Pushing Limits (15 page)

“If you’re going to be kissin’ on me like that, rubbin’ those sweet tits
all over me, it’s gonna happen.”  He shrugs, grinning.

“Oh.”  I smile and walk to the fridge for a bottled water. 
Taking a few sips, I walk back and draw my eyes up, “Maybe we should stay
here.”

“Food, woman.  Food.”  He sighs.  “Give me your jacket.”

Opening the door, he pulls me down the hall, my jacket draped
strategically over his arm, and into the elevator.  Leaning against the
wall, he smiles.  “You love this don’t you?”

“A little, yeah.”  The edges my mouth curves up in a silent delight
as I study the elevator panel.

We cross the lobby and step outside.  The weather is totally
cooperating.  It’s a sunny, crisp day, not too hot, not too cold.  A
small breeze is blowing.  The sky is a wonderful clear blue, not a cloud
to be seen.  Handing my jacket to me, he hops onto the bike.  I swing
my leg over, snuggle into his back, and he pulls out. 

The drive to the restaurant whizzes by.  Filled with winding roads,
sunshine, and wild flowers.  It is the perfect ride, snuggled into Tommy’s
back, enjoying the wind in my face, and the warmth from the sun.

The restaurant is nestled in a bunch of trees, at the bottom of a
hill.  The rustic building spouts a sign reading “It’s Bar B Que Time” and
an American flag, the Texas state flag and the school flag.  We walk in,
and the smell of spicy barbeque hits us right in the face.  My mouth waters
clearly out of reflex.  It smells unbelievable. 

The hostess greets us, “Hey, y’all.  Table for two?”  She
blinks rapidly, smiling up into Tommy’s face. 

What is it with women and batting their eyelashes at him? 

We get a buzzer, and Tommy walks me out to a redwood deck with trees
growing literally out of the wood.  Not tiny scruffs either.  The
trunks were strong and twisted, reaching to the skies with full branches, thick
with leaves.  The deck has big cutouts to accommodate them, giving the
platform an organic feel, almost like it’s an extension of the tree.  The
restaurant is right on the water.  A creek wide enough for boats runs
under the deck, stretching down and around a corner.  Tiny turtles feed on
the food tossed by some little kids.

We take a seat at a black iron table and Tommy orders two beers.  As
the waitress walks away, he says, “Normally I wouldn’t order for you, darlin’,
without asking you first, but you can’t drink a martini or anything like that,
with good barbecue.  Beer’s a must.”

“That’s ok, beer’s good.”  Looking out on the lake, I sit and admire
the beauty.  The river is tree lined and hills surround us.  Tree
branches kiss the water.  We sit, enjoying the view, comfortable in the
silence and the peace.

Our buzzer goes off, and we head back to the front of the restaurant
where the petite hostess shows us to our table, chatting away, and looking back
over her shoulder as much as possible, trying to catch Tommy’s eye.  She
is not successful.  After seating us, she walks away a little less peppy.

“You know what, why don’t you order for me?  You know what’s good
here,” I say with an encouraging smile.  “No chicken and no ham. 
Although I have no idea what ham is doing in a barbeque joint? 
Yuck.  I like chicken but I don’t waste my time on barbecue chicken. 
Anything other than that’ll be good.”

He smiles, and says, “Ok.”  The waitress introduces herself, and
Tommy orders platters for us and a beer for me.

“So, how is your dad’s hip?” My brows rise as I give him a questioning
look.  “When did he have the operation?  I remember you mentioned in
when we were driving in.”

His eyes brighten as his lips curve into a sweet smile.  “You
remembered that?”  He pauses.  “Well, he’s doing ok.  He can get
around, but he’s got at least five months to go until he can get back to
work.”  He shakes his head and chuckles.  “He’s about to jump out of
his skin.” 

“I don’t know anything about demo work, but isn’t your band going to be
pissed that you are away for so many months?”  I glance at him trying to
look cool and apathetic while inside I’m waiting for the shoe to drop. 
For him to tell me he’s going to leave anyway in a few months.  I sit and
wait, ready to construct my infamous emotional wall to defend myself against
yet another person leaving.

“Oh, they’re fine.”  He shrugs, his eyes filled with a total lack of
concern.  “They have a guy who’s fillin’ in.  They’re a good group of
guys.  Any of them would have done the same if their family needed them.”

“What about the studio work?  Do you have an agent or something?”

“No, darlin’.”  His patient smile makes me nervous. 
Am I
that transparent?
  “No agent.  Don’t need one for studio and demo
work.  I have a few engineers and studio managers that know me, and they
call me in when they need me.  I met most of them before I moved to
Nashville.  They know me and so they knew I had to come back and help
Dad.  When I slide back into town, they’ll hook me up with
something.  I’m not too worried about it.”

“But what about your place there?  Don’t you have to pay rent? 
What if you get back and you don’t get anything for a while?  What would
you do?”

“Why do I think your questions are more about your situation than
mine?”  He studies me with a skeptical, playful expression. 
His
dimples have come out to play.
 
Shit, he’s adorable
. 
“Amber, honey, you can always get a job.  Work at a clothing store, be a
waitress, ring up groceries at a grocery store.  If you work hard, you can
always make money doing something.  You don’t have to let your mother hold
you hostage with her money.”  His eyes light with mischief. 
“Me?  I get by just fine.  I save money when I make it for the lean
times.  I spend money on the things I want, and I don’t want for
much.  I don’t need a lot of fancy crap.  You haven’t been out on
your own yet, and your mother has used that to scare the shit out of you. 
Make you think you couldn’t do it; wouldn’t survive.”  He chuckles and his
eyes turn almost a pure blue color.  “You can do anything you put your
mind to.”

“But, I’ve never saved or paid any attention to money.”  I sigh,
looking away with a shrug.  “I buy what I want, and the bills go to my
mom’s accountant.”

“Like I said, get a job.”  He smiles, his eyes twinkling.  “Any
job.  Save your money for when you finally tell your mom you don’t need
her money.  Build up a nest egg.  It won’t be much.”  He nudges
my arm with a smirk.  “Hell, it will probably be about what you spent on
that jacket.  But, it will be yours.”  He lays his hand on my arm,
his smile is reassuring and comforting.  “Your mom doesn’t need to know. 
Go to a bank and open a savings account and have your checks direct
deposited.  That way you never see the money.  No reason you can’t
work part time somewhere while you go to school.  I did it, and I had
excellent grades.”

“You did?”  My eyes widen.  Sometimes it’s easy to forget that
he went to school.  On the outside he’s this hot biker, musician guy, but
then he opens his mouth and I see so much more.  I look away,
sighing. 
Damn it, I’m fucked
.

“Four point GPA.”  He straightens his back and smiles proudly. 
“I played at bars while I went to school.”  Lifting his chin, he says,
“You should check out the local studios here.  Start learning your
craft.  It won’t be anything big, probably answer the phone, and fetch
coffee but you would be surprised what you pick up being around other producers
and musicians.  And, you make connections.  You get to know people
who do what you want to do.  You can ask them questions.  Learn about
the work.  And, when you graduate, you know someone in the
business.”  He leans in squeezing my hand.  “You should do it.”

“I don’t even have a resume.”

“Darlin’, isn’t that what the internet is for?  All that information
at your fingertips on how to put together a resume.”  He laughs giving me
an “oh, poor baby” face.

I throw my napkin at him.  The waitress brings our platters and I
dig in.  I am so hungry.  There’s a bit of everything. 
Sausages, brisket, ribs, potato salad, and coleslaw.  And the bread…oh my
God, the bread melts in your mouth.  My eyes float to the ceiling as I
hold it in my mouth, soft chewy dough, buttery sweet, the flavor bursts on my
tongue. 
So good
.  As I come up for air, I realize he’s
staring at me again.  You would think I would get used to this, but I
haven’t.  “What?”  I sneer at him waiting.

“I’m afraid to say anything.  You’re enraptured, darlin’.”  He
smiles, shaking his head.  “You do love good food.  I’m simply
sittin’ here enjoying the show.”

“I’m so happy I amuse you,” I say, careful to levy sarcasm in every word.

“I wouldn’t say it amuses me.” His sensuous lips curve into a lustful,
mater-of-fact smirk.  “More like it makes me want to fuck your brains
out.  Direct some of that joy over here.  Calories begging to be
burned off and sitting here thinking of ways to do it.  That look on your
face when you taste something new and fall in love with it?  It’s
sexy.  Looks a little like the face you make when I bite your nipple.”

Shit, my panties have officially melted
.  His bemused eyes
watch me squirm.  The blush runs up my neck in seconds. 
“O-kay.  Are you always thinking about sex?” 
Damn it, I didn’t
mean to sound that defensive.

“Darlin, you ooze sex.  I hate to break it to you, but it’s hard to
look at you and not want to fuck you.”   His eyes burn and lock with
mine as he speaks each word, weighting each one with need.  “Sex on a
stick, pure unadulterated sex on a stick.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.  You’re smart, funny, and sweet.  You like to
fuck and you are not afraid to try new things.  Do you know how sexy that
is?  And, your voice is incredibly sultry.  It has a real husky
quality to it,” his lips curve into a lecherous grin, “especially when you are
getting ready to come.”

“Ok, you need to stop now.  I can’t fuck you on this table.  We
would get arrested.”

Laughing, he says, “Like I said, darlin’, like I said.”

The waitress comes to the table leaving the check.  Tommy throws
down some cash and takes my hand, pulling me out the door and to the
bike.  I climb on to the motorcycle and his finger grazes my chin. 
Lifting my face, he kisses me sweetly.  “Feel like a ride?”

“Sure.” I slip on my helmet.

Hoping on, he turns the key and roars off down the road as my arms
encircle his waist, and I hold on tight.  He takes me down roads covered
with trees seeped in hills.  Over a grand suspension bridge that is
unique, in and of itself.  We travel through hills surrounded by lakes and
dams with breathtaking views of the city.  We ride until the sun sinks low
in the sky, through miles and miles of country roads and stunning
scenery.  He pulls into a park and says, “We’re here.”

We park the bike and walk up a slight hill to the entrance to the
park.  The trail to the top ends at a set of one hundred stone steps
surrounded by greenery with blue skies peering through the branches.  Once
at the top, it opens into a stone pavilion.  As we cross the rock floor,
it ends and another gradual trail that leads to a ridge is all that separates
us from a view of a lake and a majestic view of the city.  The sun is
setting and we both take a seat on a flat stone.  Tommy’s arm slips around
my shoulder, and I collapse into him.  I feel the weight of yesterday, and
all that goes with it, ebb away.  The burden of everything has finally
become more than I can bear.

“Thank you,”

“For what, darlin’?”  His hand holds my chin as he points my face up
to his.

“This.  Today.  Last night.”

Hugging me closely to his chest, his chin rests softly on my head, and I
sink into his arms.  “You don’t have to do it all alone anymore,
darlin’.  I’m here.”

The sun sets on the water, and my pain sinks away with it.  Drinking
in the peaceful silence, we watch as the sun dies, and the night sky comes to
life.  As we ride back toward campus, I sit back and hold on as the wind
whips around my body.  Looking up at the twinkling stars, my arms wrapped around
this incredibly kind man, I let it all go, finally. 

I’ll always love you, Ang.  Peace my love. 

I lift my silent wish to her, knowing she’ll always be with me.

***

“Don’t you need to head out?”  I ask, as Tommy rushes me across the
lobby of my dorm.

Chuckling, he looks at me with mild amusement.  “You’re kidding,
right?” 

“You said the first calf might be born tonight.” I smile shyly. 
“Don’t you need to get back?”

“Darlin’, this will be our last night together for a while.  Do you
think I’m going to kiss you on your doorstep and drive home?”  He snickers
as he pushes the up button of the elevator. 

The elevator pings its arrival.  As I push the button for my floor,
my eyes roam over his body, taking in every muscle. 
He is so
gorgeous.  I can’t believe he’s with me.  That body is so hot…totally
hot. 
I look away, afraid I’ll be caught ogling his ass.  
As I study the elevator floors above our heads, he kisses my finger, nipping
the pad lightly.  I gasp as the shock travels to my clit. 

He turns to me with a predatory gaze, “You honestly think I could leave
before I fuck your brains out?  Shoot, darlin’, I haven’t even broken out
my little present.”  His eyes darken, filled with some mysterious
secret. 

“Newsflash, Tommy,” I say dryly, lowering my eyes to his package. “Your
‘present’ is anything but little.” 

“Come here.”  He pulls me in, his soft lips become demanding upon
impact.  His tongue thrusts into my mouth, taking possession, as I melt
into him.  As my heart pounds threatening to push out of my chest, I let
him devour me with that long, hot, rough kiss, feeling the elevator rise with
my need.