Thorn's Challenge - Brenda Jackson [24]
“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. Hell, 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 hell that she would see the difference between his pursuit and that doctor’s harassment. 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 damn 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 sexual 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.
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