Burnt (20 page)

“You’re not my boss,” Jake replied, pushing past him and heading to the car.

Kevin turned around and grabbed Jake’s arm, yanking him back from the car. Kevin saw Jake’s glare.

“I told you to stay away from her.”

“Or what?” Jake asked, moving closer to him and pushing him in the chest.

Kevin fell back. “I’ll do what I have to do to protect her.”

“Aww...isn’t that sweet,” Jake said in a condescending tone. He pushed him again, this time Kevin was able to maintain his balance. “Impressive,” Jake sneered.

“I’m telling you again, Jake. Leave her alone,” Kevin said, not backing down.

“Make me,” Jake replied, provoking him.

Out of the corner of his eyes Kevin saw Tara staring at them. He hated to know it had come to this.

“I’m not going to fight you, Jake. Just leave her alone.”

Kevin reached down and grabbed the blanket from the ground then turned around and started heading toward the car. He felt two hands on his shoulders, pulling him back. He dropped the blanket and turned around.

“What are you doing?” He forcefully pushed Jake back.

“Don’t fucking push me!” Jake shouted, throwing his fist back and hitting Kevin in the nose. Kevin turned his head. He put his hand to his nose and saw the blood covering his fingers.

“Are you out of your mind?” Kevin asked, looking up. He felt a sharp pain in his nose.

Jake shot a look toward the car and Kevin’s eyes followed him. Tara’s jaw had dropped and she was leaned forward in the front seat, staring at both of them through the windscreen.

“This isn’t over,” Jake said, pushing past him and walking by the car.

Just like that, Jake was gone. Kevin tilted his head back, trying to keep the blood from dripping. He heard the car door open and the sound of Tara’s footsteps running his way.

“Are you alright?” She asked, dabbing his nose gently with tissue. “Do you think it’s broken?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t believe so. Let’s get out of here,” he said, heading to the driver’s side car door.

“I’ll drive,” she informed him.

He didn’t have the energy to refuse, so he walked around and got into the passenger seat. She slid into the driver’s side seat and turned to him.

“Are you sure I can’t take you to the hospital?”

He laughed. “I’ll be fine.”

He didn’t want to admit his fear of going to the hospital has more to do with protecting Jake. He didn’t want to get Jake into any more trouble.

She put the key in the ignition and nothing happened. It just sputtered along, but then died. She turned to Kevin and he shrugged. She attempted to do it again but it just hissed and died again.

She groaned. “I think we’re going to have to walk. Are you up for it?”

“Shit. We don’t really have a choice,” he muttered, reaching for his door handle and slowly moving to get out of the car. They would have to worry about the car later.

***

T
ara grabbed onto his arm and they slowly made their way out of seclusion. She was anxious to know what their argument was really about but she guessed it had everything to do with her.

“I saw a hotel up this road. We’ll just stay there tonight.”

He didn’t argue with her as they slowly crept along. Periodically she caught herself looking around to see if they were being followed. To her relief, it appeared they weren’t.

“I’m sorry my brother had to ruin our night,” Kevin admitted.

She thought about it but then shrugged.

“We’re together. Nothing else matters.”

She would wait until they were in the comfort of a room before she would ask him what exactly went down that led to his bloody nose. She spotted the hotel and was excited to see they were almost there.

“Are you holding up alright?”

He nodded. “I’m not going to collapse, if that’s what you mean.”

It was exactly what she meant, but she didn’t need to confirm it. They continued to walk, with his arm looped through hers. The napkin she had grabbed from the car before leaving was filled with blood, but his nose had stopped bleeding.

“We’re almost there.” They picked up the pace a little. When they got inside the hotel they casually went up to the front desk.

“Hello, how may I...” The girl’s eyes went to Kevin and she stared at his nose and bloody shirt. “How may I assist you? Do you need a doctor?”

Tara glanced at Kevin. He looked like a disheveled mess. There was blood on his shirt, his hair was messed up, and dried blood was on the tip of his nose. She was also pretty sure he would have a black eye tomorrow.

“I’m fine,” he said. “We could use a room.”

“I see,” she muttered. “We only have one left.”

Tara looked at her nametag and smiled at her. “We’ll take it, Dixie. Thank you.”

The girl appeared to be in her late teens. She looked at her computer and typed in some information.

“I hope you need it for only one night. It’s already booked for tomorrow.”

Tara glanced around the lobby. It didn’t seem like such a happening place, but she shrugged it off.

“Yes, one night is fine. Thank you! Also, could you call a tow truck for us? Our vehicle is stranded at the dead end, just north of here.

“Oh...sure thing,” she said, looking back at her computer. “That will be one hundred and twenty-five dollars.”

Tara’s jaw dropped. “For one night?”

She nodded. “It’s the honeymoon suite and it’s pretty nice. It has a hot tub, king-size bed, fully loaded refrigerator, bar...”

“We get the point,” Tara interrupted her. She wasn’t sure she could enjoy spending the night in such a luxurious place with everything that had happened that night. She doubted Kevin would be up to anything more than a nice, relaxing sleep.

“We’ll take it,” Kevin said, pulling out his credit card and handing it to the employee.

“Thank you,” she said, typing some more, and finally handing the card back to him.

Tara made a mental note to offer to pay for half of it when they got up to the room. They probably wouldn’t have been there if it hadn’t been for her. Dixie reached for a swipe key and gave it to Tara.

“Thank you,” Tara mumbled, sliding it in her pocket as they left her desk.

“Have a good night!” Dixie called after them.

Tara and Kevin made their way to the elevator and quickly got on. When the door closed she turned to Kevin.

“I’ll pay you back for the room.”

He laughed. “Nonsense. It’s not every day you get to spend a night in a honeymoon suite when you’re not even married.”

She snickered. “True but still I would feel better if I could contribute to it.”

“Oh, but you can,” he replied, winking at her.

“How?” she asked.

“I could really use a massage,” he teased. That will more than pay for the cost of this room. Deal?”

“Sounds fair, but you don’t need to pay me for a massage,” she blushed.

“Good,” he answered and smiled. “I really can’t wait to get out of these clothes and just relax.”

She grimaced. Relaxation in a nice room like this would surely make the evening an expensive flop. She let out a sigh, trying to forget about it. She grabbed the key from her pocket and looked at the number just as they got off the elevator at their floor. “We’re in room 589.” They headed to the room and unlocked the door.

As they walked in, Tara felt like she had entered a little piece of heaven. A large television hung on the one wall, with a couch on the opposite wall. She could believe it. The ceiling was so high, there was enough room for a chandelier. Beside the living room was a small kitchen with a full-sized refrigerator and stove.

“Wow...” she mumbled. She had never seen such a large hotel room, and that wasn’t even the whole room yet.

She looked at Kevin. He looked funny, smiling with a bloody nose.

“Nice digs,” he agreed.

There were two rooms attached to the living room. They walked into the bedroom with a sprawling king sized bed. It also had a huge closet where she could fit her whole bedroom inside. They noticed the entrance to the other room at one corner of the bedroom, so she opened the door. A large hot tub sat in the center of the bathroom, complete with a double sink, full length mirrors, and a luxurious standing shower at the far end.

“This hotel suite is pretty awesome. It’s a shame you’re so tired. We won’t be able to enjoy it as much.”

“Who said we won’t?” He laughed. “I’m resilient. I bounce back quickly. And I have a good nurse.

She smiled. His willingness excited her. “I’ll do my best.”

They walked out of the bathroom and through the bedroom to have a seat on the couch.

“Let me see if there’s an ice pack,” Tara said as she got up to check the fridge. She dug around in the freezer and there it was, in the back behind three trays of ice. She took it to Kevin and gently placed it on his nose.

Just looking at him icing his nose brought the altercation with Jake flooding back. She shook her head in disbelief.

“I can’t believe this happened. I feel like it’s all my fault.”

He dropped the ice pack in his hand and stared at her. “None of this is your fault. Unless being irresistible to the Crawford brothers makes it your fault.”

She blushed. “So, the argument wasn’t about me?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he answered. “I handled it. Sure, I wasn’t expecting a bloody nose, but I wouldn’t change anything that happened.”

“Are you sure?” she asked.

He nodded. “I mean every word.” He ran his finger under her chin and she smiled. “There’s that smile I have been missing. Everything will work out. You’ll see.”

He put the ice pack on his nose and smiled at her. Kevin seemed so positive about everything and she wanted to be just as strong. She leaned against him and let him wrap his free arm around her. Her head fell on his shoulder and she closed her eyes. She wasn’t planning on dozing off, but sleep came quickly.

***

“T
ara...honey...are you awake?” Kevin tried to pull his arm out from underneath her but she looked so peaceful. Now, almost an hour later, his arm was asleep and she showed no signs of moving.

“Tara...” he called to her again. He dropped the ice pack and used his other hand to gently rub her shoulder.

“Are you awake?” he asked gently.

Slowly, she woke up. She moaned, stretching herself out and then opening up one eye. She looked at him.

“Good morning.”

He laughed. “Guess again. It’s not time to get up yet.”

“Oh...” she said, still half asleep.

As she rolled toward him, he used the opportunity to pull out his sleepy arm and stretch.

Tara looked at his face. “How’s the nose?”

“Still there.” He laughed.

It was a little tender but all in all it was better than he had anticipated.

“I’ll survive. How does it look?”

“There really isn’t any swelling, but I hate to tell you this...I think you just might have a black eye.” She ran her hand over his left eye. “Does that hurt?”

“Nope,” he said.

“How long have we been sleeping?” She asked so innocently he wanted to kiss her again.

“You’ve been sleeping for about an hour. I, on the other hand, have just been watching you.”

Her face turned a shade of red and he smiled. He could have watched her all night. “Was I drooling?” she asked, mortified.

He shook his head and laughed. “No, you weren’t drooling.”

A look of relief fell over her. “We should probably go to bed and try to get some sleep. It has been a long day.”

He nodded. “We could do that, but...” He glanced around the room and his eyes fell to the bedroom door. “We could also take advantage of this place. After all, do we really want to miss out on the advantages of a honeymoon suite?”

Her wide eyes twinkled. “Do you mean it?”

He nodded. “With all my heart.”

She stood up from the couch and immediately began undressing. He laughed as he got up and began removing his clothes too.

“The hot tub or the bed?” she asked.

“Your choice,” he said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward one of the rooms. He was enthusiastic. She chose the hot tub.

“Wow, they filled it up for us?” Tara asked.

“Probably. Not sure how they’d keep it hot,” he said. “Maybe a heater.”

They walked to the hot tub steps and slowly stepped into the hot water. He groaned as it made contact with his feet. When he got down on the lowest level he sat down and reached for her hand to help her in. He couldn’t wait to pull her into his arms, and sat her on his lap. Their lips met in a sizzling, wet dance of desire.

She felt his erection beneath her as his teeth delicately nibbled on her lower lip.

“God I need you inside me so bad,” she whispered.

He wasted no time, helping her as she straddles him, and positioning himself to enter her. She grabbed onto his shoulders, shifting her body to be ready. His hands gripped her waist and held on tight as he slid into her opening. On instinct, Tara’s hips moved in sync as his thrusts possessed her. Her body hugged his as she slid up and down, moving along with the waves of the hot tub. Their lips met and kisses intensified while she thrust faster and harder with him. She shivered with anticipation as she felt the primal urge welling up inside.

“Ugh...” she cried as she felt her orgasmic burst, tossing her head back and tearing herself away from his lips.

He pounded inside of her, bucking his hips with hers.

“Yes baby...yes...” he moaned, sucking on her neck, while her body shook around him.

“Oh God...” she whimpered. Her orgasm clashed with his as she sent out another scream in the room.

“Ugh...ugh...fuck yes,” she groaned, her body seizing on top of his.

His lips remained on her neck, tenderly sucking her tender flesh. He wanted to regain the connection they had. He bit down softly. He could hear her breathing and it spawned another round of pleasure within him.

“Oh God yes...” she sighed.

His body slowly rocked against her. He pulled away from her neck and sought out her lips. Their bodies clashed together in time with his thrusts, sending water splashing out the sides of the hot tub. His one hand remained on her hip while the other wrapped tightly around her back and up to her shoulders. His thumb moved in a circular motion, exploring her soft skin. His tongue dipped in and out of her mouth, moving around gracefully, but with hunger. Every thrust and every caress was wrapped in feral messages he couldn’t share with words. It was all he could do to show her how deeply he loved her.