Taivon: Book Three of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Eight

He should not have said that. He definitely should not have said that. Apparently, a good laugh was all it took for his body to stir. Ever since his father and mother had set him and his brothers down for “the talk,” Taivon had been priding himself on his self-control. He'd wanted to save his body for the one he loved. It'd been that way with Holly. They'd lost their virginities to each other on a warm, summer night. After two years of seeing each other. A few months before he'd proposed.

Now, he stared at the woman who sat across from him, his mouth clamped shut. He'd experienced desire before – more than a few times when he'd been a teenager and a countless number with Holly. The only difference was that, with Holly, he'd felt like he'd been burning alive. Now, here with Alix looking shocked, he didn't feel that burning desire but rather, a simple physical need that he could control.

His mouth, on the other hand, didn't seem to want to be controlled. It just wanted to blurt out whatever his physical self felt, without any say from his mental being. The other side of him – the mental one with the sense – knew that having sex on the third date was not the way to show Alix he was serious about her.

“I,” he started, taking a deep breath, “did not mean it like that.”

One eyebrow arched, and she took a sip of her soda. “Good, 'cause I don't really know if I woulda been able to turn ya down or not.”

His face heated up at the meaning in her words, and he had to rub his thumb over the picture on the card stock. It instilled a calm, controlled sense of protection in his body, causing goosebumps to erupt on his skin.

“I think I could, though.”

“What?” He smiled at the glint in her eyes. “Don't think I look good enough? 'Cause let me tell ya, this took me-”

“Oh, no, of course not. But I've been going to church more lately, and this whole 'let's be a good girl and have a little bit of self-discipline' thing actually feels really good, like I've turned over a new leaf or something.” Her grip on his hand tightened, and her thumb drew small circles on his hand. “Besides, my brother will probably come over tomorrow morning.”

“So that's your only reason?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I'd also like to get to know ya better. You're different, more...deep, I guess, than a lot of people that I know.”

He chuckled. “Deep?”

“Ya know, sorta like the type that would write poetry or heartbreaking lyrics on a daily basis but never publish them because they're so secret and-”

“Honey, you are so far from the truth. For one, that stuff makes me gag. And second, my voice is shit when it comes to singing, so believe me when I say that nobody wants to hear that. I don't even wanna hear it.” He'd done chorus back in high school, just for the easy A. The director, Mrs. Bennil, had told him to go stand in the back and mouth the words.

“I like your voice.”

“Everybody says that. Then, they hear me sing, and it's an entirely different story.”

For the next few minutes, as they waited for their food, he told her all about his chorus blunders. She laughed at each and every one, further relaxing him just as she had before. Alix, he had learned from day one, had a way with people. He'd seen it more than enough times at the bar. She wouldn't even have to try, and she'd have a person seeing her as a trusted friend.

Holly had been the same way. Just one smile, and she'd have all sorts – from young to old, female to male – telling her their life stories. They were alike in that way. The difference was that Alix tailored to a group that was deemed more unapproachable and probably had a hard time getting along with the older folks who saw her body art as sin.