She might have to concede on that issue, Tag reasoned, but he personally had to concede that she looked good sitting in his car. “Now come on, Renee. Did you really think the gentleman in me would have you roaming all over New York in the dark?”
She gazed at him in obvious frustration when he brought his vehicle, a Lexus SUV, to a stop at the traffic light. “I don’t see why not, since I do it all the time. And riding the subway isn’t roaming. It’s getting from point A to point B.”
Tag couldn’t help but shake his head and silently admitted that he had totally enjoyed the time he had spent with her today. It had been clean, honest, wholesome fun. Although he would be the first to admit that developing a relationship with her would be high on any man’s agenda, it wasn’t on his. Not that he wasn’t interested, because he definitely was. He just didn’t have the time. Pulse was the only thing he was romancing these days. Pulse, and his family.
“I live in the next block.”
Her voice reined his thoughts back in. “Nice neighborhood. I used to jog a lot in the park while attending Columbia.”
She smiled over at him. “I jog there a lot now. I’m a member of the Morningside Park Coalition. We work with the city to preserve and improve the park.”
When he came to a stop in front of her apartment building, she said, “You don’t have to walk me to the door.”
A part of Tag couldn’t help wondering if the reason was that she didn’t want to be seen with him. For some reason the thought bothered him. He leaned toward her and touched her cheek. “Sorry, there’s no way I can deliver you home halfway. My task wouldn’t be completed until I walked you to the door and made sure you got into your place okay.”
“Thanks. I didn’t wanted to put you out.” She smiled and he immediately felt her warmth. Relief ran through him that she wasn’t uncomfortable being seen with him. Still, he sensed her nervousness. Was she worried that he would try to kiss her goodbye? What if he did? Would she reciprocate? There was only one way to find out.
Renee watched as Tag came around the front of his vehicle to open the door for her. She couldn’t help but think about how much difference there was between him and Dionne. Other than the obvious skin coloring, there was the way they regarded women. Because Dionne had been raised by a single mother who’d evidently been a superwoman, he had expected a woman to be able to do just about anything for herself, including opening her own car door and seeing herself into the house. The only time he’d walked her to the door was when he had expected to spend the night.
“Thanks,” she said when Tag opened the door and offered his hand to help her out of the vehicle. Her heart fluttered at the feel of their hands touching, and she couldn’t help wondering if the reaction was one-sided. Evidently it wasn’t since he continued to hold her hand while walking her up the steps to her apartment.
He continued to hold her hand while walking her up the steps to her apartment.
He stepped aside while she unlocked the door. She wondered if he was waiting for her to invite him in. All day they had enjoyed being together without any type of flirtation, or promises of getting to know each other better. So why was her heart beating a thousand beats a minute, and why was she feeling heated from the way he was looking at her?
She cleared her throat. “Thanks again, Tag. I really enjoyed today.”
“So did I. And bundle up good tonight. I understand the temperature will begin dropping around midnight.”
“Okay.” She thought of her huge bed where she would be sleeping alone, and for the first time in two years the thought actually bothered her. It also made her realize that Dionne had been the last man she’d been serious about. Once she moved to New York she had spent more time developing her career than seeking out any worthwhile relationships with the opposite sex. She had kept telling herself she was only twenty-eight and there was no rush. Now she suddenly felt…rushed.
“Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
She blinked, then gazed into Tag’s piercing blue eyes. She swallowed the thickness in her throat. “Dinner?”
“Yes, dinner. Tomorrow night.”
Renee sighed. Okay, he had asked the million-dollar question, so how would she respond? She had to be honest with herself. If he had been an African-American male she would probably not have hesitated, but there were issues she needed to consider with him being white. The difference in their race was a major factor, but then so was the difference in their social backgrounds. His family owned a magazine publishing company whose headquarters took up an entire Manhattan block, for crying out loud. He lived in Tribeca of all places. An area known for its high-rise condos, quiet streets, good schools and wealthy lifestyles. It was a haven for the well-to-do. For people like the Elliotts.
“Renee?”
She glanced over at him. “Yes?”
“Can we step into your apartment to finish this conversation? I think we’re drawing unwanted attention.”
Renee glanced around, noting his statement was true. A couple of people in her apartment building were openly staring at them. She returned her gaze to his. “Yes, let’s go inside.”
She opened the door, and the moment they stepped over the threshold, heat filled her insides in a way it hadn’t ever before. “Can I get you something to drink?”
He leaned back against her closed door, placing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “No, I’m fine, but what you can do is give me an answer to my question about dinner tomorrow night.”
Renee nervously licked her lips.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Lick your lips like that. You’ve done it several times today and each time I’ve wanted to replace your tongue with my own. Even now I’m standing here fighting the urge not to.”
His words fanned an already heated spot deep within her. Her heart suddenly began beating faster. Out of habit she automatically licked her lips again and when she realized what she’d done, she quickly said, “Oops. I didn’t mean to do that.”
His eyes stayed glued to her face. “Too late. It’s been done.”
He slowly moved away from the door, removing the distance separating them. When he came to a stop in front of her he studied her with an intensity that she felt all the way to her toes.
“This is crazy,” he said in a deep, husky voice, “but I’m dying to kiss you.”
Yes, it was crazy, she silently agreed. Because she was dying for him to kiss her. Earlier, she had listed in her mind all the reasons they couldn’t become involved, but at that very moment, the only thing she could concentrate on was the way he was looking at her, the heat that seemed to take over her body and the desire that was flowing through her veins. No man had ever made her feel this way before.
He was watching her as carefully as she was watching him. They both knew their next move would be one they wouldn’t forget in a long time—if ever. Tag studied her lips, saw them quiver nervously and knew the exact moment she would lick them with her tongue.
He was ready.
His tongue captured hers outside of her mouth, tangled with it as he thoroughly explored all of her, taking this intimate pleasure to a level he had never taken it before. Kissing was a special way to communicate without words, and what they weren’t saying was turning him on even more, stirring emotions he had denied himself for so long. Affection, passion and even lust ruled his thoughts, his mind and his body.
He thought her lips were beautifully shaped and her response to him had been spontaneous. He liked her taste, he was drowning in her fragrance and he was taking the kiss to a level he hadn’t known was possible.
Renee was literally panting for breath, but the thought of their mouths disconnecting was something she didn’t want to think about. She had never been kissed like this before. Tag was taking the art of French kissing to a whole other level. He wasn’t just keeping her tongue busy, he was intimately mating with it, leaving her breathless, weak in the knees, moaning out loud. He seemed to be lap
ping up each and every sound she made.
A part of her brain wanted to shut down everything she was feeling. It tried reminding her that what they were doing wasn’t good. He was white, he was rich, his mother was her patient…and so on and so forth. But at that very moment, the only thing that was getting through to her was the tingling she felt all the way to her toes as well as the pool of heat that had settled right smack between her legs. And there was also the hardness of him that she felt against her thighs, and the sensitive feel of her nipples pressed against his solid chest.
Slowly, he pulled away, drawing in a deep breath. The sound filtered through her like a soft caress. The blue eyes staring at her held such intensity it made her pulse race even faster.
“That,” he said softly, “was my first.”
She held his gaze, had been drawn into it, was locked into it. “Your first what?” she somehow managed to ask in a tone that sounded like a whisper.
“My first real kiss.” His brow furrowed as if he was somewhat troubled at the thought. “I’ve never given so much of myself to a woman before.”
His words touched her in a way she had never been touched before. They were just as deep and profound as his kiss had been. He reached out and lifted her chin with the tip of his finger. “You are simply beautiful.” He then shook his head as if amazed. “No, I take that back. You are beautiful. There is nothing simple about it.”
He leaned forward and kissed her lips again. “Now to repeat my earlier question, will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?”
Renee released a long, drawn breath. Her mind, thanks to Tag, was jumbled in mass confusion, but the one thing that rang clear was the fact that they shouldn’t see each other again this way for a number of reasons on which she didn’t want to dwell at the moment. “I don’t think having dinner with you is a good idea.”
He lifted a dark brow, angled his head and asked, “Why not?”
She sighed deeply. He was making this difficult. What was obvious to her evidently wasn’t to him. That kiss had revealed too much. Too many more of those and she would be falling hard and heavy for him, not caring about the differences between them.
Knowing he was waiting on an answer, she decided to take the easy way out. “Your mother is my patient so we shouldn’t be getting involved.”
Tag opened his mouth to say having dinner with him was not getting involved, but that wouldn’t be completely honest. If he were to take her to dinner, he would want to kiss her good-night, and another kiss like the one they’d shared just might have him begging for a taste of something else. When they had kissed, and he had stroked her tongue with his own, her lips had been so soft, her tongue welcoming and her flavor so sweet….
“For how long?” he asked, leaning back against the closed door.
Renee blinked. “How long what?”
“How long will my mother be your patient?”
Renee nervously shoved her hands into the pockets of her skirt. “Officially, until after her surgery and she is released from the hospital. But I’ll still be there for her if she needs me once she begins her chemotherapy.”
He nodded. “And this rule about not getting involved with your patient’s family is yours or the hospital’s?”
Renee swallowed. The blue gaze that had her within the intensity of its scope seemed to burn fire wherever it touched. Right now it was on her lips and her mouth was feeling the heat. She nervously licked her lips and saw the moment his stomach clenched and remembered his reaction whenever she did that. “It’s mine, but I think it’s for the best.”
“Do you?” The smile that suddenly appeared at his lips was challenging, sexy and brazen. “Then I guess I’m just going to have to prove it’s not for the best, won’t I?”
He reached out, gently pulled her close, gave her a hug and then whispered close to her ear, “Stay warm tonight and think about me.” And with that he turned and left.
“So how’s your weekend going, Tag?”
Tag glanced up from pouring wine into two glasses and met his brother’s gaze. Liam had dropped by for a visit but Tag could tell how he’d spent his Saturday was the last thing on his brother’s mind; however, he answered anyway. “It was rather nice. I decided to take some time away from work and attended a couple of art shows in the Village.”
Liam rubbed his hand down his face. Tired. Frustrated. Agitated. All three. “It’s good to know someone can put work on hold for a while to enjoy himself.”
“So can you,” Tag said, leaning back against the counter. Liam, financial operating officer at EPH, was known as a financial wizard. “Taking time off to rest and relax won’t put the company in the red, Liam. Besides, you deserve it.”
Liam sighed deeply. “Speaking of putting the company in the red,” he said, after taking a sip of his wine, “I’m worried about Granddad’s challenge. Personally, I don’t see it helping the company. In fact, I see it hurting us in the long run. What on earth could he have been thinking to pit us against each other like this? Yesterday I was walking down the hall and as soon as I turned the corner whatever conversation Aunt Finola and Scarlet were having practically died on their lips when they saw me. It was as if they considered me a spy or something.”
Tag nodded at what Liam was saying. He’d encountered a similar situation last week when he’d walked in on a conversation between his uncle Daniel and his cousin Summer. It was weird how everyone had begun acting all secretive because of his grandfather’s challenge.
“Granddad is a smart man,” Tag said. “Although I don’t understand why he would do such a thing, I have to believe he’d never do anything that would eventually hurt the company. You know how he feels about it. It’s his baby.”
Liam, grudgingly, had to agree. “So, are you ready for Tuesday?” he asked, taking another sip of wine.
Tag shook his head. Tuesday was the day their mother was scheduled for surgery. “No, but the sooner Mom gets it over with, the sooner she can get better.”
Liam closed his eyes for a moment in sheer exhaustion. “Yes, you’re right.” He then checked his watch and stood. “I think I’m going to stop by the office and finish up a couple of things before going home.”
After Liam left, with nothing else to do, Tag showered and got ready for bed. The moment he crawled under the covers he thought about Renee. He hadn’t meant to kiss her but he had and that had been the beginning of his problem.
He hadn’t expected to develop a taste for her, but he’d done that as well. He had wanted to keep on kissing her, tasting her, mating their mouths. To keep indulging. Her lips had felt warm beneath his. Warm and heated with a surrender she hadn’t wanted to make but he had coaxed out of her anyway, each and every time he had lowered his mouth to hers.
And earlier today, while with her in Greenwich Village, they had talked about a number of things. She had shared with him that her parents were both deceased. When she was ten years old her father had died of a work-related injury, and her mother had died of colon cancer when Renee was in her last year of high school. She had remembered how kind the social workers and hospital staff had been to her and her mother, and eventually followed in their footsteps, obtaining a degree in social work, with a specialty in health services.
During the time they had spent together today, he had watched her and had been touched at how the smallest thing could make her smile. He’d watched how she interacted with people in general; always respectful, courteous, polite and considerate. Even when she hadn’t needed to be…like with Thomas Bonner.
The man had seen something in Renee that Tag hadn’t. Color. To Tag, Renee was a beautiful woman. He didn’t see her as a woman of a particular skin tone but as a desirable woman he wanted. But he had a feeling it hadn’t been the same with her. He had seen the same frowns, stares and censored expressions that she had today. However, while he’d merely chalked them up to ignorance, he could tell they had bothered Renee. All day with her he’d assumed they were developing a friendship. But a
fter kissing her, tasting her, he wanted more. He wanted something he hadn’t thought about sharing in a long time with a woman. He wanted a relationship.
Damn.
How could he decide something like that after spending one day with her? Sharing one kiss? He wasn’t sure just how deep he wanted the relationship to go but he did know that he wanted one. He wanted to take her out to dinner, the movies, and the theater…just to name a few places. He wanted to show up at her apartment some afternoons and discuss how his day had gone and hear how hers had gone as well. He wanted to invite her over to his place and cook for her…or have Lewis, his friendly chef next door, do the cooking. And he would love taking her to Une Nuit, his cousin Bryan’s restaurant, and introducing her to his entire family.
He shook his head and sighed deeply. He’d never thought about introducing any woman to his family before, but he wanted to do it with Renee. He wanted to share all things with her.
He ran his hand down his face, frustrated, because she didn’t want any of that. He knew he had to give her time, space and not rush her. Not only would they be engaging in an affair, but it would be an interracial one. At least that was probably how she would see it. He saw it as simply a man and woman who were attracted to each other deciding to take it to the next level.
But that had to wait. Right now, he had to be content to see her on Tuesday at the hospital. Somehow, though, that wasn’t good enough.
Four
“Your wife’s surgery was a success, Mr. Elliott.”
Tag could see profound relief on his father’s face as well as on the faces of his siblings gathered in the waiting room. “And you think that you got it all?” Michael Elliott asked.
Dr. Chaney nodded. “Yes, although her condition will still be guarded for a while, I believe we got all the cancer. She will remain here for a few days, and then I’ll release her to you for convalescent care.”
“How soon can we see her?” Gannon asked with his fiancée by his side.
“Not for a while yet, possibly an hour or so. She was put under heavy sedation and is still in the recovery room. I suggest all of you go grab a bite to eat. When you come back, she should be awake.”
Dynasties: The Elliotts, Books 1-6 Page 16