ENCORE PERFORMANCE (THE MATCHMAKER TRILOGY) (10 page)

Carissa could hear Thomas moving about his room
when she opened the front door. Light gleamed under his
bedroom door, but as she climbed up the steps, it blinked
out. Deliberately, she supposed.

Well, she couldn’t blame him. They’d asked him to
move to Kansas City, give up everything else in his life,
and then she wouldn’t even listen to him when he offered
suggestions. They were good suggestions too. She’d been a
fool. Now she cursed herself.

She stood outside his door and thought about
knocking, but she refrained. They would talk in the
morning when they’d both calmed down. She would hear
him out. Theory was a good idea and it was of course
included in everything she taught, but she’d never thought
of teaching it exclusively as a class. He’d obviously given
it a lot of thought and he
was
the true professional when
she thought about it.

Thomas leaned his head against the door as he heard
hers close. He’d almost flung it open and given her a piece
of his mind. Oh, she was stubborn. Then he let out a laugh.
Sophia might not have been her biological mother, but they
sure as hell made quite a match.

The thought washed over him. Stubborn, that might
have been too mild for Sophia. What went beyond
stubborn? After all, she’d left the man she loved and stayed
away from ten years. Not once did she even contact him to
hear his side of the story. Well, by God, Carissa was going
to listen to his side. If she wanted him to work with her, she
was going to listen.

He pulled his shirt off, exchanged his slacks for a pair
of sweatpants, and climbed into his bed. He ran his fingers
through his hair then laced them behind his head. God, if
she was this crazy about her music education, what was
going to happen when he took her to bed?

He wanted that more now than he wanted to work side
by side with her. No, he needed to get over it. He wasn’t
the kind of man Carissa needed. She needed stability. She
needed a family man. He wasn’t that.

He took his pillow and pounded it into place. He
closed his eyes.
A smile crossed over his lips as he thought of the kiss
he and Carissa had shared earlier that morning. She walked
up to him out of the darkness and kissed him again. This
time, however, the phone didn’t ring. Nothing stopped him
from touching her, caressing her, and he started to undress
her.
The buttons on her blouse released with ease and her
skirt pooled to the ground. She moaned his name and began
to undress him.
The room went black. He was alone.
Huddled in the closet, he was no longer a man of
thirty-three, but a young man of sixteen. The same closet
had found him cowering most of his life.
He twisted, trying to break out of the closet. His face
throbbed, his head pounded and his hands . . . oh the pain in
his hands.
“Sara!” he called out, but his voice didn’t register.
“Sara!” Again and again, he cried out but there was no
sound.
He could hear her scream. He could hear his mother’s
screams. He could vividly hear his father’s shouts, his
slaps, his fists on skin, and then there was silence.
Hands were on him. He batted them away.

Carissa was out of breath. She’d run down the hall.
She’d tried to force his locked door open. Then she’d gone
through the bathroom and to his side. He was twisted in his
sheets, pushing at her, flailing his arms about . . . protecting
himself.

“Thomas, help who? Wake up.” She tried to touch him
again, but he batted her touch away. “Oh, baby, wake up.”
He sat straight up in bed. His eyes flew open. She
watched as they settled from terror in his sleep to alertness.
“I’m here. I’m here.” She wanted to touch him again
but didn’t dare.
His hair was damp from sweat. He held his hands up
and looked them over.
Carissa stood. “I’ll get you some water.” He grabbed
her arm and pulled her back.
“No, please don’t go.”
His hand, damp and hot, trembled against her skin. She
covered it with hers. “Are you all right? I heard you
screaming from my room.”
“What time is it?”
“Three o’clock.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, catching his breath and moving
back from her. “I have nightmares sometimes. I didn’t
mean to scare you.”
“You were hurt. Someone was hurting you.” She
reached for his face and he jerked back before he let her
hand settle on his cheek.
“Not me. Someone else.”
“Oh, Thomas.” She pulled him into her arms and held
him there. All the anger she’d had for him when she’d
thrown herself into her bed was gone. She just wanted to
hold him and be there for him.

His breath began to settle as Carissa’s hand stroked the
back of his neck. Her cheek pressed up against his and it
was soft. Her scent was filling his senses and he lifted his
hands to her arms and ran them softly from her shoulder to
her hands until she pulled back slowly.

Their eyes locked. He raised his hand and cupped the
back of her neck. Her chest rose in anticipation as he
lowered his mouth to hers. He tried to be gentle, tried to
take it slow, but he couldn’t resist. He parted her lips with
his tongue and took. He pulled her closer and felt her
respond as he felt his own rise.

He pulled her down on top of him. Her body molded to
his. His hands slid up her back, gathering her tank top and
pulling it over her head. She shook back her head. Her hair
fell over her shoulders, over him like satin on his skin.
Thomas looked down between them. Her ripe breasts
pressed against his chest. Her heart beat against his.

In a fluid movement, her rolled her onto her back and
drank in the beauty that was beneath him. His hand
skimmed over her satin skin, cupping her breasts in his
hands. Carissa arched her back and closed her eyes. Her
body welcomed him.

He lowered his mouth to her neck as she ran her hands
over his back.
“Thomas.” Her voice was breathless. He pulled back
and let himself sink into her eyes. “I want you to make love
to me.”
There was now nothing more on his mind. He rose and
shoved his pants from his legs. He ravaged her shoulders,
her neck, and her mouth as he pulled the boxers she’d worn
to bed from her body.
It seemed like there wasn’t time to explore. Her legs
spread under his weight and he plunged. She arched and
rode with him as he rocked into her.

She nipped at his mouth as he whispered her name
against her lips. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She’d
been touched, kissed, and taken over the edge enough to
know no one had ever made her feel like he was making
her feel. Every muscle in her body quivered as he moved
his body over hers. In hers. The racing of her heart, which
beat in perfect time with his, only fueled the moment.
Never in her life has she wanted a man more than she
wanted Thomas.

His eyes met hers as she climbed with him. Their
bodies tensed. Every note she’d ever played drummed in
her ears as they spilled over together in a crescendo.

He buried his face in her neck. His breath was heavy in
her ear as she pulled his shuddering body against her.
When he became still she held him tighter. She didn’t
want the moment to end, ever. Greed had taken over. She
wanted more of those moments.
Thomas lifted his face to look into hers. He touched
her hair and shifted just enough to lessen his weight on her.
Carissa watched him as his breath returned to normal. She
reached for his hand and laced their fingers together.
“ I never want to let go of you.” Her eyes were fixed
on his and hazy. The words were breathless and sincere.
She’d never wanted to hold someone so close to her,
always afraid she’d be disappointed in the end. But
suddenly it didn’t matter, except that his eyes changed and
he rolled onto his back.
She turned on her elbow and looked down at him.
“And that just scared the hell out of you.”
“Maybe this was a mistake.”
“We’ve been at each other since the minute you
walked into this house.” She rolled up and found the boxers
and tank top she’d had on. “The sexual tension was there.”
“So that’s all this was? Sexual tension?” Now he
sounded annoyed and that had her stewing in confusion.
She yanked the tank top over her head. “What the hell
am I suppose to think? Did you or did you not want to sleep
with me?”
He clamped his jaw and looked away.
Carissa rose and slid into her boxers. She turned to
walk out but he grabbed her wrist.
“Carissa, don’t leave. Stay with me.” He rose up as she
turned to him. “Sleep in my arms. I was wrong. This wasn’t
a mistake.” He reached his other hand up her arm and
pulled her toward the bed. “I want to hold you. I want to
wake with you.”
Carissa sat on the edge of the bed. She looked into his
eyes in the moonlit room. They seemed lost. She put her
hand on his cheek and held it there. “What scared you?
That wasn’t the first time you’ve had that dream.”
He shook it away. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just
want to be with you right now. I want you in my arms.” He
ran his hands up her arms to her shoulders and pulled her
back down to the bed with him.
“I want to know you, Thomas.” She leaned in to kiss
him. “I want there to be more between us than just
sexual
tension
.”
His lips had lost the softness she’d felt as they’d
roamed over her. The sincerity in his eyes had gone dark
and she wondered if he’d ever open up and share his life
with her.

The sun was peeking through the curtains. He breathed
in her silence as she slept in his arms. He’d made sure they
were around her all night long. He didn’t want her to
escape him. Never had he wanted to hold so tightly to
anyone.

“Good morning.” Her lips curled into a sleepy,
seductive smile.
“Good morning.” He brushed her mouth with a gentle
kiss. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more
beautiful than you usually are. I was wrong.”
“Thank you.” She shifted to get out of bed but he held
her in place.
“Not yet. I want to look at you some more.”
“We need to get to the school and clean up before the
electrical contractor shows up tomorrow. I also have
students and so do you.”
He lifted his head and looked at her with a cocked
brow. “I have students?”
“One.” She nipped at his lip. “Let’s take a shower.”
Carissa stood and walked toward the bathroom. He
propped up on his elbow watched her walk away. The very
fine tone of her body was only more beautiful now that he
had touched and tasted every inch of it. Her sleep-tangled
hair swayed down her sculpted back, accentuating the
perfect roundness of her bottom, which was barely covered
by the boxers she wore. When she turned her head back to
him he smiled.
Her eyes became playful as she pulled the tank top
over her head and arms and let it drop to the floor.
He sat up. When she crooked her finger to say
come
he
flew from the bed and gathered her in his arms. Her laugher
filled his ears and his heart. Even as he swept her from her
feet, reached into the shower to start the water, and felt her
lips on his skin, he knew he’d have to give a little of
himself to her to keep her. That’s what he wanted. He
wanted to keep her. He just wasn’t sure he could.
As a man, he could hold his own against other men. As
a musician, there wasn’t an instrument or piece of music he
couldn’t master. As a lover, however, he lacked the
knowledge of how to care for and love a woman the way he
felt Carissa should be cared and loved.

It amazed Thomas that Carissa could dress and have
coffee brewed before he was dressed and ready. Her hair
was still wet and her clothing was casual. He assumed
she’d change before her first student once they returned
from the school.

She was staring out the window into the backyard
when he walked up behind her and laced his arms around
her waist. He settled his hands on her stomach and felt her
tighten. “There is something about the morning,” she said
softly, leaning into him.

“Promise of a new day with new things to come.” The
scent of her shampoo lingered in the air around her, a clean
start to a new day, he thought.

She sighed in agreement. Slowly she turned in his arms
and lifted hers around his neck.
“It’s been an eventful few days.”
“It has. I’m not sure what to think of it.”
“Let’s do ourselves a favor and not think about it. Let’s
enjoy it. Let’s enjoy each other for as long as we can.”
The words, he realized, were spoken by someone who
took her days one at a time. When the sun rose, she would
start and when it would set, she would finish. Because of it
there was pain in her eyes, he knew it. He was familiar with
how it looked in his own eyes every morning.
“How about I make breakfast? Nothing fancy, but I
can fry up an egg and make toast.”
“I think that sounds nice.” She touched his cheek and
ran her fingers through his hair. “I’m going to go practice.
Do you mind?”
“I think that would be a wonderful idea.”
Carissa turned to leave the room and he caught her
arm. “Carissa.” She turned back to him. “Sleep in my arms
again tonight.” He lifted his hands to her hair. The damp
strands slid beneath his fingers as he stroked his hand down
its length. Those long, dark strands gave her a power, he
thought. She seemed invincible and he wished he knew
how that felt. “Share my bed from now on.”
“Thomas, I need to tell you something.” She rubbed
her hand across her lips. “I’ve never . . .”
“Never?” He raised his eyebrows at her.
She huffed out a laugh. “What I mean is I’ve never
slept with someone mere days after meeting him. I know I
told you I wasn’t going to take my time, but . . .”
“Carissa, what happened happened. I don’t think any
less of you because we moved things along much faster
than either of us would have normally.”
“So you’ve never done this? I mean, you’ve always
taken more than four days to know the person you took to
bed?” Her eyes opened wide and he knew the answer she
was fishing for. He’d have liked to have more time before
he had the chance to even put a crack in her heart before
breaking it completely. But he wasn’t going to lie to her.
Thomas diverted his eyes and stood up taller.
Carissa stepped back from him.
“I guess not.”
“Carissa, I won’t lie to you. That’s not a way to start a
relationship either.” Her eyes opened even wider when he
said
relationship.
“Pablo was—is—a very popular man.
He’s sexy and talented and comes across as the perfect
citizen of the world. Women and men want him.”
“That’s Pablo. Tell me what that has to do with
Thomas.”
He took a moment then looked her in the eye. “There
are . . . leftovers.” He hated how he said it the moment it
came out.
“Leftovers?”
“What I mean is . . .”
“I know what you mean. You slept with those who
couldn’t get to the top.”
“Carissa, I was young. I wasn’t looking—”
“Stop.” She held her hand up between them. “We’re
not married. We’re not even together really.” He shifted
uncomfortably. “If that’s who you are . . .”
“It’s not.” He reached for her. He felt her stiffen
beneath his touch. “I don’t use people for sex or
advancement. Maybe, in the past,” he admitted to her and
himself. “I did indulge when a woman wanted to share the
evening with me, but I didn’t actively seek out women to
use.”
“But they were there.”
“Dammit, Carissa. I’m trying to open up to you.” He
stepped away from her and walked around the kitchen.
“I’m not that kind of person. Usually well-to-do women
came on to me and I was young and impressionable. I did
it. I’m being honest with you.”
Carissa nodded. There were tears in her eyes and the
silence between them was deafening. He hated that
everything about him was bound to drive her away.
“I am telling you this now so you’ll understand.” He
walked back to her and wrapped his hands around her arms.
“I have never slept in the same bed with a lover before. I’ve
never awoken to see someone there next to me. I have
never held anyone else like I held you last night.”
He watched her process what he had told her.
“Go practice.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll
make breakfast for us.” He forced a smile toward her and
she returned one equally as forced.