Tempting Tatum (12 page)

Asher called to tell me they needed another player for battle of the sexes. I was about to bow out until he listed the other players.

Tatum.

As soon as I heard she was involved, I stopped and headed back toward the house. My long legs make my trip short and sweet. I climb the stairs to the deck and plop down beside Asher. Ember comes out and starts setting up the game. Behind her is Tatum. She’s carrying drinks. She hands everyone a beer. I watch her as her eyes fall on the only empty seat around the table. The guys have assembled on one side and the girls on the other. The table is made to seat four comfortably so we are all sitting close. The only remaining chair is the one right next to me. I can’t contain the broad smile taking over my face. This is turning out even better than I could have imagined.

“Let’s go, girl, time’s a wasting,” Ember scolds Tatum.

I watch as her shoulders drop in defeat and she rounds the table, taking the seat next to me. My southern hospitality gets the best of me and I reach over and pull the chair back for her. She offers me a shy smile and a soft “thank you.”

I nod my head; no words are needed at this point. Tatum takes the seat and I slide her in. Her sweet smell wraps around me and I take a deep breath. That smell, it’s like vanilla and sweet honey all wrapped into one. Sweet.

The game starts, and we’re all laughing and having a great time. Well, I am for sure. Tatum and I are sitting so close we are constantly bumping our legs into one another and touching arms while reaching for the same thing. We’ve all taken turns going and getting another round of beer, and by this point, the ladies are all starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. I have a slight buzz, but it would take several more for me to reach their state of drunkenness.

Tatum, when’s she’s relaxed, is a hell of a lot of fun. Her green eyes sparkle, and it’s taking great effort on my part not to just make her the center of my attention.

“Okay, time for a bathroom break,” Ember says, jumping up. Leah, Tatum, and Grace stand to follow her. Jackson, Brent, Asher, and I stay behind. It takes them longer than it does us. Besides, we can walk to the side of the house if we need to.

Asher leans back in his chair and takes a long swig of his beer. “She’s nice, bro,” he says to me. It still unnerves me sometimes how well my twin brother and I can read each other’s thoughts. I shrug my shoulders, not committing to anything.

Brent clears his throat and I look up to meet his steady gaze. “Tate is amazing.” He takes a drink of his beer. “She’s been through so much in just the last few months,” he tells us.

The image of Tatum in my arms on the side of the road comes front and center in my mind. I want to ask him for details. I know she lost her parents in an accident, but I can’t help but think the accident is not all the haunts her. What else? I’m not sure. What makes those beautiful green orbs fill with such sadness? Who? Who hurt her? My gut clenches at the thought of someone hurting her in any way. Before I can form the questions running rampant through my buzzed brain, the girls stumble out the patio door. All four of them carrying two beers. Ember hands her extra to Jackson so I can only assume Tatum’s second beer is for me. My pulse begins to race just thinking of her being my girl. The thought of she and I being here as a couple.
What the fuck?

What is she doing to me? I haven’t had thoughts like this since… well, since Beth and I parted ways. No one has ever piqued my interest enough for me to imagine more. I shake my head and scoot back my chair. I head into the house to use the bathroom. I hear the guys file in behind me. I need a minute to clear my head. I don’t even know this girl, not really. Maybe I should slow down on the alcohol. I’m obviously more buzzed than I originally thought.

Once we are all back in our seats, Mom comes walking up on the deck. “It’s starting to get dark. The fireworks will be starting soon,” she says, clapping her hands with glee. We all smile and laugh. She is just like a kid when it comes to fireworks. She’s always loved them. When we were little, she used to say there is nothing more romantic than watching fireworks with that special someone.

As that thought enters my mind, I turn my head to look at Tatum. She’s laughing at something Leah and Ember are saying. Leah motions her eyes toward me. It’s obvious she is trying to be discreet, but details are my life. On the department, even the smallest missed detail could be my life or the life of one of my fellow fire fighters. At the shop, details are key to what we do. Who wants something permanent on their skin that was just slopped on? No, details are key. Tatum turns her head and she catches me staring. I’m good with it. I smile at her, and I can barely tell from the glow of the tiki torches and candles, but I can see a slight blush cross her face.

I remember that blush.

She quickly looks away.

Asher stands up. “Let’s get this cleaned up before the show starts,” he tells us.

We all stand and start cleaning up our empty bottles while Tatum and Ember put the game away.

Ember grabs Jackson’s hand and tugs him toward the steps. “Let’s go watch by the dock.”

Without a word, the rest of us follow them. My parents have a decent sized pond with a dock. As kids, we would always lay on the dock and watch the fireworks. We live right on the edge of town. Our property just so happens to run against the town’s land. The exact spot the fireworks are lit every year. This is how the Richards’ annual Fourth of July celebration began. We have a front row seat to the action right in our backyard.

Once we reach the dock, we all take a seat. I notice Ember is sitting close to Jackson, his arm wrapped around her. Leah and Brent as well as Asher and Grace are also cuddled close. Makes this moment a little awkward for Tatum and me. I’m not really sure it is for her, but for me, my arms ache to hold her.

When Ember suggested we watch the fireworks from the dock, it sounded like a great idea. Little did I know everyone would be paired up. I mean, I should have guessed with the way Ember and Jackson have been acting all night, but really, that thought never crossed my mind; that is, until we got here.

I sit on the edge of the dock in the shadows, hoping to go unnoticed to all the lovebirds. I hope Blaise sits…well, somewhere else. Sitting next to him all night, sharing glances and touching him, my nerves are shot. The temptation to be held again, to feel safe in a man’s arms, is tearing at me. I can still feel Blaise’s arms around me. Until I think about Josh and what he did. I needed him and he betrayed me at the worst moment of my life. It’s going to take some time before I can trust again.

I feel a brush against my leg. Turning my head, I see Blaise is sitting beside me, even deeper in the shadow than I am. His leg brushes mine.

“You like fireworks?” I ask him. Lame I know, but holy shit, I lose all brain function when he’s this close. This feels intimate, the two of us sitting in the shadows of the night. The others are too wrapped up in each other, literally, to pay any attention to us.

A soft smile graces his lips. “Yeah. Growing up here was great. All of our friends would gather around and we would lay out here just like this.” He surveys our group and looks back at me. “Well, not exactly like this. Mostly just Asher and a few of our friends. Ember would always have a friend or two here as well. We always have the front row seats,” he says.

I glance around at our group as well. “What, you never brought your girlfriend here to cuddle and watch the show?” I question.

Blaise chuckles. “No, believe it or not. I’ve really only had one steady girlfriend, and she never came to many family functions. She always claimed she had family functions of her own and we should each be with our families. It was either that or I was working. Back then, I was putting a lot of hours in at the department covering for a guy,” he says.

We’re quiet for a few minutes before he continues. “Looking back now, I guess that should have been a telltale sign that she was cheating on me,” he deadpans.

“Blaise,” I say his name softly. I don’t really know what to say. I’ve been cheated on and it sucks ass. I also know nothing anyone says can make it better.

He reaches his hand over and rubs my knee. “It’s fine, really. It was several years ago.”

I nod my head even though I’m sure he can’t see it in the darkness. I swallow the lump in my throat that’s keeping me from speaking. My eyes are focused on my knee. I can’t see his hand in the darkness, but I feel it. I feel the heat from his calloused fingers rubbing against my knee. I should tell him to stop, that him touching me like this will not get him anywhere…but I don’t. Not just because my words are locked tight in my throat, but because I’m enjoying it more than I know I should.

I’m so focused on the sensations from Blaise’s caress, when the first spark is ignited and the colorful designs take up the sky, I jump. I immediately feel a blush coming on. I expect to hear Blaise laugh at me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he scoots his body closer to mine. He places one hand behind my back, resting it on my other side against the dock. He’s so close, and it feels like he’s holding me even though he’s not. His left hand reaches over and grabs mine. “You okay, sweets?” he whispers in my ear.

Holy Shit!

I nod my head yes. I know he can feel it this time, even if he can’t see it, because he’s sitting so close. A shiver runs through me just from his touch.

“You cold?” he asks, scooting even closer; how that’s even possible, I’m not sure.

“N—no,” I manage to say. I clear my throat and attempt to get my hormones under control. “Just a cold chill, but I’m good,” I whisper back.

He doesn’t move away. Instead, he sits leaning into me, his hand still holding mine. I focus on taking deep, even breaths. It takes extreme effort to not give into the temptation to let him wrap me in his arms, the arms that are bulging with muscles and sexy ink. The man attached to them isn’t helping either.

We sit in silence, heads slightly tilted back watching the show. I keep telling myself that I need to move. I need to shift away from him, but I can’t. It feels…nice.

Blaise takes his right hand, which has been behind my back holding his weight, leans into me, and rests it on my hip, gently pulling me against his side. Switching our positions, my back is now resting on his chest. His left hand still holds mine, while his right hand remains on my hip, holding me to him. I should pull away. The alcohol flowing through my veins is preventing me from thinking clearly. It has nothing to do with the sexy man with the silver eyes, nope, not a thing.

It’s taking all of my concentration to not snuggle deeper into his embrace. This isn’t me. This isn’t what I’m looking for right now. It’s amazing and, oddly enough even though we barely know each other, it feels…safe.

I feel his warm breath against my ear as his deep timbre whispers, “Relax.”

Relax! Really? How in the hell am I supposed to relax when the sexiest man I have ever laid eyes on has me in his arms. Not to mention, said sexy man is virtually a stranger to me, well, not really, but still. There will be no relaxing.