“Yeah.”
“I’m chilled to the bone. I think I want to go take a hot shower just in case it goes out.”
While taking off his shoes he pointed towards her room, “Your room is down this hallway, the room on your right. I only have one bathroom, so we’ll have to share it.”
Tasha put the plate on the kitchen counter, “That’s fine. Here, I made turkey sandwiches. I hope that’s okay?”
“Yeah, yeah…that’s fine. I’ll wait for you though. Go get your shower while I go change my clothes.” Tasha followed him as he carried their bags to the bedrooms.
Tasha’s suitcase was wet so she didn’t put it on the bed. She just left it on the floor, took out some personals, and found a pair of sweats before heading to the bathroom. She quickly shed her wet clothes and turned on the shower. The second she stepped inside and the spray of hot water caressed her skin; it was if she had been transported to some place heavenly. She stood under the showerhead letting the heat from the water permeate through her as it cascaded down every nook and cranny of her body. Her muscles started to relax, all of the tension and stress disappeared. The chill she had earlier was completely gone.
Moments after she’d finished cleaning up the storm knocked the power out. The water turned cold and the tiny little bathroom was left in complete darkness.
There were three quick knocks on the door, “Tasha, are you okay in there? I’ve got a couple of candles.”
“Yeah…I’m fine. Give me a second.” She felt for the water faucet and turned the water off. She pulled the shower curtain back and stepped out. This bathroom wasn’t familiar so she had to feel her way around. Thank goodness she’d left a towel on the sink.
“Ouch…dammit!”
Tim tried to open the door but it was locked, “What was that?”
“Nothing…I just stubbed my toe on something.”
Tasha found the towel and wrapped herself up in it before going over to the door. She cracked it just a little bit; just enough for Tim to pass her the candle. She looked up into those concerned blue eyes as they bore into hers. It was if there was a force of energy surrounding them that wouldn’t let her turn away.
His eyes softened and immediately turned to desire once he knew she was okay. The woman he couldn’t stop thinking about was completely naked and standing one step away from him hidden only behind a door and towel.
His mouth went dry and his body tensed up…all over.
She struggled to find her voice and it came out in a whisper, “I just stubbed my toe. I’m fine…really.”
He hoped his voice only projected concern and not the desire he felt. “Good. I don’t want you getting hurt while we’re together.”
Tasha ripped her eyes away from his as she shook her head from side to side, “I’m really okay. I’ll just finish up and I’ll be out in a minute.”
Tim stood at the door wondering if he should just forget about everything and everyone and kiss her. It was obvious from the look in her eyes that she wanted him just as much. While fighting with himself, Tasha slowly closed the door.
The spell was broken by the sound of it clicking shut. It wasn’t a moment too soon because Tim was ready to drown himself inside her. A few seconds more and he may have acted on those impulses.
It was getting harder and harder to remember that Tasha made it perfectly clear that there was no chance of them being anything other than friends. And, they still needed to work back to friendship.
He walked back into the main room and sat on the floor in front of the fire. What would life have been like if he’d made a different choice? Rolling his neck and shoulders, he spoke softly to himself, “Thinking like that is pointless and is only going to make this an even longer weekend. Get it together.”
A distraction. That was exactly what he needed. The weather radio sitting on top of the mantle might do the trick. He went and grabbed it. Then, sat back down on the floor trying to get a clear signal.
After turning it on and off a couple of times, it was obvious the radio wasn’t working properly. He poured all of his focus on trying to get it to work.
He wished he could have had an iced cold beer but Sabrina didn’t think beer was romantic…so no beer. It was just one less thing to fight about.
After tinkering with the radio for a bit more, there was finally a signal. He was able to hear that the bridge they’d come over was now impassable. But, just as soon as he’d heard it, the radio went dead again. Frustrated, he put the radio down. This little mini-getaway was already going to be difficult but it was quickly turning into a disaster.
Tasha walked into the great room. It would have been completely dark if it weren’t for the flames from the fireplace.
Tim was focused on his cell phone as he tried to see if he could get anything on that.
“Feel better?”
“Yes, I can’t even begin to tell you how much better I feel. Were you able to get anything on that radio?”
“Just that the bridge we crossed flooded. I can’t seem to get my phone to work either. Have you had a chance to check yours?”
She sat down on the floor next to him. The coconut smell of her freshly washed hair caught his attention, and he looked up.
Typically, Tasha wore her hair up in a ponytail or pulled up some kind of way. But, this time her hair was still wet from her shower. Her brown curls had fallen over her shoulders as she finger combed it. She looked fresh faced and innocent. Tasha was cute even in a pair of sweats and a pullover. It was amazing that she wasn’t married with a house full of children.
The rain continued to beat down on the roof. There was a loud ‘crack’ outside. That made her jump.
“I hate storms and this one is something else. I just don’t understand why that big gray cloud is always following me around.”
Their easy banter seemed to be returning somewhat, “Dramatic much?”
“Maybe a little.” Still unable to look at him directly she looked around the room, “Where is that bottle of wine? I know I saw some earlier.”
He pointed towards the kitchen, “In the cooler.”
Tasha got up to get it. Tim watched her the entire time as she walked away before realizing he’d been staring at her ass.
It only took a few moments for Tasha to grab the bottle. She poured the wine into her glass as she walked back over to sit down in front of the fire. She sat the bottle right next to her before taking another long sip.
“As far as I can tell, you’re not much of a drinker so you might want to be careful with that wine. It’s pretty potent.”
“Good. I hope it knocks me completely out so that I can sleep through this freaking storm and I don’t have to think about…” She stopped mid-sentence.
Tim prompted her, “About what?”
She couldn’t tell him what she was really thinking. That if things were different they’d be making love and not caring what was going on outside the cabin. “Just…my life and the direction it’s going.” Staring intently into the fire, she continued on “I’m just tired. I’ve got to make some changes in my life.”
Try as hard as he like, he was unable to focus on anything but her and, that dimple on the left side of her cheek when she spoke. It took more effort than he was even aware he possessed to come up with a coherent thought. He just hoped Tasha didn’t notice his battle within. “Like what? What would you change?”
She kept telling herself to keep the conversation light and simple. “I don’t know. My job for one. I hate it and I…I’ve been seriously considering moving some place to start over.”
He couldn’t imagine that. Tim rubbed his chin, “That’s definitely an option but you do know you don’t have to leave the state to do something else.”
She circled the rim of her wine glass, “I know.” She couldn’t say she’d been thinking about moving for a while because being this close to him made her realize she needed more distance. “I’ve lived here all my life. I think I just want a fresh start.”
“I got my degree in Accounting because it was practical. I do it because I’m good at it. But, I can’t say I love it. It pays the bills…barely.” She sighed, “If I had a choice, I’d like to work with disadvantaged kids.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything? I’m sure I can find something for you at one of my foundations.”
Tasha closed her eyes and polished off her second glass of wine. That was the last thing she wanted or needed. “Most people hate their jobs, I’m just one of them. I’ll figure something out.”
The wine was starting to do something to her. Tasha was feeling all warm and tingly. She lay down on her side while still facing the fire as she propped herself up on her elbow and cradled her head in her hand.
“My father taught me not to take hand-outs from anybody, especially friends.”
“So, because you have a quality network pipeline that’s a handout? Do you know how many people I hire because they were referred to me from someone? Almost everybody.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
Tasha thought about it for a minute before throwing her head back and laughing out loud, “It just is dammit! I need another glass of wine. I can still hear the wind outside.”
Tim shook his head, “I think you’re already getting tipsy. You didn’t eat very much. Why don’t you eat a little something before you have another glass?”
Tasha rolled her eyes and poured herself another glass. The wine had definitely loosened her tongue, “I’m fine. Anyway, what’s the worst that could happen if I get pissy drunk? I’m tucked away safely in your cabin. I’ve always felt safe with you.”
It was Tim’s turn to take a long drink of his wine, “Maybe you shouldn’t.”
She could hear the frustrated tone in his voice but tried to ignore it. When she looked over at him he was twirling his wine glass stem between his fingers and staring blindly into the fire. Tasha needed to steer the conversation back to safer ground. Tim spoke again before she could think of something to say.
“When we get back, I’m going to ask Sabrina for a divorce.”
That instantly killed her buzz. Tasha sat up and blinked a few times. She wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly, “What?”
He looked directly into her eyes, “I’m divorcing Sabrina.”
“But…but…I don’t understand? You two love each other.”
“Come on Tasha. Don’t play dumb. You’ve known Sabrina for a very long time. She doesn’t know how to truly love someone.”
”Have you guys tried counseling?”
“Counseling won’t fix the fact that I don’t love her and that we’ve both been unfaithful in this marriage.”
Tasha whispered, “What…what are you talking about?”
“As much as we’re trying to ignore whatever this is between us…it’s not going away.” He took another sip of his wine, “There’s no place you could move to that will change that.”
“Tim, don’t…”
He gave her a hard stare, “Don’t what? Be honest? Do you know how many times I’ve made love to you in my mind?”
She closed her eyes, “Please, I can’t be the reason you guys get a divorce. There has to be a way to fix things.”
He laughed sarcastically, “Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, that’s kind of hard to do when every Tuesday and Thursday she has another man between her legs.”
Tasha’s mouth literally fell open, “You can’t possibly know that for sure? How...how do you know that?” Even as she uttered the words, knowing Sabrina, it could very well be true.
“I’ve known for a while now. Just like I know she sent us on this weekend so she could be with him.” He wouldn’t tell her that he only came because he just wanted to be around her.
“I…I…I really don’t know what to say?”
“You don’t need to say anything. Not about that anyway.”
Tasha nervously ran her fingers through her hair, “Tim, you guys can fix this. IF, and this is a pretty big if, Sabrina has been unfaithful to you...maybe you can still work it out. Many people have survived infidelity.”
“How? I can barely bring myself to look at her.”
Tasha was taken aback. “What?”
“I haven’t touched my wife since she had the abortion that she doesn’t know I know about.”
It was tough hearing her worst suspicions voiced out loud, “Sabrina wouldn’t do that to you? She knows how much you want children.”
He moved her hands out of the way so that he could run his fingers through her hair. “After you made the decision for us to just be friends, I tried. I really tried to make it work with Sabrina. The bottom line is…I…don’t…love…her.”
Between the wine, his closeness, and the way he was making her feel, Tasha was in trouble. She put her hands up to try to create some space between them that at some point seemed to have disappeared.
“Tim, I shouldn’t know about any of this. Sabrina is my friend.”
He leaned close and whispered into her ear. “I know that. That’s why I don’t hold it against you that you’ve known more about what’s been going on in our marriage than I have. I just hope that after the divorce and some time, you’ll give us a chance.”
Tasha closed her eyes again and basked in the feel of him. “I can’t get into the middle of you and Sabrina.”
It was obvious by the way her body responded to his, that he could take her if he truly wanted. And…he wanted but he wouldn’t. Instead he pulled back and drained his glass of wine. When Tasha opened her eyes they were completely dilated and filled with passion.
He was silent for a moment before reaching up and grabbing a pillow from the sofa. He gave her one and put one under his head as he lay back on the floor. “It’s warmer out here than in the bedrooms and since I know you’re terrified of storms, we should sleep out here. I’ll do my best to keep the boogieman away.”
“That’s probably not a good idea.”
With a devilish smile, Tim spoke, “I promise. I’ll stay over here.”
Tasha didn’t believe that for a second.
Chapter 28
Tasha tossed and turned throughout the night. It was still dark but sleep was elusive and the fire was now just burning embers.
However, sometime during the night, she must have dozed off because the next time she woke up she was covered with a light blanket and her head was laying in the crook of one of Tim’s arms. His other arm was possessively encircling her waist while the front of his body was plastered to the back of hers. And, somehow their legs had become intertwined.
Tasha wondered why of all the men in the world, Tim had to be the one who made her body come alive. He didn’t even have to touch her to do it. But, when he did she felt as if she were on fire, sort of, like now.
She knew it was wrong for not moving away, but he felt so good…so safe. Tasha slowly stroked his leg with hers gently moving it up and down his. Each time she moved, it brought her closer and closer in contact with his manhood. It didn’t take long before she felt him start to swell and harden.
Initially, the rise and fall of his chest seemed to indicate he was in a deep sleep. But, the rhythm of his breathing changed. He was awake. Tim tightened his hold on her and pressed his length into her body.
Tasha moaned which seemed to spur him on. The next thing Tasha felt was the heat from his breath on her neck. When his lips touched that tender skin behind her ear, she thought her heart was going to explode out of her chest. Her eyes fluttered closed.
“Mmm…”
She reached out behind her, tangling her fingers in his hair while holding his head in place as he tasted her skin. Tasha was on fire and he’d barely touched her.
Her body had a mind of its own. She rotated her hips backwards as Tim pressed into he
r. The throbbing between her thighs went into a full on ache. It was as if her body knew that Tim belonged deep inside. Her sex was clenching for something that wasn’t there. It understood what she needed better than she did.
Tim could feel the heat of her core through those flimsy sweat pants. His voice was raspy and full of need, “Tasha, you don’t know how badly I want you. I’m going crazy. I’m only human. I can’t be this close and not make love to you.”
Her mind screamed no but her body gave its full approval. She threw her head back to give him better access to that sensitive part of her neck that he seemed to be taking such great pleasure in tasting. Instead, Tim used the opportunity to kiss her hard on the lips.
Tasha opened like a flower for him. He swept his tongue inside the cavern of her mouth. The passion between them was unlike anything they’d ever felt with anyone. Their tongues swirled and danced in perfect rhythm.
It was their first real kiss that wasn’t laced with guilt or shame. It was just a man and a woman eager and hungry. He made love to her mouth drawing and sucking her in deeper and deeper. He couldn’t wait to do the same with her body.
He positioned Tasha onto her back and locked eyes with hers. “Tell me you want me to…that you won’t regret this later.” Tim felt suspended waiting for her response. Nothing else mattered but hearing her answer.
Tasha’s hands splayed across his chest. She could feel his heart beating through his clothes. It was beating just as fast as hers. Her throat was so thick with arousal that she couldn’t form any words. So, she just nodded.
His own voice sounded strange even to him. It was raw, “That’s not good enough. I need to hear you say that you want me…I don’t want any regrets.”
Her voice came out in a near whisper, “Yes. I want you...no regrets.”
“Please open your eyes. Are you sure? I need to know this isn’t the wine talking and that you want this as much as I do.”
Tasha opened her eyes. Even though they were filled with passion, it was clear the only influence she was under was being under the influence of him.
She glided her hands underneath his t-shirt to touch his skin. He felt feverish everyplace. When her thumb grazed up against his nipple, he had to suck in a breath.
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