by B. Love
Chapter 18
Ai didn’t want to wake up, because when she did, she would have to leave. What was she thinking spending the night with Duke during the week knowing she’d have to leave early for school? A long sigh escaped her, prompting Duke to hold her a little tighter from behind. Smiling softly, Ai wrapped her arm around his and snuggled against his chest a little tighter.
Last night was magical. Duke showed Ai that he really paid attention to the things she said during their conversations instead of just asking questions to be asking. First, he took her to her favorite restaurant, where she was able to pig out on crab legs and hot wings. Next, they went to her favorite dessert bar and shared a large milkshake. Then, they went to hear Anthony Hamilton at the Landers center in Southaven because she told him he was one of her favorite singers. Afterwards, they went to a rooftop party where they had a few drinks and got high.
By the time they made it back to his place, they both were sleepy, but neither of them was in a rush to surrender to their slumber. Instead, they laid in his bed and talked more as they held hands.
Everything about their night together was perfect, as it was on their first date. In fact, every time she saw him the time they spent together was even better. A part of her wanted to skip her classes just to lay in his arms, but he had court this morning as well.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
The sleep made his voice raspier than usual, and Ai absolutely loved the sound of it.
“Good morning, handsome. How’d you sleep?”
“Amazing with you in my arms. How’d you sleep?”
Her cheeks raised as she blushed. “Amazing. I hate we have to live life, otherwise I’d stay here in your arms forever.”
“I agree… but I have a solution for our dilemma.”
Duke placed a kiss to the back of her neck.
“What’s that?”
“You can come back here after you’ve done everything you need to do today, or I can come to your place. We don’t have to go out tonight; we can just chill.”
Even though she knew what her answer would be before he even finished speaking, Ai waited a few seconds before saying, “Sounds good to me. I’ll probably be out longer than you because I have to go with Eiryx to take care of some business. So I can just bring some dinner and come back here.”
Duke laid her flat on her back and tried to kiss her, but Ai turned her head to the side as she giggled.
“Boy stop! My breath is stinky!”
“And? Mine is too. We can be some stinky breath lovers together.”
She laughed harder as he turned her head back in his direction, but her laugh faded away when he kissed her. It was tender and sweet with no tongue as usual. After their first night she asked him about it, and Duke told her the moment their tongues connected he’d want their bodies to connect too. They hadn’t had sex yet, even though they both wanted it. They agreed to take their time and get to know each other before taking things to the next level. But times like this made Ai want to say to hell with that and bust it open for him.
When his lips made a trail down her neck, Ai moaned quietly as she wrapped her legs around him. A part of her questioned why her father had never introduced them to each other before… but if he had… Ai wasn’t sure if they would share the connection they did now. One of the great things she loved about her union with Duke now was that he had pictures and stories about her father that no one else had. Even though that wasn’t the only reason she was enjoying his companionship, it was definitely a bonus.
As his tongue slithered across her neck, Ai dug her nails into his shoulders. “Duke…” she called softly, squirming at the feel of his hands gripping her thighs.
“Yes, beautiful?”
“I’m ready.”
He groaned and brushed his dick against her opening before pulling her hair gently. “Are you sure, baby? I’m hard as fuck right now and I don’t want to be teased.”
“Touch my pussy and ask me that again.”
“Nah.” Duke chuckled as he lowered himself down her body and wrapped her legs around his neck. “This my pussy.”
And he set out to prove that fact, feasting on her… on his… pussy… as if she was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted in his whole life. Ai had never heard so many sounds pour from her lips, but there was something about the combination of his licking and sucking that produced almost unbearable pleasure. She alternated between begging him to stop and pleading for him not to let up.
Duke was able to slip his finger inside of her effortlessly, she was so wet. But that wasn’t what she wanted. Unraveling her legs from around him, Ai used his ears to pull him up her body. He was dressed in only his boxers, and she only had on his shirt. And Ai was thankful that there weren’t unnecessary barriers between them. That made it a lot easier and quicker for him to reach into his side table and grab a condom then make his way back between her legs.
With the crooks of her knees on the tops of his shoulders, Duke pressed his chest into the back of her thighs, and the front of her thighs into her chest. He had her trapped and unable to move as he connected their lips and opened her mouth with his tongue. As their tongues began to wrap around each other, he slowly entered her and stretched her tight pussy. Her lips opened as she gasped, and Duke bit her bottom lip in the process.
Duke’s hands cupped her head gently, securing her as he made love to her mouth as well. No man had ever made love to her in the deckchair position. She’d never given up so much control. Felt such deep penetration. Her pussy was leaking as thick and quickly as ice cream in the sun on the fourth of July… and the more aroused she became the better he stroked her, slower he stroked her, deeper he stroked her.
“Duke,” she whimpered, gripping his arms as her body began to tingle. She was used to cumming quick. But this orgasm was building and taking forever to hit. Quite frankly, Ai was scared as fuck. She was already falling for him quickly, and no matter how hard they tried to hit the brakes, her feelings were starting to consume her. And the way he was handling her… his… pussy… Duke was about to have her going crazy over the dick.
“You ready to cum?” he asked sweetly before licking her lips and sucking the bottom one into his mouth. “I want this pussy to hug my dick for a little while longer.”
Ai whimpered as her back arched and legs began to tremble. “I can’t hold it, bae. I’m about to cum.”
He buried his face in her neck as he moaned. “If you cum, you better cum hard, Ai. Soak my dick.”
He said it… as if she had any other choice… his name left her lips in the form of a whimper as her pussy began to throb. And in that moment… school and anything else no longer mattered. For now… all she wanted to do was feel Duke deep in the pit of her until she couldn’t take anymore.
Chapter 19
It was risky, but at this point, Cassius was willing to do whatever it took to get some alone time with Treasure. She’d been avoiding being alone with him like the plague. If he stopped by her and Kameron’s place, she would talk to him as long as Kameron was there, but the moment he left… so did Treasure. Cassius more than understood her fear and hesitancy about getting close to him again, and even though he didn’t want to force her to give him a chance to make things right… he at least wanted to do everything he could to try.
Cassius scheduled a showing for one of Treasure’s multi-million-dollar listings. When he pulled up, she was already inside of the home. He got out of his car and grabbed the basket from the backseat, then headed to the front door. It was locked, so Cassius cursed and rang the doorbell. If she looked out and saw him, she probably wouldn’t answer. Hell, he had to use a fake name to even get the showing.
He knew exactly when she made it to the door because he heard her sigh. Treasure opened the door, and to his surprise, she wore a smile.
“Let me guess…” she opened the door wider. “You’re Denero Green?”
With a nod, Cassius stepped inside. “Yea. I wasn’t trying to
manipulate you or no shit like that. I just wanted this to be a surprise.”
“You wanted what to be a surprise, Cassius?”
He lifted the basket that was in his hand, and Treasure looked down at it as if she hadn’t even noticed it in his hand.
“I was hoping maybe we could have a picnic. If you have the time.”
Treasure slicked her already perfect hair. There was not one strand of hair out of place in her bun.
“Why here?”
“Because… you won’t be alone with me anywhere else. And, I want to get a bigger house. Wanna get married soon. Have a big ass family. So I genuinely want to see this house and possibly buy it. Just tryna kill two birds with one stone I guess.”
Treasure licked her lips and looked away as she considered his request. When she returned her eyes to his she said, “Okay. I’ll show you around first. Would you like to sit the basket down somewhere?”
He said yes and asked her to lead him to the living room. There, he set the basket down, then followed her around for a tour of the spacious home. It wasn’t as big as Estella and James’ home, but it was definitely close. As far as he was concerned, there was no need for him to look at anything else. He was already about to create an amazing memory there with Treasure, and it would be the foundation for the rest of their future.
Once the tour was over, they returned to the living room, where Cassius set up their picnic. At the bottom of his basket was a blanket that he used to cover a small space on the floor. To eat, he packed a few different kinds of deli meat for their sandwiches, cheese, and fruit. He included her favorite bottle of Moscato and a couple of candles. Cassius played soft music on his phone, not wanting Treasure to feel obligated to speak until she was absolutely ready… if she was ever ready.
Cassius didn’t mind giving her time while she gave him the space to make this right.
She was quiet while they ate, but she kept looking over at him and smiling, so that was a good sign.
When they were done, Cassius packed up his basket then headed for the door. Treasure followed him there, hands cupped in the center of her. Before he left, Cassius turned to face her.
“I will never force you to give me a second chance. If you never want to try again, I will understand. All I want is a chance to make this right.”
Her head lowered as she slowly took a step in his direction. As much as he wanted to pull her into his arms, Cassius exercised restraint by pulling his arms behind his back.
“I want us to try; I just don’t want you to think it’s alright to hurt me and come back with just an apology.”
“If you give me a chance, I swear to God I won’t ever do anything to intentionally hurt you again.”
Cassius lifted her head and forced her to look into his eyes. Nibbling on her bottom lip, Treasure nodded softly.
“Okay.”
With a smile, Cassius repeated, “Okay?”
She mirrored his smile as she said, “Okay.”
“Okay.” He released a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding in. “I want to do this the right way. Before I take you out on our next date, I’m going to talk to Kameron about us and gain his blessing.”
That made her smile harder and step into his embrace. Even though Cassius wouldn’t let anything or anyone stop him from having her if she’d granted him a second chance, out of respect for his best friend, Cassius was willing to have that talk.
Chapter 20
“I know your ass in there, girl. I ain’t leaving until I see you.”
As much as Diem wanted to play hard, she couldn’t help but smile. Deacon had been outside of her door for the past forty-five minutes, and it didn’t seem like he was going to be leaving any time soon. Since he randomly left her place without as much as a goodbye, Diem had been ignoring his calls and text messages. It wasn’t so much the secretive nature in which he left that had her avoiding him; it was the fear.
Deacon was opening her heart in ways that she never thought was possible, and the idea of him being up to no good and hurting her was too much to handle. If just the thought made her feel that way, Diem didn’t want to risk being hurt by him for real. So she decided it was best to cut him off altogether.
That didn’t mean she didn’t miss him, though, because she did. Missed him like crazy. To counteract that, she’d been working more than normal, but that only fucked with her more knowing she had to busy herself just to deny thoughts of him.
Her phone rang, and the sight of his name tickled her. Instead of ignoring it as she’d been doing, Diem answered and said, “Go home, Roger,” knowing her comparing him to Roger on Sister Sister would both irritate him and make him laugh. And it did.
After he chuckled, he said, “You better bring your ass to this door and open it before I let myself in.”
Disconnecting the call, Diem stood and placed the margarita she was sipping on the end table. She stopped and looked herself over in the mirror in the hallway, then continued to the door. When she opened it, she didn’t bother trying to hide her smile. For some reason he thought that was his permission to enter, but Diem held her hand up and kept him from coming inside.
“I don’t want to see you.”
“That’s a lie – and I want to know why.”
Leaning against the doorframe, Diem looked his handsome face over with a shake of her head.
“Who were you talking to the night you left my house, and why didn’t you say anything before you left?”
Deacon’s face twisted up before he chuckled. “That’s what this is about?”
“That’s exactly what this is about.”
“Why didn’t you just ask me sooner instead of cutting me off?”
“That’s not the point.”
“Then what’s the fucking point, Diem?”
Inhaling a deep breath, Diem stepped to the side and allowed him entrance. Deacon followed her into her home and sat next to her on the couch.
“It wasn’t you having a secretive conversation and leaving without saying anything. It was the thought of you fucking up one day and hurting me. Cutting you off may seem extreme to you, but I can’t risk getting hurt.”
“Dammit, Diem,” he grumbled, taking her hand into his.
Diem listened intently as Deacon shared his truth. That it was his ex calling – the one he was, used to be, in love with. Apparently, word had spread that he’d finally moved on, and like the average manipulator, she wanted a second chance before she no longer had access to him. Deacon left to get his mind right. For years, he’d been waiting for a second chance with her, and he needed time to decide if he wanted to take it or move on with Diem.
“Clearly I chose a future with you ‘cause I been blowing your ass up. And before you think it will be an issue, you don’t have to worry about me ever wanting to work things out with her. I set her ass straight then blocked her on everything.”
While Diem thought hearing the truth would make her feel better, it didn’t necessarily. When she heard about his ex coming back into the picture her heart sank. Even though he was saying now that he didn’t want to have anything to do with her, who knew how he would feel if she put forth true effort to get him back?
She felt weak even saying that she was running from love to avoid hurt, but that was the truth. Not once in her life had she been weak over love, and Diem wasn’t sure if she wanted to take that chance. All she could think about was her mother with James… but as she stared into Deacon’s eyes… she thought about her mother with Trevor too. And how she’d wasted so much time not being able to love the man fully that she really wanted to be with because of shit that really didn’t matter.
Not as much as love and her heart’s desire.
And even though it was scary, Diem didn’t want that for her life.
So she agreed to try and see what would happen between her and Deacon, but she made no promise that it would be easy. And like he did the first time, Deacon assured her that he didn’t want easy – he wanted her.
This wasn’t the turn he was expecting his situation with Remington to take, but Chief had no one to blame but himself. Instead of fully surrendering to how good she was making him feel, Chief did something that could potentially fuck it up. While Remington had no problem with Chief continuing to live his life as normal, what she did have a problem with was him fucking other bitches. What was supposed to be a normal trip to the strip club turned into him getting a lap dance in a private room.
Which led to head.
And some dry ass sex.
Admittedly, Chief fucked her because he had the opportunity to, but the moment he slid inside of her pussy he immediately regretted the shit. He couldn’t even stay hard thinking about what Remington would do if she found out. Chief told himself that they weren’t in an official relationship, so she shouldn’t have been too mad, but he knew that was bullshit as soon as the thought crossed his mind.
Chief was a lot of things – a liar was not on the list.
It may have cost him Remington by telling the truth, but he hoped it at least made her respect him a little.
When Chief told her what happened last night, she thanked him for being honest and disconnected the call. He waited a couple of minutes to call back, and when he did, she had him blocked. This morning, he met up with one of her stylists and got her to open the salon for him. He had it filled completely with roses hoping it would at least make Remington smile when she arrived, but all she did was shake her head and tell him to take the flowers out when he left.
“I don’t get no credit for being real with you, Remi? If we were in a relationship, I wouldn’t have done the shit.”
Remington chuckled as she shook her head and put her purse under her station.
