Page 75 of The Impact (Parachutes #3)

Tahli made a barrier with her hand between his mouth and her skin, taming her animal.

“Why don’t we go up there to that jacuzzi…grab some drinks, and sip on some Coladas under the stars?”

Vin took a break to peek at the mentioned section.

“I’d rather go back up to our hotel room…pull these shoestrings off of you, and suck on some pussy,” he delivered deep in her ear, making Tahli pull her lip between her teeth in ache.

His fingers slipped inside of her bottoms, sliding into her folds in search of her pearl and Tahli scraped her teeth over his hairy cheek.

“This pussy,” he specified. “And judging by the feel of it…she’d rather that shit, too.”

“Dalvin,” Tahli murmured, as his fingers started the stroke they’d perfected, in and out of her, pleasurable pressure, grazing every sensitive spot prickling in her walls. “You are still…such…a fucking bully,” Tahli moaned, eyelids drooping, body relinquishing.

“And you’re still my fantasy, baby love.” The type of yearning in his baritone a woman longed for. Tahli recalled it from their first night making love. Sometimes after a fight. Often after him being away.

“It will always be you for me, Tahli Celine Hall,” his succulent, biting voice drizzled in her ear. The kind of voice women wanted to cover all over them, if a voice could turn to hot honey and ooze down over you.

“You knocked down doors and found shit in me I didn’t even know existed. I will never let anybody get there.”

He sucked on her earlobe after the confession, as if he were aware of her every hidden insecurity, leaving Tahli’s mouth hanging agape. The strokes of his fingers, the strum of his verses, as Tahli gripped his strong shoulders, legs of an octopus loose and wiggling in the water.

“No matter how this shit ends. You are my baby love for life. My dream. My light. My reason. My strength and my mothafuckin’ weakness.

” He kissed her lips, and she let him. “My parachute,” he breathed onto her mouth and Tahli fell into his.

And that was how you ended up tongue-kissing your ex-husband in a Turks the chairs flipped upside down atop of the round tables.

Only the outdoor deck lights remained on, with both opened doors leading to the ocean waves crashing loudly against the distant shore.

Vivid tropical petals covered the floor, tables, and even the distant sand, where lanterns swayed from palm trees in the breeze.

A single table for two waited on the beach.

Vin liked to do these things…but didn’t like to do these things. He did them to make her smile, leaving Tahli cautious with her response. So, him leaning against a table, one arm crossed in front of him, scrubbing his lip waiting on her approval was on par. A familiar tune started.

“Hold up. Babyface is here?” Her hand shot to her chest. Vanessa just might hop a flight if Tahli told her Vin had gotten Babyface to sing.

But Vin’s body jumped in a snort. “Nah, not this time.”

“Oh,” she chuckled at her assumption. “That’s okay.”

Tahli’s eyes swept the scene again, as his gaze softened on her. A pink flamingo strode through the double doors, joining another bird flipping about the room.

“This is gorgeous, Vin.”

“You didn’t have your dessert. You didn’t even take it up to the room to eat it later and rub your feet together.”

She snickered. “I was stuffed.”

“Well, you’re gonna have it on the beach. But first…” He walked over. “You gonna let your ex-husband dance with you.”

Tahli turned into a marshmallow. If she opened her mouth, she’d spill too much. So, she pretended her teeth were wired but let him take her hand.

As Babyface crooned about Never Keeping Secrets , Tahli let Vin’s song choice penetrate her.

Every word was a rewrite of some form of his many apologies over the past year and a half.

Tahli stared into his eyes as Babyface spoke for Vin.

The subtle parting of his lips signaled words to come, but Tahli shook her head.

“Don’t. Don’t say anything romantic. I can’t take another Dave Hollister moment, right now.”

He chuckled. A second later, he chose to sing along instead. “ So now I’m telling everybody…”

“Ahhhhhh!” Tahli slammed her hands against her ears. His voice cracked as he tried to reach Babyface’s scale, declaring ‘cause I wanna get back with you!

Tahli giggled as they swayed. Less of a dance, more of a comfort of closeness.

Her heart had been out of tune but had found its rhythm again, synching with his.

Vin playfully sang pieces of the bridge into her neck, and Tahli snickered off emotion, stomaching clenching and relaxing as two forces pulled her in opposite directions.

“Girl, I apologize!” He sang with offkey passion as Tahli laughed so hard, tears leaked.

By the time he got to the end, Vin was shaking her shoulders with every, “forever, and ever, and ever…” and Tahli flanked hands over her cackling face, putting the debate of her fate on hold.

“I love you,” he got serious enough to say. “I just wish it didn’t take me this fucking long to see what I was supposed to do with that. I understood the emotion. Not the responsibility that came with it.”

Tahli absorbed that.

“Come on,” Vin extended his hand. “Let’s go have your dessert. It’s everything you were eying on the menu: mango mousse, guava cheesecake, bananas foster.”

“Vin, I’ma gain like 20 more pounds fucking wit’ you.”

“Good thing I can handle all that shit.” He flexed his bicep, stealing more of her humor. Then she let him lead her out the sand for a decadent nightcap under moonlight, trying to quiet her piercing reservations.

Vin

Vin didn’t trust good times. Mainly because something was always rotting at the core of them, often at his doing. A left behind deception, spoiling like dumpster garbage on a summer day.

He and Tahli had that moment on the beach, a page ripped from one of those books Vanessa would read.

One of those nights like old times. When they would break dawn talking, smoking, doing other things.

He even walked by one of the suite bedrooms after leaving the shower and found Lo already asleep with Tahli’s euphonious tone soothing a drifting-off DJ.

“Once you know you’re dreaming, just take control of it, Loverboy. You’re more powerful than your dreams,” she promised his son, aiding his nightmares.

When Vin found her out on the balcony, he smiled prematurely. The security of his family had plugged that void yet again.

“Aye, Doll’s knocked out with her phone on her face and Terran’s taking up most of the bed.” Vin waited on Tahli’s laugh. When he advanced enough to glimpse her face, his chest squeezed.

“What’s wrong?” A shaky hand with orange-painted nails swiped one wet cheek, then the other. Vin swallowed a lump as big as the high moon.