The Proposal & Solid Soul

by Brenda Jackson

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHANCE LAY THERE AND watched as Kylie awakened. Even before she fully opened her eyes, she covered her yawn, and it was then that he leaned over and gently pulled her hand away before capturing her mouth in his. Seconds later the same desire that was raging through him took over her. She sighed into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, surrendering to the passion he evoked.

  The mere memory of all the things they had done last night sent heat escalating through his body and made it harder not to take her again. The intensity of his love for her went well beyond the scope of his understanding, but as far as he was concerned it didn’t really matter as long as he was smart enough to accept it. And he did.

  He couldn’t imagine ever being without her and while he’d watched her sleep, he had felt as if he couldn’t breathe unless he had kissed her again. Now he was getting his fill, as he’d done last night while making love to her. They had made love more times than he could count, but he wasn’t keeping numbers so it hadn’t mattered. The important thing was that each time he’d opened his arms she had come into them willingly, without any hesitation or reservation, and that had meant a lot to him.

  When he slowly released her mouth he watched as she dragged in a shaky breath. It was pretty obvious that she had never been awakened in such a manner before. “Wow,” she said softly. “What was that for?”

  He smiled and brought her body closer to him. He wished he could tell her it was for being the woman he loved, but there was no way he could do that. At least not yet. “That was for being the special person you are, and for allowing me to spend so much time with you last night.”

  A crooked smile claimed her lips as she remembered. “Yes, we did spend a lot of time together, didn’t we?” Even now the rock-solid feel of him pressed against her belly was making her hot and achy all over again.

  His lips formed into a half grin. “Sweetheart, we did more than that. I spent so much time inside of you that a certain part of my body actually thinks that’s where it belongs. It wants another visit and is worse than a junkie in need of a fix.”

  “Really?” she said, arching her back and automatically pressing her pelvis against his hard erection.

  “Yeah, and if you keep that up—”

  “What are you going to do?”

  She gasped when he quickly took hold of her hips and lifted her leg to cross over his, locking their position. Before she could gather her next breath he shifted his body and entered her.

  Once inside her warm depth, he began thrusting back and forth inside of her, while his hands, wrapped tightly around her waist, held her immobile. His mouth feasted on hers with the same intensity as the lower part of his body was taking her. Mating with her.

  She reluctantly tore her mouth from his. “Wh-what about protection?” she asked, barely able to get the words out.

  He withdrew slowly and then sank back deep inside of her to the hilt. “I got it covered.” And then he took her mouth again and her hips automatically bucked against his, reestablishing the rhythm they had created the night before.

  After last night he should have been exhausted, but after sleeping with her nestled in his arms, his entire body was primed with more sexual energy than he’d ever had before. He could mate like this with her for hours. She was just that wet and he was just that needy.

  She tore her mouth from his and dropped her head into his chest and moaned with each thrust he made into her body.

  “Had enough?” he asked, refusing to stop or slow down. The sensations flowing through him were giving him added stamina, making him greedy.

  She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “No.”

  A single chuckle escaped him. “That’s good,” he said adjusting his angle. “Because I couldn’t stop now even if you asked me to.”

  “What if I changed my mind and begged you to stop?”

  “Forget it.”

  He started making little circles around her lips with his tongue. And then he began thrusting his tongue back and forth inside his mouth, mimicking the action going on below, using the same rhythm. “Chance!”

  He latched his gaze on her face, saw the intensity in her features and knew she was about ready to explode. “Let go, baby,” he coaxed, knowing whenever she came he would, too.

  She arched toward him, locked her body tighter to his. It was obvious from the way she was digging her fingers into his shoulders that he’d hit gold again and zeroed in on her G-spot, that sexually sensitive area that he had discovered last night had made her have multiple orgasms back-to-back, several times over.

  He grabbed hold of her butt and slowed down his strokes, although it tortured him to do so. But he was attuned to her pleasure. He stroked slowly in and out of her, hitting her in that very special spot that made her moans become louder and her breath deeper. When she glanced down and saw the way he was moving in and out of her, she began mumbling. “Oh, yes, that’s the spot. Go deeper, Chance. Please. Deeper.”

  He did what she asked and she surprised him when she began flexing her inner muscles, milking him for all it was worth. He began feeling sensuous contractions inch all through his groin. “Aw, hell.”

  He began stroking her with an intensity that almost bordered on obsession, intent on pushing her over the edge, the same way she was pushing him. She dropped her head back against his chest again and he was getting turned on even more from the way their bodies were vigorously mating.

  “Had enough yet?” he asked, his voice ragged. He hoped she hadn’t.

  She lifted her face and shook her head. Her eyes, glazed with desire, met his and she arched into him, letting him know her answer before she said the words. “Not enough. More.”

  “Be careful what you ask for, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m a Steele, remember. I’m made to last.”

  And then he withdrew slowly, just long enough to adjust positions, and in a flash Kylie found herself on her back with her legs wrapped around the upper part of Chance’s shoulders. And then he thrust inside of her to the hilt, harder and faster.

  She screamed out his name, clung to him and succumbed to him as a rush of molten heat speared through her. When he screamed her name and pressed her hips she knew he had gotten caught up in the same exhilarating passion as she had.

  She nipped at the corner of his lip and he leaned down and opened his mouth fully over hers, deepening the kiss to taste as much of her as he could. And at that moment, Kylie knew if another fifteen years went by without ever having taken part in something like this, she would survive, because in a mere twelve hours Chance had given her enough lovemaking to last a lifetime.

  “YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL home, Chance,” she called out to him.

  “Thanks,” he answered from the bedroom.

  Kylie stood leaning against the marble counter in Chance’s kitchen. After enjoying their early-morning delight, she had lain in bed, convinced that she couldn’t move, and had wondered if she would ever be able to do so again. But he had gathered her into his arms like a newborn baby and had taken her into the bathroom to shower with him. It was a shower she doubted she would ever forget. She managed a smile and shook her head thinking that even now it was hard to believe that the woman who had made love to him beneath the spray of water had actually been her.

  She had changed into her favorite capri pants after their shower, then she had fixed them a quick breakfast and he had talked her into going with him to the gym to watch him and his brothers play their regular Saturday morning game of basketball. But first he needed to swing by his place to change clothes. Showing up on the courts wearing his tux would definitely give his brothers something to talk about for a long time.

  On the drive over to his place he had told her that he’d had the house built a few years after his wife died, because he felt he could not get on with his life while still living in the home they’d shared together. Now here she was, waiting patiently while he changed into a T-shirt and jogging pants.

&nbs
p; “Sure I can’t get you anything?” he asked, coming into the kitchen and setting his gym bag on the counter beside her.

  A smile touched her lips. “No thanks. You’ve given me too much already.”

  “You haven’t seen or felt everything yet,” he said, as he smoothed his hand over the bare skin of her arm before grabbing her curvy bottom to bring her closer to the fit of him. He dipped his head, kissing her still-swollen lips thoroughly.

  “You know we can skip that game with my brothers,” he murmured softly against her lips.

  “Hmm, and deny them the chance to work off their competitive frustrations? I wouldn’t dare,” she said, grinning.

  He gave her one of his most charming smiles. “Forget my brothers. I promise if we were to stay here I’d make it worth your while.”

  Her grin broadened. “There’s no doubt in my mind that you would, but I’m not sure I can keep up with you, Chance.”

  He bent his head and nipped gently at her neck. “Hey, you’ve been doing a pretty good job so far.”

  Her laughter was low and husky. “Thanks, but I have only so much energy to spare. I may be younger than you but I’m definitely out of practice.”

  He took her hand, raised it to his lips and kissed her fingers. “If you’re sure you’re not ready to try the springs in my bed then I guess we’d better go.”

  While walking her out to the car, he said, “I’ve made reservations for us tonight at Cedar Keys.”

  She glanced up at him. “Cedar Keys?” She’d heard the place was rather expensive.

  “Yes, Cedar Keys. My special lady deserves special treatment,” he said, opening the car door for her.

  My special lady. A part of Kylie wished that she was indeed his special lady and then immediately regretted the thought. Just because she was in love with him didn’t mean he had to love her back. She had to remind herself that this weekend was about absolute pleasure. Love had nothing to do with it.

  “Will your brothers wonder why I’m with you?”

  Chance glanced over at her before starting the ignition. “They know we left the ball together last night, Kylie.”

  The insinuation of his statement gave her a moment’s pause. “So chances are they know we spent the night together.” It was a statement more so than a question.

  “Not necessarily. For all they know I took you home and I went to my place after inviting you to join me this morning. But will it bother you if they’ve figured things out?”

  “I know that it shouldn’t,” she said quietly. “But I am the mother of the girl their nephew has a crush on.”

  Chance lifted an eyebrow. “So?”

  “So they might figure that I should be setting a better example.”

  Chance frowned. He reached over and took her hand in his. “Hey, we’re spending time in Pleasureland this weekend, remember? We don’t have time to take any guilt trips. Besides, there’s no need for one,” he said gently. “One day you’re going to have to accept that what we do is our business, Kylie. And we don’t have to answer to anyone.”

  She drew in a long, unsteady breath. “I wish it was that easy for me to think that way, Chance. But after I got pregnant with Tiffany, my parents made sure that all their friends knew they had nothing to do with the way I turned out. I heard them call me a bad seed once. Since then I’ve tried so hard to be good and to raise Tiffany the right way.”

  He reached over and pulled her into his arms, hugging her close. “Oh, baby, you have. You’re being too hard on yourself. No one is perfect, not even your parents. And they had no right to lay something that heavy on you. We all make mistakes. I bet if you were to clean out their closets you’ll find something they’d rather leave hidden.”

  She shook her head. “I doubt it. You don’t know my parents.”

  “Yes, I think I do. They aren’t one of a kind, you know. There are others out there just like them.”

  A smile she couldn’t contain curved her lips. “Yes, I know.”

  “Then remember that. Always keep that thought in mind.”

  He released her and Kylie thought she fell in love with him even more at that moment. “You’re good at that, you know.”

  He glanced over at her as he began backing the car out the driveway. “Good at what?”

  “Soothing my ruffled feathers.”

  He smiled. “Glad I could help.”

  “HEY, MAN, DID YOU HAVE to bring your own personal cheerleader?” Bas whispered as he set a screen for Chance to shoot.

  Chance laughed as he made yet another shot and Kylie stood and cheered again. “Jealousy won’t get you any points, Bas. You could have brought Cassandra.”

  Bas frowned. “Are you kidding? Can any of you imagine her sitting over there on the bleachers watching me get hot and sweaty?”

  Donovan chuckled. “No, I don’t think we can.”

  “Hey, will the three of you cut the crap and let’s get some playtime?” Morgan growled, pushing Bas out of the way and getting the ball from Chance.

  “Hey, that’s a foul, Morgan,” Chance called out, watching Morgan dribble the ball down the court to make a shot. He then turned to Bas. “What’s his problem?”

  “Seems like some lady he was interested in last night at the ball wasn’t all that receptive,” Bas said as they ran down the court to retrieve the stolen ball. “Who?”

  “The woman who could be Queen Latifah’s twin, Helena Spears. He asked her out and she declined. She’s probably the first woman who’s ever turned down a dinner date with him. He evidently doesn’t handle rejection well.”

  Chance grinned. “Evidently.”

  The game ended an hour or so later with Bas and Chance winning. Morgan, who’d made six fouls, would have gotten thrown out of the game had they been playing by real basketball rules.

  Kylie sat patiently on the bleachers waiting for the men to come out of the locker room, where they had gone to shower and change. When Bas came out first, he crossed the gym to come over to talk to her.

  “So,” he asked dropping in the seat next to her, “what did you think of our game?”

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Interesting. A lot of rules were broken.”

  Bas chuckled. “Yeah, better broken rules than broken noses. We need this game every week to work off frustrations. Otherwise, we’d be at each other’s throats at some point during the week.”

  “So I heard.”

  After a few moments of silence, Bas, who had a habit of shooting straight from the hip, said, “Chance has never brought a woman to watch us play before, so I figure you must be special.”

  Kylie gave him a wry glance. “Do you?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “That’s good to know because I think he’s special, too.”

  Bas shook his head and chuckled softly. “You don’t seem too happy about it.”

  Kylie let out a sigh. “We should be concentrating on our kids.”

  “Hey, Marcus is a smart guy and from what I hear your Tiffany is a smart girl.”

  “Yes, but trouble has a way of finding even smart people.”

  “You’re talking to someone who knows. Trouble used to be my middle name.”

  Kylie caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “Chance is a nice guy,” she said quietly. “Marcus is lucky to have him for a father.”

  “That’s the same thing Chance said about you.”

  Kylie glanced over at Bas. “What?”

  “That you were a nice person and that Tiffany was lucky to have you as a mother.” Bas then leaned forward. “Hey, do me a favor, will you?”

  “And what favor is that?”

  “You’ve made him happy and—”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you. I’ve never seen him in such a good mood. Sometimes I think that smile is plastered to his face.”

  Kylie shook her head. “I have nothing to do with it.”

  “Yes, you do. At first he was all bent out of shape at the thought that Marcus’s attention had got
ten off his books and shifted to a girl, but once he met you then he saw why.”

  Kylie’s eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “What do you mean?”

  Bas smiled. “He was so taken with you that he could see how Marcus could be taken with Tiffany.” When Kylie didn’t say anything, Bas said, “Now getting back to that favor…”

  “Yes?”

  “Keep making Chance happy. He’s had a lot of sadness in his life and if there’s anyone who deserves to be happy, it’s him. I think he’s a pretty great guy.”

  Before Kylie could say anything, Bas stood, jumped off the bleachers to the court and called over his shoulder, “I’ll go see what’s keeping him.”

  Kylie leaned back and thought about what Bas had said. Before she could give it too much thought, every nerve ending in her body came instantly alive when Chance walked out of the locker room. He had changed into a pair of jeans and another T-shirt. He crossed the gym to her with a heart-stopping smile on his face.

  Catching her breath, she decided to go down to meet him. As soon as she got close he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. “Sorry for the delay. I had to talk to Morgan about something.”

  She nodded as he took her hand in his and led her out of the gym. “That’s okay. I enjoyed chatting with Bas while I waited. Is Morgan okay? He was playing a mean game today. He committed a lot of fouls.”

  Chance’s smile curved into a full grin. “Yes, they were intentional. He had a lot of frustrations to work off.”

  “Oh.”

  Snaking his arm around her waist, Chance snuggled her closer to his side as they walked to the car. “What were your plans for today?”

  “I was going grocery shopping.”

  He laughed. “Hey, so was I. Do you want to go together?”

  When Chance opened the car door and she slid inside, she glanced up at him and smiled. “Why not? It just might be fun.”

  LATER THAT EVENING AS Kylie finished getting dressed for dinner she thought that grocery shopping with Chance had not only been fun, it had been educational, as well.