by Tasha Jones
“Aaron,” I said, snapping myself back to the present and breaking the kiss. His hand on breast stopped but he didn’t take it away.
“I can’t do this,” I said, looking up at him. I swallowed and took a breath to steady myself.
He sighed, and rolled away from me, lying on his back next to me. “You can’t? Or you don’t want to?”
I thought about it for a moment. I couldn’t kiss one man when I was thinking about another. It wasn’t fair to him. I couldn’t even think of him as more than a friend and a work colleague. He’d been a pillar in my life since I’d arrived in Lafayette, a scared girl, barely an adult, with a past that scared me and an emptiness where there should have been a life inside of me. Aaron had arranged the job with Witmark because he’d seen my talent. He was my savior, but I didn’t know if he could be that again, now. Like this.
“I don’t know,” I finally said.
Aaron nodded, and got up. I pushed myself up so I was sitting on the bed.
“I really appreciate that you spoke to Larry,” I said. I didn’t exactly appreciate it, I would much rather have controlled my own life, but I understood what he was trying to do.
Aaron turned to me, leaning against the desk that was behind him now.
“What are you going to do?” he asked. I took a deep breath. After I stopped him, would it be awkward between us? Would I be able to stay? But the fact was that I was good at what I did. And I didn’t want to leave this job undone. It wasn’t in my nature to run away.
Well, not always.
And the only way I figured I would get over Noah was to face him until he just became another face in the crowd, a person that I once knew.
“I think I’ll stay,” I said.
Aaron smiled. I’d half-expected him to be disappointed about it.
“What are you smiling about?” I asked.
“I just like that you want to spend more time here. With me.”
“Aaron…” I started, because that had not been my intention at all. “You’re not mad?”
He shook his head. “I’m just glad we can still be friends,” he said, and walked to the bathroom, whistling.
Chapter 4 - Noah
Vanessa was up earlier than usual, and she made a point of fussing around the house while I was out on the ranch taking care of business. I’d let her stay over another night. She’d looked emotional and she wanted to drive to the ranch again first thing in the morning.
I didn’t like having her take care of the house. There wasn’t really anything that needed doing. I had a maid come in once a week to help with cleaning and to do the washing, and she wasn’t due until Monday. But Vanessa insisted, so I let her. I knew full well that sometimes people needed to drown themselves in work to deal with something.
When I headed back to the house around noon, Vanessa still wasn’t back. I was relieved to find the house quiet. I walked into the house, welcoming the shade, and dropped my hat on the kitchen table. I found a Dr. Pepper in the fridge and just as I cracked it open I heard Vanessa’s car stop in front of the house.
I sighed.
She stormed into the house. Her hair was disheveled like she’d driven with the windows wide open, her cheeks were flushed red and her eyes spat fire.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. I couldn’t think of anything I’d done to get her this mad, but I’d been wrong before and a man had to be prepared.
“That Tamika Davis… I promise you if I didn’t know what murder did to relatives, I’d wring her neck!” I opened my mouth to speak, but she went on. “She doesn’t have any children, does she?” At the question it felt like my stomach dropped to the floor. I wobbled on my feet and sat down.
“Not that I know of,” I said. My voice sounded hollow. If it wasn’t just me, and it really sounded that way, Vanessa didn’t notice.
“Well good, then at least I won’t be causing troubled teenagers if I accidentally run her over in my car.”
“Honey, slow down,” I said. “Tell me what happened.”
Vanessa paced around the kitchen, billowing her cheeks out before she grunted. She stomped her foot like a child, and carried on pacing.
“I was at the ranch to see how far they were with finding daddy’s will,” she said. “She’s such a cold woman, I don’t understand what that Mexican sees in her.”
“Aaron?” I asked. He didn’t look very Mexican to me, but then again, I didn’t really try pin people that way.
“Yeah, the slippery lawyer. He’s so quick to cover for her, I can’t say anything without him jumping up and having her back. If you ask me it’s wrong to date your colleague, but I don’t make the laws in Louisiana.”
My blood drained from my face. I hadn’t known if they were together when I’d found them on the roadside the other day, but I’d done my best to shut out the idea that it was possible. Now I felt like the one that wanted to run someone over with my truck.
“Do you know what they said?” Vanessa stood in front of me now, looking down at me, hands on her hips.
“What?” I asked.
“I won’t inherit anything. Not one last bit!”
I frowned. “What?”
“That’s exactly what I said! I couldn’t believe they had the audacity to take my inheritance away from me. It’s bad enough that they have to go digging through everything he owns, but now…” Her voice broke, and she stopped, swallowing. She was going to start crying. Her bottom lip quivered and her face crumpled. “They won’t let me have anything he owned,” she said, eyes filling up with tears.
I pulled a chair closer to me and patted it. She sat down and buried her face in her hands. I reached out a hand and put it on her thigh, hoping it would comfort her. I wasn’t very good at this sort of thing, and seeing Vanessa cry was disconcerting.
“Why?”
“Because he’s my stepdad,” she said through her fingers. “When my father married my mother I was nineteen, so he couldn’t really adopt me.”
“But you two were so close, does it matter?”
“I can’t inherit anything if I’m a stepchild but not legally adopted. The state is taking it all away from me.” She sobbed and her shoulders shook. I got up and put the kettle on. I’d make her some tea and then head out and see if I couldn’t straighten it out. I didn’t know how to choose between Tamika and Vanessa, but it was another thing seeing Vanessa lose everything just because of a small legal fact.
Besides, I wanted a reason to speak to Tamika.
“I have some business to take care of,” I said after I put a cup of hot tea in front of her. “You just take your time to calm down, and I’ll be back later. Okay?” She nodded and I kissed her on the head.
***
I walked into the hotel in Ingram, shortly after lunch.
“Can I help you?” Carol said behind the counter, smiling at me.
“Don’t you ever go home?” I asked.
“Sure. Sometimes Dave takes over, but you’re usually here when it’s my shift.” I knew Dave, the hotel manager, sometimes took Carol’s place, but it just always seemed like she was behind reception. I’d hoped it would be Dave this time. He wouldn’t ask questions about my inquiries. Carol was the town gossip. There wasn’t anything that happened that she didn’t know about. Usually it was a curse.
“I was wondering where I can find Tamika,” I said. “Is she in?”
“The lawyer left, but I think she’s here. I’ll ring for you.”
“No,” I said, putting my hand on the phone so she couldn’t pick up the receiver. Carol looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. I took a deep breath and steadied myself. “Don’t do that. Can you tell me where her room is? I’ll just knock and see if she’s in.”
I didn’t want her to have to chance to turn me away before I’d gotten one word in.
“Usually we don’t allow that…” Carol said.
“Come on, it’s me.”
She shrugged. “It’s number three. Just don’t come crying to me if she gives
you the boot. I don’t want Dave on my case about policy.”
“Thanks, Carol,” I said and walked down the passage that led to the rooms. Number three had a ‘Do not disturb’ tag on the door handle. I knocked.
There was no answer, so I knocked again. I was just about to turn away, when the door clicked and opened. Tamika stood on the other side wearing shorts and a tank top. She looked like the Tamika I used to know. Her hair was still perfectly styled, but she wasn’t wearing make-up, and for the first time since she’d arrived in Ingram I felt like I could reach out to her and I might be able to touch her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Her voice was still professional, even though she wasn’t wearing her suit of armor.
“I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. Is that okay?”
She looked at me for a moment, and I could see her brain clicking as she thought about it.
“What’s this about?”
“Vanessa. The ranch, really. You know, business.” I chewed my cheek. Maybe that would win her over. She looked big on business.
“Alright, but only for a moment,” she said and stepped to the side so I could walk into the room.
It was a couple’s room with a double bed. I’d hoped to see two single beds. So they were dating, then. I could smell his deodorant in the bathroom, and I hated it off the bat. There was a blanket rumpled on the couch, and a book face down on the floor. I guessed Tamika must have been reading.
“Not working today?” I asked.
“Aaron’s taking care of some legal paperwork at the law offices here in town,” she said. “I warned him it’s not a very organized place, but he’s stubborn. I was at the ranch this morning. He thought he’d be back before lunch.” She smiled, a small crack that let me glimpse the old Tamika. When she looked at me again, the smile faded and her wall fell back into place.
“What was it you wanted to talk about?” she asked. Her eyes were big and round, dark chocolate like I remembered it. When she spoke her lips mesmerized me. Her lips were full and round, and she shaped her words like she caressed them before they left her mouth. My eyes rested on the cupid’s bow, where her lips dipped together.
“Noah?” she asked because I hadn’t answered.
She was irresistible. Everything about her that had made me fall in love with her was still right there. Right in front of me. I reached out my hand and placed it at the back of her neck. Her eyes widened a little. I pulled her close to me, and kissed her.
Her body went rigid, stiffening under my hand, under my lips. I held my lips on hers and waited for her to push me away. Slap me. Tell me she never wanted to see me again. For a moment time stood still and we were caught in a void with all the air sucked out of it. Her hands when up to my chest, and I waited for the shove.
Instead she softened under my hand, and her hands slid over my chest. Her lips moved against mine, and she sighed, kissing me back.
And it was like coming home. I’d been in the drought for seven years, and this was the first rain. I slid my other hand around her waist onto the small of her back, and pulled her closer to me. Her body was curvy but soft and feminine all the same. I felt the swells of her breasts against my chest, and I was aware of her hips slowly pushing closer and closer against mine until we were melded together.
Her breathing sped up. I swallowed, trying to keep control of myself. But then her hands were in my hair, her fingers curling against my scalp, and I let go.
My hand slid around onto her shoulder, then her chest, and down to her breast. Every movement was a question. When would she remember who I was and what I’d done to her? When would she remember that she hated me? I was willing to take everything I could get. Being with Tamika, my Jewel, made me feel like for the first time in a long time I could breathe again.
I pulled her body hard against mine and massaged her breast with my hand, running my finger over her nipple. It was hard already, standing at attention. One of her hands slid down my back, and a shiver followed it. I urged her towards the bed, and we fell onto it in a tangle of arms and legs. She was under me. Her skin was hot, searing mine through our clothes. Her breathing had turned to a pant.
I pulled away, breaking the kiss, and looked at her. She looked back at me, the wall behind her eyes gone. Something passed between us, something that held everything we’d had before. Our love, our relationship, our break-up, our pain. A shudder rippled through her body.
I shifted so I lay half on top of her, and with my hand I traced the curve of her body. It was firmer now, tighter, but it was still her. When I ran my hand over her hip she pulled up her knee, and I could run my hand around and onto her ass. The edge of her shorts rode there, and I could slide my hand underneath, my skin on hers. I pushed my hips against her, grinding her. I knew she could feel how desperately I wanted her. All of her.
She jutted her chin up, the smallest of movements, but it was enough. She wanted me to kiss her again, and as long as she wanted me to, I would. I brought my lips down on hers, and she opened her lips, letting me slide inside.
I let go of her ass and drew my hand back up her body, finding the hem of her shirt and sliding my hand underneath. Her skin was silky smooth. I reached her bra, satin and lace, and traced the lace strip at the top of her breast. I took her nipple through the fabric between my thumb and forefinger, and rolled it. She moaned softly into my mouth.
I leaned back and let go of her breast, taking the shirt and pulling it up. She lifted her arms so I could pull it over her head. She was the one that unclipped her bra and let it slip off her shoulders. It landed on the edge of the bed and slid down to the carpet. Her breasts were free, firm and round as I remembered them, with the beauty spot just above her right breast. I leaned down and kissed it. Then I kissed a trail onto her breast, and swirled my tongue around her nipple. She gasped and arched her back, pushing her breasts up towards me. I took her nipple in my mouth and sucked on it, softly, enough to feel the little spasms of pleasure jerk through her body. My arm was around her. The other hand found the waistband of her shorts and I pushed into it, underneath the G-string she wore that I bet matched her bra.
She was classy that way now.
Her clit was swollen, she was so turned on, and when I pushed my fingers into her folds she was wet and wanting. She moaned when I brushed across her clit. I stopped what my mouth was doing and looked up at her face. I ran my finger in a slow circle over her clit, slippery now with her sex. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly parted, and she breathed in rhythm with my hand. This, of our entire time together, was the part I loved most about Tamika. She was raw and pure and absolutely resigned to my mercy. This was what made me feel like a real man, when I could please my woman.
Shivers ran across her body. I saw the different parts of her jolt slightly, her breasts moving and then coming to rest again, her back arched. Her breathing kept changing, and small moans escaped her open lips. It drove me crazy.
I stopped. Her eyes shot open and she looked at me with a mixture of lust and disappointment on her face. I unbuttoned my own shirt and pulled it off, dropping it on the floor. I unbuckled my belt and kicked off my jeans. My jocks went last, and I was the first to be completely naked. Her eyes roamed over my body, drinking in the sight of me.
She scissored her legs, squirming on the bed. I leaned down and took off her shorts and underwear. They’d been in the way long enough.
Her body was perfect. Curvy in all the right places, with a flat stomach and hips that dipped and rose into the V between her legs. I got onto the bed and crawled on top of her. My cock was hard, throbbing to my pulse. The tip touched the lower stomach and she shivered. It left a small drop of pre-cum behind.
She spread her legs for me without me asking, and I positioned myself over her. When I pushed against the soft flesh at her entrance, a jolt of electricity shot through me. I was suddenly nervous. I swallowed down the lump in my throat, and looked at her. Her eyes were still on my face, pupils dilated with lust. Sh
e reached up and around my back, her hands on the back of my shoulders, and pulled gently. Her encouragement was what I’d needed.
I pushed into her. Her body yielded and then opened up for me, folding around me and pulling me in. She let out a muffled cry as I entered her, and stopped only once I’d pushed in to the hilt. I held still for a moment, letting her body adjust to mine. I leaned my chest on hers, nothing between us, only my skin against her skin. The sensation was erotic, surreal. Her breasts pushed against my chest and I could feel where her nipple pushed against my skin, hard and tight.
I moved inside of her, pulling out slowly, only half way, and then sliding back in. Her breathing followed my motion, and I did it again. I stroked her silky walls, feeling how her body stretched to accommodate me. She moaned again and closed her eyes, curling her fingers so her nails bit into my skin.
I moved my hips faster, pushing in and pulling out. Her body responded. She tipped her head back, and I kissed her throat, nuzzling my face into her neck, and staying there. I bucked my hips against her, taking her, taking every inch she had to offer. I made her mine again, the woman that had run away from me, leaving me dry.
The motion kindled a fire inside of me, hotter and hotter until it was a raging furnace. A sheen of sweat on my skin, or hers, made my body slippery on top of her. She moaned and panted through her parted lips, her eyes still closed, and her hips moved in time with mine, making the sensation of being inside of her that much more intense. In all the time we’d been separated I hadn’t found a woman I felt so connected to during sex. It was like everything melted away, and the world was reduced to only her and me, and here and now. I didn’t know where my body ended, and hers started, and I could touch her, reach out, and fall.
And she would be at the other end, waiting.
A brilliant surge of white light flowed through my body, taking my attention away from everything I was thinking, and I focused on my body. I was building up to a climax. Every fiber in my body trembled, cried out for her. I could feel her get tighter around me; I was getting bigger with the build-up.
