by Lola Gabriel
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Cedric. Cassie’s brother?”
“I remember,” Laila smiled, her cheeks pink once more.
“I know this is a bit forward, but I wondered if you’d like to grab a drink with me,” he said.
Laila paused for a moment, her face unreadable, and then she shook her head slowly.
“I’m sorry, I can’t tonight. I’ve just made dinner,” she said.
Cedric felt himself deflate. He couldn’t have felt worse if she had reached out and slapped him in the face.
“Okay, another time, then,” he said, trying to sound casual, but knowing he missed the mark ever so slightly.
He flashed Laila a quick smile and turned away from her. Had he imagined that she felt this thing between them too? No, he knew he hadn’t. He had seen the lust in her eyes, in the way her face reddened when she looked at him. But still, she had rejected him and it stung like hell.
10
The second Laila said no to going for a drink with Cedric, she regretted it. He was gorgeous and what was the harm in a drink or two? Nothing had to happen between them, and it would just be nice to get to know him a bit. She didn’t really believe that nothing would happen between them, though. She could barely stop herself from throwing herself at him just because he was nearby and she was sure he felt the same way about her.
“Cedric, wait!” she called after him as he walked back down her path.
She had seen the hurt on his face that he had tried to cover when she had turned him down, and she couldn’t help but notice the slight slump in his shoulders as he walked away. And she felt bad about that, she really did. But that wasn’t why she called him back. She knew if she let him walk away in that moment, she would spend the rest of the night—hell, maybe the rest of her life—regretting it.
He turned back, a hopeful smile on his face. Laila returned his smile, feeling a little shy all of a sudden.
“I’ve made enough pasta to feed half of the town. If you haven’t eaten yet, you’re more than welcome to come in and have dinner with me,” she said.
Please say yes, please say yes, she thought to herself. God, why didn’t I just say yes to the drinks? This has gone from a drink with a maybe something will happen attached to it, to a come into my house and fuck me invitation. Because we both know that’s what this is.
Cedric smiled, a smile that made his whole face light up.
“Sure, that sounds great,” he said. “It’s got to be better than calling for a pizza and waiting the hour and a half it takes to get here.”
He smiled as he said it and Laila smiled back at him, feeling herself relaxing. She stood aside and let Cedric in, closing the door behind him and directing him through to the kitchen. She watched him walking, her eyes automatically checking out his ass. It looked damned good in his jeans and Laila had to take a moment to catch her breath.
She hurried into the kitchen once she had herself under control and put out two plates of the pasta and sauce and sat down opposite Cedric.
“Why Greer?” Cedric asked as he scooped up a forkful of pasta and put it into his mouth.
Laila felt a shiver go through her as she watched Cedric. How she wished she was that fork. She caught herself staring and forced herself to concentrate on her pasta.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, it’s hardly the life and soul of the party, is it? What made you decide to come here?” Cedric clarified.
“I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember,” Laila smiled. “And when Cassie offered me the job at the school, of course I said yes. I’ll be honest, though. At that point, I had no idea just how tiny Greer really is.”
“So you don’t like it here? Are you not planning on sticking around?” Cedric asked.
Laila thought she saw a flicker of disappointment on his face when he said it and she felt her clit tingling. She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the fact that her body was coming alive beneath Cedric’s gaze.
“It’s not what I was expecting and I think the quiet life might take some getting used to,” she smiled. “But I love the school and the kids in my class, and I have no intention of leaving.”
“That’s good,” Cedric smiled. “It’s nice to have someone new in the town. Someone so exotic.”
Laila laughed.
“I would hardly say I’m exotic,” she said.
“Compared to the townspeople, you sure are,” Cedric said.
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not, but I’m taking it as one,” Laila said with a soft laugh.
“Oh, it’s a compliment,” Cedric said. “I couldn’t help but notice you in this tiny town, but something tells me I’d have noticed you anywhere, Laila.”
She felt the color flooding her cheeks again and she looked down at her plate, thrilled by his comment. She looked back up and found herself gazing into those mesmerizing green eyes.
“I’m pretty sure that goes both ways,” she said, feeling her stomach fluttering with butterflies.
Cedric smiled at her, a smile that was part relief but mostly happiness. For a moment, neither of them spoke and Laila could feel the air around them becoming charged with desire. She cleared her throat, not wanting to let herself get carried away in the moment. Her little noise broke the tension between them.
“What about you? What made you come to Greer?” she asked.
“I’ve been here a long time,” he said. “I kind of enjoy the quiet life, to be honest. And I mostly work from home, so it’s not a big deal where I am.”
“What do you do?” Laila asked.
“Web design,” Cedric replied. “I’m sure that sounds terribly boring to you, but I enjoy being able to take someone’s vision and make it a reality.”
“It doesn’t sound boring when you put it like that,” Laila smiled. “And let’s be honest, as much as I love my job, being a primary school teacher is hardly glamorous or interesting, is it?”
“So we’ve established our jobs are boring,” Cedric said with a teasing smile. “So why don’t we talk about something more interesting? Tell me something interesting about yourself.”
Laila thought for a moment. What was she supposed to say to that? Should she tell him how she suddenly found herself in the middle of a paternity question that felt like something in a soap opera? Or how she could never have children despite the fact that she craved motherhood with every cell of her body?
“There’s not really anything to tell,” she said, obviously deciding against telling him about either of the things that popped into her mind. “I went to college, graduated, and moved here. I like reading and my guilty pleasure is watching reality TV shows, although I try not to do it as much as I’d actually like to.”
“You’re a clean slate,” he smiled. “And if the biggest skeleton in your closet is a love for terrible TV, then you’re winning at life.”
If only that was her biggest skeleton. She pushed the thought away.
“So, what skeletons lurk in your closet?” she asked.
“Ooh, let’s see,” Cedric said. “There was the time I killed a man with my bare hands just to watch him die, and then there was that time I wrestled with a bear. It wasn’t really a fair fight, though; the bear wasn’t very big.”
Laila laughed and shook her head.
“Seriously, spill something interesting about you. You know, something true,” she said.
“I’ve swum with sharks,” Cedric said. “And that one’s true, I swear. Although I’m not sure I would call it swimming. It’s more huddling in the back of a metal cage, terrified, and then afterwards, telling yourself you loved it.”
“That actually sounds really cool,” Laila said.
“Well, maybe one day I’ll take you to try it,” Cedric said.
“Oh God, no,” Laila exclaimed. “It sounds cool for other people.”
Cedric laughed.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I don’t really know how I let Cassie talk me into it
. She’s the wild one of the family, really. I’m the chilled-out one who would rather watch a movie than jump out of a plane.”
“Has Cassie jumped out of a plane?” Laila asked.
“Yeah,” Cedric nodded. “And bungee jumped and climbed Kilimanjaro. Pretty much anything dangerous or stupid, Cassie has done it. She’s a bit calmer now, but when she was younger, she was definitely an adrenaline junkie.”
“Those are all the kinds of things I want to be able to say I’ve done, but not actually have to do. Does that make sense?” Laila said.
“Like you want them over with and just have the memories of the experience rather than feeling the moment,” Cedric grinned.
“Yeah, exactly that,” Laila said. “I felt like I had achieved something major riding Thunder Mountain.”
She looked down at their empty plates, and suddenly, all of the talk of adrenaline and daring stunts made her feel brave.
“Should we move to the living room?” she said.
Cedric nodded, flashing her a smile that made her stomach bounce with excitement. She stood up and took the plates over to the sink and then she led Cedric through to the living room. She sat down on the couch, her body tingling with lust when Cedric chose to sit next to her rather than take the bean bag.
“Would you like a drink or anything?” she asked.
“No drink, thank you,” Cedric smiled, turning slightly so he could look into her eyes. “But if you’re really offering anything…”
His words cut off as he leaned in and pressed his lips against Laila’s. She was taken aback for a moment, but her body took over for her, her lips responding to Cedric’s kiss even before her brain had fully registered that he was kissing her. He pulled his mouth away from hers, much too soon for her liking. He smiled at her, his eyes sparkling.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I saw you in the pub,” he murmured.
“And I’ve wanted to let you do it since that moment,” Laila admitted. She cast her eyes down, a smile playing over her lips. “Although I have to say, I wanted it to go on for much longer.”
“Your wish is my command,” Cedric smiled, and then his lips were on hers again.
Fire coursed through Laila’s body as Cedric’s tongue moved into her mouth. She moaned loudly as her body responded to him, her pussy soaking her panties, her clit begging for Cedric’s touch. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Cedric, pushing one hand beneath his t-shirt, feeling the smooth skin and the taut muscles of his back.
She wanted to feel every part of him, to run her hands over his whole body. And she wanted his hands on her. He had one hand resting on her hip, the other one cupping her cheek as they kissed, but she wanted more. She wanted his hands all over her.
As though he had read her mind, Cedric moved his hand from Laila’s cheek, trailing the ends of his fingers down her side and over her leg. He rested it on her knee for a moment, and then he began to move it up her thigh, pushing it beneath the hem of her dress. He ran his fingers over her inner thigh, spreading delicious fire through her body and up into her stomach. His fingers moved higher, brushing over her panties and pressing the material against her clit. Laila moaned again as her center burst into life, demanding attention.
Cedric moved his mouth from hers, kissing down her neck as his fingers pushed beneath her panties, his skin on hers. His fingers found her clit and began to move back and forth, sending waves of pleasure through Laila. She tightened her hold on Cedric, moaning again as her body began to come to life in a way she had never imagined was possible.
His mouth moved back to hers, his tongue pushing between her lips. She massaged his tongue with hers, pressing against his fingers more tightly, needing to feel him against her.
He moved his fingers out of her panties and she moaned, this time in frustration. Cedric pulled back from her and smiled down at her, and then he gently pushed on her shoulders until she was lying on her back, her head resting on the arm of the couch. Cedric stood up without a word and lifted her legs. He pulled them, pulling her head off the arm and onto the body of the couch. He reached beneath her dress, grasping her panties, and she lifted her ass, allowing him to pull them off her.
He threw them to the ground, pushing her dress up around her waist, and then he hooked her knees over the arm of the couch. He smiled at her, a smile so full of lust that she felt herself getting wetter by the moment. Cedric got to his knees, his head between her thighs. She moaned again as he lowered his head and she felt his warm breath on her most sensitive spot.
He pushed her legs wider, and then sucked her clit into his mouth, working it deliciously with his tongue, stretching it out and making Laila gasp. She felt like she was floating on a wave of pleasure, and when Cedric released her clit and began to lap at it with his rough tongue, moving it from side to side, waking up every nerve ending, she felt her orgasm starting to build inside her.
Her orgasm came quickly, spreading heat and pleasure through Laila’s body, and when she climaxed, she climaxed hard, her stomach contracting, every muscle in her body stretching out and going rigid. She pressed her head back into the couch, her hands clenched into fists by her sides. She moaned Cedric’s name in a voice so consumed by lust that it didn’t sound like herself.
She felt warm explosions traveling through her body and her breath came in ragged gasps that seared her throat. She cried out, an almost scream of unintelligible syllables, as Cedric kept working her long after her climax had come over her. Her orgasm felt like it was going on and on forever. Every time she began to coast back down, Cedric pushed her right back to the point of no return again.
When he finally moved his mouth away from her and got back to his feet, she was spent, her muscles warm and heavy, but her body craved him.
Cedric smiled down at Laila and reached down to his waistband. He opened his jeans slowly, watching her reaction as he pushed them down his thighs. She lifted her head for a better view and Cedric’s smile widened. He pushed his boxer shorts down and a shiver went through Laila when she saw his huge, hard cock being unleashed.
Cedric turned his attention from her face and looked down at her glistening wet pussy. He ran his fingers through her slit, pressing down on her pink pearl and making her gasp, and then he grasped his cock in his fist and pressed it against her clit, working her with the tip of his erection.
Laila knew she should stop him. If she let him fuck her, she could no longer pretend nothing could happen between them. But she knew once this was over, she had to tell Cedric they couldn’t be together, and she wanted to experience him making love to her, at least this once. She knew if she stopped him now, she would always regret it.
He pushed his cock inside of her core, slipping in easily despite his size because she was so wet. She felt her body stretching to accommodate him, and she bucked her hips greedily, wanting to feel all of him inside of her.
He reached beneath her and cupped her ass cheeks, pulling her ass closer to the edge of the couch’s arm. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding herself in place against him, and when he began to thrust inside of her, she matched his thrusts with eager, greedy thrusts of her own.
As he thrust into her, hard and fast, he reached out with one hand and began to massage her clit almost lazily. Her clit was swollen and tender, still not recovered from her long, drawn-out orgasm, and at first, his touch was almost painful, but the pain receded, soon becoming pleasurable again, and Laila found herself falling headlong into another orgasm. It tore through her body, making her gasp out Cedric’s name over and over again. Her center clenched around his erection as he moved inside of her, and this time, it was Cedric’s turn to moan as she tightened around him.
She was just coming back to earth from her orgasm when Cedric moaned her name and thrust into her one more time, filling her right up. He came with his cock going wild inside of Laila, and for a moment, she was distracted, reminding herself that he was planting his seed in a barren land. She dismissed the thought
and as he spurted into her again, she tightened her pussy, clenching it and making Cedric moan again, a long, loud moan, drenched in pleasure and desire.
Cedric pulled out of Laila, standing looking down at her. She could see his chest rising and falling as he panted for air, and she knew her own breath was coming equally quickly as she tried to get her mind and her body back under control.
When she felt like she could move again, she pulled her legs off the arm of the couch and stood up, tucking her dress beneath her before she sat back down again. Her legs were like jelly, shaky. This was the best sex she had ever had. No matter where her life took her after today, she would never be able to get this moment out of her mind.
Already, she wanted him again, but she knew she couldn’t let it happen. She had to tell him that nothing could ever happen between them. As much as she wanted Cedric, she had never had a real boyfriend since the day she found out she couldn’t have children. She had had a few one-night stands, but that was all they had ever been and all they ever could be. She had never felt like this before, though—upset to know that something that could have been magical had to end before it really had a chance to begin.
She just couldn’t do it, the whole relationship thing. Even though it had been years since she had gotten the news that she would never be able to have children of her own, she still hadn’t wrapped her head around it, and until she did, it didn’t seem fair of her to dump it on someone else. And besides, she had no idea when she could ever tell someone her secret. It felt like such a big thing, a definite deal breaker for a lot of guys, and she didn’t want to lead anyone on, getting close to them and then telling them and having both of their hearts broken when they left. But it was hardly first date conversation, was it?
Cedric looked at her as he sat down, his clothes back in place. He had a worried-looking frown on his face.
“Laila? Are you okay? You look—I don’t know—like you’re ready to cry,” he said.
