He squeezed her tightly. “I know, baby,” he whispered in her ear. “I didn’t mean to dump all of that on you. I guess I didn’t realize that I was still carrying those demons with me.”
“I’m glad you told me. I do want to have your baby, but I can’t say that I’m devastated that I’m not pregnant. I’d like to be Mrs. McRae before we bring any babies into the world.”
Darius tweaked her nose. “I’m going to hold you to that,” he said. “Because I want lots of babies.”
“Why don’t we get out of here and have dinner, then we can have some dessert in bed,” she said seductively.
Darius smiled. “I like the sound of that. Let me shut off the lights and we’re out of here.”
A short time later, Darius and Celina were settling into a booth at Rudy’s.
“Hey there, you two,” Miss Rudy said when she spotted Darius and Celina. “I got something special cooking for you.”
“Thank you so much,” Darius said as she placed silverware on their table.
“You all look so cute together,” she commented. “It’s like you were planted here at the same time just so you could fall in love. I’ll send a waiter over here with menus.”
Darius stared into Celina’s eyes as Miss Rudy strolled away. “She’s right, you know.”
“I know we look cute together.”
“No, we have been all over looking for something that grew right here,” he said.
Darius took her hand in his.
“I never thought I would feel this way, I never thought I would fall in love and not be hurt,” she said. “Darius, I thank God for you coming into my life.”
He kissed her hand gently. “I’m really not hungry for food right now,” he said. “I want to skip straight to dessert.”
Celina blushed. “You are so bad, although I was thinking the same thing,” she whispered as the waiter walked over to the table. Darius told the waiter that he and Celina would be taking their food to go.
They couldn’t get out of the restaurant fast enough. Darius wanted to be with Celina in the worst way. They sped to his house, ignoring the posted speed limits. When they got to his place, they both hopped out of the car, leaving their dinner on the backseat, and were all over each other. Darius fumbled with his keys as the two of them kissed the whole way to the steps leading to the front door. She pulled at the buttons on his shirt as he unlocked the door. He pushed the door open and they tumbled to the floor. Darius pulled Celina’s tank top over her head, then unsnapped her bra, causing her breasts to spill forward. Darius took her succulent breasts into his mouth, kissing and sucking on her nipples, making her moan in delight.
Celina unbuttoned his jeans, sliding them off his body. His arousal was evident as she slid her hands inside his satin boxers. Darius grabbed her hands and held them above her head as he peered at her, drinking in the image of her perfect body. Despite himself, he pictured her swelled with their child. He was sure that she’d glow like pregnant women do and her beauty would be even more radiant.
“I love you,” Darius said before uniting her mouth with his. Celina melted against him as he peeled her linen shorts off. Heat radiated from his body as her skin touched his. She buried her face in his neck and her lips grazed his skin slightly, unleashing an inferno inside him.
When she wrapped her legs around his waist, he felt how hot and wet she was and he was ready to take her instantly, but not on the floor. Instead, he scooped her into his arms and rushed into the bedroom, gently laying her on the bed. He kicked out of his boxers and reached over on the nightstand to grab a condom. Celina watched him as he placed the protection on his hard penis. He then turned to her with a smile on his face, one that she returned as she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, “Je t’aime,” which means “I love you” in French, in his ear. Darius was unable to resist her anymore. He buried himself deep inside of her, finding every spot that made her moan and shiver. Her muscles tightened around him, making him quake. Burying his face in her breasts, he suckled on her tender nipples, making her whimper in delight. Darius felt her trembling and he knew she was on the brink of an orgasm. He pressed deeper into her, wanting to make her feel the deep passion he’d been holding back. As she called out his name, he captured her mouth with his, muffling her expressions of desire, which were a mix of primal groans and declarations of love. Darius sucked in her tongue, pulling the words out of her mouth. His body felt like a rocket about to explode. He tried in vain to hold back his own orgasm until he was certain that she’d been pleased. But when she pressed her hips into his, he gave in to the feeling.
“Oh Celina,” he called out as he exploded in her valley, then collapsed on top of her. Pushing her hair back from her forehead, he kissed her gently. Celina smiled and ran her finger up and down his spine and he pulled her closer as electric jolts ran through his body. “You have to stop,” he whispered.
She responded by gently biting him on the earlobe. Darius groaned with pleasure and was instantly aroused as her tongue darted in and out of his ear. She positioned her body to receive his love and Darius rotated his hips to give her what she desired. Celina inhaled sharply as he entered her and continued his sensual dance, making her call out his name as he stroked her up and down. She clutched his back and placed her mouth against his neck. The heat from her breath sent chills up and down his spine. Darius felt his hardness constrict and he was ready to explode again.
Once they were spent from hours of lovemaking, Darius and Celina fell asleep in each other’s arms. Darius snuggled his face in his favorite spot, Celina’s bushy hair.
Celina woke up smiling, though it was the middle of the night. She stroked the side of his face, trying not to wake him and wished she had her sketch pad so that she could draw his sleeping frame. He looked angelic as he slumbered. Slipping out of the bed, she headed for the bathroom to take a shower. Quietly, she stepped in the shower and turned the spray on. She hadn’t felt this at peace since her father died, she thought, as she closed her eyes and let the water seep through her hair, down to her scalp. It reminded her of Darius’s touch, the feel of his tongue against her skin. She closed her eyes and smiled as she relived the passion they’d just shared hours ago. It was so real, it was as if Darius was right there in the shower with her. She turned around and there he was. “I just thought you needed some help washing your back,” he whispered as he rubbed her back with a bar of soap.
“And here I thought I was in the middle of a fantasy,” she said as she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I was hoping I could sneak out of here and catch you sleeping.”
Darius kissed her collarbone. “Why is that?”
“I wanted to draw you. You inspired me.”
Darius raised his eyebrow. “How did I do that?”
“Just by being you,” she said, then splashed some water in his face.
Darius laughed. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that,” he said as he grabbed her and held her under the shower spray. Celina squealed like a little girl as the water ran down her back. She threw her hands up to protect herself from the shower spray.
“Stop it!” she exclaimed.
Darius let her go and kissed her on the cheek. “You’re so sexy when you’re wet,” Darius growled in a low voice as he ran his finger down the valley of her breasts. Celina pushed her wet ringlets out of her eyes and her body began to sizzle under Darius’s touch. He reached out and grabbed her hand, placing it on his desire. “See what you do to me,” he said.
She felt him grow underneath her fingertips and reached back and turned the water off as Darius backed her against the wall.
“Celina,” he murmured as he kissed her lips. She happily accepted his penetrating kiss. He pulled her closer to him as if he were trying to mesh his body with hers. She moaned as he stroked her inner thighs.
“We’d better stop,” she said breathlessly. “Before we get carried away without the proper protection.”
Darius smiled devilis
hly. “Too late.” He pulled her mouth up to his, kissing her with a fiery passion that turned her knees to jelly. Darius lifted Celina’s leg around his waist. She curved to his body like an artist’s clay. She thrust her hips into his, allowing him to glide into her hot and awaiting body. Darius pressed deep into Celina, making her hot body light up like a firecracker. He struggled to keep his footing in the slick tub. Celina clutched him as she bounced up and down, stimulating herself as Darius was on the brink of an orgasm. He held her tightly as he slid down the wall, keeping Celina on his lap. She wrapped her legs around his waist, arching her back like a cat. Darius moaned as she tightened herself around his manhood. Celina looked into his eyes. “I love you,” she whimpered. “I love you. I love you.”
She’d never felt so free, so alive. She didn’t care that she and Darius weren’t protected, because she knew their child would be loved, protected, and wanted. Celina wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close to her as she felt herself release. Darius rained kisses across her face. “I love you, too,” he said breathlessly. They clung to each other in the damp tub, seemingly breathing one breath.
It was nearly dawn when Darius and Celina fell asleep again, giving Darius only a few hours before he had to head to the hardware store. When they woke up, Celina went next door to start a new painting. The man in her painting looked like Darius, which was becoming a standard for her. She drew his frame sleeping on a fluffy white cloud. Golden sun rays encircled his head. Celina decided to use watercolors to add a whimsical feel to the painting. For the landscape, she used a brown oil-based paint to add dimension to the piece. Celina was engrossed in her work and didn’t hear the door open behind her.
“Nice painting.” The voice startled Celina. She whirled around and locked eyes with Tiffany. “You know,” she continued. “If you and Darius think I am so dangerous, why don’t you lock your doors?”
Celina stood up and glared at Tiffany. “Get out before I call the police.”
Tiffany reached out and grabbed Celina’s arm tightly. “Why don’t you just go back to New York? Darius is mine.”
Celina looked up at Tiffany and snatched her arm away from her. “You need help, seriously. These delusions that you’re having about you and Darius being together shows how crazy you are. We’re getting married and he’s made it clear that he wants nothing to do with you.”
Tiffany ran her hand over her face. “Because you messed up everything. I love him and I’m not going away because you’re here. I’m coming to you as a woman . . .”
“You’re coming as a burglar. You broke into my house, issuing threats. Darius doesn’t want you. Move on with your life,” Celina exclaimed.
Tiffany pushed her backwards, knocking her into the easel. Celina’s painting crashed to the floor, along with her brushes, paint, and water cup. Celina fought to keep her balance. She grabbed Tiffany’s arm and ended up pulling her down on the floor. Out of anger, Celina kicked her in her midsection. Tiffany countered with a slap to the face. Celina pushed Tiffany off her to stop a further assault. “I’m not going to fight you,” Celina said, rising from the floor. “Now, get out of here.”
Tiffany lunged for Celina’s legs, knocking her down. Celina hit her head on the overturned canvas. She swung her legs wildly, catching Tiffany on the chin, forcing her head back. Celina crawled away from Tiffany, desperately trying to reach the phone to call 9-1-1. Before she could reach the phone, Tiffany grabbed the back of her hair. Celina yelped in pain. Tiffany tried to drive her head into the floor, but Celina lifted her leg and kicked Tiffany in the stomach, knocking her backwards into the kitchen table. Celina leapt to her feet and grabbed the phone. She dialed 9-1-1, but as the operator answered, Tiffany knocked her out with a chair from the table. Unconscious, Celina fell to the floor. Startled, Tiffany ran out the back door.
Celina came to in a hospital bed. She focused her eyes and saw Darius standing in the doorway talking to a man in what looked to be a police uniform. Celina’s vision was blurry, but the images slowly came into focus. She struggled to hear what they were saying, but she could tell they were arguing.
“I warned you, Chief,” she heard Darius say in an angry whisper. “If Celina doesn’t pull through . . .”
“She will,” Chief Wayman said. “I spoke to the doctors.”
“What about Tiffany? You know she did this.”
“We won’t know anything until Ms. Hart wakes up.”
Darius pounded his hand against the door frame. “Damn it,” he snapped. “Wayman, you know Tiffany is behind this. She has been stalking us and she showed up in New York, outside of our building. I’ve been telling you for months that this woman is unstable and dangerous. Did you listen to me? Now look what’s happened.”
“None of what you reported before was illegal, but if she assaulted Celina, then we can bring charges against her.”
Celina cleared her throat, causing Darius and the chief to turn around and look at her. “All of this for me?” she said in a hoarse voice.
Darius rushed to her bedside. “You’re awake,” he said as he stroked her hand gently.
She smiled weakly. “How can a girl sleep with you two standing there arguing like cavemen?”
Chief Wayman walked over to Celina’s bed. “Ms. Hart, how are you?”
Celina groaned. “A little sore, but I’ll be fine,” she replied.
He pulled out a small notepad and a pencil that looked as if it had been gnawed on by a mouse. “Can you tell me what happened to you?” he asked.
Celina tried to sit up in the bed, but a sharp pain in her back forced her to lie flat. She nodded. “I was in the house, working on a painting for the gallery. Then she walked in,” she said. “I should’ve locked the door; I mean, I’ve lived in New York too long to sit in a house with the door unlocked.”
“She who?” Chief Wayman asked.
“Tiffany Martin. She walked in the house and started making threats and telling me to leave town. Then she grabbed my arm and we fought and I got away from her, then I called 9-1-1 and the last thing I remember was a sharp pain to my back. Then I woke up here.”
Darius raised his eyebrow at the chief. “Is that enough now? Can you go out and arrest her?” he demanded.
The chief nodded his head and pulled out his cell phone. He barked into the phone and told an officer to head over to Tiffany’s and bring her in for questioning. “I’ll let you two know when we have the suspect in custody,” he said as he headed out the door.
Darius turned to Celina once the chief was gone. “Babe, are you all right?” he asked as he kissed her hand.
“Yeah, I guess. I had no idea that she was this crazy,” Celina said.
“Neither did I,” he said. “I’m sorry that I got you involved in all of this. Had I known that she was like this, we could’ve stayed in New York.”
Celina stroked his cheek. “And let her think she ran us out of town? Besides, it’s not your fault you’re so irresistible,” she said. Celina closed her eyes and groaned as a wave of pain washed over her.
Panicked, Darius pressed the button for the nurse several times in rapid succession. Within minutes, two nurses rushed into the room and stood on either side of Celina’s bed.
“Ms. Hart, are you feeling any discomfort?” one of the nurses asked.
“My back, it’s killing me,” she said. The other nurse stroked her hand, while the senior nurse checked Celina’s pain medicine.
“This is good,” she said as she punched numbers into the computer. “Your spine is probably just bruised. You’re going to be fine, Ms. Hart. Let me get the doctor.”
“Hurry,” Darius said, worry peppering his tone.
Celina whimpered as the pain became more intense and sharper. Seconds later the doctor walked into the room.
“Sir, if you could give me a moment with Ms. Hart,” he said.
Nodding, Darius walked outside and paced back and forth as the doctor worked on Celina. His anger grew with each moment he stood ou
tside. Tiffany was going to pay for this and if the police didn’t get her, he damned sure would.
CHAPTER 25
Darius drove slowly from the hospital because he wasn’t sure if he should go to Tiffany’s, but he had the feeling that if he didn’t get her, the police wouldn’t. Tiffany was going to answer for what she’d done to Celina.
Celina.
Yes, he’d lied to her when he said he was going to check on the hardware store, but he hadn’t wanted her to worry about his safety since they now knew how unstable Tiffany was.
He said that he was going to let the police handle everything and kissed his fiancée before dashing away. Honestly, he had about as much faith in the Elmore Police Department as he had in finding the Easter Bunny leaving chocolate eggs on his doorstep.
If only the police had taken reports from all the other times Darius had called them and coupled those with Tiffany’s assault, the district attorney wouldn’t have had a problem bringing charges against Tiffany. He simply couldn’t wrap his mind around why Tiffany couldn’t deal with rejection and move on. She was an attractive woman and shouldn’t have a problem finding another lover. Her fixation on Darius was unhealthy and now that she’d become violent, she had to be stopped.
He slowed down as he pulled up to the intersection leading into Tiffany’s neighborhood and scanned the driveway for her car. It wasn’t there. Darius had only visited her once and hindsight told him that it was the biggest mistake of his life. Had he known that his one night of tipsy sex with her would’ve led to this, he would never have talked to her at the small business meeting or accepted her invitation to dinner two weeks later.
But he did, and now Celina was paying the price. After spotting an Elmore Police squad car parked near Tiffany’s house, Darius decided to turn around. The last thing he needed was to get arrested himself.
They must not have her, he thought as he wheeled his car around and headed for the hardware store. When he arrived, there was a police car parked near the store. At least the chief was finally taking him seriously. But Darius knew he and Celina weren’t going to be safe until that woman was in jail.
Just Can't Get Enough Page 23
