A Fair to Remember

“I’m going to try this again.”

Leaning forward, she closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his. For a second or two, he didn’t move and her heart threatened to close off her throat. Damn it. Would she never learn?

Then his hands grasped her shoulders. But instead of pushing her away like the last time she’d thrown herself at him, his warm, strong grip urged her closer, and his mouth parted under hers.

Chapter 10

Wes’s entire body tightened as Tara’s tongue boldly met his stroke for stroke. He was lost—suspected he had been since the moment he’d first spotted her. His fingers splayed on her back, then shifted down and under the loose tails of her shirt, learning the curve of her spine and hips, itching to explore further. He remembered she still wore his shirt, recalled the outline of her black bra underneath, and the knowledge turned him on so fast he suppressed a groan.

She wound her arms around his neck and pressed closer still. Everywhere she touched him pulsed with awareness, and where she didn’t, he ached. This time there was no way to hold back his low growl of approval. More than anything he wanted her straddling the bike—straddling him.

He settled for boosting her up to sit side-saddle between his wide-spread thighs. The pressure of her hip against his tightening groin was pure torture. Just as arousing was the feel of her soft breasts crushed against his chest. He inched his hands up her back, closer to the strap of her bra.

The buzz of a chainsaw starting up down the street pierced his consciousness, dousing his desire with the reminder that her father stood a few houses away and could probably see

them. God, he could barely control himself out here on her bike where the entire neighborhood could see.

With reluctance, Wes pulled back and slid his hands down to neutral territory. However, he didn’t remove them completely from the warm, soft skin of her waist.

When she glanced toward her parents’ house, something occurred to him that sent a humongous wave of disappointment through him. He felt like an idiot and withdrew to rest his hands on his own thighs. A slight frown marred her brow as she looked at him. Her moist, glistening lips had him fisting his fingers to keep from framing her face and diving back in.

He stove for a light tone. “You know, I understand you using me to show your family that it’s your life, but you don’t have to take it this far.”

Her frown deepened, only to clear a moment later. She linked her hands behind his neck, leaning close to capture his gaze with hers. He swallowed hard at the intensity in her fathomless brown eyes.

“I can’t explain it, Wes, but this has nothing to do with them.” She kissed him briefly, and he leaned into her. She pulled away this time, her gaze steady; honest. “It’s all you—has been since Sugar picked you out of the crowd in your lawyer suit.”

As her words sank in, his heart rate accelerated. Conversely, his body relaxed as he gave her a slow smile. “I believe I love that dog.”

Her eyes widened before he kissed her again. The emotion behind his last words took over and he gave it free reign. Remarkable how his preconceived notion of what he needed for his new life had been wiped clean in the past twenty-four hours. It didn’t matter if she was wild and crazy, or demure and conservative, she—and all the facets of her alluring personality—was who he wanted.

The fact that he knew this with absolute certainty amazed him beyond belief. He’d only felt this way twice before in his life. Once when he made the move from Detroit to Denver, and then again when he saw Redemption on the computer screen a little over two weeks ago.

Wes brought his hands up to cradle her face, ending the deep kiss with a few short, intimate ones. Finally, he sat back, running his fingers down her arm to capture her hand. He shifted her off the bike and swung his leg over.

“Come on.”

Tara balked when he started toward her parents’ house. “I’ve got nothing to say to him right now.”

“Maybe I do.”

She groaned, but after another kiss, she allowed Wes to lead her, their fingers intertwined as they walked. Wes couldn’t think of a single thing to say because despite spending the day with her, it now felt as if they were on their first date. The crazy feeling only increased as they drew closer, but now he recognized it as nervousness over confronting her father. His future hinged on the outcome of the next few minutes.

“I don’t wear leather.”

Tara’s out of the blue, contradictory statement made Wes pause. “What?”

“I mean, I don’t usually dress like I did today. Or yesterday. No leather, no tattoos—well, the one, but, still—I’ve never been drunk. That’s me. Boring. I just thought you should know exactly what you’re getting. I mean, who—”

He cut her off with a deep chuckle. “You’re the furthest thing from boring I’ve ever met, Tara.”

“Yeah, right,” she scoffed. Her smile told him she was secretly pleased.

“I don’t lie, remember?”

From about one house away, Wes noticed her father had gone back inside, but the other man still sawed on the tree that’d been damaged by the storm. The guy looked up as they walked past. Tara waved, and he lifted his chin in acknowledgement.

Wes saw the tree shift, then almost in slow motion, it fell toward the man. Tara gasped at the same time Wes yelled a warning. He started forward, but Tara jerked him back out of the way of the higher tree branches he would’ve run right into.