“Is it usually easier for you to get ahold of your parents?” Tane asked.
I shook my head as I set my cell on the table in front of me. “No, it isn’t rare for me to need to have Stephanie connect me with one or the other. She always knows what’s going on with them, but she seemed off. It was almost as though she was trying to get me off the phone or something. Usually, she’d ask me all sorts of questions about what’s going on in my life. She likes to be in the loop on everything because it helps her do her job better.”
“Everyone has a bad day now and then,” Tane suggested, giving me a comforting squeeze.
“Yeah, I guess that could be it.” I leaned into his side. “But with classes starting up again on Monday, she normally would’ve at least asked me if I needed anything for school. She’s the one who makes sure tuition is paid and my account has enough money to cover all my expenses.”
Tane’s arm tightened on me as his body tensed. “How many classes are you taking?”
“I’m registered for five, but I’m only excited about two of them—Form and Space and Connections Through Color and Design.” I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. “Allegra and Larissa decided to bail on the next semester since getting their degree isn’t important to either of them, and I was seriously considering dropping out and heading to New York to try to get a jump-start on my design career before you showed up since college won’t be as much fun without them.”
“Whatever you want to do is fine by me.” He gently turned my shoulders so I was facing him. “Take all five classes or just the two you like, as long as you move out of the dorm and into our house. Or skip college and get to work on your collection, which is probably the best plan because my mom and sisters will shock you with how quickly they can get shit done when it’s for family.”
There wasn’t an ounce of doubt in his dark eyes that my dream was going to happen. His confidence in me—and support—made me want to do a happy dance while I also had the urge to break down in tears. Of joy, though. My emotions were kind of overwhelming, and I wasn’t sure what to say. “I-I-I’m not sure what I want to do. Can I take a day or two to decide?”
“Take as much time as you need, baby. Just do it with me.” I gave him a jerky nod, and he lifted me off my chair and spread me out on the table. Pressing his palm against my chest, he nudged me down until my back was against the hard surface before undoing my jeans and pulling them down my legs with my panties. “Let’s take advantage of my oral fixation and help you to forget all your worries. Now that I’ve satisfied the hunger in my belly, I think it’s time for me to get another taste of what I’m really craving.”
The bottom half of my body was completely bare while he was fully clothed in the pair of shorts I’d tossed to him earlier and a shirt he’d pulled on while I’d been in the tub. But I couldn’t feel vulnerable with the way his gaze practically worshipped my body. Anticipation of the pleasure he was about to give me spread through my veins, and a rush of damp liquid spilled from my core. His nostrils flared, and I knew the scent of my arousal was turning him on even more than he already was.
His finger inched inside me, but he only kept the digit there long enough to get it wet. My whimpered protest at the loss was replaced by a moan when he began a slow, torturous circle around my clit. “And I’m not going to wait another moment to get it.”
That was all the warning I got before he yanked my legs over his shoulders and dipped his head low. His mouth clamped down on me, and my hips jerked off the table. His hands slid under my butt to hold me in place while he began to devour me. His tongue plunged, and his teeth nipped. He quickly drove me close to the edge, making me whimper. I tried to grind against him, but the position of my legs left me with little leverage. Not that I needed it since he took full advantage of the way I was wide open to him. Using his mouth and fingers, he pushed me up fast until my entire body clenched as my orgasm crashed over me.
He ate me through it but didn’t give me much of a chance to recover before he shoved his shorts down, wrapped his palm around his hard length, and nudged at my entrance. With his eyes locked with mine and a flash of his tiger visible in his dark orbs, he thrust deep and buried himself inside me until his balls slapped against my butt. Only his hands and cock were touching me, but I still felt surrounded by him. It was almost as though now that we were mated, I could feel his pleasure as much as my own. Our combined need burned through my veins as he moved in and out, over and over again.
His cock swelled inside me, and I knew he was close to the edge. Keeping my gaze on his face, I watched the pleasure build as I surrendered my body to his touch and refused to look away as the tidal wave ripped through us at the same time. When it was over, Tane collapsed on top of me, pressing his lips to the mark on my neck. Our coupling had been fast, intense, and quiet. And I felt as though it had somehow cemented our bond even further.
8
Tane
Another day passed without a return call
