bet. In fact, if you agree to stay with me, I’ll suffer right along
with you.”

“What are you
talking about?”

“If you can’t
date, I won’t either.”

“That’s
stupid.” She had to admit torturing him may make it worth it. Going
without sex wouldn’t be a huge sacrifice with her battery-operated
friend in her nightstand drawer, but she had a feeling Keith would
be ready to tear his hair out by the end of the month. The more she
thought about it, the more she realized it could be fun.

“I can tell
you’re thinking about it.” He smirked. Extending his hand, he
asked, “Come on, do we have a deal?”

She looked from
his hand to his face as the wheels in her head turned. “Fine, but I
refuse to stay that long. I’ll stay until I get a couple more
paychecks. One month, tops. That should give me a chance to save up
move-in expenses and find an apartment.”

He grinned.
“It’s a deal. One month.”

“It’s only a
deal if you let me buy groceries and cook the meals. I refuse to
mooch off you.”

Keith laughed,
and she knew he thought she was being ridiculous. He earned
millions of dollars a year as the vice president of Armstrong
Investments.

“Those are my
terms,” she said, crossing her arms. “Take them or leave them.”

“I guess I
don’t have a choice, do I?”

The phone rang,
and Tara walked around her desk to check the call display. Unknown
caller. Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone and forced a
smile. “Lasting Connections. This is Tara. How can I help you?”

“Hello,
beautiful.”

Sinking into
her swivel chair, Tara turned her back to Keith. He would read the
distress on her face too easily. “Why are you calling me?” she said
quietly. “I thought I made myself clear. I don’t want you to call
me again.”

“I drove by
your old place today. Such a shame what happened to it.”

The hair on
Tara’s arms stood up. “Why were you driving by my place?” How many
times had he done it, unbeknownst to her?

“I wanted to
see you. I’ve missed you.”

She couldn’t
tell him off because Keith was standing right behind her,
undoubtedly hanging on her every word. “The feeling is not
mutual.”

“Don’t be like
that, doll. Tell me, where are you staying now that you’re…
homeless?”

She could
almost hear his amusement.
The parasite.
He was probably
getting a kick out of her predicament. He knew how precarious her
financial situation was, and he likely thought he could use her
misfortune to his advantage. Too bad the joke was on him. “I’m
staying with a friend.”

“Ava?”

“No, you don’t
know him.”

“Him?”

His famous
jealous streak reared its ugly head again, but Tara would get the
last laugh. “That’s right.”

“Who is it?
Someone you’re seeing?”

“No, Keith’s
just a friend.” After their kiss, she wondered if Keith would agree
with that assessment. She didn’t dare turn around to read his
expression.

“Keith? Not
Keith Armstrong, Ava’s fiancée’s brother?”

She cursed
herself for using Keith’s first name. Of course Biagio had heard
about Ava’s engagement. It had been all over the newspapers, and in
every story about Armstrong Investments, the two brothers’ names
appeared. “I have to get back to work. Please don’t call me
again.”

After hanging
up, she turned around to face the inevitable. Refusing to look up,
she slid her finger across her computer’s mouse. “I really should
get back to work, Keith.”

“Not so fast.”
Fisting his hands on her desk, he leaned in. “Who was that?”

“No one.”

“It sounded
like it was someone you didn’t want to talk to. Your ex,
maybe?”

Tara knew there
was no sense lying about it. “So what if it was?”

“He knew about
the fire?”

“I guess
so.”

Why did he have
to smell so damn good when she was still wearing her sweats from
last night? At least she’d been able to borrow Ava’s shampoo and
body wash to make herself look presentable. She’d have to max out
her credit card to stock up on the staples before returning home.
Home. Not her home, Keith’s. She no longer had a fixed address.
Just thinking about being homeless made her heart hurt.

“How?”

“He said he
drove by.”

“Why?”

Frowning, Tara
leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. “What is this, twenty
questions? How am I supposed to know?”

“I just want to
know why he’s so interested in your situation.”

Smiling
sweetly, she said, “I think he was going to offer me a place to
stay, but I told him you beat him to it. Happy now?”

Narrowing his
eyes, Keith said, “You know I’m not happy. Why are you baiting
me?”

Tara laughed.
“Because you’re so easy. Now get out of here, I have work to
do.”

***

Keith and Tara
both stuck their hands into a large bowl of popcorn at the same
time. He couldn’t think of a better way to end the day.

Smiling, she
inched the bowl toward him. “Since you let me pick the movie.”

He’d claimed
she was torturing him with the sappy romantic comedy, but he’d been
so aware of her thigh against his that he’d barely caught a word of
the dialogue onscreen. Presumably, the characters were falling in
love, and for the first time in his life, Keith could almost
imagine what that felt like.

“Thanks.” He
grinned as he filled his hand with popcorn. Popping a kernel at a
time into his mouth, he watched her out the corner of his eye. She
was really caught up in the movie, giving him a rare opportunity to
observe her when she wasn’t self-conscious.

Tara was humble
and beautiful from the inside out, unlike most of the women who
worked to get his attention just because his last name was
Armstrong. She was strong and proud because she’d grown up the same
way he had, and she understood what it meant to go without.

His heart had
clenched when she walked through the door with bags from the
nearest discount box store. She’d stocked up on the basics to get
her through until her next pay check. Instead of taking advantage
of her friends in high places, she was determined to dig herself
out of her mess, and Keith found that kind of resolve difficult to
resist.

Muttering a
curse when a soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and
their movie, he said, “Excuse me.” Keith wracked his brain to
figure out whether he had given any of his recent dates his
security passcode for the front door. He and Tara were finally
getting closer, and he didn’t want anyone or anything
interfering.

Ava and Brent
stood on the other side of the door. Keith was glad his visitor
wasn’t another woman, but he feared his brother and future
sister-in-law weren’t there to condone their living arrangements.
They were probably planning to convince Tara to go home with them,
which was the last thing Keith wanted. He wanted time with Tara so
he could decide once and for all whether their growing attraction
could be the real deal.