Altering the Plans Ch. 05

He took off his shirt and reached down to do the same to her but she put her hands on his arms and stared at his tattoos. She traced some of the designs with her fingertip, and he thought his skin would sizzle from the heat he felt.

"How do you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"I don't know. All of it." She ran a hand down his arm. "Design it. Plan it. Sit still for it." She bit her lip. "Not pass out at the needle."

Toby laughed and took her hands. "I don't know. I've been doing it for so long I don't think about it."

She sighed. "I'm probably going to look so boring."

He tipped her chin up. "You will never look boring. Never."

He distracted her with a kiss while he worked the hem of her shirt up, then stood back and pulled it off. No, she wasn't boring. In the dim light, her skin almost glowed, especially as it contrasted with the dark bra she wore.

"Nope," Toby said, "not boring." He sat on the bed and drew her to him for a kiss as he worked to release the catch on her bra.

She pulled it off herself, not stopping the kiss, but he put his hands on her arms and gently pushed her back. He slid his palms up to her shoulders and down over her breasts, loving the feel of her nipples as they pebbled beneath his touch. He took one nipple in his mouth and rolled the other one between his finger and thumb.

Maya inhaled sharply and dropped her head back. "Oh, my god. That feels so good."

She let out a small cry when he bit down gently and his control weakened a little more. He turned his face up to capture her lips and she complied, wrapping her arms around him. Trying not to be too rough, he worked her jeans off along with everything underneath. Maya reached down to do the same for him, but his seated position made it awkward, so he stood to speed the process.

Once they'd shed their clothes, her hands drifted over his chest. Here and there she traced designs as she had on his arms, and it was an effort to be still and let her. When one of her fingernails dragged over his nipple he couldn't take it anymore. He hauled her to him and kissed her deeply, keeping her against him as they dropped to the bed.

He tightened his grip on her, as though afraid she'd leave, and moved to her neck again to find that spot. She trembled when his tongue drifted over it and he clamped his mouth at the point, sucking and running his tongue over the sensitive area. When she made a noise, he pulled back. Looking down, he saw a red mark on her neck. Christ, what was wrong with him.

"Are you all right?" he asked. He was breathing hard and tried to relax. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"You didn't." She shook her head and ran a hand through his hair. "Really." She smiled. "Toby, I won't break. I like what you're doing."

"Are you sure?"

Her cheeks reddened as she reached for his hand and placed it between her legs. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

Toby let out a satisfied growl as his fingers explored her sex, which was wet, hot, and slick. "I want to do a lot of things," he said, brushing his lips over hers. "But I'm not sure I can wait." He slipped two fingers inside and watched as her eyes fluttered closed.

Maya tunneled the fingers of one hand into his hair, pulling him down for a needy, searing kiss. He obliged, keeping up a steady rhythm with his fingers, and rubbing his thumb over the sensitive nerves at her center. She twisted under him, nipping at his lip as her breath came in short gasps.

"Yes, oh, please, yes," she panted.

"Maya," he murmured. He liked the way her name sounded. "I've got you. Come for me. I want you to." He realized his hips were moving in time with hers, his cock sliding along the silky skin of her thigh. Damn, he wanted to be inside her, but first he wanted her to come.

Toby lowered his head to her neck and flicked his tongue over the curve at the same time he rubbed his thumb over her clit. Maya tensed and then threw her head back with a cry as her body trembled. Toby found her lips and swallowed her whimpers until she grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Good?" he asked.

"Amazing," she said in a breathy voice. She hooked one leg around his waist. "We're not done, are we?"

"Fuck, no." Toby reached for a condom and once it was on, stretched out over her body.

"Looks like, fuck, yes," she said with a mischievous grin.

He grinned back before thrusting inside her. His grin disappeared as her slick heat enveloped him. He was still for a moment, then Maya wrapped her legs around him, letting him slide deeper in.

"Christ, you're amazing," Toby managed to say before his brain went blank. He looked down and met her eyes, the gold flecks sparkling in the soft brown. She raised her lips for a kiss and he obliged, thinking he could lose himself in her body for hours at a time. He moved, finding a rhythm that satisfied them both.

She gasped out his name as she came again, her body tightening around his. Toby wasn't far behind her and couldn't hold himself back anymore. He thrust harder and faster until at last he came, breathing hard and holding Maya to him.

They lay quietly for a few minutes. Maya's eyes were closed as she stroked his arms, and Toby rubbed his cheek against hers. After a quick kiss, he got up to dispose of the condom. Back in the bed, he lay next to her and stroked her hair.

"I hope you were planning on staying," he said. "Because I would really like you to."

Maya smiled. "How can I resist?" She covered a yawn.

"Good, then it's settled."

Under the covers, he pulled her to him. She snuggled against him and turned with a sleepy smile.

"It's nice not to be scared of you," she said.

"Back at you." He grinned and kissed her forehead. "Now, sleep, little darlin'."

She laughed as she turned back. "Yes, Tobias."

x-x-x-x-x-x

Maya woke the next morning and for a moment was disoriented. Then Toby shifted on the bed behind her and she remembered. Smiling, she turned over and curled up next to him.

What a wild day and night it had been, she thought. She'd never been on an emotional roller coaster like that. She'd been excited, happy, surprised, nervous, anxious, and more, and sometimes all at once. Coming back with Toby had been her incentive, and later, her reward. She didn't think she'd ever been so forward during sex, and maybe it was a combination of alcohol and the emotional ride she'd had the day before, but she was glad she'd dared.

Maya had also had an idea somewhere along the line and pondered it as she lay next to Toby.

Working on Trinity's dress and then helping Roxxy had sparked the thought that instead of looking for work as a dressmaker in someone else's shop, she should open her own. She'd have to ask Toby about it, she thought, but she wanted to think on it some more before she did.

The idea had a lot of appeal. Maya could do what she wanted—make dresses—and perhaps she could even cater to drag queens. Working on the clothes for the queens had reminded her of working on theater costumes, which had been a happy time for her.

It would be hard, she knew. Starting a business wasn't easy, and she didn't know anything about it. But she could learn, as she'd learned anything else. Hopefully, Toby and Krista would be able to give her some advice, and help her avoid any obvious mistakes or pitfalls.

First, she decided, she'd have to research and talk to Charles to see if there was enough demand among drag queens for her to go that route, or if she should focus on more traditional dresses, such as for proms or weddings. If that panned out, she could bring it up with Toby.

For now, she relaxed and enjoyed being with this man who had seemed so intimidating, but had revealed himself to be warm and caring.

"Why are you awake?" Toby asked, wrapping an arm around her while keeping his eyes closed. "We were up late and it's early."

"Sorry, couldn't help it." Maya snuggled against him. "I wasn't getting up, though. I'm too comfortable."

Toby opened his eyes, and Maya melted at the tenderness she saw there. No one had ever looked at her that way.

"I suppose we'll have to get up some time," he said. He rubbed her arm. "But this is really nice."

Maya studied the pictures on his arm. They were such a contrast to her plain skin.

"Thinking you might want one?" Toby asked.

Maya jerked her eyes up to his. "No. No, I couldn't." Just the idea started her heart racing.

"Hey, hey, It's okay." Toby pulled her to him and rubbed her back to soothe her. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"It's okay," Maya said. She took deep breaths to calm down and rested her head on his chest. "I'm sorry. I just can't even think about it. It's hard to explain how it affects me."

"Shhhh. Don't worry about it." Toby pressed his lips to her forehead. "I won't bring it up again. It's okay."

She nodded and burrowed closer, concentrating on the feel and scent of him to chase away the fears that had come up. Between his hands on her back and the occasional reassuring kiss, it didn't take long for her to calm down.

"Do you like pancakes?" he asked.

"Pancakes?"

"Yes, pancakes." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I make excellent pancakes."

"You'd make me breakfast?"

"It's the least I can do, and I would do whatever keeps you here a little longer."

"Who would have thought a scary guy like you could make pancakes?" she teased.

Toby laughed and Maya felt it through her whole body. She sighed and slipped her arms around him. Toby was not what she'd expected—or planned for—but she was glad she'd found him.

He nuzzled her neck.

She shivered and tightened her arms around him. "Mmmmm."

"You feel good," he said. "Think you can wait a little while for the pancakes?"

Maya decided to try being forward again, and reached down to wrap her hand around his cock. He was hard and throbbed in her hand. "I think so." She smiled as Toby inhaled sharply at her touch.

"That feels good," he said as she stroked him.

"Yeah, it does." She kissed along his jawline, keeping a steady rhythm with her hand. When his breathing sped up and he jerked under her touch, she smiled to herself.

"Maya, Maya." He repeated her name as he traced his fingers lightly over her back.

She felt her own body stirring under his touch, but focused on him. She liked knowing she could excite him, could pleasure him, that she could make this man that she once found so intimidating go still at her touch.

Soon his breath was ragged and his hips moved in time with her strokes and it didn't take long before he exploded with a grunt, gripping her shoulders to keep her close.

"Wow." He blinked, then smiled down at her. "Now that is a nice way to wake up." His smile turned darker as he lowered his lips to hers. "I should return the favor." His hands snaked down her body. One strong hand cupped her ass and pulled her close, the other slid between her legs and began stroking.

Maya sighed as he kissed her. How could she resist? Like he had, she moved her hips in time with his hand and it felt like in no time at all, heat and tension coiled and then burst within her and she thought she saw stars.

She drifted for a while, waiting for her heart to slow down as she enjoyed the easy silence with Toby. He rubbed her back once in a while and she found herself so relaxed she was close to falling asleep again. Toby laughed when she covered a yawn.

"Usually you need a cold shower before stuff like that," he said. "But it looks like you might need one to wake up."

Maya arched an eyebrow. "I don't exactly see you jumping up to seize the day."

"True," he said. "It's too nice with you here."

"I don't mean to pry," said Maya, "but Krista told me you paint. Would you show me some of your work? When you want to?"

"You sure you want to see it? It's not great or anything."

"Absolutely, but only if you want to show me." Maya smiled to herself at his uncertainty; it seemed she wasn't the only one who harbored the occasional self-doubt.

"Then sure," he said, "but I'll need to make sure you can walk in without knocking into something. I don't exactly keep it neat."

"That's fine." She sighed. "I suppose we should get up. I wouldn't mind those pancakes," she said, then giggled. "I do think I'll need a shower first."

Toby grinned. "I can help with that."

Maya shook her head. "Why do I have the feeling we have different definitions of 'help?'"

He wiggled his eyebrows in response and she laughed again. He sat up, pulling her with him.

"Do you have to work today?" he asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't think to ask."

"Yes, but not until later," Maya said. "I used to think that I was a morning person, but Lacey puts me to shame. If she sleeps past six-thirty in the morning, it's cause for concern."

Toby grimaced. "It should be illegal to have to get up that early."

"She doesn't seem to mind." Maya shrugged. "So, who showers first?"

"Wrong question." Toby shook his head. "The question is, will we both fit in the tub for a shower at the same time?"

The answer was yes, but required a little finessing. Maya didn't mind. She liked being so close to Toby. He insisted on washing her hair and she sighed with delight when his fingers worked on her scalp. He was too tall for her to wash his hair, but she took her time running the soap over his body, exploring him and studying more of his tattoos.

When they were dried and dressed, they went to the kitchen and Toby began to make the promised pancakes.

"That was some day yesterday," Maya said as she sipped at her coffee.

"It was," he agreed. "I've never been to a club like that, but I have to say, that was good stuff. The performers were amazing. I could never get up to do anything in front of people, let alone in costumes like that."

"I think the costumes make it easier," she said. "You can pretend to be someone else. Then people aren't looking you, they're looking at the character."

"Good point," said Toby. "Still, I don't think it's for me."

"I can't believe I saw my stepbrother there." Maya frowned. "That was so weird. And he was so petrified."

"You'd said that. Why?"

Maya shook her head and shrugged. "I have no idea. I told you, I don't scare people. I certainly didn't ever scare Landon. We didn't get along, but not in an angry way. He mostly ignored me, and that was fine. Took the hint from my mom and stepfather, I guess."

Toby came over and made her look at him. "Landon was not right to ignore you, and your mom wasn't either. I promise, I will never do that."

She smiled and swallowed around a lump in her throat. "Thank you."

He nodded and dropped a kiss on her nose before returning to the pancakes.

Maya shook her head to clear it. "Anyway, that's just to say that Landon and I kept to ourselves. We're the same age, and crossed paths in school a bit, but not much. He was never mean, but I don't know, never that nice either. It's too bad, I would have liked to have a sibling."

"You tried to be nice to him, didn't you?" Toby asked. He smiled and brought the pancakes over. "I'm sure you did."

"At first, sure. Probably too nice, trying to make up for all the adjustments we were both going through. And of course my mom had told me to be on my best behavior and all that. But it just wasn't meant to be."

"Yeah." He patted her hand. "Unfortunately, sometimes that's how it works out."

"It still doesn't explain why he looked so terrified," Maya said. She took a bite of her pancake. "These are wonderful, thank you."

"Anytime." Toby took a bite, chewed and nodded, apparently satisfied. "So what does your stepbrother do?"

"I don't know, exactly. He was a lawyer, but not a trial attorney. I thought he was working for some big firm. Which makes it even weirder that he was working at a bar."

Toby shrugged. "People take second jobs, or maybe he's between jobs."

"I suppose, but that just doesn't fit with what I know," she said. "Not that I know him."

Toby was quiet for a moment, and Maya waited.

"I'm sorry that didn't work," he said. "But remember what Clara said, about choosing family. I've always thought the flip side was that you didn't have to waste time on the people who don't approve of you. If he wasn't going to put in the time to know you, he's not worth your effort." He cleared his throat and went back to his pancakes.

Maya reached over and covered her hand, waiting until he looked up at her to speak. "I've said it a lot, but thank you, Toby. When I was growing up, I realized that being ignored is even worse than being yelled at, because it feels like you're not even worth negative attention.

"I have had more support from you and Krista, Lacey and Jackson and even Charles since I met you than just about anyone else. So, thanks. It means a lot." She squeezed his hand and looked down at her plate, feeling like she'd gone too far, too fast.

She raised her eyes when Toby stroked her hand.

"You're welcome," he said, and left it at that.

They were cleaning up the dishes when Krista called Toby's phone.

"Hey," he said. "yeah, she's here. What? Why? Okay, I'll tell her. We'll be there soon."

"Is something wrong?" Maya asked.

"I don't know." He frowned. "Krista said your stepbrother is at the shop and he wants to talk to you."

"Curiouser and curiouser," said Maya. She didn't get it but she also didn't like the idea of Krista dealing with a problem that was hers.

At the store, she found Landon pacing by the door, and when he saw her, that terrified look came back to his face.

"Hi, Landon," she said.

He stopped pacing and stalked over and took her by the shoulders, pulling her away from Toby. "Why are you here? What the hell were you doing at the club?" he demanded.

Startled, Maya tried to pull away. "Landon, let me go!" Fear shot through her system as she flashed back to Dean, even though Toby was right there.

"Hey!" Toby got between them and pushed Landon back. "Back the fuck off, man."

Landon let go and stepped back, staring daggers at both Maya and Toby, but she could see the fear underneath.

"You can get the fuck out of here," Toby said as he put an arm around Maya's shoulder. "Do it before I call the cops."

"No, Toby, don't," Maya said. She shook her head and tried to calm down.

"Maya, he just—"

"I know, I know." She rubbed his arm. "Give me a minute."

"Maya, goddamn it, I want to talk to you," said Landon. "Tell this guy that this is private. It's a family matter."

"I know how you people treat family," Toby said, taking a step towards Landon, "and you are not going anywhere near her."

Krista poked her head out. "Maya, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm all right."

Krista turned to Landon. "You're lucky I don't let my brother beat the crap out of you. Or that I don't do it myself."

"Can you all just stop, please," Maya said. She rubbed her temples to forestall the headache she felt building.

"Maya," Landon started, but she held up a hand.

"I will talk to you, but if you ever do that again, I will call the police myself, do you understand?"

Landon blinked but nodded.

"Can we use the breakroom?" she asked Toby.

"Maya, you can't be serious."

She sighed and pulled him a few steps away. "Look, I know that wasn't a great start, but I want to talk to him."

Toby glared at the ground. "I want to break his arms and I don't want you alone with him."

Maya felt her patience fraying. "It's not about you. It's about me. You don't get to tell me what to do," she snapped, and Toby stepped back. She took a deep breath and reached for his hand. "I'm sorry. I know you're concerned, but I want to talk to him. He's scared, Toby. And for better or worse, he's some of the only family I have."

"All right," Toby said, though he clearly wasn't happy about it. "But I will be right there. If he does anything, just yell."