Have Your Cake
Page 9
She laughed hardily, covering her stomach and heaving in air to recover. “I think I’ve met a few of their black relatives.”
He held a shoulder against hers.
“So what’s a guy, like me, have to do to get a girl, like you, to go out with him?”
“White boy, I’ve been with you since I got here,” she said.
“Yeah, but you haven’t had a chance to leave yet. I need to know if and when you’ll be back. This time I don’t want to put you to work. I just wanna take you out.”
She smiled, leaning into him. “I think I’d go for that.”
“How ‘bout tomorrow?”
“Asher, I have to work on the cake samples.”
“Okay. Monday, the bride will be in and ready to melt with your cake in her mouth. How ‘bout after?”
“If I get to a good stopping point and nothing comes up on Monday, I will call you and arrange something.”
Asher gathered the rods and net but kept an eye on the chocolate beauty tantalizing his senses. Cyana tortured him by kicking off her shoes and spreading a sweet smelling bug repellant and sun block mixture over her long legs from foot to upper thigh. She sat up straight, rocking the boat.
“You want some?” She offered. “It’s SPF.”
He peered to the overcast skies. “I’ll be fine. What’s a girl like you doing with SPF anyway?”
“Honey, this is Georgia. If the sun is shining, then it’s burning. I’m not getting old before my time. It’s just habit. Besides, mosquitoes love brown sugar.”
He chuckled, holding out one of the rods. “Lucky mosquitoes.”
She took his offering but chose not to comment. He opened the live bait container. She was the first to reach in and set her hook. His sight caught hers. She raised a brow.
“Well, all right, little lady,” he said thoroughly impressed. “Cast away.”
The lake was calm and peaceful as he expected it to be. The crickets chirped around the shoreline. Birds tweeted in the trees. Asher sat back in the small chair enjoying the pastime. His bright bobber danced in the water before the line dove. He pulled back on the rod.
“Whoa,” Cyana said. “That was quick.”
He laughed, reeling his catch to the surface of the lake. Cyana grabbed the net and leaned out to bring the fish in. “Ah,” she cried, “it’s a catfish.” Alarm tainted her voice.
“Is that a problem?” he asked.
“Ew, ugly. Get it!” She held the net out to him. The fish flicked water in her face. She wrenched away with a cry. “Ew, yuck. Asher, get it.” She squealed with more urgency.
He burst with laughter taking the net. The fish wiggled for freedom. She wiped at the sprinkles over her face.
“You okay?” He tugged the fish from the net by its mouth.
“Get it away.” She sat with her back straight, gripping the seat.
He swung the fish towards her. “You scared of a little flathead catfish?”
“Asher, I will throw you off this boat.” Her glare meant business. The fish flicked its tail at her as if protesting her reaction to its appearance. “Asher,” she screamed.
He drew the fish back with a chuckle, disconnecting the hook from its mouth before securing it to the trotline. “I don’t get it. You reach right into the worms with no problem; then freak at a catfish.”
“I don’t like them. They’re ugly,” she said.
“And the rest of the fish world?”
“I don’t have a problem with any other fish...well, except monkfish. But, I’m not catching any of those.”
He baited his hook and cast the line again. “Maybe we can help you overcome your fear of ugly fish after today, huh?”
“Fat chance,” she replied.
He hooked another catfish fairly quick and reeled it from the lake. “Get the net, Cyana. Get it,” he urged and stood.
He brought the fish from the water towards her. Cyana squirmed away. “No,” she squealed.
“Get the net. I’m going to drop it.” He dipped the fish towards her, sending drips of water over her legs. She squeaked and scrambled for the net to trap the beast before it could splash her. Asher flopped in his seat while he rolled with laughter.
“Asher, you’re mean,” she said, holding the net and fish with her elbows locked straight out over the water.
Her wrist was warm in his grasp. He chuckled while he took the net from her hands. “And you’re a hero. Look how brave you were when I was in trouble.” He softened his voice, lifting her hand to his lips to kiss it. “Forgive me.”
She tilted her head to the side. “I’ll think about it, Cowboy.”
He grinned. The fish wiggled in the net, reminding him to put it on the trotline.
Cyana’s line whizzed. She hooted with joy and grabbed the reel.
“At a girl.” He commended her while she fearlessly brought the catch in.
“Asher, what do I do? I don’t want to pull it up,” she said.
He grabbed the net. “I got it. Send it my way.”
She lifted the large fish. He went forward with the net. The catfish gave a strong argumentative shake, sending Cyana back with a squeal.
Cyana nearly dropped the pole when the fish shook stronger than she’d expected. Asher reached forward. She heaved back, rocking the boat hard. He lost his footing and she dropped the rod as he fell off the boat.
“Asher.” She screamed at the lake, coming to the edge of the boat. Only ripples greeted her. “Oh my god. Ash—”
His head popped up a few feet away. She sat back on her heels taken with a sudden fit of giggles.
He gently tread the water, giving her a stern look. She covered her big smile but she couldn’t stop laughing.
“So, that’s payback, huh?” he asked, coming closer to the boat.
“No! It wasn’t.” She spoke; alarmed he would think she did it on purpose. “Really it wasn’t, Asher. I’m so sorry I dropped your reel.” She tried to stop snickering but seeing his hair slicked down and t-shirt puffed with air kept her amusement going.
“All right. All right,” he said, reaching for her. “Help me in.”
She took his grasp. He gave a sharp yank. Cyana let out a cry as she fell over the edge. The sudden swoosh of water around her was disorienting. The lake was warm. She felt the point where her body got still and started to rise. She righted herself in the water and came up to the sound of Asher’s chortle.
“Asher, you’re in big trouble.” She splashed water at him. He ducked under. She spotted his white tee headed her direction. “No.” She shrieked and tried to escape. He was a fast swimmer, catching her leg before she could grasp the boat.
They both burst to the surface with big breaths and laughter. He wrapped his arms around her, tugging her close before grabbing the edge of the boat to float next to her. She caught his gaze, sparkling with happiness before his lips graced hers.
Her body pulsed with desire at each stroke of his tongue. The taste of him fueled every passion in her blood. A rip of long rolling thunder rumbled from the clouds before he moved away.
“I think that’s our cue,” he murmured.
Cyana stepped onto the small pier. The thunder growled above. She inhaled the thick humidity from the promise of rain. The familiar fragrance always lifted her spirits. She sent a silent prayer of thanks the lightning hadn’t streaked the sky. It was good to be careful and get off the lake. She could hear her mother’s voice quoting, “If you can hear thunder then you’re close enough to the storm to be struck by lightnin’.”
The thought of her mom made her smile. She couldn’t wait to see her family today. Cyana squished her toes against the slick bottom of her flip flops, thankful she hadn’t kicked them off. Trekking back through the woods would be torture with all the fallen pinecones.
She glanced back at Asher tying off the boat. He set the tackle box and rod on the pier. He used a small bucket he’d left behind to fill with water and loaded the two ugly fish. His drenched cargos clung to his
rear. The tee hugged the rippling muscles of his back. Her belly and thighs warmed. Cyana bit down on the inside of her lower lip. Her nipples already felt like they could cut glass, but she could easily blame the response on the lake water and cool breeze.
She knew better. It was Asher. Being close to him warmed areas deep and needy. She peered down at her hands, unconsciously wringing extra water from her hoodie. It splashed against her toes. Another set of legs joining hers wrenched her focus upward. Her heart seemed to skip a few beats. Asher’s stare flamed with a dark wanting. She admired his broad shoulders thick with muscle and defined chest through the wet tee before she realized he had his hands full and she was unencumbered.
“I’ll take the tackle box. You can keep the ugly fish.” She reached for it. The brush of his hand sent a jolt to her chest. Get a grip, Cyana.
“How do you like your fish?” he asked.
“Raw normally.” She pivoted toward the lush grass beyond the sand landing the pier jutted from.
“Oh, a sushi girl, huh?”
“Cowboys know about sushi? Well, glaze my donuts.”
He let out a short laugh. “Sister-girl, you sure are full of surprises.” She could tell he had a toothy grin on his face. Her feet hit the patch of turf when he asked, “How long since you’ve had it fried?”
She didn’t have time to answer. Her flip flop had given way. She was a goner. The tackle box hit the grass, popped open, spilling hooks and lures across the lawn. She landed on something hard.
She was huffing through her body’s fight or flight mode, then realized what held her was not cold earth, but a hot, hard…oh my god. She took a sharp inhale.
“You’re okay. I’ve got you.” She felt faint. Asher’s voice came on a hushed whisper. “That would have been a nasty fall. You’re not going to hyperventilate on me, are you?”
He’d asked her a question. She should answer. Her brain was firing signals but her body’s only response was to melt into his hard body wrapped around her waist. Her ass, settled on his thigh, sent waves of stimulation to her legs. He must have moved lightning fast or was closer to her than she thought. He was on one knee and still held the rod and bucket in his left hand.
“Are you gonna make it? Is your ankle okay?” he asked.
More questions. She inhaled. Gotta say something.
She cuddled into him. A moan left her throat. “I’m fine. Sorry. Just surprised.”
His voice was closer to her ear, wrapping her lobe in sensuous torture. “Maybe this would work better if you wore nothing at all.”
The mental picture invaded her thoughts. She trembled against him. He placed his lips to her neck, causing a vulnerable coo to erupt from the depths of her yearning.
“I meant the shoes, Love. But, I can go for that too, right now, if you’re offering.”
13
Asher was a fool to say it. He’d be an idiot not to. Hell, he’d flirted with her for days and didn’t know how long he’d be able to hold out before he just took her. The gravity of desire pulsing from Cyana was going to drive him insane faster than managing any major home remodel. Her presence made his cock stand like a begging pooch.
He’d managed to get under her body to catch her, cradling her when he came down on one knee. He should be focused on making sure she didn’t crash too hard on his leg and hurt herself, but his dick was giving him agony over the catch. It pulsed in its thickening state with her sweet ass on his leg and his hand under her shirt.
He would never dream of being this bold with such a shy woman before, but Cyana made him want to grab her afro and drag her into the house, never to see the light of day, until he had thorough use of her. He wanted to hide her away so no one else could witness the beauty he’d found. The thought made him feel like a coarse Neanderthal.
She softened into his hold. He slid his tongue up her neck to her lobe. The gentle moan she released sounded more like a mortar going off on the Fourth of July. She righted herself to face him. He hadn’t fully wrapped his head around what he’d done. Cyana’s lips met his. He dropped everything not consisting of her body, lifting her with a lustful groan, palming the meat of her ass.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, tongue searching in a slow circle in his mouth. The silken texture of her lips drew him deeper into the lust she’d tapped. His ears heated, skin burned to be graced with her strokes while his cock painfully jockeyed for freedom.
He had her on the grass in an array of graceful moves he didn’t know he was capable of outside the dojo. His hands worked at the pace of a man frantically trying to dig up a lost treasure.
My treasure. My Cyana.
Somewhere in his mind, he thanked the powers-that-be for zippers as he tugged the metal tab of Cyana’s hoodie to reveal the splendor of his prize.
He paused to admire satin and lace clad breasts, held firmly by a sexy push-up bra. The salmon color against her skin made her appear like an exotic chocolate treat. He groaned. Her sights gleamed with lust, burning to the core of his being.
He stroked her side and belly, hooking the elastic of her cotton shorts. He yanked them from her hips, just low enough to dip his thumb in her honey pot. Her back arched and lower lip caught between her teeth before her lids squeezed shut. The heat saturating his thumb traveled his arm before the sensation shorted every logic cell of his brain.
“Holy shit,” he muttered, fisting the wet shorts and yanking them off her. He gauged his boldness by catching her stare. His shy little baker didn’t protest.
The pressure built in his pants. He abandoned his task to adjust his cock closer to the direction it stretched. He lowered onto the grass, anxiously dipping a finger deeper inside her. Slick. Tight.Damn hot. He doubted his ability to last in an environment as saturated and heated as her core.
He kept his sight trained on her face to search for any sign he might have gone too far. Cyana’s lips opened and lids drifted close with each upward stroke of her clit. A pant worked from her chest as she arched, making her full breasts strain against their restraints. Her nipples forced themselves upward as if they wanted to tear through the fabric. She opened her stare to his, rolled her hips with a gentle “yes”.
The response spread a deep ache in his cock which traveled to his balls and thighs. He stifled a curse; drew another line against the slick pearl in her folds. Cyana vibrated, making her breasts jiggle. He cursed, close to being a goner in his shorts. Hopefully, she wouldn’t kill him if he popped too soon and give him a second chance at redemption.
With sure hands, he flicked open the front clasps of her bra, freeing the coffee tips of her breasts. He had to loosen his shorts or his cock would get a permanent bend in it from demanding freedom. He undid his button and unzipped with a grunt of relief. His mouth watered for a taste of the bulbs calling to him.
He lowered over her; took a pebble in his teeth to flick the tip. The bite of her nails in the meat of his shoulders gave a welcomed pinch of pain to keep his full arousal at bay. He took the whole of her nipple in his mouth, applying pressure with his lips while tonguing its entirety.
Cyana moaned. Her hands shot to his beltline with eager grabs. It took moments to find what she was looking for. Her slender fingers wrapping his shaft drew a moan. She released him suddenly, shoved on his shoulders to buck him up.
He lifted his bulk. She fisted his t-shirt to draw it out of her line of sight. Her curiosity shot past his face to his cock. Her inhale was sharp. She ran a thumb over the thick mushroom head, near purple with a glistening drop of eagerness at its tip.
“Oh my god,” she whispered.
His voice drew her sight to his. “Disappointed?” He didn’t hide the confidence of his grin.
Lust shimmered through her intent. “Now.” She licked her lips; opened her legs wider. “Please, Asher. I want it now.”
“If you insist,” he breathed. He tugged off the t-shirt and yanked the shorts halfway down his legs. His cock sprung out and bobbed. With a glance, he surveyed the area mean
t for his exploration. Her pussy lips were as thick as he thought they might be. Two fine naked pillows of passion glistening with expectancy. One fat rain droplet splattered against her mounds and trickled into the cleft of her sweet spot. A shudder racked his spine. He did his best to conceal it.
“Asher,” she whispered.
He caught her gaze. The plea softened her features. Her curly hair spread over the grass like a halo. With keen awareness, he watched one of her hands enclose a breast and the other trail a thigh. “Aw, hell. When you put it like that, Love…” He licked his lips and inhaled the musk of her scent mingled with the pines, grass and rain. He lowered into her thighs.
She curled her fingers into his chest hair. “Do you have anything?”
Shit! Protection. When he invited her along, he wasn’t thinking he’d get an opportunity to stuff her full of cock. If he stopped now, he might not get another chance with his shy little baker.
“I’ll pull out.” The words passed with ease. What the hell am I thinking?
She nodded vigorously. “Okay.”
When the head of his cock made contact with the heat of her pussy, all thought blasted from his mind. He thrust into her. Her call into the woods matched the strength of the growl passing his throat. She seared her brand onto his flesh. Lightning flashed, the rain pelted with a sudden ferocity. The earth shook, confirming every emotion coursing his veins.
He paused once she engulfed his full length and huffed against the pleasure threatening his sanity. He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth. Her pussy twitched against his sensitive cock.
“Please, Asher,” she whispered below him.
“Hold on, Love.” He took a few breaths to saddle his control before unlocking his spine to move inside her. The delight she twisted in him confirmed the only truth in existence. I belong here.
Flashes of tingling satisfaction mingled into the painful hardening of his cock. This place was more than beautiful. With a grunt, he gritted his teeth, inhaled a full breath and thrust at a pace which allowed him to hover in the sweet, tender mystery of Cyana.