Thorn's Challenge

by Brenda Jackson

  Tara headed for the kitchen, deciding to get a glass of the iced tea she had made earlier that day. Maybe the drink would cool her off because tonight her body definitely felt hot.

  * * *

  Thorn brought his motorcycle to complete stop and shut off the engine. The lights were still on in Tara’s home, which meant she hadn’t gone to bed yet. He had worked at the shop until he couldn’t get his mind to concentrate on what he was doing. He kept thinking of Tara and what he wanted to do to her.

  He’d never gone into a race this tense and restless over a woman before. Usually, one was the last thing on his mind this close to competition. This time that was not the case. Now that he knew how she tasted, he couldn’t get the sweet flavor of her mouth and her body from his mind. And a day didn’t go by when he didn’t think about what they’d almost done that day in her bedroom. He had zipped down his pants, been ready to take her right then and there had her words not reclaimed his senses.

  And his brothers were making matters worse with that stupid bet of theirs. He had refused to tell them anything; his relationship with Tara was not up for discussion. No one knew about their agreement, and other than the time they’d been seen together at Chase’s Super Bowl party, no one knew what was going on with them. He wanted to keep it that way for as long as he could. The family would find out soon enough that she was going to Bike Week.

  Earlier, when he’d seen he would not get any work done, he had tossed his tools aside, stripped off his clothes and had taken a shower to cool off his heated body. That hadn’t worked. He got dressed and decided to go for a ride on his bike to let the wind and the chilly night air cool him down and take the edge off. But that hadn’t worked either.

  There was only one way he could relieve what ailed him and he couldn’t risk going that far. Breaking his vow of celibacy before the race was not an option. Therefore, with Bike Week only a couple of weeks away, he needed to put as much distance between himself and Tara as possible. She was becoming too much of a temptation. That was why he had made the decision tonight to leave for Daytona earlier than planned and have Tara ride down later with one of his brothers.

  The most important thing was that she be in Daytona when the race was over. There was no way he could hang around and run the risk of making love to her. But he was determined to leave them both with something to anticipate while he was gone.

  Moments later he walked up to her door and rang the doorbell. He knew it was late but he had to see her. His body pulsed with something he had never felt before…urgency.

  The sound of her soft voice hummed through the door. “Who is it?”

  He took a deep breath and responded. “Thorn.”

  He watched as the door slowly opened, exposing the surprise on her features. “Thorn, what are you doing here?”

  He swallowed as his gaze took in all of her. She was wearing a short silk nightgown that only covered her to midthigh. Her hair was in disarray—as if she had tossed and turned while trying to sleep, and one of the spaghetti straps of her gown hung down off her shoulder. The total picture was ultra-sexy, enticing, a product of any man’s fantasy.

  “Thorn?”

  He blinked, realizing he hadn’t answered her question. “There’s been a change in my plans about Bike Week and I thought I should share it with you.”

  He saw the indecision that appeared in her features. It was as if she was trying to make up her mind about whether to let him in. She was probably wondering why he hadn’t picked up a phone and called her instead of dropping by unexpectedly.

  “I apologize for showing up without calling first, but I wanted to tell you about the change in person,” he added, hoping that would explain things to her although he was still confused as to what had driven him to seek her out tonight. All he knew was that he had to be alone with her if only for a few minutes. Hell, he would take a few seconds if that were all she would spare.

  “All right, come in,” she said, then stood aside to let him enter.

  The moment he walked into her home and closed the door behind him, he was engulfed with desire so thick he was having difficulty breathing. He had to force air through his lungs.

  This wasn’t normal, but nothing, he reasoned, had been normal for him since he had first laid eyes on Tara. His life hadn’t been the same since that day. And watching her bare legs and the way her hips swayed under the nightgown she was wearing as she walked across the room before turning around to face him wasn’t helping matters.

  For two years he had battled what he had felt for her, his desire, but most importantly, his growing affection. He hadn’t wanted to care about her. He hadn’t wanted to care about any woman for that matter. Other than his family, his love for motorcycles was the only thing he felt that he needed in his life. But Tara had come into it and messed up things really well. The more he’d found himself attracted to her, the more he had tried to resist, but to no avail.

  “Thorn, what is the change in your plans?”

  He leaned back against the closed door. “I’ve decided to leave for Daytona early.”

  Tara raised an arched brow. “How early?”

  “I’m leaving Sunday if I can arrange everything.”

  “This Sunday?” When he nodded, she said. “That’s only three days away. I can’t take off work and—”

  “And I don’t expect you to. I’ll talk to one of my brothers about you coming down with them later at the beginning of Bike Week.”

  “But—but why are you leaving so early?” she asked.

  He shifted his helmet to his other hand, thinking there was no way he could tell her the absolute truth. So instead he said. “There are a few things I need to do to get ready for the race, like getting my mind in check,” he said, which wasn’t a total lie. With any type of race, concentration was the key and he couldn’t do it here, not in the same town where she lived.

  He placed his helmet on the table. “Tara?”

  She met his gaze. “Yes?”

  He held out his hand to her. “Come here,” he said in a voice he didn’t recognize as his own. The only thing he did recognize and acknowledged was his need to touch her, to taste her and hold her in his arms. Two weeks without seeing her would be absolute torture for him.

  He watched her stare at his outstretched hand, moments longer than he had hoped, before she slowly closed the distance that separated them, taking his fingers and entwining them with her smaller ones. The heat from her touch was automatic. Sensual heat moved from his hand and quickly spread throughout his body. Even his blood simmered with their touch. He gently pulled her to him, letting her body come to rest against the hardness of his.

  “Do you have any idea how much I want you, Tara?” he asked huskily, his lips only a few inches from hers.

  Desire formed in her eyes before she said softly, “Yes, I think I do.”

  “I want you to know for certain. The moment you step foot in Daytona I want you to know just what to expect after the race is over and I turn my full attention to you. I don’t want you to be surprised at the magnitude of my hunger and desire, and I want to give you a sample of what is to come. May I?”

  As far as she was concerned he had given her plenty of samples already and she had a pretty good idea what she was in for. But still, the very thought that he asked permission almost made Tara come apart then and there. With all his roughness, and even when he’d been in his worse mood, Thorn had always remained a gentleman in his dealings with her. Sensuous, irresistible and sexy, yet a gentleman just the same.

  Tara swallowed the lump in her throat, not knowing what she should do or more importantly, what she should say. If she granted him what he wanted, it wouldn’t help matters where she was concerned. She was in the thick of things and didn’t see a way out, not with Thorn hightailing it out of town on Sunday. With him leaving for Daytona earlier than planned, there was no way she could tempt him the way she needed in order to get him to call off their agreement. He would expect her to keep her end
of the bargain and give him the week she had promised him.

  But then she decided she had to be completely honest with herself and admit that she wanted that week, as well. Thorn Westmoreland had needs and a part of her could not imagine him making love to another woman. She refused to think about that. And standing before him now, she knew why.

  She was in love with him.

  The thought that he could end up hurting her the way Derrick had made her want to cover her heart and protect it from pain, to escape into her bedroom and hide. But it was too late for that. She had tried avoiding Thorn for two years, had tried protecting her heart and her soul from him. Yet in the end, he had gotten them anyway. He had asked her if she knew how much he wanted her; well she had a question for him. Did he have any idea how much she loved him?

  However, that was a question she couldn’t ask him.

  Before getting lost in deep thoughts of how much she loved him, she decided to turn her attention back to the issue at hand. She met his gaze and knew he was waiting for an answer to his question of whether or not he could give her a sample of what was to come. And she would give him the only answer she could; there was no way she could deny his request. “Yes, you may.”

  Wordlessly, without wasting any time, in the next moment, the next breath, he covered her lips with his. He immediately deepened the kiss and she automatically draped her arms around his neck for support. He pulled her closer to him, molding both his mouth and his body to hers as his hands stroked downward, cupping her behind and pulling her closer.

  Thorn’s mouth fed off hers; he was like the hungriest of men, ravaging, taking possession. In a way this was different from all their other kisses, and for a second she felt his control slipping as the kiss became more intense. When she felt weak in the knees, he picked up her into his arms and carried her over to the sofa and sat down with her in his lap.

  Tara looked up at the man holding her gently in his arms. Her gaze took in his dark brooding eyes, his chiseled jaw and the firmness of his lips. His breathing was irregular and he was staring down at her as if she was a morsel he wanted to devour. Now. Tonight.

  She swallowed. She was cradled in his lap practically naked. She wasn’t wearing a bra or panties, just a nightgown, a short one at that. And she knew that even if he wasn’t fully aware of it before, he was now aware of the state of her dress since she was sitting in his lap and her bare bottom was coming into contact with his aroused body.

  Tara felt the air surrounding them heighten to full sexual awareness as she stared at Thorn the same way he was staring at her. She saw a muscle tick in his jaw as if he was fighting hard for control. She realized just how hard this had to be for him—a man who had gone without sex for two years—and she knew the only way to make things easier for him was to send him away, but she couldn’t do that.

  She licked her bottom lip and decided to tell him without words just how much she wanted his touch, how much she desired it. Her body was aching for him. And when she thought she couldn’t stand it any longer, he leaned down and kissed her again.

  Her breath caught when she felt his hand beneath her nightgown, touching her at the juncture of her thighs. And then he began stroking her. She whimpered her pleasure into his mouth as her body came alive to his intimate touch. She remembered how it had been the last time he had touched her this way, and she clutched at the front of his shirt while his mouth made love to hers and his skillful fingers stroked her until she thought she would scream.

  He suddenly broke off the kiss, and before she could let out a whimper of protest, he eased her gown down from her shoulders, giving him a good view of her neck and exposing her breasts. His hand lightly caressed her neck and then he leaned forward, and slowly lowered his head. He captured a budding dark nipple in his mouth and began licking and sucking.

  “Thorn,” was the only word she could think to say as pleasure beyond her control vanquished any further words. The only thing she could do was close her eyes and savor the moment in Thorn’s arms. She moaned as his mouth continued to greedily taste her breasts and his hands stroked her wetness.

  “I want to taste you,” he mouthed against her breast, and she didn’t get the full meaning of just what he meant until he gently laid her down on the sofa.

  “Close your eyes, baby,” he said in a deep, husky voice kneeling over her.

  She met his gaze and saw the deep desire lodged in their dark depths. She couldn’t help but wonder how much control he had left and knew she couldn’t do this to him. She couldn’t do anything to jeopardize his chance of winning the race. “Thorn, we can’t,” she managed to get out the words. “Remember, no birth control.”

  His hand was still touching her between the legs. His fingers were stroking her, entering her, driving her mad with desire. “Shh, I know, sweetheart, but we don’t need protection for what I want to do. I need this for good luck. Taking your taste with me makes me a sure winner in more ways than one. This is what I need right now more than anything.”

  And then he lifted her gown, dipped his head and kissed her stomach at the same moment that she closed her eyes to concentrate on what he was doing. Her breath caught when his mouth lowered to replace his stroking fingers.

  “Thorn!”

  She cried out his name then sucked in a deep breath, never having been kissed this way before. Her mind went blank of all conscious thought except for him and what he was doing to her. She felt pleasure, deep and profound, all the way to her bones. She groaned aloud when he deepened the intimate kiss. His tongue, she discovered, was just as skillful as his hands, and was drugging her into an intimacy she had never shared with any man. Sensations beyond belief with his seductive ministrations were making her realize and accept the extent and magnitude of her love for him.

  She whimpered deep within her throat when the first wave of ecstasy washed over her, more powerful than the last time, and she cried out as she held his head to her, his tongue increasing its strokes and tasting her greedily while tremor after tremor raced through her body. Her body shook with the pleasure he was giving her, and moments later, when the tremors had stopped and her body had quieted, he picked her up and cradled her back in his lap while gently stroking her back.

  “Thank you,” she heard him whisper in her ear.

  She shifted in his arms slightly and pulled back, wondering why he was thanking her when she should be the one thanking him. From the feel of his arousal it was evident that he still was in a state of need, but had pushed his need aside to take care of hers.

  “But—but you didn’t—”

  He placed a finger to her lips to seal off any further words. “That’s okay. My day will come, trust me. I’m thanking you for giving me something to look forward to, something to anticipate, and whether I win the race or not, I have the prize I desire the most right here in my arms.”

  His words touched her deeply, and before she could find her voice to respond, he kissed away any words she was about to say, and she knew that the man who held her so tenderly in his arms would have her heart for always.

  * * *

  The next morning, Tara stirred then rolled over in bed. She slowly opened her eyes as she remembered last night. After Thorn had kissed her, he had taken her upstairs and placed her in bed, then he had left.

  She moaned deep in her throat as she recalled what they had done. He had created more passion in her than she had thought was possible, and he had unselfishly satisfied a need she didn’t know she had. Even now, the memory sent delicious tremors all the way down to her womanly core. Thorn had branded a part of her as his in the most provocative and intimate way.

  She loved him, and no matter how things turned out in Daytona, she knew that she would always love him.

  * * *

  The four men crossed their arms over their chests and glared at the one who stood before them, making a request they intended to refuse.

  “What do you mean you’re not in love with Tara? If that’s the case then there’s no
way one of us will bring her to you, Thorn. We won’t allow you to take advantage of her that way,” Stone Westmoreland said angrily. “And you can forget the damn bet.”

  Thorn inhaled deeply, deciding not to knock the hell out of his brother just yet. He was about to leave for Daytona and had found all four of them having breakfast at Storm’s house as they got ready to head out to go fishing. He had merely asked that one of them bring Tara to Bike Week. When Stone had grinned and asked him how it felt being in love, he’d been quick to set him straight and had told him he wasn’t in love, and that what he and Tara shared was a completely physical, emotional-free affair. That’s when all hell had broken loose.

  “That bet wasn’t my idea and shouldn’t have been made in the first place. And regardless of what you say, Stone, one way or the other, Tara will be coming to Bike Week,” Thorn said, barely holding on to his anger.

  “No, she won’t. I agree with Stone,” Chase Westmoreland said with a frown on his face. “When we made that bet we thought it was to make you see how much you cared for Tara. But instead, you’ve concocted some plan to use her. Dammit man, if Tara was Laney, we would beat the crap out of any man with your intentions. So whatever plans you’ve made for Tara you can scrap them until you fall in love with her.”

  “I won’t be using her,” Thorn growled through gritted teeth. Ready to knock the hell out of Chase as well. Other than Dare, he didn’t see any of them falling in love with anyone, so why were they trying to shove this love thing down his throat?

  Storm chuckled. “And you want us to believe that? Hell, you haven’t had a woman in over two years and you want us just to stand aside while you get your fill knowing you don’t care a damn thing about her?”

  Thorn felt steam coming out of his ears. “I do care about Tara. I just don’t love her. Besides, what Tara and I do is our business and none of you have a damn thing to say about it.”

  “That’s where you are wrong, Thorn,” Stone said angrily, rolling up his sleeves and taking a step forward.

  Dare Westmoreland decided it was time to intercede before there was bloodshed. “It seems you guys are a little hot under the collar. Keep it up and I’ll be forced to throw all four of you behind bars just for the hell of it, so back up, Stone.”