Chapter 1
I started to slowly come out of a deep sleep, my eyes opening just a crack
before snapping shut again. They were open long enough for me to know it was
still dark outside. That’s when I rolled on my back and it registered in my
thick skull that there was a warm body in bed with me.
I sighed slightly as a comforting feeling washed over me. I knew who was
next to me and I knew I wanted him there. I’ve slept better in the last two
weeks then almost my entire life, certainly better than anything within the last
two years.
There was movement and I turned my head in time to watch him roll over in
his sleep. Deciding I need a better view, I rolled to my side, tucking one hand
above my head and the other under my chin, and faced him. I studied his large
silhouette and what features I could make out in the ashy darkness of the room.
He was handsome; there was no doubt about that. He was also big and strong. You
didn’t want to cross his path and be on his bad side.
But I also knew him to be gentle and caring. It was a recent discovery and
something I cherished. I got the feeling not many people ever saw that side of
him.
As I watched the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest, my mind started to
dream up certain…situations…about him and me. Some were normal everyday things.
What it would it be like to go to the movies together? Or, to go grocery
shopping one night and pick up little things like eggs, bread, and milk. I
wondered how he sorted his laundry and how he put toilet paper on the roll,
over or under?
Most of all, I wanted to know why he started to spend so much time with me.
It began innocently enough about two weeks ago.
I was doing a distraction job that, to everyone’s surprise, went off without
a hitch. The skip was cuffed and thrown in the back of the Bronco for Bobby and
Lester to haul off to the station. I waited for my ride home.
“Bombshell, you need a lift?” Lester yelled from across the parking lot of
the Shimmy Club.
I opened my mouth to reply when deep voice boomed from behind me. “I’ll take
her. You guys go get him processed.”
Lester nodded. “Later, man.” I waved and watched as the Bronco pulled out
into traffic.
Turning to my driver, I smiled and then headed towards his Bronco. Once on
our way, my attention was focused on looking out the window when suddenly there
was an uneasy feeling inside the truck.
“What is it, Tank?”
His eyes slid over to look at me for a split second before focusing back on
the road. “Am I taking you home?”
I smiled, feeling a little more relaxed now. “Yeah. Got no where else to be.” He nodded but said nothing.
It was quiet in the car for the next few minutes and I went back to watching
out the window. When he finally spoke again, I was startled.
“You want to get something to eat?” He took another quick look at me.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”
“That’s ok, just lost in my thoughts. You said something about food?”
A deep chuckled erupted from him. “Yeah. Pino’s?”
“Oh Tank, you know the way to a girls heart.”
It was dark in the truck, but I did notice that
his smile faded for a second, but he quickly recovered. “That’s what all the
ladies say.”
****************************************
We sat in the last booth, of course, with Tank’s back against the wall…of
course. I was munching on my pizza when Tank reached for his fourth piece.
“I’m surprised.”
He looked at me while taking a big bite in his mouth, nodding to get me
to continue.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I didn’t think you’d eat this stuff.”
It was his turn to shrug as he swallowed. “I try to eat right, but I also
like junk food as much as the next person. I’m not as strict as Ranger.”
The minute he said Ranger’s name, we both stopped moving and our eyes met.
Finally, I swallowed the pizza I had in my mouth. “It’s ok, Tank. You can
say his name.”
He dropped his pizza on his plate and wiped his hands and mouth with a
napkin. When he spoke, it was soft, almost a whisper. “What happened?”
I dropped my pizza also and my eyes focused on my plate. A few beats went by
while I struggled with whether or not to tell him.
When I looked up at him, I met a very serious stare. I narrowed my eyes and
cocked my head to the side. “You really want to know?”
He nodded once.
I sighed. “We made a deal. He helps me with a skip and I sleep with him.” Tank’s
face suddenly looked angry. I held up a hand. “But, I was engaged, well sort
of, at the time. I had a wedding dress. To me that’s pretty darn close to a
commitment. Anyway, I told him no.”
Tank’s face relaxed. He nodded for me to go on.
“Then Morelli and I broke up…called it
off…whatever. Ranger pays me a visit one night and collects on his deal.” The
tension was back in Tank’s face. “Afterward he tells me that we don’t owe each
other for what we give, nothing financially and nothing emotionally. Then he
tells me he doesn’t do relationships and to go back to Morelli.”
Tank didn’t say anything, just narrowed his eyes and looked very skeptical.
I tried to wait him out, but it was no good. I told him the rest.
“He also said that if Morelli took too long, he’d
be back in my bed.”
“And what do you think of that?”
I pushed my plate away from me and laid my forearms on the table, leaning in
to make my point. “I think, no one is in my bed unless
I want them there. I also think Batman is out of luck for any next time.”
“What about Morelli?”
A very distinct feeling started to gnaw away at my gut and it was telling me
that this was not a casual question.
I sat back against the booth. “He can’t take me the way I am, and I can’t
change myself for him.”
Tank raised his eyebrows in a silent question.
“It means,” I said with a sigh, “that we are friends. That’s all.”
His face went completely blank and he nodded. What is with these guys and
non-verbal communication?
“Ready?”
My body sagged in the booth, unexpectedly tired. “Yeah.
Take me home.”
“You got it, Bombshell.”
************************************************
Tank pulled into my lot and I went for the door handle. “Thanks, Tank, for
everything. The job, the food, and the friendly ear.”
He smiled a brilliant smile. “No problem. I’ll walk you up.”
Who was I to say no? If he wanted to check my place for loonies, more power
to him. I’m not going to stand in his way. Let someone else find the dead
bodies, or whatever might be waiting for me up there, for once.
I waited in the hall as he did a quick search. He came out after only two
minutes. “Nothing but a hamster running in his wheel.”
“Rex,” I sighed dreamily, “the man of my dreams.”
Tank laughed, but looked sad. “You should get some better dreams, Steph.”
I shrugged and we both stood in the hall not saying anything. The silence
quickly became uncomfortable.
“So,” I started, as I moved around him to get inside my apartment.
“Yeah,” he responded, but didn’t move.
I may not be the brightest bulb in the house, but I know when someone
doesn’t want to leave. “You want to come in? I was just going to get in some
sweats and lay around watching Ghostbusters. You’re welcome to join me.” He
smiled big and made his way inside.
We were about half way through the movie when I could feel him staring at
me. I was curled up at one end of the couch, sort of half sitting, half laying.
I shifted around so I could look at him; waiting for him to say whatever was on
his mind.
“Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Letting me hang out with you tonight.”
“No problem. Why did you want to?” Hey, he asked me a personal question
at dinner.
He looked away from me. “It was that obvious, huh?”
I kept quiet, but smiled. He caught on that I wasn’t letting him off the
hook.
“Tonight is the fifth anniversary of the death of my girlfriend and my
daughter. They were hit by a drunk driver and killed.”
I gasped. I had no idea what to say.
“It’s ok, Steph. I just didn’t want to be alone.”
“I’m so sorry.”
He gave me a wiry smile. “Thanks. It’s been five years, but it’s still hard
on the anniversary. It’s not something you ever get over, or even move past.
You just sort of carry it along with you and you just learn to get through each
day.”
“You want to talk about it?”
“Nah, just glad to have the company. Let’s finish
the movie.”
I settled back in but it wasn’t long before I was asleep. The next thing I
knew, I was being tucked into bed.
“Sorry.” I yawned.
A hand stroked my hair. “It’s ok. You sleep. I’ll see you later.”
My eyes flew open. “You’re leaving?”
He stopped by the bedroom door, but didn’t turn around. “Yeah.”
“Oh, well, you don’t have to. You said you didn’t want to be alone and well,
I could stand to not wake up by myself for once.” I could tell he tensed.
“Relax, Tank. Sleep out on the couch, or hell, in here with me. It doesn’t
matter.” He didn’t say anything, didn’t even move. “Well, it’s up to you. I’m
beat so I’m going back to sleep.”
I fluffed my pillow, then settled on my side,
burrowing into the covers. I tried to pretend like I was calm, but it suddenly
hit me that I just invited Tank into my bed. I held my breath and waited.
I strained to hear something, anything. I gasped when a weight settled on
the bed next to me.
“This is wrong.” He lifted from the bed.
“No, Tank. Wait.” I didn’t want him to leave. For the first night in a very
long time I hadn’t felt alone. “I don’t want to be alone either. Let’s just get
some sleep, ok?” I could feel that he was struggling with the idea. “Please,” I
finally whispered. He crawled onto the bed, but refused to get under the covers
with me.
Tank shifted in his sleep again and my thoughts were dragged back to the
present. I had to stifle a laugh. That first night he wouldn’t get under the
covers, now he carries a bag with a change of clothes and sleeps in his boxers.
Every night for the past two weeks, Tank would show up at my door around
I told him about The Dick. He told me about his daughter Ashley, and her
mother Rhonda. He even told me about how he first met Ranger and the guys. We
had become fast friends.
It wasn’t until two nights ago, when I woke up curled in his arms, that I
thought maybe there was something more.
He woke when I tried to wiggle free of his hold. “What’s wrong,” he asked in
a sleepy voice.
I wiggled some more. “Nothing.” That’s when I felt
him tense, and for a few heart-pounding moments, neither of us moved.
When he finally did, it was to pull me closer to him. “Did I tell you about
the skip I brought in yesterday with Bobby? Jose Zepeda?”
“No.”
“Oh you’ll love this,” he said and started to laugh.
For the next hour, after I relaxed, we held each other and talked. It was
amazing and so…so pressure free.
It was about the forth or fifth time one of us said it was time to get up
that I finally found the courage to ask him what I wanted to know.
“Tank?”
“Yeah?”
“Uh, do you want to…”
“Steph, I won’t take advantage of you. You’ve
been more than kind to me. You’ve been a great friend. I wouldn’t dream to ask
for anything more than that.” He let go of me. “Now, let’s get the day
started.”
I sighed heavy at the memories. They were so warm and fuzzy.
“Good morning,” came the deep voice next to me.
Opening my eyes again, I smiled. “Mornin’.
Although, I don’t count the middle of the night as morning.”
I felt him roll away from me. “It’s,” he said as he grabbed for his watch, “
“Not in my book, it’s not.”
He laughed and moved to face me. “I don’t think anything before
“Yeah? And?”
We both laughed, but eventually, an easy silence settled over us. I couldn’t
see very well, but I knew he hadn’t fallen back to sleep.
When he spoke again, his voice was soft and low. My heart began to pound. He
only said one word, but it said so much.
“Steph?”
Chapter 2
“Steph,”
he whispered, his eyes focusing on my mouth.
“Yeah?”
Tank slowly moved his head closer to mine, never losing focus
on his intended target. I licked my lips in anticipation. That seemed to have
him breathing a little harder.
Just when his lips were mere millimeters from mine, we heard
it, the unmistakable sound of my lock being picked. Before I could speak, Tank
was off the bed with a gun in his hand.
“What are you doing?” I whispered as I sat up in bed.
“Stay here,” he ordered.
“Tank, wait.” I got off the bed and approached him. “Only two
people break into my apartment in the middle of the night. I don’t have any
crazy after me.”
“You sure?” he asked in a deep soft rumble
“Well, yeah, for the most part. It’s either Ranger or Joe.”
He blinked. “Maybe you want to go out there before he comes
in here.”
“Why?”
His face went blank. “Because of what this looks like.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and whispered loudly, “What
does this look like?”
It looked like anger flared in his eyes. “Don’t use me,
Stephanie.”
My eyes narrowed. “Use you? Use you? For what? You think I want either of them…” I paused
as the horrible thought started to form. “You do. You think I want them to find
us together. You think I’d do that to prove, prove, prove some point?”
Tank didn’t respond, only stood there with his stoic
expression in place. I got in his face, poking him in the chest with my finger.
“Be ready to leave by the time I get him out of here.” I reached for the door
but his hand on mine stopped me from opening it.
“Let me make sure it’s one of them.”
I pushed his hand off. “No.” Then opened the door and stepped
into the living room. I came face to face with…
“Joe?”
“Whoa, Cupcake,” he said as he put his hands on my shoulders
to stop my forward momentum. “I didn’t expect you to get out of bed just for
me.”
I pushed him away and took several steps back, rolling my
eyes in the process. “Cut it out, Joe. What are you doing here? I don’t think
you have the right to break in anymore.” With careful steps I made my way
around him and headed toward the bathroom, hoping to draw his attention away
from my bedroom.
“Well,” he said to my back, “ordinarily I wouldn’t. But, I
came by because you have my league jersey. I have a game tonight and need to
ware it.”
I had just reached the bathroom when it occurred to me what
he said. Quickly, I spun around, but it was too late. He already had my bedroom
door open and one foot inside.
“Joe, wait.” He didn’t listen. I just held my breath and
waited. The seconds ticked by and there
was nothing but the sound of Joe digging in my closet.
“Jesus, Steph.
Don’t you ever clean out your closet?”
Cautiously, I walked into my bedroom, my eyes doing a quick
sweep. My eyes finally landed on Joe,
who was standing there with a handful of my clothes. “Do you know where it
might be?”
“What?” My eyes darted around the room again. Where the hell
did Tank go? I went over to the side of the bed and looked underneath.
“It’s under your bed?” Joe sounded frustrated. “Couldn’t you
take better care of it then that?”
There was nothing under the bed, not that Tank would have
fit, but I had to check. “No, there’s nothing under there.” Next I went to the
window. It was closed and locked. I did a sweep of the parking lot and all the
cars still seemed to be there. I turned
to face the room, placing my hands on my hips. “Well, what the hell?”
“Oh god.
Don’t tell me you threw it out the window?”
My eyes finally focused on Joe. “What?”
He dropped my clothes and a concerned look clouded his face.
“You ok?”
“What?” I waved him off. “Yeah.
I’m ok.” I walked over to my dresser and opened the bottom drawer, pulled out
his shirt, and then threw it to him. “That’s what you want?”
His smile was big. “Yeah!
Thanks.” He crossed the room and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Gotta go, Cupcake. See you later.” Then he was gone.
I went back over to the window and double checked that is was
locked. It was. I sighed knowing that if I didn’t know how Batman did it, I
probably wasn’t going to know how Boy Wonder did it either.
When I looked at the clock I groaned. It was almost
So why have I let Tank sleep in bed with me every night for
two weeks? Sure, it kept me from feeling
lonely, but what else? That question I found a little tougher to answer.
I woke the next morning to a bag of Boston Crèmes and a note
on my kitchen table.
Steph,
Sorry. Can you forgive
me?
T~
Call me if you need me
As it turned out, the rest of my day was crazy, but I never
got into any situation that warranted Tank's help. Toward the end of the day I
was desperate and tried to put myself into situations where I would need to
call him. Did it happen? No, of course not.
Not when I try. God help me if I wasn't
trying. I shudder to think what my day would have been like.
So I found myself standing outside my mother's house after
dinner with my cell phone in my hand. I honestly wasn't mad at him. Truth be
told, I wouldn't have kicked him out after Joe left. I'm half Italian,
I yell and say things, so sue me.
But I knew that if I called him just to talk the discussion
would lead to what happened this morning. Which means it would lead to what is
between us. I still didn't
have an answer for that. Part of the
problem was that I didn't know what Tank wanted.
For my part, I liked Tank. He had become a good friend. Am I
attracted to him? Hell, I'd have to be blind not to be. Most of all, he
tolerates my antics much like Ranger, with a smile and sometimes a sigh. He has
never put me down, not once. Not even when I got him shot. More importantly, he
never said he didn't do relationships. Actually, he seems to imply just the
opposite.
I heard my mother's front door open and when I looked over
she and Grandma were standing in the doorway. Guess it was time for me to leave
before the questions started. Giving a quick wave, I climbed into big blue and
headed towards home.
The minute I pulled into my lot I saw the Bronco. I knew who
it was, or should I say, wasn't. It
wasn't Ranger. I had a different feeling when he was around.
I turned off the car and sat
there, letting this new feeling seep into me.
I suddenly realized I now had a "Tank feeling"…and I liked it.
Chapter 3
We opened our car doors at exactly
the same time. Only, by the time I had
mine closed, Tank was already marching right for me. There was no bag in his hands, so I guess no
snack tonight.
Without warning, he stopped just short of reaching me.
“You mad? You never called me today?” The look on his face
was like he had an after thought. Like he just realized that he better ask.
I tried not to smile. I really did. It didn’t work. I shook
my head and looked down. Two black boots came into view. I took my time looking
up, appreciating just how snug his jeans were.
When my eyes finally met his, the look in his was nothing
short of lustful. My knees went weak and I lost the ability to speak.
“I thought about you today,” he said in a deep rumble as he
walked me back against the car. He had me pinned with his eyes. No part of his
body was touching mine, just his two hands on either side of my head, against
the roof of the car. I could feel the heat radiate off of him.
I managed to spit out a syllable. “Oh?”
A smile graced his gorgeous lips while his eyelids closed
half way. He looked fucking sexy as hell…and he knew it.
“Yeah.” He
leaned in, his breath smelling sweet like candy with a hint of lemon.
I swallowed. “Wha…”
I cleared my throat. “What were you thinking?”
He came at me until his lips gently brushed across mine.
“That we were interrupted this morning.” His tongue darted out to trace the
seam of my lips. “And what would have happened if we hadn’t been.”
That was it. I melted. God, I was so easy.
“Oh,” I sighed. “I thought about you, too.”
He stilled and waited. I sighed again and closed my eyes.
Might as well spill my guts right here.
“I tried to think of a reason to call you. I was on my way
back here after dinner at my mom’s to do just that.”
“You don’t need a reason to call me.”
I tensed. “Well, I didn’t know how to…what to…I didn’t…” I
gave up in frustration.
Tank gathered me in his arms for a hug and kissed me on the
top of my head. “Tell me, Steph.
Just say it. If nothing else, I thought we were friends.”
“That’s just it,” I mumbled into his chest. “Is that all we
are?”
I felt him sigh. “Is that all you want?” he asked.
And there it was. The point I didn’t want to come down to. I
was foolish enough to think I’d escape it. Although, I had one card left up my
sleeve.
“Is that all you want?”
He pushed me back and held me by the shoulders, then brought
his face in close to mine. “If we did what I want out here, we’d be arrested
for indecent exposure and performing a lewd act in a public place.”
My eyes went wide and my knees gave out. He pushed me back
against the car again to help keep me upright. Although, I got the impression
he’d rather have me horizontal.
“I…I…I don’t want to lose your friendship,” I sputtered.
He smiled softly and ran a gentle hand through my hair. I had
to wonder how such a large, strong man could be so gentle and caring.
“Steph,
the best relationships are the ones based on a strong friendship.”
“But it’s a risk.”
“Isn’t everything?”
“But…”
He cut me off. “But
nothing. I’m not him.” My mouth fell open; Tank just continued.
“I do relationships. I know how important it is to find someone
special and share life with them.”
My mouth was still hanging open and I tried to speak but was
silenced by Tanks tongue in my mouth.
The kiss was heaven. It was warm and wet and soft and…oh god he could
kiss. I melted into him and started to kiss him back with the same amount of
emotion he was putting into it.
Just as certain parts of me began to throb with pleasure, he
broke the kiss and pulled back.
“Upstairs?” he said softly between heavy breaths. All I could
do was nod.
Grabbing me by the hand, he led us into the building and onto
the elevator. It was late so all the seniors were in bed, the resident elevator
operator nowhere to be found.
Pushing the number two, we started to move, but seconds later
Tank hit stop. The elevator came to a halt and Tank backed me up against the
side.
“Wha…”
was all I had time to get out before Tank started kissing me again. Hell, I
wasn’t going to complain. His lips were
fine and I shivered at the thought of what else his tongue could do beside
invade my mouth.
His hands made their way around my back and up the inside of
my t-shirt, quickly unhooking my bra. I broke the kiss.
“Tank? Wait
until we get inside.”
“Take it off?”
“What? No. I’d have to take off my t-shirt.”
A perfectly sly smile spread across his face. “No you don’t.
I’ve seen woman take them off without having to remove their shirt. Take it
off.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes.. Pushing him back a little, I worked one strap down
and off, then the other. Finally pulling
the bra out through my sleeve. Tank immediately took the bra and
put it in his pants pocket. His eyes
were glued to my chest and it wasn’t hard to figured out exactly how turned on
I was.
Chapter 4
When Tank was done studying my chest, he looked at me with
questioning eyes. "Steph?"
"Yeah."
"I'm going to be honest with you. If you really don't
want this to happen, you need to tell me now. This isn't a game to
me." His look softened. "It's
not just sex. Not to me."
Talk about melting a girl's heart. What more could I want? I
gave him the most serious look I knew how. "You're worth the risk."
Now it was my turn to sport a sly smile. "So, if you're…"
He didn't let me finish.
Quickly, he pushed the button and got the elevator moving again. Then came straight at me, covering a lot of
ground with his mouth for such a short amount of time. He was just getting his hands busy when the
elevator stopped and the doors opened.
He stopped what he was doing and got us both out of the
elevator and on our way to my front door. I fumbled with the keys and they
dropped to the floor. As I went to pick them up, I heard the splintering of
wood.
I looked up to find that Tank had busted my door in.
"Tank!"
He smiled, but looked embarrassed. "I was in a
hurry."
"You could have picked the lock."
"That's overrated. I
wanted to show off a little." He gave me a toothy grin, then pulled me
inside and shut the door, well, the best he could anyway. His hands and lips were all over me before I
could even form my next thought.
"But…but…"
He stopped kissing my neck
just enough to talk. "I'll
get it fixed." He went back to work.
I moaned, but still wasn't done with this topic. "It's
not safe." My voice betrayed me. It was low and breathy. "Anyone
could come in."
That stopped him.
He backed away from me and pulled out his cell phone. He
flipped it open, punched a few buttons and started to talk. “I need someone
over to Steph’s to fix her door.” His gaze landed on
me. “No. Later.” His eyes wandered south. “Make it tomorrow…late.” He was
silent for a few beats. “After six.” His eyes met mine again. “Put someone on the
building. No one gets in.” Silence.
“No, not even him.” He paused again. “And
especially not him.”
Tank flipped the phone shut. “All set.”
I couldn’t tell if that was a question or a statement, but
from the look in his eyes, I guessed it didn’t really matter. He took several
steps toward me but stopped. He must have seen something in my eyes because he
was suddenly wary.
“Steph?”
My heart was pounding, but not from lust. I was about to
sleep with a man who could bust down my door.
He took a step forward. I took a step back, his physical build suddenly
overwhelming me.
His voice was very quiet, almost a whisper. “Steph?”
“I..I…”
“What happened? All I did was make a phone call.”
“Yeah, because you busted my door.” I motioned to the
offending piece of wood.
Before I could even drop my hand, he was in front of me,
pulling me into his embrace. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid male thing to do. God,
I didn’t want to scare you. I’d never hurt you. You know that, right?”
I relaxed into his embrace. “I know,” I mumbled into his
chest. It felt so good to be held by
him, so right. The only thing my brain could come up with is “this one does
relationships”.
He pushed me back slightly and kissed me. It was soft and
gentle. My arms slipped around his waist and he kissed a trail along my jaw, up
to my ear where he took my earlobe between his teeth. I turned my head
slightly, giving him better access to my neck and he took the hint. The kisses
started again, only this time they went down my neck and were mixed with licks.
When he reached the juncture where my neck and shoulder met, he bit down. I
moaned and arched my back, pressing myself against him.
That move also seems to shake loose another thought. “What’s
your name?”
“Hmm?” he said as his mouth made it’s way to the hallow of my neck. His tongue darted
out to lick me there and I gasped before repeating my question.
“What’s your name?”
His head came up so he could look at me. He had that half
lidded sexy look going with his eyes again. “My name?” he rumbled.
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, your
NAME. I’m sure you didn’t come out of the womb and your mother said ‘Call him
Tank’.”
“I was a large baby.”
I rolled my eyes again and threw in a sigh for good measure.
“I have no doubt about that, but still…”
All he did was smile…of course it
almost had me in a puddle on the floor.
“I can’t make love with someone who
won’t tell me their name.” HA! Take that Mr. Sexy Eyed Muscle Man.
His face cleared, but I could tell
he had turned serious. “Is that what it is between us, Steph?
Not just sex?”
I blushed. I hadn’t realized what I
implied when I said that. Shaking my head I said, “No, it’s not just sex.”
That earned me a huge smile. “Thomas
Green.”
“Thomas,” I whispered.
Our eyes were locked in a stare and
I watched as his smiled faded. I knew the time for talk was over. But then,
there wasn’t anything left to say.
Our kiss started out tender and
sweet, but it turned steamy in no time flat. His hands were suddenly
everywhere, but then I was doing my share of exploration too. I pulled his t-shirt out of his jeans and got
my hands on all that smooth skin.
Running my hands up his chest I let my thumbs brush over his nipples. He
moaned into my mouth.
Oh god, I made Tank moan. His shirt needed to come
off…with the rest of his clothes. My hands moved up until the landed on his
shoulders and I moved my arms to indicate I wanted his shirt off.
He broke our kiss and peeled off his shirt, tossing it to the
floor. Then he immediately went for the hem of my shirt. It was gone in an
instant. He stood there just looking at me for what seemed like hours. I put my
hands up around his neck while applying some pressure to get him to move. It
worked. He began to tease my nipples with his mouth, teeth and hands.
I stumbled backwards from the sheer pleasure of it. Hitting
the wall, I let my head fall back and I closed my eyes. I was so caught up in
the feelings of it all; I never even noticed he had my jeans and panties down
around my ankles.
“Step out of them,” he said, then put his mouth back on my
skin.
I did as he asked with my eyes still closed. Hell, he could tell me to do just about
anything right now and I would. His hands left me and I heard him struggling
with his jeans. I thought about helping, but by the time the instructions got
from my brain to my hands, my whole body was moving. My eyes flew open. Tank
was lifting me, sliding me up with my back against the wall.
“Legs.” His
voice was strained.
I didn’t need a PHD to figure out what he meant. My legs went
up and wrapped around his waist. He
pinned me to the wall with his hips. I gasped.
I could feel his hardness against my ass, some of his pre-cum
smearing against me as he moved into place.
In this position my head was a little higher than his. I
folded my arms around his neck and brought my forehead down to rest on his. I
slowly closed my eyes. Both of us were breathing heavy…and waiting. For what,
I’m not sure. It was like we both just realized, “Oh god, we’re about to…”.
I managed to say, “Condom.” I felt him tense.
“I’m fixed…”
I blinked.
“…and clean.”
Time stood still. I think Tank was even holding his breath.
He was waiting on me to decide.
Did I trust him? Without
a doubt. Would he lie to
me at a time like this? After all, he was a guy. But no, he wouldn’t.
I pulled my head back and looked deep into his eyes. What I
saw in them made my heart swell. I nodded.
Tank shifted his hips and the head of his erection was right
against my opening. I let my mouth curl into a wicked grin.
That’s all it took. In one slow move
he entered me. My breath caught in my throat. His head went back and his eyes closed, a look of sheer pleasure on
his face.
As he started to move, he brought
his head forward and his eyes locked with mine. His strokes were long and
deliberately slow.
“Jesus, this feels perfect,” he
whispered.
I started to answer, but my uh-huh turned into a moan as he
picked up the pace. I could feel my face and neck flush as I got closer to my
release. My muscles started to tighten and I knew I was right on the edge.
“Oh…oh…Tank!” And that was it.
I sailed over the edge, my orgasm washing over me. For several long, exquisite
seconds I hovered in that place that was light, like nothingness, yet so full
of feeling. Somewhere in the distance I heard Tank find his own release. He
slowed his movements until we were finally still, me up against the wall and
him still in me.
His whole body pressed me against
the wall and he laid his head on my shoulder. He moved his hips slightly and I
twitched. He did it again, this time letting out a smug male chuckle.
I laughed. “Stop that.”
He brought his head back to look at
me. “I don’t ever want to stop doing that with you.” He was serious now. “That
was the most…”
He didn’t get to finish because his
phone started to ring.
Chapter 5
Tank turned his head to look at his
ringing cell phone buried somewhere under a pile of clothes. I moaned slightly
as he moved to leave me. He gently set me on my feet and then turned and
started to dig for his phone. He visibly tensed when he looked at the caller ID
number on the screen. I had a feeling who
it might be and decided to make a hasty retreat into the shower.
As I closed the bathroom door, I
heard him say "Yo". That was enough of that conversation for my
taste. I started the water and let it
run for a while so it would get warm, then went to look at myself in the
mirror. Gently touching my face, I realized that I didn't look any different
after doing the horizontal bop with Tank. Well, more like the vertical bop I
guess.
My thoughts were interrupted when I
heard the doorknob jiggle. I jumped into the shower and pulled the curtain just
as the door opened. Tank was talking and it was obvious he was still on the
phone.
"I'm at Steph's
now." He pulled open the curtain and our eyes locked. Mine, of course were
wide with surprise. There was no doubt the person on the other end of the phone
could hear the shower running. "It'll be fixed…I broke it down…I was in a
hurry…That's private." He smiled at me for a second before his face went
blank. "She's fine…In the shower…I'm about to join her." His look turned angry. "First, she
doesn't belong to anyone. Second, you
had your chance and passed."
I really didn't want to hear anymore
of this conversation, so I put my soapy head under the spray, closed my eyes
and rinsed out my hair. It was a bit uncomfortable since I could feel Tank's
eyes on me, but it was better than listening. I may be nosy, but this
conversation between Tank and Ranger was not something I wanted to be a part
of. Sometime, right after I knew I was going to have sex with Tank, this exact
conversation floated in the back of my head. I pushed it away. I never thought
it would happen so soon. OK, so I didn't
WANT it to happen so soon.
I stepped out of the spray and
arched my back, taking my hands and running them over my hair to get rid of the
access water. So, maybe I was striking a pose. I didn't think Tank would
complain.
When I opened my eyes and turned to
face him, his look was hot. I guess my little demonstration had its intended
effect.
"What?" Tank said into the
phone. The hot look was gone. "You'd have to ask her that…I plan on being
here until she tells me to leave."
The angry look was back, but this time he left the bathroom and shut the
door behind him. Hmmm, wonder what that was about?
I soaped up quickly and then turned
off the water. Tank came back in as I was brushing my teeth. I spit in the
sink, rinsed my mouth and then turned to look at him. He no longer had the
phone.
"That's a shame," he said
motioning to the towel that I had wrapped around my body.
"What was that all about?"
I really am nosy. It's a trait I can't suppress.
He stepped to me and pulled me into
a hug. He was still naked. I couldn't help but think it must be nice to have
that kind of comfort level with your body.
"It was Ranger."
"I figured." I
slipped my hands around his waist and laid my head on his shoulder. "He angry?"
"Does he have a right to
be?"
I pulled back so I could look him in the eye.
"No, but he's still a friend. At least I hope."
I felt him sigh. "Steph, we'll always be your friends, even Ranger. He was
just a little surprised, that's all."
"He's surprised," I
snorted. I felt Tank chuckle.
"I guess we are all surprised.
It's not such a bad one, is it?" He pulled back slightly, then put a
finger under my chin and lifted my face. "Is it?" he whispered.
My heart swelled. This man was
amazing. How could he be so gentle and sweet one minute and so commanding the
next?
I shook my head and
smiled. "No. It's pretty great if you ask me." His smile lit my tiny
bathroom. Then in a flash, his look was predatory.
His voice was deep and husky when he spoke. "I was
thinking a nice playful shower would be fun, but…"
I raised both eyebrows. "But?"
Without answering my question he relieved me of my towel, then picked me up. My arms
automatically went around his neck. Moving quickly, he carried me into the
bedroom and laid me on the bed.
He stood there looking at, scanning me slowly from head to
toe. I suddenly felt very exposed. Just as I was about to roll over, taking the
covers with me, he made his move. He was on top of me, settle between my legs, before I could blink.
"But, I don't think playful is what we need right
now."
My voice cracked. "Oh?"
He shook his head. "I think
long, slow, love making is what we need right now." I started to tremble.
"And, I like to look at you. I hope that's not too embarrassing for you cause I don't think I can stop. Especially
when you're naked."
What could I say to all that? "I'm just not…" I was
stopped when Tank's lips landed hard on mine. After taking his fill with my
mouth, his lips made a trail to my ear.
His breath was hot on my skin. "No, Steph,
you are. You are to me."
"You," I gasped when his tongue traced my ear,
"you don't even know what I was going to say."
"Doesn't matter." He brought his head up to
look me in the eye. "There should never be a time where you start a
sentence with "I'm just not" when it has to do with what you are for
me. Never."
I started to blink wildly trying to hold back the tears.
"No one has ever said anything so beautiful to me before."
Tank's look
softened and he smiled. "It's about time someone did. I'm just glad I'm
the one who gets the chance to do it."
A tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. "Christ, Tank.
You get any more sweeter and
I'm going to go into a sugar coma."
His whole body rumbled with laughter, which did special
things to my hormones.
"Oh no, Sweetheart.
I can promise you, you'll be awake for this." He brushed the tears from my
face, then brought his lips
to meet mine.
The kiss started slow and gentle, his tongue tentatively
asking for entrance. I opened my mouth
and let him invade me. All thought and concerns about friends, lovers, Ranger,
all of it disappeared. The only thing that mattered right now was the two of
us.
His hands started to roam and so did mine. The fast
greediness we felt before was gone. Replacing it was something more, something
deeper, something that needed to be savored.
Rolling to the side, his hand found my center and began to
stroke. I moaned and arched with my hand finding his hardness. His mouth went
to my breast, where he licked, sucked and teased. Between his hand and mouth, I
suddenly felt like slow wasn't the right course of action.
As if reading my mind, Tank lifted his head and met my eyes.
"I need you on top. I need to watch you ride me." And with that, I found myself straddling him.
I leaned forward, letting my weight fall forward onto my hands on either side
of Tank's head.
"I think I can do that." I brought my knees in and
tucked them against his side and lifted my bottom up. I was more than ready to
have him inside me. I closed my eyes and started to lower myself onto his
throbbing shaft. Just as the tip of his erection slid home, his hands grabbed
my hips and stopped my downward thrust.
My eyes flew open is surprise. "What?"
I could see the strain on his face. Stopping me had not been
easy for him. One word came from between clenched teeth. "Slow."
A smile spread across my face. "Hey, if you like
torture, who am I to deny?"
His eyes went wide and I took the moment of surprise to
finish my descent. We both groaned as I
took him fully inside me. I clenched my
inner muscled around him and we both went completely still.
"Oh god," he breathed heavily. "Jesus, Steph…you feel…so…"
I clenched around him
again.
Tank let out a deep moan.
I knew what he was feeling. I was feeling it too. "Just
wait," I said between breaths, "you ain't
felt nothing yet." I started to move…slowly.
I kissed him as I kept my body level with his. His hands made
their way to my breasts, caressing them.
I pumped, but in a rhythm that never stayed the same for very long. I
was driving him crazy. Hell, I was driving me crazy.
The tingling in my feet started and I knew it wouldn't be
long for me. Breaking the kiss, I pushed
up and off the bed, which had him deeper inside me. I gasped and was still for
a second, then started my slow pace again.
"Hold your hair up."
"Huh?" I had been concentrating on the building
feeling inside of me.
"Hold your hair up. Put your arms up."
I did as he requested. My chest went forward right into his
waiting hands. I began to move faster
and small noises escaped from my throat. I felt one of Tank's hands move down
my stomach, to the juncture of my thigh, then to my clit. The slight pressure was all it took. I
exploded. My hands fell from my head and grabbed onto his legs as the intense
orgasm washed over me. I could feel his hands at my hips.
"Stay with me." His voice was strained and as I
came down from such and incredible high, I still met him stroke for
stroke. When he finally came, it was
with a loud roar and several hard thrusts.
Chapter 6
We lay quietly side by side. Tank was on his back and I was on my side with
my head resting on his shoulder. He was gently trailing a hand up and down my
back, over and over. It was sort of hypnotic. I was just on the verge of
drifting off when a thought struck me.
"What did Ranger say on the phone?" Ok, so I wasn't going to ask,
but my curiosity got the better of me.
Tank slightly stiffened. "You heard."
"I heard most, not all. You left and closed the door at one point. I
think it was after you told him you were going to join me in the shower and you
weren't leaving until I asked you to. Is that true?"
"I said all those things. You don't believe me?"
"No. I mean yes." I realized I switched topics, but couldn't he
keep up? "I mean about not leaving."
He went completely still. If my head hadn't been on his chest I would swear
even his heart stopped beating. There was a long pause, then finally.
"Yes." We lay quiet again for several minutes. "Do you want me
to go ?"
That was the question of the hour. Did I? The answer came to me quickly and
I wasn't at all surprised by it. "No, I don't." It was my turn to
pause. "Do you want to?"
"No Steph, I don't. But, should I?" he
whispered, voice serious.
I let his answer roll around in my brain for a bit while I decided how I
felt about that. "Good and no," I finally said with a smile.
The hand that was stroking my back moved lower until his was caressing my
behind. "Good," he rumbled; his voice low and deep.
Uh oh, I knew where this was headed and I still had an unanswered question.
"So, are you going tell me what Ranger said?" His hand stopped
moving.
"Do you really want to know?"
I let out a heavy sigh. "Are you always going to answer my questions
with a question?"
"Is it annoying?"
"Tank!" My body shook as he laughed.
"Ok, ok. Sorry, Sweetheart." He stopped laughing and let out a
sigh. "He's not angry."
"Good, because he doesn't really have any right to
be."
Tank tightened his hold on me. "He's more disappointed, I think, in himself." I felt him tense so I knew there was more.
"He knows he missed his opportunity. Well, at least what he thought was
his opportunity."
"Tank," I started carefully, "I understand all that. But
you're not telling me what he said."
"I should know better than to try and keep all the juicy details from a
Burg woman." I elbowed him and he chuckled. I knew it wasn't a heartfelt
chuckle since I didn't feel it reverberate through his body. I could, however,
feel the deep timber to his voice when he started to talk again. "He said
I better know what I'm doing because if I hurt you I'll have to answer to
him." He paused to place a small kiss on my head. "I told him that we
probably had no real idea what we were doing and that I would never purposely
hurt you. Even if I did hurt you, he'd have to get in line behind a whole bunch
of others, including your grandma, to get to me." I nodded against his
chest. I knew he meant it as sort of a joke but there was a whole lot of truth
to that statement as well.
I decided to ignore it. "You don't know what you're doing with
me?"
"I meant, we don't know where we are going. I
told Ranger that. Was I wrong?"
Shaking my head, I answered. "No. We're friends… and lovers now. That's
ok with me. I like where we are at."
"Me too," he whispered.
I still had a question about Ranger. "Basically, Ranger is ok?"
Tank kissed the top of my head again. "Yes, he is. He'll always be
there for you Steph. The kind of friendship you two
have doesn't go away easily."
"Even when I decide to be with one of his
friends." I looked up to meet Tank's eyes.
He was serious when he spoke. "Yes, even then. You two will need to
talk. But it will be fine." I let all that sink in.
"So," I propped myself up on my elbow, "we are ok? We're fine.
When, or if, one of wants something different that what we have right now,
we'll talk about it and figure it out. Right?"
A smile spread across his face and he lifted and shifted me until I was
lying directly on top of him. "Right." One
of his large hands tangled in my hair at the back of my head. He applied a
gently pressure to bring my head down to his until our lips were even.
"Although…"
My eyes went wide. "Although?"
He smiled and broke off eye contact, turning his head to the side. "I
can't promise I won't fall in love with you…" his eyes slid over to look
at me, "… or haven't already."
My jaw dropped as I tried to come up with something to say. As usual in
these situations, my mind was blank. That didn't seem to bother Tank at all.
"Perfect," he whispered before his mouth captured mine. The kiss
was sweet, soft and full of emotion. And, now I knew exactly what emotion it
was, so I returned it in kind.
He must have been caught off guard by my reaction since he broke the kiss
and pulled back. His eyes intently searched mine. I just smiled and started to
trace his face with my finger. My eyes followed as I moved it around his face.
"The truth is, I love you as a friend." I
paused. My finger had reached his mouth so I started to trace over the seam of
his lips. I flicked my eyes up to meet his. His expression was guarded. "And, probably as something more."
He smiled and my heart swelled. He didn't say anything, but put his hands on
the back of my legs and moved them so I was now straddling him. I pushed up so
I was in a sitting position. Without breaking eye contact, I put my hand around
my back and began to stroke the hardness that was pressed up against me. He
moaned when my thumb reached the top and smeared his liquid around, making the
tip feel as soft and smooth as velvet.
"Steph?" His
voice was strained.
"Yeah?"
"We'll get to do a lot of this, right?"
I smiled a completely evil smile. Without saying a word, I let go of him and
turned myself around. Now I straddled him facing his
impressive erection.
With one hand, I wrapped my fingers around his base. With the other, I went
lower and started to massage.
"Oh, yeah," I breathed.
"Good, because this is my favorite way to show how much I love
you."
I didn't respond…well, not with words anyway. I just lowered my head.
THE END
Thanks to Traci and Candie.
You guys keep me going!