Thorn's Challenge - Brenda Jackson [49]
Moments later, he pulled back, but didn’t end the kiss completely. Instead he continued to torture her with tiny flicks of his tongue on her mouth. A moan escaped her lips and he captured it with his.
“I missed you,” Thorn’s voice whispered throatily as a hot throbbing sensation settled in her midsection. “Damn this celibacy thing. I want you now. Hell, I might not be around later. Anything could happen.”
Thorn’s words reminded her of the danger inherent in Sunday’s race. She groaned as she pulled back from his touch. She could not, she would not, be responsible for him losing the race or possibly getting hurt. She loved him too much for that. One of them had to see reason and it seemed it would have to be her at the moment.
She exhaled a bone-deep sigh when they stood facing each other. Her heart was beating way out of control as her gaze took in everything about him, from the jeans and T-shirt that he wore to the biker boots on his feet. But she mostly zeroed in on his desire-glazed gaze that hadn’t yet left hers.
For the longest time he didn’t say anything, but neither did she. They continued to stand there, looking at each other, until finally, Thorn spoke in a voice that was husky and deep. “I want you, Tara. Not after the race but now.”
She swallowed. Lust had temporarily taken over Thorn’s mind, and it was up to her to put it back on track. If they did what he wanted and he lost the race, he would despise her for the rest of his days, and she couldn’t handle that. She knew her next words would sound cold and indifferent, but he’d left her no choice.
She tilted her head back and frowned up at him. “It doesn’t matter what you want now. Need I remind you that we have an agreement, Thorn? My purpose for being here is to fill your needs after the race and not before. I think it would be best if you kept your hands and lips to yourself until then.”
He didn’t say anything but stared at her with a look that went from desire to anger in a second, and seeing the transformation made Tara’s heart thump so hard in her chest that it hurt. Her tone of voice had intentionally been like a dose of ice water on a burning flame, and the effect was unmistakably scorching.
Thorn took a step forward and looked Tara squarely in the eye. “Thanks for reminding me of your purpose for being here, Tara, and you won’t have to worry about me keeping my hands and mouth to myself. But make no mistake about it, I’ve kept my end of the deal, and after the race I fully expect you to keep yours.”
Without saying anything else he turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.
Gravel flew from the tires of Thorn’s motorcycle as he leaned into a sharp curve, tearing up the road in front of him. He shuddered from the force of the anger consuming him as he tightened his grip on the handlebars.
Tara’s words had burned, although quite frankly, he supposed he should be grateful that she had helped him to come to his senses before he’d done something he would later regret. But instead of wanting to thank her he felt the need to throttle her instead.
Damn, just like that day in her bedroom, he’d been ready to zip down his pants and have his way with her, race or no race. He’d been that hungry for sex. No, it wasn’t just about sex. It was about her. He had been just that hungry for her. But leave it to her to remind him of their arrangement and to make him remember the only thing between them would be a no-strings-attached affair.
His spine tightened as he took another curve. Damn the agreement, he wanted more. During the past two weeks he had come to realize just how much Tara meant to him. He