Page 9 of Friends with Benefits (Club Risqué)

Did it have to mean anything at all? Probably not.

She thought she felt a feather light stroke over the long length of her hair but knew damn well it was just wishful thinking.

Oh, God, oh God! She really had to get rid of him before she melted into a puddle at his feet.

Rushing into the house, Taryn dumped her purse and wrap and hurried into her miniscule kitchen, which was really no more than an alcove off the living area.

Fetching herself a glass of water, she gulped it down in a most unladylike manner, almost spilling it when Christian appeared right behind her. That sent her into a paroxysm of coughing and sputtering.

"Hey, hey," Christian crooned, patting her gently on the back and taking the glass from her nerveless fingers.

Recovering herself, she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and turned to face him.

"Sorry, I was just, umm…I was feeling…ah, feeling…"

She trailed off, and her eyes widened as Christian put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh! It's okay. I can feel it, too."

He could? It wasn't just her overactive imagination fantasising on things that weren't there?

Her mouth was still open slightly and the feel of his finger still settled against her mouth seemed to burn in the most delicious way.

Then he moved that finger and the rest of his hand into her hair, and Taryn was lost.

Her brain barely registered the fact that his beautiful face was coming nearer to hers, she was so mesmerised by his closeness. And when those lush, full lips found hers, she forgot to breathe completely.

The kiss was gentle and tender, and Taryn might have been embarrassed if she’d realised that the long, breathy moan that echoed around them was hers.

Christian's free arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close. Taryn thought she might spontaneously combust when her brain acknowledged the heat of his leanly muscled frame and the hard evidence of his arousal pressing against her stomach where he had pulled her onto her tiptoes to make up for the height difference.

The kiss turned passionate and incendiary. Christian tightened his hand in her hair and kept her head immobilised while he devoured her mouth, his tongue plundering and demanding.

Conquering.

He bit at her lips, then soothed with his tongue. He nipped at her jaw and again behind her ear before finding his way back to her mouth and continuing his passionate onslaught.

He ground his pelvis into her softness, and Taryn whimpered, seeking to rub at the ache of her own desire in an effort to ease the need she felt.

She was ready to climb up and clamber all over him when he finally broke the kiss. "Goddamn it, this isn't right, Tara," he groaned, his voice catching. "I want you. And God knows, I really need somebody right now, but I don't have anything to offer in the way of a relationship, because the truth is, I'm so wrung out from Dad's death, there's nothing left to give."

He heaved a tortured sigh and started to disentangle himself from her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be taking advantage of you like this. I just want to feel close to someone physically. I need to remember that I'm still alive, but that's no excuse for mauling you like I've turned into some kind of rabid animal."

He sucked in a shuddering breath. "Forgive me, Tara, I shouldn't have done this to you. I'll let myself out and go find someone who knows the score. I hope I haven't ruined your birthday for you," he finished soberly, his forehead pressed against her own and his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Taryn wasn't sure which emotion hit her the hardest. The fact that he’d come so close to making all her lustful fantasies come true. The fact that he wanted no-strings sex without any kind of relationship. Or the fact that he was about to go out and find someone else to sate those heartfelt needs.

She even overlooked the fact that he continued to call her Tara.

Ultimately, it was the thought of Christian with another woman that spurned her into making a choice that would end up having repercussions on her life for many years to come.

The idea of him losing himself in another woman's body, even if it was just a temporary interlude of meaningless sex, had the green-eyed monster inside of her rearing its ugly head and messing with her brain so much that she couldn't see past it.

"The only thing that will ruin this birthday is if you walk out of that door after twisting me up like that, only to leave me hanging," she panted.

He looked like he might argue, but Taryn ploughed on, "I know what's going on in your life better than anybody else on this earth. I know exactly what you're having to deal with, both on a business and on a personal level. I understand all of the restrictions on your time and all of the constraints on your allegiances, and I have first-hand knowledge of the entire depth of your commitments. I already live with them, Christian. I've lived with them for over a year, and I've been your escort for the past nine months because I understand all of those reasons. You're my closest friend, and anything that is within my power to grant, I will do for you. If that includes being a warm body in your bed so you can lose yourself for a little while, then I'll do that, too."

Christian was quiet for the longest time, and the silence was becoming so drawn out it was getting awkward.

Finally, Taryn took a step away from him and tried to surreptitiously blink away the tears that were starting to prickle behind her eyes.

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