Читать книгу What Lies Between Lovers - Sophia Shaw - Страница 13

The five of them stayed at the restaurant for another couple of hours, nibbling on their appetizers and enjoying a second round of drinks. They laughed and talked about a variety of subjects, including tales about both the guys during their years in the military. Anthony was a great storyteller, and he did most of the talking while Tao occasionally added a few comments here and there.

Monique was the most silent of them, seemingly happy to listen to the others bantering back and forth. At first, her quietness had Tao wondering if she was uncomfortable being thrown into an evening with his friends, but she eventually relaxed and seemed to be having a good time just observing the rest of them.

It was a few minutes after midnight when the two men took care of the check and the group made its way out of the restaurant, now almost empty of people. Tao was behind Monique and noticed that she seemed a little unsteady on her feet. Not drunk, but maybe a little tipsy. He instinctively put a guiding hand on her lower back, his fingers brushing the naked skin exposed by her provocative top. She paused for a moment and looked back at him, appearing confused by his touch.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

Monique blinked with a lazy smile on her face. Tao smiled back, amused by the fact that she was definitely a little inebriated.

“Hmm…I think that last drink went right to my head,” she whispered, now looking sheepish and slightly embarrassed.

“Did you drive? I’ll drive you home,” he offered after she nodded yes.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yeah, I barely touched my second beer.”

“Okay,” Monique accepted with another smile, clearly relieved and grateful. “But how will you get home?”

He shrugged, unconcerned.

“I’ll take a cab from your place.”

“Okay,” she said again. “Thanks, Tao.”

They continued walking out the exit, and it struck Tao that it was the first time he had heard her use his first name. He liked the way it sounded.

When they caught up to Anthony and the girls, there was already a cab ready for them. Tao explained that he would be driving Monique home.

“You’re in Mission Bay, right?” Tao asked once they were driving out of the parking lot.

“Hmm hmm,” she confirmed. “You can take the I-5 to I-8, and I’ll direct you from there.”

“That’s a great neighborhood. How long have you lived there?”

“Not long, just since spring. It was always my dream to live near the beach, but things didn’t turn out the way I had planned.” Tao gave her a questioning glance, silently asking her to explain more. “I bought the house expecting that my fiancé at the time would move in soon after. Well, I guess he wasn’t really my fiancé. I don’t think you can actually be engaged to someone who is still married and living with his wife. Yeah, I know. Stupid, huh? I was in a relationship with a married man and actually believed he was leaving her.”

Tao was a little taken aback and not sure how to respond. Monique just did not seem like the type of woman who would end up in that kind of a situation. As far as he could see, she was very smart and very successful, completely lacking the insecurities and gullibility that he would expect of a woman who would fall into such a trap.

“We were together for more than three years, if you can believe it,” she added, almost as though she sensed the questions he wanted to ask. “And, yes, I knew he was married when we met. But he claimed that they were technically separated but stayed in the house because they could not agree on whether it should be sold. Or, that was one of the excuses anyway.”

He glanced over at her to make sure she was okay. Surprisingly, Monique seemed more amused than upset.

“Anyway,” she continued, dragging out the word dramatically. “The house is much bigger than I need for just myself, and it was a little lonely at first. But now, I just can’t bring myself to seriously consider selling it.”

“That makes sense,” Tao said. “Properties in that area are hard to come by.”

“Exactly. And everything happens for a reason, right?”

“Right,” he concurred.

“Right. Everything happens for a reason,” she repeated like a mantra.

They were silent for a few minutes. Monique was looking out the window while Tao focused on his driving.

“You’re moving into your new place soon, right?” she finally asked.

“Yeah, in a couple weeks.”

“So, I guess that means you plan to stay in San Diego for a while?”

Tao knew immediately what she was referring to. Right at the beginning of the ball season, while they were having dinner after a game, he had told both Monique and Gary that he wasn’t sure how long he would stay in the city. It was just before he had bought his new apartment, and while he was still feeling out his current contract in civilian surveillance and security consulting. But everything had fallen into place soon after, and he was now pretty content with living in San Diego for the foreseeable future.

“Yeah, I think so. It’s as good a place as any for now.”

“You don’t have any family here?” she asked.

“No. My mom lives in Bakersfield.”

“No other family?”

“Nope,” he replied. “I’m an only child, and I’m not sure where my father is. There are a few cousins floating around, but none that I’m particularly close to.”

They were about to get off Interstate 8 on the south end of Mission Bay. Monique spent the next few minutes giving Tao more detailed directions to her house. He pulled the car into her driveway shortly afterward.

“Thanks again for driving me home, Tao,” she told him before she opened the passenger door and stepped out.

“No problem at all.”

He exited the car also, and walked with her to the front door.

“I don’t usually drink that much…. I don’t feel that drunk or anything…just a little fuzzy maybe.”

Monique smiled up at him again, her eyes shining with a mix of embarrassment and self-consciousness. Tao smiled back and handed her the key ring. She fumbled in the dark, obviously trying to find the house keys. His smile widened with amusement, then he took them out of her hands and easily slid the door key into the lock.

“Thanks,” she mumbled. “I’ll call a cab for you.”

He stood in the front hall while she walked further into the house and stepped into what he assumed was the kitchen. Tao heard her on the phone for a few seconds then she was back.

“Okay, they should be here in about ten minutes. Do you want something to drink? A glass of water or something?” she offered.

Tao had not really thought past getting Monique home safely. Sure, he had immediately noticed how hot she looked that night, with her bare back exposed and the thrust of her uncovered breasts teasing the fabric of her top. He had even had the chance to admire the sexy length of her legs in her very high heels. But, it had only been a natural appreciation of a beautiful woman. Not once had he really thought about holding her or kissing her. But now, standing just inside her house while she looked up at him with eyes more open and honest than ever before, her lips slightly parted, it was all he could think about.

“I wouldn’t mind a glass of water,” he told her.

Monique didn’t move, and Tao didn’t hesitate to pull her close with a gentle hand behind her head. He placed his mouth on hers. It started out as a simple kiss, meant to test her interest in something more. But the second he brushed his lips across hers, it felt like pure electricity. Tao pulled back in surprise, hovering only an inch from her, trying to understand the jolt that hit him somewhere below his navel. Then, he kissed her again with no questions or hesitation.

Everything around them faded away until all that was left was the taste and feel of her mouth. Tao swept his lips across hers, taking his time to travel from one corner to the other. Her lips were soft and silky, enticing him to continue nibbling and sucking on them. His tongue teased the inside edge of her mouth, sweeping across its plumb wetness.

On and on the kiss went, with Tao’s hands cupping Monique’s face and his fingers teasing her cheeks. Then, she opened her mouth and swept her tongue along his. It was an incredibly erotic touch, and Tao sucked in a sharp breath. They both paused for a moment, as though acknowledging that the temperature between them was about to get hotter.

When their mouths connected again, the kiss was open, deep, and wet. Tao pulled her closer until their bodies were fused. Their tongues brushed and stroked with growing hunger. One of his hands swept down her smooth, sculpted back to rest at the base of her spine. Monique reached her arms to drape them over his shoulders. A deep moan escaped her throat. His body reacted immediately.

Tao had been so totally engrossed in the heat of their touch that he had forgotten everything else, including the fact that Monique was a friend and more than a little tipsy. But while her gasp of pleasure raised his blood pressure, it also forced him back to reality. Monique’s reaction to their kisses might not be so heated if she were completely sober. And she may not feel so good about things in the morning.

As much as Tao was enjoying their kisses and wanting more, the idea of taking advantage of her current state did not sit well with him. He stole a couple more hot kisses, pulling her tongue into his mouth for one final brush. Then, he pulled away slowly. It took Monique a few seconds to realize what had happened. When she finally opened her eyes to look up at him, they were smoky and heavy-hooded. They said that she was still wrapped up in the arousal between them.

It would have been so easy for Tao to kiss her again and lead them both to her bedroom, but he resisted. It took almost all his strength. A horn sounded outside at that moment, announcing the arrival of his cab. The timing was perfect.

“I better get going,” he told her in a soft voice.

Monique looked down at the floor but didn’t say anything.

“Are you feeling okay?” he then asked.

“I’m fine,” she replied while nodding.

“Okay. Drink lots of water before you go to bed, okay?”

She smiled, finally meeting his eyes.

“I will.”

Tao intended to just walk out the door, but he could not resist one last soft kiss. The same electricity shot through him again, leaving him a little dazed. He quickly left her house a few seconds later, the taste of her like a stain on his lips.