by Nikki Winter
“You can be such an asshole.”
“I know but that’s beside the point.”
“I think we lost the point five minutes ago when you talked about my lack of sanity.”
Lalani nodded. “Yes, now I’m going to clue you in on something that you probably haven’t considered as of yet because you have these Forest Gump moments sometimes and I have to reel you back in.”
Aiyanna opened her mouth and Lalani held up a hand. “You mention shrimp and that’s your ass, King.”
She clamped her mouth shut and sat back with a sigh. Waving a hand she went, “Okay, clue me in on yourself proclaimed wisdom.”
“Have you ever stopped to think that Julian is holding off on the bed charades because he doesn’t want you to think that all he wants from you is sex?”
“I don’t know what’s scarier; the fact that what you just said made sense or the fact that what you just said made sense.”
“Those facts were the same thing.”
Aiyanna nodded. “Yeah, I know. Either way I’m fucked if suddenly out of the twenty years that I’ve known you, this is the first time something you said actually makes me believe you do have some logic.”
“Fuck you.”
“Julian’s job,” Aiyanna sang.
“Not if he doesn’t stop with his sudden vow of celibacy,” Lalani sang back.
“Facts and examples, Lalani. I asked you for neither.” Despite her teasing, what her friend suggested actually had some merit. She’d been hurt yesterday when Julian had pulled back so quickly but now it was a little bit clearer. He’d been more than ready to take her, Aiyanna had seen it in his eyes yet he’d stopped. Why? Because when they’d first met she told him that she wasn’t interested in being a playmate. Now what?
She was horny and didn’t exactly know how to ask for what she wanted. Playing games was never really something that interested her and she couldn’t exactly grab his dick and make demands. Could she?
Aiyanna shook the thought away. No, no, no, she’d be normal. The question was, what did that mean exactly?
“Hey, you wanna stop your mental conversation and answer your phone before I throw it across the room? The buzzing is getting on my nerves.”
Aiyanna snapped out of her thoughts and grabbed her cell. “That’s the four beers you had, not my phone that’s giving you a buzz.”
Lalani scowled and she stuck out her tongue before looking down at her cell. “Oh shit, it’s Julian.”
“Don’t sit there looking stupid, answer it!”
“What do I say?”
“Just be cool and aloof.”
“Oh yeah, because I’m really great at both of those. Remember ninth grade when Tommy Wilkins tried to ask me out and you gave me the same advice?”
Lalani winced. “He really was never the same after you accidentally knocked him into the home economics stove. Although, I heard he did go on to become a firefighter.”
Aiyanna went to reply when she realized her phone had stopped ringing.
“See? I told you to answer it!”
“Don’t yell at me and uh-oh it’s ringing again.”
“Answer it!”
“Stop yelling!”
“Aiyanna Jordyn so help me God...”
“Okay, okay.” She finally hit the button to answer it. “Hello?”
Lalani fell out giggling at her impression of “cool and aloof.” Aiyanna kicked her.
“I want to take you to dinner tonight.” There wasn’t the slightest hint of hesitation in Julian’s smooth voice.
Aiyanna bit her lip and waved a hand at Lalani who had apparently heard him and kept mouthing, “Say yes!”
“I don’t know, Julian. I’m kind of busy today.”
“No she’s not!” Lalani shouted.
Taking both sock clad feet, Aiyanna managed to push her friend all the way off the sectional.
“Ow, you bitch!”
Julian’s chuckle came in clear. “Busy committing acts of violence against your partner in crime?”
Her lips twitched. “Maybe.”
“Have dinner with me? Please? I was an ass yesterday.”
Leaning back on the couch, she shook her head but realized he couldn’t see her. “No, you weren’t. I think I understand why you did it.”
There was a pause. “You shouldn’t ever doubt how much I want you, Hermosa. I just didn’t want to push you.”
“I wasn’t exactly fighting you off, Julian.”
Lalani’s head popped up long enough for her to make kissing noises. Aiyanna’s foot swung but Lalani ducked. “Ah-ha!” That’s when Aiyanna threw a pillow and knocked her back down.
“I hate you!”
Julian was full on laughing now, the deep sound making Aiyanna smile. “Are you enjoying my torment Mr. Almanza?”
“If I say no will you finally put me out of my misery and agree to dinner?”
“Maybe.”
Somehow Lalani was fast enough to snatch the phone out of her hands and being that she was only a size smaller than Aiyanna, she held her own when Aiyanna tried to wrestle it back from her. “Hello? Julian. Hi! Yes, I’m surviving her cruel abuse. I know! She’s so mean to me. Tell you what, I’ll have her ready by eight. Is that okay? Ah, great. I’ll even make sure she has on no panties.”
“Well Julian, if you even make it to the restaurant to kill male gawking onlookers after realizing she’s not wearing any, you’re doing something wrong my friend. Okay, eight. Don’t fuck up this time, alright?” She finally hung up the phone and looked over her shoulder at Aiyanna who was sitting on Lalani’s back, glaring at her.
Lalani grinned. “So it looks like you have dinner plans tonight. Need some help picking out a dress?”
Aiyanna simply stood and headed for her bedroom. She ignored the other woman when she yelled out, “Aw c’mon A.J. I’m doing you a favor here!”
He wouldn’t do it. No, no, no. He’d made it all through dinner, even though he’d been wondering if Lalani really had let her leave the house sans panties. Julian didn’t have time to check for himself since Aiyanna had simply been shoved onto her front porch with the door locking behind her.
Now he was pulling up into her driveway, determined to keep his eyes off her thighs and his cock to himself.
“You were quiet tonight.”
Glancing over at Aiyanna, he tried desperately not to get caught in her gaze. He didn’t exactly know what Lalani had done but his woman’s eyes were smokier than usual, her lips looked fuller and the dress... It was black, strapless and it had to be taking an act of God to hold her breasts up like that.
Julian sighed. “Aiyanna I’m going to walk you to your door, say goodnight, and go back to my hotel room.” His temporary housing at the moment until her company was finish with his home.
Her lips twitched. “Okay.”
He nodded once and got out of the driver’s side to walk around and open the door for her. Taking her hand in his, he gently pulled her until she was fully out of his truck and sucked in a deep breath when her chest brushed against his. He. Wouldn’t. Do. It.
Fighting every primal instinct he had, Julian tugged her along until they reached her front door and stared at her under the low light of her porch lamp. God, she was beautiful and he wanted her so bad that his whole body ached. He. Wouldn’t. Do. It.
Brushing a stray tendril of hair from her forehead, he leaned in and placed a kiss there. “Goodnight, Hermosa.”
Her eyes searched his for a moment and when he saw acute disappointment in their brown depths, it made him want to take the feeling away, all night long. He. Wouldn’t. Do. It.
“Goodnight,” Aiyanna finally whispered. He waited until she opened and closed the door behind her before his eyes slammed shut and he placed a palm on the solid oak.
“Jesús help me,” Julian murmured and started back for his truck. He got to the bottom step of her porch before he heard the door swing open again. Turning, he saw Aiyanna standing there, nibbling her
bottom lip, her eyes so full of need that he couldn’t have stopped himself from walking back up that porch even if he wanted to.
Dammit. He was going to do it.
Chapter Seven
Aiyanna could distinctly remember one of her first trips to the zoo. Their guide had said to never tempt a caged animal. As soon as Julian’s stormy gaze locked on her, the words reverberated in her mind. She wasn’t dealing with Julian anymore. Well, not Julian per se. No, this was the other side. The one that Daddies feared their daughters would chase and the one that Mamas warned their baby girls about.
This was the animal; the one that resided in every man. The side that could make you wet with a simple glance and a calmly spoken word. The side that had you spend all day wiggling in your office chair as you tried in vain to suppress the ache that suddenly built. The side that made you want to sleep in all morning because the night before every ounce of energy you’d had was drained in one fell swoop.
Oh, this was that side and for every step Julian took to get closer to her, Aiyanna could feel the walls of her pussy clench in anticipation. She was so ready that with one touch she would shoot off like a rocket.
She backed up as he came forward. Julian kicked the door closed with one foot, his eyes still locked on her. Then he was sliding one arm around her waist and the other around her shoulders as he jerked her into his chest.
His mouth came down on hers so quick that he stole her next breath and when his tongue pushed between her lips she was a goner.
Julian’s jacket went flying. His boots went next along with her stilettos and then he was ripping the zipper down the side of her dress as far as it could go before he yanked it off.
Any insecurity that she might’ve held while standing in front of him half naked melted away due to the searing heat in his eyes. They trailed from her face until they reached the apex of her thighs.
Julian’s nostrils flared. “She kept her promise.”
Aiyanna smirked. “And you broke yours.” She backed away slowly, heading for the stairs. “Gonna keep going down your road paved with good intentions, cowboy?”
When his eyes narrowed, she ran.
He caught her before she even reached the second step; the sight of her bare, smooth, round ass was too much temptation now that he was faced with it—literally. Aiyanna’s surprised laughter brought a smile to his face as he spun her back around and sat her on the floor in front of the steps, spreading her legs as wide as possible. Nothing was left to the imagination; her pussy lips were bare and swollen, the pink pearl of her clit peeking out and just begging for his mouth.
But first he needed to hear Aiyanna beg. Julian’s knees hit the carpet that her luscious ass was resting on. He pinned her in on either side, watching amusement light her gaze.
“I’m gonna get rug burn tonight, aren’t I?”
He kissed her forehead, both her cheeks and settled on her lips, slipping his tongue inside and tangling it with hers. When she moaned and reached for him, he moved back. “I’ll make it feel all better tomorrow, Hermosa,” Julian murmured before leaving a trail of kisses down her throat. Stopping at her collarbone, he reached behind her to unhook her bra and threw it over his shoulder. Her nipples perked up under his stare and Julian’s mouth watered.
He’d spent the night before in his hotel room trying to remember exactly how they’d felt on his tongue while stroking his cock until his wrist was sore and he had to stop. Tonight, he’d be buried balls deep inside of his woman and wouldn’t have that problem.
Cupping both of her full breasts, he pressed them together and went from one nipple to the other, licking and sucking until her hips were rocking in a restless motion and needy moans were pouring from her mouth.
Julian moved his lips to her soft belly and pressed a kiss there, briefly considering the fact that, whether she knew it or not, this place would one day house their babies. Aiyanna may not be completely ready to face her feelings for him but Julian knew without a shadow of a doubt that he’d fallen for her the night he’d first laid eyes on her.
It was just that simple. He kissed the insides of her thighs, getting as close to her heat as possible before backing away again. A groan left her mouth and made him chuckle darkly. She was more than ready, that he knew but until she asked, he wouldn’t give her what she wanted. For the next few minutes he kept up the play, teasing her until she finally growled and gripped his hair, tugging his head back.
“Julian.”
“Yes?”
“You’re fucking with me.”
He smirked. “Yes.”
She tugged his hair again and his cock jumped. “Stop. It.”
“Ask me for it.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits. “That’s not gonna happen.”
His grin spread wider. Instead of replying verbally, he leaned down and shoved his tongue as far into her wet canal as he could. Aiyanna’s back hit the stairs, her cries ringing out around them as he fucked her with his mouth. Julian felt the exact moment her climax began. Her breath came out in harsh pants, her thighs clenched around his head and he felt every shudder that passed over her body. That’s when he pulled back.
Aiyanna’s eyes opened wide.
“Ask me for it,” Julian stated simply. His cock was so hard it hurt and he had to either free himself or risk permanent zipper marks on his flesh.
“Julian.” Her chest rose and fell with every hard breath.
He pressed another slow lingering kiss to the inside of her right thigh before whispering, “Ask me for it, Hermosa. And I promise I’ll give it to you.”
Watching the self battle play out over her features was fun to say the least. She wanted to let go but didn’t know how.
Finally, she softly said, “Please.”
That was enough for him. Julian kicked his jeans and boxers off, positioned himself between her legs and thrust into her with one smooth motion. The warm, wet heat of her pussy greeted him and it felt like pure nirvana. The sensation of her wrapping around his cock made him realize exactly how many an empire had risen and been decimated in one fell swoop because of this special place on a woman’s body.
He could understand how it drove men crazy; how it made them possessive and needy. Because the very thought of another man touching what he now claimed as his had Julian shoving his tongue into her mouth again as he jackhammered his hips; making sure she felt all of him, making sure she understood exactly who possessed her body at the moment. Aiyanna gave as good as she got, her hips lifting at every pass to connect with his in a motion that had flesh slapping against flesh.
Julian pushed her legs back into her chest and watched as tears of pleasure crested her lids. Her mouth opened but no sound left except moans and the occasional call of his name. And when she came, squeezing his dick hard enough to snap it in two, a gush of warm sticky honey greeting his length, he followed her right over the edge as he tried not to swallow his own tongue.
Chapter Eight
“Lalani, if you knock on my desk again, death shall become you,” Aiyanna growled, not lifting her head from its resting position on her folded arms. Tired, she was so damned tired. Julian had kept her up all night since it was the first time she’d gotten to see him all week. A month later and his house was finally complete. That meant she had plenty of time to work on other projects—which also meant it ate into their time together. Something her cowboy had expressed his displeasure for clearly the night before.
Apparently, taking a retired bull rider for a spin without stretching first was a bad idea. No matter how many hot soaks she’d taken, Aiyanna still couldn’t shake the soreness from her previously underused muscles.
“Do I get a scythe?” her friend asked with way too much morning cheer.
“Didn’t we have this conversation before? Large blades of any kind are never to be in your possession again. And what happens if I do catch you with one?”
Lalani poked out her bottom lip. “You call my ex-parole officer?”
�
�Precisely. Now why are you in here instead of torturing Dastan or John?”
Lalani leaned back in her chair. “Oh, because we have a code blue.”
Aiyanna’s head snapped up. “You set something on fire again?”
“No! That’s a code red.”
Frowning, she asked, “Are you sure because I could’ve sworn we—”
“For God’s sake A.J., your mother is in the waiting area.”
Aiyanna froze and blinked. “I’m sorry,” she chuckled. “I thought you just said my mother is in the waiting area.”
Lalani’s look was sympathetic. “She is, sweetheart. And she wants you.”
She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples. She’d managed to avoid her mother for almost a month now but Aiyanna knew it could only last for so long. “Okay, how bad do I look?”
“You look like Julian fucked you through the headboard.” Lalani shrugged.
“Wonderful.” She sighed and stood, stretching the tired muscles of her back and shoulders before deciding it was time to face the woman who’d spawned her.
Aiyanna found Evelyn examining their office space with her usual critical look of disapproval. Her mother couldn’t have looked more bored if she were a cat and that was saying a lot.
“Mama,” she forced fake cheer into her voice. “What’re you doing here? In my office? Around people I have to work with on a daily basis. You haven’t actually talked to anyone have you?”
Evelyn looked up and her face quickly twisted into a frown. “You look horrible.”
Aiyanna smiled wide. “You know me. I wake up every day with the goal of looking like shit.”
Lalani elbowed her and Aiyanna cleared her throat. “So...what brings you here? To the one place I thought I could escape your clutches?”
Lalani bumped her again. “I mean claws.”
Another elbow. “I meant talons.”
