Fallen Too Far

The minute it touched my tongue it surprised me. It was as good as any I’d eaten at a Mexican restaurant. Smiling, I looked at him. "It’s delicious and I can’t say I’m surprised."

Rush put a forkful in his mouth and smirked. His ego could never be crushed. It might even need to be brought down a few pegs. I started to taste the other things and found myself hungrier than I’d first thought. Everything was so good I didn’t want to waste anything.

After my fourth taste of everything on the plate, I knew I had to stop. I sipped my Corona and settled back in my seat. Rush was washing down his food as well. Once he finished he set the bottle down and his eyes went serious. Uh-oh. We were about to talk about last night. I had wanted to forget last night. Especially since tonight had been so nice.

"I’m sorry about how Nan treated you today," he said with a pained sincere voice.

"How did you know about that?" I asked suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Woods called me. He was warning me that Nan would be asked to leave the next time she was rude to an employee.

Woods was a nice guy. He could be a little too much at times but he was a good boss. I nodded.

"She shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. I’ve had a talk with her. She promised me it wouldn’t happen again. But if it does, somewhere else, then please come tell me."

This had been an apology meal for his younger sisters bad behavior, not a mending of fences between us. I wasn’t on a romantic date like my imagination had managed to concoct in my head. This was just Rush apologizing for Nan.

I pushed my chair back and picked up my plate. "Thank you. I appreciate the gesture. It was very nice of you. I assure you that I don’t intend to tattle to Woods if Nan is rude to me in the future. He just happened to witness it first-hand today." I picked up my drink. "Dinner was lovely. Nice to have after a long day at work. Thank you so much." I didn’t make eye contact with him. I just wanted to get away from him.

Hurrying inside, I rinsed off my plate and placed it in the dishwasher before rinsing out my bottle and putting it in the recycle container.

"Blaire," Rush said from behind me and his body was suddenly right there caging me in. His hands were on each side of the counter and all I could do was stand there and look down at the sink in front of me. His hard warm body brushed against my back and I bit my tongue to keep from making a whimper. I would not let him see how he affected me.

"This wasn’t an attempt to apologize for Nan. It was an attempt to apologize for me. I’m sorry about last night. I lay in bed all night wishing you were there with me. Wishing I hadn’t pushed you away. I push people away Blaire. It’s a protective mechanism for me. But I don’t want to push you away."

Walking away from him and keeping him at a distance was the smart thing to do. Rush wasn’t and never would be anyone’s Prince Charming. I couldn’t ever let myself think he was the one who would love me and cherish me. He would never be that guy for me. But my heart had grown a little attached to him. It didn’t mean forever but for right now I wanted Rush to be my first. He wouldn’t be my last. He’d just be a stop along the path of life. A stop I might never forget or get over. That was what scared me the most. Not being able to move on.

He reached up and brushing my hair from the side of my neck and then pressed a kiss to the curve of my shoulder. "Please. Forgive me. One more chance, Blaire. I want this. I want you."

Rush would be my first. It just felt right. Inside I knew he was meant to be the guy that taught me about life. Even if he broke my heart eventually. I turned in his arms and slipped my hands around his neck.

"I’ll forgive you on one condition," I said, gazing up into his emotion-filled eyes that made me hope for so much more.

"Okay," he said cautiously.

"I want to be with you tonight. No more flirting. No more waiting."

The worried expression was instantly gone and replaced with a hungry gleam.

"Hell, yes," he growled and pulled me against him.

Chapter Eighteen

Rush didn’t start off easy. His mouth was forceful and demanding. I was glad. It was romantic. It was real. He was also wearing his tongue barbell. I hadn’t noticed it earlier but I felt it. The flick of his tongue was wicked with that thing involved. I liked tasting something I knew was unattainable.

Both of his hands cupped my face. His kisses slowed and then he pulled back still holding my face in his hands. "Come with me upstairs. I want to show you my room," he flashed me a naughty smile, "and my bed."

I nodded and Rush dropped his hands from my face. He slipped one of his hands into mine and threaded our fingers then squeezed. Without a word, he led me to the stairs pulling me gently up them in his hurry to get there. Once we got to the second floor, he pressed me up against the wall and kissed me fiercely, nipping at my lips and stroking my tongue. He jerked back and took a deep breath. "One more flight of stairs," he said in a gravelly voice and pulled me toward the door at the end of the hallway. We passed my room and he paused. At first, I thought he might want to go in there instead but he didn’t stop until we reached the narrow door at the end of the hall. I’d wondered if that was the staircase leading to his room. He pulled out a key to unlock it, then opened the door and motioned for me to go ahead of him.

The stairwell was hardwood like the other set but there were walls on either side as we climbed the steep steps.

Once I reached the top step, I froze. The view was breathtaking. The moonlight highlighted the ocean giving the room the most fabulous backdrop imaginable.

"This room is why I had mom buy this house. Even at ten years old I knew this room was special," Rush whispered from behind me wrapping his arms around my waist.