The garage door slowly ascended, revealing his array of two-wheeled beauties.
“Holy shit!”
This time, he didn’t stop her when she tried to escape the confines of the car.
She rushed into the three-car garage, letting out a squeal of excitement. “Raven… wow!” Transfixed, she slowly strolled throughout the garage, eyeballing his six shiny motorcycles. “You’re flexin’ like a muthafucka, yeah?”
“Maybe just a little bit.” He took his time getting out of the car, his gaze roaming over her.
Her blouse hung loosely over her full breasts, giving him a teasing view of her alluring neckline and shoulders. The creamy color contrasted beautifully with her chestnut skin tone. A pair of fitted jeans lay over her bold curves and plump backside. The heeled boots she wore added contour to her calves and thighs, the same thighs he wanted to slide in between and never leave. Fuuuck! How was he going to maintain his composure around this woman when he wanted her so badly?
She beamed at him as she moved further into the garage. “I guess business has been good.”
“As long as gamers exist, business will always good.”
“Look at you, big money.” She inspected each vehicle, running her fingers along the metal. “Two muscles, two cruisers and a speedster. You even hung onto the Ducati. I think you’re all set.”
“Not quite. Still gotta get a hog.”
“Nah, you not a ‘hog’ type of guy.”
He sauntered closer to her and delicately brushed his fingertips along her shoulder line. A visible shudder darted down her body. “And how would you know?”
She faced him, with pleading rapture in her eyes. “‘Cause I know you,” she breathed out on a whisper, her chest rapidly rising and falling.
He took a step closer. “I don’t think you do. Care to prove it?”
“Raven,” she breathed out, taking a shaky step back from him.
“Yes, Nat?” He helplessly closed in the distance she’d made.
“Where’s my bike?”
“You mean you haven’t noticed your NightOwl yet?” He took her by the hand and led her to the far end of the garage. Slipping behind her, he positioned her in front of the sportster she fell in love with two years ago.
She gasped. “Oh my God—what?”
“Figured while I was fixing the clutches and tuning her up, might as well give ‘ole girl a makeover.”
When he first bought her this bike, it was a red and black beauty. Now she was a stunner, outfitted in a sparkling maroon tone, and trimmed in neon pink and silver—Naturi’s favorite colors. Along the fuel tank, he painted a white owl in flight. Pink accented its wings as they spread out over the base.
“She looks like a completely different bike.”
“Yeah, but she’s still your first baby. I wanted to just get you a new bike, but I know you’re attached to her, so…” He moved from behind her and found the key in the glass box. With the key sitting on his palm, he held his hand out to her. “Go ‘head. Make her purr.”
When she swung her leg over the seat and straddled the metal monster, his whole body hardened. Arching her back, she grabbed the handles and grinned.
It was difficult not to imagine the naughty things he could do to her while she was in that position. It was difficult not to want her, not to give her every bit of himself. He wanted to throw his inhibitions to the wind and take her right fucking now!
Raven slipped his jacket on, grabbed his helmet and gloves, along with the helmet he’d painted to match her bike. It too carried the design of a white owl.
“Still pissed about the hotel situation?” he asked, handing her the headgear.
Looking it over, she grinned like a little girl with a new toy. “I’m close to forgiving you.”
“Oh good, because being in the dog house in my own house would kinda suck.” He straddled his V-Rod Starship and cranked the engine.
“Speaking of the house…” she shouted over his bike’s growl. “If the rest of the house is anything like this decked out garage, I’m in for a treat.”
“Sounds like you have a choice to make, m’dear.” He pulled his leather gloves on, spreading his fingers as he did so. “I can either show you around my house, or we can ride.”
Smashing her curly afro down, she donned the helmet and flipped the sun visor over her smiling eyes. “Bitch, please. You already know.” She flipped the kickstand up with her heel, revved the engine then shot down the driveway, leaving delirious laughter in her wake.
Nibbling on his lower lip, Raven smiled. “That’s my girl.” Not wasting another second, he dashed after her.
Chapter 7
Anxiousness
A gorgeous, lavender haze reached across the sky as they cruised down the highway. They took to the back streets, slicing through the wind, leaving the growl of their engines in their wake.
Raven zipped past her and took the lead. With two fingers, he motioned toward a winding road that was poorly lit, a path she’d never taken before.
Any other night, Naturi would avoid that kind of creepy looking road, but with Raven in the lead, she’d ride anywhere.
Naturi kept up with him along the steep curves and hilly terrain. Before, it was difficult to stay in pace without the fear of skidding out. That wasn’t the case now. She could control the sway of the bike on the bends and turns. Not sure what he did to it, but somehow her NightOwl seemed easier to maneuver.
Elation raced through her. For months, she’d been dying to feel the rumble of her bike between her legs again. Without Raven, she wouldn’t know what it felt like to be this free. Without him, she wouldn’t know what it felt like to love life. He completed her. That’s why it was too damn hard to walk away from him back then. At the time, she was neck-deep in a relationship with Luca and they were going strong. Or at least that’s what she thought. Nevertheless, she was devoted to Luca. But when Raven came around, he made her feel things she shouldn’t have felt for another man.
From day one, Raven was in her system. What bothered her the most about that was, he had that effect on everyone he came in contact with. She witnessed other people flock to him like he was a divine being. It made her feel insignificant, like she was just one of many trying to get a piece of the Raven pie. But when they were together like this, he made her feel like she was the only girl in his life.
They came to a peak where he brought their cruise to a stop.
In the distance, the lights of a dirt bike park flickered on, illuminating the area. To the far right, a lake glimmered under the setting sun. People gathered around, lighting fire pits and pitching tents. Trucks pulled in, toting large speakers and big coolers. The rave was about to jump off.
Mounted on her ride, she smiled, basking in the rising night. She glanced over at Raven and caught him watching her. “What?”
“How are your hands?” He dismounted his metal stallion just as gracefully as he mounted it back at the house.
Rubbing her hands together, she huffed her hot breath on them. “Freezing.”
He removed his gloves with his teeth. “You forget something?”
For a second, she was mesmerized by his approach. Ugh, why does everything he do come off so damn sexy? “I was anxious to ride.”
“Clearly.” He slapped his gloves on the tail of her bike then took her hands in his. Gently, he slid the rings off her fingers and secured them in his pocket. “You’re still taking those curves like a mad woman.”
“Again, anxious.”
“Anxiousness could get you killed.” Eyes locked on her, he masterfully massaged her hands, starting at the heel of her palms then moving to the tips of her fingers.
“Uh-huh.” Though his touch didn’t venture past her wrists, it felt like he was caressing her all over.
“Feel better?”
“Much,” she damn near moaned.
“You gotta throttle back, Nat. Ride the bike, don’t let the bike ride you.”
“Yes, Sensei,” she groan
ed, rolling her eyes. Granted, it took her a minute to get back into the groove when they got on the road. But she thought she handled herself well. Especially considering she hadn’t ridden in months.
Gaze hardening, he stopped his sensual massage and pinched the tip of her chin. He tilted her head back and brought his face close to hers. “I’m serious, Naturi.”
“I hear you, Raven,” she said on a breathy whisper. “Loud and clear.”
His eyes softened. “I would die if I lost you on the path I led you down. Taking a curve at the wrong speed could kill you. Be more careful. Remember what I taught you.”
“Mm-hm,” she hummed.
He remained close, his face hovering over hers.
Her lips tingled at the thought of kissing him again, a sensation that was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
A glaze of lust veiled his hypnotizing light brown eyes. His lips parted just slightly, then suddenly, he stepped away. He retrieved her gloves from his jacket pocket and handed them to her. “Try not to forget them next time.”
Utterly flustered, she heaved out a sigh and dismounted her bike. “Uhm, this is long overdue, but, thank you.”
“For what?” He took off his jacket, laid it over his bike, then went to the edge of the peak and peered over.
She helplessly gawked at his chiseled backside. “For being there for me at the funeral. For—for everything! I can’t believe I’m just now saying thank you. So much happened…”
Three months ago, her father, Lester, had a stroke. The doctors said it should’ve taken him out, but that stubborn bastard didn’t want to die. Before his stroke, he was being cared for by a caretaker—one that turned out to be lazy as hell. When Naturi found out about the lack of attention her father was getting from said caretaker, she fired her. She then put her life on pause and went out to Florida to take care of him herself. It was a hard decision to make, not mention a frustrating one. She had three brothers who lived in Florida, who could’ve been more attentive to their father in his time of need. Apparently, their lives were much more important than hers. Even the white woman he left her mother for didn’t want to deal with him. The second he became disabled, she was out the door. No surprise there.
Naturi left her job, her friends, her life behind just to take care of that man—a man she didn’t even like. All while putting up with his grumbling complaints and long days of depression, she helped him through physical therapy. The day he got his left side to function again, he suffered another stroke, a massive one this time. That one took him out.
She didn’t cry, didn’t shed one tear. Though she never said it aloud, she was glad he was finally gone, hopefully at peace even though he was a piece of shit for a father and husband. Little did she know, even after his death, he would still stress her the fuck out.
Of all the people she left behind in Georgia, she missed Raven the most. They talked almost every day, but it wasn’t like being with him. She hadn’t asked him to join her in Florida while she made funeral arrangements, because she knew her judgmental family wouldn’t know how to accept him. But he showed up anyway. When he did, the emotions she’d been suppressing came surging forward. What happened after that brought them closer, and shortly after, tore them apart. Now here they were, kinda on and kinda off, dangling between the past and the present.
“Rave, we should talk about what hap—”
“No, we shouldn’t,” he interjected, his back still to her, his head tilted downward. “Don’t mention it again.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
Taken aback, she approached him and slapped her hands on her hips. “‘Scuse me, negro?”
“I said what I said,” he shot back, tossing a smirk over his shoulder.
Irritation slammed into her. This man… I swear… “If you don’t turn your ass around and talk to me, I’mma push you off this cliff.”
“No, you won’t.” He crooked two fingers at her, beckoning her over. “Come look at this.”
She eased over to stand at his side and looked down to see what had him so transfixed. “Oh wow.” Her body hardened and the muscles between her legs drew tight. “So, it’s that kinda party, huh?”
Many feet below, where the terrain met the rocky wall was a sexing couple. The dude had the woman facing the rough surface. Her hands were thrust outward, palms flat against the cliff. Her back was arched, and her legs were spread. The top of her jeans was folded down, just above her thighs, exposing her ass. Pants pooled around his feet, the man plowed into her mercilessly, going in balls deep with every inward stroke. The woman’s breathy moans soared upwards. Periodically, the guy peered over his shoulder, seeming afraid to get caught.
Although the scene below was more interesting than anything else going on around there, Raven’s eyes were fixed on her. Without looking his way, she could feel the heat of his gaze.
“This is kinda rude,” she muttered.
“How so? They’re doing it in public.”
“But they’re off in the cut, away from prying eyes, or so they think.”
“Doesn’t matter. That’s automatic permission to watch. What do you see there?” he asked, a hint of silkiness in his voice.
“Besides two people fuckin’? Uhm, let’s see… This looks like a cut and dry case of a guy who wanted to screw his girl’s best friend.”
Raven might not have noticed. But there was a girl walking along the shoreline, her neck craned, her head swiveling back and forth. Bet any amount of money she was searching for that girl or that guy, or maybe both of them.
“He saw the opportunity and took it.”
“That’s what you see?” His hot gaze was still on her. “Could be a man in love. Could be a man who has been pushed to the edge of his patience. He has wanted this woman for years, and the second she gave him a hint that there was a possibility he could be with her, he dived in headfirst.”
“Yeah, headfirst for damn sure. And now he’s an unrestrained rabbit fuckin’ the hell outta her in public. That’s love for ya.”
Raven threw his head back and laughed as he stepped back from the cliff and headed for his bike.
She followed him, eyeing the back of his head as she did so. “This weaving and ducking… This isn’t how we do things, Raven.”
He sighed. “I don’t know why, but I’m craving Middle Eastern cuisine.”
Yet another pivot. This man was content on dodging the issue at hand. “Really? You’re gonna do me like that?”
“Like that?” He slipped his jacket back on as he turned to face her. “No, I would be way gentler… and slower,” he finished with a wink. “I would take my time with you. There’s no need to rush. If you haven’t noticed yet, I’m a patient man.”
And just like that, her mind went straight to the bedroom. All the sexual things she saw herself do to him in her dreams burst to the forefront of her thoughts. He knew all it took was a mention and she would fall quiet, immersed in her erotic thoughts.
But not this time! “A’ight, Pivot King, stop using flirtation to swerve around the elephant in the road.”
He quirked a brow. “You think I’m just flirting?”
She leveled a finger at him. “I said stop it!”
Rolling his eyes, he let his head fall back and huffed out a groan-filled sigh. “Nat, c’mon…”
“No, you c’mon.”
Raven released a gruff chuckle, but it wasn’t so much in amusement.
He fell silent and just shook his head. Without uttering a word, he mouthed, ‘Let it go.’
But she couldn’t, for the life of her, let it go. She needed this; they both did. Why can’t he see that? “I don’t like how we left things. I don’t like… what I said…” Emotion cracked her voice. “Okay, let’s do this. If you can look me in my eyes and tell me that you don’t think about the terrible things I said to you that night, then I’ll let it go.”
Saying nothing, he just stared at her.
Lips tight, she nodded. �
��Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
Suddenly, he stepped to her and clasped the sides of her face between his palms. “Naturi—baby, listen. I’m not ready…” His words faded. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. He wet his lips with the swift swipe of his tongue. “I’m delaying the inevitable… I know. We’re broken. I know that too. For now, I want you to live in this moment with me, without the past or the outside world intruding.” Leaning in, he rubbed the tip of his nose across hers. “Just me and you. Can you do that for me?”
Oh Gawd! She wanted to kiss him so fuckin’ badly! Every inch of her body told her to do it, to give in, but as always, she resisted, because kissing him wouldn’t eliminate the invisible barrier standing between them. It would just make things more complicated. Ugh, why is this so fuckin’ hard!
“You look tired.”
Yeah, she was tired. She was a lot of things. A tightness grew in her heart. The need to cry crept up on her. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t find her voice. The things she wanted to say apparently weren’t up for discussion, so why say anything at all?
Sadness veiled his gaze. He took her hand, brought it up to his mouth, and pressed his lips to the back of it. “Let’s head back.”
Chapter 8
Past Shit
A warm illumination spread over the room, chasing the darkness away.
The light beamed in behind her eyelids. Squeezing her eyes shut to keep the day at bay, Naturi burrowed deeper beneath the silky sheets and turned on her side. But that didn’t shield her from the invading daylight. She breathed out a sigh as she slowly opened her eyes and peeked from beneath the sheet.
One side of the lavish room looked back at her, reminding her of where she was. Raven’s house. A smile touched her lips as she buried her face into the pillow.
Last night when they returned from riding, he took her on a brief tour. The eight-bedroom house was spacious, so big it was built with an indoor, glass bridge that connected the east and west wings. On the second level, the walkway stretched across and above the large living room, adding an edgy flair to the contemporary styled home. The house was built with two stairways. One set of suspended steel treads with timber inlays extended from the wall, near the foyer. Another set resided on the other side of the house, near the living room. Stairs without railings freaked her out, but it seemed to be one of the defining features of the design. Windows dominated the structure, allowing the light to shine inside. It was newly renovated, which was why it still smelled of plywood and paint. No doubt it was an impressive abode, but it was a lot of space for one man.
Raven's Seduction Page 5
