He nodded. "Then I hope what I"m proposing will be acceptable."
She inclined her head and tilted it somewhat as a cautious smile touched her lips. "You still haven"t told me just what this proposition is, Thorn."
He slowly stood and walked over to her. He leaned forward, braced his hands on the counter behind her, trapping her in. He moved his face close to hers. "I will agree to do the calendar if you do a favor for me, Tara."
He watched as she nervously licked her lips. "What kind of favor, Thorn?"
He felt his pulse quicken as desire for what he wanted from her filled his entire being. "I"ve been without a woman for over two years."
She blinked. He saw her throat move as she swallowed deeply. "You have?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I always take an oath of celibacy right before a race, and during the past couple of years I"ve been involved in a number of races. But I have to admit that had I really wanted to, I could have found the time to squeeze a woman or two in during the off season when there were no races, but I didn"t."
She nervously licked her lips again. "Why not?"
"Because I had met you and from the first time I laid eyes on you I wanted you and no one else."
Tara shook her head as if what he was saying didn"t make much sense. "But-but you didn"t like me. You avoided me. You were downright moody and grumpy."
He smiled. "Yes, I was. I"m usually moody and grumpy whenever I"ve gone without s.e.x for a long period of time. My bad moods have become a habit and most people who know me get used to them. I avoided you because I had no intention of getting involved with you. But now I"ve changed my mind."
She swallowed again. "How so?"
"I want to make a deal. I"ll give you what you want from me if you"ll give me what I want from you."
Tara stared at him. "And just what is it that you want from me?"
He leaned closer. "My next race is in Daytona during Bike Week, five weeks from now. Once the race is over, I want you to share my bed for a week."
He saw the startled look in her eyes. He then saw that look turn to anger. He quickly placed his finger to her lips to shut off whatever words she was about to say. "One week is all I"m asking for, one week in a completely physical and emotionally free affair. I need to get you out of my system as well as make up for what I haven"t had in over two years."
He felt her breathing become unsteady as what he was proposing became crystal clear in her mind. For one week they would share a bed and take part in nothing short of a s.e.xual marathon. He decided not to worry her mind by also telling her that during the five weeks leading up to the race, he intended to use that time to get her primed, ripe and ready for what he planned to do. By the time they slept together, she would want him just as much as he wanted her.
Just to prove a point he removed his finger from her lips and quickly placed his mouth there, swiping away any words she wanted to say. In no time at all he had her panting and whimpering under the onslaught of his mouth as he kissed her with everything he had inside him, mating relentlessly with her tongue.
He placed a hand on the bare section of her belly, feeling the warmth of her skin, smooth as silk, and felt her shudder from his touch. Deciding to take things farther, his fingers breached the elastic of her capri pants and went deeper until he could feel the silky material of her underpants.
He didn"t stop there.
While he continued to make love to her mouth, he slipped his fingers past the elastic of her panties until he found just what he was seeking, that part of her that was hot, plump and damp.
Inhaling the very essence of her womanly scent, he let his fingers go to work as he centered on that part of her that he knew would bring her pleasure. She had told him last week that she thought he had gifted hands and she was about to experience just how gifted his hands were. He intended to use his fingers to drive her over the edge.
Desire was blatant in their kiss, the way their tongues mingled, fused, mated, as his fingers entered her. Her body felt extremely tight but that didn"t stop him from using his fingers to make her shudder, tremble, shiver. Then there were those sounds she was making that were driving him insane.
He felt her knees weaken as though she could no longer stand, and, with his other hand he held on to her, keeping her upright while his fingers worked inside her. Then he felt her scream into his mouth, shudder in his arms, as an o.r.g.a.s.m rocked her body, shaking her to the core.
He pulled his mouth away and looked at her, wanting to see her in the throes of pa.s.sion, but she quickly pulled his mouth back down to hers, needing the contact. He didn"t let his fingers stop what they were doing. He intended to keep going until it was all over for her. Until he heard her very last sigh of ecstasy.
When he saw she was gradually coming back down to earth, he slowly removed his hand and spread her dampness on her bare belly, letting it get absorbed into her skin. He inhaled deeply, loving her scent and knowing the next five weeks would be tortuous for him, but definitely well worth the wait.
He took a step back and watched as she slowly opened her eyes and met his gaze, realizing that he had just given her an o.r.g.a.s.m while she stood in the middle of her kitchen. He knew she wanted to say something, but no words came from her mouth. So he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips.
"That"s just a sample, Tara," he whispered softly. "Agree to have an affair with me for a week and I"ll do the calendar thing for you. Think about it and let me know your decision."
Without saying anything else, he turned and left.
As soon as Thorn got home he went straight to the kitchen, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and sank into the nearest chair. He quickly popped open the can and took a sip. h.e.l.l, he took more than a sip; he took a gulp. He needed it.
No other woman had ever affected him the way Tara did. Even now the potent scent of her still clung to him and he had an erection so huge it was about to burst out of his jeans. The only thing his mind could remember, the only thing his mind could not forget was the sound of her letting go; the sound of her reaching the pinnacle of pleasure under his hands.
He took another gulp of beer. He had almost lost it as a result of the sounds she had made. He knew she wasn"t dating anyone. In fact, according to one of his brothers, after what had happened with her and that jerk she was supposed to marry, she had pretty much sworn off men.
And although no one had given him the full story, he knew she had moved to Atlanta because some married doctor with clout at her last job had gotten obsessed with her and had tried to force her to become his mistress. Although he hadn"t tried forcing her, Thorn had to admit that he had pretty much made her the same offer. He hoped like h.e.l.l that she would see the difference between his pursuit and that doctor"s hara.s.sment. They would be good together in bed; tonight she"d got a sample of just how good they would be. From the way she had come apart against him, he had a feeling she had not even been aware of the full extent of her sensuality as a woman. She hadn"t known the desires of the body could be so intense, so strong or so d.a.m.n stimulating. And there had been something else he had found rather strange, but tonight he didn"t want to think about that possibility.
The only thing he wanted to think about was the fact that he wanted her.
That was the bottom line. He wanted her in a way he had never wanted another woman. He wanted her in positions his mind was creating; in ways he had taken her in his dreams, his fantasies. And as he had told her, had blatantly warned her, by the time the motorcycle race was over in Daytona, he would have more than two years worth of pent-up s.e.xual needs.
He hadn"t wanted to scare her, but he had wanted her to know up front just what she would be facing. He owed her that piece of honesty.
He groaned, feeling himself get harder, straining even more against his jeans at the thought of them making love. If she agreed to what he wanted, he would make all the plans. He wanted a hotel for a week, in seclusion, in privacy and all he would need was food, something to drink and Tara in his bed.
Tara in his bed.
What he had told her last week was true. She had become his sweetest temptation and, he hoped, in a few weeks she would also be his greatest pleasure.
Six.
T ara got to the hospital almost thirty minutes later than usual after enjoying the best sleep she remembered ever having. It was only with the brightness of morning that she had allowed herself to think of Thorn"s proposition. Last night, after he"d left, she had been too exhausted and too satiated to do anything but strip naked, take a shower, slip into a nightgown and get into bed. ara got to the hospital almost thirty minutes later than usual after enjoying the best sleep she remembered ever having. It was only with the brightness of morning that she had allowed herself to think of Thorn"s proposition. Last night, after he"d left, she had been too exhausted and too satiated to do anything but strip naked, take a shower, slip into a nightgown and get into bed.
That morning while she had taken another shower, brushed her teeth, dressed for work and grabbed a small carton of apple juice as she raced out of the door, she was feeling angry all over again.
First it was Derrick, then Dr. Moyer and now Thorn. Did she have a sign on her forehead that said, Go Ahead And Use Me?
Not that she was even considering Thorn"s ridiculous offer, but if she did go with him to Daytona, she would be close to home. Her hometown of Bunnell, Florida, was less than an hour from Daytona Beach, and it had been two years since she"d been home. She frequently talked to her family on the telephone, but she hadn"t visited them. Luckily they had understood her need to stay away from the place that conjured up such painful memories. Instead of her going home, her family often visited her. Since Bunnell was a small town, everyone knew what had happened with Derrick on their wedding day.
Her thoughts shifted back to Thorn. Funny, but no matter how mad she got, she could not discount the pleasure Thorn had given her last night. A penetrating heat settled deep in her stomach just thinking about it, and she still felt this awesome tingle between her legs. She knew all about climaxes and o.r.g.a.s.ms, although she had never experienced one before last night. But still, a part of her couldn"t help but think that if Thorn could make her o.r.g.a.s.m so explosively with his hands, what would happen when they really made love?
And she hated admitting it, but a part of her was dying to find out.
She sighed deeply, getting as mad with herself as she was with Thorn. He should never have introduced her to something like that. All this time she had been operating under the premise that you couldn"t miss what you never had, and now that he had given her a sampling, she couldn"t get it out of her mind. Already she was antic.i.p.ating the possibility of a repeat performance.
"Doctor Matthews, Mrs. Chadwick left a message asking that you give her a call," Tara"s secretary informed her the moment she stepped off the elevator.
She briefly closed her eyes, having a good guess what the woman wanted. She needed to know if Thorn would be posing for the calendar. Oh, he would be posing, Tara thought, as she opened the door to her office and placed her medical bag on her desk. He would willingly pose if she agreed to his "completely physical, emotionally free affair."
Only a man could a.s.sume there was such a thing!
And what was this nonsense about him not engaging in s.e.xual activities while training for a race? Not to mention his claim that he hadn"t slept with a woman in over two years. Could that really be true? If it was then no wonder he was in a bad mood most of the time.
She had read enough medical books to know how the lack of intimate physical contact could play on some people"s mind. No doubt Thorn was expecting a s.e.xual marathon once his long, self-imposed wait was over. He had even mentioned he wanted to get her out of his system.
Tara"s head began spinning and she sat down at her desk knowing she had to make decisions and soon. Suddenly, Delaney"s words came back to her mind...Don"t try to beat Thorn at his game since he"s a pro. What you should do is to come up with a game plan of your own.
Tara sighed deeply. She had tried that very thing the day they had gone bike-riding and had failed, miserably. Maybe it was time she made another attempt.
Thorn thought he could hold out and not sleep with her until after the race. She couldn"t help but wonder just how far he would go not to yield to temptation. Chances were if his willpower and control were tested or pushed to the limit, he would go away and leave her alone. There was no way he would let his s.e.xual need for her interfere with the possibility of him losing a race. And if he really believed that nonsense that he needed to remain celibate before a race, then she would make it hard on him and do everything in her power to try and un-celibate him.
If he thought he was the one calling all the shots he needed to think again. Thorn Westmoreland would soon discover that he had met his match.
Tara shook her head as she entered what Stone had referred to as "the lion"s den."
She slipped the key he had given her back into her purse as she stepped inside and glanced around. According to the brothers, this is where Thorn spent most of his evenings. He would usually close shop and work on the special bike he was building. And in this case, he was putting together a dirt bike that he planned to give his nephew, AJ. AJ was the son Dare hadn"t known he had until last year when both mother and son had moved back into town. Now Dare, Sh.e.l.ly and AJ were a very happy family.
At first Tara hadn"t wanted to take the key Stone had offered her, but he had a.s.sured her that it was all right and that Thorn could probably use the company. But they had warned her to watch out for his bark as well as his bite. The closer the time got to a race, the moodier he became.
After what Thorn had told her the other night, she now understood why.
It had been three days since she had seen Thorn. Even now, the episode in her kitchen was still on her mind and was the cause of many sleepless nights. She would wake up restless. Agitated. Hot.
And Thorn was to blame.
But somehow, she had found the courage to brave the lion in his den to let him know of her decision about his proposition. She hoped like the d.i.c.kens she wasn"t making a mistake and the plan she had concocted wouldn"t backfire on her.
She glanced around after quietly closing the door. Inside the building, the side entrance led into a huge office area with file cabinets on both sides of the wall. There was also a huge desk that was cluttered with metal and chrome instead of with paper. But what caught her attention were the framed photographs hanging on the wall. She walked farther into the room to take a closer look.
The first was a photo of Thorn and former president Bill Clinton. In the photo the two men were smiling as they stood beside a beautiful motorcycle. Tara then remembered that Thorn had built a motorcycle for the former president last year.
She then glanced at the other photographs, all of Thorn and Hollywood and sports celebrities. She couldn"t stop the feeling of pride that suddenly flooded her as she viewed the evidence of Thorn"s accomplishments. What she had told him the day they had gone bike-riding was true. He had gifted hands.
A shudder ran through her when she thought that the same hands that skillfully shaped chrome and metal into a motorcycle could also bring a woman to the epitome of s.e.xual release. She shook her head, not wanting to go there, but remembering that the main reason she was here was because she had had gone there...too many times lately. There wasn"t a single day that went by that she didn"t think of her and Thorn"s kitchen encounter. She wanted to believe that although he had kept his control, he had been just as affected as she had been. gone there...too many times lately. There wasn"t a single day that went by that she didn"t think of her and Thorn"s kitchen encounter. She wanted to believe that although he had kept his control, he had been just as affected as she had been.
With that belief, she had made a decision to show him that he had bitten off more than he could chew and she was more trouble than she was worth. She intended to turn up the heat by tempting him so badly that he would want to break things off with her before their relationship interfered with his race.
She saw it as the battle of wills, Mr. Experience against Miss Innocence. Thorn"s brothers thought she was his challenge. He thought she was his sweetest temptation. She was determined to become Thorn"s ultimate downfall.
The screwdriver Thorn was using to tighten a bolt on the bike"s fender nearly slipped from his fingers. His nostrils flared and his entire body went on alert. He swore he"d picked up Tara"s scent although he knew that wasn"t possible. But still, the mere thought of her had blood pumping into every part of his body and shoved the beating of his heart into overdrive.
He couldn"t help but groan under a tightly held breath. Boy, did he have it bad! He hadn"t seen her in three days and already he was imagining her presence and inhaling the essence of her scent.
He had tried not to think about her; tried not to wonder what she"d been doing since he"d last seen her, and if she"d given any thought to his proposal. A light shudder raced down his spine at the possibility that she would consider it. The very idea of Tara in his bed for a week nearly made it impossible for him to breathe.
He placed his work tools aside. With her so deeply embedded in his mind, it would be impossible to get any work done. He decided to call it quits for the night and grab a beer. And he may as well spend the night at the shop since there was definitely no one waiting for him at home.
Thorn had turned and headed toward the refrigerator that sat on the other side of the room when he thought he heard something. He stopped and his gaze took a slow scan of the room, lingering on the area where the hallway led to his office.
Only his brothers had keys to his shop. He wondered if one of them had dropped by. It wouldn"t be the first time one of them had found refuge in his office to read his latest issue of Cycle World Cycle World magazine and raid his candy jar. magazine and raid his candy jar.
He suddenly caught Tara"s scent again. The smell was both alluring and seductive. He narrowed his eyes curiously as he began walking toward his office.
The air inside the building began to sizzle with each step he took. His skin began to get warm, his hands felt damp and pressure began escalating deep in his chest. Tension within him mounted at the sheer possibility, the inkling of any notion that Tara had stepped into his domain. His shop was more than just his place of business. It was more than somewhere he hung out most of the time. It was his lair. His sphere. His s.p.a.ce.
The sharp edge of that thought cut deep into his brain. But not for one moment did it cut into his increasing desire. If anything, his body was struggling to get back the cool it had lost a while ago. He tried to keep his face solemn as he slowly and quietly rounded a corner. Tara"s scent was becoming more overpowering.
And then he saw her.
Tara Matthews. His challenge. His sweetest temptation. Thorn watched as she studied the pictures he had hanging on the wall, not believing she was really there.
He wondered which one of his brothers had given her a key, not that it mattered. However, they had been with him earlier and knew the state of his mind...and his body. They were very well aware that lately he had been a man on the edge, a man in a state of pure funk with an att.i.tude that was more biting and cutting than they had seen in a long time. Yet they had sent Tara here! At least, they hadn"t tried talking her out of coming. If this was their idea of a joke, then he didn"t see a d.a.m.n thing funny about it. He just had to keep his mind on the prize. At the moment his mind was slightly foggy about whether that prize was the trophy he sought in Daytona or the woman standing across the room from him.
He shook his head, not believing he had thought such a thing. No woman, and that included Patrice, had ever come between him and his motorcycle, his desire to win, his need to take risks.
The corners of his lips quirked upward, as he admitted that Tara came pretty d.a.m.n close to ruining his focus. His gaze took her in from head to toe, from behind, since her back was to him as she continued to study the pictures on his office wall. But that was okay. Checking out the back of her was just fine. He"d always like the shape of her backside anyway.
Her head was thrown back as she tried viewing a photograph that was positioned at a high angle. That made her hair fan across her shoulders, and the way the light in the room was. .h.i.tting it gave the strands a brilliant glow.
She was wearing a dress. A rather short one but her curves were meant for the dress and the dress was meant for her curves. His gaze roamed down her body to her legs. They were long, shapely and he bet they would feel like heaven wrapped around his waist, holding him inside her real tight while he made love to her with no intention of ever stopping.
Something made her go still. He could tell the exact moment she knew he was in the room although she didn"t turn around. It didn"t matter to him that she wasn"t ready to acknowledge his presence. Eventually she would have to. What really mattered to him was that she was there. Alone with him and looking s.e.xier than any woman had a right to look.
But he inwardly admitted that there was a lot more to Tara than her being pleasing to the eyes. There were things about her that went beyond the physical. There was the way she had captured the love, admiration and respect of his family, especially his four brothers. For some reason, none of them had taken a liking to Patrice; however, with Tara it was an entirely different story. Then there was the love and dedication she had for her job as a pediatrician. He happened to be at the hospital one day and had seen first hand what a warm, loving and caring approach she had with a sick child. He had known at that moment while watching her that she would make a fantastic mother to any man"s child...even his.
A warning bell went off in his head and he got the uneasy feeling that he was losing control and shouldn"t be thinking such thoughts, even if Tara was proving to be the most captivating woman he"d ever met.
He drew in a deep breath. The coming weeks would test his willpower, his determination and definitely his control. The only thing that would make any of it worth a d.a.m.n was the possibility of her being his, completely his, in the end. And that was what he needed to know more than anything. He had to know if she would accept the proposal he had offered her.