Love's Paradise

by Celeste O. Norfleet

  “What, about Leroy? No, you shouldn’t. He’s a great guy. He’s really a marshmallow.”

  “I have a feeling you’d probably say that about all the people who work for you.”

  “Most of them anyway,” he confirmed.

  “So, Hamilton Development Corporation, you’re one big happy family,” she said.

  “I wouldn’t say all that. Sometimes we are, sometimes not. No matter what, there’s always somebody in charge.”

  “And I think you like being in charge, don’t you?”

  He smiled seductively. Her insides twisted. “Not always. Sometimes I like to be submissive.”

  “No kidding,” she said drily.

  “You have drive. I admire that in you. I like it. It’s refreshing. That’s something I’ve been struggling with lately. Tell me, are you this passionate about everything in your life?”

  “Everything?” she questioned. He didn’t reply. He knew she knew exactly what he was suggesting. He smiled again. Her insides turned into mush. “Yes,” she said on a whim.

  “Good, I’m glad to hear that,” he said. She blushed and looked away. “I’ve been trying to figure you out since we met.”

  She looked surprised. “Why would you want to try and figure me out?”

  “Because you’re puzzling, because you’re beautiful and because you’re not the same woman I met several months ago.” She turned to look at him. “Yeah, I remember you very well. Shy, reserved, quiet.”

  She took a deep breath and watched him as he moved closer. “And now this week you march out here on my property and confront a man sitting behind a bulldozer like it was an everyday occurrence. Then when he starts the engine, you jump right in front of it to protect something you’re not even sure is down there. Why? For history’s sake?”

  “You asked and answered your own question. You’re an architect. You must see the beauty of the buildings that were created before you.”

  “Yes, but I also see the flaws,” he said

  “You see flaws, I see character. The history of a building, flaws and all, holds its spirit and its heart. It’s where we get our sense of…” She paused, seeing the broad smile on his face. “Sorry, I guess I’m getting carried away.”

  “I think I like it when you get carried away. You should do it more often.”

  “Now you’re being facetious.”

  “No, I’m not, you really are amazing.”

  “History isn’t just about what we read in books. It’s everything around us and everyone that came before us. There’s a connection that’s unbreakable. We learn from history and Crescent Island has so much of it to share. Have you ever actually taken the time to experience it?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you actually seen the island, experienced the natural beauty and scenic places?” she asked. He shook his head. “Maybe you should.”

  “Yeah, maybe I should.” The look in his eyes stilled her.

  “What?” she asked as he stared at her.

  “I’ve been trying to think what is it about you that has been drawing us together?”

  “Drawing us together?” she repeated shaking her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she lied. She felt it and now she knew he felt it, too. It was an attraction that she’d never experienced so strongly before. They were like magnets being drawn together. The more they tried to resist, the more powerful the attraction.

  He nodded and then walked around to the front of the drafting table where she stood. “I think you do,” he said. “I think you know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you, Sheri?” He stopped and stood right in front of her. She looked up as he licked his lips. The lips she wanted all over her body just a few minutes ago. Now, pushing those thoughts aside was impossible. It was like a dam had cracked and the forces of desire had been released. She felt the gravity of the moment taking over. They were single. They were adults. They were here together. A second later they were consumed by an explosive kiss.

  She kissed him. It came swiftly without warning when it happened. It was impulsive and passionate, in a moment of reckless abandon. The feeling overwhelmed them as the urgency to release their sexual tension took over. They surrendered willingly to the passion that seized them.

  Jordan pressed his tongue to her lips. She parted her lips and opened up to him. His tongue delved into her mouth and playfully intertwined in rapturous delight. Then the kiss slowed. They began nibbling, pecking and tasting one another as the momentum increased to a feverish pitch.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her waist closer to his body. She leaned in to him. He held her tight as they resumed their kiss. This time it was filled with breathless desire.

  He turned and pressed her back against the angled surface of the drafting table. She felt the thick hardness of his erection bear down against her thighs. The sensation was overwhelming. Her insides trembled. All her senses short-circuited and every nerve ending in her body tingled. She was on fire, and feeling the hardness of his body was like pouring accelerant on a blazing fire. He ran his hands down her body, over her shoulders, to her breasts, to her stomach, then her hips, then to her thighs. Just as he grabbed hold of the hem of her skirt and pulled it up, the phone rang.

  Startled, she stood rooted in place. Seconds later, she pushed back and eased away as he leaned back and released her. Breathless, she closed her eyes, turned and walked away as Jordan’s phone rang a second time. She was flustered and needed to get her body under control. She wanted him and if they hadn’t been interrupted, who knows what would have happened after a few more minutes. “No,” she said aloud, more to herself. “I can’t. I’m sorry. I can’t believe I just did that.”

  “Sheri,” Jordan said softly, walking over to stand behind her. “I’m not complaining. As a matter of fact…”

  “It was unprofessional. I shouldn’t have come here tonight,” she chided herself. Jordan took her hand. She immediately felt it. It was like a bolt of lightning shooting through her body. It was exactly the way her grandmother always said it would be. “No, this was a huge mistake.”

  “No, it wasn’t,” he said, drawing her close again. He placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her back against his body. He leaned down to nuzzle her ear. “What happened was natural. It probably would have happened months ago if…”

  She shook her head. “I have to go.”

  He relaxed his hold and eased her around to face him. He tipped her chin upward, leaned down and kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks and the underside of her chin. “Sheri, you want me as much as I want you. Why are you fighting this?”

  Her stomach jumped. He did it again. He threw her off guard. “Good night, Jordan,” she said.

  “Sheri, are you sure you want to leave?” he asked softly. “Right now you want me as much as I want you.”

  “Wanting something or someone doesn’t make it right.”

  “Why not?” he asked, moving closer to her. “What if it’s too right?”

  Sheri swallowed hard. He was right. She did want him. Every nerve ending in her body screamed out to touch him, feel him and be with him. But she was more than a sexual animal. She grabbed her purse just as he touched her arm. He stroked the length of her arm to her hand. Their fingers intertwined. He moved closer. The space between them vanished. He dipped his head down to the curve of her neck and nuzzled her tenderly. Then he kissed her earlobe, her cheek and the sweet curve of her neck. She took in a quick breath as her body burned inside.

  His other hand came up to her hip then over to her stomach, holding her in place. His fingers spread wide. She gasped as she felt the hardness of his erection behind her. She closed her eyes. “Are you sure you want to leave me?” he whispered.

  “We can’t do this,” she mumbled slowly.

  “Yes, we can,” he said as he turned her around slowly and tipped her chin up to his. “I want to make love to you tonight. Right here, right now. I need to feel all of
you—stay with me. You can’t keep pretending this isn’t happening between us.”

  “Jordan…”

  “You want to walk out that door, fine. But ask yourself, what if?” He kissed her neck. “So, what’s it gonna be, Sheri. Do you want to lose control tonight?”

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the heat of the moment took over. It was all suddenly so crystal clear. Right now, this second, she wanted him more than anything else in the world. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. She wanted this. She needed this. “Yes.”

  Chapter 9

  Instantly their desire exploded as they rode the waves of passion. A barrage of kisses erupted from his lips. Arms caressed, tongues entwined, lips parted easily. A mindless procession of passion surged. There was hunger and longing and desire all coming at them at once. Weak and breathless, the cravings of long past denials ruptured. His hands caressed her everywhere and she loved it. Then, as if to conserve their passion for later, they slowed to tender nibbles and intimate touches.

  She felt his hardness through his jeans. Hearing him groan his pleasure, she stroked him again. She unbuckled his belt and pulled it free. She pushed him back, getting his undivided attention. His eyes darkened even more if that was possible. Confused, he stared at her. She smiled teasingly as she reached out and touched his shoulder. She stroked down the length of his arm as she moved to circle around him.

  When she got to his back she looked down at the sweet perfection of his butt, anticipating seeing a lot more of it. She ran her hands across his shoulders down his back to his rear then circled around to the other side of him. He stared at her as she stood in front of him again. “Nice,” she said admiringly.

  He nodded, looking down the length of her body. “Oh, yes, I totally agree.”

  She grabbed his shirt and pulled it out of the waistband of his jeans tossing it to the side. Good Lord. Her heartbeat nearly faltered at the sight of him. His chest was pure magnificence, smooth, brown and stunning. She nodded. “Very nice.”

  He reached out to her blouse and began unbuttoning the front. When the last button was free, he opened it and smiled as he took in the sweet swell of her breasts swollen under her lace bra. He licked his lips. “Oh, yes, very nice indeed.” He unsnapped the front clasp, freeing her breasts. His eyes quickly glazed over and his jaw dropped. “Oh, yes.” His mouth connected. She gasped when his tongue licked and tickled her nipple and he pinched the other. She pulled back, but with his hand on her hip, he held her in place.

  “Jordan,” she moaned. “Jordan,” she gasped louder.

  He licked and suckled hard, drawing her farther into the warmth of his mouth. He encircled her waist and drew her closer. Then he picked her up and carried her to the private room in the back of the trailer. He sat down on the bed with her on his lap. She slid off his lap, stood and pulled him up. She reached to the side and unzipped her skirt. He unzipped his pants. Her skirt fell, his jeans dropped. He stood in his boxer briefs and she in her lace panties.

  He rimmed his finger around the waistband, then pulled her panties down as he dropped his briefs to the floor. He kissed her waist, stomach, her hips and her thighs. He stroked her body, sending shock wave after shock wave through her. She held tight to his shoulders as he feasted on her. “Wait, do you have condoms?”

  “Yeah,” he said, then grabbed his jeans pulling a condom from his wallet. He covered himself as she lay back on the bed. She reached out to beckon him. He came to her, hovered and then began kissing every inch of her body. She burned, anticipating what he’d do to her next. Hands, lips and tongue, he touched her, stroked her, caressed her, sending her body into arousal overload. He dipped his body between her legs. She bent her knees and wrapped her legs around him. His penis touched her opening. She reached down and stroked the long thickness. He throbbed, pulsating with liquid fire.

  “Yes,” she moaned. “Come inside.”

  He did. Pressing slow and steadily, he delved deep into her tightness all at once. She grabbed his forearms and held tight. Her body arched as he deepened his penetration. He got to his knees inching her rear up off the bed. He withdrew and then thrust inside again. The fluidness of his movements was meant for her. He hit her G-spot every time. She never knew so much tension could build up inside. Each thrust relaxed her body even more. Holding back became almost impossible. She gasped repeatedly, louder and louder. He was methodical. She closed her eyes as she felt his deep penetration.

  “No, open your eyes. I want to see you come for me.” It was hard, nearly impossible, but she did it. She watched as he watched her. The intensity in his eyes grew each time her plunged into her.

  Then she released. She held her breath as the mounting climax came. She stiffened and then let go. He didn’t stop. He plunged again. She climaxed again and again. She looked up at him, seeing his restraint had weakened. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He sat up, positioning her so that they were eye to eye. Connected, she sat straddling his hips and began pressing her body to his. They kissed then she leaned back and he captured her breast. He rocked his body faster and faster.

  She watched, knowing he was coming. Then he stopped and lay back, bringing her on top of him. He bucked into her. She rode him until it was nearly impossible to stay on. He grabbed her hips one last time then he exploded. His body jerked and tensed then jerked again. She pressed into him again, tensing her inner muscles and feeling his hardness one last time. He looked up at her and released. Breathless, she lay down on top of his body. He wrapped his arms around her. Neither spoke. They were still too stunned by their explosive lovemaking. She’d never experienced anything like it. She did things she’d never thought of before, but it seemed so right with him.

  Soon their breathing returned to normal. He continued to stroke her back and massage her rear. “I’m sure there are some appropriate words to describe this moment,” she said.

  He chuckled, making her body ripple with his. “If there are, I have no idea what they would be. Maybe there’s a card.”

  She laughed this time and slowly got up. She looked around the room and saw an adjacent bathroom. She grabbed her clothes, went in and closed the door. When she came out five minutes later he was back in his jeans, with his shirt still open, sitting on the side of the bed.

  Seeing her, he smiled. “You are beautiful.” He reached out to her. She came, fitting between his legs. He looked up. “You’re an amazing woman.”

  “Thank you. I think I’d better go,” she said, noticing the sadness in his eyes.

  “Can I see you tomorrow? We can have dinner.”

  She shook her head slowly. “That’s probably not a good idea. This is already complicated. It’s business, not personal. You said so yourself.”

  “I can separate the two, can you?” He leaned up and kissed her slowly, letting his tongue linger to taste the sweetness of her lips. “Let it go, Sheri. Trust me, you won’t win this,” he said.

  She stepped back seeing the self-assuredness in his eyes. It was the same expression she remembered from before. “Don’t suppose you know me just because we made love. You don’t. Yes, I can separate business from the personal. I will win and you will stop the construction on that site.”

  “You think so,” he challenged.

  “I know so,” she assured him.

  “I love a challenge.”

  “It isn’t a challenge, Jordan. It’s a promise.” She walked back into the office area and looked around for her purse.

  “Then I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. But I do have one question. What if we both walked away too soon the last time?”

  “Good night, Jordan.” She grabbed her purse and quickly left the trailer. She got in her car and drove straight to her condo with all the windows rolled down. A breeze blew across her face. She went over what had transpired again and again in her head. She was trying to figure out what happened. When did everything change? Okay, she knew what happened. They made love and it was good, too da
mn good. Good Lord, her body ached now just thinking about it. The feel of his hands on her rear pulling her toward his hardness had her twitching.

  The whole way home she couldn’t stop thinking about what happened. She didn’t know if he was playing her or not. It was possible. The last time they were together there was no way he was even remotely interested in her. Now everything seemed so different. But still, it wasn’t as if she had feelings for him. She couldn’t. How could she?

  At home she showered and crawled into bed with her laptop, hoping that her usual routine would quell her raging hormones. It didn’t. Eventually curiosity got the best of her and she typed Jordan’s name into the search engine. A number of sites appeared. She opened a few and peered at the man she was just with. He was an architect and contractor and so much more.

  By eleven o’clock she’d pushed the laptop aside and lay with her back against the pillow staring up at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and thought about Jordan making love to her. She licked her lips, but his taste was long gone. She reached up and touched her mouth and then her breasts. The feel of him was still there. The closeness and fire still raged in her body. She wanted more. But what really upset her was that she’d lied to herself. She did have feelings for him. They were dangerous feelings that would only break her heart in the end. He was tempting. He’d caught her off guard once, but that wouldn’t happen again. She’d make sure of that.

  Moments later she heard thunder in the distance as the light patter of rain pelted her window. She rolled over. Closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with Jordan’s parting words echoing in her mind. What if we both walked away too soon the last time?

  “Yeah, what if,” she muttered before sleep overtook her.

  Chapter 10

  Jordan watched her leave. He considered going after her, but knew it would be a mistake for both of them. Instead, he gathered up his things, locked the office and headed out. Cleveland was coming toward the trailer just as he locked the door. “Good night, Cleveland.”