by Tina Donahue
Gulping air, Toni draped her torso over him. Her skin, like his, was slightly damp from perspiration. She rested the side of her face on his shoulder, her breath skipping across his flesh.
Without thinking, he tried to lower his arms to cradle her. The damn scarf stopped him again. “Untie me,” he ordered, his voice breathless.
Toni muttered a sleepy “later”. He didn’t back down. “Now.”
“Make me.”
He sputtered a laugh that turned into a discontented growl, his chest and belly pushing into hers.
She responded with a sloppy yawn and a murmur. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
“How about I put you on the schedule tomorrow and make you work while I stay here and masturbate?”
Moaning, she rubbed her nose against his chest. “Prick.”
Wearily, Zach laughed once more. “Come on. Untie me. I want to hold you.”
On a loud groan, she hauled herself up, releasing his cock from her cunt, and worked on the knot, her breasts swaying provocatively above his lips. Snaking his tongue out, Zach licked her left nipple.
She sighed in approval, her fingers leaving the still-knotted scarf to stroke his inner arms.
“Toni.”
“Right.” She resumed her work, succeeding at last, her body slipping back down to his.
Waiting until she’d settled, Zach wrapped his arms around her, rolling them over until she was beneath his body. He touched the tip of his nose to hers and whispered, “Much better.”
“Is your leg okay?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.
It hurt as it always did if he put too much weight on it, especially on so hard a surface. Not that he cared. The pain was bearable as long as he had her velvety heat and impassioned responses. “It’s fine.” He licked stray chocolate from the corner of her lips.
They turned up in a smile. As he eased back to look at her, Toni opened her eyes. The candlelight enhanced their blue-green tint, making them breathtaking. Awed, he murmured, “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Oh yeah.” Happiness infused her words. “You?”
He nuzzled his groin closer to hers. “Do you even have to ask?”
She regarded him for a long moment, an emotion he couldn’t read flickering in her eyes. Running her fingers down his chest, she watched their journey. “Maybe.”
The hesitation in her voice stopped Zach cold, driving away his sleepiness. He thought back to when she’d been in the house, gathering her “stuff”. Had she gone into his bedroom and seen the photo of Meg? Was she now comparing herself to a woman he’d once loved?
Wanting to know, yet not willing to risk the repercussions of such intimacy, he asked, “Are you hungry?”
Toni’s gaze slid to his. Mischief returned to her eyes. “What do you think?”
“For food. Dinner,” he explained. “We can eat it out here or in bed. Your choice.”
“Bed,” she said, readily. “I’ll make us some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”
Grunting, he straightened and retreated from between her legs, his body and heart noting the loss immediately. “I have a couple of frozen pizzas from Paula’s in the freezer.” Legs folded beneath him, he sat back on his heels, ignoring the pain in his knee and thigh. “How about we have that?”
“You’re the boss.” Rolling to the side, she pushed to her feet effortlessly, offering him her hand, taking care of him as she’d promised.
Her gesture both moved and irritated Zach. Not willing to concede any discomfort, wanting to prove he didn’t need help, he kissed her palm and stood on his own.
Attuned to his body language, Toni backed away, her head turning to the candles. “Better put out the fire.”
“I’ll get it. Toss the other stuff in the bag.”
Standing on one leg, she lifted the other behind herself, scratching her calf. “You always this bossy?”
He leaned toward her, head bent, his tongue flicking her right nipple. She murmured her approval. He straightened. “You haven’t seen bossy, sweetheart…but you will.”
Her lids sank to sultry slits. “Oh yeah?”
“Count on it.” With a playful swat, his palm connected with her ass.
Her tongue snaked out, the wet, pink tip gliding over her upper lip. After a full breath, she purred, “Guess I better get moving.”
“Before you fall.” Zach noted how she continued to stand on one leg. She hadn’t even budged when he’d swatted her. “How do you do that?”
“What?”
“Balance yourself so well.”
She stopped scratching her leg and stood on two feet, rubbing her ass where he’d smacked it. Her eyes remained on his cock, shiny with his ejaculate and the remnants of her desire. In a distracted voice, she said, “Took a lot of dancing as a kid. I was in all the plays. Wanted to be a ballerina when I grew up.”
Instead, she’d ended up with the Starrs.
Zach could see by the expression on Toni’s face she wasn’t aware of what she’d just divulged, what he’d tell the investigator to possibly aid in her search. A part of him wanted to ask Toni what had brought her to this moment, leaving her broke, alone, depending upon strangers to be her family.
A larger part of him knew she wouldn’t answer. Whatever bad had happened to her as a teen, changing her life forever, she didn’t want to share it.
The reality should have convinced him to stop his search. It didn’t. He had to know about her, if for no other reason than to assure himself she’d be safe after she left.
Unaware of his troubling thoughts, she continued to stare at his body, her desire for him evident, encouraging Zach to give her all that he could while she was here.
Somehow, it reminded him of what he’d forgotten. The errand he’d gone on this afternoon involving her. “I have something for you,” he said.
Gaze still on his cock, she grinned. “Yeah, I know.”
“Something other than that,” he explained, torn between laughter and being serious.
She must have noted the smile in his voice, her eyes jumping to his. Understanding and eagerness glittered in them. “You found something at that erotic shop for us to use tonight?”
Not even close. Rather than explain, he headed across the porch. “It’s in my pickup.”
He took it from beneath his seat. On his approach, Toni looked at the manila envelope he held. “Here.” He handed it to her.
Rather than opening the envelope, she shook it and smiled. “Don’t tell me. You took an online course in BDSM at that shop and this is your dominatrix’s certificate?”
Zach’s shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. “I believe you would be the dominatrix.”
Her eyes widened in mock innocence. “You got me a certificate?”
“Just open the damn thing.”
She did, frowning as she peered inside, her expression not getting any better as she pulled out the sheets of paper and saw what they were. Her gaze shot to him.
“It’s not the best insurance,” Zach explained, “but it’s enough to satisfy the court. As soon as you sign the documents, you’ll get your license back. We can go to the sheriff’s station tomorrow and pick it up.”
Without comment, she lowered her head to the paperwork.
Zach waited for her to say something positive, like thanking him. Didn’t happen. Toni pressed her thumb so tightly against the papers, even in the faint candlelight, Zach could see the tip of her digit blanching.
He wondered if she thought this was charity on his part. To dispel any such notion, he said, “I took the liberty of paying for it with what you’ve already earned at the shop.”
She looked at him with veiled eyes, her desire for him gone.
Having no clue as to what brought on her odd change in mood, Zach explained the obvious. “You have to have insurance to get your license back. Right now, you can’t even test drive the vehicles you repair. Angel or Robbie have to do that. After tomorrow, they won’t.”
Something unreadable passed across her face, draining the tension he’d seen, leaving her looking tired.
“Thanks.” Arm dropping down, she glanced away and spoke in a voice absent of any emotion. “I’ll put this in my room.”
She left his side and went into the house, the door clicking gently behind her.
Chapter Twelve
At the bottom of the stairway, Toni stopped. Head lowered, with her free hand gripping the wooden railing, she breathed hard, fighting tears, telling herself she was behaving like a fool.
Had she actually believed she’d be staying here longer than a month? Had Zach ever indicated he wanted that, even remotely?
She slumped against the post, her other hand tightening around the manila envelope. Paper crunched in protest.
On the porch plates clattered, telling her Zach was removing the dripping candles from them. Looking over, she saw he’d turned on the porch light. Its yellow haze poured through the sheer curtains draping the windows.
Did you enjoy yourself? he’d asked.
Her heart ached and her tears responded, running down her face. Leaving him would be one of the most wrenching things she’d ever done, almost as bad as what she’d faced at fifteen.
She wasn’t the kind of woman he’d ever treasure. Once the sport of sleeping with her wore off, he’d be far more discerning, seeing her on her way.
He already had.
Clutching the manila envelope even harder, Toni ran up the stairs, thinking about his kind gesture in getting her back on her feet, the insurance she needed.
His first step in saying goodbye.
Zach didn’t mention the insurance again, nor did Toni.
As their pizza baked, she showered, giving him a quick, forced smile upon leaving the bath. After he’d bathed, they sat on her bed, facing each other, smelling of soap, not sex, eating their meal.
She kept the conversation light and constant, talking about obnoxious customers at the shop, Angel’s little boy who was coming to visit him for a week, Robbie’s new girlfriend, a real babe he’d just snagged.
Through it all, Toni avoided Zach’s gaze, looking at him only when she didn’t think he’d notice.
He considered she might be pissed he’d used her earnings to buy the insurance. No doubt, she’d wanted to send the funds to Belle and Lucky instead. Several times, Zach edged close to asking her, but didn’t, not eager to start a fight or push Toni even further away.
For the first time since they’d met, she seemed a stranger, her mood perplexing, her thoughts impenetrable.
Anger flared and so did unquenchable need. He wanted the old Toni back, realizing instantly how crazy his thoughts were. There was no old Toni…they’d known each other for such a brief time.
So why then did it feel like they’d never been apart? Why did it seem so fucking safe and alarming at the same time?
Unwilling to examine his feelings, he took her empty plate and his, placing them on the nightstand. Reading his mood, she stretched out on the mattress, lips parted, her mouth waiting for his tongue or cock. Her manner suggesting she would do all she could to satisfy him…to take care of him.
For how long? And when it ended, what then? Dizziness swept over him, followed by fury and despair. Zach feared whatever Toni gave would never be sufficient to still his sprinting pulse and satisfy his impoverished heart. The longer she was with him, the more drugged he became by her scent and touch. Curling his fingers around her wrists, he pulled her arms above her head, holding them there as he unfolded his body over her length.
Confining her. Keeping her close.
Beneath him, her body ground sensuously, offering the resistance he craved and worried he wouldn’t be able to stop. Someday soon, she’d be leaving him, though not tonight.
Instinctively, he reached for the silk scarf, at the last moment recalling he’d left it downstairs in the grocery bag. Cursing himself, he made do with his hand on both of her wrists, not about to let her go.
With a savageness that reached his core, Zach plunged his cock into her snug channel—a perfect fit for his rod—taking her again and again, his body pounding against hers with Toni responding, offering all she had.
Except time, the truth of who she was, where she’d been and the places she’d be going once she left him.
Sleeping fitfully through the night, Zach didn’t dream, awakening finally with a start.
Sun streamed through the curtains. Squinting at the infernal brightness, he rolled over, his back to the window, his front facing an empty mattress.
At once, panic gripped him. Where is she?
Wincing at the stiffness and pain in his leg, Zach padded into the bath. Dark. Empty.
He went down the hall to his room. She wasn’t in there either, nor in the other guest bedroom. As quickly as his leg allowed, he hurried down the steps, checking the living and dining rooms. Nothing. Nor was she in the kitchen.
Blood pounded in Zach’s ears. His heart drummed so hard he could barely breathe.
Overwhelming helplessness gripped him. An emotion he hadn’t felt for years, not since the morning he’d awakened in the hospital, seeing Em and Hector at his bedside. Listening as they told him about the accident, one he couldn’t recall, battling his mounting horror as they explained Meg hadn’t made it.
Nausea rolled over Zach now as it had then. Toni couldn’t have gone so soon. She had three more weeks to give him so he could become accustomed to her departure, to accept its inevitability. The best thing for both of them once he was certain she’d be safe, her future secure.
Dammit, he didn’t want to be blindsided again!
Hands on the edge of the sink, he lowered his head, recalling the look on Toni’s face last night as she’d read the insurance forms. Had she fled because she didn’t want to fill out the scant personal information the company asked for? Or had he misread her hesitation about her former lifestyle? Was she so eager to return to it, she’d taken off?
Without her cycle.
The thought stopped Zach, then invigorated him. How far could she get without her bike? Unless she’d gone down to the main road and hitched a ride, determined to leave the vehicle behind along with him.
No. He wouldn’t accept such a thing. She’d promised him a month and, by God, he was going to hold her to it.
Ignoring the absurdity of his plan, he pushed away from the sink to go back upstairs and get dressed—to find her.
He’d taken only a step when something in the corner of his vision stopped him. Head turned, he noticed the back door was opened slightly. Padding to it, pushing aside the curtain, he glanced through the glass.
His heart caught.
Stripped bare, Toni lay on top of the picnic table, long rays of sunlight caressing her flesh, her arms above her head. Somehow, she’d wrapped the silk scarf around her wrists and placed the ends beneath a stone lawn ornament, this one of a slumbering cat, trapping her, displaying her.
For him.
Leaving the house, Zach strode to the table, his leg wanting to hold him back. He wouldn’t allow it. Grass and flowers scented the morning air, its temperature already balmy. He circled the table, his eyes feasting on her, his voice tight with a mixture of happiness, fear, melancholy. “How long have you been out here?”
Toni turned her head, following him with her gaze. Unguarded desire sparkled in her eyes as though she couldn’t contain her feelings any more than he could. Need suffused her voice. “Only a few minutes.”
“You left the bed without telling me.”
At his accusation, her eyes widened slightly. “I wanted to surprise you.”
She’d nearly killed him. He lifted the stone statue and tossed it. The thing landed on the lawn with a muffled thump, leaving a gouge in the grass. Next, he pulled the scarf from her wrists, dropping it on the concrete.
“No,” he warned as she brought down her arms and lifted her torso, attempting to push to her elbows. “Stay where you are.”
She settled back d
own, her voice edgy with excitement, fingers skimming her naked thighs. “What are you going to do?”
Enjoy her for every second she was here and try to forget her after she left. An absurd idea Zach needed to embrace. He didn’t want anything to ruin the moment, especially not reality. He’d had too much of that shit these past years. He couldn’t stomach a moment more.
“This,” he said in answer to her question, lowering his head, brushing his lips over hers.
She released a small sigh, the sort one hears from a baby or a kitten, the kind that resurrects a man’s hope in all that’s good in the world. Her hands slid up his torso to his face. With it cupped in her palms, she brought him closer.
Lids slipping down, Zach drew his tongue over the seam of her mouth. She opened it at once, her action summoning him to fill her.
In the trees surrounding them, birds courted each other, or the day, with their songs. Here, Zach didn’t inhibit his delighted groan. The indelicate sounds he made matched Toni’s. With his hand roaming from her left breast to her right, desperate to fondle each, he necked with abandon, unmindful of anything except what she had to offer him.
For weeks and weeks. He refused to accept anything less.
Forcing his mouth from hers, hauling in a much-needed breath, he stared at Toni’s lips, bruised from his passion these last days, her skin rosy from his stubbled chin and cheeks. The man he’d once been might have asked if he’d harmed her. The man he was at this moment wanted only one answer.
She needed more of him as he did of her.
“Zach,” she murmured, concern in her voice when she saw his intent.
“My leg’s fine,” he insisted.
She said nothing more as he climbed onto the table, his body straddling hers, head facing her feet, his balls and cock dangling above her face.
“Lick me,” he ordered, the edginess in his voice as much from lust as from the pain in his leg. “Touch me,” he begged.
As though she cherished his cock, Toni cradled it in her palm and ran the tip of her tongue up its length.
On his elbows, his head between her legs, Zach shuddered in delight. A swell of heat flushed his skin. It took most of his will to concentrate on her pleasure rather than his own. With his hands beneath her legs and his fingers gripping the inside of her thighs, he licked the length of her rosy cleft.