All the others were grown and out before I came along. She was fifteen years younger than Daddy. Corporate law finally caught up to him and he had a heart attack and passed before I graduated high school. Mama wasn’t long behind. I’ll always believe she died of a broken heart. Needless to say, I’m not exactly close to my four older brothers and sisters. I love them, but I’m as good as a stranger to them and we don’t do the whole touchy feely thing. The best we do is a call a few times a year.”
“What about Joel’s family?” Tammer continued to prod.
“Well, funny thing about that. They found out about our lifestyle choices shortly after we married and they sort of disowned us as heathens and abominations against morality. His daddy is a bible-beating preacher. According to him, we’ll end up burning in the eternal pit of fire.”
“So you really are basically all alone. Joel didn’t tell me any of that,” he asked, curling his hands around her shoulders and squeezing. “Have you heard from him this week?”
“Not a word since last Thursday, but that’s not unusual. You know how it is.”
“Yeah, I know all too well,” Tammer said, pulling her hair back, leaning in, and tracing the shell of her ear with his tongue. “Why don’t we go upstairs and I relieve some of this tension for you.”
A shiver ran up Nina’s backbone and her pussy contracted with need, but not for what Tammer thought she was in need of. “I don’t really feel like playing tonight,” she whispered, rolling her lips in to stifle a moan as his found the side of her throat.
“I didn’t say anything about playing.” He clipped her flesh with his teeth then swept the spot with his tongue. “I said I could relieve your tension.” Tammer reached around her and took her coffee mug, set it on the tray and stood, then helped her to her feet and kept hold of her hand. “Come on.”
Nina’s heart picked up its pace when she figured out while she looked at Tammer’s lips, he looked at hers. And as she fought for enough air, she fought the urge to do more than look. Never had any of Joel’s tests of her control measured up to the sheer determination it was taking not to kiss Tammer.
“I won’t let it happen,” he said, glancing up from her lips into her eyes, clearly sharing her thoughts. “I’ll keep it in check for both of us. Don’t be afraid to come upstairs with me.”
Nina closed her eyes and swallowed. “Okay.”
Chapter Nine
“I know I’m not allowed to come inside you, but I’ll still use a condom if you want me to,” Tammer said, stopping beside the bed, turning loose of Nina’s hand, and peeling his shirt off over his head.
Nina contemplated his suggestion for a moment. She trusted Tammer and wasn’t afraid of contracting some nasty bug from him. That wasn’t what bothered her about the situation. It was the idea of feeling someone flesh to flesh and not knowing if she’d be able to let him stop once he got started. Not that she wasn’t protected. The chances of a pregnancy were minimal. The fact was, after so long of not feeling that intimate connection with someone, she was starved for it, but the implications were huge. Feelings she shouldn’t have for him already plagued her. What would she do and how much deeper would they run once she gave in to the man her husband had sent to help her? Tammer touched her in a way only Joel had in the last ten years. It almost hurt to be reminded how good such a simple human connection felt.
Need swamped her overriding common sense and the nagging voice warning her to put the brakes on when he leaned in and sucked the base of her throat while palming one of her breasts. “No condoms,” she said, raising her arms and letting him tug her pullover up and off, tossing it to the floor.
“You’re positive?” Tammer asked, sliding one of her bra straps down then lifting her breast out of the lacy cup and dipping his head, tugging her nipple
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