Mistaken Identities Read online

  “Stay right here,” he told her. “I’m going to get us a beer.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like beer that much.”

  “You used to drink it with us.”

  “I did a lot of things for Roman.”

  He stared, but she turned away and made another attempt at throwing the ball. He didn’t bother telling her she’d taken over his turn. Instead, he visited the snack bar and ordered a beer for him and a soda for her. As an afterthought, he bought a bottled water in case she didn’t like soda. By the time he returned, she had flubbed his turn entirely and had moved on to hers.

  “You’re plotting against me,” he quipped.

  She widened her eyes and placed a hand dramatically to her chest. “Did I do that? One pin on your go? Ouch.”

  “You’re going to pay, woman.”

  She giggled, and he slapped her ass, making her laugh harder. Tension eased out of Grayson’s shoulders the longer they played the game. Twice he had to return to the snack bar to grab another beer because Tonya had started sipping his. After the first cringe when she tasted it, she drank more, and he was glad to see her relaxing.

  Ten games later, Grayson dragged Tonya away from the alley. “No more. You’re not going to beat me no matter how hard you try, and tipsy, your game and your aim has gotten worse.”

  “I almost had it,” she complained.

  “Uh-huh.” He bent down and removed her shoes when she had trouble untying them.

  “Gray?”

  He stepped out of the stuffy bowling alley with her at his side, and his shiver had nothing to do with the drop in temperature. His name on her lips pleased him. “Yes?”

  “Why were you mad earlier?”

  He paused in the act of unlocking his car door. The question took him by surprise because he thought he had covered his anger well. She had still noticed. “I wasn’t.”

  She said no more, and he helped her into the car. They sped down the road, the interior of the car dark. Every now and then, he glanced across at her. Despite everything that had happened, he had never brought himself to hate Tonya. He couldn’t. Not when he had loved her from the first day he met her.

  Roman had taken a class at her university and run into her at the school’s library. They hit it off right away and began dating, but his friend took his time about introducing Tonya even though Grayson hadn’t been able to get him to shut up about the sexy new girl he’d been seeing. Later, he understood why. Tonya was not only African American, a fact Roman confessed he worried about, she was also much younger. Grayson never saw the problem either way, but while he’d thought when Roman asked her to marry him, he had resolved his issues, they were still very much a part of the man. Grayson on meeting Tonya knew he wouldn’t have cared if she were his. Not for a second. Then tragedy struck, and the relationship ended. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he was glad she hadn’t married Roman.

  Tonya’s hand landed on his thigh, breaking him from his thoughts, and his cock swelled at the close contact.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice gone deep without him meaning it to.

  “Nothing.” She slid her small hand higher up his thigh.

  “You’re going to make me crash,” he warned.

  “If you’re having trouble, maybe you should pull over.”

  Her beautiful brown eyes glittered in the dim lighting from the streetlights. “You’re tipsy.”

  “I know what I want.”

  True, the beer she drank wouldn’t impair her so much as to have sex with him without meaning to. When he hesitated a moment longer, she covered his cock and gave it a squeeze. The decision made, he found a turnoff to a quiet, dark road and took it. Far from any watchful eyes, he stopped the car and threw it into park.

  “There’s not much room in here for what you’re hinting at, woman.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Weren’t you going to make me pay for making you lose the game?”

  He laughed. “Which time did I lose?”

  She pointed to his lap. “I bet I can fit right there.”

  His dick tried to jump out of his pants. “I’ll take that challenge.”

  Chapter Ten

  Tonya unbuckled her seatbelt, about to make good on her challenge to fit in Grayson’s lap, but he held her where she was, a hand on either hip. “Whoa, baby. Let’s get those jeans off.”

  Just saying the words and knowing he would see what he had enjoyed days ago had his mouth watering and his fingers itching to touch every part of her. She kicked off her shoes and unbuttoned the jeans. The zipper sounded loud in the car’s small interior, and when she began shimmying the jeans low on her hips, he leaned over to help. Sexy red lace panties appeared, and his cock shifted.

  “Damn, do you wear stuff like this all the time?” He couldn’t take his eyes off her sweet body, and raised her up to get the jeans from beneath her ass. Long, creamy brown thighs came into view, and he bent down to give each a kiss. He resisted the spot he really wanted, preferring to torture himself a little longer for that.

  “Do you like them?” she teased.

  “Hell yes.” He slid a finger along the crotch and felt the dampness. Her pussy lips had swollen, and he pressed against them through the thin material. Tonya’s moan took his lust a notch higher. “Take them off.”

  “Are you sure?”

  He was about to ask her what she meant by that when she leaned against the door and raised a knee. With a little working of the material, he realized the crotch split down the middle, to be parted for easy access. Grayson let out a low whistle.

  “You’re killing me, Tonya.”

  “That’s the idea.” She pointed at his crotch. “What about you? I haven’t seen what you’re offering when I get over there.”

  He couldn’t get his zipper lowered fast enough. He had scarcely thrust his jeans low to free his cock when Tonya’s ass hit the horn in the center of his steering wheel. He rode with the seat shoved back as far as possible, and being a big man, there was nowhere to go. He grasped her hips and brought her down. The tip of his engorged shaft touched between her legs. He sucked in a sharp breath.

  “Open them, baby,” he commanded.

  She reached between legs and parted the two strips at her crotch. Dark chocolate, moist with her juices, appeared in front of him, and before he could stop himself, he thrust upward. His cock head penetrated her entrance, gliding all the way to the hilt. His fingers spasmed on her hips, and he shut his eyes for a moment to enjoy the feel of her warmth all around him. “You’re so tight.”

  When she began moving on his erection, he opened his eyes so he wouldn’t miss the ecstasy on her face. Her head back and mouth open, she cried out her pleasure. He squeezed her hip but removed one hand to push two fingers between her lips. Grayson didn’t have to give her instruction. The moment she felt what he did, she closed her lips around his digits and sucked. A powerful jolt rocked him to his core, and he pushed his cock harder into her.

  The space being limited, he couldn’t watch his shaft slide in and out of her pussy, which he loved doing, so he studied her face instead. He liked the way she sucked his fingers, as if they were his cock. He pushed in and withdrew, then pushed in again. All the time she moaned and bounced on his dick. If the fast pace they set continued, he would come long before he wanted to, but that didn’t matter. No other woman got him hard like Tonya, and even if he exploded inside her, he would be ready again in no time.

  While she rode his shaft, he pulled his fingers from her mouth and stroked her breasts. A craving to see them came over him, and he pushed her T-shirt up. The bra annoyed him, so he dragged it up as well. Her breasts bounced free with erect nipples, and he came close to release.

  “Stop moving.”

  This time, she disobeyed. If anything, she ground her hips harder. He gasped and grabbed her hips. She protested, and he smacked as much of the soft, round ass as he could reach. His balls drew up. The stubborn woman was determined
to bring him to a head. Grayson raised her off his lap, and she cried out. His cock fell against his stomach, so stiff it ached.

  “Don’t,” she pleaded. “I need to come.”

  “Trust me. I’m not going to leave you wanting.”

  Somehow in the limited space, he managed to turn her away from him and put her back on his lap to lean over the steering wheel. He looked down and took in that ass that drove him insane, and under her, his cock twitched.

  He pressed a hand in her back. “Arch for me.”

  She did, and he guided his dick into her moist opening. A guttural moan rose in his throat. The horn blasted the quiet night when he pounded into her pussy. He wrapped an arm across her shoulders and drove his shaft home again and again. She screamed and begged him not to stop.

  “I have no intention of stopping. Not until I fill you, and your thighs quiver.”

  He had no sooner said the words when she whimpered and the tremor began in her legs. She squeezed his legs and clenched her inner walls until he couldn’t hold back any longer. Her pussy massaged his dick and then held it like a vise. His essence shot forward under the incredible pressure, and he held himself deep inside her.

  When they both panted, and Grayson let his forehead rest against her back, he came to his senses. She hadn’t sounded the horn once, but twice. If they didn’t get moving, they would find themselves arrested. Very worth it.

  “Back in your seat, beautiful. I’m taking you to your hotel.”

  She pouted. “I’m just getting started.”

  He groaned as she climbed off his cock and moved to her seat. “I will wear out that sexy body in private. You don’t have to worry about that.” He caressed her cheek and then ferreted a few tissues from the glove compartment. They cleaned up, dressed, and Grayson tore off down the road.

  * * * *

  Grayson woke with the sun, and when thoughts of Tonya popped into his head like they always did, he recalled their marathon session of sex the night before. He rolled over to embrace her and found an empty spot. Frowning, he sat up and squinted against the light. They had neglected to shut the blinds, and he considered whether they’d had an audience. At the moment, he didn’t care. Finding Tonya and bringing her back to his side took precedence.

  Running water sounded from the bathroom, and he headed that way. He had just laid his hand on the doorknob when her distressed tone gave him pause.

  “…the abortion,” she was saying.

  He froze.

  “I want to talk to him about it,” she continued. “Yes! I know that. Well, it’s important to me, all right?” Tonya fell silent, and he assumed she listened to the person on the other end of the phone call. When she spoke again, she dropped her voice lower, and he had to strain to hear. “No, you’re wrong. What’s in the past isn’t past. It’s affecting the here and now. I’m not explaining myself. I said what I have to say. Good-bye.”

  Grayson stepped back from the door and turned away. Should he confront her about the conversation or let it go for now? He had already invaded her privacy with the investigator, and of course the past, as she said, still lay between them. Last night had been good—very good. What he wanted was to continue things where they were, and if a confrontation came about later, so be it. For now, he would let things flow.

  He turned back to the bathroom door and opened it this time. Tonya jumped on seeing him, and he caught the guilt in her brown eyes. Temptation to bring up her conversation washed over him, but he wrestled for control and smiled. Drawing her into his embrace registered more surprise in her face, and he didn’t regret his decision.

  He raised her chin and kissed her lips. “Spend the day with me.”

  A spark ignited in her eyes, but then she pulled away. “Don’t you ever work?”

  “I promise you a good time.”

  “Is that a no?”

  He chuckled. “I’m the boss.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him, but he could feel that she intended to give in. “So you neglect your duties and leave all the hard work to the employees?”

  “Are you turning me down?”

  “I don’t know…”

  He zipped her off her feet to hold against him. She squealed and squirmed.

  “Stop it, Gray. You’re naked.”

  “You didn’t complain last night.”

  “I’m not complaining now.”

  He pressed his lips close to her ear. “Mm, maybe we should stay in all day.”

  “You’re trying to kill me, sir, and I’m not having it.” She protested, but he saw the interest. After a few moments, he set her on her feet. If she decided to stay, it would be with a clear head. She turned and stepped back into his arms, and he welcomed the soft body aligned with his. “Okay, why not? I don’t have anything else to take care of. But I don’t want to lay in bed all day—well, not all day.”

  He grinned and smacked her ass.

  She pretended to protest and then asked, “What will we do?”

  “How does a helicopter ride sound?”

  Her mouth fell open. “Come again?”

  “As I said, I promise a good time. Wait and see.”

  Grayson had taken ladies up in the helicopter before, but there was no one he wanted there more than Tonya. He had his license to fly, but he would forego it this time to make sure he could hold her if she became too afraid. He didn’t want to have to focus on piloting the craft, but rather on her.

  The sightseeing tour would consist of a forty-minute helicopter ride around the Lake Wylie area. He would show her a few sights in the Charlotte area like Carowinds, the Ballantyne area, the nuclear power plant, and of course, the lake. Afterward, he planned to take her to lunch.

  While he sped along the freeway, he considered his plan. “Would you rather take the Lake Wylie tour or the one that departs from the rooftop deck of the Charlotte Plaza Uptown Hotel?”

  “What’s the difference?” Her fingers curled into her palms on her lap, and he reached across to take one hand in his.

  He told her about the sights with the Lake Wylie tour. “The one from the hotel is shorter, only fifteen minutes. We could also do Lake Norman, which has five hundred miles of shoreline, but that’s also a fifteen minute trip.”

  “Um, I think Lake Norman sounds great.”

  He grinned. “Fifteen minutes?”

  She laughed. “What? I’m nervous. I’m excited, but scared out of my wits.”

  “Soooo, you won’t let me pilot you?”

  She blinked at him, and he kissed her fingers.

  “I’m serious. I can pilot a helicopter.”

  “You trained for it?”

  He burst out laughing. “Of course. Tonya, I wouldn’t risk your life. Not for anything.”

  Her gaze shifted away from his, and she bowed her head. He thought she would free her hand from his grip, but she let him hold it as they continued down the road. In the last few years, and even before she left, he’d never felt so positive and full of hope. Yet in spite of it, the niggling of the past came in. His feelings for her were clouded, and he prided himself on being a realist, taking life as it came and handling responsibilities when necessary, no matter how bad things looked. With seven years between them, he wondered if anything could come of a relationship with Tonya. Maybe what they had was the here and now, sex, and some fun times spent in each other’s company, all to end within a few weeks. He could force himself to enjoy it for the time they had left and not ask for more. After all, he had never dreamed of making love to her, yet he had—more than once.

  “Let’s do it,” she chirped with a smile on her face, and he changed course.

  The helicopter’s propellers whirred loud above their heads, and Grayson held the door with the bubbled glass for Tonya. She stumbled a bit climbing in, but he made sure to hold her steady. Wide brown eyes stared up at him when he positioned himself beside her, and his heart stirred. Touching her cheek, he realized she trembled, and he wondered if he shouldn’t do this.

 
; “I’m okay,” she mouthed, and he grinned. She was courageous. He’d give her that, but he’d always known Tonya was a cut above other women, even at twenty-two.

  He took up the headphones and made sure hers were placed well on her head before he put his own on. The gear would block out much of the noise and allow them to hear the pilot and each other.

  As was procedure, they went through the safety check in the helicopter, with the pilot reciting measures taken should they run into trouble. The more he spoke, the greener Tonya seemed to grow, but Grayson tugged her close to his side and rubbed her arm. He had heard it all a million times and no longer let the possibilities of problems get to him. What he enjoyed was the thrill of being high above the city, taking in the sights and feeling free. He wanted Tonya to enjoy it as well.

  The pilot flipped a few switches on the narrow panel and asked if they were ready. Grayson gave a thumbs up. Tonya’s fingers curled with his in a death grip. Her voice crackled over the speaker. “Oh goodness, it’s like we’re in a bubble with no protection. Where are the blinking walls? It’s like all glass in here.”

  He chuckled. “Easier to see everything. You’ll love it.”

  “Says you.”

  Soon they lifted off, and Tonya’s hold tightened. When the ground lay far below, she dared peek out the window as the airstrip gave way to a few houses and then trees. As they zoomed along, her grip eased more and more, and then she let go to face the window. The pilot’s voice became a drone in the background while Grayson watched Tonya’s face. Fear turned to excitement, and he noted the moment the experience shifted to a thrill she would want to repeat again and again.

  “I can’t believe we’re up here. It’s different than flying in a plane!”

  He nodded. “You’re closer to the action, which means you feel more of the bumps during takeoff. That can be good and bad.”

  “It’s smoother now that we’re moving forward, but yeah, that start is like riding on a roller coaster.”

  “Right.”