“You really love your job.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Very much.” When he said that, I was almost jealous of his job. He treated it like a baby—he was proud of it and refused to let anyone mess with it. I was slightly envious, but admired him even more because of it.
“That’s a good thing,” I said. “Not many people care about their jobs.”
“What makes you want to major in English?”
My lips twisted for a moment as I pondered. “I don’t know. I really love writing, and in school one time, we had to go over someone else’s paper and edit it, which was fun to me. While everyone else hated it, I was thrilled. Ever since that conversation we had at the baseball game, I’ve also considered modeling. Is that weird?”
“Not at all. You’d make a beautiful model.”
“Shut up,” I laughed.
“I’m not kidding.” His eyes were serious, but his soft smile remained. “You’re beautiful, Kandy. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
“Thanks.” I blushed. I could feel it all over my face. My neck.
Cane gripped my hips, lowering his eyes to the robe. “You look good in that.”
“Your robe,” I noted.
“Yeah.” His fingers trailed up the cotton. When he reached the top lapel, he slid it over, revealing my left shoulder and breast. My nipple instantly tightened when the air hit it, and as his eyes drank me in, he sucked in a sharp breath, like he couldn’t believe what he was looking at. Like seeing me bared before him was so good it hurt.
He used his other hand to push the fabric away, and both my breasts were exposed, my nipples pointed at him.
I had to fight the urge to cover up. This was all so new to me—being completely naked and revealed—but he loved it as far as I could tell. I had a feeling not only did he get off on my nakedness, but also the vulnerability of the situation.
“Lift up for me,” he murmured, his voice a little more gravelly.
I lifted my hips, and he dropped his hands to lower his sweatpants and pull out his beautiful cock. It was stiff and thick, and even with only the moonlight as leeway, his size was still daunting.
Cane gripped my hips and brought me forward so that my entrance was directly above his dark crown. I swallowed hard, wrapping an arm around the back of his neck.
“I told you I would teach you things,” he mumbled. “Right now, I’m going to teach you how to ride me.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be that good at it,” I whined.
“I’ll guide you. Just do what feels right.”
His words calmed me. I bobbed my head, and he held my waist with one hand, dropping the other to grip the base of his cock. My body shuddered when I felt him at my entrance, then slowly he lowered me, filling me up inch by slow inch. I tightened the arm I had around the back of his neck, sucking in a sharp breath as I tried adjusting around his size. It stung again, the pain spreading between my thighs, but it wasn’t as painful as the first or second time.
“Breathe, my sweet Kandy,” he cooed. The hand he had on my hip came up to the back of my neck. He slid it up until his fingers were tangled in my frizzy hair. Those same fingers brought my head forward to press our foreheads together. The hand that had been guiding his cock came up to my waist, and he used it to shift my hips forward and back.
“Ride it,” he growled on my mouth. “Fuck me like you’ve always wanted to fuck me.” I clenched around him, and he felt it, groaning deeply, breathing raggedly through his nostrils. “Your pussy belongs around my cock, baby. You know that?”
I shook my head, trying to find the rhythm and keep it there. He was so big inside me, making me feel fuller than ever before.
“Talk to me,” he groaned. “Let me hear your voice.”
“It feels really good,” I confessed. “So good.”
“Yeah? You like having me inside you?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
“How long have you wanted to fuck me like this?”
“For so long. So long.” I wrapped both arms around the back of his neck, and he dropped his hands to my waist, guiding my hips again.
“Fuck,” he groaned. He squeezed my ass, like he couldn’t hold on tight enough. I was getting a little better at it, rocking front to back then sideways and up. I was sure he was enjoying it. He’d dropped his hands to my ass to squeeze it, then sucked on the bend of my neck, burying himself deeper. “Don’t hold back on me, baby. Moan for me. Let me hear all the sexy noises you can make.”
So I did, because truthfully, I was holding back. I didn’t want to sound stupid or like an amateur porn tape. I had no idea what I was doing, and I was sure there were other women that were ten times better and more experienced than me. Women like Kelly.
The thought of her sent a wave of jealousy over me, but she didn’t have him right now. I did.
He was mine.
All mine.
He was buried deep inside me, not her, and that thought alone gave me all the satisfaction and empowerment I needed.
I rode Cane’s cock faster, and harder, moaning in his ear, sliding up and down on his thick, hard, beautiful cock. My fingers got tangled in his dark tresses, my pussy clenching his length.
“Yeah, baby. Just like that,” he groaned.
I swiveled my hips, lowering my head to kiss him. I needed his lips. I needed all of him. I wanted to breathe him in, wrap myself up in him. I wanted all of Quinton Cane. Every single trace of him.
So I fucked him, just the way he wanted me to.
I rode his cock, even while feeling his body grow tense and his cock harden and throb inside me. I rode him until he was grunting and squeezing and cursing under his breath. I rode him until he was thrusting upward while forcing my hips down to get as deep as possible, making me scream his name and beg for more.
And then, before I could take in a full breath, he was groaning. “Ah! Shit, Kandy.”
He was coming.
Coming for me.
Inside me.
All for me.
I caught his bottom lip between my teeth as I came too, moaning into his mouth as we both shot up to heaven and floated right back down to earth.
I breathed raggedly against his mouth while he panted. His eyes slowly drifted up to mine.
“How the hell am I supposed to let this go?” he mumbled on my lips.
“You don’t,” I told him, gripping his face in my hands. “Don’t let me go.”
He stared up at me, and I saw the guilt swim in his eyes but chose to ignore it. I was glad when he pushed up on one arm to stand, bringing me up with him. He slipped out of me, but held me snug to his body, walking out of the office to get back to the bedroom.
He laid me down on the bed and then curled up behind me. I sighed, loving every moment of this. I loved it so much that it pained me to know that, inevitably, this would come to an end. Our time together would soon be interrupted with real-life shit.
I wanted more nights like this. More moments to cherish. I craved more time with him, but knew I couldn’t have it. At least, not in the way I really wanted it.
“You know that when we get back, things won’t be the same,” he said, low in my ear, running his palm over the top of my arm. “There’s your mom and dad. There’s work. College. Distance. Life.”
My eyes burned just thinking about it. “I know,” I whispered, and I hated that my voice cracked.
“I just…I don’t want you to hold on to this for too long. Okay, Kandy? The last thing I want to do is disappoint you by not being there when you need me. As much as I’d like to be selfish with you, I know you deserve to live your life. Meet new people. Do new things.”
“I know, Cane. I understand.”
“No, baby,” he said, laughing so deeply it made my belly flutter. “You don’t understand. You won’t for a while, honestly.”
“Just promise that you won’t avoid or ignore me. Things will change, yeah, but don’t let it be for the worse.”
He wa
s quiet for several seconds. All I could hear was my pulse in my ears, trying to find a steady rhythm again. “I won’t avoid or ignore you, as long as you promise to behave when we’re around your family.”
I turned over, pushing my pelvis into his and sliding into his arms. “I promise.”
He kissed my forehead. “Good.” Stroking my cheek, he let out a deep sigh, looking over me to the window. “I haven’t felt this good before. Complete like this. It’s a strange feeling.”
“How so?”
“To be in bed with another woman and not want to leave? With Kelly it was just a quick fuck and separate showers. We’d lie in bed together but not for very long, and even while I held her like this…I didn’t really feel anything. But with you…” He trailed off, dropping his eyes to mine. The moonlight made his shimmer, and I saw more green than gray this time. “I feel everything, and I don’t understand it. Being with you is fucked up, we both know that, but…it feels so fucking right. And sometimes I hate how right it feels. If it felt wrong, it’d be much easier to let go. End it.”
“I feel the same way,” I confessed. “If only we both felt the same way you did with Kelly. A small connection. Maybe it would be a lot easier.”
“Maybe.”
I pressed my lips, a sudden guilt sweeping over me. “Why’d you have to be my dad’s best friend?” I laughed, but the laugh hurt my chest and my heart. “Why couldn’t you be a stranger I met on a bus or a plane or even in a dirty bathroom?”
“Why’d you have to want me so damn bad?” His laugh was deep and sweet and made my belly flutter. “And why did I have to want you just as much?”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. My eyelids became heavy again, my whole body sated. It was amazing how content he made me. I’d never been so settled in all my life. “I don’t think we’ll ever know. I just know that it’s hard as hell to fight it.”
He was still stroking my cheek. His touch was comforting. I loved it—being caressed and held like this. I felt safe and whole and my body oozed with warmth and pleasure. I didn’t want to be anywhere else but in his arms.
“Well, one day,” Cane whispered, just as I was drifting off to sleep, “fighting is what you’ll have to do to save yourself from me.”
I fell asleep before I could respond.
39
CANE
I watched her sleep until slivers of gold spilled over the horizon and the sky transitioned from a silvery, midnight blue to an orange-y haze.
I’d never seen anyone sleep so peacefully. My family hardly ever slept, and if they did, it was because they were shit-faced and had passed out. Being around someone this good for so long was strange to me.
I truly couldn’t figure out what made Kandy so different, though I’d thought about it many times. For a while, I thought that maybe it was because she was my best friend’s daughter. I’d watched her grow up, spent many years around her and her family, which created an automatic bond.
Maybe it was because she understood me, too. She gave me what I needed during all the right moments, and received just as much from me.
But the biggest reason that hit me was that I knew I wasn’t supposed to want her. Our illicit time together gave me a thrill, even though that thrill could turn out to be my downfall.
If there was one thing I knew about myself, it was that I liked to torture myself. Sometimes I felt like I needed the punishment, especially when things in my life were going too well. I would rather punish myself than let the universe fuck me over.
I loved Kandy. I loved that little girl so fucking much. It started as something innocent and friendly, and blossomed into more. It hit me like a train when I realized how I felt for her. Before the night Derek was shot, she was just…Kandy. Just a girl. My best friend’s daughter, a friend, and nothing more. But after that, I saw her in a new light. She wasn’t a little girl anymore, I realized. She had breasts and full hips, and a beautiful, fresh face. Her creamy, tan thighs and ass had filled out so much. I noticed all those things and began to want her.
All I could think about was Kandy Jennings after that. At work. At the gym. While I traveled. Even in those rare moments when I dreamed. It was always Kandy.
She deserved so much better than this. I wasn’t the right man for her, and deep down, she knew that, but she wanted me anyway. Once this weekend was over, blissful moments together like this would never happen again.
I loved my best friend. Loved him like a fucking brother. I owed him everything. I couldn’t ruin our foundation or keep stabbing him in the back like this. Our friendship was too strong and our bond ran way too deep, and at the end of the day, Kandy was still his little girl—a sweet, young, beautiful girl who, one day, would get over me. I had no idea how I was going to move past her, especially when the future meant seeing her over and over again, but there would be no choice.
She was going to school. The distance would separate us and she’d eventually find a guy her age.
I would continue building Tempt, work my ass off, travel, and stay on top of my empire. I’d worked so hard for my company. I couldn’t let it collapse after everything I’d been through. Kandy was a distraction, but in just days she’d be gone and Tempt would still be here.
I loved Kandy to death, but I couldn’t let my love for her—or my lust for her body—stop me from achieving my goals. Eventually, we were going to have to let this shit go, no matter how hard it would be in the end.
40
KANDY
I woke up the next morning feeling like a different woman.
I was sore down below, but it was a sweet soreness—the kind of achiness that came with fractions of bliss and satisfaction. I wanted to cling to this feeling forever.
I rolled out of bed with a smile. I couldn’t fight it, no matter how hard I tried. I freshened up, tied my hair up in a top bun, and changed into a blue maxi dress.
I checked my phone and there was a missed call from Mom. She’d paid for long distance so she could check in with me. I knew she’d worry if I didn’t call back, seeing as I refused to answer the phone yesterday, so I sat on the bench in front of the bed and dialed her.
“Hi, sweetie!” she chimed after answering.
“Hey, Mom.” I smiled, realizing how much I actually missed her voice. “How’s Paris?”
“Oh, honey. It is a dream. Your dad and I are about to go have dinner at a restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tower.”
“What? I’m jealous! That sounds amazing!”
“Hey, sweet cheeks!” Dad yelled in the background.
I giggled, and though he couldn’t hear me, I said. “Hi, Dad.”
“I wanted to call and check in, but I also wanted to tell you to be on the lookout for a package. It should be arriving sometime between today and Monday.” She blew a breath, as if she were exasperated. “This whole thing with work.”
“Work? What happened?”
“Well, my boss did something that wasn’t very pleasant or respectful. I’m starting a case to get out of my contract early at the firm. He was a bit too pushy with me several days ago.”
“No—I believe what you’re trying to say is he’s an asshole!” Dad yelled distantly. “He tried to come onto your mother. He tried to kiss her! He’s lucky she calmed me down!”
I gasped. “What? That jerk!”
Mom let out a sigh. “I know. Your dad could see right through him. I could tell he was being flirty, but I didn’t think he’d actually be that bold. I mean, the man has a wife! He’s insane!”
“So does this mean you’ll have to find another job?” I asked, worried. Mom loved her job. Dad and I always told her she should have just opened up her own firm. She always said she wasn’t ready to do that yet.
“Well, that’s the good part of all of this. Cane said he knows someone who is willing to give me a position at their firm as soon as everything is settled. It’s a much bigger firm too! Highly respected and recommended.”
“Aww, that’s great!” It really
was great to know that. It was a good thing Cane was in our lives. He always knew how to help.
“Well, we’re about to go. Make sure you keep an eye out for the package, okay, honey? I miss you so much!”
“I miss you more!”
She made a kissing noise, said “Bye,” and then the call ended.
I smiled down at my phone for a moment, and then looked all around me.
I wasn’t home. I was in a place I shouldn’t have been, and the guilt gnawed at me, inside and out. I wasn’t going to let that bring me down though. I had to enjoy the next twenty-four hours with Cane and cherish every golden, luxurious moment.
With that thought in mind, I left the bedroom, walking barefoot down the hallway and the staircase.
Music was playing from somewhere, and I instantly recognized the voice. Childish Gambino. Frankie loved him, and after listening to him stream out of her speakers, his soulful voice grew on me, so much so that his songs filled every playlist I had. Knowing Cane actually liked him too made me realize that maybe we weren’t so different after all.
As Gambino sang about staying woke, I made my way around the corner, the funkadelic voice getting nearer. The kitchen was occupied, much to my surprise. A man in a white chef jacket and black pants was standing in front of the island. The countertop was covered in foods like muffins, thick strips of bacon, eggs, pancakes, sliced fruit, and coffee. His hair was a deep shade of gray, his face chubby and rosy.
He spotted me and smiled. “Oh. Good morning,” he greeted, and then he stepped back, grabbing some glasses from the cupboard and placing them on the countertop too. The man dusted off his hands, walked to the open door, said something, and then turned around, coming my way. “Enjoy.”
I watched him go then swept my gaze over the food before making my way toward the drawn double doors that led out to a deck overlooking the lake. Soft gusts of wind made the white curtains billow, some of it running over my skin and shifting the loose tendrils of my hair. I spotted the noise-maker—a Bluetooth music player built into the wall, along with speakers. When I made it to the door, I pressed my cheek on it and tried hard not to sigh.
Wanting Mr. Cane Page 23
