by Неизвестный
When he didn’t respond, she glanced over at him and saw a hardness that had formed around his mouth.
What had she said to irritate him?
“Darius?”
“Yes, it’s doing well,” he finally replied in a somewhat biting tone. “There’s a guest bath over there with
a Jacuzzi tub,” he said, pointing across the room. “My bedroom is at the end of the hall if you need
anything. Good night.”
Summer held her composure as she watched him quickly leave, closing the door behind him. Again she
wondered what she had said that had hit a nerve with him. Why had commenting on his success
bothered him?
She moved toward the bed and decided that when she saw him in the morning, she would find out.
Darius lay in bed wide awake, staring up at the ceiling. After he’d left Summer, he had made his rounds,
making sure everything was locked and secured before going to his bedroom. There he had continued to
stew over her comment, which had reminded him that a man’s wealth was all she cared about.
He rubbed a hand down his face, not wanting to think that, but what else was he supposed to think? Now
that she knew he had a little money, would her attitude toward him change?
He had brought her to his home to protect her, but that didn’t mean he had to forgive her for all her past
deeds. He wasn’t sure that he could. His hands tightened into fists. He heard a sound and glanced over at
the illuminated clock on the nightstand. It was almost two in the morning. Since his state-of-the-art
security system hadn’t sounded to alert him of an intruder, he guessed that Summer was up and moving
around in his home. Evidently, she couldn’t sleep, either.
Easing out of the bed, he slipped on a pair of jeans. He walked out of his bedroom and immediately saw
a light shining downstairs.
When he reached the living room, he didn’t see her anywhere. He gently pushed open the kitchen door.
She was sitting at the kitchen table drinking what appeared to be a cup of tea, wearing a silk bathrobe
belted around the waist. And although he had a feeling she was fighting hard not to do so, he could tell
by the trembling of her shoulders that she was crying. Tears from any woman were his downfall—and
when they came from Summer, doubly so.
Crossing the room, he fought the tightening of his heart. Hearing his movement, she whipped her head
around and met his gaze. But she hadn’t been quick enough to wipe away her tears. Without asking what
the tears were for, he reached out his arms. “Come here, Summer.”
She stared at him for a moment and he wasn’t sure exactly what she would do. Then she rose to her feet
and crossed the distance separating them. He pulled her into his arms and when he did so, she buried her
face in his chest.
“Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. Things are going to be okay.”
She shook her head and wiped her eyes, pulling back slightly to look up at him. “No, they’re not. I’ve
gotten you upset with me and I don’t know why.”
At that moment, he felt like a total ass and wished there was a way he could take back his earlier
behavior, but he couldn’t. So he stood there and held her in his arms, remembering times past when he
would hold her the same way just moments before he would claim her mouth with his.
He knew at that moment that his desire for her was just as keen as it had ever been and, unable to fight
what he was feeling, he gazed into her face just seconds before using the tip of his tongue to trace a line
across her lips.
He heard the catch in her breath and tried to ignore it. He eased closer, unable to stop his body from
responding to it. His hard erection pressed against her, warming him in a way he hadn’t been warmed in
a long time. His tongue left the corners of her mouth to glide over her bottom lip before pulling it into
his mouth to suck on it a little. And then there was the feel of her nipples pressing into his bare chest like
hardened tips.
He released her bottom lip, but only long enough to press his mouth fully onto hers, needing this taste of
her, liking how she trembled in his arms not from fear but from his safekeeping. He had thought about
this part of their relationship many times, the moments when he would capture her mouth and take them
both to another level. Then one night their kissing had driven them to lose control and they had made
love. He continued to kiss her deeply, wanting to lose himself in the kiss again like he had that night.
And wanting to lose himself inside of her. He couldn’t for the life of him remember connecting to any
woman and feeling this way.
“Darius.”
The sound of his name sent shudders of arousal through him. It was spoken in a breathless tone, a voice
barely able to do anything but purr out a sexy timbre. It made the heat within him rise to a temperature
that could easily cause him to boil over.
He shifted his hips and thighs to plaster them closer to the juncture of hers. Every cell within his body
felt vibrantly alive, sensitized to her. His mind was finally in sync with what the rest of his body already
knew. He wanted her.
He had to have her.
There was no question about his wants and his needs, only about how long he could last without having
them satisfied. He pulled back, separating their mouths, but his gaze held hers and he knew she saw in
his features the desire he could not hide. His entire being was ruled by an urge to mate with her, to share
a physical intimacy to a degree he hadn’t had since the last time they’d been together.
While her eyes continued to hold his, she brushed the back of her hand across his cheek and the caress
sent shivers through him. He let out the breath he’d been holding, and his hands dropped from her waist
to cup her backside, bringing her snug against him.
He could feel the fluttering in her stomach stirring against his erection, making it throb. His nostrils
picked up her scent and blood pounded through his veins. He felt himself losing what little control he
had and fought to rein it back in. Then she did something he hadn’t expected. She made a move he
couldn’t combat.
She reached out and eased down his zipper before inserting her hands through the opening to cup him, as
if she needed to touch, stroke and massage his aroused body part, getting reacquainted with its size and
thickness. She didn’t break eye contact with him, and he grew even more aroused with her bold ministrations.
The more she stroked, the more his body vibrated, making blood rush through his veins, all
going directly to that throbbing part of his body.
Minutes ticked by as he continued to stand there and stare at her while she literally drove him over the
edge with her hand. He studied her face, saw the intent look in her eyes, the need to touch him this way.
There was a feminine glow in her gaze that stirred everything male within him, and then once again,
catching him off guard, she leaned in closer, stood on tiptoes and slid her tongue all around his lips,
leaving a wet path in its wake. She caressed his mouth with the tip of her tongue the same way her
fingertips were now stroking his aroused shaft.
He heard himself groan at the pleasure easing up his spine and he knew if he didn’t stop her now, he
would embarrass himself in her hands when he preferred being inside of her body.
Now it was his turn to catch her off guard. H
e gently pushed her hand away seconds before sweeping
her into his arms. He leaned down and kissed her with a voraciousness that had her moaning in his
mouth.
When he finally pulled away, he took in a deep breath and knew he had to get completely submerged
inside her body before he lost it. He stared down at her kiss-swollen lips as he held her in his arms.
“Do you know what you’ve asked for?” He wanted to make sure they were on the same page.
She held his gaze. “Yes. I know.”
“You sure it’s what you want?” He had to make doubly sure.
She shifted in his arms and ran her wet, warm tongue across his bare chest. The muscles in his stomach
tightened and he knew, without her uttering a single word, he had gotten his answer.
Without saying anything else, he carried her upstairs to his bedroom.
Summer felt hot.
And when Darius placed her on his bed and joined her there, she felt passion that had been bottled up
inside of her, ready to boldly claim its freedom. Every bone in her body seemed to vibrate, needing a
release.
Her head began spinning when Darius removed her clothes with a swiftness that sent pieces flying
everywhere. Then he stood and in record time, dropped his jeans and put on a condom he’d taken out of
the nightstand drawer. Moments later, when she lay flat on her back, naked, he towered over her and she
felt her thighs quiver with a yearning she hadn’t felt in years.
He leaned back to slowly peruse her body and she felt heat every place his eyes touched, especially
around her feminine core where his gaze seemed to linger, making sensations stir deep within her. The
look in his eyes gave her more than an inkling of what he was thinking, and when he reached out and
lifted her hips, placing her legs across his shoulders, she literally cried out before his mouth had a
chance to touch her.
She cried out again when his mouth did touch her. He pushed his tongue inside, working it around in her
with a greed that sent sparks shooting off in her, scorching everywhere it touched and weakening every
bone in her body, turning her muscles to mush.
He spread her legs wider as his mouth continued to inflict upon her torment that was unyielding. What
he was doing had captured her senses, totally wrecked her brain cells and fractured all rational thought.
Physically, she was beginning to feel herself break into pieces and she grasped the strong arms on each
side of her, trying to let him know there was no way she could take any more.
As if determined to prove to her that she could, he continued his torment on her body, tightening his grip
on her thighs as his tongue dived deeper inside of her. When he flicked across a sensitive part of her, she
shattered, and helplessly screamed his name as an onslaught of sensations ripped into her.
It was only then that he pulled back and straddled her, and before her lungs could fill with more air, he
entered her in one deep thrust as he captured one of her breasts into his mouth, sucking deeply on a
nipple.
The joining had been so perfect it nearly brought tears to her eyes. She grabbed hold of his head to hold
him to her breast and wrapped her legs around him to keep him inside of her. But the movement of his
body told her he wasn’t going anywhere.
He began moving, retreating and then pushing back in. Over and over again. Harder. Deeper. Faster. She
felt every hard inch of him, felt the strong veins of his erection throb deep inside of her and push her
over an edge that had her moaning yet again.
And when he shifted his mouth to her other breast and began the same mind-wrecking torment, her
moan turned into another scream. She felt every nerve in her body explode, and she began riding a wave
that took her across the top of anything and everything. When his body stiffened and bucked mercilessly
while he tightly gripped her hips, she knew this was the fusing of not only their bodies, but their minds
and souls.
And at that moment, nothing else existed in her world but the man who continued to push in and out of
her while screaming her name. This was the same man who’d first shown her how beautiful the joining
of a man and woman could be. The same man who moments later slumped down on the bed beside her
and pulled her into his arms, holding her as if he never, ever wanted to let her go.
Summer awoke with the sunlight shining on her face and a strong, hard body plastered to her own. She
shifted slightly and looked over at the man sleeping beside her, the man whose strong masculine leg was
thrown over hers and whose arms, even in sleep, were wrapped around her.
Memories of last night flowed through her mind. It was the first time she had made love in seven years
and it had been everything that she had remembered and more. Same man. Same passion. Same love.
She closed her eyes thinking that by rights, she should be upset with herself for still loving him and for
the weakness that allowed her to tumble back into bed with him, especially after the way he had
cheapened their first night together. But then she couldn’t feel remorse when every part of her body was
rejuvenated, like it had been awakened from a long sleep by pure pleasure. It had been making love with
Darius the last time that had made her appreciate the fact she’d been born a woman, and it was his
lovemaking now that was deepening that appreciation.
But still…memories of her pain, her humiliation wouldn’t completely go away. How could a man who
was so caring when it came to her so easily dishonor her the way he had? She had fallen in love with
him completely and when he had made love to her that night, that love had intensified to a point that
totally overwhelmed her.
He hadn’t said the word love to her, but she had been certain of his feelings and had felt he’d displayed
with his actions what he hadn’t spoken. But she’d discovered her assumptions had been wrong. She did
not intend to make the same mistake twice. All she and Darius had just shared was a sexual release. For
her, it was a long time coming. She would not assume anything about their relationship ever again. She
would accept it for what it was.
He shifted in bed and she tilted her head to look over at him. Before she could say a word, he leaned
over and kissed her with a tenderness that made her groan. She didn’t have to mull over what they were
about to do again, this time in the brightness of the sunlight. And when he eased his body over hers, she
wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly gave him the mouth he seemed so intent to claim.
Summer stood at the window in her office. She kept replaying in her mind what had transpired last night
and this morning. Although Darius had made love to her with an intensity and passion that nearly
brought tears to her eyes, on the drive back over to her place this morning, she could sense him
withdrawing. Why? Was he afraid she might assume just because they had slept together that she would
think he wanted her back in his life? If that was the case, then he didn’t know how wrong he was about
it. She knew better than to think that way. She had learned her lesson well.
He had insisted on driving her to the office after he’d taken her home to dress, and he hadn’t had a lot to
say about what they had shared last night. Instead, he’d kept the conversation centered on Tyrone and all
the things he would be checking on, saying he would t
ake a trip to Houston if he had to.
He was still displaying those protective tendencies, but she could feel him putting up his guard,
shielding emotions from her, keeping them out of her reach. More than once while in his arms last night
and this morning, she had been tempted to ask him why he had done what he did seven years ago. But
then she would decide to leave well enough alone. What happened was no longer a threat as long as she
kept her heart out of the mix. Besides, she had bigger fish to fry. Tyrone Whitman and his whereabouts
were what she needed to stay focused on. It was the only thing she should care about, the only thing that
mattered.
The thought of Tyrone being free made her skin crawl, but she refused to allow him to make her live in
total fear. More than ever she was convinced he was the one who’d left that note on her windshield and
slashed her tires, mainly because those were things Tyrone would do. Saying he took care of his own
was something he’d said to her more than once. The reason she hadn’t made the connection before was
because she had assumed he was still locked up in prison. But now she knew that was not the case.
She glanced up at the clock on the wall. Darius said he would be coming back to walk her over to the
café for lunch, and not to leave without him. This would be one time she did what he asked without any
hesitation.
The phone on her desk rang and she immediately went to pick it up, hoping it was Darius with good
news. “Hello?”
The person on the other end didn’t say anything. “Hello?” she repeated. Chills ran down her spine when
the person finally hung up. She tried to convince herself it was probably just a misdialed number. But
deep down she had a feeling that wasn’t true.
Darius’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he turned down the street that would take him to
Helping Hands. Already he was regretting the news he was about to deliver to Summer.
He had made a call to the Houston Police Department as soon as he’d dropped Summer off at work.
He’d been told Walt was out of town on an investigation, so he had spoken with Manny, another
detective he knew. It had taken Manny less than an hour to find out what he wanted to know.
