To Catch a Falling Star (39 page)

Tarry’s mouth closes around my hardened nipple. Pure, undiluted pleasure engulfs me. I slither and cry. A desperate need for him, mixed with the delicious sensation of his tongue stroking my nipple, sends me over the edge. Tarry’s tongue travels down to my tummy. He nibbles my tattoo. His finger slides inside me.

“Oh, your cunt is so damn hot.”

Oh, how I’ve missed his dirty whispers when we make love. Tarry makes me feel as if I’m the only woman on the planet. The feeling is divine and addictive. No wonder he has the reputation.

I reject the thought. Tarry can be with a million other woman, but this moment is mine. Mine.

With his lips inches from my core, he says, “Oh, Mel, I can’t be without your sweet pussy.” His tongue caresses the sensitive skin so lightly that I think I’ll convulse.

“I miss your smell, your taste. Don’t ever leave me again.” He slides another finger inside me. “Oh, so fucking wet.”

His tongue is on my sensitive skin, stroking and sucking. I’m at the edge. All the days without him have made me needy.

Without much warning, I come.

Tarry pulls away and, in less than a second, he is inside me. I close my eyes and my legs go around his ass. He rolls his hips, and I ready my body for the wave of pleasure.

He stops moving.

“Look at me, Mel,” he demands.

I open my eyes.

“Tell me you will never leave me again.” He knits his brows together.

“I won’t leave you, baby, I promise. I’ll never leave you,” I say. I mean every word because I know I won’t be the one leaving.

He starts moving again. His eyes bore into my soul. If I were a little more naïve, I would think that Tarry’s feelings for me are a little stronger than I previously thought.

Then my world shatters.

“I love you,” he whispers with so much reverence that the moon so lovely in the sky, stops in its orbit.

“You don’t have to say it back. I know you feel the same way too.” He rolls his hips again. “When you are ready, Melody.” He continues to move. “My heart is yours completely.” He smiles. “I fell in love with you so long ago.” He kisses the tears rolling down my face. “I fell slowly and fast. Every detail of you captivates me. Your smile, your ass, your generosity, your tenacity.” His hand caresses my hair. “Seeing you under me, under the moonlight, is my high. You excite me and soothe me. There will never be anyone else, love. Only you. Because I fell in love with you.”

I open my mouth. I want to say something in return. I want to ask all the questions reeling in my mind for the last few days. I want to profess my love, but before a word leaves my lips, he covers my mouth with his.

He kisses me deeply, holds me close, and thrusts deeper. My fingernails dig into his taut back muscles. A growl escapes his throat and he increases the pace.

Sometimes in real life, things don’t happen with perfection. But this moment, appears as if it’s a perfectly rehearsed movie scene. We come together, our bodies shiver, and we ride the same wave of pleasure. His sweaty body relaxes on top of mine, and he stays inside me. That’s one thing about Tarry that delights me. His stamina. The man is a sex machine. He is still hard.

He breaks our connection and returns on his back, pulling me to his chest. “I love you,” he repeats.

“I love you too,” I whisper.

Tarry is quiet, but I know he heard me because he tightens his hold on me.

WHEN I WAKE up, Mel is gone. Was it just a dream? No, on the nightstand she’s left a note:

Meet me this morning for breakfast.

Bring shaving cream.

Love,

M.

Inhaling deeply, I relish the lingering chamomile scent of her hair and I think about the night before. Telling Mel I love her was incredibly hard. I kissed her lips after my cheesy confession because I’ve never felt so afraid of rejection.

But when Mel whispered those three words, my soul soared to a new level. Huh, the feeling from a speedball has nothing on the sound of Mel telling me she loves me.

I take a quick shower, grab a bottle of shaving cream, and put on a hoody.

When I park at Mel’s, my dick’s familiar jolt tells me he is alive and well. And anxious to be inside Mel.

After a quick tap, I enter the house. Mel is cleaning the kitchen. I stroll across the room and hug her from the back, my hand slide inside her floral thermal shirt. She shivers.

“Hmm, what smells so good?” I ask.

“Tamales, are you hungry?”

She turns and kisses me. Her wet hand slides under my hoody.

“I missed you…” I say.

“Let me feed you.” She smiles and slides away from my embrace. Mel is good at diverting a conversation.

I put the shaving cream on the kitchen counter and sit on the stool.

“You’re not working today?” I ask.

“Tonight.”

“Weren’t you supposed to work last night?”

“Yeah, it was overtime at a construction site on Post Road, but an inspector closed the job due to some violations.” She placed a steaming tamale in front of me.

I start eating. Mel’s rich, spicy sauce is damn good.

“We need to talk,” I say. There is no way I’ll let her seduce me today, as she did last night, without talking first.

“There is not much to talk about,” she says.

“Of course there is.”

“We need to get your face shaved, that’s what we need.” She glides her fingers over my stubble.

“No, Mel. We’re going to talk,” I say. I hold her hand and kiss her fingers. I pull her close, to stand between my legs. I search her eyes but she looks away.

“I love you,” I say.

She bites her lip.

“I love you,” I repeat.

“Tarry, I, um, you don’t need to say what you think I want to hear.”

I stand so fast, that I almost knock her over.

“Goddamnit, Mel. Do you know how many people have heard me saying these words?”

“I mean it. We have good chemistry. It is enough for me. I mean—”

My lips crush hers. How can she say that? Is that how she feels about me? Just attraction?

“I. Love. You,” I say forcefully against her lips. I pull back and stare in her eyes. “Now, if you are not certain of your feelings, that’s your prerogative.”

“I love you so, so much, Tarry…”

I kiss her again, this time with desperation.

“Then why did you bolt after the New Year’s party?”

“Because, because…” Her lips quiver and her eyes tear. “You’re leaving on your tour and to your fancy life.” Tears roll from her eyes. “You’ll forget all about me, Tarry.”

“Don’t you get it, Mel? I can’t forget you, the same way I can’t forget how to breathe.”

“There is my family and Ella.”

“I’ll go ask Dan if I can date you right now.”

“No. I want to talk to Dad first.”

“Ella likes me, Mel. We get along well. She won’t mind.”

“We can’t hurt her,” she says protectively.

“We won’t, I promise.” The thought of hurting Ella sends shivers through my spine.

“Then, there is your career, your home… Nola. Is she in your home in France? Are you two still together? I can’t do, you know, the sharing thing,” she says.

“I’ll handle Nola. It’s been over between us for a long time. I never loved her, and she knows it. She needed a place to stay, and I offered my home in France. That’s all. I never told you because it’s not important. Nola is not important to me, Mel. And my career will not keep me warm at night.” I smile. “Besides, I’ve grown fond of living in a barn. I hear the police enforcement of this town is very efficient.” I smile and her cheeks turn pink. “They do rounds, checking on people late at night…”

“For your information, that visit was strictly concerning Socrates.” She grins cupping my erection.

“You named my dick Socrates?”

“Yeah, he is such a wise ass.” She grins.

“We’re going to have to find a name for your sweet pussy,” I say, cupping her.

“Shaving… focus…” Her fingers run through my hair. “I love your hair long.”

“Are we shaving in the nude?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says and kisses my stubbly face.

DESPERATION AND NEED are present in every touch, every glance, and every night we make love. A week has never passed so fast. Today, paper work in hand, Tarry has left me.

I hate to admit it, but in spite of his reassurances, I feel insecure. He flew in his private jet this morning.

He must be facing the judge at this moment. I’m nervous for him. But I think he’ll do okay. Tarry has come such a long way in his recovery. Sometimes, when we’re lying in bed late at night, I wonder if he is the same broken man I met in the summer.

We decided to tell Ella and my family after his return. Tarry insisted he wants to be present when I talk to Dad.

“I owe that much to Dan, Mel,” he said to me. Honestly, I think he’s brave to want to face Dad. The odds are not in our favor. What father wants his daughter dating a rock star? To add more aggravation, Tarry doesn’t have a good record with his romantic life.

I think that Tarry’s desire to talk to Dad speaks millions about how serious he is about us.
Us.
I still get a kick out of it.

Now I wait. I wait for Tarry to come back to me. If everything goes well before the judge, which I’m certain it will, for three weeks he will rehearse with his band. For a little over a week, he will perform five sold-out shows. He will be in Santa Barbara, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and New York. He gave me a ticket for a front-row seat and a backstage pass to his show at Madison Square Garden.

I can’t wait to see him perform. I can’t wait see him again.

TARRY DIDN’T TALK much last night. We made love slow and sweet. For a moment, I had this fear of it being our last time together. It felt as if a dark cloud hovered over us.

I asked finally, “Are you afraid?”

“Yes and no,” he said.

“I’m afraid of the temptation, yes. But, no, I have a new reason not to give in. I never had a reason before,” he said, with his arms woven around me. “Are you worried?” he asked.