From This Moment

by Sean D. Young

  Jonathan positioned himself at the entrance of her heat, pushing gently. Suddenly, Ivy pushed her body forward, bringing him deeper inside her.

  Feeling her tight, wet heat wrapped around his engorged sex, Jonathan moved slowly, but methodically, causing them both to gasp at the delicious sensations the motions created.

  Ivy caught on to the rhythm and moved with him. Her heart beating next to his felt as if their heartbeats had become one.

  Jonathan started to slow the pace.

  “Don’t stop,” Ivy pleaded, caressing his face. She climbed higher and higher with every stroke. They could hold back no longer. Suddenly their pleasure rushed forth, spiraling them to ecstasy.

  Ivy had never experienced this feeling. She felt wonderful and free. They lay next to each other, breathing deeply, thinking about where they had just gone as they drifted to sleep.

  Chapter 15

  Ivy snuggled closer to Jonathan’s warm body. She could feel him kissing her forehead, nose and neck. Then he wrapped his legs around hers.

  Slowly, she opened her eyes.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” he said. A smile touched his lips as he stared at her, his head propped up on his right hand.

  He leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the lips. “How are you feeling this morning?”

  Ivy stretched luxuriously. “Happier than I’ve been in a long time.”

  Jonathan kissed her bare shoulder. “I’m glad I had something to do with that.”

  She ran her hand across his chest. “Me, too.”

  His demanding mouth descended upon hers, moving closer to her until their lips touched.

  After he ended the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers. “You know I’m crazy about you, Ivy,” he said, his voice soft and low. After an awkward moment of silence, he said, “You don’t have to say anything.”

  Ivy rapidly blinked her eyes. She wanted to respond, but didn’t know what to say; his words had taken her by surprise. But there was no doubt she loved him because she’d given him her body, something she didn’t take lightly. So her actions confirmed her feelings; she just wasn’t ready to say the words.

  Instead she said, “I’m still trying to take it all in.”

  He caressed her face. “I understand.” Releasing her, he threw back the cover and sat up on the side of the bed.

  Looking back at her, he asked, “Why don’t we go out for breakfast?”

  Pulling the sheet up over her, Ivy replied, “Good idea, but by the time we get dressed it will be too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.”

  “We can go to Tiebels. They serve brunch on Sundays.” Jonathan stood. “Do you mind if I take my shower first?”

  “There are plenty of towels in the little closet in the bathroom. Help yourself.”

  Ivy watched how his dark chocolate skin glistened in the light of the early morning sun as he walked out of the room.

  * * *

  Momentarily closing her eyes, Ivy lay in bed, her arm thrown over her face, reflecting on how unbelievably fantastic her experience with him had been the night before.

  The memory of the heat from his body pressed against hers, the way his mouth caressed the tender places of her body, only fueled the fire inside of her, making her want him more. Their lovemaking was like nothing she’d ever experienced before.

  “Ivy,” Jonathan called out to her, breaking into her thoughts.

  Ivy got up, slipped on her robe and went to the bathroom.

  “Yes, Jonathan? You need something else?”

  “I need you to wash my back.”

  “Wash your back?” she repeated.

  Jonathan turned around, looking over his shoulder. “Yeah, there’s a spot I can’t reach,” he said, giving her an example.

  Ivy shook her head and said, “I’ve never washed a man’s back.”

  A wide smile grew on his face as he noticed her free flowing hair and dark nipples through the sheer robe.

  Moving the shower head to the side, he turned toward her. “There’s a first time for everything.” He opened the shower door and handed her the soapy white wash cloth.

  Ivy tried to tear her eyes away, but she couldn’t. Her pulse raced and her body tingled at the sight of him; he was magnificently built.

  Taking the towel from him, she washed his back in an up and down motion from the outside of the shower, watching as the soapy water ran down his back and disappeared into the crease of his tight behind.

  “That feels good, baby.”

  “Good.”

  Jonathan turned around, his eyes twinkling with desire. “Now, the front.”

  Ivy rubbed his chest first in a circular pattern. Jonathan covered her hand, moving the towel down to his shaft, which was erect.

  With trembling hands, she gently caressed his manhood with the towel; all the while every sensitive nerve in her body came alive.

  The heat rose in Jonathan’s soulful brown eyes. The only thing on his mind was his lengthening sex and the beautiful woman in front of him . . . his wife.

  “Now you know if you come in here, you’re going to get your hair wet.”

  Ivy could see the desire in his eyes, and she was ready to join him. Loosening the knot of her robe, she slipped it off, letting it hit the floor.

  Stepping forward, she whispered, “That’s okay. It will be worth it.”

  Jonathan immediately slipped his arms around her waist when she joined him, pulling her against his hard body.

  With Ivy’s arms wrapped around his neck, he stopped the water flow and guided her to the back of the shower, where he sat on the granite bench and pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her lightly on the lips and gazed into her dark-brown eyes.

  Ivy rested her forehead on his. Dropping her lids, she proclaimed, “I love you.”

  Both stunned and touched, Jonathan continued studying her before confessing, “I love you, too.” Sealing his statement, he kissed her wildly.

  Jonathan stopped abruptly. “This isn’t going to work, he said, lifting her up from his lap and standing.

  Reaching outside the shower door, he pulled a large bath sheet from the wall rack. He wrapped Ivy in the navy blue bath sheet and swooped her up into his arms. “When I make love to you, I want us to be in the bed.”

  Holding on to him tightly, Ivy did not protest.

  Jonathan walked down the hall into the bedroom, closing the door with his foot.

  * * *

  A short time later, the doorbell sounded.

  “Baby, I think there’s someone at the door,” Jonathan said after hearing the chime of the bell.

  Ivy glanced at the clock on her night stand to check the time. They had fallen back to sleep and it was now nine-thirty. She never had any friends come over on Sunday morning, so it had to be one of her sisters.

  The doorbell sounded again.

  Maybe if I don’t answer, they’ll think I’m not home. She snuggled closer to Jonathan.

  “Babe, my car is sitting outside,” he reminded her.

  Ivy snapped her fingers. “Dang, I forgot about that.”

  The doorbell rang again.

  Ivy got up from the bed. “I better answer. It doesn’t look like they’re going to let up.”

  “I’ll be here when you get back,” he said.

  Ivy walked over to the dresser and pulled out a nightshirt, slipping it over her head as she walked out the room.

  Standing on the tips of her toes, she looked through the peep hole. She took two steps back and said, “Damn, it’s Lili.”

  Lili probably recognized Jonathan’s car outside. She would ask a million questions, Ivy thought.

  “Yes,” Ivy said, watching Lili reach out to press the button again.

  “Vee, open up,” Lili yelled from the other side.

  Ivy opened the door and Lili stepped inside.

  “Is that Jonathan’s truck outside?” Lili asked.

  “What are you doing over here this time of morning on a Sunday?” Ivy asked her, pulli
ng the collar of her gown together.

  Lili stared at Ivy. “Remember, you told me to come over here on my way to church to pick up the clothes you were donating to the battered women’s shelter.”

  “Battered women’s shelter?”

  Lili frowned, and then started looking around the room. “Yeah, you said you didn’t think you were going to make it to church on Sundays until your schedule let up, so you asked me to come and get the stuff.”

  “Baby, where’s the lotion?” Jonathan interrupted. He came around the corner with only a towel to cover his body.

  Ivy jerked her head in his direction. She turned back and saw the shocked expression on Lili’s face.

  She decided there would be no need in trying to explain Jonathan’s presence, so she wouldn’t.

  “Oh, hey, Lili,” Jonathan said.

  “Mornin,” Lili said, her eyes on her sister.

  “Well, well, well,” she said, stepping toward the front door, “I see you’re a little busy, so I’m going to get going.”

  “Don’t you want the clothes?” Ivy asked her.

  Lili waved her hand forward. “Naw, I’ll get them another time. I’ll let you get back to whatever you were doing.”

  She removed the paper she’d held underneath her arm, handing it to Ivy. “Oh, yeah, I checked out your column in this morning’s paper. Great job!” She winked at Ivy, opened the door and rushed out.

  When she left so fast, Ivy knew what was coming next. She ran down the hallway to the bedroom, where Jonathan was putting his clothes on.

  “How much do you want to bet that Walter Cronkite is going to go blabbing to Violet and Rosie?”

  “Walter Cronkite?”

  “Yeah, that’s what we call Lili. She tells everything she knows or thinks she knows. Plus she’s nosey, so she’s going to try to pull the other two in to get the info.”

  Jonathan chuckled. “Family,” he said, buttoning his shirt.

  “Watch, my phone is going to ring.”

  Ivy started a countdown, five, four, three, two and before she could say one, the phone rang.

  “Vee?”

  “Good morning, Rosie,” Ivy said, and then mouthed the words told you to Jonathan.

  Nobody said a word.

  “Girl, Lili just called us and said that Jonathan was at your house,” Violet finally said, breaking the silence.

  “I didn’t believe her,” Rose said.

  “He is here, Rosie,” Ivy admitted.

  “In a bath towel,” Rose stated.

  “You have such a big mouth, Lili,” Ivy said. There was no answer, so she continued.

  “I know you’re on here. I think you set a record, it wasn’t even ten minutes this time.”

  “I told you guys he was there,” Lili said. triumphantly.

  “Don’t hurt yourself, girl,” Rose said.

  “Ladies, I’ve got to go, I’ll talk to you later,” Ivy said before hanging up. She lay back on the bed and burst into laughter.

  “You’d better get dressed,” Jonathan said before he heard the buzzing of his cell phone.

  He picked it up from the nightstand and looked at the caller ID. He glanced over at Ivy. “Guess who?”

  “Marc, I bet.” Ivy shook her head. Their siblings were acting like middle school children.

  “What up?” he said after pressing the talk button.

  “You tell me,” his brother said.

  “We’ll talk about it later, okay.” Jonathan hung up, ending the call.

  Ivy was still sitting on the bed. “What are we going to do about them?”

  She picked up the newspaper, turned the pages so she could find her article.

  Jonathan slid his belt through the loops. “Nothing, we’re going to finish getting dressed, go eat and leave our siblings to their shenanigans.”

  He came around to the other side of the bed and bent down and kissed her softly on the lips. “And you’re not going to let your cackling sisters get to you, either. You deserve to have a man in your life.”

  Ivy stared at him in appreciation for how he handled the situation. Sure, he was sexy and sweet, and now she knew that he was a great lover, but there was much more to him than she’d realized. She admired him for his loyalty, protectiveness and sense of humor. She got up and prepared to go out with her man.

  Chapter 16

  Jonathan pulled into the first free space he could find at the crowded restaurant. Tiebels had been in the area for over fifty years and they were known for their Sunday afternoon brunch. They served bloody marys and Cointreau mimosas, crustless ham and egg tarts, cracked pepper and brown sugar bacon, vanilla challah French toast, and layered fresh fruit salad.

  They made their choices and found a table near the window.

  “Would you like a bloody mary or a mimosa?” Jonathan asked.

  Ivy stared at him.

  Jonathan held up his hand in surrender. “Oh, baby, if you don’t want it with the alcohol, we can always have them use 7-up instead of champagne in the mimosa.”

  Ivy stared at him before they both burst into laughter, remembering the time they shared in Vegas.

  “Man, that was a crazy time,” she said, taking a bite of the delicious bacon.

  “Why don’t we just have them substitute the champagne for us both,” Jonathan suggested.

  “We had wine the other night, so I’m okay with it the way it is. It’s just for some reason when you said bloody mary, it made me think of Vegas.”

  Jonathan wanted to ask her feelings about Vegas now that their relationship was on track, but he didn’t want to do anything that would trigger a negative response from her.

  He looked down at the newspaper she’d brought along with her. “Have you read the article yet?”

  Ivy shook her head slowly, pushing it over to him. “No, I’m a little nervous about it. The editor told me that I would write this column for a month and then they would see how well it does before possibly making it a permanent part of the Neighbors section.”

  Jonathan picked up the paper off the table and opened it. He looked up at her and asked, “Do you want me to read it aloud or what?”

  “Lili said it was good, but I’m not ready yet. So you read it and tell me what you think.”

  From time to time as Jonathan read the article, he’d smile and look up at her.

  “What?” Ivy asked, picking up her glass and taking a sip of her champagne and orange juice.

  “This is good, baby. You give good advice.”

  Ivy released a sigh of relief. She didn’t know if the column was going to work out with all her other responsibilities. Not wanting to spread herself too thin, she’d decided once she’d turned in her column that if it didn’t work out she wouldn’t be upset. One woman can’t do everything.

  Jonathan laid the paper aside and reached for Ivy’s hand. “Tomorrow is a big day for you. Are you ready to face Randall again?”

  Ivy hadn’t thought about Randall in a week. Since she hadn’t heard from him since she’d left the office, she figured everything was okay.

  “No, I’m not nervous or anything. I hope he just comes and takes care of his business and leaves.”

  Jonathan turned his head to the side, hunching his shoulders. “Well, doesn’t matter what he does, I’m going to be there to see for myself.” He squeezed her hand.

  Ivy leaned over close to him and placed a wet kiss on his lips. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Jonathan’s body reacted to the kiss and the sexy sound of her voice. “Girl, don’t start nothing in this restaurant.” He picked up his glass. “Let’s hurry and eat, so we can get back to your place.”

  They completed their meal and headed back to Ivy’s place.

  As she was getting out of the car, Ivy suggested, “Why don’t we watch one of my favorite movies, Love Jones with Larenz Tate and Nia Long? I have it on DVD.”

  “Sure, as long as I get to spend more time with you, I’m game.” He closed the door and followed her inside
.

  “I’m going to pop some corn and you can put the movie on. It’s on the shelf above the DVD Player.” Ivy walked into the kitchen. She placed the bag of un-popped corn into the microwave and waited until the bag had expanded. Pouring the contents in a large bowl, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of sweet tea, then joined him on the sofa.

  Jonathan stretched out and Ivy lay between his legs as they watched the classic film. Midway through the movie, they both fell asleep.

  Ivy awakened first. Careful not to wake him, she moved slowly to an upright position. Glancing at the television, she saw the movie had ended.

  Carefully studying him, she watched his chest rise and fall, the smooth features of his face and relaxed expression, his full lips, the point on the tip of his nose. The wideness of the palm of his hand as it lay across his chest. She was amazed at the fact that he’d spent the night and most of the day with her.

  She reached out to caress his face when he started to wake up.

  “Hey, you,” he said pulling himself up in an upright position. He looked at the television.

  “We must have been tired,” Ivy commented.

  A smile touched the corners of Jonathan’s lips. “Of course, with all the lovemaking we’ve done in the past twenty-four hours, we have the right to be tired.”

  Ivy blushed.

  Jonathan glanced at his watch and stood up. “I better get going. I need to stop by Aunt Rachel’s.”

  Ivy stood as well. “Okay, call me after, then.”

  Jonathan bent down and reached for his shoes. “Okay.” He sat and slipped his shoes on, then picked up his coat.

  Ivy followed him to the door and they shared a passionate kiss before he left.

  Once she closed the door, she decided that she needed to talk to someone about her feelings. She didn’t want to tell Rose because she was married to Jonathan’s brother, and she didn’t want to share with Lili because she didn’t think she could talk to her in confidence. The only person she could talk to was Violet.

  Ivy picked up the phone and called her younger sister. “I need to come over.”

  “I’m here, come on,” Violet said.