The elevator opened and the smell of barbecue teased her senses, making her mouth water the moment she stepped across the threshold.
She kicked the door closed behind her. “Tania, I’m home,” she called out and set her jacket and briefcase on the bench next to a tall cobalt-blue floor vase that she’d purchased on a trip to Morocco. “Tania?” she called out again, surprised by the lack of response. After all of the calls from her earlier, Iris was sure she’d be standing by the door.
Iris quickly sifted through the mail that had been left on a stand just inside the entryway, distracted by the amazing aroma from the kitchen. “Mmm, something smells delicious,” she said more to herself than to anyone else. She went to place the mail back on the stand, but most of it fell to the floor. Oh, that’s just great. She bent down to pick it up when a pair of shiny black wing tips appeared out of nowhere. Iris jerked her head up and froze.
“What are you doing here?”
Chapter 10
“Hello to you, too,” Nash said when Iris stood and put the mail down. He handed her one of the glasses of white wine that he held. “It’s a good thing I don’t get offended easily. Otherwise, you could have given me a complex with that greeting.”
She nervously ran a hand through her curly locks. “I’m sorry. I’m just...I’m surprised to see you.”
“I bet you are, considering you’ve done your best to avoid me for well over a week.” He brought his glass of wine to his lips, staring at her over the rim. After a long day at work, she still looked amazing. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and the pristine black pantsuit she wore fit every luscious curve of her body as if a tailor had sewn it onto her frame. Nash took a sip of his wine, taking her all in, not caring that he was making her uncomfortable by staring. He had missed her more than he had realized and it was taking Herculean strength not to reach out and pull her into his arms.
She remained silent as she sipped from her glass, looking everywhere but at him. They were standing just inside the foyer and she had yet to try to move past him. I guess she’s doing anything not to risk touching me or me touching her.
He wanted so badly to pull her into his arms and kiss her sweet lips, but Tania, Macy and Ms. Dalton had gone through a lot of trouble to surprise Iris with dinner. So he needed to stick to the script or deal with their wrath. “We’ve been set up,” he finally said.
“What do you mean?” Iris finally tried to step around him, but he wouldn’t move. “Where’s Tania?”
“Macy picked her up about twenty minutes ago. They went out to get a few more supplies for Tania’s science project, assuming there actually is a science project, and then they are heading to Macy’s house to work on it.”
Iris’s hand stilled, the wineglass lingering at her lips. She narrowed her eyes. “Why, that little stinker,” she said under her breath, but Nash heard her and smiled.
“You have no idea.” He turned to go into the living room, but stopped and looked back. “Dinner is served,” he said with a dramatic flourish of his arm. “After you.”
* * *
Iris slowly followed him into the living room and stopped short. “What in the... How? When?” she said. “This is...amazing.”
The illumination from the candles placed strategically around the room, and the dim light hanging from the ceiling above the large flat-screen television, were enough for them to see that Tania and Macy had set up a picnic on the carpet.
Iris picked up the handwritten note sitting on the living room table. “Sit back, relax and enjoy the evening, from the Dynamic Duo.” She smirked and placed the note back on the table. “This was very thoughtful.”
“Yeah, I was impressed, too, but whoever heard of a carpet picnic?” Nash said, sidling up to Iris, sipping his wine.
She laughed, more relaxed than when she first arrived home. “You are such a guy.”
A crooked grin spread across his sexy lips, and Iris suddenly realized that a nice romantic setting probably wasn’t the best idea under the circumstances. Her defenses were weak when it came to Nash. He had the movie-star good looks of Shemar Moore and the business savvy of Russell Simmons. Who could control herself when in the presence of a man like that?
“Have a seat on the blanket. I was given strict instructions by Tania and Macy before they left to be at your beck and call...whatever that means.” He set his wineglass on the sofa table. “I’ll be right back.”
* * *
Iris had no idea where he was going, but she scurried to her feet and took the opportunity to take a quick glance in the mirror. Had she known he would be there, she would’ve freshened up before stepping into the apartment. Seeing that her makeup was fine, she slipped out of her suit jacket and tossed it on the sofa, which had been moved to the perimeter of the room. “All right, here we go.” Nash returned from the kitchen with steaming hot barbecue ribs on a platter. He sat them on a tray on top of the blanket and grabbed the picnic basket from the coffee table.
“Are you sure you didn’t know anything about this carpet picnic?”
“Hell, I never even heard of a carpet picnic.”
“What? That means you’ve never seen Pretty Woman. How could that be?” she said, feigning shock.
Nash turned to her and furrowed his brows. “Isn’t it a chick flick?”
“Yeah, but surely you’ve seen a chick flick before.”
“If nothing’s being blown up or no heads are rolling down an alley, I’m not interested.” He unloaded the rest of the large picnic basket and handed the dishes to Iris, who placed them in the center of the blanket. When he pulled out the last item, he let out a loud groan.
Iris fell over laughing. Ms. Dalton and the girls had thought of everything. She reached for the Pretty Woman DVD dangling from Nash’s fingers and held it to her chest.
“This is my all-time favorite movie. I’m going to have to kiss Ms. Dalton the next time I see her.”
“In the meantime, you can always kiss me.” Nash grabbed the movie from her hand and tossed it to the side. He skirted around the food and crawled up to her, forcing her to lie back on the blanket. “I’ve missed you,” he said against her lips, his body hovering over hers.
Iris, her hands resting on his biceps, reveled in the feel of his taut muscles against her palms and his large frame perched above her. “I’ve missed you, too.”
As he coaxed her lips apart, the gentle massage of his tongue and the taste of his delicious mouth sent currents of desire roaring through her body. Considering how hungry she had been when she first walked in, food suddenly wasn’t the main thing on her mind. For the first time in weeks, she didn’t care what Noelle said; she wanted Nash more than any man she’d ever known. Not a day had gone by that she hadn’t thought of him and dreamed of the next time she would be in his arms. His hand moved slowly up and down her body. She felt transported on a soft and delicate cloud as he pulled her closer and his mouth teased hers, offering a pledge of greater things to come.
How could she tell him that she wanted more than just his kisses without sounding loose? All the tantalizing actions he was doing were driving her nuts. Her thoughts became jumbled when he placed kisses along her cheek, searing a path down to her neck, while his hand roamed along the side of her body. When he worked his way back up and stopped to nibble at her earlobe, sending goose bumps up and down her arms, she felt she would jump out of her skin at any moment if he didn’t stop the sweet torture.
“Nash,” she breathed between parted lips. “I...I—”
“You’ve missed me, missed my touch,” he said against her neck, unbuttoning her shirt and easing it open.
A knot rose in her throat as his large hand cupped her breast. His skilled fingers tweaked her hardened nipple through the thin material of her lace bra.
“Right now, I don’t care why you’ve been avoiding
me. Just take me to your bedroom, so I can show you how much I’ve missed you.” He raised his head and unsnapped the front of her bra, his desire-laden gaze fixed on her. “This time when I make you come, I want you on a soft surface...and naked. I plan to worship this gorgeous body of yours until the sun comes up.”
Iris swallowed hard. She was no longer shocked by her body’s eager response to Nash’s mouth on her skin, but the thought of making love to him had every nerve ending within her going crazy.
He lowered his head and captured a nipple between his teeth, his tongue rotating and teasing mercilessly, causing her to squirm beneath him, her throbbing sex ready for anything he had in mind.
“Nash,” she cried, her eyes shut tight as she feverishly grasped at the back of his shirt in an effort to catch her breath. She wanted more, but she didn’t think her heart could take much more of the erotic pleasure pumping through her veins. When he repeated the action on the other nipple, she knew it was only a matter of minutes before she reached that point of no return.
“Nash,” she panted, shouting his name again. “Okay, okay, let’s go upstairs...please.”
With one last delectable swirl of his tongue, he sat back and took in her body, still caressing her breast.
“Nash.”
“All right, but you stopped me just in time.” Her eyes closed at his touch. God, if he can make me feel this good and he’s only gotten as far as my breasts, I might not be able to handle much more.
“Let’s go,” he said, his voice hoarse and sexy.
He helped her up and then made quick work of blowing out the candles before he followed her upstairs to her bedroom. Within minutes, he had them out of their clothes and Iris’s heart thundered and her knees went weak at the sight of the well-built Adonis standing before her. Broad shoulders and a chiseled chest caught her attention first, but as her gaze traveled beyond his narrow waist and washboard abs, her only thought was that he was utter perfection. God had truly done his best work when he created this man.
Iris didn’t know how long she stood marveling at him. All she wanted to do was touch him everywhere, to feel his hard, sinewy muscles contract against her hands. She glanced up to find Nash gawking at her and she didn’t know what aroused her more—looking at him in all of his glory, or watching the way he perused her nude body.
“I knew you would be beautiful, but you’re absolutely exquisite,” he said just above a whisper.
I was just thinking the same thing about you. Always self-conscious about her body and height, this was the first time that she could remember not feeling insecure about the color of her skin, her naturally curly hair or her too-long legs. The way Nash’s eyes raked over her, assessing every inch of her body, made her feel as if she was the most desirable woman he’d ever seen.
He backed her to the bed and she sat on the king-size mattress, acutely aware that she had a naked man, and not just anyone, but Nash Dupree, in her bedroom.
“I have wanted you from the moment I laid eyes on you and I intend to have you...all of you.”
He grabbed a couple of condoms from his wallet and placed them on the nightstand before he climbed onto the bed and lay beside her. His hand gently outlined the circle of her breast and her eyes fluttered closed. It was as if he knew just the right things to do. His touch was light and painfully teasing, so much so that her body tingled with a passion she’d never experienced before. For weeks, she’d wondered what it would be like to be intimate with him, and tonight, that would be a reality.
She placed her hand on his hard chest, loving the feel of the soft hairs sifting through her fingers. It all seemed surreal. How many times had she seen him in magazines, his handsome face smiling back at her, leaving her to wonder what type of person he was. Now here he was, in her life, in her house and in her bed.
She lay in the crook of Nash’s arm, making circular motions on his chest and toying with his flat nipples. Lost in the pleasure of how good he felt, she suddenly shivered when he ran his hand along the side of her body, sending electric shock waves to every nerve ending. Considering how much of a hurry he was in to get her into bed, she wondered why he wasn’t doing even more to get things started. No sooner had she had that last thought than he gently covered her hand on his chest with his. She gazed into his sexy hazel eyes.
Without a word, he steered her hand down over his flat abs, lingering for a moment, before he guided her to his engorged shaft. Iris sucked in a breath, awed by how huge he felt in her hands. She would have never been bold enough to make such a move, but now her hand had a mind of its own.
She stroked the length of him, reveling in the warm smoothness of his skin and shuddering at the feel of him growing enticingly hard in her palm. She gripped him tighter, unable to help herself, and his eyes slammed shut as a result. A deep groan slipped through his lips when she massaged and fondled the tip of him with the pad of her thumb. Moisture pooled between her thighs and butterflies erupted in her gut as Nash started moving against her hand, forcing her hand to slide up and down his shaft rhythmically.
Iris felt empowered knowing that she could bring him pleasure with just a touch here and a squeeze there. She moved her hand on his length, increasing and decreasing the tension and the speed, amazed at how stimulated he was getting with every glide of her hand. Nash uttered a sharp moan and he jerked out of her grip, cursing under his breath as he pushed her flat onto her back. His strong body covered hers and he had her arms pinned above her head. The bondagelike move made her recall their rendezvous in the gym weeks ago, and she liked the position even more now than she had then.
“If I had let you continue touching me the way you were,” he said, his voice deep and intoxicating, “this would’ve been over before we got started good.”
With one hand, he maintained a loose grip on her arms. As he lowered his mouth to hers, his free hand roamed over her body, exploring every inch. She breathed into his mouth and wiggled beneath his scorching touch, her body on fire.
The prolonged anticipation of their union was almost unbearable as he took his time on her body. “Ah, Nash,” she whimpered when his tongue connected with one of her swollen nipples and his hand eased between her thighs. She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to hold it together, as one finger, and then another, entered her throbbing sex. Iris felt her mind leave her body, and she couldn’t ever remember feeling the kind of erotic force that now churned inside her body.
Her breath came in short spurts as a volcanic quake brewed within her and she moved frantically against his hand. His fingers dipped, swirled and teased, stirring the passion threatening to explode. “I don’t think...I can hold on.”
Nash released her arms, but he didn’t stop the excruciating torture between her thighs. Instead, he increased the speed, going deeper and harder, faster and rougher. A scream lodged in her throat and she grabbed a handful of the satin sheet in her fist, tremors of pleasure causing her to teeter on the edge.
“Go ahead, sweetheart. Let’s get this first one out of the way,” he crooned, kneeling over her and not letting up the sweet torment to her body. “We have all night.”
Within seconds, she screamed her release. “Oh, my God...Nash!” she cried, her body bucking against his fingers, her head thrashing back and forth against the pillow. She clawed at his arms, shoulders and chest, unable to get a grip on him or catch her breath. It was if she were submerged underwater, panting and fighting her way through the deep, unable to make it to the surface.
Tears burned the back of her eyes when finally Nash’s face came into focus. Never have I ever experienced anything so intensely sensational in all of my life.
* * *
Not waiting for Iris to recover, Nash eased between her legs, his knees nudging her thighs apart. Witnessing her explosive orgasm only fueled the embers burning within him, and he yearned to be inside her. Frenzied need pumped wildly t
hrough his veins as he made quick work of covering his shaft. He perched above her, his hands on each side of her head. He searched her eyes for a sign that she was ready for him.
“Nash,” she whimpered, as if reading his mind.
The emotion he saw in her eyes was almost his undoing. She put her hands on his waist, guiding him to give her what she wanted, which was all the encouragement he needed. He lingered around her opening, his erection bumping against her slick entrance before he eased inside her, taking it as slowly as humanly possible, allowing her body to adjust to him. Hot and unbelievably tight, she wrapped around him like a new leather glove, snug and warm.
Nash wanted to take his time and love her the way she deserved to be loved, but she felt so good. He captured one perky nipple between his teeth and sucked greedily, his tongue swirling around it thoroughly before giving the other one the same honor.
She wrapped her long legs around him, fusing their bodies together. Nash sucked in a breath, trying to slow his erratic heartbeat, when her hands gripped his butt and pulled him closer. He didn’t think he could maintain the slow, erotic rhythm he had started, especially with the way she moved beneath him. He willed his body to stay in control, but the deeper he buried himself in her, the more out of control he felt. To hell with it.
He increased his pace, slamming into her faster and faster, their bodies rubbing against each other with each powerful thrust. She matched his moves stroke for stroke, pulling him in deeper and deeper, the strength of her legs rocking him in and out of her.
“Nash,” she hoarsely cried, her inner walls pulsating around him, gripping him tightly. She screamed out again and dug her nails into his shoulders, her body twitching and jerking uncontrollably with the reverberations of her orgasm. “Yes, yes...ah, yes!”
Nash knew he would never get tired of her screaming his name. When he heard it, he felt like a car being jump-started. Not giving her the chance to come down off her high, he gripped her hips, raising her slightly off the bed, and thrust into her womanly folds, deeper and harder, as she clung to his shoulders, moaning with every thrust. Her legs tightened around his waist as the turbulence of her passion swirled around him.
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