Until You (Fall Away, #1.5)(63)

“Sam, go get the car gassed up while I shower, would you?” I asked my friend after we’d finished tuning up the Boss.

It was Friday night, and I had a race in an hour. I couldn’t wait to get on the track. My nerves were shot.

I hadn’t been laid in over a month, and the only girl I wanted wasn’t giving me the time of day.

And the worst part?

I’d had more f*cking hard-ons lately than in my entire life.

I desperately needed to burn off some steam, and as childish as it sounded, I was hoping some f*cking * got in my face tonight.

I wanted to be bloody, and I wanted to go deaf.

“Alright.” Sam took the keys. “I’ll be back in twenty.”

He backed out of the garage, while I headed upstairs to clean up.

Tate was home. I saw her pull in a couple of hours ago, and I’d thought about asking her to go with me, but I’d shaken off the idea. She would only push questions I didn’t want to answer and leave me in f*cking knots.

“Jesus Christ,” I growled as the cold water hit my body like a fire. The hair on my arms and legs stood on end, and chills erupted across my skin.

Tatum Fucking Brandt.

Wrapping a black towel around my waist, I grabbed another and walked to my bedroom, drying my hair.

I switched on a lamp and walked to my window, looking out through the tree to her bedroom. Her light was on, but she was nowhere in sight. I did a sweep of what I could see of the front and back yards to make sure everything looked safe.

I really hated the idea of her being alone. While I was itching to get out to the Loop tonight, I wanted her where I could see her.

I should just ask her to come.

She’d enjoy it.

Even though Tate was keeping me at a distance, she loved the races. That much I could tell. When we were kids, we’d talked about racing there when we had our own cars.

And if I spent time with her—showed her that I could be trusted—then maybe she’d back off. Maybe she’d forget about the past.

“Jared?”

A soft, low voice ripped through me, and I whipped around, my heart thundering in my chest.

What the hell?

“Tate?” The vision standing in the dark corner of my room startled, confused, and excited me all at the same time.

She was here? In my room?

She stood there, her chin down and her eyes trained on me. She didn’t move a muscle as she waited. She looked like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?” I asked calmly, more confused than angry.

Our last conversation left me no doubt that she wouldn’t be the one pursuing me, so what the hell was she up to?

She quietly stepped forward, inching towards me. “Well, I thought about what you said about trying to be friends, and I wanted to start by wishing you a happy birthday.”

Huh?

“So you broke into my room to tell me “Happy Birthday” a week after my birthday?” An ounce of pleasure shot through my chest that she remembered, but she was lying. That wasn’t why she was here.

“I climbed through the tree, just like we used to do,” she offered.

“And your birthday’s tomorrow. Can I climb over to your bedroom?” I countered sarcastically. “What are you really doing in here?” I pinned her with hard eyes and came up to her so close that a fire sprang to life in my stomach.

Dammit. I was going to need another shower. Did I have the same effect on her body?

“I…um…” she stammered, and I had to hold back a smile.

She wanted to play games? She had no idea.

Her gaze struggled to meet mine. She couldn’t look away for long, but she couldn’t hold my stare, either.

Finally, she took a deep breath and broke into a shaky half-smile, pushing some hair behind her ear.

“I have something for you, actually.” She leaned in close to my face. “Consider it your present to me as well,” she whispered.

What the…?

Her lips melted into mine, and it was like warm sugar.

Jesus Christ. What was she doing?

Her tight body pressed into mine, and I closed my eyes, a tingling spreading through my hands. The urge to sink my fingers into every curve of her skin was uncontrollable.

Her lips teased and captivated me. She moved her hips into mine in slow, small movements, and her tongue flicked under my top lip, playing with me.

I was in a whole lot of trouble and a world of pain if she stopped.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, and my eyebrows lifted.

Holy shit. She wasn’t ending this. She was grabbing on.

Thank God.

Snaking my arms around her back, I took control and dove into her mouth like I was never going to get this chance again.

I forgot everything. Why she was here. Why she was the one initiating this shit. What she was going to do when we got close to the point of no return.

Who f*cking cared?

“Jesus, Tate,” I breathed out, light-headed when she dipped her head into my neck. The pleasure of her lips, tongue, and teeth was a dream come true.

This was Tate, but it wasn’t.

She was wild, kissing and biting me like the night on the kitchen counter. I could feel the way she moved her hips into mine, pressing herself into me.

She was everywhere, and I couldn’t even remember my own name.