Whose Bride Is She Anyway (15 page)

Stupid head…

T
ara paced the length of her hut in her underwear. This was just wonderful. August had won the date with Kelsey. It figured, now he wouldn’t give a rat’s fuzzy ass about her anymore. He’d be too busy being bedazzled by Kelsey.

Stupid head…

She should have known. Tara Douglas was no match for Kelsey Little and she never would be. No matter how much weight she lost, no matter what kind of makeover she had, Kelsey was light years ahead of her in the snagging-a-man department. Hell, August auditioned for the show just because Kelsey was on it, so why would she think he’d end up any other place but with her. At least that’s what the gossip was in the jury pool, confirmed by Andy, that August Guthrie was hot for Kelsey in high school and he’d carried a torch ever since then. That was a long time to carry anything, let alone a torch. Tara couldn’t figure why this information had all of a sudden become a bone of contention for her. She’d known he was hot for Kelsey early on in the competition. So was he bullshitting her by telling her he liked her better? Just screwing around with her to occupy himself?

Tara had auditioned for some of the same reasons August had, albeit she’d done it for slightly less than altruistic motives and it had nothing to do with a piece of ass.

Her phone rang and Tara ran to grab it, knowing it wasn’t August because he had no access to her hut number, but she went for it assholes and elbows anyway. “Hello?”

“Tara? It’s Mary. I’m just checking to be sure you’re okay. ”

Well why wouldn’t she be okay? Tara cringed and cleared her throat. “Of course, I’m fine Ms. Mary. Why would you think I wasn’t?”

“It’s the mother in me, what can I say? I noticed you didn’t eat at dinner and it worries me. Hunk picking is hard work. You need your strength. ”

Tara’s heart clenched with warmth and guilt and then warmth again. Shit. Right now she really missed her mother. “I think it’s just the heat, Ms. Mary. I’m not used to it being from Colorado and all.” And the guilt over this mess she’d gotten herself into. Let’s not forget what that does to a girl’s appetite.

“Well, have a little fruit or something for me, okay? ” Mary prodded.

“I will. Promise,” Tara assured her. “Thanks for checking on me. G’night Ms. Mary. ”

“Night, dear.”

As Tara hung up she realized this was killing her or going to if she wasn’t careful. Why couldn’t she just slam Kelsey and smile while she did it? Because now I’ve changed my mind, Tara thought, and screwing Kelsey doesn’t seem like as much fun anymore. However, it obviously did seem like fun to August. The screwing part anyway.

Tara sank to the bed, defeated. She had no right to August in the first place, so she shouldn’t complain. Her behavior last night was outlandish at best, so she’d just take her lumps and move on.

Unethical was the word that came to mind, but nothing that couldn’t be forgotten now that August had the chance to meet Kelsey, he sure wasn’t go ing to tell anyone what they’d done because he risked being sued by the show. He’d forget all about her and skip off to Kelsey Little wonderland. Jealousy ate at Tara’s innards and a small tear nearly escaped her eye. She wanted August and was so close to having him she could taste it. Now that he’d spent some one-on-one time with Kelsey, Tara was convinced he wouldn’t give her a backward glance. Why would she want someone like that anyway? A hunky player with brains…

Jerk.

A scraping noise roused her from her pity party. Now what? Another stupid voting session? A secret meeting for the members of the jury? If she recalled prior episodes correctly, that wasn’t an unlikely possibility. Grabbing her robe, she threw it on and moved closer to the scraping, it was coming from the sliding glass doors. If it was one of those big, icky island critters they’d warned them about she’d scream.

Moving the curtain back slowly, she found August on the other side of the glass, grinning at her.

Unlatching the door, Tara slid it open. “Are you insane?” she hissed at him. Not only because he was taking such a risk, but because he was wearing a smile. A smile Kelsey must have left on his face.

Stupid head
. Had he only come to do the “right” thing and let her down gently?

August pushed his way in and closed the slider firmly behind him. “Maybe, but you didn’t show up at the cove. I do believe I’ve been, what’s better known as ‘stood up’.” He grinned again, this time clearly revealing his dimples.

Tara narrowed her eyes at him. “You should be on a date with Kelsey, not here in
my
hut.” She couldn’t help the sarcasm in her tone.

“Date’s over.” His rich voice rumbled, thick like chocolate sauce over a sundae.

Tara tightened the belt on her bathrobe. “So soon? Gee whiz, that was a wham-bam-thank-you ma’am. ”

He grabbed her around the waist and dragged her to him. “Do I hear bitterness in your tone, miss?” Carrying her over to the bed, he dropped her on it.

Tara harrumphed, “Look, you shouldn’t be here and you know it. We’re going to get caught.”

He shrugged his big shoulders and flopped down next to her. “I did what you asked and now, I’m
done
.”

Tara scrambled to her knees, “What do you mean you’re done?”

“I mean, I went out with Kelsey and it’s over.”

“It’s not over until the jury votes you out.”

“You can vote for me as many times as you’d like in or out, but the end result will still be the same. I won’t like her anymore than I did tonight. She’s just not for me. I didn’t know enough about her in high school and what I learned tonight left me cold,” August said, his face set in a hard line, his tone inflexible.

Really?
Tara wanted to scream and shout, jump up and down. Hahahahaha, Kelsey loses. Round one goes to the geek!

Coolly, she replied, “Oh. ”

“So, now is it okay if I really screw a competition for a date up?” August moved closer to her, his breath fanning her face. An index finger trailed over her exposed collarbone.

“No, it’s not okay and we both know that. We’re doing something that’s really wrong. Let’s just wait and see what happens with the jury after they see the tape of your date. Maybe they’ll realize you don’t share anything with Kelsey and you can leave the right way, instead of leaving me here to possibly deal with gossip.”

His lips found the hollow of her neck, “Kiss me first and I’ll think about it.”

Tara rolled her head on her neck with a groan. “I will not bribe you, August Guthrie.”

He clasped her shoulders, “Well that’s just plain unfair. There’s nothing like a good bribe. How about
I
bribe
you
?” His lips moved down to the swell of her breast. Swiping at it with his tongue, he dipped beneath the lacy covering of her bra.

She pushed at the solid wall of chest, protesting with a squeak. “I cannot be,”
Oh
… “bribed…” Well, okay, maybe just a little bribe, she mused as August laid his mouth over her covered nipple. It rose to meet his mouth, tight and needy. “We shouldn’t be doing this. It goes against every rule the show has.” As if that mattered now, after last night. Nag, nag, nag. The rules, the contract. No, August we can’t… We have to stop, August…

She was beginning to sound like an old fish wife to even her own ears.

Long fingers untied the belt to her robe, parting it with ease. “I already told you I wanted to forfeit a date last night, but you wouldn’t let me. Today’s date had nothing to do with skill. Only luck of the draw, and giving it some thought I decided—if I keep winning dates it means I can stay here with
you
.” Pulling her tightly to him, August buried his face between her breasts, kneading the flesh of her ass. Tara’s hands found the thick thatch of his hair. She clenched the silky strands for support as he nudged her bra out of the way. He seemed to know exactly what to say and Tara couldn’t figure if she should be alarmed or thrilled. “You’d better be very careful about how you do that. Sometimes I think the producers make controversy when there isn’t any just to get good ratings. If we cause even the slightest bit of suspicion it could be very bad for us…”

But, this—
this
was
anything
but bad.

“I could stop, you know. You just have to say the word.”

His hands lifted the lacy scrap of material. “We hardly know each other,” she protested … sort of.

“If you’d be quiet, we could get to know each other.”

Tara laughed, “I don’t mean in the biblical sense.”

He licked an exposed nipple, drawing it deeply into his mouth and suckling. Thrills of heat shot to Tara’s pussy, stabbing at the tender flesh, leaving her moist and aching for more.

“Tell me to stop and I will.” He gathered the two creamy swells of her breasts, bringing them to his lips and alternately began licking them.

Let’s not be hasty…
Her hands cupped his jaw as her head fell back on her shoulders and her knees shook. Sliding her fingers beneath his, she cupped her breasts, offering them to his hot tongue. The rasp of wet, hot flesh against her strained nipple gave way to the seductive sound of his low, throaty groans. A sultry, carnal desire swept over her; she allowed the liberated and wild Tara, yet untapped, free to explore this intense attraction to August. They could find themselves in a heap of trouble if they were caught, but this all-consuming need to have him ran deeper than anything she’d ever experienced sexually.

Tugging at her panties, he pushed them down to her knees. August’s hands found the mound of flesh between her legs and with his palms, he lightly caressed her, running them around the lower half of her body, yet skirting the wet lips of her cunt.

Tara let her fingers roam free as well, over the arms that held her, tracing the thick contours of muscle. She kneaded them, reveling in the feel of his hot skin beneath her touch. Pulling at his shirt, she lifted it over his head and threw it to the floor. Pushing at him, he lay on the bed and for the first time, Tara was able to admire him in the dim glow of the bedside table. His skin was bronze with a hint of gold. A white band of flesh, left untouched by the sun, was just visible above the waistband of his shorts. Thick thighs, sprinkled with golden hair, clenched as her hands whispered over the m. A tapered waist led to the firm bulge between his legs, and using thumb and forefinger she outlined it. August sucked in a deep breath and held it, arching upward.

Sliding her panties and bathrobe off, Tara quickly straddled him, letting the heat of his flesh seep into hers. Bracing herself on his chest, she clutched his pecs, kneading them. Tara bent forward and licked the flat disc of his nipple, and to her satisfaction it beaded beneath her lips.

August’s hands threaded through her hair, and he groaned when she popped open the button of his shorts and unzipped the fly. He kicked at the restraints of his clothing, until his legs were free. Tara licked the ridges of his abdomen, sliding her fingers into the crisp thatch of hair at the top of his cock. She savored the salty taste of his skin on her tongue.

Rigid and lightly veined, his cock lay against his stomach. When she brushed it lightly with her lips, he jumped and muttered something she couldn’t quite hear. Grasping him with both hands, she slowly enveloped him within her mouth. Inch by painstaking inch, she laved his thick shaft.

His knees rose and he bracketed her body. Cupping his balls, she kneaded them and slowly licked the smooth surface of his cock. Long laps of her tongue and hands made him moan, as he twisted his body upward to meet her strokes. His hands wrapped around hers, following her up and down motion, gripping them as he ground his hips at her. Pressing her tongue flush with the sensitive area below the head of his cock, she nipped him lightly with her teeth. A bead of pre-cum, thick and salty lingered on her taste buds.

His hips rocked in a slow circular pattern as he thrust into her sucking. His breathing was ragged and shallow. Tara slid her hands beneath his ass and clutched the muscular globes tightly, pushing him into her mouth, taking his long length in as far as she could. He rose on his heels, frantically jabbing at her as she washed him with her tongue.

Suddenly, he pulled away, out of the warm cavern of her mouth. Gripping he r shoulders, he dragged her upward. Her breasts scraped his chest and arrows of heat pricked at her when he slid his tongue over her teeth. Parting her lips, he crushed his mouth to hers and his hand cupped her breast, thumbing her nipple to rigid desperation. Tara groaned, breathy and low as he left her lips to trail a path of wet kisses over her breasts and down the plane of her belly. Strong hands found her waist, thrusting her upward until his hot breath caressed her bare pussy. His tongue snaked out to explore the crease in her thigh, her legs fell open, welcoming the slick invasion, but instead he traced the outer lips of her cunt. In slow, tantalizing licks, August explored her. Her clit throbbed, aching and swollen as she held her breath, waiting … he drew a finger between the slick folds of flesh, back and forth, kissing the vulnerable skin, but not entering it.

Tara’s heart pounded wildly in her chest as she squirmed beneath him. When he took the first pass over her clit with his tongue, flames shot through her veins, and she fought to keep from screaming. Her hands clutched wildly at the comforter as her ass slid forward to meet his mouth. He began to suckle her clit, swirling over it while his hair grazed her inner thighs. Tara grabbed wildly for him, cradling his head against her belly as he moved expertly inside her cunt.

Callused fingers slipped inside her and her world tipped on its axis. This time she heard her own squeal ring loudly in her ears. Tara bit her lip and arched into the glide of his fingers. The wet suction of his tongue and hands drove her over the edge. She came hard, slamming into him, crushing his head to her and rocking on his finger. Her thighs gripped him tightly as she came again in wave after wave of shudders. Tara’s head swam and colored lights flashed behind her closed eyes.

He slithered up her body, his thick cock dragging through her wet pussy. Heaving chests clashed and her nipples strained against him. Bracing his hands on the bed, he lingered, rolling his hips. “We don’t have a condom, Tara, we have to stop.” The agonized tone in his voice made her heart clench. It sounded genuine and sincere.