by Lia Lee
She laughed. "No, you're not, but thank you for making me feel better. I'll work through this like I do everything else. I hate that I have to deal with it, but it's not the first time something has come up, and it's probably not going to be the last."
He reached out and touched the side of her face. "There you go. Find your center and hold tight to it. You'll get through this, and I'll be right here to help you with anything you need from support, to money, to kicking this guy’s ass halfway across the room if you want."
"Don't make me fall in love with you, Darren. You're leaving me soon." She glanced down to her soup, and he let the conversation die out.
What could he say? She was right, and he hated it immensely.
Chapter 9
Mariah
"This has to be one of the best stews I've ever had. I love it." Darren glanced up and smiled, stealing her heart more than he already had.
"We didn't have much to eat, but when we rounded up enough money to indulge, my mother usually made something delicious and a lot of it." She pushed her bowl away, not quite liking how quiet he'd been during dinner. "Tell me about your day."
"It was good." He licked at his spoon, unabashed. "I came up with a few new recipes and got a lot done. It's going to be a great restaurant when I finally open the doors."
"Which is soon?" She reached out and touched his arm, brushing her fingers along his skin. It was almost all too familiar, but after getting to know him only a little bit better, she wanted his closeness.
"Very." He glanced down and let out a long sigh. "I thought about you all day again. Putting you in the bed with me last night was damn near close to torture." His laugh was rough and fell flat.
"Then why did you do it?" She got up and pushed at his chest, forcing him to move his chair back a little so she could sit in his lap.
Darren wrapped his arms around her and pressed his mouth to the side of her neck, sucking at her flesh as if needing to taste her.
She closed her eyes and moaned as her fingernails dragged up his back in the midst of their intimate hold.
"Because I want you, Mariah. I wouldn't have stepped over the line last night, but denying myself your touch when you were so pliable and soft... hell no. I'm not that strong." He pressed his lips to her ear. "It felt so good to rub against you throughout the night. Do you remember any of it?"
She moved back, sliding her hands around his strong jaw and smiling sensually at him. "All of it."
It felt good to be in his arms, to hear his voice and feel the desire rolling off of him. He was far too much man for her in so many ways, but she wanted to stretch herself, to change and shift to fit his life if that could at all be a possibility.
Leaning down, she pressed her lips to his and slid her hand up to the back of his head, locking him into place so she could fully explore his hot mouth. The taste of her stew on his tongue mixed with lust was a delight and forced her body to lubricate immediately.
His fingers rimmed the edge of her pants just above her ass, and she groaned in delight at the firm press of his erection against the back of her thighs.
"I want you. Let me spend the night making love to you."
"You can make love to me later. I need you to fuck me first." She brushed her lips by his, capturing his loud growl.
"You've no idea what you're asking for, but let me show you." The strong grip of his fingers on the back of her neck felt so fucking good as he brought her down for another long, probing kiss. The man wasn't kidding about his tongue. It was an intense asset at best and only one of the weapons he was sure to use against her. She quivered at the thought.
Licking at her mouth once more, he moved back and smiled. "Dinner was delicious, baby. I'm going to steal your innocence, and then your recipe."
"You can have me, but the recipe will go to the grave." She smiled and got up, tugging her sweater off and walking toward his room. She unclasped her bra and dropped it in the trail to. By the time she made it to his room, he was on her, his large frame wrapped around her from behind. Strong fingers tugged at her nipples as his teeth pressed into the meat of her shoulder, leaving her to groan and reach for the bed before her.
"You little tease." He licked her ear and held on tightly to one breast while working to get her pants down with the other. "I'm going to enjoy this more than I care to say."
He kissed her throat once more before moving back and pushing at her upper back just a little. She fell forward, catching herself with her hand against the end of his bed. He stripped her pants down and knelt behind her as she glanced over her shoulder.
Fear at not being everything he needed her to be scorched her, but she forced it back down. It was far too late to turn back, and she wouldn't even think of trying. He was so fucking hot as he knelt on the floor behind her as his eyes moved up her body in a form of worship.
Mariah's eyes closed and she turned back, letting her head drop as his tongue pressed to the back of her upper thigh, slowly dragging up to her center.
"So wet, Mariah. Have you been thinking about this fucking for a while now, baby?" He kissed her need again and sucked one of her lips into his mouth.
"Yes. Far too long." She bent her knees a little and stretched her hands out farther. Never had she wanted to be so adventurous in the bedroom. It was him. All him. A moment of clarity rushed across her, causing her to flood with wetness again. If he wanted it, she was giving it to him. Anything he wanted.
He groaned, lapping at her faster as his hands tightened on her thighs.
"More," he mumbled against her flesh, and she let herself go, taking in every long drag of his tongue and imagining how hot he looked behind her. A soft yelp left her as he moved up, running his tongue over the sensitive flesh of her rear.
"I want in here next time." He bit her cheek and tugged a little.
"Fuck," she groaned and pressed her face to her hands.
"Mmmhmmm... I know, baby. It's a little scary, but I'm going to take it slow. You let me know if you need me to stop, okay?" His voice was low and thick with need.
"I want to see you." She stood up, only to be pushed back down.
"No. I want to feel you, and I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be willing if you realized how big I am." He moved over the back of her, pressing his strong chest to her back and rubbing his nose by the side of her face. "Just push back and take as much of my dick as you can. No more until you're ready. All right?"
She whimpered, feeling completely overwhelmed by the amount of lust that pumped through her. She nodded and turned back to press her hands to the bed, lifting up to extend her arms.
Darren's hands ran over her ass in circles, squeezing and massaging as he complimented her over and over again.
Pressing back a little, she let out a low groan, enjoying the thick pressure against her opening.
"Come back, Mariah. Take some of it, baby." He tugged at her hips a little, forcing her to invite him in.
"Oh God," she groaned and pushed back farther, her body being forced open more than ever before. "I don't know if I can."
"You can. You're doing so good. You should see how fucking hot this is, baby. Take more. I wanna fuck you, but I need you to force your way back first. Open yourself up and relax." He tugged her back a little more as pleasure shot through her core.
She pushed back farther as her first orgasm slammed into her.
"Hell yeah," he grunted and pulled out, only to push in a little more. The pressure of him working into her left goose bumps breaking out across her skin. She moaned over and over and he pushed harder, forcing her open.
"Almost there," he groaned as one of his hands tightened on her hip and the other moved up her back to clasp on the back of her neck. "Force it in, Mariah. The minute I hit home, I'm going to start fucking. Be ready, baby. Be ready."
"I want it all." She arched her back and pushed against the bed hard, crying out loudly as his hips hit her ass. He was in. All the way, and she was shaking from the delicious truth of it all. She
could take him…all of him...
"Good. You're gonna get it, baby. So incredible." He tightened his fingers on her and grunted as he began to fuck her slow and hard. The deep thrusts bounced her forward, but his tight grip on the back of her neck pulled her back down to make her take him again.
She came again, her body convulsing harder than she could ever remember it doing before. He took full advantage of her renewed wetness and worked her faster.
"I need a condom. Stay right there and don't move," he barked before pulling out of her.
She collapsed on the bed, still twitching from the last orgasm. Pleasure danced through her center and she slid her hands between herself and the bed and cupped herself, wanting to feel the way she contracted tightly against her fingers.
"That's beautiful. Touch yourself and come with me while I bring both of us over again." He pulled her back up before pressing his thick cock back inside of her.
She whimpered loudly as she began rocking herself against him.
He pressed his hand against her upper back, forcing her over a little more and then cupped her shoulder with a tight grasp. "Push back and fuck me, Mariah."
"Anything you want," she whispered and forced herself back to take all of him inside of her. With a tight press against her clit, she rolled her fingers and dove into the depravity he offered.
"I'm gonna come, baby. Join me," Darren grumbled from behind her as he took charge of their sex again.
She nodded and arched her back harder, wanting to give him more room to play. His finger brushed between the curves of her ass and pressed into her a little, lighting her on fire.
"Shit," she cried out and lost the battle to wait for him, her body sparking from the center and exploding out to touch along every pleasure point she had. She cried out his name and pushed back, taking his finger into her as his cock plunged in and out faster and faster.
The sound of Darren coming almost broke her in half, and she knew without a doubt that she was completely his. Not having him in her life would be too much to deal with, but not having him in her bed? Fuck no. It wasn't happening.
***
They fell asleep together in his large four-poster bed, and surprisingly enough, when Mariah woke the next morning, he was still there.
She kissed him a few times before untangling herself from him and taking a quick shower. There was a text on her phone that Mr. Kinsley, the client who was alleging theft against her company, could meet at ten that morning.
She grumbled at the inconvenience that the situation presented for her, but decided that it would be good just to get it over with.
After making herself a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, she was out the door, headed back to her place to check on things and find one of her business suits.
She was quite surprised to find a mediator already at the office location where she was to meet her ex-client. The older woman was far kinder than Mariah imagined mediators to be. The woman told her that Mariah reminded her of her own daughter.
It was a good start to what turned out to be a great morning. The mediation went off without a hitch, and it was awarded in Mariah's favor. Mr. Kinsley had been rather decent about all of it, but something was off with him. She didn't like the feeling that she'd seen him before, and that he was studying her too closely.
Not one to hold onto anything negative for too long, she let it go and left the mediation feeling much better about the outcome. He could still press charges, but it would seem that after their morning of discussing the events of the situation under review, that he was at fault for a bit of misconduct where Lyndsay was concerned. The girl had slept with him on several occasions, which was against Mariah's policy. She would have to be fired, but guilt forced Mariah to put the action aside for the time being.
How in the world could she let someone go for doing the exact same thing she was doing?
Chapter 10
Darren
Darren woke up to the bed empty beside him. He rolled over and brushed his hand down the cooled sheets, wishing like hell that she would have woken him so that he could have fixed her breakfast. He let out a low groan at the remembrance of how well she'd taken him the night before. She was made specifically for him, he had no doubt.
How many women had he taken to his bed, only to not be able to make love to them? Countless numbers, and it was not only embarrassing, but leaving him completely unfulfilled.
Mariah was the woman for him. Now to somehow convince her of the truth.
He got up and skipped breakfast, figuring a large lunch would do the trick. After a long shower and three cups of coffee, he made his way to his restaurant. He had a large private dinner party later that night, and where he'd never been too nervous before, he was a little on edge now.
It was the new recipes. He hadn't changed his winning formula in a long time, but due to falling in love with the beautiful dark-haired minx at his house, he was inspired. It was a good and bad thing. He’d built his success on the old formula. The frugal thing would have been to just stick to it, but he couldn't. He was bursting with ideas and passion once again.
He spoke with his chefs for a few minutes before walking into his large office and closing the door behind him. Slumping down in his chair, he shot off a quick text to her to see where she was, and if she'd had any movement on the situation with her wayward staff. He had wanted to dive in the night before and take care of all of it for her, but she wasn't the type of woman who needed saving. She was more than capable of taking care of anything that life threw at her. His willingness to simply support her was more than welcomed, and he would do it over and over again.
The delicious scent of her on his skin that morning was hard to let go of, and yet not taking a shower was more uncouth than he could fathom. If he'd been able to have a lazy day at home, he'd have reveled in their sex and rolled around in his sheets for a while, but a new group of food critics were headed his way, and everything had to be spot on.
He pressed his hand to his chest, once again a little surprised by how nervous he was. Having been a chef and successful entrepreneur for the last twelve years, he had absolutely no reason to be worried.
It wasn't worry as much as it was the nagging desire to be around her. She was bored from what she said, and he'd jokingly offered to bring her to the restaurant to keep her busy.
Maybe having her at the dinner would be a good thing. He put a call into her just after lunch, still not having heard back from her from his earlier texts.
"Hey," she answered in an upbeat tone.
"Hi, beautiful. I missed seeing you next to me this morning. What could have been so important to pull you from the warmth of my bed?" He smiled as he closed his eyes, imagining her against him again.
"Mediation with my ex-client. It went well though, and hopefully this shit is over." She let out a long sigh.
"That's great news." He sat up and smiled as relief flooded his system. "I wanted to see if you'd be willing to join me tonight. I have a few new dishes that I'm presenting to a few food critics and several investors in the restaurant. I want you there as my date."
"Oh." Silence.
"If you're too busy, it's no big deal at all. I just figured—"
She cut him off. "No. I'll be there. Text me the address, and let me know what the dress code is."
He smiled. "I'll send it right over. It's black tie, but I'll have something pretty delivered to the house for you. You're a size seven, right?"
"How did you know that? Have you been checking out my clothes?" She laughed and he joined her.
"No, baby. I had my hands around your perfect little waist last night. I know my way around the kitchen well, and when it's time to fatten someone up. You're perfect, hence the size seven."
She chuckled. "All right, but don't make it too revealing. I'm not that type of girl."
"Only with me?" He smiled and stood up, reaching toward the ceiling with his free hand in a much needed stretch.
"Exactly. Speak
ing of... I want more."
"Me too, baby. Come early, and I'll show you how we stuff things around here."
She laughed and let out a cute little snort. "Oh Lord."
"Too much?" he asked.
"Never. I'll see you tonight, handsome. You're going to be great. Something tells me you always are, no matter what you're up to."
"Until then." He moved the phone away from his ear and let out a satisfied sigh. She would be with him soon.
***
Darren was rushing around an hour before the dinner, his heart beating out of his chest. There was no good reason at all for him to be so emotional over everyone coming to try out his dishes. He was a great chef and knew it. He worked hard at it.
It had been a long twelve years of opening new places and introducing new fare. Having come to America for the first time on a business venture, he should have been concerned with his ability to reach a whole new type of people, but he wasn't. He was thrilled with the possibilities it would present, both now and in the future. Having met Mariah while he was here was the crown jewel in his cap. Then realization dawned on him.
It wasn't about anyone being impressed but Mariah. Knowing that she would see him in action caused him to feel a twinge of inadequacy. What if she didn't enjoy the dishes, or found him to be too much like the ass he was when she wasn't around? She softened him, but in front of others, he was still very much a dominating, aggressive type of guy.
He turned the corner from the kitchen and walked into the dining room as she caught his eye. The pretty black dress he'd picked up for her just after lunch fit her like a glove. Her long dark legs were the center show of the outfit and the stilettos that adorned her feet were beyond sexy.
"Wow." He walked toward her, pulling her into his arms and moving down to press a kiss to her pretty red lips.
She pushed at his chest a little and broke his hold. "Hey. I just did my lipstick, you crazy man. I want to look pretty tonight."
