Tyler laughed, and the guys joined in. They ushered Tara inside and sat her down. We all ate dinner together, laughing and swapping stories. Tara was more alive than I’d ever seen her. She listened to the guys tell stories about me and even shared a few of her own from when we were teenagers. Everyone loved her, just like I knew they would.
“Is anyone actually working?” Chief Johnson asked as he walked inside. “Oh, there’s a girl. A pretty one. Nope. No one’s doing shit.”
“Hey, Chief,” I said. “Did you meet Tara at the party?”
He nodded and extended his hand to her. She shook it politely. Chief turned to me and jerked his head toward the door.
“You okay?” I asked Tara. She nodded, so I followed Chief out to the main part of the station.
He spun around to face me with a stern expression on his face. Dread filled my stomach. Whatever he wanted to talk about, wasn’t going to be good.
“Listen,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you about that leg of yours.”
“Chief, I’m good to go,” I said quickly. “The doc cleared me.”
“The doc cleared you to come back,” he said. “It’s up to me to decide how active you are.”
“I’m ready,” I said.
“Take
it easy for a while,” he said. “At least for a few weeks. After that, we’ll talk again.”
“Come on,” I said. “I’ve been sitting on my ass for over a month. I need to do something.”
“You will,” he said. “There’s plenty to do around here other than go on calls, all right? You lay low. Keep your head down.”
“You’re killing me,” I said.
“Suck it up,” Chief said.
I nodded and watched him walk away. I was pissed, but a part of me was glad. Tara’s treatments would start soon, and when they did, I wanted to be available to her. The last thing I needed was to get hurt again while Tara was undergoing chemo or worse, in the middle of brain surgery.
I walked back to the kitchen and fell into my chair beside her. She reached for my hand automatically, interlocking her fingers with mine. I grinned at her and then sat back. Listening to her shoot the shit with my buddies solidified my love for her. We sat in the kitchen for a few hours, just screwing around until finally, Tara turned to me with that look in her eyes.
I would recognize that look anywhere. My dick twitched in my pants, and everything disappeared but her. She stared at me, her pale blue eyes desperate and needy. I groaned quietly and leaned closer to her. I brushed my lips against her ear, making her shiver. When I pulled away, she was staring at me intently.
“Take me home,” she said softly.
“Goodnight boys,” I said, getting to my feet and pulling Tara with me. “We’ll see you later.”
“They’re totally gonna fuck,” Tyler said under his breath.
Tara turned to him with a sharp glare. She stared him down until his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
“Don’t be jealous, Tyler,” she said smoothly. “You’ll find the right man someday.”
The guys all whooped and hollered at the insult as we hurried outside. Tara’s hand was wound tightly around mine. We ran to the car with only one thing in mind.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT - TARA
My body was desperate for Caleb’s touch. The entire drive home, I could barely see straight. My heart was racing in my chest, and my palms were sweaty. Caleb kept his hand on my knee, but it wasn’t enough. My jeans separated his skin from mine, and I wanted them gone. I longed to feel his strong hands rip off my clothes and press himself against me. My fantasies were working on overdrive as we finally made it back to his apartment.
Stumbling through the front door, Caleb’s hands were already on me. He tore off my shirt and my bra, kissing me roughly as each article of clothing fell to the floor. His fingers moved expertly down to my jeans. He unbuttoned them and shoved them down, pulling my panties with them. I was fully naked before we even made to his bedroom. He kissed me so hard that I thought our lips might fuse together. I couldn’t get enough of him. My tongue raked against his with a needy hunger I’d never felt before. No matter how many times we slept together, Caleb could still ignite my body in ways no one ever had.
He pushed me back on the bed. I bounced lightly and smiled up at him. He scrambled out of his own clothes, kicking them into a pile on the floor and crawling on top of me. His naked body pressed down on mine, his lips searching desperately for my neck. I lifted my head, allowing him better access while he tore at my skin with his tongue and teeth. I moaned and tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him closer to me. My legs were wrapped around his waist, and I could already feel myself dripping with desire.
“I want you so fucking badly,” he growled against my skin.