Treasured

by Pinder, Victoria

  He handed me a glass. “I like him already. I would have joined him if I knew you then.”

  I picked up his hand and let his fingers wrap around mine. I squeezed his hand as I said, “You could probably kill him with these hands of yours.”

  “I promise to be gentle with you.”

  I laughed and closed my eyes as I imagined being with him and not breaking in half. “That would be nice. My therapist said I should honor my inner goddess and expect the next guy I love to be the best man I can imagine.”

  Dwayne put his arms around me, sending my heart soaring. Yes, this was all temporary and the only reason I let him in. “And what do you imagine for this guy?”

  “Just to be good to me and my son. I’ve not thought too deeply other than what I’ve already said. What about you, Dwayne?”

  His gaze narrowed as his hands explored my body more freely. “What about me?”

  I put my plate on the desk and then cupped his face. “What do you want in your woman besides for her to call you out on your crap?”

  I tugged on his shirt. If he was staying, I needed to taste him soon. My skin burned for him.

  “I’d like a woman who can dance with me, laugh with me, and… one that makes amazing cheeseburgers.”

  I laughed, and he tossed his shirt on the floor.

  Those muscles were all real. The red leaf with angel wings and a diamond caught my attention on his upper arm, but I stuck to the conversation and laughed. “So you care about food?”

  He reached behind me and unzipped my dress as he said, “I’ve never met a guy who doesn’t.”

  “Fair enough.” I turned so he could help me out of my dress. Once it was on the floor, I faced him in my bra and heels. I blinked and asked, “So, now what?”

  Inside, I was shaking and hoped he’d crush me to him, but instead, he traced the skin down my side like he cared about me. “What’s your middle name, Mary?”

  I reached out and brushed against that wall of hardness he was and knew he wanted this, too, but I met his brown eyes. “Why?”

  He didn’t move at all. “Because I’m curious to know everything about you.”

  I stepped back and pointed to the other room with the bed and ignored how my body pulsed. “You don’t just want to fuck me?”

  His lips curled up to show off those dimples of his. “No… I mean, yes… I want to be with you, but my instincts have guided me through life, and the second I met you I knew one thing.”

  I unhooked my bra. He needed to get the hint. I needed to taste him everywhere. “What’s that?” I asked.

  I let my bra drop, and he reached out. His whistle sent my heart practically soaring out of my chest. He came toward me and said, “That I am yours, and you are mine. I can’t explain more than that. It’s just a feeling.”

  If only that were true. I had craved to be the one for a man like him, but I had a history of bad choices. Tonight was all I could offer. I crawled onto the bed. “You trust your feelings?”

  He brushed against me, and my skin was alive and aware of him. “Always.”

  If only I believed in fairy tales. I rolled off my underwear and let him watch, and I knew I was probably blushing. “I’ve not trusted my own senses in a long time.”

  My veins were alive for him. He unbuttoned his pants, and my eyes widened. He was thicker and longer than any other man I’d ever seen. The idea of him inside me had already left my lady parts ready.

  “What are they saying right now?” he asked.

  Take me. I’m yours. The words would never, ever come out, so I tugged the sheets off since we didn’t need a comforter under us. He joined me on the bed. I curled into his arms as I said, “I have no idea, but I know I want you to kiss me already.”

  And then his lips met mine. His hard kiss practically branded me, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, not wanting the moment to end.

  When it did, he kissed my nose, smiled with those dimples, and said, “Damn, girl. You pack a punch.”

  I pressed myself to him, and it was like fireworks exploded inside me. I laughed and held him close. “Likewise, Dwayne.”

  I was ready for him. Tonight was all we had, all I could offer him.

  Dwayne was the closest thing to the perfect man I’d ever imagined, and in his arms, my body took flight.

  Chapter Four

  Mary

  My muscles tensed with desire as his kiss steamed me up.

  I’d brought the sexiest man I’d ever seen — or the one closest to it I’d seen in person—back to my hotel room from the ball.

  Excitement hummed in my veins as I let this huge, muscular man with broad shoulders and smoldering dark hair get my heart rate up just from his presence.

  I knew nothing about Dwayne except he could afford a benefit ticket that cost five thousand dollars and it was impossible not to notice him.

  Serious goose bumps were on my arms, yet he’d also put me at ease with his comments.

  Until he kissed me again.

  My body blazed alive like we were teenagers and this was my first time—just like in all those books that talk about fireworks.

  His lips on mine emboldened me, and his arms around me made me feel safe and protected. Which was funny, as I’d never actually felt fully safe or protected in my life.

  His hands pressed against my back, and his kiss grew harder.

  And I was breathless, wanting more.

  The whirlwind in my veins rushed heat right through me. My chest hardened, and I didn’t care that I was probably red in the face.

  He didn’t care, either, as his fingers roamed my back, causing me to shiver.

  This was it. I directed him to the bed. Blood flowed to my genitals, and he was hard. We were ready, so I climbed on his lap and continued to kiss and caress his face.

  My nipples hardened. He let me lead, so I ran my fingers through his thick, coarse hair.

  And I teased his swollen with my wiggles.

  We both knew he liked it.

  His tongue captured mine in a dance that made me roar a primal song that came from my heart. I savored how his tongue battled mine and how his muscular hands cupped my ass.

  I needed him. My heart fluttered while I was on top of him.

  The fire in my veins grew stronger from his kisses, which made me ache.

  With Dwayne, though, being naked empowered me. My heart jackhammered when he moved to be on top of me.

  My fingers ran through his hair. I wanted him and savored his small bites on my skin as he suckled me. Good. I would have his mark. Part of me wished this moment with him would last forever.

  He suckled, licked, and savored my breasts, which he held cupped in his hands. My nipples stood out like raspberries, and he feasted on them like he was starving.

  All I could do was moan as his hand went lower, and his fingers strummed my most sensitive parts like the strings of a guitar.

  However, he took his time with me. I trembled from his kiss, thrilled he had captured me as his own for the night.

  I needed him inside me, filling me in a way no other man ever had.

  I cupped his manhood to urge him forward and understood immediately he was hard and roaring to start. I yearned for his huge member like it was a heat-seeking missile and I was the target.

  Yet he hugged me close and tasted me like I was someone special, and I knew this could be the start of a romance instead of a one-night stand.

  Maybe in another life, it might be more, but this would all we’d ever have.

  His suckling teased a pleasure that was about to sweep through me as he cupped my ass like he was branding me.

  Damn, I needed him tonight. I’d not had anyone since…

  I refused to let that thought fester and destroy this. Instead, I pushed for him to move and repositioned my legs on either side of him so I could ride on top.

  In control, I cupped his balls and thrust his cock deep inside me.

  Damn. He was huge, with the kind of size guys whispered
about as a fantasy, and he filled me completely. I gyrated and took his hands like we were longtime lovers while I rocked back and forth.

  I swiveled my hips, rocked and rode him, and the apex between my thighs was rushed with pleasure.

  His hand let mine go so he could squeeze my butt while I ravished him.

  He closed his eyes and let me fuck him.

  I had no idea for how long, but my heart rate was higher than it had been in years. But I wasn’t afraid—not with Dwayne.

  I lowered myself for a kiss.

  Dwayne shocked me when he took my nipple into his mouth and suckled again as I stroked his hard dick. My clit was so sensitive to him, and my breathing increased.

  His hard abs were unlike any other man’s I’d ever seen. The man between my thighs now could rip me apart. I knew exactly what it was like to be beaten and bruised, and I should have been terrified that Dwayne was bigger, stronger, and trained to be a killer.

  Yet he let me set the pace, and my muscles tensed with small delicious spasms to my feet.

  And all he did was massage my body to encourage me.

  Damn, if I would have known sex was like this, I would have never been such a stupid fool.

  The thought invaded my brain, but then my mind became fuzzy as he entered me and sat up. He plunged deeper into my center.

  I was impaled and yearned for this as he set the pace and hammered into me like he was claiming my body and soul as his own.

  My heart rate peaked. I’d never been like this, and yet he plunged into me slowly, despite my body being on fire.

  My vaginal muscles contracted. I had never breathed so fast before.

  My eyes fluttered while his cock went in and out. Even my feet spasmed.

  He rammed into me like he had his own score and I was his, but unlike any other man, he seemed to hold onto me like he cared about me.

  I held onto his neck like it was my lifeline. Even my uterus contracted. I was hot everywhere and didn’t care if my skin flushed.

  I was swept into a storm, convulsing in an inferno, as he slid in and muscles contracted as he ejaculated.

  Right then, I didn’t care, though. I was in ecstasy and the bliss of being only his.

  No other man had ever been like that. None probably ever would.

  And at least for that night, I knew what an orgasm was. Dwayne was everything I’d ever wanted.

  Chapter Five

  Dwayne

  I hadn’t slept beside a woman for as long as I could remember. It hadn’t been the gel hotel bed. It was her soft hair and sweet smile, though she made me work to see it. She held me like I was her anchor.

  In the middle of the night, she’d screamed in her sleep like she’d survived a battle, too, but she stopped when I lightly pressed my hand to her back the way my mom had done to me as a boy.

  Now I stared at the bright light of the morning streaming around the pulled curtains that darkened the room. I shifted my six-foot-five frame out of her small arms.

  However, the second I moved, she sighed and opened her eyes. Our brown eyes met, and I leaned forward to kiss her. Even in the morning, when I never kissed anyone, her pretty lips enticed me.

  For the first time in a long time, I wanted only one woman. Mary.

  She blushed as she slipped her hands on my muscles.

  “When’s your flight to Pittsburgh?” I asked.

  She glanced at the clock and closed her eyes as she said, “Soon.”

  I grabbed my pants so I wouldn’t make her nervous with my junk out. Once the zipper was up, I raised my eyebrow and said, “That’s a nonanswer.”

  She’d tugged on her bra and underwear, hiding her secret treasures, and slipped into the bathroom to freshen up, and when she returned, she said, “My cousin sent me on her plane. It’s a one-time perk, and I’m not taking advantage.”

  She opened a bag and grabbed a pair of jeans as I said, “So, you’re a rich girl.”

  “Ha ha. No. I’m the poor relation.” She tugged on her T-shirt.

  I did the same, with my undershirt first and then the dress shirt, though I didn’t bother with the buttons. “Would it be okay if I come to see you in Pittsburgh?”

  Her smile faltered, and she took my hands. The spark she set off was better than a shot of morning coffee as she asked, “Why would you want that?”

  I traced her cheek, which was smaller than the palm of my hand, and said, “Because you’re my north star.”

  Her smile crossed her face, and my lips curled higher as she said, “Sounds sweet, but I don’t understand that one.”

  I kissed her cheek, which was smooth against my calloused hands. “Seeing you again would be… fun.”

  I pointed to the bathroom, and she nodded. I gave her a thumbs-up and quickly freshened up.

  The bathroom didn’t have much, but she still had a Lancôme perfume bottle, which I smelled. This was what she’d been wearing last night. I came out a minute later, and she was packing her dress. She crossed her arms and met my eyes. “Look, I’ll have my son then. It’s a different experience when a baby is around, and we both agreed it was one time.”

  How someone had let her belly swell with his son and then let the angel go free made no sense. I lucked out. I came closer, and she lowered her arms as I said, “I never said that.” I pressed my hand on her shoulder. “I could treat both of you for a nice night out.”

  Her lips pursed like she was judging me, but she let out a sigh and said, “Having children around kills the romance feelings fast.”

  My close SEAL buddies had given me a second nickname, Chance, and it seemed once again I had scored, but I let her go and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. “At the family picnics, I’m usually playing around with the kids in the backyard.”

  A small laugh escaped her lips, and she lowered her shoulders. A moment later she took my phone from me and pointed for the password. I let it use facial recognition and then gave it back. She typed in her number and said, “Okay… sure, let’s live in a dream for now that we’ll somehow connect again. Here is my contact.”

  I called it, and her phone rang. She slipped back and picked it up so she had my number. She let out a small breath, and I said, “If you are ever in Pittsburgh and still single, call.”

  Her lips curled higher, and she came back to me and kissed my cheek. “When I do, we’ll call it a real date.”

  I wrapped my arms around her waist and said, while our noses were close, “I’ll see you soon.”

  She pushed her wayward hair behind her ear and lowered her lashes. “Guess this is a test to see if you keep your promises.”

  Her lips were puckered, and I took one more taste. Mary was sweeter than Polynesian Watermelon ‘Otai. As our gazes met, I said, “I’ll never disappoint you, Mary. Talk to you soon.”

  She held my hand as I walked to the door, and I stole one quick kiss.

  I knew she was watching me walk down the hall, so I waited till I turned the corner to the elevator to read my missed-call log. Mark, my brother’s friend I’d hired to help me get my company back, had texted. As I stepped onto the elevator, I read, Has Wanda been served by the lawyers?

  I’m calling her now, I wrote back, and the doors closed. I would get an inspection of my property faster than control, and that was part of the plan.

  Once in the lobby, I headed back to the valet and handed over my ticket.

  My gray Lexus with black leather seats pulled up—the luxury I had bought for myself when I moved here temporarily to work with Cole Securities. I tipped the valet and hooked the phone to my dashboard. As I drove away from sweet Mary, I dialed my almost-sister-in-law.

  I said a little prayer she would cooperate and leave peacefully with the buy-out offer, but the service taught me that anything was possible. On the second ring, she answered, and I said, “Wanda, hey.”

  Her low voice was still the same as when she had come to my house years ago, holding my brother’s hand. “Dwayne, I hadn’t expected you’d call. Got
your lawyers’ missive.”

  Last time I had trusted Wanda, I was eighteen and about to graduate high school. My mother had me call her with the news about Devon since she couldn’t. I tapped the wheel and forced that memory to dissipate. “My brother’s shares are mine, and our legal battle will end shortly.”

  Wanda seemed pensive. “We’ll schedule that tour so you can see that nest egg I built for you and your mom is secure.”

  Mine and my mother’s financial freedom hadn’t been her concern, and she only mentioned it now to get me to back off seizing control. I had no idea what my perfect brother had seen in Wanda now.

  She had our manufacturing plant sending guns to our country’s enemies. I made a turn to head back to my beach apartment. “So I’ll have my secretary speak to yours about a mutual time this week.”

  Wanda sighed. “I’ll be here all week, though next week is Paris.”

  “This week it is, then,” I said, ignoring how hot my face felt.

  When I was eighteen and joining the SEALs after my brother had died, I thought I could trust Wanda. The discussion with Mark when I’d shipped home had destroyed that illusion.

  My neck muscles tightened. This would end soon.

  I tapped my steering wheel while she said, “This didn’t have to become a battlefield. I’m not married, since I couldn’t find anyone as great as your brother.”

  I hit the brake at a red light and heard a plane in the air high above me. “Devon… he was always the good one, and my mom considered you family.”

  Not once had I told Mom what Wanda had done. Then my mother stunned me and said I had the shares because my brother, before he’d died, had told Wanda not to break the law on selling weapons, even if the path was clear and easy. She’d promised she would honor my brother’s wishes, but trusting her had been my mistake.

  Wanda then said, “I’m having my lawyers help me understand the details of your offer. In the meantime, I saw you dancing last night at the ball.”