by Paula Cox
Pulling himself upright, he maintained the slow, sensual pace of their current lovemaking, cupping her huge, succulent tits, and then her delightful ass, then both at once, keeping her surprised, wanting more. He stopped. Tiana clamped her teeth on her lower lip, expecting more. Dax licked his lips because he knew what to do next, and how much they were both going to enjoy this. They were about to create a storm together, to take it to the next level. The flash of wickedness in her eyes when she saw what he had in mind spelled hot times ahead.
He finally gave it to her—all of a sudden—with another shift of position that left her down on all fours, at his mercy, moaning to be taken. He slapped her ass, then gripped her hips. Dax penetrated her again, but really thrust this time, gauging her responses, eliciting moans of through-the-barrier bliss that told him she wanted more. So did he, and neither of them would be disappointed tonight. This was his salvo, his all-out push for orgasmic heaven.
And fuck, did it feel good. For thrust after delirious thrust, she kept her promise of staying with him, in the zone. He lost all track of time and place. Tiana’s arms and shoulders wobbled, but she was determined to stay up as long as possible, until they collapsed from under her. As a Marine, and as a man, he loved that about her. When she finally did give way, Dax yanked her back up by a handful of her hair and quickened his rhythm.
She replied by moaning “Yes! Yes! Ah, fuck yes!” Her tits bounced and swayed under her. Her moans suddenly got louder. It was an extra shot of spice through the heart of their blissful rhythm, and she climaxed again. When she turned sideways, he saw her gritted teeth and that she was still trying to stay with him and not collapse altogether in a spent heap. Tiana was on the verge of succumbing, but so was he.
The sweet smell of her scent filled him. Just before she gave in altogether, Dax let loose a cry of joy as his vision splintered into an aurora of colors. He ceased his thrusting. Then he flopped onto the edge of the sofa at her side, panting and soaked with sweat—just like her. She somehow found the strength to flip onto her side, facing him. They gazed into each other’s eyes, holding hands.
She shook her head in disbelief, as if to say: Why couldn’t I have met you in high school instead?
Tiana kissed his cheek, ran a hand over his buzz cut. She was trembling. Dax repaid her with a kiss on the lips.
“Now tell me that wasn’t fun,” he said.
Catching her breath, she replied, “That was…unbelievable. Really unbelievable.”
“Not a bad remedy for a crappy day, huh.”
“The best! Jesus. The best remedy for the worst…no, what could have been the worst day of my life.”
“And now?”
She ran her hand over his slick pecs. “Now it’s right up there.”
“Didn’t know you had it in you, huh?”
“Not like that. I mean, wow—I never thought it could be like that.” Tiana still trembled with excitement. He took it as a massive compliment, her being so high on life after the way she’d behaved at the benefit earlier tonight.
“I was right about you,” he said.
“In what way?”
“You didn’t know your own potential. I think Thad Hollis never let you find it out.”
She looked away to the ceiling. “Was it that obvious?”
“Only because I saw it right away. He’s made you self-conscious. He’s tried to make you feel grateful for being with him. But here’s what you need to know: those other women he wants you to compare yourself to, those anorexic bimbos with their personal trainers and blow-snorting friends, you’re worth a hundred of them.”
“Really?” She paused, thinking it over. “I think you’re in the minority with that opinion.”
“So is anyone with good taste. Trust me, hon, you’ve got it all happening. Don’t let anyone tell you different, least of all that nut job.”
Tiana cleared her throat, clearly wanting to change the subject. Her boyfriend was still a sore topic, now that the booze had well and truly worn off. “You ever going back to the Marines?” she asked. “Or are you done with that?”
“Never going back. I have my reasons. God and country can get along fine without me watching their backs.” He shut the memories off while they were still a distant squall at the back of his mind. “So what about you? Any big plans?”
“Plans?”
“After you leave what’s-his-face? You got a career in mind?”
She sucked in a harsh breath, as though it was another topic she didn’t want to broach right now. Then he realized…for her, this breakup wasn’t just any old breakup like the quick-in, quick-out relationships he was used to. It was profound, a tectonic shift in her life. Her high school sweetheart had kicked her out after however many years of loyal devotion to him, and she had to restart everything from scratch.
Kind of how he’d left the Corps, disillusioned, to face a home country he just couldn’t figure out anymore. The difference was that he’d already had a backup profession to slide into—MMA—while Tiana presumably didn’t have much on her professional resume.
Or maybe he was wrong about that. She did seem to have plenty of smarts to go with her looks—though both had gone underappreciated. Maybe all she needed was some good old-fashioned fighting spirit. Without Section Eight holding her down, she might go far.
***
It was still dark outside when Tiana woke in his arms on the sofa. He’d covered them with a blanket and laid her head on a cushion, so she was warm. However, most of her body, not to mention her head, was achy. All that bubbly had caught up with her. Together with the amazing sex, it had dehydrated her. She eased herself up as gently as she could, stopping to admire his dashing face in the half-light—he’d left a lamp on in the far corner of the room. She fetched a bottle of water from the fridge and downed half of it in one go. It hit the spot.
But something didn’t quite feel right. Not about gorgeous Dax Easterling, or how he’d turned her world upside down right here. No, it was a nagging feeling that she had unfinished business at her home. At her soon-to-be-former home. Amazing though tonight had been with Dax, he hadn’t promised her anything more, and she couldn’t face him telling her it was just the one night. That would kill her self-esteem forever. On the other hand, a part of her did not want to rely on another man to chart her life’s course for her. Thad had burned her too badly. She’d staked everything on him, and he’d gone and de-railed everything she was, everything she wanted.
But…what if Dax did want more and she ran out on him? What if this was the real opportunity of a lifetime and she protected herself out of it?
Christ’s sake, it was enough to give a girl a headache, or make a headache worse.
Standing around totally naked in a strange guy’s house was a new experience, one she really kinda dug—especially since he’d lavished so much attention on her body. She still got a buzz at the thought of his huge hands being all over her—and he’d even told her she looked better than those WAGs and bling brigades she’d envied all this time.
Tiana girl, you’re in what they a conundrum.
Even so, she did have unfinished business. A bitter relationship to exorcise once and for all. Putting it off would only—
“Hey, you’re up,” he groaned. His accompanying yawn was so loud it brought a bark from Annelise outside. “What’s that you’re drinking?”
“Water.”
“Wouldn’t mind a beer. There’s some on the middle shelf of—”
“Way ahead of you.” She tossed him a can. He fumbled it but recovered before it dropped. His gaze explored her naked body, and she loved the sensation. Despite being achy, she did crave more sex. Dax had awakened something in her that she’d never experienced before, not once with Thad. It gave her the feeling that she would be permanently horny from now on.
“Ready to go again?” He peeled the blanket off, revealing his massive erection. It was the first time she’d seen all of him naked at once, in one go. It gave her a shiver of delig
ht, knowing she’d just had this guy and that he wanted to have her again.
“I’d love to. Believe me. But I really think I should get back.”
He gave a not very convincing nod. It made her feel like she had to explain carefully, and persuasively.
“The longer I leave it, the worse he’ll be when he finds out where I’ve been.”
“Why not wait till morning? He knows you left the dance early, and at this time, it’s obvious you didn’t leave alone.”
He had a point. And she did want to jump him like crazy. “Another few hours won’t make much difference, I suppose.”
“Not enough to change the outcome. I think you’d rather stay here and get up to no good some more. See how bad we can be. What do you reckon, Tiana? Wanna fuck?”
Oh boy.
Some things a horny woman in a dilemma couldn’t resist. One of them was lying several feet in front of her, more of a man than any man she’d ever met. And he wanted her. Right now.
“Let’s see what you got,” he said, pulling her down on top of him.
They resumed where they’d left off, continuing on well into the night. Nothing as breakneck as that first bout, but Dax always had a surprise or two up his sleeve, a sudden change of pace or a position switch that would inject a thrill into their lovemaking.
Tiana’s crowning moment came, again, when he was flat on his back and she was straddling him. Dax had pulled her toward him so that he could wrap his lips around her tits, which he liked to do, but this time he was playing with them for too long and seemed to have forgotten that he was still inside her. He’d lost the impetus, and she wanted it back. So she pushed his head down and wrestled his arms to the cushion. Suddenly leaning back, as far as her aching abs would permit, she began to ride him.
The way she clenched her pussy around his cock, the surprising angles she found, and the wild motion she created while she gyrated on top of him really took her Marine by surprise. His eyes closed and his mouth opened wide, he gripped the arm of the sofa and sank his head deep into the cushion. The groans of pleasure she got from him almost drowned out hers, which was saying something. She went wild. He struggled to stay in the game, and from his expression, she thought he was either ready to come inside her or buck her off altogether.
He chose to throw her off, but only so he could finish it his way, just as he had earlier. She giggled, knowing how much she’d blown his mind and anticipating what he’d do in return.
He dipped her in his arms and kissed her several times. Deep, manly kisses she didn’t want to end. Then he bent her in front of him, gripped her by the hips and took her doggie-style again. No holds barred. It was every bit as thrilling and accurate and overpowering as she remembered. Tiana was already tired out, sore, and aching—she was using muscles she just wasn’t used to using—but by the end, when he grabbed her by the hair and gave her everything he had, she was utterly spent and floundering. Her arms could barely lift her an inch off the sofa, while her moans of ecstasy could barely escape the cushion she was biting into.
She saw the shattered rainbow again. Shortly after, he desisted and flopped down beside her once more. “Fuck’s sake,” he said between gasps. “I needed that.”
Not as much as I did, she thought.
Chapter Nine
Through every gap between the houses and palm trees to her left, the low-angled sun blazed through the side window of her cab, blinding her in often-rapid flickers. It was annoying, like a vengeful younger sibling who was gloating because Big Sis had been out all night without permission and was so going to get it when Mom and Dad came home. Tiana fidgeted like crazy, twining her purse strap around her fingers and picking at the seam in the seat next to her.
Why was it, after all Thad had done to her, that she should feel so guilty about sleeping with another man? It didn’t make sense. It was not rational. Her boyfriend had openly admitted to cheating on her; he’d dirty-danced with the Slavic ring slut in full view of everyone, especially Tiana; he’d subjected her to his crazy mood swings and called her every name under the sun (and invented a few). He’d lied, belittled, choked, and even hit her, but still she felt guilty for cheating on him, even though, technically, she hadn’t done anything of the sort because he’d dumped her ass yesterday!
She should be on cloud nine right now—a part of her still was—but Tiana was a nervous wreck by the time the cab dropped her off outside her soon-to-be-former home. For one thing, she looked a mess: no makeup, bags under her eyes, aggressively de-styled hair. Any one of those things would be a red flag to Thad’s bull, but all three, together with her absence last night…
Maybe she should call 9-1-1.
No. They had split up yesterday. And he’d told her he was having an affair. She had some leeway here. Even he couldn’t be such a hypocrite. Could he?
Tiana just didn’t know anymore. Dax had nicknamed him Section Eight, which was a bit cruel in her view. He hadn’t known the old Thad, the one she’d fallen in love with. Try as she might, Tiana could not reconcile the two—high school Thad and Section Eight Thad. There was no connecting thread to explain how nasty he’d become.
She crept through the garden in which she’d spent so much time. It was feral, almost ugly, and full of dead plants or stupidly overgrown ones. She turned her key so softly in the front door lock that it didn’t make a sound.
The house was quiet. No hip-hop playing in the living room. No whir from his coffee machine or whine from his blender—Thad liked to make his own drinks, especially smoothies. And no smell of deodorant. He was normally up and about by now, getting ready for his morning run. Either he was still upstairs, probable after a night of hard partying, or he wasn’t at home.
She checked every room in the house and found no sign that he’d been back at all. For the first time since leaving Dax’s house, she grinned.
This was her chance to pack up and get out without a scene and without ever having to see Thad again. But where to start?
Okay, it’s time to prioritize. Time to get ruthless.
Tiana fetched two of her biggest suitcases from the top shelf of the closet and started filling them with clothes she absolutely couldn’t live without. It surprised her, how practical and pragmatic she could be; she’d spent so long browsing in the stores to decide on all this stuff, and here she was, sifting through it like the speediest packer in a sweatshop.
All those designer label shoes she’d be leaving behind. Whatever. He could have ‘em. Ditto the cocktail dresses and expensive lingerie and all the other shit he’d bought to sexy her up. She didn’t need any of that anymore, not from him. Dax Easterling thought she was hot as fuck. He’d told her so. That was good enough for Tiana Crowe…
…who was suddenly so glad she hadn’t married her asshole of a boyfriend. She’d wanted it for so long, had waited for so long for him to propose, but he’d never taken the hint. And here she was, still Crowe.
Jeans, slacks, yoga pants, a few summer dresses: those were more her style now. Starting from scratch meant reinventing herself—for herself.
It was stuffy in the bedroom, so she opened a window. Through the decaying foliage, she glimpsed the front of a cab parked at the edge of the drive. Then it set off and a suited figure walked toward the house.
Crap. Looks like I won’t be sneaking away after all.
Tiana steeled herself, decided to just keep her head down and get on with it. She’d almost finished packing her essentials. The rest wouldn’t take long. Anything he might contest, that he might claim belonged to him, she wouldn’t touch. He’d paid for most of it anyway. Let him give it to his ring whore.
When he reached the bedroom, he didn’t say a word. He just stood there at the door, the top half of his shirt torn open. Tiana wondered if he’d been in a fight. But he reeked of lady’s perfume, and he didn’t bear any marks or bruises that she could see. It had to have been the ring whore who’d ripped his shirt open in the midst of passion. She’d rather not think about it.
<
br /> Tiana ignored him while she packed, but he didn’t move an inch. For minutes, he stood there, leaving her to guess exactly what was going through his mind. She felt his gaze on her back…that twisted, judging gaze.
“So how did it feel?” His words sounded cold and calibrated.
“How did what feel?” Still she didn’t look him in the eye.
“Getting revenge,” he said.
Tiana didn’t want to dignify that with a reply.
“Who is he? Another fighter?”
She stayed silent.
“You were always sly,” he said. “Look at you…you won’t even admit it. You won’t even admit when you’ve fucked someone to get even.” The coldness in his words began to thaw. He was working himself up. “Who is he?”
Tiana said nothing. She packed her hairdryer and brushes.