Turn It Up (8 page)

“Such smooth moves…”

“Distraction—my coordination can’t take it. Holy shit, you’re gorgeous.” Max pulled the straps from her shoulders and stared as her breasts were revealed. He looked up into her eyes, heat reflecting back at him. “Seriously gorgeous.”

He brushed a tender kiss on her lips before leaning back to admire her again. His mouth had gone totally dry.

The full swells of her breasts moved uneasily with her erratic breathing. He cupped one, lifting its heavy weight into his hand as he bent forward to lick the tip. A small sound escaped her. Tasha held his head and pulled him closer, and he gave in to what he’d longed for ever since her birthday. He latched onto the nipple and sucked it into his mouth, playing his tongue over the tip. The peak tightened and he nibbled lightly on the rigid point, pulling off with a slight suction to start all over on the other side.

He was in heaven. Warm skin, lovely heavy tits to enjoy, Tasha making the most fabulous noises in response to his actions. She rocked over him, her crotch heavy against his groin. The heat of her body bled down to entice him with the need to be surrounded by her, squeezing him close. Suddenly the couch was an absolutely rotten place to be, and he seized her under the hips and shuffled upright. Tasha grabbed his neck with a squeal.

“Max!”

“Bedroom. I want to be able to see you and touch you and not worry about falling off the edge of the damn couch.”

She laughed. “I can walk.”

“When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to.”

Her lips latched onto his neck again and a shiver raced down his spine. Damn, she’d found his sweet spot without even trying.

He stumbled to the bedroom, pushing the door aside with his shoulder. He dropped her to the bed surface and yanked the messy sheets to the floor. There were far too many clothes between the two of them still. He stopped for a moment to kiss her senseless, his body covering hers.

When he pulled away she groaned out her pleasure. “I didn’t think we were going to—holy shit.”

He’d stripped off her pants and panties in one motion, opened her legs and dropped between them. She was wet, the curls covering her mound moist where her cream had escaped. He took great pleasure in drawing a finger along her slit, separating her and opening her to his admiration. Her clit peeked out from the folds of skin at the apex of her opening, and he leaned forward to kiss her intimately.

Her hips bucked beneath his mouth, and he laughed. “You need me to restrain you or something?”

She lifted up on her elbows to see him better, her breasts distracting him for a second before he dragged his gaze back up to her eyes. “I’m not used to guys going down on me before I’ve given them head and promised them the moon.”

A jealous pang raced through him. “Assholes. I’m the only one who gets to touch you, ever again. And I want to touch you everywhere.”

The naked hunger in her eyes combined with the naked skin before him was enough of an answer, but she said it anyway. “Feel free.”

He licked her slowly, scooping the taste of her onto his tongue before taking a swirl around her clit. Teasing the sensitive point, loving the moans that rose as he learned what pleased her.

The phone rang, and he ignored it. That’s what answering machines were for. He delved in deeper, opening her with one hand, pulling her curls aside to let him continue to tease with his tongue. Long slow strokes, one after another, until her hips shook and he had to pin her down with his free arm.

Goddamn, he wanted to strip off his jeans and release his erection. Let her wrap her lips around him and see his shaft entering her mouth, her sex. Her ass—he wanted every inch of her to be marked by his touch. More than once. Maybe more than once tonight even.

He slipped a finger into her, relishing the wet heat surrounding him.

“Oh, yeah.”

He chuckled. “
Oh yeah
to which? This?” He added another finger, pumping them lazily in and out, circling her labia, then pressing in deep. He stroked the front of her passage, hoping to find the places that would drive her mad as he listened carefully for her response.

“This?” He covered her with his mouth again, sucking her clit. He pulled the nub between his teeth and nibbled lightly. “You tell me what you like and I’m game to try.”

“
Jesus
. How can you talk while you’re fooling around?”

He lapped harder for a moment and her body tightened. He eased off as he felt the first flutters of her core around his fingers. “I like talking when I’m fooling around. I like to tell you the dirty things I want to do to you. You make me hot.”

Tasha growled at him. “Bastard. I was so close.”

“I know, but you’ll get there again. And again. And again.” He attacked, suckling her clit, finger-fucking her hard, and this time he didn’t stop. He carried on until she shook under his touch, crying out her pleasure. Her hips rocked beneath him but he refused to slow down, driving her back up again with his mouth and fingers. This time he drew some of the moisture from her core down between her legs to the star hidden between her cheeks.

He pressed his tongue deep into her sex while he played with her ass and her cries of delight continued. She dragged her fingers through his hair, her knees pulled high and wide to allow him access. He was in heaven, and they’d only begun.

His phone rang again.

A second later, so did his cell phone. His sister’s ring tone shrilled out.

He ignored them both, slipping his finger past the tight muscle of her ass as he slid his thumb into her sex. She squeezed around him and he pinched lightly, to make her squirm.

“Max.”

He licked his way up her body as he returned to her breasts. Blood rushed through him, the need to touch her everywhere and the need to back off for long enough to strip down warring together.

The phones rang again. Tasha cupped his face, forcing him to look up at her. “Max, you’ve got to answer that.”

“Screw the phones.”

She laughed. “I can’t screw anything with them ringing.”

He reluctantly pulled away, staring at her naked body with longing. “Somebody better be dead.”

“Max!” Tasha slapped his chest and crawled backward on the bed.

It was painful to sit up and move away. Behind him, Tasha reached to the floor for the abandoned sheets and as he clicked on his cell phone he was sad to see her cover herself.

His sister responded immediately. “Junior, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to interrupt, but when I called Mom and Dad, they assumed you’d come and get me. You said your date was still hush-hush so I couldn’t tell them…shit. I’m sorry.”

Damn it,
no
. “Back up two paces, sis. Where are you, and why do you need a ride?”

“We went for coffee, Jamie and I, and I didn’t feel like… Well, I convinced him to leave me there. But my car won’t start, so I called Mom and Dad…”

And since he normally would have no problems coming to his sister’s rescue, they’d immediately thought of him. “It’s okay. Where you at?”

She told him, and even as he cursed his luck he was kind of grateful she’d had the sense to not go home with the guy. “I’ll come and get you. Give me a few minutes. Oh, and phone Mom and Dad and tell them to stop calling me.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“Me too.” He stared at Tasha. A frown marred her face, the bed sheet tucked under her arms. Her nipples poked against the front of the material and his body ached with the need to rip the thin fabric away and start all over again. “Later.”

He hung up and groaned at the injustice of it. The woman of his dreams was in his bed, and he had to leave to rescue his sister. Life was hellish at times.

“Maxine needs a ride?” Tasha scooted to the edge of the bed. “Do you want me to go get her?”

He dropped beside her and pulled her back into his arms. “What I want is to have the phone never have been invented. I want to be making love with you, not doing a mercy drive.”

There was no way to stop from kissing her, his hands automatically slipping under the sheet to caress her naked skin.

She pushed him away.

“Maxine will be waiting. You can’t leave her alone out there.”

He swore. “I know.” He adjusted his cock, striving to find more room for the damn thing. He pulled on a T-shirt as he paced the room. Tasha’s gaze followed him intently.

“Will you still be here when I get back?” he asked.
Oh God, you have to still be here.

Tasha paused. “I should go home, Max. I hate to leave, but you have no idea when you’ll get back. I don’t want to make you rush. Deal with Maxine, and we’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”

Fuck. Talking was not what was on his mind. “I could come to your place.”

She nodded slowly.

He wasn’t an idiot, not even with his brain fogged with lust. Somewhere in the last two minutes the whole thing had broken down. Between the passion that had flashed between them and the damn phone calls, she’d started thinking again, not in a good way.
Damn it all to hell
.

Dragging his brain back into working mode was rough. The raging fever in his body wanted nothing more than to order Maxine a taxi and spend the rest of the night in bed with Tasha. Yet, maybe—although his body thought he was an absolute idiot—maybe stopping before they went all the way wasn’t a bad thing.

His body complained mightily—
it’s a real bad thing.

She’d said they were going to be friends only. He wanted more. Just because they’d started as friends didn’t mean they had to remain that way. A frantic first rutting wasn’t the kind of memory that would bring up romantic and heartwarming images, no matter how hot and bothered they both were.

Although he was convinced he was absolutely and totally insane even to suggest this.

He went for nonchalant. “How about we have lunch tomorrow? We can get all the details squared away that we have to. There’s got to be some dating involved in this as well as everything else, right?”

The look of relief that crossed her face showed he’d made the right decision. “That’s probably the easiest way to break it to the Turner clan without raising a ton of suspicion. Can we make it dinner? I have a full slate of projects tomorrow.”

Max hurried back to her side for one last brief kiss, just to torment himself. The touch of her skin and her hair as he cupped the back of her neck in his hand made it even harder to leave. “Keep my keys. I’ve got another set. Lock up when you leave, and I’ll call you in the morning.”

Then he dragged himself from the room and out of the house, wondering what he’d done wrong to get the fates upset with him. Giving him his heart’s desire and simultaneously wrapping him in chains.

Chapter Eight

Tasha was ready to kill someone.

More specifically, her friend, Lila. Maxine Turner was a close second, followed immediately by a whole myriad of Turners who popped to mind. It had been over a week since she’d agreed to Maxwell’s proposal, and after that first abortive night together, their luck had gone from bad to downright impossible. Maxine had been the first to keep them apart—the first in a long line of interrupted attempts.

Max had sent her the sweetest note that next morning along with a single yellow rose. Something to the effect of not rushing things, making sure that they felt established as a couple within the family. It was the rose that said the most—he hadn’t tried for anything other than friendship, and that helped to neatly tuck away a few fears.

The fears that had instantly flooded her mind when they’d been interrupted. Oh my God, the realization they were actually going to try to get her pregnant had hit hard enough to knock the lust right out of her. It was way more involved than simply hopping in the sack. If that’s all it required, she would have called him over, jumped him, then sent him on his way immediately after. While she wanted to keep this as uncomplicated as possible, there was a much bigger reality to face. They were going to be together for a long time, and finding a way to make the whole relationship work…seemed like there had to be more than just giving into the physical attraction she would now admit she felt between them.

He was a great guy. Smart, honest. But the physical pull was there, and if he was in the same boat as her—he must be totally sexually frustrated. She’d at least gotten off that first night. Guilt rolled over her. He’d given her
two
orgasms already and not seen a bit of his own release. So much for all guys being selfish bastards—in this relationship it had been all her taking and him giving.

But every date they’d set up since his Gramma’s party had ended in disaster. They’d begun to share the news that they were an item. While most of the clan hadn’t raised a brow, they couldn’t simply jump into bed without people wondering what was going on. This was still a small town, and slow and steady was the norm, at least for any lasting relationship.

She threw another dart, spearing into the spare piece of drywall she’d nabbed from the construction site and propped up as a way of releasing tension. Her aim was getting better all the time, especially as she’d dealt with a mass of anxiety this past week.

Enough. This wasn’t acceptable. She couldn’t get pregnant if they didn’t have sex. They couldn’t have sex if they didn’t see each other. She picked up the phone and called him.

“At your service, my lady.”

Didn’t she wish? “You planning on bringing that servicing over here, big guy? I’m thinking some sex on the desk would be fine right about now.”

Dead air greeted her from the other end of the line. Damn, the ease with which the explicit words slipped from her lips was proof again of how comfortable she was around him.

“Max? You okay?”

He growled at her. “No. I’m hard as a steel bat, and the images of bending you over your desk and fucking you silly are not helping the matter. I thought we agreed—I’m not taking you up against the wall or over the couch or on your desk our first time. Stop driving me insane, woman.”

Holy shit.
Yeah, that was descriptive enough to make her head spin and an ache start between her thighs. This was her fault for having sex on the brain. “Okay, now you’ve gone and done it. Thanks for getting my motor running when I just wanted to be nice and set up a date.”