Three Wishes

by Reana Malori

  December 5th

  JORDAN’S BLUE-EYED GAZE COULDN’T help but watch her walk away. That thick, beautiful ass swishing from side-to-side as she went up to grab their coffee. Her lush curves called out to him, begging him to take her. To claim her as his woman. To put his stamp on her and proclaim to the world that she belonged to him. Every movement she made, every smile that graced her face, he wanted it all for him. His nights were filled with dreams of the two of them twisting and turning on his bed, their bodies entwined in passion as he filled her body, taking her to heights she’d never known before. That’s what this woman did to him every time he was around her. Even after more than two years of being almost glued to his side and included in every aspect of his life. Sitting in the coffee shop where they’d first met, he knew fantasizing about Leticia like this wasn’t a good thing. If nothing else, the growing bulge in his pants would be visible by others.

  Watching her sexy ass as she walked over to pick up their coffees, he bit his lip as he thought about all the things he’d like to do to her. He’d give anything for the chance to grab her in his arms, pin her up against the wall and fuck her into oblivion. His dick hardened as the visual in his mind played back on continuous repeat. He pictured his dick sliding between her soft flesh, sinking into her wet pussy as she moaned his name. All he needed was one night to show her just how good they could be together. The only man she’d ever come for again would be him.

  He wanted her with a fierceness that would not be denied much longer. This woman drove him mad, and there was nothing he could do about it. At least not yet. He’d given her time to get used to the idea of the two of them as a couple, but she fought him at every turn. It had been more than two years, and he was done waiting. Shaking his head in frustration, he knew why she was holding back. He’d spent the past year-and-a-half showing her just how serious he was about turning over a new leaf. His party days over. The women no longer showed up at his home unannounced. He’d tried to show her with his actions that things had changed, but she was still pushing him away for some reason. Things were now at the point of no return. He needed to make her see they belonged together and put that other bullshit behind them.

  A low moan almost escaped, and he bit his lip to stop the sound. The woman did things to him that turned his body into a raging inferno.

  “Excuse me, sir.” A woman stood next to his legs, which were spread out in front of him.

  Throwing her a short look, he moved his legs out of her way. “There you go.” He gave the frowning woman a nod as she made her way past him.

  Turning his attention back to Leticia, he saw all the eyes focused on her and grit his teeth in frustration. This is why he hated coming out in public with her. The attention she got from the male sex grated on his nerves.

  As she picked up their coffee cups, she turned and was stopped by a tall, dark-haired man in a suit. Jordan wasn’t worried at first, since it looked like a friendly encounter that would soon pass. Seconds later, Jordan’s entire outlook changed. A smile came over Leticia’s face when she seemed to recognize the man standing in front of her. Setting their drinks down on the counter, he watched the woman he’d come to think of as his—and only his—float into another man’s arms as he wrapped her body within his embrace. The stranger’s eyes closed in an expression Jordan couldn’t quite describe. Relief? Satisfaction? Desire?

  “What the fuck?” he muttered under his breath. “Who the fuck is this guy?” He was about to get up and walk over to them when she pulled away. Although it seemed like hours, it had only been a few seconds. And that was a few seconds too damned long. The smile never left her face as she pulled away from the man in front of her, and that shit just pissed him off. Who was this guy and why the hell was he looking at her that way?

  Picking up their drinks again, she tilted her head toward Jordan and motioned for the guy to follow her over to the table where he sat waiting for her. Outwardly, he tried to school his features into an expression that reflected calm and openness. Inside, he was seething with anger. No man had the right to put his hands on his woman. That’s right, she was his. Didn’t matter if she knew it or not. She’d been the only woman in his life for over two years. Well, the only woman who held any significance. And he knew it was the same for her. Sure, he went out on the occasional date when he couldn’t avoid it, but that had nothing to do with the two of them. She went on dates too, until he did something to shut that shit down. Which he always did. What the two of them had was different. It couldn’t be defined or put into a box wrapped up with a cute bow.

  She hadn’t been prepared for him when they first met even though he’d damn sure been ready for her. It had taken him two years to groom her. To get her comfortable with him, his world, and his desires. From the moment he first laid eyes on Leticia, he knew she was the one for him. No other woman pulled him in the way she did. Made him want to be more than what he was. Beautiful didn’t begin to describe her outer appearance, but she would probably disagree. For the first six months after they met, she put herself down on a regular basis. Commenting about her size and the need to work out or lose weight. She dismissed her beauty, no matter how many men (and women) approached her, interested in getting to know her, and more than likely wanting to fuck her right where she stood. Worst of all, she either ignored or didn’t recognize the desire reflected in his eyes whenever he looked at her. Who gave a fuck that her breasts were bigger than a handful? Or that her ass was thick, round, and jiggled so fucking perfectly when she walked around in those four-inch heels she loved so much. If anything, that made her more enticing to him…and every other man in her vicinity.

  There’d been times when he’d claimed her in public, and she never even knew what happened. Since he met her, he’d threatened the lives of more men than he could count. It was common for him to give a nasty glare at a dude who stared at her ass a bit too long. Or had a private word with a motherfucker who tried to step to her because they thought she was single. She might think she was single, but she wasn’t, and never would be again if he had anything to say about it. Now that she was ripe for him, ready to accept everything he was, he’d be damned if he’d let another man step in and take his place. His hands fisted as he watched his woman and the stranger who acted a little too familiar with her, walked over to him.

  Jordan refocused on the situation at hand just as Leticia and this unknown, random dude arrived at the table. And since he didn’t really give a shit who this guy was, he refused to stand up. Instead, he looked at Leticia and then at the guy. Then back to Leticia, raising his eyebrow in question. At the look on her face, he knew she’d picked up on the questions running around his mind. Who the fuck is this guy? Why is he here? You know I’m not happy right?

  “Jordan, this is my old friend Dr. Dale Franklin. We worked together over at Memorial before I changed jobs. We haven’t seen each other in about four years.” Leticia gazed at her old friend with a look he’d only ever seen directed at him. Leticia was a trauma nurse. A damn good one at that. They’d been at events for her hospital when other doctors had come up to her, their attention focused on ogling her body in a dress. All while pretending to greet her out of professional courtesy. This one was different. She’d never greeted any of the other physician’s she worked with the same way she did this guy.

  Jordan gritted his teeth and forced his temper in check. Just because she introduced someone to him, it didn’t mean anything. She said they were old friends and former work colleagues. There was nothing wrong with her having male friends. Right? He had female friends. Maybe that wasn’t such a good comparison. He’d fucked every female friend he’d ever had. Except for Leticia. Then again, she was different.

  She didn’t know he had plans for them and their future, but that shouldn’t matter. His girl was smart, and he wasn’t shy about what she meant to him. How much clearer can he be that she belonged with him? Looking at her face, he shook his head in disbelief. Her smile was too damn big for this guy to just b
e a friend and colleague. Turning his gaze to Dr. Dale, he sighed. Might as well get this over with. Jordan stood slowly and buttoned his jacket, before holding out his hand. “Jordan Hunt. Not a doctor. Just a lawyer. But I’m sure my caseload is much bigger.”

  Yeah, he’d been rude but he sure as shit wasn’t going to take it back. This guy was acting a bit too fucking comfortable, and it was beginning to piss him off. Tilting her gaze in his direction, Leticia gave him a questioning look. Not willing to back down or retract his challenge, he ignored her. If she didn’t know the deal by this point, she’d sure as shit know after today. His attention was on the man standing in front of him. Next to his Leticia. A little too damn close, if you asked him. Dale’s eyes changed, and his expression shifted. Oh yeah, he knew what the deal was. His smile had become predatory and slick. Jordan was sure his face had that same look.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about my caseload. I’m an orthopedic surgeon, so as you can imagine, life is pretty damn good for me. But don’t be too hard on yourself, Jordan. From what I hear, being a lawyer’s not too bad.” Jordan wanted to punch this motherfucker in his face. Was tempted to do just that when he glanced at Leticia. Her growing look of horror and anger told him she was finally catching on to the precarious situation she’d created.

  “So, how do you know my Leticia,” Dale had the nerve to ask. After he made his wrong ass statement, he looked down at the woman beside him. The look in his eyes left no doubt how he felt about her, and Jordan could feel a feral growl about to escape his mouth. “Hospital rules prevented me from asking this beautiful woman out all those years ago. Nothing’s standing in my way now, though. Is there?” Considering he was looking directly at Jordan when he said that last statement made his intentions known.

  “If I were you, I’d behave as if you were still at that hospital. Leticia has nothing for you. She’s otherwise occupied.” Taking a step closer to the man, his head began to fill with visions of smashing this guy’s face into the table and breaking his nose. At that thought, he almost smiled. He’d made a vow to be on his best behavior whenever around Leticia. She’d never seen that side of him, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to do something stupid in the middle of a coffee shop with more than a dozen witnesses.

  “Jordan! What in the world is wrong with you? Will you stop saying stupid stuff?” Glaring at him with a look of frustration on her face, her eyes pleaded with him to tone it down. He gave her a hard look, one that communicated in no uncertain terms, that he was done talking to this guy. Not budging from where he stood, he folded his arms over his chest and nodded his head once. Fine, he’d tone it down. For now.

  “Is that right?” jackass smirked. “I wonder if Leticia feels the same way.”

  She then turned to the interloper, “All right, Dale. Stop getting him riled up. You know you weren’t interested in me back then,” she laughed, playfully slapping his arm. “Anyway, your coffee order is ready,” she motioned over to the counter. “Are you still at Memorial?”

  Looking down at her, he nodded. “If only you knew how interested I truly was, you’d be blushing right now.”

  Jordan’s head was about to explode. He unfolded his arms and his hands fisted by his side. Leticia caught the motion and briefly looked over at him with a slight smile on her face and a small shake of her head. She must be out of her damn mind if she thought he’d stand idly by and let a man speak to her like this when he was right there. What kind of fool did she think he was? He wasn’t that man. Never had been. This shit ends today. “Keep it up. You’ll find my fist rammed so far down your throat, you’ll wish…”

  Leticia, her infuriating, beautiful ass, interrupted him again. “It was good to see you, Dale. You’d better grab your coffee before someone else grabs it by mistake.” That she’d referenced how they’d met had Jordan glancing down at her. Some of the heat left his eyes as he knew she was sending him a message.

  His own expression filled with anger, the good doctor took a deep breath and plastered a fake ass smile on his face. That’s right motherfucker. Time to move the fuck on. “Yeah, I guess I should go. It was good seeing you, Leticia. You know where to find me when you’re ready to take me up on that offer of dinner.” Trailing a hand down her arm, he leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  And just like that, a red haze of anger descended on Jordan. He wrapped a strong hand around one of her arms, jerking Leticia away from the man who’d gone too goddamned far. “Leave. Now,” he said in a harsh tone. His voice loud enough for several people to stop what they were doing and look in their direction.

  “See you later,” the dead man walking said to Leticia, his eyes never leaving her face as he moved further away.

  Jordan turned his gaze to her face just as she raised a hand to her flushed cheek. Her voice was filled with something akin to awe, “Yes, of course,” she responded. Eyes following him as he walked back to the counter, she seemed in a daze.

  “Let’s go. Right now,” Jordan growled. If he didn’t get out of this place, he was going to do something he’d regret. That was the last thing he wanted.

  “Huh? What do you mean, let’s go? We just got our coffee. And I’m hungry.” She said the words, but her eyes kept traveling back to the man who’d done in five minutes what Jordan couldn’t get done in more than two years.

  He’d made Leticia forget anything and everyone around her from just the touch of his hand. He’d waited too fucking long. Gave her too much time to get used to the idea of them being together. Now, some motherfucker dared to come up to his woman—his Leticia—and think he was gonna step into his place. Oh, fuck no. “Grab your shit and let’s go. We need to talk. In private. We’re going back to your place.”

  “I don’t know what the hell’s gotten into you Jordan, but I’m not sure I like it.”

  He smirked as he watched her grab her things, doing his bidding, whether she realized it or not. “You don’t have to like it. All you have to do is know that shit is about to change.”

  CHAPTER TW0

  LETICIA PACED IN FRONT OF JORDAN, her bare feet silent on the hardwood floors. Glancing over at him, she rolled her eyes as he stared back at her. He sat on her living room couch stewing in his anger and frustration. For what reason, she had no idea. It wasn’t her fault he was such an ass. At this point, she was pissed too. After all this time, all these months, he now decides to step up and stake a claim? Right when she’d made up her mind to accept that they’d never have the type of relationship she wanted. This wasn’t right, and he knew it. If she were brave enough, she’d slap that smug look off his face.

  Since the first day they’d met, all she’d wanted was for him to notice her. To see her. Sure, she was his friend—maybe even his best friend—but that wasn’t enough for her. Being his friend was never good enough. But if he was going to ignore her, even though she was right here in front of him, and date other people, she’d do the same. And she had. Well, she’d tried to. Every time she found someone she thought would be the one for her, something went wrong. Whether it was the missing chemistry or their inability to deal with her having a male best friend. None of her attempts to date lasted very long. She’d be right back to where she was before. Alone and pining for Jordan. Well, enough was enough.

  “Come sit down, Leticia,” he commanded.

  She stopped her pacing and turned to him. Hands on hips and eyes shooting fire. If looks could kill, he’d be burned to a crisp on her living room floor. “You don’t tell me what to do.” Yet, she found herself walking over to the couch and sitting next to him. Tilting her head back on the couch, she stared at the ceiling, trying to make sense of his Neanderthal behavior earlier today. Without looking at him, she asked the question that had been running through her mind since the café. “Why’d you act like that earlier today? I don’t understand.” Or maybe she did and was too afraid to think it might actually be true.

  Sighing deeply, he looked over at her. “Are you sure about that?”

  The tone of
his voice had her lifting her head. Brown eyes met blue ones, and the butterflies in her stomach took flight. “What?”

  Sighing as he straightened out his long legs, he adjusted his pants. “Leticia, don’t you think we’ve played this game long enough?”

  The dark blue jeans and dark brown sweater looked good on him. Then again, he looked good in whatever he wore. It was just too bad he knew this better than anyone. There’d been times he’d tried to downplay his good looks, but it was no use. Plus, the man had dimples. Dimples! How could one person be so damn perfect? Wait. What did he just say?

  She glared at him and then turned away. It was almost painful being this close to him. Especially when she couldn’t have him the way she wanted. They had fun together and spent most of their waking hours together. Knew each other’s families and even had keys to the other person’s home. Even when he had to go to those boring attorney events, he took pity on her and made her come along. Actually, it was more like she took pity on him and agreed to go. But who was keeping track?

  Although, there were times when he’d look at her in such a way, her skin would heat up, and her nipples would pebble. His gaze would travel up her body and she’d swear he wanted the same thing from her that she needed from him. Then she’d come back to reality and get that thought out of her head. She’d seen the women he dated. Even at those boring events, the women that approached him were out of a magazine. There was no way she could compete with that.

  Leticia wasn’t a complete fool. She knew what men saw when they looked at her. Tits and ass. A woman they wanted to sleep with. Another notch on their belt. But she wanted someone who could see the real her, the person under the face and body. Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes as she fought to control the flow of emotions beginning to course through her body. For so long, she wanted the person who saw more than her beauty, to be the man sitting next to her. Living her life for a man who didn’t see her the same was not the future she’d envisioned. Maybe that wish list sitting on her dresser was the way to go. But being without Jordan in her life was not something she was ready to face.