Dismissing them from his mind, Russell turned his attention back to Tamara. For the first time the entire evening, she was actually standing alone. She seemed to have lost her admirers somewhere along the way. Well, she wasn’t going to be that way for long. Russell walked over to her side, his gaze very intent on his prey.
Tamara, unlike him, hadn’t been paying attention to his every move, apparently, because she jumped when he lightly touched her arm and spun around. “Oh. It’s just you.”
Just
! Russell didn’t like the sound of that at all. “Having fun?”
Tamara rolled her eyes and turned so she was facing toward the open garden doors and away from him. “Oh yeah. Loads. Can’t you tell? I’m partying like it’s 1999, cowboy style.” Sarcasm dripped from every word.
Russell was not amused. “Is that supposed to be a good thing?”
“Yes,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “That is if you take out the whole Y2K fear. That part was pretty much of a downer.”
“Can you look at me when you’re talking to me?” He didn’t know why it bugged him. He just knew that it did.
“I can; I just choose not to.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t like you right now.”
He was as far away from like as he could get, but still, he didn’t want to be ignored. Her little act of rebellion was just pissing him off more and more. And as bad as Tamara might think she was, she was no match for him. Not at all.
“The feeling is pretty mutual.”
That got her attention. Turning to him, Tamara crossed her arms over her bountiful breasts and raised a finely arched brow. “Then keep on stepping. No one asked you to come make nice with me.”
“I’m just checking up on you, like I promised Charlotte.” Okay, promised was a bit strong of a word, and he didn’t exactly say it to Charlotte as he said it himself as he watched Tamara slip into Christian’s car.
“Why would you promise her that?”
“It seemed like the gentlemanly thing to do since you were going off with a man you hardly know to a party filled with people you don’t know.”
“And what on earth would you know about being gentlemanly?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
She sighed heavily and dropped her arms back to her side. “Nothing. Just move on and let me enjoy myself.”
“Right, because I can tell that’s what you’ve been doing since you got here.”
“Been watching me?”
Caught
. Regrouping he reminded her, “I told you, I was keeping an eye on you for Charlotte.”
“I don’t need a babysitter. I’m on a date.”
“Date?” Russell felt a tic beginning to twitch on his face. “Is that what you call this?”
“No, what I call this is none of your business.” She narrowed her eyes and poked a finger in his chest. “Look, why don’t you do us both a favor and go away? I bet if you close your eyes and give me five seconds to hide, you won’t even notice I’m here. It’ll be just like
Where’s Waldo
. You can stay on your side of the room, and I’ll stay on mine.”
“What you do
is
my business.”
“Since when?”
“Since the night I fucked you.”
“Sorry.” She gave him a blank look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t, do you?” His left eye began to twitch.
“Nope, sorry.”
“You’re going to be sorry all right.” Unable to help himself any longer, Russell took her upper arm in hand and pulled her out the garden doors. He had expected a bit of a fight, and although she definitely wasn’t going with him willingly, she didn’t cause a scene. She walked along with him, even smiling at the other party guests they passed. Once they were outside and away from witnesses, though, things swiftly changed.
“Let me go.”
“When I’m good and ready.”
“You’re good and ready now,” she said, tugging on her arm. Her movements were in vain, though, because as he told her several times previously, he was bigger and stronger than she was.
After a few unsuccessful tries on her part, she gave up, but not without letting out a long-suffering sigh beforehand, though. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere we can have privacy.”
“We don’t need privacy,” she muttered as she stomped alongside him. “The only thing we need is a two-by-four so I can smack you upside the head.”
“Right.” Russell stopped outside another set of French doors and tested the handle. When it turned, he smiled for the first time tonight. Finally, something was going his way. “In here.”
“Where are we?”
Russell felt along the wall until he felt a light switch to flip. It only took a few seconds before he found and turned it on, bathing the room in a soft, ambient light. The leather furniture and massive desk could only mean one thing. “The study.”
“Great. There should be something in here I can hit you with.”
“If anyone gets hit tonight, sweetheart, I assure you, it won’t be me.” Russell locked the door behind him and released her, satisfied that she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. There were only two doors into the room, one was at his back, and the other was across the room. Either way, Tamara had to go through him.
“You’re a bully.”
“And you’re a brat.” One he wanted to throw over his shoulder and take to bed at this very moment.
“If you don’t like me, if you think I’m a brat, why the hell are you going out of your way to talk to me?”
“Because you infuriate me.”
She furrowed her brow. “That makes absolutely no sense.”
“It doesn’t have to.” He wasn’t like those guys on television who wanted to talk about their feelings. In fact, he didn’t want to even admit he had feelings, let alone analyze them.
“You’re such a…guy.”
What the fuck was that supposed to mean
? “Is that supposed to be an insult?”
“No, what’s insulting is you telling me about your date three seconds after you get out of my bed.”
“It’s not a date.”
“Sure looks like one from where I’m standing.”
“Then take a few steps to the left and rub your eyes, sweetheart, because you’re seeing things.”
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter.” She made a move to grab the handle, but he pushed her hand away, much to her obvious annoyance. “Damn it, move.” Tamara spun around and shoved her hands against his chest, pushing him back a few steps.
“If it doesn’t matter, then why are you so upset?” He wasn’t going to let this go. He was going to push and push until he got an answer that held even the slightest hint of truth.
“I’m upset with myself for sleeping with you, if you must know!” she yelled.
Her answer set him back a second. It didn’t make any sense, but he could tell she was being real with him. “Why?”
“Because it was a stupid thing to do. You’d think by now that I’d know better than to jump in bed with a man just because I like his looks.”
“That’s not the only reason you slept with me.” Russell didn’t like that she was comparing him to other men she’d bedded. He was nothing like them.
“Really? Because I can’t think of another.” She placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. “Let’s not kid each other, Russell. The two of us have nothing in common.”
“Except for the mad chemistry we feel for one another.”
“Chemistry is just chemistry.” Her voice was filled with exasperation. She shook her head slowly as if he was dim and dropped her arm back to her side. “Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Why are you here?”
Tamara gave him a pointed look. “Because
you
dragged me in here.” He could hear the word “Duh,” even though it wasn’t said.
She was missing his point on purpose. Of that he was sure. “No. This party. Why are you here?”
“Because I was invited.”
Russell took a step forward. “Not good enough.” The air around them vibrated with tension. They were both strong-willed people, and Russell knew that on this, neither would back down. Instead of irritating him, it intrigued him. What was it about this woman that made him want to spank and kiss her equally? “Why, Tamara?”
“What did I just say?”
“It doesn’t make sense.”
“It doesn’t have to.”
He took another step closer. “For me, it does.”
“Everything isn’t about you.”
“True, but this is.” Russell stopped a hairsbreadth away from her.
She was trapped between him and the door, with very little space between, either. Tamara looked less than thrilled about that, but Russell absolutely loved it. He had her where he wanted her. In his grasp. “I’m not going to let you intimidate me.”
“I don’t want you to.”
“Then what the hell do you want?”
“You.” Russell moved in for the kill as he covered her mouth with his, silencing her once and for all.
Chapter Eight
Tamara was a lot of things, but stupid wasn’t one of them. Even though she was mad enough to do Russell some serious bodily harm, she couldn’t resist the feel of him against her once more. This entire party up to this moment had been one big mistake in the making, but now that she was back in his arms, she was fine. This was where she was supposed to be, whether she liked it or not.
With a deep groan, Russell broke the kiss and nudged her to the side a few steps, then backward so she was parallel with the wall and not the door. When the flat of her back touched the solid surface, Tamara moved her hands up between them and pushed him back a bit, but not away, then turned her hand until she was holding onto his lapel. “I still don’t like you.”
“Dislike me all you want, just don’t tell me to stop.”
“I’m pissed off, not crazy.”
“Pissed off. I can work with that.”
As could she. Anger with one another didn’t stop their bodies from responding to mutual desire. The lower half of his body was still pressed against her, and she could feel the outline of his cock. And she could feel the moisture gathering between her folds. Had felt it since he’d strong-armed her from the ballroom, in fact. Something he’d soon discover for himself.
He dropped to his knees before her and slowly began to raise the bottom of her dress, all the while keeping his gaze firmly locked on hers. As sexy as he looked peering up at her, it was taking way too long to get to the good part. Reaching down, Tamara grabbed her dress and tugged it from his grasp and up to her waist. They didn’t have time for sweet, soft, romance-type shit. Any second they could be discovered, and if she was getting kicked out of a charity ball, it was going to be for a hell of a lot more than because a boy was looking up her skirt.
Instead of commenting, Russell merely raised a brow before he lowered his gaze to view what her black dress had been covering. Which wasn’t much. The black thigh-high stockings were held up by black garters that matched the lace thong panties she wasn’t wearing.
“Hmm…bare.” He reached out and brushed the back of his fingers against her slick nether lips.
“Yes.” Freshly bikini-waxed and trimmed just for this evening, not that she’d admit anything, even at gunpoint.
“For him”—his eyes blazed with sudden anger—“or for me?”
Another question she wouldn’t answer honestly at gunpoint. “For me.”
“Right.” Not that it mattered, because from the sudden smirk he sent her, he didn’t believe her anyway. “You just keep on telling yourself that.”
Before she could come back with a witty comment, he grasped her right leg, moved it over his shoulder, and moved between her parted legs. “What are you doing?”
“If you have to ask, I’ll have to do some serious recon on your sexual education. Now shh…I’m busy.”
Man, was he. Russell parted her folds and ran first his finger, then his tongue over her clit.
“Good Lord.” Closing her eyes, Tamara entangled her hands in his hair and pressed her back into the wall, needing something solid to hold her up.
A novice he wasn’t. Russell knew exactly what to do with a pussy. He lapped himself to gold in her book with his very talented tongue. His mouth teased and tormented her heated flesh. And as if his lips weren’t enough, he soon added his fingers to the drive-Tamara-crazy game, plunging them into her depths as he feasted on her.
It only took a few seconds before she was flying, and if it wasn’t for the grip he had on her, she was sure her orgasm would have taken her off the ground. Breathing heavily, she released her grip on his hair and dropped her arms to her sides. Damn, the man was good.
But he also wasn’t done. Moving quickly, Russell spun her around until she was facing the wall, and pulled up her dress. “Open your legs,” he ordered roughly.
“Bu—”
“Now.” Tamara rushed to obey. His terse tone brooked no argument, and Lord knew, she didn’t want him to stop for anything in the world. So not only did she open her legs, she stuck out her bottom, giving him greater access to any and everything he might have desired. “Perfect.”
The crisp sound of foil ripping was the only noise in the otherwise quiet room. Her lust-clouded mind welcomed the sound of sanity. At least one of them was able to think about the ramifications of their actions. Tamara knew without a doubt that if he had pushed inside her bareback, she wouldn’t have said a word, which was wrong, so very wrong. Common sense just fell to the wayside when he was around.
Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea. Here she was in some stranger’s house about to get her freak on with a guy who was dating the sister of the man who had brought her. Talk about fucked up. Maybe she should call this of—The thought held no weight against the feeling of his cock brushing against her pussy lips.
Fuck those people
, her body urged as she steadied her stance and prepared for his plunge.
“Ready?”
Was she ever. “Ye—”
The word didn’t even have the opportunity to make its way into light, before a sharp hiss fled her lips as he held her hips in his hands and thrust deep inside her. The vigorous stroke caused her breath to halt for a good second or two, as her slick pussy stretched around his thick cock. Though it had only been a few days since he’d been buried within her, it felt much, much longer.
God, the feeling of him inside her was beyond words. Try as she might, she couldn’t describe how good, how strong, how delicious his cock was. The only thought running through her mind was, “More.” She wanted more. And she wanted it now.
“Fuck me,” she pleaded as she arched her back to allow him even deeper penetration.
He took her at her word, plowing into her pussy. Every stroke was made as if to imprint his claim on her.
He leaned forward and spoke. His voice was hoarse and as rough as his thrusting. “You think pretty boy could give this to you?”
Was he kidding
? Tamara didn’t even know he was able to give this to her. She’d never been with a man so intense, so virile, in her life. “No.”
“Who can?” When she didn’t answer quickly enough, he took a hand off her hip and tangled it in her hair, pulling her head back toward him. “Who?”
“You, damn it. Just you.” He felt so fucking good inside her, she’d risk the wrath of the gods for just one more stroke of his hard, thick cock.
“Fuck, yeah.” He drove home his point as he drove home his hips.
She pressed her hands into the wall to cushion her body from the steady increase of his pistoning hips, as well as a leverage to keep her afloat. Her legs trembled, her back ached, but she wouldn’t have changed any of it for the world.
Though she could hear voices out in the garden, she ignored everything except him. The feeling of his breath on her neck, his hand gripping her hip, his cock tunneling inside her.
“Fuck…ohh…” Tamara pushed back, meeting him thrust for thrust. “Yes. Yes.”
“Hmm…do you feel that, baby?” His hips bumped faster and faster against her, pushing Tamara into the wall with every plunge. “Your sweet pussy is squeezing my cock so hard.” He reached around and slipped his hands between her thighs, brushing her aching clit with the pad of his thumb. The fleeting sensation had her clenching down even tighter around him. “Damn, baby, it’s like an inferno inside you.”
“Ohhh…” Tamara didn’t know that was what she needed until he did it, but it felt so fucking right. “Please, please. So close.”
“Don’t worry. You’re going to come.” He feverishly worked his thumb back and forth over her sensitive bud. “Right now. Come for me, Tamara. Flood my cock with your sweet juices.”
Yes, yes, yes
. She chanted the words silently as her body fought to do his bidding and reach that pinnacle. As close as she was, it wasn’t enough. Then he stopped rubbing and pinched her clit hard, zooming her past close and straight to the finishing line.
It took everything out of Tamara not to scream his name as she came. Clenching her fingers closed, she bit down on her bottom lip as she trembled with her release. Despite how hard she tried, tiny moans drifted past her parched lips. But her muted sounds were nothing compared to the deep growl Russell made as he powered on. She could hear him choking back a groan seconds before he leaned forward and sank his teeth into her nape. The sharp pain was nothing compared to the overwhelming sensation of pleasure that washed over her as he gripped her tightly and came.
His groans were muffled against her skin as he leaned heavily against her, resting his shaking form against her back. Their heavy breathing was the only sound in the room for a few stark moments. Russell finally stepped back, pulling out of her body and leaving her oddly bereft at the loss. Her dress fell back into place, and she could hear him behind her adjusting his own clothing. Tamara turned slowly, using the wall for support.
“That was—”
“The best.” He finished her sentence for her, and she couldn’t disagree, even though she hadn’t been about to say that. “Now you’re coming back with me to Charlotte and Ty’s.”
Whoa! It was good and all, but she wasn’t about to just up and bail on Christian like that. “No, I can’t. I came with Christian, and he should be the one to take me home.”
“You came with me as well.”
Egotistical bastard. “You know what I mean.”
“You’re telling me you can fuck me while you’re on a date with another man, but you can’t ride back with me?”
“Exactly what I’m saying.” She rolled her eyes as she moved away from the door. “I’ll see you when I get back to their house.”
“You mean you’ll see me on the ride back to their house.”
“I mean what I said.” She spun around to face him once more. “I’m going home with Christian.”
“And I mean what I’m saying. If you take one step out that door, without me at your side, I’m going to toss you over my shoulder and take you to my car. Even if it means storming through the party to do it.”
“You…wouldn’t. Hell, you couldn’t.” There was no way he could pick her up, let alone carry her across the house.
“Try me, Tamara.”
Well, hell, he should have just said, “I dare you.” Eyes narrowing, Tamara made a grand show of turning around and opening the doors. She glanced back over her shoulder at him, and gave a little snort, before turning back around and taking a single step.
And that’s all it was, a single step, because Russell moved right behind her and swooped her up. One second Tamara was looking at the great outdoors, the next she was looking at his ass as he hauled her across the lawn, back the way they came to the ballroom.
“Russell,” she shrieked, holding onto his dinner jacket for all she was worth. She wanted to be put down, but she didn’t want to fall.
Loud gasps filled her ears as he strolled through a set of French doors, back into the ballroom where they had previously been. Shocked voices were mingled with sharp laughter as he walked through the room, her over his shoulder as he said he would. Embarrassed beyond belief, Tamara closed her eyes, and held on for dear life. “What are you doing?” she bit out through clenched teeth.
“Proving my point.”
“What, that you’re big and bad?”
“No”—he landed a sharp slap on her upturned behind—“that I can handle you.”
For the first time, in a long time, Tamara had to eat her own words. And she didn’t like the taste of them one bit.
Russell had been prepared for a heavyweight championship battle to get Tamara in the car. But to his surprise, the second he set her right, she silently wrenched open the car door and huffily sat down in the seat, pulling the door closed behind her.
If she didn’t want to talk, that was just fine with him. They could save the argument for the house, and there was going to be an argument. And possibly a throttling as well. Oh yeah, this night would not end for the two of them until they came to an understanding of sorts. Mainly one that consisted of her calming the fuck down and admitting to him why she went on a date with that pansy. He had an excuse, unlike her, who did it out of spite.
It better have been spite, because if it was anything remotely resembling like, she was in a world of trouble. There was no way in hell he was going to let her go from his bed to Christian’s. No way in hell.
The drive from the Malt’s to Ty’s took long enough for Russell to plan how he was going to kill Christian and punish Tamara, but not long enough for him to figure out where he was going to bury the body. The car barely came to a stop before she opened the door and got out, slamming it shut behind her. Russell was right on her heels, though. They were going to have this out tonight, even if it meant he had to hog-tie her ass down to do it.
Without bothering to lock the car, Russell hurried up the driveway, then the stairs of the porch, before storming into the house. In her haste to get away from him, Tamara left the front door open, which gave him the opportunity to catch the tail end of the conversation between her and a pajama-clad Charlotte, who wore a look of surprise on her face. Somehow, he was willing to bet this wasn’t how she imagined the night ending. Good. Maybe that would teach her to interfere in his and Tamara’s relationship.
“—is crazy.” Anger poured from her voice in waves.
“I know you’re not referring to me,” he said as he slammed the front door and jumped, feet first, into the fight.
“The hell I’m not.” For the first time since he carried her from the party Tamara spoke to him. Although spoke wasn’t a strong enough word. It was more like yelled, which was fine with him. He was in the perfect mood for yelling.
“I’m crazy? What do you call showing up to a party—”
“With the brother of the woman you’re dating?” she interjected with cold sarcasm.
“I’m not dating her!” What would he have to do to get that through her thick skull?
“Right.” Her disbelief filled her words and her body language. “Excuse me. You’re just fucking her.”
“Not anymore.”
The corner of Tamara’s mouth twisted with exasperation. She didn’t have to say she didn’t believe him, it was written all over her face. “Since when?”
“Since the first night I fucked you.”