Reparation (30 page)

“In the hall,” she replied. “Where's your hat?”

“In my hotel room. Tatum. What
the fuck
are you doing?” he asked.

“I opened your present,” she told him. He raised his eyebrows.

“Oh really. How – what did you say? -
magnanimous
of you,” he said snidely. She snorted.

“I know, right? What a fuckin' ugly necklace, Kane. I came up here to give it back. Can you hit the floor for the lobby? I'm in the middle of a party,” she told him.

“Noooo, I think you're done with your party,” he replied.

“Oh really? What makes you think that?” she asked.

“That look in your eye.”

“What look?”

“That look that says you
really
want to be fucked,” he told her. She laughed.

“And you think you can do something about that?” she asked. He nodded and leaned around her, but he didn't hit the lobby button. He hit the button for his floor.

“I think I'm the
only one
who can do someting about it,” he replied.

“I don't know how my date would feel about that,” she wondered out loud.

“
I don't give a fuck.
”

She grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him forward. They stumbled backwards, her back ramming into the elevator doors. She moaned against his lips, their tongues swirling around each other. His fingers dug into her hips, holding her against him, and then he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her so tightly she could barely breathe.

“Don't leave me again,” he whispered, tracing his tongue along her bottom lip. She shook her head.

“I won't. I promise,” she whispered back, combing her fingers through his thick hair.

“Your promises haven't worked out so well for me,” he growled, his mouth against her neck.

“We'll have to work on that,” she replied.

“I thought I had lost you.”

“Me, too.”

“You never listen to me.”

“I'm trying. I heard you down there. It just took me a while.”

“I swear to Christ,” he growled, his lips moving across her face. “If you come back only to run away again ..., I won't do this forever, Tate.”

“Yes, you would.”

“
Yes
. Are you fucking around? Am I gonna wake up tomorrow and you'll have run away again? Am I gonna have to chase you to New Jersey? South Dakota? Maybe give me a heads up so I can know what to pack.”

“You're such a dick.”

“At least I'm consistent.”

She sighed. She had missed him,
so much.

“
I'm so sorry I left you.
”

“I'm going to make-,”

She hadn't even realized the elevator had come to a stop, but suddenly the doors were sliding open. She shrieked and fell backwards. Jameson stumbled with her. He managed to keep her upright, but they tripped across the hall, slamming into the far wall, all his weight ramming into her. She grunted and then his mouth was on hers again.

He grabbed her ass hard, yanking her up against him. Her dress was too tight for her to lift her legs, and he carried her like that down the hall. She raked her fingers across his shoulders and he let go of her, her body sliding down the length of his. When her feet touched the floor, he shoved her against a wall.

“Off, you need to get this off,” he breathed, yanking her slim belt apart.

“Yes,” she agreed, her fingers joining his as she whipped the belt away from her body.

“
All of it,
” he insisted, his fingers going to the zipper that ran down the seam over her butt.

She slid to the side, pulling him with her, until she landed against a door. She braced her hands against the frame while he worked the zipper all the way down. Then his hands slid heavily up her body, over her breasts, to her shoulders. He pulled at the material there, yanked her arms free. The moment the top of the dress slid away from her breasts, he pressed himself against her, covering her up with his body.

“We either do this in the hall, or we go inside,” she whispered to him.

“Okay,” he replied, and his hands flew to his own belt.

“
Jameson.
”

He stepped away from her and she almost fell forward. He grabbed her upper arm and dragged her down the hall. She held the front of her dress to her chest, trailing behind him. He stopped in front of the last door, fought with the key card, finally got it in, and kicked open the door. Sanders leapt up from a couch.

“Oh, good, I'm so glad you -,” Sanders started to gush.

“
Out. Now
,” Jameson barked, yanking Tate up against his chest.

Sanders hurried out of the suite, closing the door behind him.

“
Wait, wait, wait,
” she rushed out, pressing against Jameson's chest. He shook his head, pulling her dress away from her hands.

“I've waited long enough,” he said, one of his hands covering her breast and squeezing. She shook her head.

“I have to tell you something,” she whispered, covering his hand with her own. His lips worked their way down her shoulder.

“I don't care.”

“I think you will.”

“I don't want to hear.”

“I want you to.”

“
Stop
.”

“I had sex with him.”

Bomb. Dropped. Time stood still. He stopped moving. She stopped breathing. His hand slid away from her skin, and any breath she had, flew out of her body. He stood back from her and she grabbed at the material of her dress, pressed it to her bare chest. He rubbed a hand over his mouth.

“I told you I didn't want to hear,” he sighed. She nodded and sat on a couch, pressing her hands flat against her chest.

“I know. I just couldn't ..., not without saying anything. Later would have been so much worse,” she whispered. He nodded.

“Yes, I suppose.”

“Do you hate me?” she asked, looking up at him. He chuckled and squatted down low, putting his head in his hands.

“I have tried very hard to hate you, Tatum. At various times, throughout a large chunk of my life, I have tried to hate you. I haven't been very good at it,” he told her. She sniffled.

“I was so angry at you,” she said. “I wanted to get over you. The Pet thing, and then Ellie ..., I just ..., he was there. I told him that I didn't want to be with him, that it probably wouldn't mean anything.”

“And what? He wanted his shot?”

Well, it sounds dirty, when you say it like that, Mr. Kane.

“I wanted to forget you. Get over you. He offered to help.”

“Did it work?” Jameson asked, lifting his eyes to hers.

“What?”

“Did he make you forget?” Jameson asked. She chuckled.

“Jameson. No one will ever be able to make me forget you.”

He stood back up and stalked towards her. Grabbed her wrists and pulled her up. He kept staring at her, didn't look away as he worked the dress over her hips and pushed it to the floor. When it pooled at her feet, he pulled her forward, away from it.

“I remember buying you that dress,” he said, pulling her against him. “I remember the first time you wore it. I remember you coming into my room after taking it off, only wearing your underwear and those shoes.”

“Happy times,” she laughed. His arms wrapped around her.

“Hmmm. Was he any good?” he asked, pressing his hands flat against her shoulder blades. She swallowed thickly, staring at him.

“Good enough.”

His hands slid down her back. Worked their way inside the sides of her underwear. Kept moving, pulling her panties down over her hips. Past her thighs. He let them go, and they fell to her feet. She was completely naked, pressed against his completely clothed form.

“Did you follow the rules?” he asked, and it took her a second to figure out what he was actually saying.

“Yes,” she nodded. “I thought of you the whole time.”

“Does he know this?”

“I didn't say it. But I think he did.”

“
Pussy
.”

“Stop it.”

“How many times?” Jameson asked, his hands moving back to her butt. He picked her up, forced her legs around his waist.

“Just one night. I couldn't do it again,” she assured him. He carried her to the couch, and then he sat down with her straddling him.

“You have been very naughty, Ms. O'Shea,” he sighed. She nodded, rubbing her hands down his chest.

“I know,” she agreed.

“And trying to corrupt Sanders? That was especially low,” he added, his voice evil sounding. She winced.

“Would you rather him be with a stranger? At least you know I would take care of him. I would treat him right,” she pointed out. His fingers dug into her waist and she winced again.

“Tatum. I am giving you
a lot
of get out of jail free cards. If you
ever
touch Sanders – inappropriately –
ever
again, I will kill
him
and maim
you
,” he warned her. She chuckled.

“You want to keep him in a box forever. You need to stop treating him like some thirteen year old street urchin. He's a man,” she whispered, undoing his belt buckle.

“You need to stop noticing that he's a man,” Jameson growled, leaning back from her as she undid his pants.

“And you may hate Nick, but you should know that he knows I'm up here, right now. He knows, and wished me luck. That man downstairs is better than you or I will ever be,” she told him. He snorted and worked his jeans down his hips from underneath her.

“We'll reassess that in about fifteen minutes,” he told her.

“Fifteen minutes? You've gotten soft in the last month.”

“
Shut your fucking mouth, Tate.
”

His hands were on her hips, guiding her down on him. She moaned and shuddered, scratching at his t-shirt. She was completely naked, and he was still almost completely dressed. It was a bizarre, different sensation. She worked her hips against his, gasping.

“I don't want that life with him,” she suddenly moaned.

“I know.”

“But I don't want what we had,” she pressed her forehead to his. One of his arms wrapped around her waist.

“I know, Tatum.”

“I want you.”

“Yes.”

“I want to be with you.”

“You're with me.”

“Only me.”

“
Only you.
”

She gasped, all of her muscles contracting. His arm got tight around her, holding her down to his thrusts. She let her head drop back, abandoning herself to him. Not that she'd ever had a choice.

“I just want to be like this, all the time,” she sighed, dropping her head to his shoulder.

“You can be.”

“I lied to you. I lied so much to you,” she gasped for air. He groaned and she felt his fingers in her hair, pressed against the back of her head.

“I know,” he replied, his voice straining.

“It was all a lie,” she whispered, her whole body starting to shake. “Every word I said. I loved you. I didn't love him. I've never loved anyone else, ever.”

“
I know.
”

If you always know everything before me, why don't you clue me in and save us some time?

She came hard, shuddering and shaking on top of him. He stopped moving, just held her close against him. His touch was gentle. If he had been rough, it would have been too much, too soon. He always knew exactly what she needed. She pressed her face into his shoulder. Sucked in air. Cried a little.

“Are you alright?” he breathed. She nodded.

“Yes. For the first time, in a long time, I think I am,” she managed with a laugh.

“See? A good fuck always makes you feel better. Remember that, next time you get upset,” he told her, and she laughed harder.

“Maybe you should just remind me.”

“Is it my turn now?” he asked. She lifted her head and looked down at him.

“What do you mean?” she asked. He lifted his hands to her face and ran his thumbs underneath her eyes, wiping away tears and mascara.

“I mean, that one was for you, baby girl. To reassure you, I'm not going anywhere, no matter what you do. You're feeling upset. You feel bad. That one was to make you feel better,” he told her. She smiled.

“Very generous, sir.”

“I know. Now, I think it's my turn.”

“And what exactly are you feeling?”

“
Angry
.”

“
Ooohhh
, and what would you like to do about that?”