Chapter Twenty Six

"I don't want to talk" he said. "At least not about this. Not tonight. It changes nothing to talk about the past, but I'll tell you what I want to do tonight, Chloe. I want to kiss you... So fucking hard... and then I want to take you home with me. I want to spread you out on my living room floor and I want to get a taste of your pussy. I want to feel your tightness around my fingers as you cum on my tongue. That's what I want, Chloe. There's no chance of that happening and that's okay, but let's not talk about anything else and let me just take you home."

Her jaw dropped. "Tim...!" she gasped. She had wanted him to say something, but she wasn't expecting that kind of raw honesty. Her heart kicked at the fact that they were talking, really talking about the stuff they were supposed to be skirting around. The growled, hot words filled with deep censure robbed her of speech, shamed her and turned her on in equal measures.

His thumb moved from her chin, drifted at leisure over her lower lip as he continued to watch her with dark, hooded eyes. "You wanted honesty, " he whispered.

Chloe licked her lip again, her heart pounding with apprehension and a whole load of sizzling lust.

"Right?" His hand dropped like a stone to his side. "What the hell does it matter, huh?"he asked.

"How can you ask me that? I can admit that I wasn't... Expecting you to say all that, but my point is that I was hurt too you know. You never answered my phone calls and I haven't seen you for years! If you thought I did something wrong….."

His eyebrows shot up. "If?"

"Fine. When. Whatever!"

He spiked his fingers through his hair. Then he threw another of those indifferent shrugs that seemed to find the center of her hurt with bullseye accuracy.

For the longest moment, they stared at each other. Then, driven by that same instinct that had started this reckless path of discovery, Chloe slowly moved closer to him, aware of every cell in her body, every stretch of heated skin as she had never been before. Also aware of his intense scrutiny as his gaze raked over her face. She was treading dangerous, familiar waters. She knew that. This thing could blow wide open, be irreparably damaged.

But then...wasn't Timothy already claiming that they were beyond repair? That she had broken their friendship? For all she knew after this whole account thing was over, she wouldn't see him again for God knows how many years... Or ever.

So what the hell did she have to lose? The intensity of the emotions vibrating from him wrapped around her but she didn't let it deter her. He was in front of her, six feet three inches of raw masculinity and long-denied secret craving. When he swayed a tiny fraction towards her, she knew she had him.

A slow tilt and she was sliding her palms over his rock-hard abs and up his chest. She registered the fierce pounding of his heart echoing hers ...Felt and reveled in it.

A deep shudder powered through him. "What the hell are you doing, Chloe?" he rasped, but he didn't try to move or push her away.

"Dare," She breathed as she stood on tiptoe and let her lips brush the skin beneath his earlobe.

"You're still playing the game wrong." His voice was a night-dark rumble, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as if he was stopping himself from reaching for her. That glimpse of power over him spurred Chloe on.

"Am I? Then I guess you don't want to hear my dare then?" she asked. She dropped her head a fraction to lick at the frantic pulse beating at his throat. His next breath hissed out.

"Just fucking say it already." Timothy growled.

Chloe chuckled at the impatience in his voice. "I dare you to do it...."

"Do what?"

"What you told me you wanted to do to me earlier. I dare you to take me home and use your tongue, your mouth and your hands on me. Just like you said you wanted. See if you can work some of this...angst out of your system."

A pure, animalistic groan rumbled from his chest.

"And what makes you think I'll stop at just tasting you? That I won't demand a hell of a lot more?"

Her answer emerged with more than a vein of anguish. "I know we have both changed. But I know you enough to know you'll stop when I say. And I'm telling you I'll let you...process your charged state if that's what you want too."

His hands found her hips then, roughly tugging her back from her whisper-light exploration of his throat, to stare deep into her eyes. "You think you know me that well?" he asked darkly.

Maybe not, but some things never changed and Timothy had more integrity in his little finger than most men did in their whole life. "Guess we'll have to find out then. Unless you're too scared to take the dare?" she said.

Timothy stared at her and lust flared inside him. Compelling and dangerous. Did she know what she was asking him to do? If he took her in his arms and kissed her the way he wanted to, they wouldn't even make it to his house. They would be naked in his car in minutes.

Chloe stared at him. His face was dangerously close to hers. She felt the warmth of his breath against her skin. He was so close that all she had to do was lean towards him a bit and they would be kissing. She blinked, licked her lips and watched his pupils contract as he lowered his gaze to her mouth. Was he going to take the dare and kiss her?

Anticipation coiled hot and tight in her belly.

Oh, she hoped so. She wanted him to. She had wanted him ever since she saw him in his dad's office. And just when she was sure that he would, he released his hold on her.

"I think we should get you home now," he said.

Emotion clogged her throat and she swallowed. "You’re right.” she said, trying not to let him hear the disappointment in her voice. "It's getting late anyways"

He blinked, then pulled away from her.

"You okay?" he asked.