table.
“I’d like to wash up before dinner,” Bianca said. “Where’s the bathroom?”
Shawna pointed with a stalk of celery. “Turn there. First door on your right.”
As Bianca exited, Tomas came to stand beside Talia, brushing against her. Having no doubt he’d done it on purpose, she stepped aside. “Are you staying for dinner?” he asked in a low voice.
“No.” She wouldn’t look at him, keeping her eyes on Ryan and Ryker’s interaction. Ryan handed a spoon to his son so he could participate in getting the table ready for dinner.
“Don’t leave on my account.”
“I’m not doing anything on your account.”
“I know how this looks, but she’s a friend.”
“A good, good friend,” Talia said snidely. She sounded like a jealous hag, unable to curb the bitterness that crept into her voice. Would it be wrong to scratch out Bianca’s eyes?
“My friend Manny owns a Cuban restaurant where I hang out a lot, and she’s his cousin,” Tomas explained. “She’s new to Atlanta and I’m being friendly by introducing her to people and showing her around.”
“That’s very nice of you, but you don’t have to explain anything to me. By the way, does being friendly include having sex with her?” She held her breath.
“I’m not having sex with her,” he said evenly.
She didn’t let on how much his response thrilled her. “Will wonders never cease? You can actually exercise restraint,” she said from the corner of her mouth.
They spoke in low tones so Ryan and Shawna, preoccupied with each other and Ryker, couldn’t hear.
He leaned closer, and his warm breath brushed her ear when he spoke. “Why are you so mean, hmm? Am I going to have to put you over my knee and spank that cute little ass of yours again, pequeña ?”
Talia drew in a sharp, silent breath and closed her eyes briefly.
The vivid memory of how he’d paddled her bare bottom with his hand, each blow stinging and arousing at the same time, came back with brutal force. She’d experienced an incredible orgasm—her first from that kind of contact. Then when he’d finished he put her on the bed and soothed her throbbing skin with moist kisses. She’d thought he’d stop there, but then he’d pushed her thighs apart and licked at the moisture between her legs, using one hand in the middle of her back to hold her face down until his tongue had wrenched another orgasm from her.
She moistened her lips, acutely aware of how his words alone had affected her body. Thanks to him, she now throbbed and ached at a most inopportune time.
“Shawna, I’m leaving,” she said loudly.
“Oh.” Disappointment filled Shawna’s voice. “You sure? There’s plenty of food.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Talia grabbed for her keys on the marble countertop but accidentally knocked them to the floor. Tomas picked them up.
“Here you go.”
Instead of dropping them into her hand, he placed them in her palm and purposely raked his calloused fingers across her skin, extending contact between them longer than necessary and reminding her of how his rough hands had caressed her entire body with commendable single-mindedness. Tingles darted across her skin, and from the laughter in his eyes, he knew exactly the effect he was having on her.
She clamped her hand around the keys and fixed Tomas with the dirtiest look she could muster. “See you guys later.”
She hurried out of the house, raced down the steps to her car, and sped out of the subdivision with the swiftness of a drag racer. Berating herself, she insisted she was every kind of fool for wanting a man so obviously callous in his relationships. But no amount of self-rebuke could hide the truth—how difficult it would be to ignore him when he’d made such an indelible mark on her mind and body.
Not when her heart was thudding. Her blood pounding. And her panties wet.
Chapter Thirteen
Call him.
No!
Talia twirled in her office chair. The same argument rewound in her head all
“I’d like to wash up before dinner,” Bianca said. “Where’s the bathroom?”
Shawna pointed with a stalk of celery. “Turn there. First door on your right.”
As Bianca exited, Tomas came to stand beside Talia, brushing against her. Having no doubt he’d done it on purpose, she stepped aside. “Are you staying for dinner?” he asked in a low voice.
“No.” She wouldn’t look at him, keeping her eyes on Ryan and Ryker’s interaction. Ryan handed a spoon to his son so he could participate in getting the table ready for dinner.
“Don’t leave on my account.”
“I’m not doing anything on your account.”
“I know how this looks, but she’s a friend.”
“A good, good friend,” Talia said snidely. She sounded like a jealous hag, unable to curb the bitterness that crept into her voice. Would it be wrong to scratch out Bianca’s eyes?
“My friend Manny owns a Cuban restaurant where I hang out a lot, and she’s his cousin,” Tomas explained. “She’s new to Atlanta and I’m being friendly by introducing her to people and showing her around.”
“That’s very nice of you, but you don’t have to explain anything to me. By the way, does being friendly include having sex with her?” She held her breath.
“I’m not having sex with her,” he said evenly.
She didn’t let on how much his response thrilled her. “Will wonders never cease? You can actually exercise restraint,” she said from the corner of her mouth.
They spoke in low tones so Ryan and Shawna, preoccupied with each other and Ryker, couldn’t hear.
He leaned closer, and his warm breath brushed her ear when he spoke. “Why are you so mean, hmm? Am I going to have to put you over my knee and spank that cute little ass of yours again, pequeña ?”
Talia drew in a sharp, silent breath and closed her eyes briefly.
The vivid memory of how he’d paddled her bare bottom with his hand, each blow stinging and arousing at the same time, came back with brutal force. She’d experienced an incredible orgasm—her first from that kind of contact. Then when he’d finished he put her on the bed and soothed her throbbing skin with moist kisses. She’d thought he’d stop there, but then he’d pushed her thighs apart and licked at the moisture between her legs, using one hand in the middle of her back to hold her face down until his tongue had wrenched another orgasm from her.
She moistened her lips, acutely aware of how his words alone had affected her body. Thanks to him, she now throbbed and ached at a most inopportune time.
“Shawna, I’m leaving,” she said loudly.
“Oh.” Disappointment filled Shawna’s voice. “You sure? There’s plenty of food.”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Talia grabbed for her keys on the marble countertop but accidentally knocked them to the floor. Tomas picked them up.
“Here you go.”
Instead of dropping them into her hand, he placed them in her palm and purposely raked his calloused fingers across her skin, extending contact between them longer than necessary and reminding her of how his rough hands had caressed her entire body with commendable single-mindedness. Tingles darted across her skin, and from the laughter in his eyes, he knew exactly the effect he was having on her.
She clamped her hand around the keys and fixed Tomas with the dirtiest look she could muster. “See you guys later.”
She hurried out of the house, raced down the steps to her car, and sped out of the subdivision with the swiftness of a drag racer. Berating herself, she insisted she was every kind of fool for wanting a man so obviously callous in his relationships. But no amount of self-rebuke could hide the truth—how difficult it would be to ignore him when he’d made such an indelible mark on her mind and body.
Not when her heart was thudding. Her blood pounding. And her panties wet.
Chapter Thirteen
Call him.
No!
Talia twirled in her office chair. The same argument rewound in her head all
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