Good, Deven thought, at least he wasn’t the only one in need. When he finished undressing, he leaned her against the open door way and after he arranged her hips to his liking, thrust home. The stroke was so violent, even he winced. Charli took the anger and turned it back on him, throwing her hips at his. Each stroke was too much to take, and she screamed hoarsely, unable to handle the fierce pistoning.
When he saw it was too intense for the both of them, he reined in his hunger and slowed down. They were still in the open doorway, and when he looked over, a couple walking their dog on the sidewalk stopped and looked nervously at the front of the house as if trying to discern if there was a real problem. From where they were positioned, one couldn’t see much, but that didn’t matter. There was a quite a bit to hear. From the noise level they made it probably sounded like she was being raped, as loud as she was calling God to help her. But Charli looked over at the neighbors trying to catch a good peek, and smiling at Deven, begged for more.
“Please, Deven, give it to me.”
He pulled her to the floor, nudging the door shut with his foot and gave her what they both craved. He tugged the robe open and pinched her nipples.
Deven saw her wince and roughly said, “Sorry, baby, I need you so much.” He did.
“It’s okay. I missed you, too.” Their lovemaking was raw, and no quarter was given. Each thrust slapped slick hips, and the sounds made music.
“You coming for me, pixie?” He was too close to hold back much longer and too many short nights filled with dreams of her made him feel like a minuteman. He’d been dreaming of doing this with her for a hundred and seventy hours, give or take. But he would bet every asset he owned she wouldn’t complain about it when she woke in the afternoon. He didn’t plan on either of them falling asleep until dawn.
* * * *
“Yessss...” Charli was coming, right then and there. She clenched any part of him she could, a vain attempt to hold on to a shred of sanity as she lost control of her stuttered and jerking body. Deven lasted no longer than she did as he followed her over the peak, groaning her name.
No sooner than he came, Charli smacked Deven in the arm. “Why do think you can...”
Dev cut her off before she could finish. “Charlene you are mine. I gave you time to calm down, but don’t think you can run me off.”
“But why, Deven?”
“To explain that, I need the surprise from your cake. Can you bring it to me please?”
Charli got up, and Deven followed her back to the bedroom. As they walked through the house, there were several arrangements in every room.
“I think maybe you overdid it with the flowers.” But even though she said that, she secretly adored him for each and every one of the blossoms. When she pulled the ring from her shoebox, Deven laughed.
“Charlene Montana, I love you.”
Charli started crying. No man had ever loved her. Not even her own father.
“I know you love me back, even if you can’t say it yet. You are the only woman for me. Before you, I never understood why people were in monogamous relationships. I didn’t know how much having ‘the one’ can make life whole, or even that anything was missing. But you changed that, made me realize that the right person can enrich every moment in life. The good and the bad.”
“But why did you look at me like you felt sorry for me? When my mom was here that is… and why me, Deven? You can have a million women, all better than me, with less hang-ups.”
“I did feel sorry for you. I knew that it was going to be a hard moment to accept. I hurt for you, that child you were. I can get a million women, Charli. None are better than you. They can’t be you.”
Deven pulled her close and bent his forehead to meet hers. “I want to be with you, no one else can do what you do for me. You took routine experiences and made them memories for a lifetime. Watching you grow and love me made me a better man. No other woman would wake up and make me breakfast so I don’t go hungry at the start of a long day at work. No other woman can make love with me the way you do. No other woman would give everything she had to save her adopted family. No other woman could do a man’s dirty work and succeed.” Each sentence was spoken against her mouth then punctuated with a searing meeting of their lips.
Charli felt her breath grow short and clenched her hands together. “Dev, I...”
She didn’t know how to tell him as she didn’t have much practice at giving the words. Deven’s reaction let her know he understood. He took her hand in his and slipped the ring over her finger and looked at her. It was a perfect fit.
“I wanted to give you this a long time ago, and it didn’t go how I planned... But Charlene Montana Anderson, be my wife.” He waited for her response, brow cocked.
“You didn’t ask, Deven.”
“Nope, and I’m not going to.”
“Hmmm...”
“Just say yes, Charli. It’s the only answer I will accept.” He looked serious as a heart attack. Charli looked in his steely eyes and gave the only answer her heart would let her.
“Hell yeah, Deven.” He smiled smugly and caressed her exposed skin, only to cup her chin and kiss her temple.
* * * *
He took her hand and walked into the kitchen. When he opened the fridge, serendipity smiled down on him. One, last, fat slice of cake rested on a small plate. Deven carried it back to bed, tugging Charli along for the ride. When he reached the duvet, Deven sat the plate down on the nightstand and pulled Charli’s robe off. He tugged her to the bed and kissed her, lingering over the taste of her that he’d been denied.
Deven laid her in bed and walked to the bathroom. When he returned, it was with a bowl of water and soapy cloth. He cleaned her of the juices from their prior lovemaking and put the cloth back in the bowl. He sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap sideways, his cock nestled between her thighs. He grabbed the cold saucer, and using his fingers, he fed her a taste of the sticky rum caramel. Charli licked his finger, sucking the skin clean until she tasted his finger print.
Deven’s eyes grew dark, and now were the color of a stormy sky. He gathered cake on the fork and gave her the bite, watching her face transform. Charli moaned as the fork passed her lips. The cake was perfect, Deven thought, better than even the first time. She gathered a morsel between her fingers and gave it to Deven, who took the opportunity to lick her fingers. Her eyes lit up as he tasted each ridge on her fingertips, and he grew hard between her thighs. But he didn’t move, just gave her another taste.
Deven watched Charli’s skin bead with sweat as her libido blazed out of control with each mouthful. They sampled the cake until it was half eaten, when Deven deliberately sat the plate on the nightstand. He leaned over, licking a crumb from his lover’s breast. When she shuddered, he turned her to face him, spread her thighs, and nudged her entrance. She was slick and hot beyond belief, but Deven was determined to take his time. He stroked her one inch at a time, giving then taking away. Charli rocked her hips, trying to speed up the tempo, but Deven wouldn’t let her have more. Back and forth he rocked her, each motion a gentle probe of sexes meeting.
Deven was gentle this time, needing to show her his love and Charli lost it, coming over his rock hard erection. Still hungry for her, he fought to keep his composure, as he wanted their first, real lovemaking to last. It did. When he nibbled Charli’s lower lip, sucking it devoid of cake and caramel, she cried out and sucked his invading tongue in response. He suckled her breasts, tasted every inch his mouth could reach. The parts of her too far to savor with his mouth were worshipped with his hands. He wanted to hear her scream with pleasure, desperately needed her to feel his love for her. She did, shuddering, and a combination of sounds escaped her lips. He stopped, and Charli tried to keep going, but he wouldn’t let her, keeping her hips in a firm grip.
Deven slid down the bed and lay flat on his back, Charli still resting on top. He used his hands, shunting her up and down. She went with the flow, his rhythm schooled for
devastation, slow and erotic. Though he knew she never had anything remotely like this, it was time she learned all about it. Deven’s intent was to make love, not fuck her, although that would come later. He found himself sitting up when she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Their mating flesh grew hot and sticky, tidbits of sugar melting between them.
Deven used one hand to lift her arm upright and buried his face there, nuzzling the delicate skin covering her triceps. He nipped her skin faintly, sucked beneath her arm and Charli screamed, coming again. When she collapsed against his chest, limp as the cloth he washed her clean with, he rolled her on her back. Deven wanted a taste of her pussy, and he rubbed her slit with his thumb first. When the lips parted open, he plugged her gushing well with the thumb only. His lips fastened to her clit, his thumb soaked in her juices.
Deven pulled his thumb from her sex and rubbed it lower and lower. When he stopped moving south, the digit worked in circles around her anus. The gentle clockwise motions forced her to relax, and the muscle opened, admitting him entry. Charli gasped as he slowly plugged her below. No one had ever touched her there. Deven could feel she was virgin to that form of play and made slow rotations with the thumb, rasping the delicate nerves. In that moment, Deven knew he was reserving a slot for his wedding night. When she came this time, she was frantic with need and begging for him.
“Please! I need you, Deven.” So he gave. His cock tunneled the length of her channel and bottomed out with an inch left to spare. He lifted her legs, propped her feet on his shoulders, and gave her the last bit of himself. All he had to give.
Deven looked in her eyes, caressed her face with the tips of his fingers.
“I love you, Charli.” Deven watched Charli’s pupils dilate, turning them black and molten.
“Deven... I love you, too.” Charli looked away, and Deven cocked his head to the side, refusing to let her hide from him.
She gave up and let him see what he wanted in her eyes. Deven couldn’t hold back any longer. He had to give in to the need burning him apart. Circling his hips, he dug deep, strokes fierce and punishing. As if he wanted to chastise her for making them go so long without this. This feeling, the chemistry between them was too strong to deny.
Her back was bowed toward Deven, and he used one arm to clutch her to him. The other he used to hold himself up, hand pressing the mattress concave. He needed her close, wanted her to submit everything to him. Which her body did, and he felt her give him anything she held back from him before. The week without her was long and sleepless, and his body craved hers, even now with the surplus of orgasms he gave her. Deven’s thrusts were so relentless, Charli screamed harder and pleaded for more of him. She took all that he had to offer and then some that he didn’t.
Deven wanted deeper inside, needed to fling her head first into the sea he was drowning in. Rearing up, he turned her over facedown and splayed her knees. When he covered her back with his chest, he felt sweat droplets rain from his heated flesh and splash her skin, cooling the heated path of cocoa flesh. She arched her head back and began to buck, Deven covering every inch of her. His hand caressed her hip, only to rise upward and smack her ass. The slap reverberated over the thick curves as she moaned and bucked harder, crying out his name.
“Uhhh... Deven!”
“That’s right. You are mine, Charlene.” She nodded her head, agreeing that there was no other man for her.
Deven was content to take her in as many ways as he could, for as long as he able. Every time he almost gave in to the pleasure pummeling at him, Dev stopped for more foreplay. Sometimes he ate her pussy until she was frothing and bubbling. At others he would spank her begging for more. Once he stopped to plug her ass with two of his fingers and massaged her feet one at a time. That was especially good, and he made Charli beg him for nearly an hour before he would even consider making her orgasm again. When he finally was ready to let her come, he latched his lips on her belly just below the navel. He bit her there slightly, sucking the skin, barely clenching his teeth and she came like a rocket.
Deven watched her come, juices pooling beneath her hips, wetting her body to from hip to knee. He was slick with their mingled sweat, sticky with cake and orgasms. They had made love for hours and now it was nearly ten p.m.
“Look at me, baby.”
She did, eyes unfocused and glazed over. He witnessed her pant, and wanted one more thing from her tonight. Charli saw him reach over to the nightstand and retrieve the forgotten cake. He put the plate on her belly and tremors rolled through her, shaking the cool porcelain saucer. He fed her a bite and kissed the taste from her lips.
Deven parceled out bites of cake, feeling smug and satisfied. He had finally fulfilled the fantasy that featured heavily in his wet dreams since their first dance together. He ran one hand through his hair darkened with sweat, slick spikes at his forehead and curling around his ears.
When the slice was finished, Deven carried her limp frame into the tub with him. In the steaming water, he washed her so gently, Charli nearly fell asleep. When they finished, Deven carried her to the kitchen and decided to make them something to eat. His stomach was touching his backbone, and while delicious, cake wasn’t going to cut it. Digging in the fridge, he found barbeque chicken breasts and potato salad, and made one large plate including a bag of cherries from the crisper. Charli grabbed two bottles of water and a saucer with four large cookies.
Setting everything on the floor in a mock picnic atop a brown woven blanket, Deven grabbed a vase filled with the one of the floral groups he sent her. The earthenware crock was filled with the tulips he sent the day after their separation. Settling them in the middle of the blanket, he tugged Charli down across from him.
* * * *
“Charli, there is something I should tell you.”
“What Deven?”
“I sent your mother to rehab last week.”
Charli blinked twice. Did she hear him right? “How did that happen?”
Deven told her the whole story starting from the moment he got the call from Geraldine.
“I gave her a card, when she came over, and told her that if she wanted to get better that I would help her. I picked her up from a bench on Market, got her some clean clothes, and brought her to Jen.”
“You mean Aunt Jen? Mak raves about her. She’s a psychotherapist right?”
“Yep. Jen isn’t really my aunt. She was a friend of my mother’s from their wild hippie days. Jen had problems with coke, and my mom got her clean. In those days there wasn’t a program like we have now. My mom held her captive in a cabin for three weeks. She used different drugs to keep her knocked out for the worst of it and wrestled her when those didn’t work. After it was over, Jen turned a new leaf and decided to help others who were in the same boat she was in. Jen is actually my godmother.”
“Oh. So how long is my mom going to be there?”
“They have her on a ninety-day program. I have her living in an apartment on the compound. When she finishes, I am going to have her stay in the condo I have downtown, and she will have thrice weekly sessions with Jen. She can take time to find something she loves to do and then get back into the real world.”
Charli was stunned. She couldn’t believe how much this man loved her. She knew those programs weren’t cheap. Not to mention he went into the mall and bought her something to wear. He could have pawned the duty off to someone else. Deven had plenty of money. But to physically do it? Charli’s eyes misted over, and she battled to keep the tears at bay.
“It’s okay to cry, pixie. My shoulders can take a few tears and not melt.” He smiled and tugged her over to him. Charli sobbed, tears she held back for years escaping. Deven held her, letting her cry until long moments later, the tears ended as quickly as they started. Her face and eyes had to be red, nose runny, but Deven still looked at her as if she had never been so beautiful. He took a napkin and dried her face, wiped beneath her nose before kissing it. Charli laughed. Here she was wit
h her fiancé drying up her snot. He was definitely there for better or worse.
“You have three months, Charli.”
“For?” What in the ham sandwich was he talking about?
“For us to get married. I’ve been without you too long to wait more than that.”
Charli had no idea how this was going to work. Charyn and Mak had six months, and they worked day and night to make it happen.
“I don’t think it’s possible, Deven. We can’t get a decent location by then.”
“I don’t care where it takes place. Expect to make an honest man out of me.” Deven chuckled wickedly. “You will be my wife if we have to jump the broom in an alley. Consider yourself lucky I didn’t have to go with plan B.”
“P–plan B?” Damn, now he had her stuttering.
“Yeah. I was going to kidnap you and fly us to Lake Tahoe with a shotgun wedding at the end. If you get too skittish, I still might.”
“Deven, you are a damn fool.”
His eyes lit up. “Yeah, it’s great, isn’t it?” He was right. It was. “God knows, Charlene, I can’t wait to get you pregnant. Have us some pretty mixed babies.”
Charli laughed until she couldn’t breathe. But she could see their babies in her mind’s eye, mini-Deven’s and little versions of herself.
Epilogue:
Where Do We Go From Here
Charli spent the three months Deven allotted her in a haze, and time flew by. The restaurant, Cajun Chic, was open for business, and it was a raving success. Deven was her sous chef on the weekends and her pastry chef all week long. He baked the most amazing cakes and cookies for the patrons. In the mornings they would open-air shop for fresh food together. Then Deven would eat with her and walk to work. Her eatery was open for breakfast at six, brunch, and lunch, closing at two on weekdays. On the weekends she offered a truncated dinner hour, closing by six p.m.
All hands were on deck for the wedding, which was being held on a loaner yacht from the Moreland estate. The yacht would dock in at a local pier where the wedding was being held on board. After that point the yacht would head for a small island in the Caribbean, where Charli and Deven would stay for a month and fly back to the states. She decided to keep her share of the house, in lieu of selling and rented it to a young newlywed couple. The house had wonderful memories, and she couldn’t bear the idea of parting with it entirely.
Willows, Jennifer - Lust for Life [The Moreland Brothers 2] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 19
