The Stranger Next To Me Page 5

  Even though this night was about pampering him, it still hurt her feelings that it didn’t seem as if he was interested in making love with her.

  With his eyes still closed Eric released a deep sigh, “Tash, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but it’s getting late and I have to get up early in the morning. Can we hurry this up a little?”

  He stroked himself to become fully erect. It was almost as if he didn’t even need her.

  “Can you ride me?”

  Disappointed, Tasha grabbed a condom and put it on him. Then, she climbed on top like he asked. Eric guided himself inside of her and quickly set the pace thrusting and pumping letting her know he wanted it hard and fast. Tasha complied. She continued the pace for another few minutes before he started to grunt and moan. Moments later he found his release…and she didn’t.

  Tasha was left feeling sexually frustrated and upset because she’d put a lot of effort into this night. If he wasn’t in the mood he should have just said so.

  Chapter 9

  It had been six months since Sabrina and Tim started looking for a new home. Tasha hoped they could agree on this one because she was getting really tired of being Sabrina’s stand-in. She should be looking for her own damn house.

  This was also the third time in a row that Sabrina had cancelled on Tim. Tasha was starting to think that maybe she just didn’t want to give up her condo.

  It was snowing and there wasn’t much more that Tasha hated than night driving in the snow. She hoped she’d made the right turn onto the right property. Sometimes her GPS would get it wrong. Wouldn’t it be her luck to drive down this tree-lined driveway that was at least a mile long, just to have to turn around?

  A moment later, the driveway cleared onto the property. Her mouth literally fell open when she pulled up in front of the most beautiful home she’d ever seen.

  The ground was already covered with snow, but those large snowflakes falling from the darkened sky, illuminated by the property lights was absolutely stunning. And, it wasn’t just a house…it was a sprawling estate! The beauty of it could be imprinted on a post card, or better yet, the cover of a magazine. My goodness, what child wouldn’t want to experience a Christmas here?

  After spotting Tim and another car, Tasha pulled up beside his and parked. He was going to be pissed to learn that Sabrina sent her to look at the house instead.

  The snow crunched underneath her boots as she got out of the car. He was coming out of the house with a woman, most likely the realtor. Sabrina had changed realtors at least three times throughout this process.

  Tasha walked towards them. The closer she came, the more she was able to see the frustration on his face.

  “Well, I’m sorry your wife didn’t get to see the house tonight. However, I’m sure she’s going to love it. Merry Christmas, and it was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Horne.”

  “Thank you and Merry Christmas to you too.”

  Tasha smiled at the realtor as she got into her car. She continued to walk towards Tim with her hands in her coat pockets.

  She could see her breath as she spoke, “Hey. This is an absolutely beautiful home. I haven’t seen the inside but I’m sure Sabrina can’t help but to love this one.”

  It was obvious that Tim was more than disappointed to see her. “She called you to stand-in for her again?”

  She gave Tim a weak smile, “Did I hear the realtor say it was a pleasure doing business with you? Did you buy this house?”

  He exhaled deeply, “Yeah. We just signed the papers.”

  “How exciting…come on show me your new place!”

  “No offense Tasha, but I wanted my wife to be the first person to see our home. This was my Christmas present to her.”

  She spoke softly, “I know. But, you know she would have been here if she could. She asked if I would come because…”

  “No, I don’t know that she would have been here if she could. And, she sent you thinking it would smooth things over because she knew I would be pissed!”

  Tasha shifted from foot to foot. “Well…this is…awkward.”

  Tim closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped on you like that. It’s not your fault this night is a disaster.” He looked back at the house, “I guess since you made the time to come out here, come on in and see the house. It’ll serve Sabrina right that you’ll be the first to see her home.”

  Tasha bent down and picked up a hand full of snow after Tim turned his back to walk towards the house. She was proud of the nice round snowball she’d made. This snow was perfect for it. Her high school softball coach would be proud of her pitcher’s stance. She pulled back and let the snowball fly. Bull’s eye! She’d hit Tim right in the center of his back.

  He turned around, “Seriously?”

  Tasha smiled, “Oh come on! You’ve just purchased the home of your dreams with the woman of your dreams. I know you wanted to share this moment with her but you’ll still get to share this home with her for the rest of your lives.”

  “That’s not the point, Tasha. The point is…I make time. Hell, you don’t think I’m busy? People make time for the things that are a priority for them.”

  Tasha couldn’t really argue with him on that. “Hmm…well…think back to when you were just starting out with your first business. I’m sure there were things you missed trying to build your empire. Sabrina wouldn’t have married you if she didn’t think your marriage couldn’t survive her climb to success.”

  Tim hesitated for a moment before picking up a handful of snow and shaping it into a perfect snowball.

  Tasha watched as if in slow motion, “Wha…wha...what do you plan on doing with that?” She started backing up from him.

  “You think you are so smart.” His movements were slow and deliberate. The next thing Tasha knew she’d been hit on the shoulder with a snowball. Some of the remnants of the snow splattered up into her face. She blinked a few times.

  A slow smile spread across her face, “Oh…it’s on now!”

  They spent the next ten minutes having a good old fashioned snow ball fight. Tim couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this much fun. Everything stilled after Tasha landed one on the side of his head.

  After a moment she wondered what he was going to do.

  Tim dropped the snow he held in his hands and started to chase her. She was a pretty good runner just not in snow. Just as Tasha turned to run away he tackled her to the ground. It was a soft landing because of all the snow.

  They were laughing hysterically as he sat on top of her and pinned her hands above her head.

  She could barely speak, “Tim, get off of me. I can’t breathe.”

  He was laughing so hard that he could barely get his words out too, “That’s what you get for throwing that snowball at me!”

  “I’ve got to pee! You’re going to make me pee in my pants.”

  As he hovered above her, the laughter and light from her eyes caught him off guard. He couldn’t seem to turn away. Even after blinking a few times to gain control, it was as if some force was still holding him captive.

  In just an instant, the energy between them shifted. Something was happening.

  The sounds of easy laughter that they’d shared only moments before had disappeared. It had been replaced with the quiet of the night and the sounds of their heavy breathing.

  Her body started to tingle and her breath came in short choppy bursts. Was this a reaction to him? Were those butterflies in her stomach? The tightening of her nipples could be explained away because of the cold weather. Only…she wasn’t cold. Not only was Tasha not cold she was starting to feel warm all over.

  There was something that flashed in Tim’s eyes that almost looked like attraction. Was he feeling this too?

  Somewhere in the background Tasha heard a dog barking. The sound was enough to shake her back to her senses. Oh no. This was bad. This was really really bad.

  She laughed awkwardly,
“Tim, my ass is freezing.”

  Once he heard her voice, it was as if he realized they’d shared something forbidden. He managed to smile as he rolled off of her onto his back. Neither of them spoke. They just looked up into the darkness as the snow fell softly over them.

  Searching for the easiness that they’d experienced just moments ago, Tim cleared his throat, “Let me show you the house.”

  Tasha was afraid to look at him. Not because of what she might see but because of what he might see in her eyes. She had no idea what was in them. However, after taking a deep breath she looked anyway. She saw a combination of disappointment mixed with something else as he gazed up at the sky.

  She blew out a breath, “No. I’ll wait. I want you and Sabrina to have this moment. You wanted this for her and it would feel wrong to intrude on that.”

  Reality was back, “Funny, I think you might want her to have this moment more than she does.”

  Chapter 10

  It was only five thirty in the evening but looked much later since it was so dark outside.

  Tasha hated driving in the snow especially when it was dark. It was coming down pretty heavy too. She tried to leave work early before the storm started but one of the partners asked her for a report at the last minute. That kept her busy for an extra hour and a half.

  Not only was traffic a nightmare on her side of the lane it was bumper to bumper…just barely moving. This was one of those moments where she wished she was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She’d do anything to be able to click her heels three times to be home.

  It had been such a long and draining day and she just wanted some peace and quiet. She didn’t even have on the radio. The only sound in the car was the sound of the windshield wiper blades swishing from side to side doing their best to clear the snow.

  Tasha spoke to herself, “Damn, another light. I’m never going to make it home at this rate.” After getting caught at a four way stop light, she was now sitting at a complete standstill. She kept both hands on the steering wheel because there was always some fool driving crazy in this weather.

  Tasha looked at her gas gauge on her dashboard. She mumbled, “Thank god I filled up my gas tank yesterday. Who knows how long it’s going to take me to get home.”

  She tried calling Eric before leaving from work but was sent directly to his voice-mail. She hoped he made it home safely.”

  The stoplight changed to green. She was doing about five miles an hour as she inched into the intersection. Tasha saw a flash of bright lights in her peripheral. The light seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. Just as she turned her head to look…she screamed.

  She didn’t have any time to react. An SUV must have been driving too fast. Whoever was driving wasn’t able to stop and ran through the red light. They came barreling through the intersection smashing into her car. BANG!...SMASH!….the thunderous sound of steel on steel crunching into each other was deafening. Glass shattered everywhere.

  The impact of the truck hitting her car caused it to spin around into another lane of oncoming traffic just to get hit again by another car…BANG…BANG…BOOM!

  Her head jerked hard one way and then another. First, from the impact of the second collision and then from the airbag exploding open. She felt the hot sting of something hitting her head. Tasha reached up to touch it only to feel wetness on her fingertips. It was hard to move with the seat belt digging into her skin. What was that smell? Something was burning…what was burning? Everything was starting to get blurry. It was hard to keep her eyes open. Tasha blinked a few times trying to stay awake.

  The last thing she remembered was someone saying we’ve got to get her out of there…before darkness overtook her.

  *****

  Tasha woke up in the hospital. She felt like she’d been hit by a truck. Wait, she had been hit by a truck and she hurt all over.

  A nurse walked into her room, “Oh good, you’re awake. You were in a nasty accident and you’ve got some scrapes, bumps, and bruises. The most serious of which is the concussion and a sprained ankle.”

  She walked over to take Tasha’s temperature and blood pressure. “The doctor would like to keep you overnight because of that nasty bump on your head, just for observation.”

  Tasha tried to move but winced from the pain. She wasn’t quite sure where it was coming from since everything seemed to hurt. She whispered, “I’m in a lot of pain. Can you give me anything?”

  “Of course. When they brought you in they couldn’t really give you anything since you weren’t awake to answer any questions. We’ll go through that now just to make sure there aren’t any bad reactions to anything.”

  Tasha answered all of the nurse’s questions before half-jokingly making a request. “Whatever pain meds you bring me please make sure it’s the good stuff.”

  She smiled, “Your cell phone was smashed up in the accident. Do you need to call anyone?”

  “Yes, my boyfriend Eric. He’s probably beside himself with worry.”

  The nurse gave Tasha the receiver and dialed the number for her. The phone rang a few times before going to voice-mail. Tasha left him another message.

  “Can I make another call?”

  “Of course.”

  Tasha gave her Sabrina’s phone number. She got her voice-mail too. “I’m sure one or both of them will call me back soon.”

  The nurse hung up the phone. “I’ll be back with your pain meds.”

  Shortly after Tasha had taken her medication her phone rang. It was difficult to answer but she managed.

  “Hello.”

  It was Eric. “Hey baby, what’s going on? Are you okay? I had a late meeting and I’m just now getting your messages.”

  “I was in an accident. But, don’t worry I’m fine, just a few bumps and bruises. They’re keeping me overnight for observation. I’m at First General hospital.”

  “Well, that’s good to hear. If it’s not too serious, I won’t come out tonight. I have a pretty full day tomorrow full of meetings; can Sabrina pick you up tomorrow?”

  Tasha was disappointed that Eric wasn’t going to come and see about her but the weather was probably still bad and he’d been working really hard at work. She didn’t want to be the reason something didn’t work out.

  “I just remembered Sabrina is out of town until Friday.”

  “I mean, I can rearrange some things if I have to but like I said tomorrow is a pretty important day for me.”

  “Right, I understand. I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about it. I’ll call Sabrina’s dad, Mr. Links. Just focus on your meetings and wow them.”

  “That’s my plan. I’ll call you in the morning before I head out to work. Get some rest.”

  Tasha tried really hard to keep the hurt out of her voice that he wasn’t going to come to the hospital. She was being foolish. Eric had a really big day ahead of him and she wasn’t seriously injured.

  “I will. Good luck tomorrow and I love you.”

  Seemingly distracted Eric responded, “Oh…yeah, me too. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Tasha closed her eyes wondering if the pain meds would ease the hurt in her heart too.

  Chapter 11

  The next morning, Tasha woke up but didn’t actually open her eyes. She was in so much pain she was afraid to even breathe. She felt worse than she did the night before.

  “Hey. Are you in pain?”

  Tasha’s eyes fluttered open. “Tim?”

  He was standing close by the head of her bed. “Yeah. Sabrina called me last night to tell me you’d been in an accident. By the time I got here, you were already asleep.”

  She whispered, “You’ve been here since last night?”

  “It was pretty late when I got here. I hadn’t planned on staying all night. I was waiting for Eric and then I was going to take off. You know Sabrina would kill me if I left before someone showed up.”

  Tasha winced.

  Concern was evident all over his face. “Let me call your nurse.”r />
  Tim called the nurse. A few minutes later she walked in with the physician. He had her chart in hand.

  After reviewing it, the physician took the bandages off of her forehead and gave it a thorough once over. “Well Ms. Stevens, you were pretty lucky. The most serious injury you sustained was a mild concussion and that was a nasty cut on your forehead. The stitches should come out in a week or so. And, you’ve got a nice sprain. You’ll need to stay off of that foot and keep it elevated for at least the next week. You might still have some aches and pains but you should start feeling better in a few days.”

  Tim spoke up for Tasha, “She seems to be in quite a bit of pain now. Is there anything you can give her?”

  The nurse gave him Tasha’s chart and he took another look at it. “Yes, I think we can give her something for the pain. Tasha, how did the medicine work for you last night?”

  “I think it worked fine. I fell asleep so I’m not sure.”

  The physician gave the nurse some instructions. She left out of the room and returned a few moments later with Tasha’s pain medication.

  “Well Ms. Stevens, I’ve written you a prescription for the pain meds you’re taking now. If you find they are not working, call my office. And, that’s pretty much it. As soon as you are ready, you can go home. Just make sure to schedule an appointment with your regular doctor as soon as you can.”

  He gave Tasha a warm smile and shook Tim’s hand before leaving the room.

  Before the nurse left out of the room, Tasha asked her about her clothing.

  “I’m sorry Ms. Stevens but those had to be destroyed. You’ll need someone to bring you something else to wear.”

  As soon as she left, Tim pulled out his cell and made a call. Tasha had no idea who he was speaking with “I need you to messenger me a women’s full length coat, a zip up jersey dress and a pair of boots over to First General hospital.” He looked over at Tasha, “What’s your size?”