He nods. “But not as a money grab. We could do some good, but something about it isn’t sitting well with me. The numbers are panning out, and just about everyone from my staff to my father are urging me to do it.”
“Your dad? He still has input in what you do with the organization?”
He shakes his head. “Not in any formal way, but I value his opinion.”
“That’s wonderful that you two have that type of respect for one another.” Neil told me about the damage to his relationship with his parents while he was still drinking. To know that bond hadn’t been severed forever is a relief. No one should go without the love and support of their family.
Before my thoughts can trail off too far from the present moment, Neil lifts my wrist, bringing it to his lips, kissing it. A shiver races through me, and our eyes connect. The weeping between my legs, which has become so familiar, causes me to squeeze my thighs together.
As if perfectly timed, our waitress brings a basket of vegan cornbread to the table and takes out orders.
“I’ve been working on a few different vegan cookie and holiday bread recipes,” I say after finishing half of my slice of the cornbread.
“How’s it going?”
I give a one shoulder shrug. “Not sure. They’re just okay, but it could be because I’m not used to vegan sweets. I need someone to taste test them for me.” Wiggling my eyebrows, I give Neil a funny expression.
He lets out a sigh. “It’s a hell of a job, but if you insist.”
I laugh. Over the past month, he’s become my go-to taste tester for any new recipe or baked item I come up with. So far, simply based on his recommendation, I’ve decided to add the pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies and the vanilla bean bread to my holiday repertoire for sale.
We make small talk until the waitress brings out our plates. Neil ordered the dirty rice with a side kale salad, and I got the vegan gumbo.
“I have to try their cupcakes,” I insist when the waitress asks if we would like a dessert menu.
Neil dips his head, obliging, and a minute later, we’re handed the dessert menu from the waitress.
“The macapecan looks good. Oh, and the chocolate chip drizzle.”
“You heard the lady,” Neil says, handing the menus back to the waitress.
I furrow my brows, looking across the table. “What about you? Did you want to try something else?”
He shakes his head. “I’m going with whatever you recommend.”
“What about what you want?”
Smirking, he leans in. “What I want isn’t on the menu, Desiree.”
My belly flip flops. It’s not the innuendo alone that causes my body’s reaction. It’s the steely look in his eyes that promises to follow through with every bit of pleasure his gaze gives out.
Dipping my head, I lick my lips and do my best to steady my breathing. It’s not easy to do with Neil’s thumb, still making little circles around my wrist. It’s been a month since we started seeing one another, and aside from some deeply passionate kissing outside of my apartment door each evening when he drops me off, we haven’t done the do.
In all honesty, I wasn’t quite sure if I was ready to go there with him. Something in me had told me that there would be no turning back once we crossed that line. But as I sit across the table from him, silently wishing this waitress would hurry up with the desserts I ordered, I know I am beyond ready.
“How is it?” he asks sometime later after I’d eaten my half of the chocolate cupcake I ordered.
“Not bad. You try.” I motion my head toward his plate, with the other half of the cupcake resting on it.
He takes a bite of the dessert and nods after a few moments. “It’d taste better if you made it, but it’s good.”
I laugh. “I think I have an accurate ingredient list of what they used to make it,” I say, looking down at the remnants of my cupcake.
“Are you going to offer this one, too?”
I shake my head. “Not via my website, but once I open my bakery, I’m thinking of adding something like it to the menu.”
He nods. “I’ve had enough sugar for one night. We can try the other one tomorrow. Let’s head out to the light show.”
I grin and nod, already folding the box with the macapecan cupcake closed.
“The show’s not too far from here. Are you okay to walk in those heels?” he questions, looking down at the gold stilettos I’ve paired with the chai-colored midi dress.
“I’ll be fine,” I say, happy to be out and in the fresh air. “I’m sure this is one of the last times I’ll be able to wear this dress for the next few months. I wanted to squeeze it in while I could,” I insist even as I tighten my leather jacket around my waist.
“You can wear this dress any time you want. I’ll keep you warm,” he says, placing his arm around my back and pulling me into the comfort of his body.
I instantly heat at least a few degrees and get the urge to kiss him, so I reach up and place a kiss on his jawline. The hairs of his beard tickle my cheek, and I briefly run my fingers through it, loving how soft the hair on his face feels.
Taking my hand in his, Neil kisses the tips of my fingers. He stops walking and looks at something behind me. Before I can look over my shoulder to see what it is, his hands on my hips spin me around to come face-to-face with an empty building.
“This would be perfect for you.”
I wrinkle my forehead. “For me?”
Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulls me back against his chest. “For your bakery.”
I freeze in place and let his words sink in. Slowly, I allow my gaze to inspect the brick building before us. Its three stories and the top floor is some sort of art studio, while the second floor is a yoga business. The first floor is a pet shop.
“How could I run a bakery here? The spaces are all occupied.”
“The lease on the first floor expires in three months. The pet shop owner already decided she won’t be renewing it. She’s older and wants to move to Florida for the warmer weather. The owner of the building put out feelers for a new tenant.”
“And that could be me?” I ask in disbelief.
Neil spins me around to face him. “Why not? You have enough money saved, and you’re already running a viable business from home. Imagine how much bigger you could grow if you were able to work using an industrial-sized oven?”
I shake my head, quickly doing some calculations in my head. “I don’t think I have as much money saved as it would take to get a bakery up and running.”
“That’s what business loans are for, baby. You have the capital to get started, and I’m not just talking about money. You have the repeat sales and reviews of hundreds of customers.”
My heartbeat begins speeding up. Before turning back to Neil, I take a final look over my shoulder. There’s an exuberance and excitement in his eyes that I can’t look away from. I told him all about my dream of opening a bakery. Disclosed the sacrifices I made by living in my tiny apartment for years so I could save up money to pursue my dream. And here he is encouraging me.
“I’ll think about it,” I finally utter.
His lips press together, and slowly he nods, obviously not completely taken with my answer but willing to accept it.
I can’t help it—I reach up and pull his face down with my hands, bringing our lips together.
“Neil,” I say after pulling back, “can we skip the light show tonight?” I swallow at the immediate response I feel from his body.
His gaze narrows, and the hold he has around my waist tightens. Most notably, I feel the pulse of his cock against my mid-section.
“I was fucking hoping you’d say that,” he answers against my lips.
Take your time, Neil. I have to remind myself not to act like a damn school kid excited to get his cock wet for the first time as I push open the door of my condo. Even my reminders to take it easy might be pointless, however. It feels like it’s been way too long that I’ve been waiting for th
is moment. It’s been years that I bided my time, waiting for Desiree. Having her here, in my arms, feels all too real and like a fantasy at the same damn time.
I press her back against my door, severing our kiss so that I can peer down at her. I take in her kiss-swollen lips, a result of my insane need to touch and feel those soft lips against my own even as I drove back to my place. Every red light we caught, I found my lips covering hers.
“I hope you’re not planning on staring at me all night,” she teases.
I grin at the same time my hands make their way underneath the leather jacket she has on. Sliding the coat down the length of her arms, I say, “If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear you’re trying to seduce me.”
Her smile broadens as she wraps her arms around my neck. “I might be. My very own holiday seduction.”
My cock pulses. I retake her mouth, crashing mine down over hers, yanking a moan from the back of her throat. The muscles in my stomach tense and burn with a deep, abiding need to make her mine entirely. There’s no other way to describe it. I won’t be taking Desiree or only fucking her. I will own her mind, body, and soul tonight.
“We’ll save the tour for the morning,” I say against her lips while pulling her from the door and walking her back to my bedroom.
“Good.” Her voice is so breathless I almost miss her one-word response, but it, too, fills me with an undeniable desire.
Kicking open the door to my bedroom, I immediately flick on the light, illuminating the room. I need to see her all of her. I’ve waited too fucking long for any of this to be shrouded in darkness.
“I want you so fucking much,” I growl while forcing myself to take a step back. “Strip for me, Desi. Show me what’s beneath that damn dress.”
Her eyelids flutter, and I see the hesitation on her face.
“Don’t think about it, just do it,” I order.
Slowly, her hands move to the belt buckle that cinches in the sides of the dress. She undoes it, letting the belt fall to the floor. I don’t move my gaze from her frame.
“Look at me in the eye while you undress for me,” I say.
Those innocent, chocolate eyes of hers lift, meeting mine, and my chest fucking aches at the emotion she elicits in me.
“Take off your clothes,” I command in a low tone, stepping closer but still out of reach. I can’t get too close yet. I need her to bare herself to me first.
She undoes the buttons of the front of her dress and slides the fabric off her body, revealing the black, lace bra and panty set. Only years of discipline resulting from my recovery keep me from ravaging her.
With patience I didn’t know I was capable of mustering, I watch as she undoes the back clasp of her bra and lets it fall away from her body. The panties are the last to go, but as soon as they hit the floor, I’m on her.
“Oh,” she breathes out when my mouth closes around one of her pert nipples.
This. This is what I’ve been hungering for, for weeks now. I let my tongue meet with the tip of her nipple, savoring the taste of her skin. With measured steps, I walk us back to my bed, carefully laying Desiree down before stepping in between her legs as they rest over the side of the bed.
I drink her in with my gaze, trying to decide where I want to touch next. Everywhere, my mind screams at me, and when it takes too long for me to choose, I go for her second nipple. I give it as much attention as I gave the first. I am a generous lover if I say so my damn self. Or maybe, I’m just greedy. I want all of her, until there’s nothing left, and even then, I’d soak up the memories until those fade out while still begging for more.
“Neil, you have too many clothes on,” Desiree says in an airy voice.
My cock yearns to be set free. Sitting back on my heels, I lift Desiree’s hands to my shirt. “Undress me, then.”
Within seconds, my shirt is off, and her hands glide down my abdomen toward my jeans. As soon as she releases the button to my jeans, I hop off the bed and finish the job for her. Before I can forget, I dig in the drawer of my nightstand and pull out a handful of condoms.
Tossing them on top of the nightstand, I take one and hand it to Desiree. “Put it on me,” I order.
Sitting up, she stares at me before taking the condom in her hand. I watch intently as she opens the packet, and then she does something that catches me completely off guard. Desiree slips the latex barrier between her teeth, opening her mouth wide enough for me to see what she intends to do.
As soon as her hand makes contact with my cock, I hiss, feeling as if her touch is searing my very being. She lowers her face to my rod and sheaths me with the condom, using only her mouth to do so.
I swear, if I were a weaker man, I could’ve come right then and there. As desperately as I wanted to taste every inch of her body, foreplay becomes an afterthought. I hook my right arm beneath her left leg, hoisting it over my shoulder as I move in between her legs.
“Neil!” she yells as I breach her opening, stretching her wide. “No, don’t stop,” she pants while digging her nails into the backs of my shoulders.
Between the feel of her pussy strangling my cock, the burn of her fingernails, and the desperation I hear in her voice, I have no choice but to keep going. Something bigger than me, larger than both of us, drives me to fill her to the hilt. We sigh together once I do. But I can’t remain still for too long.
I lower my face to meet Desiree’s, and she eagerly returns the kiss. My hips begin moving in a rhythm that stokes the embers burning between us, heightening the sensations and feelings all around. Desiree’s feminine purrs and moans grow loud, and I bury my face in the crook of her neck, my mouth seeking out the soft flesh that resides there.
It doesn’t take long at all for her to arch her back off the bed and moan out her first orgasm. My only regret at this moment is that I don’t get to taste her orgasm on my lips. Yet, I don’t dwell on that regret. I still have plans to taste every part of her again and again before either one of us closes our eyes for sleep tonight.
That’s a promise I sure as hell plan on keeping.
Chapter 5
My eyelids feel heavy as I force them open. Blinking, I orient myself enough to recall that I’m not awakening in my bed. No. The scent of Neil lingers all around me, much too strong for me to forget that it’s his bed I’m lying in. Embedded in the sheets that drape over my body is his smell. It clings to my skin, reminding me of the countless orgasms he brought me to last night.
Sighing, I rise on my elbows and turn to my left, expecting to see him lying there, asleep. My heart sinks when I find his side of the bed empty. The sheets are crumpled, evidence that he was there. But as I run my hand along the empty pillow, a longing to see him wells up in the pit of my stomach.
Tossing the sheets off me, I step my bare feet onto the area rug underneath the bed and look around the room. I spot a T-shirt of his lying on the dark blue armchair by the window. Picking it up, I throw it over my head, dressing in his clothing as I go to look for him.
The room and hallway are semi-dark, alluding to the early morning hour. Carefully, I retrace my steps from the night before, down the long hallway. Only when I come to the opening where the kitchen, hallway, and living room meet do I spot Neil seated on the couch. He’s murmuring low into the phone pressed to his ear.
From my position, I can’t hear what he’s saying. I notice the faint sound of meditation music. Curiously, I tilt my head sideways, wondering who he could be on the phone with so early in the morning, but let it drop. It’s then that I recede down the hall, turning for the bedroom. I remove the T-shirt and climb back into bed, getting underneath the covers again. However, I don’t immediately fall back asleep.
Sitting up, I wrap my arms around my knees and stare out toward the window. My eyebrows lift when, through the blinds, I can make out what looks like snowflakes falling. Getting up, I move closer and open the blinds, and sure enough, it’s snowing outside. I laugh a little, that child-like exuberance welling up in me as I take in
the scene of cars parked on the street covered by a light sheen of the powdery white snow.
Climbing back in bed, I continue to stare out the window, feeling like it’s a sign of things to come. I always loved the snow, and I sigh as I watch it fall, knowing that I’m in Neil’s bed, my body still rippling with the many sensations of how he took me to ecstasy the night before.
“You’re awake.” His deep voice comes crashing through the air, forcing my head to turn and meet his gaze.
“I didn’t want to disturb you.” I gesture my head in the direction of the living room, trying to make it obvious what I referred to. “You were on the phone.”
A small smile plays at his lips, and he moves closer to the bed. I watch the taut muscles of his abdomen move along with him. Despite how satiated I felt only moments earlier, my mouth begins to water along with another part of my body that moistens as well.
“Yes, early sunrise phone meeting,” he answers, moving onto the bed and wrapping his arm around me, forcing me to lie beneath him. He presses a kiss to my forehead, and I swear I could melt into the bed.
Turning, I jut my head toward the window. “It’s snowing,” I announce.
His gaze moves from me to the window, and a grin crests on his beautiful face. “So it is. The weather station said there was a chance of snow this weekend.”
“It’s so early.” Typically we don’t get it until late December or January. We’re still in the first week of November.
“The weather is trying to tell us that it’s best if we stay inside for the weekend. We definitely should listen,” he says before dipping his head and suckling on a particularly sensitive spot on my neck.
Closing my eyes, I sigh out a breath. “Well, if Mother Nature insists, who am I to argue?”
He chuckles. “Exactly.”
It’s another three hours before I emerge from Neil’s bed. By now, it’s after ten o’clock in the morning, the sun is up, but it’s still snowing outside.
This time when I rise from the bed, instead of finding the same T-shirt of Neil’s lying on the chair, I see a pair of running shorts and a clean T-shirt, neatly folded, waiting for me. I put on the clothes and follow the scent wafting from the kitchen.
A Holiday Seduction: A Holiday Novella Page 4
