by M. S. Parker
“I don’t think so.” My mom’s tone was mild.
“Grandma gave it to me. She wanted me to have it when she died.” My voice shook and I couldn’t stop it. How could she do this? She knew what that painting meant to me.
The smile she gave me was thin and said that she knew exactly what she was doing. “You know as well as I do that my mother’s will said no such thing. This is a valuable piece and will bring in a hundred thousand or more for charity. How could I not offer such a generous donation?”
The man looked from my mom to me, as if he wasn’t entirely sure what he was supposed to do.
“You know very well that Grandma told me that the painting was mine. I’ve told you plenty of times over the years that I wanted it, but you always came up with some excuse why it should stay with you.” My nails bit into my palms. “To think, I actually thought it was because you knew how special the picture was to Grandma and you wanted to keep it. I never thought you’d do it just to spite me.”
“Are you done with your little tantrum?” she asked. “Because unless you have any of that in writing, my dear, there’s nothing you can do.” She turned her back on me as she asked the man for the forms to complete the donation.
I stared at her, unable to believe what had just happened. My mother had always been harsh and disapproving, but this was just deliberately cruel.
An arm slid around my waist and I didn’t need to turn to know who it belonged to. A hand appeared in front of me with a glass of wine. I took it and drained half of it at once. It was good, expensive wine but it tasted sour to me.
“Come on,” he said gently. “Let’s go find our seats.”
As he led me towards the area of the ballroom that had been set up for the auction, I blinked back the tears burning at my eyelids. I wasn’t sure if they were more from hurt or anger, but I didn’t feel like trying to figure it out. All of the happiness I’d felt at being with DeVon was gone. I just wanted to leave, to get as far away from her as possible, but I knew I wouldn’t do it. I would stick it out because I wasn’t going to let her see how much she’d hurt me.
“How much did you hear?” I asked as DeVon and I took seats somewhere near the middle of the room.
“Enough,” he said.
I sighed, then drained my glass. I needed to take the edge off.
“Let me go get you a refill,” DeVon said without me having to ask.
I nodded. I closed my eyes as he left, reaching inside me for the strength and stubbornness that had gotten me through Columbia and moving to New York on my own, the traits that had made me one of the most promising attorneys in the city. These were the things I’d called on when I’d made the decision to move to LA, as well as what had kept me here when all I’d truly wanted to do was go back. I needed them now.
By the time DeVon came back, the auction was about ready to start and I was back in control. I was pissed, but I was strong. I didn’t even flinch when, at the end, the auctioneer brought out my painting and began the bidding. I drank my wine and forced myself to watch as the price rose higher and higher. In a few years, I might’ve been able to join in, but as it passed a hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, I knew even that was wishful thinking. It ended up going to a well-known art dealer for a hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars, and I watched it go without saying a word.
As the auction ended, I saw my mother heading my way. I stood, blinking as the wine I’d drank made me light-headed for a moment. DeVon put his hand on my elbow, steadying me as we made our way towards the back of the ballroom. I heard my mom say my name and DeVon hesitated, but I kept going. I didn’t want to be here anymore.
“Are you hungry?” DeVon asked me after giving a polite greeting to yet another important producer.
“Not really,” I said. “But I could go for another drink.” I wanted something to make me forget.
“Let’s get some food in your stomach first,” he said.
I didn’t protest because he was leading me towards the hotel restaurant and that was away from my mother. I doubted she’d follow, not when she had so many people left to suck up to.
I let DeVon order for me because I wasn’t really hungry. I did protest when he asked for sparkling cider instead of wine, but he ignored me. I knew he was just trying to help, but it still annoyed me. Everything was annoying me at the moment.
“She did it to hurt me, you know,” I said finally. “She knew how much the painting meant to me and that I loved Grandma more than I loved her.”
DeVon reached across the table for my hand. Part of me wanted to pull away and wallow, but I didn’t. I loved the feeling of his fingers curled around mine.
“And dismissing you like that...I don’t know why I expected anything else from her.” I rubbed my thumb against the underside of his hand. “I’m never going to be good enough for her.”
I sat back as the waiter returned with our meal. The pasta smelled delicious, but I just pushed it around on my plate.
“Eat,” DeVon said as he cut a piece of steak.
“You can’t tell me what to do.” The words came out sounding very much like a spoiled child and I regretted them immediately.
DeVon shrugged. “All right. Then you’re not getting your surprise.”
My eyes narrowed, my curiosity getting the best of me. “What surprise?” He’d already given me this beautiful necklace. “Did you book a room or something?” That would be a better distraction than alcohol.
“No guesses,” he said with an enigmatic smile. “Just eat.”
I gave him a scowl, but I took a few bites. He nodded in approval and focused on his steak. The pasta was great and, as I ate, I began to feel better. Not really good, but at least a bit more focused. When I was halfway done, I saw DeVon motion to the waiter. A moment later, the young man reappeared with a large package wrapped in plain brown paper.
“For you.” DeVon smiled at me, his eyes sparkling with excitement. “Open it.”
I tore the paper, my heart skipping a beat when I saw a flash of familiar color. It couldn’t be. A lump formed in my throat as I finished unwrapping my painting. “How?” I could barely get the question out. I ran my fingers over the paint, remembering each line.
“The art dealer is a friend of mine,” DeVon explained. “When I went to pick up another drink for you, I arranged it so he could buy it for me...for you.”
I carefully set the painted down and leaned across the table to take DeVon’s hand. “Thank you.” I kissed his knuckles and then pressed his hand to the side of my face. “You are the single most wonderful man I’ve ever met.”
He brushed his thumb across my cheek. “I just couldn’t bear to see you hurting like that.”
I let out a shaky breath. I couldn’t deny it anymore. I’d been dancing around the truth, telling myself I needed to get him out of my system, that it was a purely physical attraction, that I only liked him. The truth was, I’d fallen for him and it wasn’t like anything I’d ever felt before. I just didn’t know how to tell him.
My eyes met his and there was a warmth in his gaze that was different than the usual heat that was there. I might not be able to tell him, but I could show him.
I smiled at him, putting a teasing note in my voice. “I have to admit, though, I am a bit disappointed.” DeVon looked startled, then confused. I didn’t make him wait long. “I’d kind of hoped the surprise really was that you’d booked a room for us.”
His face lit up with a wide smile and he reached into his jacket pocket. When he held up his hand a moment later, a key card was between his fingers.
Chapter 30
DEVON
I slid my arms around Krissy’s waist as soon as she stopped next to the bed and pressed my lips against the spot where her neck and shoulder met. She made a pleased sound and I breathed in deep the scent of her floral body-wash mixed with what was just her. I loved the way she smelled.
She turned in my arms and wrapped her arms around my neck, raising herself up to bri
ng our mouths together for the first time today. That first touch was all it took, like gasoline to a flame.
I groaned as she parted my lips with her tongue and my hands ran down her back to her ass. She bit my bottom lip as I squeezed the firm muscles, sending a jolt through me, and then she sucked the wounded flesh into her mouth, soothing it. I slid my hands up her ribcage, my thumbs brushing against the undersides of her breasts as she pressed her body against me.
I made a frustrated sound. She looked beautiful in this dress, but there wasn’t anywhere for me to reach bare skin. She pushed my jacket off my shoulders and I took that as a signal that she needed to feel me as much as I needed her. My fingers found the zipper at the back of her dress and quickly worked it down. Without breaking the kiss, we managed to strip down to our underwear before falling back onto the bed, where, finally, we parted.
“I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this before,” Krissy said breathlessly. “But you’re an amazing kisser.”
I laughed. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“You know what else I’m not so bad at?” She rolled over, her eyes gleaming. “This.” Her hand slid under the waistband of my boxer-briefs and I groaned as her fingers closed around me.
“Definitely not bad at that.” I ran my hand up her side and rubbed my thumb over her nipple, feeling it harden under the thin silk.
She moved again, putting her body out of my reach as she straddled my legs. I didn’t take my eyes off of her as she slid my underwear off and tossed it on the floor. Her bra and panties joined it moments later, leaving her deliciously bare. She nudged my legs apart and knelt between them, her hair falling around her face as she lowered her head.
My eyes closed as I felt the wet heat of her mouth engulf my cock, taking it deep on the first pass and making me moan. She wrapped her hand around the base of it, working in tandem with her mouth until my hips were moving, wanting more. Her other hand cupped my balls, her fingers rolling and squeezing with just the right amount of pressure. The muscles in my stomach tightened and I knew I was close. I reached down, fighting my body’s instinct to ride out the pleasure, and lightly pulled on her hair, guiding her up and off of me.
“One day,” I said hoarsely as I looked down at her. “I want to go in your mouth, but not right now.” I sat up and pulled her towards me.
She put her knees on either side of my lap, her pussy hovering just over my throbbing cock. I moved my hand between her legs, sliding up through her slick folds until my finger slipped inside.
“I want you to come in my mouth someday,” Krissy said. She put her hands on either side of my face as she ground down on my hand. “And I’ll swallow every last drop.” She lowered her mouth to mine and I tasted myself on her tongue.
I removed my hand from between her legs and grabbed onto her hips, maneuvering her until she was exactly where I needed her to be. I slid my hands around to her bare ass and she shuddered, gasping as she broke the kiss.
I froze. “Did I hurt you?” Had I been too rough the other night?
She shook her head. “It just makes everything feel so much more intense.”
Keeping her eyes on mine, she began to lower herself onto my cock. Every inch stretched her wider, but she still gripped me tight, her body fitting mine like a glove. It was amazing, this feeling of nothing between us. So much more intimate than anything I’d ever done. Which is why I never took anyone in this position.
When I was finally fully inside her, I took her legs and pulled them around my waist, pushing myself that last little bit further. I wrapped my arms around her and her nipples pushed against my chest, making us both moan. I put a hand at the base of her spine and helped her start to move, short little jerks that rubbed her clit against the base of my cock. I pressed my face against the crook of her neck. Everything I’d been feeling since I’d first seen her was nearly overwhelming me.
Our bodies were barely moving. We were fused together so completely that, for the first time, I felt the truth of that cliché about two becoming one. Her heartbeat was my own. Her pleasure was mine. Our mingled breathing was harsh in the silence of the room. It wasn’t about fucking her hard and fast, about how deep I went. I was inside her as she rotated her hips, as her muscles flexed around me, and it wasn’t just enough. It was more. More everything.
“Come for me,” she whispered against my ear. One hand was in my hair, the other was on my back, nails scratching against my skin.
I shook my head. “You first.” I spoke against her neck, my lips moving over the soft skin.
“I want you to come inside me,” she murmured. “I want to feel you come.”
I closed my eyes as I felt my orgasm approaching, the pressure inside me building. I had to wait, had to make her come first.
“You’re the only man I’ve let do that,” she said, her voice breathy. “The only one who’s ever gone in me. And I want it again.”
My muscles tightened and I lost that last bit of control. I squeeze her tight as I came, my hips jerking as I filled her. Only me. I was the only one.
Fuck.
She continued to move against me as I came, the friction drawing out my climax until it was nearly painful. Just before it became too much, I felt her body tense. She didn’t say a word as she came. She trembled and shook, and I held her close as the pleasure took her. Only when she relaxed did I move us so that we were lying down, facing each other.
I didn’t want to risk damaging what had happened between us, but I had a question I needed answered. “What you said,” I began. “Was it true?” She gave me a puzzled look. Great. She was going to make me ask it flat out. If she took it the wrong way, this could end badly, but I’d started and I knew she’d never let it go. I plunged ahead. “About not letting anyone else come inside you?”
A faint stain blushed her cheeks. “It’s true,” she admitted. “Friday was the first time.”
My lips curved into a smile and I reached out to brush some hair back from her face. My fingers lingered on her cheek. “It was a first for me, too.” Her eyes widened in surprise. “Until you, it didn’t matter if a woman said she was clean and on the pill. I didn’t trust anyone to not use a condom.”
“But you trusted me.”
I nodded. Now that I’d made that confession, I had to say it all. My stomach twisted and my heart began to thump wildly against my ribs. “I trust you.” I ran my finger over her lips. “And I care about you more than I’ve cared about anyone in a long time.” I hesitated, took a breath, and let the rest out. “I’ve fallen for you, Krissy, and I don’t care what label we put on whatever this is, but I know that I want it to be just us. No one else.”
I fell silent and waited to see if she’d break my heart.
She put her hand over mind and turned her head, pressing her lips against my palm. “Is that why you called yourself my date?”
“I didn’t know what else to say,” I admitted. A cautious hope was rising inside me.
“I don’t care what you call yourself,” she said. “As long as it’s clear that you’re mine.” She ran her hand down my chest and lightly scraped her nails over my still-sensitive cock. “I don’t share.”
I swallowed hard. I needed to hear her say it. I wasn’t going to believe it until I heard it.
She said the words. “I feel the same way you do. Every bit of it.”
I laughed with the rush of relief that went through me. I grabbed her and rolled us over so that I was stretched out on top of her. I captured her mouth, thoroughly exploring every inch until we were both panting and gasping for air. Only then did I prop myself up on my elbows and give her the chance to catch her breath.
“You should know,” I said. “I don’t share either.”
“Does that include food?” she asked with a grin. “Because I could really go for some strawberries.”
I pushed myself off of her and reached for the phone. While we waited for room service, we stretched out next to each other, letting our hands wander
across sweat-slicked skin.
After a few minutes of silence, she spoke. “Buying that painting was the most amazing thing anyone’s ever done for me.”
“It was worth every penny to see the look on your face,” I said.
“You know,” her voice turned coy. “It was really expensive. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
I grinned, my cock twitching in interest as thoughts flickered through my mind. “I can think of a few ways.”
Room service chose that moment to interrupt us, and I reluctantly put on a robe to answer the door. When I came back in with the food, Krissy was sitting up, the sheet around her waist, her breasts bare.
“My eyes are up here,” she teased as she watched me ogling her.
