Heavenly Match

by Niobia Bryant

  Anika’s face was incredulous. “Scared of what?”

  “Me.”

  Deshawn leaned back against the door, one hand still clutching the two ends of the sheet together . . . barely. A glimpse of his muscled and hairy thigh peeked through the break in the material.

  “There are only two things I fear,” Anika told him with confidence. “Death and dying.”

  “Prove it,” Deshawn said smugly, daring the bold woman who stood before him. “You’re afraid to be around me because you know you want me.”

  Anika was very confident, and coming face-to-face with someone as self-assured as herself was a little disconcerting. She wanted to prove him wrong. “I don’t want you, nor will I ever want you,” she as­serted, her eyes locking with his.

  “Prove it,” he stated again with emphasis, pushing off the door to stand tall, erect, and vibrant before her.

  A lesser woman than herself would’ve been overwhelmed by his masculine presence. Instead Anika flung back her robe to place her hands on her satin-covered hips. No, she wasn’t intimidated by his sexual appeal, because she had plenty of it herself. “How?” she asked defiantly, with her head cocked to the side as she met his stare.

  “Let me kiss you.”

  It wasn’t in the least what Anika had expected, but it didn’t surprise her. “And what is that supposed to prove?”

  “Let me kiss you and it will be quite evident.” Deshawn took a small but bold step closer to her. He was impressed when she didn’t back down. “So what’s up, Anika?”

  “Tongue?” she asked boldly, hardly believing that she was even considering this.

  Deshawn smiled, his teeth perfectly even and white against his bronzed good looks. “Plenty,” he countered with emphasis.

  Anika made a face of distaste, then said, “Go for what you know.”

  She didn’t flinch at all when he let the sheet drop from his hand to a white puddle on the floor around his bare feet. She stood stiff as he raised his hands to cup her round, beautiful face warmly. As he lowered his face to hers, her eyes remained open. And she did not react at all when he hotly licked the outline of her supple lips and bestowed tender, small kisses upon them. The feel of his tongue pressing through her lips to tango with her own caused not one eyelash to blink. And when he pressed his lengthy erection against her flat stomach Anika stood unmoved and unresponsive.

  Deshawn ended it with one last kiss full on her lips, enjoying the sweetness he discovered there. His own breathing was ragged as he looked down at her nonchalant expression. Not one show of desire from her. Meanwhile he was standing there like a teenage virgin, ready to spill his seed from a one-sided kiss.

  Anika crossed her arms over her chest, the look in her eyes mocking and defiant. Her expression said, So there.

  Deshawn nodded slowly, contemplative, before saying, “I’m going to love sexing the hell out of you.”

  Naked as the day he was born, he walked the short distance to his own bedroom, leaving his sheet be­hind. Anika bent and picked it up, finding it heavy with his scent. She forced herself not to take a peek at his sculptured backside and quickly stepped into her own room.

  As soon as the door swung closed, Anika slumped heavily against it, allowing her ragged breathing to echo heavily in the quiet of the room. Her knees quivered, her heart hammered, her undergarments were damp against her swollen core.

  Deshawn’s libidinous kiss had sent a hot rush of desire through her that she likened to mercury ris­ing in a thermometer. Her nipples had hardened from the very first feel of his lips on hers until she had to cross her arms over the tight buds to hide the fact from his watchful eyes. It took every bit of her self-control not to respond amorously. So very easily she could have flung her arms around his strong neck and pulled him on top of her right on that floor and welcomed his lengthy hardness.

  So very, very easy.

  “Lawd, quit,” she whispered into the cool darkness, her eyes pressed closed as she waited for her vitals to return to normal. “Deshawn Jamison is not the man I’m looking for.”

  Chapter 4

  Keep Your Head

  Anika was the last of the four inhabitants of the luxury apartment to come to breakfast the next morning. It was the long bath she took and the phone calls she made to The Haven that delayed her. There had been another admission last night. A married woman had arrived in a taxicab around 1 a.m. in a torn nightgown.

  It had not shocked Anika when Monique told her that the forty-five-year-old woman was the vice president of a well-known Madison Avenue advertising firm. Domestic violence crossed all racial, cultural, and socioeconomic lines.

  It seemed the woman’s husband had attacked her during a drunken rage, sexually assaulted her, and then taken her wallet and keys, after unplugging all the phones. When he finally fell into a drunken stupor, she snuck out of their two-story, five-bedroom house, offering the first cabdriver who would stop a gold bracelet as payment to bring her to The Haven.

  Monique had already contacted the authorities and placed her in one of the apartments for the night. She would be able to get funds from her bank first thing this morning and hopefully move on with her life with some degree of normalcy.

  Currently, all but one of the apartments at The Haven was occupied. Anika made a mental note to talk to Chloe about more funding to expand the temporary living areas of the shelter. There was a need to be met. ‘No woman should live in fear in her own home,’ she thought, as she neared the kitchen.

  Her expression was clearly troubled when she joined Chloe, Devon, and Deshawn. Three sets of eyes looked up at her.

  One filled with sisterly love.

  One filled with welcome.

  One blatantly provocative, with simmering depths.

  Anika ignored the last. “Mornin’, Chloe. Devon. Oh, and you too, Deshawn,” she said, as if resigned to a fate worse than death to even address him.

  “Good mornin’ to you too,” he said, before rising in his pajama bottoms, his muscled chest all exposed and looking good.

  Deshawn held out a chair for her. Anika eyed it and then him warily before sliding onto the seat. “Thanks,” she said reluctantly, hating the instant memory of him kissing her so provocatively last night.

  “Anything for you, gorgeous,” Deshawn said, his voice deep as he moved his hands to massage her rounded shoulders in a circular motion quickly.

  His touch instantly made her nipples swell and harden. She was grateful for the oversized T-shirt she wore because it concealed her instantaneous reaction.

  Devon and his wife looked on in amusement. “You hungry?” Chloe asked, already moving to rise.

  Anika waved her back down. “No, no, sit, Chloe. I don’t have much of an appetite anyway. I’ll just have a glass of this juice here.”

  “Something wrong?”

  Anika took a large gulp of the fresh-squeezed OJ, feeling Deshawn’s hawkish eyes on her. She fidgeted nervously before speaking. “It’s concerning The Haven. We’ll talk later, okay?”

  Chloe, a friend of this woman for more than twenty years, knew when to press an issue with Anika and when to let one slide. She did the latter. “No problem.”

  The men exchanged a look, both knowing the women didn’t finish their conversation because of their presence. Deshawn saw the strained lines around Anika’s luscious, full mouth. A desire to kiss away those lines filled him swiftly.

  Anika felt a warm, muscular thigh press against hers. She looked up in surprise at Deshawn. He winked at her and Anika rolled her eyes. This only caused him to laugh low in his throat.

  “So . . . what’s on the agenda for today?” Deshawn asked.

  “Devon’s going with me to do an interview this morning,” Chloe offered. “You’re both welcome to tag along. We can all go to lunch afterward.” Deshawn’s and Anika’s faces filled with distaste. Chloe laughed at them. “What?”

  “Is Wesley going to be there?” Anika asked, already knowing the answer. “Because that’s the on
ly way I’ll sit around a TV station all morning.”

  Deshawn eyed Anika. “Wesley who?” he asked abruptly, spotting some competition.

  “Wesley Snipes,” Chloe offered, when it was obvious Anika had every intention of ignoring him and his question.

  Deshawn stretched his long, muscular arms above his head, his handsome face filled with disbelief. “You stalking some celebrity who doesn’t even know you from a can of paint when there’s a real, live man right here for you?” he asked, patting the hard contours of his bared chest.

  Anika leaned in close to him. “For your info, I have met him and you are not the man to top Wesley in my book, baby!”

  Deshawn leaned over, his mouth just inches from hers. “Try me,” he told her, his eyes looking down at her luscious mouth.

  Their eyes locked and both thought of the kiss they had shared just last night. His dare. Her accep­tance. Their electricity.

  Anika hated to be the first one to break the intense stare, but she did as she stood from the table. “Thanks for the offer, Chloe, but I’m going shopping. Saks is having a sale, so you know I got work to do.”

  “Mind if I tag along?” Deshawn asked.

  At her obvious hesitation, he held up both of his hands. “Dev and Chloe will verify that I came to this big city to shop. Since they’re too busy to show me around today, I can just catch a ride with you—”

  “And aggravate my nerves?” Anika interrupted.

  “Once we get to the store we can go our separate ways and just plan to meet later.”

  Anika was uncertain and it showed.

  “I’ll be on my best behavior . . . Scout’s honor,” Deshawn said, with a feigned innocent look.

  Anika still wasn’t buying it.

  “For me, Anika?” Chloe asked, her voice of reason entering their verbal struggle. “I’ll feel awful if he’s stuck around the apartment all day by himself.”

  Anika wished she could make her best friend understand that after the rather revealing kiss he had bestowed upon her last night, asking her to be in his company was dangerous. She didn’t know how much longer she could resist his charms.

  She released a deep breath that she didn’t realize she was holding. Deshawn smiled at her. Her heart skipped a beat. “Be ready in an hour,” she ordered firmly, before turning to leave the kitchen. “Chloe, you owe me . . . big time.”

  Chloe bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling.

  In one hour everyone left the building together. Chloe and Devon climbed into their waiting limousine. Anika and Deshawn got into the back of a yellow taxi and headed for Fifth Avenue. She would have driven but she hated maneuvering in New York traffic unless it was absolutely necessary.

  “You look beautiful, Anika.”

  His words whispered against her cheek, as he leaned over close to her. Anika warmed from head to toe at the compliment and his closeness, but was glad it didn’t show. Girl, this man is a playa, don’t you fall for his mess, she told herself, fighting the devastating combination of his presence, his looks, his words, and his heady scent all in the small confines of the taxi. She nodded her thanks stiffly, clutching the short Nija fur she carried on her arm closer to her chest.

  It was a truthful compliment because she did look beautiful in the mahogany cashmere cowl-neck sweater she wore with black suede pants and boots. Everything about her—her cinnamon skin, her voluptuous shape, and her open-faced beauty— made a very simple outfit radiant.

  Deshawn watched Anika for a long time, ignoring his first close-up view of the city that never sleeps. He feasted on her beauty, intrigued by her attitude and style, as he tried to think of something that would stir a conversation out of her. Today was a perfect chance for him to make some headway with her if she was going to be in his bed before the end of the week.

  “Do you know what your problem is?” Deshawn asked, his deep voice echoing in the small space they shared, as his eyes flickered over every aspect of her face, including that tempting mole just below her lips.

  Anika glanced over at him sharply. “Do you know that I don’t care what you think my problem is?”

  “You’re a beautiful woman who can’t take a compliment,” Deshawn continued, totally ignoring her sarcastic reply. “Haven’t these city boys ever told you just how tempting you are?”

  She turned on the cracked leather seat to face him. “I don’t need another man to tell me I’m beau­tiful, Deshawn. Plenty of men, too numerous to count, have told me I’m beautiful. Some were sin­cere. Some were not.”

  Anika reached up to lightly caress his hard jawline with a smooth finger. “Your problem is that I won’t fall for the line some wannabe playa is trying to feed me. Your problem is that you hate it that I’m too smart to believe a horny adolescent trapped in a man’s body when he uses compliments to get into a woman’s bed. Your problem is you want me—”

  “Oh ... I want you,” he countered with sincerity.

  “And I don’t want you,” she said, tapping her finger against his smooth cheek as she spoke, her voice husky and soft.

  “And I’m going to have you.”

  Quickly he moved his head a little to the right and caught her finger in his mouth, deeply sucking it twice before she could even react and snatch it away.

  Anika’s nipples hardened into buds, aching against the now tight confines of her lacy brassiere. Not wanting to show how much he affected her, she feigned an exasperated sigh, just as the car jerked to a halt in front of Saks. She stepped out, pulling on her fur, and leaving Deshawn to pay the fare.

  The winter winds were vicious as they whipped around her. The full sun offered no reprieve; it was as useless for heat as a lit match in a rainstorm.

  “You are too pretty a woman to be kept waiting.”

  Anika turned and looked at the face matching that incredibly masculine voice. He was a distinguished older gentleman with salt-and-pepper hair and a handsome square face. Anika smiled coyly up at him.

  Before she could open her mouth, Deshawn stepped close to her, slipping his arm around her waist as he kissed her cheek warmly. “Ready, baby?” he said with emphasis, eyeing the stranger.

  The man immediately got the hint and walked away with a brief “Good afternoon to you both.”

  Anika snatched herself out of his embrace. “Will you leave me the hell alone? Now he thinks we’re a couple.”

  “Don’t you know old men can give you worms?” he asked, squinting against the sun and wind.

  “What?” she exclaimed in disbelief. “Please hush, Deshawn.”

  Deshawn shrugged, as he held open the heavy glass door for her. “Ladies first.”

  “Where do you want to meet up?” he asked, once they entered the building together.

  Anika didn’t break her stride. “Right here. Three hours,” she said over her shoulder, before disappearing from his sight.

  ∞

  “Can I help you with anything?”

  Deshawn turned away from looking at a pair of shoes. The salesgirl smiled at him with obvious invitation. She was a cocoa-brown beauty with a petite, yet shapely frame. “And what would you like to help me with?” he asked, turning fully to face her and read her name tag. “Olivia?”

  She reached next to the register for paper and a pen. “Why don’t you call me and I’ll tell you exactly what I can do for you?”

  Deshawn smiled broadly as he took the paper from her outstretched hands. He looked down at the name and number quickly. “Not shy, are you?” he teased.

  “Not a damn bit. So, what’s your name?”

  “Deshawn.”

  “Anyone ever told you that you have bedroom eyes, Deshawn?”

  “A few times.”

  “Anyone ever told you that you’re sexy?”

  He nodded slowly. “A couple of times.”

  “You make sure and call. I have a lot more to tell you.”

  As soon as she sauntered away, Deshawn allowed himself to enjoy the view of her backside in the slacks she
wore, even as he balled up the slip of paper in his hand. Almost immediately, he forgot her. There was only one woman on his mind right now. As sexy as she was, the little saleswoman had nothing on Anika.

  Deshawn gathered his shopping bags from the chair where he had left them. A glance at his watch showed him that he had just half an hour until he and Anika were to meet. He had already decided to invite her to lunch afterward, knowing she probably wouldn’t accept.

  As Deshawn stepped onto the descending escalator, he decided to seek her out early, in case she was ready as well. Halfway down to the next level he spotted Anika. Her head was bent over a marble table covered with delicate lacy lingerie. He stepped off the escalator, his eyes on her as she moved under the bright fluorescent lights to a long lavender sheer nightgown with delicate straps.

  First Anika walked past it, browsing, then she returned to it. Her hand rose to touch the smooth shimmering silk. She looked down at the discreetly placed price tag and shook her head in obvious surprise.

  Deshawn wouldn’t doubt if it was priced in the hundreds. It was a remarkable garment with plum lace overlaying the cups and thigh-high slits on both sides. And it would be even more alluring on her curvaceous frame. Clearly, he pictured her sprawled across his king-sized bed in that lacy piece, her arms and legs opened as she begged him to make love to her. The erotic vision caused his loins to tighten and Deshawn found he had to shake his leg to keep his member from hardening further.

  He approached her slowly, holding his bags in front of him, as she picked up the padded hanger and held the gown in front of her before a full-length mirror. By the time he reached Anika, she had let go of the fantasy and replaced the silk creation on the rack with obvious regret.

  “Anika?”

  She turned to face him in surprise. “Has it been three hours already?” she asked, glancing down at her gold watch.

  “I finished a little early and took a chance that you were done too.”

  “As a matter of fact, I am,” Anika told him, eyeing the many shopping bags he carried in one hand easily. “Did you find everything you were looking for?”