Out of Bounds (13 page)

He drew in a deep breath before opening his eyes. “I want to finish this conversation.”

It was the word
conversation
that kept her on the barstool. Fuck buddies didn’t have personal conversations.

“The ring I gave Liluye was worth about five hundred bucks. I spent all summer working for that cash.”

“So you don’t—”

“Come from money?” He tilted his head to one side. “Nope. I was reservation born and raised. The horse was more reliable than my dad’s truck, when he was around. Which wasn’t very often. I went to work at twelve to help feed the new baby he’d leave my mom with every time he showed up until she defied the church and got her tubes tied. Lightning didn’t strike her dead, and there was a hell of a lot less stress in the house without another baby on the way.”

“That explains the condom stress.”

He nodded, his fingers white around the mug. “Kids need a father, not a dog who shows up because he’s looking for a bitch who won’t bite him.”

“At least you had your mom. Single-parent households can be good ones.”

“Like yours?”

He flipped the tone of conversation with two words. She felt her defenses rising and had to force herself not to shut him out. He was trying to adjust to her rules of giving more, so she’d have to find the guts to match his effort.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. “Yeah, like mine. My dad is awesome.”

“And your mother?” he pressed her.

“Well…” Sabra shrugged. “I don’t know much about her. She wanted a boy, and I guess the sonogram made me look like one, so she carried me. At least that’s what I heard from my dad when he’d had enough whisky to forget his own rules about not darkening her name. Ninety-nine percent of the time he just said it didn’t work out but that he was the lucky one because he had me.”

“That’s a hell of a standard for a man to impose on himself.” Tarak drew another sip of coffee before nodding. “I think I admire him.”

“Good, because he’s going to be a little pissed that I didn’t call him before coming up here,” she admitted. “And I’m not talking about being pissed at me. He’s the kind of man who expects you to shake his hand before taking his daughter out of state. He’s going to make you pay for it if you two ever meet.”

Tarak grinned. “I’d admire him more for it. What’s your mother’s deal with only wanting a boy?”

“My mother is the granddaughter of Giovanni Greci.”

“As in the political family Greci?” Tarak’s tone had sharpened.

“So I understand. Apparently, there was an inheritance promised to the first grandson. That didn’t turn out to be me. Since males control the sex of the unborn child, she used that as the excuse to go back home and make up with her family for running off with an American soldier.”

He smiled, looking surprised. “Amazing. You realize you could get some serious hush money?”

It was her turn to narrow her eyes. “I’ll make my way. I’ve got my dad, and if my mom wants to forget she fell in love with an American, well, she’s the one who missed out on getting to be part of our lives. Because it was and is great.” She got down from the barstool. “I’m going to get a shower.”

It wasn’t a total retreat, but there was definitely a lack of courage on her part. She felt exposed, which ticked her off because she really did love her life. Maybe when she was a little girl she’d longed for a mommy, but maturity had helped her grow past that. Okay and the one time she’d mentioned it to her dad, he’d put on a frilly apron and wig and cooked supper in it. The memory still made her giggle.

Tarak caught up with her and took her hand. The firm grip was emotionally shattering. She loved it yet hated feeling like she needed it. Her emotions were all twisted and making absolutely no sense.

“Okay, shower and then I want to show you something.”

He led her to a bathroom that was off to the side of the master bedroom. On the way in, he stopped and pushed some controls on the wall.

“The tile will warm up in a few minutes.”

There was a small gas-burning fireplace in the bathroom as well. He turned a long key and it lit with a blue flash.

“For such a remote area, you sure do have the best of modern conveniences.”

“The house and testing facility are completely self-contained. I have three people in charge of making sure we have all the resources necessary. It’s that big of a job up here. Summer is a busy time.”

Her attention shifted to the shower. It was massive, enclosed in glass, a walk-in type that had granite tile. There were water jets set into the walls and five showerheads up high. He stripped out of his jeans and walked in to turn it on. Once the water was pouring over his hard form, he pushed his wet hair back and grinned at her.

“Come try out the shower, Sabra.”

“Said the snake to the mouse.”

He chuckled and grabbed a soap bar. It lathered up, spreading bubbles over his skin as he rubbed it across his trim waist. “I see you as more of a snake charmer.”

He walked back under one of the showerheads and closed his eyes as the water hit him in the face.

It was far too tempting to resist. She tore off her clothing and joined him while his eyes were still closed. She took the soap bar from his hand and began to wash him. He turned and flattened his hands against the granite tile, granting her full access to his body.

She intended to take full advantage of the moment too. The fact that he was letting her have her way didn’t matter. There was a challenge that filled her—she wanted to make him enjoy it enough to give her control more often.

There was also the blunt fact that he was
sexy
in capital letters, and she loved every moment of being able to touch him.

She finished his back and slid the soap bar over his tight buns. Ducking under one of his arms, she applied the soap to his chest. He had a light coating of crisp, dark hair on his chest that ended at his waist. But she went lower, until she’d found the hair above his cock.

“Ummmm… and now to the snake-charming part,” she purred in a voice that was far more sultry than she recalled being able to pull off.

He opened his eyes and watched her. The water was already warm, but she was heating up too. There were times she could feel his gaze on her. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced, the pure erotic feeling of it. She drew the soap bar along his length and then bent her knees so she could wash his legs.

He growled softly. She looked up and gave him a smile that promised him no mercy.

“Bitch,” he labeled her with a note of approval in his voice.

She came back up his body and cupped his cock between her breasts.

“
Shit
.”

He was still coated in soap, so their skin was slippery. He thrust forward, using her cleavage.

“That’s fucking hot, Sabra.”

He arched back and she used her forearms to keep her breasts pressed inward. She heard his breathing growing more labored and leaned forward to lick the head of his cock when it emerged near her face.

“Crap!” He jerked and lost control. A thick spurt of come shot out at her face but she didn’t care. She reached down and grabbed his balls, stroking them as he continued to ejaculate.

He leaned on the wall again, only this time there was a faint tremble running along his legs. His eyes were closed as he drew in raspy breaths.

“I thought you’d wash the soap off first.”

“And give you warning?” She stood up and stroked his cock to loosen the lather still clinging to it. “Hell no. It was my turn to break you, Mr. Nektosha.”

His eyes sprang open. “Tarak.” He cupped the back of her head and held her captive. “Don’t fucking call me that. Call me your lover, your boyfriend, or even an asshole when it applies, but never Mr. Nektosha.” He pressed a hard kiss against her mouth. It was bold and demanding too. He thrust his tongue deep inside her mouth, thrusting and stroking the velvet surface of her own.

He massaged her nape, his fingers working at the knots she hadn’t realized were there.

“I’ve never involved myself with an employee, but I just couldn’t help myself.” He swiped the soap bar from the floor and began to wash her.

“I think it’s fair to say I’m a step up from Anastasia.”

He turned her around so he could wash her back. But she could feel the tension between them.

She’d opened a can of worms now.

“She’s one of those things you can call me an asshole for. I wanted sex but didn’t want to risk getting into a relationship where I might have to share part of myself. Her father does a lot of business with me. It seemed logical.”

“But relationships should be about happiness.”

He was rubbing her back aggressively, creating a thick lather with his quick motions. Sabra turned around and let the water from one of the showerheads hit her back.

“I think she was using you just as much.”

“That doesn’t make me less of an asshole.”

He smoothed the soap along her sides and over the curves of her hips.

“Yeah, well, we’re both guilty of not wanting to be alone.”

He bent down and applied the soap to her legs. Little bolts of delight began racing up her body, intent on derailing her thoughts altogether in favor of redirecting her attention to the growing need bubbling inside her.

“Is that an admission about the state of affairs between you and one Kevin Guterman?”

She choked on a snicker. “He took my suggestion of adding a little erotic foreplay and spanked me with a flip-flop on the beach in front of his football buddies.”

Tarak’s lips thinned. “Did you ask him to dominate you?”

He ran the soap bar over one cheek of her bottom. Her eyes widened as her clit gave a crazy twist. She rolled her lips inward because even with the water from the shower raining down on them, they felt dry.

“The point is, I was holding onto a relationship that wasn’t satisfying. That was what we were talking about.”

“Hmm…” He soaped up her other cheek. “Was it?” He dropped the soap bar and turned her around to face the wall. He captured her wrists and pressed her hands flat on the dark granite surface while holding his body against her from head to toe. “I’d like to address the topic of domination.”

She tried to turn around but only succeeded in pushing herself against his body. “I wasn’t asking him for domination.”

Tarak leaned down and bit the side of her neck. Once again, the little nip sent a shudder down her back, one he felt because he was pressed against her.

“Would you ask me?”

He cupped her hips, holding her still as his dark suggestion bounced around inside her head.

“No… um…”

“Ummm…” He smoothed his hand over one of her buttocks, making every inch of her skin feel as though she were in some sort of heightened sensory mode. “I won’t use a flip-flop.”

She flipped around and ducked under his arm.

“It was just a last-ditch effort to make something work that wasn’t. I thought it was the sex. I was wrong.” She needed something to do, something other than continuing the discussion about domination. Her mind was flatly rebelling against the idea; Tarak was already a dominant enough force in her life.

But her body was melting.

She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and turned it over. The gel pooled in her hand and she began to work it through her wet hair. When she closed her eyes to rinse it, he moved up and began to massage the shampoo out of her hair.

She shivered, craving him but at the same time being uncomfortable with her reactions to him.

When the shampoo was rinsed away, he turned her and kissed her again. He started soft, teasing her lips before pressing her to open her mouth for him. He stroked her back, the water making their skin so much slicker. When he made it to her lower back, he stroked out to her hips and clasped them.

A jolt went through her when he did. There was something about the hold that just made her pussy heat up. He lifted his head and his lips curled.

“I can smell you again.”

“You’re going to make me self-conscious.”

He shook his head and sat down on the large seat at the far end of the shower. “You like me the way I am. The scent of your pussy drives me insane. You like it when I tell you I notice the scent.” His eyes glittered with challenge. “Come here and top me.”

It was a demand—a dominant one. Somehow, he was turning a submissive position into something dominant. It surprised the hell out of her, but she was moving toward him before she finished thinking. He offered her a hand to help her mount him. His cock stood up straight, and he grabbed her hips, steadying her when she balanced on one knee to move her other thigh over him.

The head of his cock burrowed between the open lips of her slit. It felt like she’d been waiting forever for penetration. Even while she realized it was overly dramatic, she still let out a soft cry as she sheathed him.

“Again, Sabra.”

Her eyes opened wide, and she sat still at the tone in his voice. He stroked one side of her bottom, and she rose up too fast. She was all the way off his cock before she controlled her reaction.

He chuckled and pulled her back into position by her hips. “You respond so honestly.”

His cock brushed her opening again and she sank down onto it. “You sound as if you’ve had experience with…”

He gave her a light smack on the bottom and she shot back up. “Why is the word stuck in your throat, Sabra?”

She kept enough control to keep herself from lifting too far up this time. She plunged back down faster, hoping to distract him, but his eyes remained hard and controlled.

“Why?” he demanded again.

She tried to lift herself up, but he held her down, his cock filling her to bursting. He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck while she tried to rise.

“Tell me why.”

It was no longer a question.

“I don’t know.”

He kissed her neck and then bit her earlobe. “Yes you do.”

Her clit was driving her insane. She needed to come, needed to fuck him, but he held her completely still, frustrating her beyond endurance.

“I don’t know,” she spat at him. “I guess it’s just me wondering if I want domination or if I’m just jumping on board the latest trend.” She rose off him with more force, gaining her freedom. But once she’d pressed back down on his length, she paused. “Maybe you’re just bored with sex kittens and want a new kink.”