Worth the Wait (Crimson Romance) (12 page)

She turned him on more than he’d expected. She wasn’t the first woman he’d slept with multiple times in one day, but never four times in less than twenty-four hours. That was a record even for him. He couldn’t get enough of her, and he could feel it. His erection was sore, like a muscle he’d overused. It didn’t stop him from wanting her again, but if he was feeling the effects of their continuous sexcapades, then so was she. It hadn’t escaped his notice when she winced slightly as he slid into her warm body shortly before four. He only wanted her to experience pleasure when they were together, not pain. Pain would make it harder for him to convince her to continue sleeping with him after the weekend. Having Tasha as a routine sexual partner wouldn’t be too bad.

He’d let her sleep in before starting their day. Since it was her birthday, he was prepared to do whatever she wanted and had even planned a few surprises for her. Jared walked over to the bed and leaned down to kiss her shoulder. He squeezed her round butt cheek not covered by the sheet. She sighed and whispered his name in her sleep. A satisfied smile curved his lips before he kissed her shoulder again and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Afterwards, he came back into the room and reached into his bag for clothes. Tasha was still asleep. She would be hungry when she woke up. There wasn’t any food in his fridge, so he decided to run to the store for weekend essentials. Sliding on a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt, Jared looked through the nightstand for a pad to leave a note when the piercing sound of his cell phone ringing broke the silence. Tasha frowned in her sleep and turned over. He dropped the pad and looked around for his phone. Another ring came from under the bed, causing Tasha to stir again. He fell to his knees and reached under the bed. When he felt the cool plastic exterior of the phone he quickly pulled it out and answered the call.

“Hello?” he said quietly.

“Hi, Jared, it’s your mother.”

He froze. His mother hadn’t called him directly in years. They always spoke through Malcolm, at his request.

“Were you looking for Malcolm?”

“No, I wanted to talk to you.”

Jared took a deep breath and looked at Tasha. Her breathing was deep and steady as she slept. He quietly backed out of the bedroom and shut the door.

“Why do you want to talk to me? There isn’t anything we have to say,” he said.

“There’s a lot to say, but you refuse to talk to me. It’s been fifteen years since your father died. Why are you still holding this against me?”

His mother’s voice was pleading, but Jared didn’t care. He’d stopped caring the day his dad died. “You’re the reason he died and we both know that.”

“No, you think that. You jumped to conclusions and haven’t talked to me since. You’re thirty-three now, Jared, not eighteen. It’s time to act like an adult and face this.”

Jared clenched his jaw to keep from lashing out. “You know what? I don’t have time for this. If you need something just tell Malcolm. I’ll help him get it.”

“The only thing I need is for my son to talk to me.”

“Yeah, well, you and Mr. Carter killed that when you killed my dad.”

“Stop saying that,” she snapped. “Your dad had a heart attack.”

“After finding you in the arms of another man.”

“That’s not what happened. At the time, I didn’t think I could tell you what really happened. If I’d have known you would have refused to come around me for the next fifteen years I would have explained.”

“I don’t need the sleazy details. Now, unless you have a point, I’m ending this call. Call Malcolm, he still thinks you’re a good mother.”

Jared didn’t care if his words were harsh. He’d stopped caring after he’d watched his father fall to the floor in agony after seeing his mother in Mr. Carter’s arms.

“Jared, I’m calling you because I’m getting married. I wanted you to hear it from me.” Her voice sounded tired.

Jared laughed bitterly. “Who did you trick?”

“I’m marrying Mr. Carter.”

He froze. The only sound was his heart beating loudly in his chest. He couldn’t breathe and fell heavily on the couch. He tried to take in air as his stomach rolled in disgust. “How could you do that?”

“We need to talk, Jared. You have to understand what happened that day.” Concern laced her voice but Jared barely noticed as rage filled him.

“I … I can’t talk to you anymore,” he said and ended the call.

He squeezed the phone in his hands and covered his face. But the pain was too great; he couldn’t sit still. He jumped from the couch and threw the phone with a curse. It hit the wall and fell to the floor in two pieces. He paced back and forth, rubbing his hands over his face frantically. The vision of Mr. Carter holding his mother and his father falling to the floor gripping his chest played over and over in his head. He stopped pacing and reached back to slam his fist into the wall.

“Jared!”

His arm stopped mid swing. He turned to Tasha standing in the door to the bedroom with the sheet around her. Damn, she was beautiful, her hair tousled and her lips swollen from the night before. He wanted to hate her for looking so beautiful, so innocent, when he knew she wasn’t. She was just another deceitful woman. One who would be useful and take his mind off of the conversation with his mother.

Three quick strides had him across the room. He wrapped his arms around her waist, sweeping her up against his chest. He didn’t want to think about his mother’s betrayal. It was typical of a woman, and right now, he needed to forget his pain between Tasha’s legs.

He dropped her on the bed and reached for one of the condoms on the nightstand. In a flash, Tasha scrambled to the other side of the bed and held up her hand. Anger and desire coursed through him as he watched her try to cover her naked body. Her eyes were hard as she looked at him.

“You’re not going to screw me in order to forget your problems. That isn’t how this works. I heard enough of your conversation to know that you’re hurting, but you’re not going to take it out on me.”

“I don’t hurt,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Bullshit, Jared. You think your mom and some Carter guy killed your dad, and whatever she said on the other end of the phone set you off.”

“Eavesdropping?”

“It’s not eavesdropping when you’re yelling in the next room.” The anger left her and concern filled her eyes. “Jared, why don’t you go to the police if you think she had something to do with it? Why are you walking around with this?”

“Why do you give a damn?” he bit out.

“Because.” She paused. Her eyebrows furled before she held up her hand. “Because I just do, all right?”

He gazed at her and the tension slowly left his body. Tasha was always trying to help someone. At the center, she was viewed as a surrogate mother, sister, or friend who was always willing to help. Another reason why he’d stayed away from her. She was too nice for him to run game on.

“She didn’t kill my dad.” He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her. “I was eighteen. My dad and I went fishing that morning. When we got back, he went in the house while I put up the gear. When I came in my dad was peeping through the door to our home office. I walked up and he looked at me, looked back at the door, and clutched his chest. He fell to the floor and I saw my mom kissing my dad’s friend, Randall Carter. They broke apart when I cried out and my mom came running up to help, but it was too late. He died of a heart attack on the way to the hospital.” His voice was flat as he finished the story. Pain filled his chest.

He heard the rustle of the sheet as she walked around the bed to sit beside him. She reached over and put her hand on his leg and squeezed gently. Her hand was warm and smooth against his skin. It was funny that he could actually enjoy her touch in a non-sexual way. It was nice, and comforting. He almost reached over to place his hand on hers, but stopped himself.

“I’ve never told anyone what happened that day. Not even my brother Malcolm. He was so worried about our mother after dad died, I couldn’t tell him. He’d always been closer to her than I was.”

She brought one leg onto the bed and faced him. “Why are you telling me?”

He sighed and rubbed his face. “Shit if I know.”

She smiled slightly. “What did she say that upset you?”

Jared closed his eyes as the anger came back. “She’s marrying Mr. Carter. Ain’t that a bitch? She called to tell me that.” Tasha gasped and he laughed humorlessly. “Your reaction is more fitting than mine, I guess.”

“Why would she call with that?”

He shrugged. “She says we need to talk. That there’s more to the story than what I saw.”

Tasha rubbed his leg. “Maybe there is.”

He pushed her hand away. “I don’t want to hear a damn thing she has to say about that day. If my dad hadn’t seen them together, he wouldn’t have had the heart attack and died. As far as I’m concerned there’s nothing more to say.”

Tasha slapped his arm. “Stop it, Jared. Don’t push me away like I’m nothing. I know that we aren’t together, but what I gave you … what we did … was special. I’m just trying to be a friend. Don’t mistrust what I’m offering.”

He turned to look at her. Instead of feeling his usual annoyance when a woman said what they had was special, he felt something click inside of him. Like a switch shining a light on the truth of what she said. What they’d done was pretty damn incredible. The best he’d ever had. And for her it was life changing. It couldn’t be described as anything but special.

Warning bells rang in his head. He couldn’t be falling for her, that was impossible, but maybe he did trust her a little. Or maybe the great sex was turning his brain into mush. But she was right. What was between them wasn’t like anything he’d had with the other women he’d slept with. She wasn’t out to trap him or his money. If anything, Tasha was the most honest female he knew. Even Cassandra was shady when it came to getting hers. But not Tasha. He’d never seen her lie to anyone; she was always up front even if it wasn’t what you wanted to hear. But she was also compassionate, loving, and trusting. Why in the hell had she chosen him to take her virginity?

He reached over and brushed the hair from her face. He ran his fingers through the silky curls before cupping the back of her head and pulling her forward to kiss her softly. “Thank you for listening.”

Her eyes softened. “It’s the least I could do.”

His gaze traveled to the swell of her breasts above the sheet. “Is it?” Now that he’d poured the equivalent of his heart out to her, his mind easily transitioned to other things. He still wanted the distraction her body promised.

She slid away. “Hold up, cowboy. I don’t think my body can handle any more.”

“Are you hurting?”

Dark lashes lowered over her eyes as she looked away. “A little sore.”

He stood and brushed his hand across her cheek. “Fill up the tub and take a bath.”

She grabbed her stomach. “I’m starving. A shower makes more sense.”

“Take a bath and I’ll run out for something to eat. You soak and when you’re done, I’ll have food ready. After we eat, we’ll go out and do some sightseeing. It’s your birthday, so I’m willing to do whatever you want to do.”

She smiled at him, her light brown eyes shining. “Thanks for making my birthday special even when you’re hurting.”

An unfamiliar tightening in his chest made him back up. He had to get out of here before he had a warm and fuzzy moment. Snatching his keys off the nightstand he turned to the door before tossing them back on the bed. “I’ll run to one of the bakeries around the corner. When I get back you’d better be in the tub.” He said over his shoulder as he walked out the door.

“Why were you a twenty-nine-year-old virgin?”

Tasha froze mid-step. They’d spent what was left of the morning exploring the sites in downtown Charleston and were walking back to his car after ending the day on the Isle of Palms. He’d still been upset about his mother’s call, so she’d made an effort to keep his mind off of things. True to his promise, he didn’t complain as she’d dragged him through the old slave market, into the various shops and around the College of Charleston campus.

Surprisingly, he’d opened up about his childhood memories of hunting and fishing with his brother and father. Though he’d tried to appear relaxed, his tense shoulders and compressed lips proved he was in pain. She’d quickly changed the subject to the joys and pains of growing up under her father’s strict rule.

A breeze blew her hair into her face and she pushed it away. She would have preferred to put it in a ponytail, but he’d asked her to keep it loose. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t stutter. Why were you still a virgin?”

She laughed and started walking again. “Religious beliefs.”

He snorted. “Come on, Tasha. Give me more than that.”

She sighed. “I’m serious. I grew up with my parents telling me it was a sin to sleep with someone before you were married. My dad preaches about it as much at home as he does in church. As I got older and realized there were a lot of people sinning, my parents scared us on the consequences of sex, like disease and pregnancy.”

“You can prevent both,” he said.

“Says the man with a lifetime supply of condoms,” she said gently bumping him with her shoulder. “Yes, I know that. For a while it was fun to be the virgin.” He looked at her skeptically and she giggled. “I know it sounds silly, but it was. I was different from the other girls. Guys treated me differently. They respected me more. Plus, I was into the same things they were, working out and sports. It was fun. But as I got older, guys’ attitudes changed. They either looked at me as a challenge or undateable. The last guy I dated actually told me I was nice, but if we weren’t having sex then we should just end it.”

He took her hand and steered her out of the way of another couple going toward the beach on the path. He didn’t release her hand after. “I still don’t understand why you asked your favor.”

She shrugged. “I could have met my husband ten men ago, but maybe he was scared away because I was a virgin looking for marriage. I’m tired of the pressure to save myself for a man who might not be willing to wait.”