Taming the Storm

“Wait.” I tug on his hand. “I need to let Cale know that I’m leaving. He’ll worry if I just disappear.”

Tom leans down, and presses his lips to mine. I feel his kiss all the way down to my toes.

“You’ve got one minute,” he says over my mouth, before releasing me.

I take a shaky step back. “One minute.” I turn on my heel, and walk quickly back to where I left Cale.

He’s still standing with Shannon.

“Cale, I’m going to…” Shit, what do I say?

“Leave with Tom.” He gives me a look. “Come on, Ly, I know you and Tom have been doing the nasty.”

What?

The shock must be written clear on my face, because Cale says, “Don’t look so surprised. You’ve always been a shit liar.”

“Hey.” I give him a gentle jab in the arm. “I’m sorry though, that I didn’t tell you.”

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow. You’ve had enough shit going on tonight from seeing…” He doesn’t say Dex’s name.

Seeing Dex here tonight has had an effect on Cale, too.

“You okay?” I ask, touching his arm.

He wraps his hand over mine, gripping my fingers. “I’m fine. Go with Tom. And tomorrow, you and I will have a long talk about how you don’t keep secrets from your best friend.” He smiles.

Letting go of his arm, I wrap mine around him, hugging him. “You’re the best friend a girl could ever hope for,” I say against his shirt.

He squeezes me tight. “And you’re the best girl a guy could ask for.”

I lift my head from his chest, looking up at him.

He gives me a rueful smile. “He hurts you, Ly, and—”

“You’ll kick his ass. I know the drill.” I put on a smile.

Right now, I don’t want to tell Cale that Tom and I will be no more by tomorrow, and my heart will pretty much be kicking its own ass. I can confide in Cale when it’s over.

Giving him one last squeeze, I say good-bye and walk back to Tom, who’s waiting for me where I left him.

He’s got a scowl on his face.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Uhum.” His eyes find mine, softening on me, the scowl instantly disappears. He puts his arm around my waist. “Let’s go.”

Tom guides us out a side door of the club, and he opens the door of a waiting black limo, ushering me inside.

The instant we’re seated, I curl my body around his big frame, just needing to feel him. His strength. His warmth.

One hand slides around my back before settling on my hip. His other finds my chin. He tilts my face to his. “You doing okay, Firecracker?”

“Yeah…I’m good. Here with you, I’m happy.”

He stares at me. Then, his eyes close, and he leans in, pressing a sweet kiss to my lips while grazing his knuckles against my cheek.

The limo starts to move.

Settling my head against his shoulder, I ask, “Where are we going?”

“Home.”

“Home?”

“Yeah, my house in LA.”

“That’s a bit of a drive.” I smile, secretly happy at the thought of seeing Tom’s house. Happy that he wants to take me there.

“Don’t worry.” He grins as Usher’s “Scream” starts to play in the limo. “I’m sure I can find a way to keep you entertained for the few hours it’ll take to get us there.”

A Few Hours Later—Tom’s House, LA

I awake to the feeling of the world falling out beneath me. My body jumps.

“I got you,” Tom’s deep voice says from above. “You fell asleep in the limo.”

Then, I realize that I’m in his arms, and he’s carrying me. Sliding my hands around his neck, I nuzzle into his throat, inhaling the scent of his aftershave, loving the feel of his stubble against my skin.

We made out for a while in the limo. Things got a little heated, and I ended up with Tom’s head between my legs where he used his mouth and fingers to bring me to orgasm. I returned the favor by getting on my knees and taking him in my mouth. After he spilled himself down my throat, he hauled me onto his big body and held me. I must have fallen asleep in his arms.

“You okay if I put you down for just a minute? Need to get my key.”

“Sure.”

Tom lowers me to my feet, and I lean against the wall by the door.

He pulls a key from his pocket and unlocks the door before pushing it open.

I wait to follow him in, but the next thing I know, he’s picking me back up.

“I’ll be okay to walk now.” I laugh.

“I like to carry you. You’re like a little doll.”

“I’m not little. You’re just huge.”

“In every way, darlin’.” He winks.

He kicks the door shut with his foot and proceeds to carry me up a wide staircase. I can’t see much as Tom hasn’t bothered to turn any lights on, but from the size of this staircase, I’m guessing his house is big.

Quickly reaching the top of the stairs, he takes us to the left and then through a door a little farther down the hallway.

He crosses the spacious room and sets me down on his massive bed. I watch him walk over to the wall, and he presses a button on a panel. Dim lights come on. Then, he moves over to the iPod docking station, which is set up on his dresser. I watch him scroll through the music before he finally selects a song. The music starts to play through the speakers in the room.