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Galen rumbled in raw pleasure as the addicting taste of Tari swept through his system, revitalizing him. Two seconds more and he would be stripping those clothes from her body and taking her hard and fast against the wall. With a frustrated snarl, he tore his mouth from hers and stepped back.
Her eyes were glazed with desire and unmitigated lust. Knowledge which almost derailed him from his objective. Locking down his blazing need for this woman, he took a step back and shoved his hands in his pockets. His pants seemed too tight. All he could envision was Tari sprawled naked beneath him.
Get. A. Grip. Giving himself a firm mental reprimand, he devoted his mind to the present situation.
“Where’d you find him?” he asked his tone deeper than normal and ragged with unquenched desire.
“He was out on the lake, in a fishing shanty.”
She crossed her arms and leaned against the door. His gaze lingered on her chest before moving back to her eyes. Out on the lake, those words sent his heart into high gear. Anything could have happened to him. Falling through, lost, and frozen to death. He gulped.
“He’s scared, Galen. You have to go slow with him.”
He knew that. Damn it, he did. “Did...did he say anything?”
“Yes. And before you ask, no I won’t tell you. He needs someone to believe and trust in. If I tell you, I lose what little ground I’ve made.”
Frustration simmered close to the top tantamount to a volcano seconds from erupting. “Will you help him?”
Her face showed her reluctance. “I would only be a short term fix, Galen. I leave in the spring.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What?”
“I’m only here for winter. I take the place of a woman who goes south for the winter. Chad needs a constant in his life. He has my card and can always call me while I’m here, but you need to find someone else for him to talk to. The number he has and you have is the center’s phone given to the counselor.”
Translation, she had no cell phone and he would have no way of reaching her once she left Minnesota. A realization he liked less and less with each passing second.
“Why the hell would you agree to go north for the winter?”
Something flickered in her eyes before she managed to hide it. He stepped closer. “What are you running from, Tari?” One finger smoothed along her hair and he spoke in an intimate tone. “Perhaps who would be a better question.”
His question rattled her but she recovered quick. “No one. It’s just easier on her to be in the warmth during winter.”
Galen stepped closer, wedging one thigh between her legs. His hands rested along the plane of her door. “Not buying it, sweetheart. The other three have gone on talk shows and other things. But not you. Why?”
“Drop it, Galen. And don’t call me sweetheart.”
A smile almost crossed his face at her demand. “Who’s after you, Tari?” he asked with an edge to his tone. The need to protect her overwhelmingly strong.
“Just because I don’t plaster my face all over television doesn’t mean someone is after me.”
“That is true. But the pupil dilation, increased heart rate, sharper faster breathing, indicates otherwise.” He pressed closer. “Unless it’s me who’s making those things happen.”
Her brown eyes widened a bit before she glared and smacked him in the chest. He didn’t back off instead he moved closer. Her button nose flared and she licked her lips, a nervous habit he knew.
“Talk to me, sweetheart.”
“Let it go, Bane. I don’t want to talk about it. Not with you, not with anyone.”
This time when she made to shove him away, he captured her hands in one of his and raised them above her head to rest against the door. The move lifted her full chest enticingly and he had to give himself a mental shake to remain focused. On the questions, he wanted answers to, not on how her breasts felt in his hands. How they tasted in his mouth.
Nope, none of that.
“I want to know, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear. “How did you get the scar on your arm, the ones on your back? And why are you so fearful of doctors?”
She shuddered and he pressed closer, partly to help keep her up but mostly because it’s where he wanted her.
“I’m not doing this with you.”
Her voice rang defiant.
He ignored that. “You left my life fourteen years ago, Taryn Jeffers. I tried to bury you along with the memories of my past. But you came back, with a vengeance. I’m not losing you again.”
Galen flexed the one hand imprisoning her wrists and trailed the other down the soft skin of her arm until he reached her shoulder. Then he moved it to her face and touched the gentle features which made up her expression. She’d put on much needed weight since the rescue but he could still see slight bags under her eyes. Her exhaustion discernable.
“I’m not yours to lose.” The smile never faltered even though her words cut him deep. “Arm scar, sweetheart. Where did you get that one?”
She expelled a troubled sigh. “I got it in the crash that took my parents. A shard of glass lodged there.” She swallowed and forged ahead. “I have scars on my back from another missionary trip. And I just don’t like men poking me trying to convince me they know what I’m feeling. I’m not scared of doctors, I’m leery of male doctors.”
He released her hands when she tugged but he refused to give her more space. In her gaze, he could see the wall which made her merely recite the answers he sought. She still felt the need to protect herself.
“Why are you hiding?”
Anger snapped in her eyes lighting the brown with intriguing sparks. “Don’t think to lecture me on hiding from the past, Galen. You are the last one who has a right to say anything about that.”
Her words hit hard but he kept all emotion from his face. “I’m a far cry from a saint, sweetheart, but a person I happen to look up to told me once that there comes a time to stop hiding and face your fears. Wise words, you should heed them.”
He could see the shimmer of tears she struggled not to release and realized if he pushed her any further would only succeed in increasing the chasm between them. With a sigh, he cupped her face with both hands and brushed a kiss over her mouth. “Thank you for finding, Chad. I have to get him home but, Tari...this isn’t over between us.”
To walk away from her in that room wasn’t easy. In the front, he got Chad and they headed out into the early evening but his thoughts were back at the house he just left.
If only he could be confident she would stick around. According to Tari, she only stayed here for the winter so he had some time. And he would make the best use of it he could. He’d called his team and asked Byrd for information on her. There had been almost nothing to go on.
The address Byrd had sent, her only one listed. After college, she practically vanished into thin air. No credit cards, no loans, nada. Facts which told him one thing, there was no way he would assume she wasn’t running from someone. Her passport had showed him the places she’d travelled to. There were many, for long chunks of time. But every winter she came here.
Which took his mind to the man who’d kissed her, despite it had been on the cheek, it bothered him immensely. Who was he? Who was he to her? Were they a couple?
Blinking he focused back on the fact Chad had actually asked him a question. That night he slept in the living room, uncertain if Chad would make a break for it again. His dreams were absorbed by Tari. The fact she had been moaning his name in her sleep when he woke her combined with the kiss...she still wanted him.
And he sure as hell wanted her.
There were numerous signs that spring bore down upon them. Galen sat in the bleachers and watched Chad play basketball in one of the gyms at Open Arms. He had made remarkable progress in three months. There were still hard times but compared to what it had been at the very beginning, this suited him fine.
While parents and friends cheered, he allowed his gaze to slide along the filled bleachers until he found her. Tari.
She sat about halfway up to his left, surrounded by kids from the center. Dressed in jeans and a baggy sweatshirt with her hair up in a ponytail she looked innocent. Happy. Delectable.
Over these past few months, they’d spent a lot of time together. They had spent many meals with Chad as their only buffer, the sexual tension between them had increased a hundred fold. Despite the frigid weather, remaining snow on the ground, Galen found himself taking cold showers just to attempt and cool his lust for her.
Any attempt he made to get closer to her on a personal level she rebuked. If it dealt with Chad or a relatively neutral subject, she didn’t have a problem. Never said no to helping Chad even when he called her at night. Very helpful and warm. Just professional. So damn professional when it came to him. To them. The man he’d seen her with turned out not to be a boyfriend, thankfully. In fact, she didn’t seem involved with anyone. Something which suited him fine.
As the game continued, he found himself observing more and more the woman dressed casually in blue and green. Twisted ribbons of resemblant colors hung down from where they secured her ponytail. He wanted to wrap the black silken strands around his hand, tip her head back and...
A resounding cheer erupted from the crowd and he jerked his gaze back to the polished court and the pounding feet on it. The boys on the Open Arms team were up by five. Being in the last period with only a few minutes remaining, he focused solely on the game. Chad had suited up last minute to take the place of another boy who’d gotten sick.
It was a close game. But Galen jumped to his feet with the rest of those going for the Open Arms team when the team captain sank a shot just as the buzzer went off. The older boys, G included, were there as well offering support. As the bleachers emptied, he hung back for a moment and just enjoyed seeing his brother be a young boy with friends. Proud of his accomplishment.
Chad looked up at him and he gave him a nod, knowing he wanted to get cleaned up. With a thumbs up, he sat back down ignoring the tears which sprang to mind at how far his brother had come.
By the time Chad came out of the dressing room, he’d moved to sit on the floor level seats. A smile in place he rose and gave his brother a hug.
“You were great out there, Chad. You’re a really good player.”
Sparkling eyes met his. “I even made some points. Can I go see Ms. Taryn? I want to see if she saw me.”
A perfect excuse to see her. Galen nodded, his hand resting companionably on Chad’s shoulder. “I think that is a wonderful idea.”
Chad headed off and soon joined the many kids around her. Galen made it to the group in time to hear G ask Chad a question.
“Are you coming with us, Chad? We’re going for pizza.”
Hazel eyes brimming with excitement met his. There was no way Galen could say no and dash those hopes. So he nodded and Chad beamed at him like he’d scored the winning basket. A look he would treasure forever.
Before he knew what happened they players were gone and he found himself alone with some single women. No Tari. He excused himself and struck out to find her. Up a darkened hall, he heard her voice. Tracking it, he found her talking on her cell.
She snapped the phone shut and slipped it into her pocket, her hand shook slightly. He positioned himself right behind her and slid his arms around her, guiding her into an open and empty room. Her gasp of shock he captured in his mouth as he slanted his lips over hers after spinning her toward him.
He couldn’t help it. All during the game, this was the first and foremost thing on his mind. Her taste. Her smell. The feel of her clasped against him, were in his head. In his arms.
“Tari,” he murmured against her soft full lips seconds before he recaptured them.
The room was dark but he didn’t need the light to see her. He’d long since memorized where her features were in comparison to his height. Maneuvering them so her back rested against the room’s wall, he imprisoned her between him and the solid surface behind her and increased the intensity of the kiss.
She sank into him, her arms sliding up around his shoulders bringing her lush form closer to him. Her tongue stroked and swirled around his, dancing, enticing, and teasing it to where she sucked him into her mouth. He was so hard he almost split his jeans.
His hands trailed over her body until he reached the bottom of her sweatshirt where he explored back up, just under the clothes. Her silken skin beneath his fingertips he made his way to her sateen covered breasts. The tips hard, pointed through the material and he cupped them. Kneaded them. Massaged them. Eliciting more moans from her which reverberated through his soul.
One leg between hers he swallowed hard as she began rocking upon his thigh, deep moans curled up from her throat. She was burning up in his arms. He nibbled his way down her neck, all the while he continued to torment her breasts. The air in the darkness filled with her arousing panting breaths.
His own blood pounded in his ears. Take her, the message it thundered out with every pump. Unwilling to rush with her, he ignored his iron hard shaft and focused on bringing her pleasure.
One hand dropped to her jeans, deftly undid the button, and lowered the zipper before sinking below the waistband of both pants and panties to cover her core. Wetness on the clipped hairs added to his increased discomfort. He wanted to be buried deep within her.
Mouth by her ear he teased the lobe as he ran two fingers through the swollen lips and eased them into her slick heat, groaning at the contact.
“You feel so good, Tari. You’re wet for me, sweetheart. So wet.”
Jesus, the way she clenched around his fingers he’d be lucky he didn’t blow in his jeans. Clenching his eyes shut he worked his fingers in her, stroking deep.
“Galen...oh...oh...please,” she panted, hands tugging hard on his hair. Her hips undulated against him. “I want...need...so close...”
“Come home with me, Tari,” he said, adding another finger into her velvet glove.
He couldn’t describe how it felt to be ensconced in her body. And he wanted her naked accepting his cock. Longed to feel this snug heat around his shaft, without protection. He wanted the real deal.
“I...I...”
She fell silent when he shared with her all the things he would do to her if she did. His fingers in her, thumb working the stiff nub, she fell apart around him. Moving swiftly, he ate her scream as her slit milked his fingers and coated them with her thick essence. He never slowed the thrust of his digits until after she’d finished. Her body sagged, spent.
Withdrawing his fingers, he savored the taste of her spiciness. Another kiss for her while he righted her clothing and adjusted the steel rod in his own jeans.
“Tari?”
“I shouldn’t,” she muttered.
His heart sank. Still with the barriers. “Yes you should. Come with me, Tari.”
“Yes,” she said after a stretch of silence.
Forehead to forehead he grinned even though she couldn’t see it. “I’ll meet you there.” One more lengthy kiss before he slipped out and headed off to ensure no one saw them leave the darkened room together. He had no wish to ruin her reputation.
She walked over not long after he got home. Chad hadn’t returned from his dinner. This time there was no reason to muffle the cries. None to rein in control. And neither did.
His shouts were as loud as hers as he drilled into her, moving her and the creaking bed into the wall with each thrust. He buried himself so deep he believed he could feel her heartbeat. Over and over he took her, indulged in the passion which was Tari, stopping only when they both collapsed sweaty and exhausted.
Tari continued to sleep after when Chad came home, so he went to meet his brother and listened to him talk about his time. After he finally went to bed, Galen made his way back to his room and joined her back under the covers. He smiled in the dark as she curled her lithe body against his, her head buried in his neck. He woke her with a kiss as he slid smoothly back into her slick heat. She responded immediately and soon they both crested the pinnacle of pleasure together, their cries hushed.
Perfect, he thought as he allowed the need for sleep overtake him.
The next three weeks were spent pretty much the same way. Every free moment they found to be together, they expounded upon the opportunity. Still, she would never breach any talk of the future. In fact, she shut pretty much down. She had told him of her life after her parents had died and as Chad began to improve even more, Galen began to feel like he had a family. Even the house began to give off that vibe.
One afternoon when Chad arrived home from Open Arms his face drawn and full of sadness.
“What happened, Chad?” Galen asked.
The boy shrugged and headed for the kitchen where he grabbed a soda from the fridge.
Following him, he grabbed a chair and pulled it from under the wood table. Spinning the chair around, Galen sat straddling it, his own drink dangling from two fingers. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what the problem is.” He held his brother’s gaze, imploring him silently to tell him what the issue was.
“She’s gone.”
Interesting. Did his brother have a girl he liked? Taking a swift swig of the root beer, he sighed. “Who’s gone?”
“Ms. Taryn.”
His heart thudded hard in the confines of his chest. Calling upon the reserves which had served him well in combat he asked with no hint of the warring emotions within, “She wasn’t at the center today?”
Chad shook his head. “Have you seen her?” he questioned hopefully.
“No. Maybe she took a day off.”
“She’s gone. They said so.” He dropped his head. “She left, without saying goodbye.”
Unease grew within him. Bottle on the table he stood and flipped the chair back under the linen covered wood. “I’ll head over and see if she is there.”
Chad didn’t even look up just stared at his drink. Jaw clenched, he headed for the door and didn’t even slow to put on his jacket as he went. Although the cold air bit at him, the churning in the pit of his belly kept his mind off everything but Tari.
He knocked at the door and received no answer. Opening it, he entered and immediately he knew. Chad had been right. The house felt empty.
Heavy steps took him back to her bedroom. Empty. The bedding and all that were there, but no clothes, no signs she’d even been there. Anger rose within him and he returned to his house.
Chad sat in the living room when he got back. His brother met his gaze and the first thing Galen noticed was Chad didn’t seem so sad any more. He held a piece of paper in one hand.
“She gave me a note. Put it in my bag.” A slight smile. “She says goodbye.”
“Can I see it?” He prayed his words were smooth.
Wordlessly, Chad handed it over and he took it with hands that somehow didn’t shake despite the storm raging within him. Galen scanned the neat script.
Chad,
I wish I could have told you face to face but I’ve always been bad at farewells.
You have made such progress in the time I’ve known you. I know you will be fine.
Take it one day at a time and things will work out.
You are destined for great things.
Live life. Enjoy life. And never forget you are loved.
Take care of each other, your brother needs you too.
It has been my honor to have met you.
Ms. Taryn
Mute, he handed the note back and sat down on the chair opposite Chad. He could see the pain in those hazel eyes and it tore at his gut.
“Do you think I’ll ever see her again?”
If I have anything to say about it. “Would you like to?”
“I like her,” Chad replied with a shy smile.
Me too, Chad. Me too. All he did was nod. Pushing to his feet, he strode back to the kitchen. “I’ll get supper started.”
He checked his phone, hoping she’d at least left him a message. Nothing. Dialing her number, he got an automated message telling him that caller was out of service range.
She had done as she said. Leave. He’d not wanted to believe her but he faced that very fact. And he had no intel on where she had vanished. But he knew where to get it.
I’m not about to let you go, sweetheart, game on.
