Tessa's Temptation(23)

"I don't understand."

"I can't do anything about the glances strangers give you. Other than  being you, you've done nothing to cause their unwanted attention. You're  a gorgeous woman and men appreciate that. I may not like it but I can't  kill everyone."

"Do you think I would have pursued you as hard as I did if I wasn't  serious about the two of us?" She straddled his lap because she couldn't  stand being away from him. As mad as he had made her a few minutes ago,  she needed him to be reassured that she wasn't playing games when it  came to how she felt about him. "Can't you see how much I want us to  work?"

"Tanner is different." He shook his head. "You did provoke him. I know  why you did it and I made it really clear to him why you did it, but the  fact that he showed up here last night only proves how much he was  affected by it."

"No, he wasn't."

"As sexy and alluring as you can be between those sheets, you still have  this naivety that surrounds you. It makes me more aroused than you can  imagine. That was a big part of why I stayed away from you for as long  as I did. I didn't want to corrupt you or make you grow up faster than  you had to."

"I'm not a kid." She'd been taking care of her father for years. "I may  be twenty, but I haven't had the luxury of acting my age for a long  time. I'm not too young for you."

"I know that." He took her face between his hands. "You're trusting and  open and you go after what you want no matter the cost. I want to take  you and keep you with me so no one can ever hurt you or break that  spirit."

"Tanner wouldn't hurt me."

"Stop defending him. I know what some men are capable of. I meant it  when I said you were off limits to him. I'm not going to back down." He  held her face still and stared into her eyes with an intensity she  hadn't seen before. "You're mine. You want to have guy friends at school  then I'll try to tolerate it, but not Tanner. Something isn't right  there. I haven't quite figured it out yet but I can feel something is  off."

"I think you're overreacting." She ran her fingers over his shoulder and  down his chest. "Like you did with that waiter the other night. You  can't threaten people every time someone looks at me the wrong way."

"Yes, I can." He pressed his lips to hers. "The only alternative is to keep you locked up in here like Rapunzel."

"You're a stubborn man and I don't think I'll ever grow my hair that long."

"I'm an obsessed man. I've told you this."

"I know you think I'm young and I don't know what I want." She slid her  hands lower to the edge of his towel. "I need you to trust my feelings  for you. I shouldn't have teased you or used Tanner that night. I could  never be interested in him, or any other man. You're it for me. I've  known it from the first day I met you. It may have started out as a game  to see how far I could push you. I wanted to rattle you."

"You have." He pushed the hem of her shirt up, exposing her nakedness to  him. The towel did nothing to conceal his arousal. "That scares me.  I've never felt this kind of desire. It consumes me. It controls me."

"We belong to one another." She tugged the towel open, revealing his long, thick cock. "Show me."

"Who you belong to?" He lifted her by her hips and lowered her onto his  shaft. "You're mine." Her legs fitted around his waist and he kissed her  hard as he twisted his fingers in her hair. "I'm all you're ever going  to need."                       
       
           



       

"I promise you're it for me. No games. No one else." Her words were  choppy, interrupted by her concentration. She inched down his cock,  taking her time, wanting him to fill her completely. He met each of her  downward thrusts with a slow and long upward motion. He released her  hair and gripped her hips, guiding her up and down, setting the speed he  wanted, teaching her how to move, showing her what made it pleasurable  for both of them. Her nipples hardened as she watched his cock slide in  and out of her. Her hot juices coated him, allowing him to move in and  out of her effortlessly.

She grasped his shoulders for support when he sped up. His leg muscles tensed, alerting her he was about to release.

"Sweetheart," he slipped his hand between their frantic bodies, seeking  out her clit as he let go inside her. "Come with me." He rubbed her with  his thumb as he came inside her.

"I..." The warmth of his orgasm coursed through her, throwing her into  her own climax. Dropping her head onto his shoulder, she closed her eyes  and whispered his name. Neither of them moved for a few minutes as he  rubbed her back and kissed her neck. She didn't want this moment to end.  The closeness between them was overwhelming but as necessary as  breathing.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted," he spoke low. "I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did."

"I get why you were upset. I should have been more sensitive to how you would feel about Tanner being here."

"I do trust you." He lowered her legs down and cradled her in his arms.  "What's happening between us is all new to me. I need some room to make  stupid mistakes."

"We'll learn together." She placed a soft kiss on his lips. "As long as we're together nothing could ever tear us apart."

"We'll always be together." He kissed her fingers. "There's no other option for me."

When he engulfed her in his strong arms she felt it. He was a fierce,  dominating lover but he had a heart filled with so much love. Someday he  would love her. It was too soon now. Everything was new and they were  still getting to know one another. One step at a time. She wanted to  savor every phase of their romance.



***



Chase sat in his study, working on the specs for the new shopping  center. Tessa had stayed at school later than usual to meet with a  project group. He'd told her he'd wait to have dinner with her. His  client had been calling him all week looking for status updates. He had  time to get some work done before she got home.

"I thought you were done for the day," May said from the doorway.

"You know I'm never done." He smiled at her. "You calling it a night?"

"Yes." She entered the room, stopping in front of his desk. "I left your  dinner in the warming drawer. Just put your dishes in the dishwasher  and turn it on. It's all set to run and I'll empty it in the morning."

"Thanks, May."

"It's my job."

"I'm more than your job." He winked because he liked to tease her. "Why else would you put up with me?"

"Don't I know it?" She shook her head. "You've been giving me a run since you could walk."

"I'm not so bad anymore, am I?" May had been with him almost his whole  life. She was more than a housekeeper. There were days when she was his  mother, personal assistant and friend. He'd be lost without her.

"You were doing all right." She laughed quietly and set her purse down  on the chair; there was something on her mind. "Now I'm a little  worried."

"Have a seat." He had a feeling what this was about. "Let's get it over with."

"I don't want to pry." She sat down in the chair across from his desk. "You're a grown man."

"But?"

"The young lady hasn't slept in her own bed for over a week." She leaned  forward and pressed her hands down on his desk. "You want to tell me  where she's been sleeping?"

"Well that was a little more forward than I expected, but you always did get right to the point."

"I like her."

"So do I."

"I hope so because she's not like the others  –  certainly not like your  lawyer friend. She's a good girl with a big heart. You can't expect to  treat her like you would a casual acquaintance."

"Miss May." Apparently she had been completely aware of his past indiscretions.

"You know what I mean, Chase." She paused for a moment, making the  conversation even more awkward. "For one, she lives here so she's  already attached to you. The second thing is …  well, her father trusted  you with her. He wants his daughter safe."                       
       
           



       

"I know," he mumbled when he thought about what Pat's reaction would be  when he found out Chase was sleeping with his daughter. "I would never  hurt her."

"You're good for her."

"You think so?" That surprised him.

"She told me about her childhood. How her mother walked out on them. She harbors such resentment."