Love After War

by Cheris Hodges

  “I imagine not. Just think, in a few days you’ll be in the city that never sleeps . . .”

  “Surrounded by the empire that my mother helped build but never got to profit from,” he lamented.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Elliot said my mother gave him the idea to expand the hotel chain and of course when his wife found out that my mother was pregnant and had moved out here, she forbade the company from expanding to the West Coast. I guess Elliot was flexing his power by building Crawford Towers here now that she’s dead.”

  Dana remained silent, knowing that anything she said would more than likely send Adrian into another fit of rage. “Do you want to cancel the trip?”

  “No, not at all. I promised you that I was going to New York with you and I’m not breaking that promise. You’re the most important thing in my life.”

  She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. “Imani gave me her open ticket back to the city. It’s first class, but maybe we can cash it in for two coach seats.”

  Adrian shook his head. “No, ma’am! When do we leave? I’ll just get a last-minute ticket because I am not flying three thousand miles in coach.”

  She smiled and fought the urge to fist pump like the kids from Jersey Shore. “Thank goodness, because I really didn’t want to ride in coach either.”

  Adrian lifted her in his arms and spun her around. “Remember how I was supposed to help you out of your clothes?” he whispered.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  “Let’s get on that bike and go back to the hotel and make that happen.”

  “Sounds good to me,” she said as he lowered her to the ground.

  “But drive or ride—or whatever you call it—slowly.”

  Dana offered him a mock salute and a big smile. “I make no promises!”

  Chapter 15

  Dana followed Adrian’s request and eased off the speed on the way back to the hotel. She even took the turns at a slower pace. But once the bike was parked, speed was the name of the game to get through the lobby. They sped through the lobby, into the elevator, and into Dana’s room.

  Before Dana could retrieve the key card from her pocket, Adrian pressed her against the door and covered her mouth with his, kissing her until her knees turned to jelly. She gripped his shoulders, pulling him even closer as their tongues danced a dirty lambada. It took every ounce of self-control Adrian had to keep himself from peeling those leggings off Dana and thrusting his throbbing erection inside her right then and there. He ached for her, needed and wanted her immediately.

  A passerby caused the couple to break their kiss and give Dana a chance to locate her room key. Once inside the room, Adrian was able to get her out of those skintight pants, slowly easing them down her hips while he stroked her thighs. Dana melted, her desire pooling between her legs as Adrian’s fingers danced across her thighs. He dropped to his knees as he pressed her against the wall and spread her legs. He covered her throbbing bud with his lips and sucked until she cried his name and his face was moist with her desire. Watching her reach the apex of pleasure made him harder than a brick. Licking. Sucking. Growing. Adrian knew he was torturing Dana as much as he was torturing himself. God, she was beautiful when she came. Ethereal. Glowing. He wanted to continue her pleasure and give her more. Darting his tongue in and out of her wet slit, he made her cry out in delight.

  “Please!” she cried. “Adrian. Need. You.”

  He pulled his mouth from her and smiled at her as he lifted her shirt over her head, exposing her heaving breasts. “And I had no idea you weren’t wearing a bra all day.” He palmed her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs before he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist as he suckled her hardened nubs. Dana clawed at his shirt, needing him to end his delicious torture and inflict some of her own. With one hand, he held her at bay. “This is for all that speeding on the way to Inglewood,” he said before popping her nipple back into his mouth.

  Dana groaned, feeling as if electricity flowed through her veins. Adrian lifted her over his shoulders and carried her to the bed. Once he laid her against the soft comforter, he stripped and smirked at his squirming partner. She opened her arms to him, licking her lips as he slowly crawled up beside her. Rolling over on his back, he held a condom out to her. “I want you to handle me like you handled that Harley. I want your thighs locked around me while you ride me,” he moaned as she opened the condom package and rolled it down his erection. She mounted him, much like she did the motorcycle. Legs opened wide as she guided him to her wet valley. Adrian plunged inside as Dana ground against him slowly. She gripped his shoulders as if they were the handlebars of her Fat Bob while she bounced up and down, head thrown back in ecstasy. He cupped her ass and ran his tongue across her bottom lip.

  “Look at me,” he moaned as he stroked her cheek. She opened her eyes, locking her stare with his intense gaze as they rocked to and fro. Adrian mirrored her movements, tilting his hips, thrusting forward and holding back his urge to climax. As he looked into her eyes, all Adrian could think about was how much he loved this woman, how she challenged everything he’d ever believed in, and how he could not live another day without Dana in his life. He pulled her against his chest, slowing the pace of their lovemaking. He wanted her to savor every moment, wanted to increase her pleasure. He gripped her hips and rolled over so that he was on top of her. “I love you,” he whispered as he pressed deeper into her. “I love you.”

  Dana opened her mouth, wanting to tell him the same thing. But a slow, cold bit of doubt crept up her spine. Did she love him? Without a doubt, but his dark side still left her feeling some kind of way. She covered his mouth with hers, hoping to keep a flood of emotions from spilling out. As she reached her climax, her thoughts of his dark side ebbed for the moment. The man who’d tenderly made love to her just moments ago was the man she truly believed Adrian was.

  “Baby,” he whispered as he held her. “Now, that was a ride I can handle.”

  Dana chuckled and nestled closer to him. “Mmm,” she replied.

  “Mmm what?”

  “I have no words. You have me speechless.”

  “Is that so?” he asked, then kissed her on the forehead. “I guess I deserve a pat on the back, huh?”

  She gave him a soft pat on the shoulder. “There you go. Is that enough of an ego stroke for you?”

  He took her hand and placed it on his growing erection. “I have something for you to stroke,” he quipped.

  “You’re so bad, Mr. Bryant.” She stroked him back and forth until Adrian felt as if he were about to explode. Smiling, he realized that no one could handle his body the way Dana did. She had skillful hands and lips. She put those lips to work as she eased down his body and took his thick shaft into her mouth. Adrian gripped the sheets as her tongue danced up and down his shaft. As she licked and sucked him, Adrian threw his head back, moaning in delight. He watched Dana’s head bob up and down and saw the look of pleasure on her face as she pleased him. Though he wanted to hold back and save his climax for the moment when he was deep inside her wetness, when Dana took him so far down her throat that he cried as if he were a schoolgirl, he released it all.

  Dana looked up at him as she licked his essence from her bottom lip and Adrian moaned again. There was something sexy and wicked about it and he was turned on again—just too spent to do anything about it right then.

  “Damn, baby,” he whispered. “You keep amazing me.”

  Dana grinned. “Is it my turn for a pat on the back and an ego stroke?”

  “If I could move, it certainly would be.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing that I’m nothing like you and I’m good without it,” she quipped. “Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  “Let’s order room service so that we don’t have to leave this bed until it’s time to go to New York.”

  She saw him cringe slightly when she mentioned New York. “What?” Dana asked.

 
“Nothing,” he replied quietly. “Listen, I’m still going but I will never have the same feeling about that city as you do, especially after what my father revealed today.”

  “New York is more than Crawford Hotels,” she said. “I promise you when we get to the city, you and I will have so many other things to do that we won’t even have to think about your family.”

  Adrian sighed. As much as he wished that he didn’t have to think about his family, he couldn’t help but wonder if Elliot was ill. Even though he never knew the man and he was having a hard time considering him his father, he didn’t want the bastard to die. Or did he want to watch him suffer the way his mother had in her final days? Did he need to hear Elliot’s dying declaration as he’d heard his mother’s?

  “What?” she asked, stroking his cheek.

  “I was just thinking about dinner,” he lied.

  Dana shot him a suspicious glance, then narrowed her eyes at him. “So, we’re going to do this—again ?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You lying to me. If there’s something wrong, then you’d better tell me now.”

  “Nothing’s wrong, Dana. Am I apprehensive about going to New York? Yes. But there is nothing for you to worry about.”

  She shook her head. “I swear—”

  “Dana,” he snapped. “Everything is fine.”

  She hopped out of bed, fished the room service menu from the nest of papers on the nightstand, and tossed it at Adrian. He ducked as the binder sailed his way.

  “Hey! What in the hell is wrong with you?”

  “The question is what’s wrong with you because I know you’re lying to me right now. And if you plan on using this trip to New York as another way—”

  Adrian leaped out of bed and gripped Dana’s shoulders. “All right, you want the truth? Something could be wrong with Elliot. And honestly, I don’t know how I feel about it. Part of me hopes he is dying and then that little boy who wanted his father is hurting because he was never given the chance to understand what having a father—even a shitty one—was like.”

  “I’m sorry,” Dana said. “I’m sorry that I—”

  Adrian waved her off. “There’s nothing I can do about it right now and I honestly don’t know if I want to do anything about it at all.”

  “Adrian, you . . . Never mind. You’re going to have to make your own decision about how you deal with your father.”

  “Or, I don’t have to deal with him at all,” he mumbled.

  Dana shrugged and shook her head. “I hate to say this, but that is not an option.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, wanting to say something but holding back because he didn’t want to start an argument. Still, Adrian knew that he had the option of pretending his father didn’t exist, even if it had been his mother’s wish for him to get to know the man. Letting him die—provided that he was sick—would be poetic justice.

  “Adrian,” she said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you apologizing? You’re just being who you are—loving. Looking for the best in everyone and sometimes you just have to realize not everyone has a good side.”

  “Funny, Imani feels the same way about you.”

  Adrian laughed. “I’m not surprised. After all, she wants Hollywood Ken to be your boyfriend.”

  Dana narrowed her eyes at him. “When are you going to let that go? If I wanted Ian Kelly, I’d be with him. But I’m here with you.”

  “And I’m thankful for that. More than you’ll ever realize. Dana, you make me a better man.”

  His words warmed her heart and she almost fell into his arms. “Prove it.”

  “Prove it?”

  “Find out what’s going on with your father.” He shook his head. “Please don’t call him that. And don’t expect me to change in a day. Solomon and I exchanged information. If there’s something wrong with Elliot, I’m sure he’ll contact me.”

  Dana bit her bottom lip, then sighed. She knew she could talk until she was blue in the face, but he was going to have to decide if he wanted a relationship with Elliot. “Let’s order dinner.”

  He stroked her cheek. “You order dinner. I have to get my ticket to the Big Apple.”

  As she picked up the menu, she couldn’t ignore how excited she was about going back to New York and taking Adrian along for the ride.

  Dana may have been dreaming of seeing the Empire State Building while holding hands with Adrian, but he wasn’t sure what he’d expect to find in the city. The city where his mother lost her heart. The one place where he knew his mother wanted to be but couldn’t because Elliot allowed money and his wife to banish her from the city she loved.

  “Is that cool with you?” Dana said, breaking into his thoughts.

  “Yeah, umm, what?”

  “Dinner, I was asking if fish tacos were cool.”

  “That works for me,” he said. “Why don’t we spend our last night in LA by the pool. I bet you have a hell of a two-piece in that suitcase over there.”

  Dana tilted her head and grinned. “Actually, it’s a strapless one piece and it is quite amazing.”

  Adrian glanced down at his watch. “You order the food and I’m going to the shop in the lobby to grab some trunks.”

  “Speedos,” she called out as she dialed room service.

  When Adrian made it downstairs, he pulled his phone out and called Solomon.

  “Solomon Crawford.”

  “Solomon, it’s Adrian.”

  “What’s going on?”

  Adrian sighed, looked over his shoulder as if he was expecting to see someone standing there. He chided himself for being paranoid about doing the right thing. “Have you talked to Richmond about what’s going on with Elliot?”

  “We’re going to talk to him later and ask him what’s going on. I’m surprised you care.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  “Listen, after all of that shit you heard, I can’t blame you if you don’t give a . . . I can’t blame you if you don’t want be bothered with this or us.”

  Adrian saw the opening and part of him—more than fifty percent of him—wanted to take it. “Keep me posted on what’s going on.”

  “All right,” he said.

  Adrian hung up and placed his phone in his pocket, then headed into the gift shop. As he selected a pair of swimming trunks, Adrian promised to focus on his time with Dana and nothing else.

  The knock on the hotel room door came at the same time that her phone rang and Dana was ready to ignore the call because she knew it was her nosy friend. Still, she grabbed the phone as she opened the door for room service. “Imani,” she said as she motioned for the waiter to wheel the cart in. “I can’t talk right now.”

  “It’s Ian, not Imani.”

  “Oh, hi.”

  “I take it this is a bad time. I was calling because the studio wanted to reshoot some shots and I just wanted to be sure that we’re still going to be able to work together.”

  “Ian, what are you talking about? We just reshot those photos and I thought you were off to your program?”

  “Yeah, we did shoot those photos. I don’t know where my head is.”

  “Ian, have you been drinking?”

  He laughed. “One last hurrah. I was hoping that, uh, I could see you and maybe we could—”

  “Ian, where are you?”

  “At The Standard. I needed to get away and think.”

  “Are you all right?” she asked.

  “No. I’m a damned Hollywood cliché,” he bemoaned. “It makes no sense that I have all of this success, but I can’t trust anyone to share it with me. Do you know how lonely I am?”

  “Ian.” Dana felt sorry for him, but she knew there was nothing she could do for him.

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “I don’t know why I’m laying this on you. I’m sorry I bothered you.”

  Dana could hear ice tinkling in a glass as Ian sighed. “You need to put the alcohol down,” she said, knowing it would fall on deaf ea
rs.

  “Can I put this drink down and hold you?”

  He sounded so pitiful and dejected. Dana’s heart broke for him and wondered if his life might be in danger.

  “What would that really change? Why don’t you put the drink down and go to the center. You have too much to lose by climbing into that bottle.”

  She heard heavy breathing and wondered if Ian had passed out; then he said, “Will you still be my cheerleader?”

  “Yes.”

  “The next time you hear from me, I’ll be sober,” he said.

  “I look forward to that, Ian,” she said as she locked eyes with Adrian. “Look, Ian, I have to go. Are you going to be all right?”

  “Yes,” he said. “Dana. Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. But, please, call me when you get settled.”

  “All right.”

  Adrian shook his head as Dana ended the call. “Hollywood Ken. Should I be worried?”

  “I need you to let it go. Show me the shorts,” she quipped.

  He opened the plastic bag and pulled out a pair of powder-blue swim trunks. “Your turn,” he said.

  “Pack up the food and I’ll get changed.” Adrian walked into the room and closed the door. He pulled Dana into his arms and kissed her hard and deep. Her knees shuddered and she gripped his back. Pulling back from her, Adrian smiled.

  “Whoa,” she said. “What was that for?”

  “Because, just because.” He stroked her cheek. “I talked to Solomon while I was at the hotel shop.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “I wanted to know if he had an idea of what’s going on with Elliot and he doesn’t know. When we get to New York, I don’t want to be bothered with them. I want to focus on you. Find out what my baby does in the Big Apple.”

  She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Though she wanted to ask him if he would get over this animosity and try to find peace, Dana just turned toward the closet. “Let me get my suit.”

  He tugged at her waist. “Go on and say what’s on your mind.”

  “I don’t have anything to say,” she replied. “But I need you to really think about how you’re going to deal with your family going forward.”