by Paula Cox
God, she hated parties. They always got in the way of a good time.
She chuckled. Her sister Cass would roll her eyes at that remark. The more money Tiana had, the more glamorous her life got, the more she found to grumble about, Cass was fond of saying. God forbid she wound up with a European prince or one of those Saudi sheiks. She’d be on antidepressants for the rest of her pampered life.
Okay, so Cass had relaxed that criticism in light of what Tiana had been through lately, but the general observation still stood. Tiana really didn’t feel comfortable in this world. Never had. Probably never would. But if she had to be a part of it, what she needed was someone as indifferent to it as she was. A man who didn’t take it seriously, who was glad that she didn’t take it seriously either.
She watched Dax until he got fed up with the three-ring circus. It didn’t take long, and it made her laugh, how he kept puffing when he thought no one was looking. She knew exactly how he felt.
When he finally looked up at her, she gave him one of her cheeky salutes. He stopped what he was doing, completely ignoring the group of champagne-toting socialites who’d surrounded him like glitzy fish around a harbor buoy. His gaze locked on hers. She didn’t hear anything or see anyone else. He whispered something to a member of his ring entourage, not leaving her gaze for a moment. Then he made his way up to her, all casual and smoldering, the top three buttons of his cotton shirt open, revealing the swirling black tattoos he wore like war paint when he fought.
“I’m glad you came,” he said.
“I’m glad you showed up,” she replied.
“What are you doing up here?”
“I was bored. You were taking forever.”
“Tell me about it.” He sat beside her, laced his fingers in hers. “So what did you think of the fight?”
“I think you should charge extra,” Tiana said.
“For what?”
“For schooling every other fighter who watches you. Seriously, you’re amazing.”
He kissed her hand. “I was about to say the same thing.”
“That you’re amazing? Wow, that would have been…what’s the opposite of classy?”
Dax snickered. “About you. I was gonna say…never mind.”
“Aw, go on.”
“No, you’ve ruined the moment. Now there’s nothing for it,” he said. “We’ll just have to skip the romance part altogether.”
“And get straight into the what?”
“Party.” He winked. When she lightly punched his arm, he added, “Only kidding. So you were half way up here already. Was that a hint, Tiana Crowe?”
A warm shiver went right through her. “God, I love it when you say my name.”
He leaned in and whispered, “Tiana Crowe.”
She giggled, blushed, and then kissed his stubbly cheek. “Dax Easterling.”
“Mm.”
“A penny for your thoughts.”
He took a deep breath. “Come with me.”
To her surprise, he didn’t lead her upstairs, he led her down. Straight into the hornet’s nest. Luckily, the various groups had coalesced into conversation, and Tiana and Dax were able to get past them. He said something to the same man he’d spoken to earlier—the black, bearded man from his entourage. Sherwood was his name. He nodded, opened the front door for them, then let them out but stayed inside himself. He closed the door after them.
“We driving somewhere?” she asked Dax.
“No.”
“Then where are we—”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Ah. Okay.”
Again she got to admire the view of L.A. as he led her through the garden around to the back of the house. It was a warm, inviting view with a palpable air of mystery, but it had nothing on the man she was with. She’d seen every inch of him, she’d had him multiple times, but everything about him still intrigued her, left her breathless and wanting to know more. To have more.
He unlocked a wooden gate near a kind of natural arbor made from a pair of trees and an arch fashioned from heavily leafed vines. A nice botanical feature, obviously well kept, as was the rest of the garden. The gardener was talented. Tiana regretted not having taken better care of her own plants. There was a bench inside the arbor. It might have been sweet to sit there with Dax, just the two of them alone, but he had something else in mind. It felt like they were delving deeper into his private world, into his secrets.
She liked that. She wanted him to open up; she wanted to know more.
They entered an enclosure that was walled by tall hedges. At first it seemed like a kind a miniature maze, but it didn’t lead anywhere quite so exciting. There was an old stone fountain, but it didn’t work. Yet, where was the sound of running water coming from?
“This is all very Jane Austen,” she observed.
“Let’s hope not,” he replied enigmatically.
“What’s wrong with Jane Austen?”
“She was kinda PG-rated.”
“Oh.” She had to think twice about his meaning. It became clear when she saw the next feature. “Oh.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s totally private.”
She couldn’t see how. The Jacuzzi wasn’t exactly within spitting distance from the back of the house, but it was definitely within throwing distance. She’d found it on her own without trouble.
Tiana hesitated, scanned all the windows and the upper balcony. “I don’t know. It seems kind of exposed to me.”
Dax answered, “Trust me,” as he pulled her to him and slowly untucked her blouse. Her breath hitched when he hiked it up to grip her bare waist.
“But what if somebody—”
He silenced her with a gentle touch of the lips. Then another, more deliberate this time. He slid his tongue in so that it brushed against the edges of her teeth, now dabbed the inside of her mouth, beckoning her to join him. Tiana responded in kind. For the length of a long, sensuous kiss she forgot that someone might be watching.
Dax undid the front of her pants. She found herself unbuckling his belt. Then she looked up again—that balcony, it seemed awfully close, an all-too-convenient place for someone to enjoy the show. It made her recoil.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t. It’s too exposed.”
Nodding, he took her by the hand and led her up to the edge of the Jacuzzi. “Okay. Look now,” he said.
She did. It was much better. They were completely obscured by the wall covered with creeping vines. “And no one can come out and find us?”
“My man’s taking care of that. It’s just us, I promise.”
Tiana heaved a nervous sigh. “I’m sorry. You were wanting someone more…adventurous, right? I’ve let you down.”
“Never.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I mean, I freaking dream about moments like this, about what I’d do if a guy like you…” She shut her eyes, shook her head. “I’ve killed the mood, haven’t I? All this neurotic bullshit. I’ve gone and—”
Again, the timely kiss to take her mind off…whatever. Amazing, how easily that worked. It was like a tide rising onto a rocky beach, covering all the hard edges of reality.
“So you want me, huh?” she said in his ear, as he kissed her neck from behind. Now lower. Lower. Unbuttoning her blouse as he went. The last few were fidgety. His big, rough hands had trouble with the tiny holes he couldn’t see from where he was. No way was he going to let them cramp his style. He fucking ripped them apart. It made her gasp.
Tiana spun round and kicked off her shoes, not wanting to draw this out any longer than she had to. He’d hiked it up a gear. She was revved. While she unbuckled his belt, unzipped him, he couldn’t wait either. He pulled the cups of her bra up so that her tits popped out. Then he went to work, as he loved to do, fondling those assets she was so proud of, all the while sucking and gently biting at her nipples until they were hard and erect as pencil erasers.
Jesus, that felt good. It gave her a thrilling shiver. She somehow
managed to undo his shirt buttons with her eyes closed. But again, the last few proved awkward because he was so busy enjoying her breasts.
Tiana wrenched the halves of his shirt.
Nothing.
She tried again; this time she continued pulling with all her strength.
Nothing.
For some insane reason it made her laugh, how pathetically weak she was because Dax had channeled all her energy. She couldn’t stop laughing—deep belly laughs that made her convulse.
Dax pulled away, grinning. “Would this help?” He yanked his shirt apart without much effort, revealing that gloriously toned, tattooed body of his. Millions of women had drooled over those unreal abs and those rippling pecs and the size of his arms. It somehow made the whole thing funnier still, how hot and willing he was, and on the edge of a fucking Jacuzzi. She couldn’t have dreamed it any better than this if she’d wanted. The whole thing was so beyond perfect, she felt like crying.
Laughing, crying, living the dream…it was all good. It was just what she needed. But there was one thing she needed more right now.
“Is it me?” he asked, still amused.
Biting her lip, she shook her head.
“You’ve had a few drinks?”
She shook her head. “I’m just happy is all.”
“Uh-huh?”
“Uh-huh.” On an impulse, she flung herself at him. Dax spilled backward and fell into the Jacuzzi. He went under. When he surfaced, looking all cute and bemused, she climbed in after him. Her tits were out, but her bra was still fastened; and she was still wearing her trousers. It felt bizarre to be getting into the water half-clothed. Bizarre but really freaking hot.
He dragged her into the warm water, tore off her bra. Then he delved underwater and removed her pants and panties. Spreading her legs, he licked her bud with his tongue until he ran out of air and had to resurface.
Her turn. She took a deep breath and went under, but Tiana dove a little too sharply and wound up on the bottom with her legs sticking up vertically out of the water. Dax held them for her, then lifted her until her pussy was in kissing range, just above the surface. She was upside down, but he didn’t care. He licked her several times, then helped her right herself.
She didn’t remember a scene like this in Splash.
Dax took his pants and his boxers off, then he pinned her against the side of the Jacuzzi. The bubbles tickled her all over. The warmth of the water seemed to soak into her sex, turning his touch into a craving. One only he could satisfy. Tiana wrapped her arms around him, smothered him with kisses, as though each one upped her passion’s investment for what she hoped would be a return to die for.
He didn’t disappoint. He never did. But it was not the rough and tumble wild-fuck their foreplay had promised. No, he took a different tack. One she realized came from the heart. A gift from his to hers.
What Dax did so well, his defining trait really, both as a lover and as a fighter, was to control the tempo. He seemed to know, instinctively, when to put his foot on the gas and when to slow down to a pace that let things unfold naturally…to see what happened, where things led. Always mindful of Tiana’s wants, just as he was mindful of how his opponent was coping in the ring, he had a unique ability to read people—a supple but strong, almost fluid way about him that was irresistible to be around. It meant he could take a lover to the height of ecstasy or destroy an enemy with ruthless efficiency.
Tiana relished his tender caresses, his choice to keep their lovemaking to a patient, slow burn. The deep, measured thrusts as he kept her pinned to the side made her heave in bliss. She coiled inside, again and again, only to have each anticipation sated. He laced his fingers in hers and held her arms out wide on the rim of the Jacuzzi while he slid his cock deep inside her, over and over. She didn’t know how long he could keep this up, but she hoped…forever. It wasn’t until her shoulders and back began to ache—damn that pesky hard surface she was resting against—that Tiana knew it was time to change position.
Dax stood her up in front of him instead and took her from behind. She draped one arm over his shoulder. With her other hand she rubbed her sweet spot to heighten the still-patient but still-amazing rhythm he’d resumed. This time he was able to massage her tits as well. And when he started kissing her neck…the combination just overwhelmed her. He’d unlocked her three different ways at once.
It was the most intimate orgasm she’d ever had. The feel of his touch, the combination he’d found in her, burned in Tiana’s memory. She wanted more. And he was an endlessly generous host.
Maybe parties weren’t so bad after all.
Chapter Thirteen
“Tell me something about you, something I don’t already know,” she said, snuggled against him in the warm, bubbling water. His huge arm was around her, and she felt completely safe. Tired, satisfied, and safe.
“Did you know I was married?”
“Um, I heard a rumor,” she replied, not really ready to hear about that. “Was it back when you were in the Marines?”
“Yeah. Her name was Melanie. We kinda rushed into it and…things didn’t work out.”
“Your fault or hers?”
“Mine.”
“What happened?”
“I wasn’t there enough.”
“Being overseas, you mean?”
“Partly,” he said. “But even when I was on leave, I couldn’t stand to be in one place for long. She just wanted to spend time with me, but I was always go, go, go. Day trips. Shooting. Fishing. Cycling. Running. She couldn’t keep up, I guess, but it just felt wrong to spend days at home doing nothing when I only had so much time left before I shipped out again. I crammed it all in, but in the process I guess I squeezed her out. It was shitty, really, when I look back. But I was not ready to settle down, and she didn’t know how to handle that.”
“So she took off?”
“Divorced me and took off for Miami. Last I heard she was starting a career in graphic art.”
“So why did you get married if you weren’t ready to settle down?”
“It was a heat of the moment thing—a leap before you look kind of deal. What can I say? Marines have more balls than brains. Most of the guys in my unit were in serious relationships. And Melanie was the prom queen. You can see where this is going. She had a similar thing, too, I reckon; something to brag about to her sisters and her friends. Having a Marine for a husband—not exactly something girls keep to themselves. I guess neither of us had thought it through. We both found that out the hard way.”
“Do you think it would have worked if she’d stuck around, if you’d both been together now?”
“I doubt it,” he answered. “We were too different. She was in love with the idea of me, couldn’t come to terms with the reality.”
“And you?”
“Me? Fuck if I know. I was a dumb little shit back then. Always competing. Always wanting my own way. If I met myself at that age, I’d want to kick my own ass all over L.A.”
“Aww. I bet you were cute. Cocky and cute as hell. I don’t blame Melanie; I’d have wanted to lasso you as well.”
“You’d have had a tough job getting the loop around my big-ass head. Trust me, I was a walking sack of ego.”
“I think all you guys are at that age. All you jocks. It’s what drives us wild.”
He kissed her on the cheek. “And what about you? I’m thinking…more of an artistic type. One of those vaguely hippy chicks who wears woolly cardigans and tight T-shirts and long, thin skirts. She reads poetry and only dabbles in sports. Not quite an emo, she can hang out with the nerds and the sports crowd, but steers clear of the IT girls. She secretly has the hots for a rich varsity guy, but would rather die than go talk to him. All the guys can see she has a cute face and a great rack, but the rich jocks know she’s working class, the nerds think she’s too hot to ever want to date one of them, which leaves the rebels lining up to cop a feel. Only she’s shy around boys. She’s made out with a few rebels, but sh
e’s really been saving herself for Mr. Right.”
“Hmm. Go on,” she told him, ambivalent about hearing any more.
“Then along comes the toughest guy in the whole school. He fights for what he wants, and she loves that he’s singled her out when there are so many cheerleaders and sorority girls he could have made it with. It makes her feel special. And he’s hot. Angry hot. He knows what he wants, and he goes out to get it. Being around that kind of confidence makes her feel good. Like she’s on her way. He sweeps her off her feet, which leaves half the guys in the school kicking themselves for not getting in there first. She’s off the market now. Bit by bit, she forgets who she was in high school before he asked her out. She ties herself to his dreams and promises herself she’ll support him all the way. He’s really going places, he’s good at what he does, and there’s no telling how far he could take them.