by K. Langston
“I… I have to go,” I said, diving in for one last taste.
I stifled a groan when he finally released my mouth. “Text you later.”
“Ok,” I attempted to draw in a steady breath, but the air around me was still tainted with his scent. He planted a tiny kiss on the bridge of my nose. “Have a good day, baby.”
Safe to say, I walked around in a daze for the rest of the day, daydreaming about things that could never be, a man I could never keep, and a life I could never have.
Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.
~ Dorothy Thompson
I always wondered if the one would ever come along. The one who would outshine the rest. The one who would steal my heart and mark my soul. That’s why I’d avoided kissing for so long. I guess I thought I could prevent it from happening. At least until I wanted it to. But only a fool would think they could control something as powerful as this. This overwhelming need to make her mine had consumed me. It was like a runaway train and I didn’t care about locating the brakes. I attempted to get some work done, but I couldn’t concentrate. I still had her taste on my tongue and scent on my suit.
Succulent and sweet, my very own peach.
Smiling, I shook my head, looking up to catch Brent walking into my office. I was in too good of a mood to be an asshole, so I attempted to play nice. “What?”
Tilting his head, he gave me a smug grin. Why the hell did everyone keep looking at me like that? Mary Ann gave me the same look this morning when she brought me my coffee.
“What?” I clipped, urging him to get on with it. I had work to do and a woman on my mind. I didn’t have time for his shit.
“How are things going with the Lynchfield case?”
Silence.
The awkward kind I’d grown to hate. I tossed my reading glasses onto the desk in front of me, running a frustrated hand through my hair. “Great.”
“Need any help?”
“No.”
More silence.
Then… more bullshit.
“She means the world to me. I wish you would believe me.”
“I don’t.”
“We’re going to be family whether you like it or not. I’m trying to be the bigger man here.”
“A bigger man would have come to me first. A friend would have never touched my baby sister to begin with.”
“Mia is not a fucking baby. She’s a grown woman who will soon be my wife and she knows the man I was before we fell in love.”
“I’m pretty sure you haven’t told her all your dirty secrets. Sorry, but the best you’ll ever get from me is tolerance. Only because I have no choice in the matter.”
“How can you sit there and judge me for my past? You’re no better than me,” he said, walking out.
He was right, maybe I shouldn’t judge. Then again, I wasn’t the one who lied.
“Mr. Shaw,” Mary Ann’s voice called through the intercom. “You have Mrs. Brooks on line one.”
Snatching the phone from the cradle, I pulled it to my ear with a smile. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“You sound awfully chipper this morning. Did you have an intern for breakfast?”
I chuckled, relieving some of the tension Brent had placed in my shoulders. “No, I had peaches for breakfast. What can I do for you today, Mrs. Brooks?”
“I need your help.”
“Shoot.”
She exhaled a deep breath. “I want to open my own firm.”
Pride swelled in my chest. Madison had shown an enormous amount of potential in her time here. She was smart, determined, and passionate about the law. I had no doubts in her ability to take on something this big, but in addition to my support, Madison was also seeking my honesty. “It won’t be easy.”
“I know, but I think I’m ready. I have the startup money and several pending cases I’ll bring with me. One of them is huge. If I overturn this conviction, it could bring me a lot of media attention and recognition. I was hoping you could fly down soon. I need someone to walk me though the process. You know what works and what doesn’t. I don’t want to fuck this up and I have no one here I can trust.”
“Just tell me when, and I’m there.”
“Thanks, Barrett. This means the world to me. It will be about a month or two. Let me get some more things in order and I’ll let you know.”
There was a time when I wondered if Maddie had been the one who got away. We had a lot in common. The time we spent together had been memorable. But I knew better now. The fire in my chest was proof only one woman could make me feel this way.
After work, I went home to change and pack a bag. Then I made my way to Tabitha’s apartment. I sent her a text to make sure she didn’t need anything. She fired back with a quick no, telling me the door would be open.
Upon entering, I locked the door behind me, depositing the take out I’d picked up on my way over, in the kitchen. I took a look around. A table, sofa, chair and ottoman, as well as a flat screen with more DVDs than one person should own. She had two bookcases full of them. There were pictures scattered here and there. A couple of her and Madison, including one on her wedding day and one when they graduated college. One caught my eye in particular. Tabitha couldn’t have been more than five or six, sitting on a man’s knee with a huge smile on her face. Her hair was in braided pig-tails, and she had a lot more freckles covering her face. I smiled, thankful she still retained a few, particularly the ones on her nose. I put the picture back in its place and went in search of her room.
Tossing my bag onto her bed, I followed the sound of sexy music mixed with her sultry voice down the hall, stopping at the cracked door of the bathroom. My cock hardened painfully against the zipper of my jeans, as I slowly eased open the door, creeping inside. Steam billowed in white puffs of heat and the smell of peaches punched me in the nose. The glow of candles lighting the room made her look like a goddess, submerged in the garden tub with her hair piled messily on top of her head. Long thick lashes fanned across the tops of her wet cheeks, kissing the flushed skin with their flaming beauty.
There are moments in life, moments when you know a memory is going to imbed itself in your mind and heart forever. I’ve experienced a few of those moments. When I graduated law school. When I won my first case. When Dylan was born.
This.
No matter how much time passed or how long I lived, I would never forget the way she looked in this very moment. I dropped to my knees, lost in the sounds pouring from her mouth. Bubbles danced on the water, concealing all but the mounds of her slick breasts. A pink nipple taunted me each time she moved so I reached out, taking it between my fingers, applying enough pressure to earn me a heated gasp. Her eyes opened, revealing more than she ever had before. This was her element. She felt comfortable here. And from the look in her eyes, she felt comfortable with me in her space. I brought my lips to hers, tasting the flesh of my strongest weakness. Water sloshed against the sides, soaking the sleeve of my shirt. “I’ve been dying to kiss you all day,” I said, releasing her mouth to look in her eyes.
She licked her lips. “Get in.”
I stripped down quickly, stepping inside the tub and straddling her hips. Taking her lips once more, her fingers wrapped around my cock, fucking me with her hand while I fucked her mouth with my tongue. “I want to taste you,” she whispered between kisses.
Pushing my hips forward, I rubbed the tip along her bottom lip, teasing her and myself. I held her eyes as she took me inside her slick mouth. Her fingers wrapped around the base, stroking up and down while she worked me in and out. I braced my hands on the side of the tub, content to let her have her way with me. Her mouth was pure pleasure, wrapped around me so hot and tight.
Releasing me, she shifted to sit up higher, my cock resting between her…
Oh fuck.
Moving her hands to each side, she pushed her breasts together. I pumped my hips. Slow at first then faster, gripping the side of the tub, living out my fantasy rig
ht here in her bathroom. Sliding back and forth, I fucked the slick valley between her breasts. It was heaven. It was hell. It was fucking outstanding. With my head thrown back, I moaned loud and deep, the sound echoing off the walls as I came on her neck and chest.
A triumphant smile rested upon her face. “I win,” she declared, drawing her fingers across her marked skin. She lifted them to her mouth, sucking them off one by one.
My cock twitched. “What did you win?”
“Every time we’re together, you always take over. I wanted to be in charge for once.”
“You don’t like it when I take you?”
“No, I love it. I just… I had to find a way to taste you without you sinking your teeth into me first,” she shrugged one shoulder. “It worked.”
Standing up, I reached for a towel and waited patiently as she cleaned herself off. Rivulets of water were cascading down her soapy, pale skin, as she rose and I wrapped the towel around her body. Grabbing a towel of my own, I followed her into her room. I opened the bag on her bed, tagging a pair of underwear and gym shorts while I fisted the towel around my waist. “I don’t remember saying you could spend the night,” she said with a cocked him and arms crossed over her chest.
Finding her eyes, I dropped the towel to dress. “I don’t remember asking.”
That shut her up.
Later, we were sitting on her sofa, her on one end, me at the other. Half empty Chinese boxes littered the coffee table while we talked about nothing.
About… everything.
“You look just like him, except the red hair,” I said nodding to the picture on the table next to her.
She gave me a weak smile. “My mother was the redhead.”
“Was?”
Folding her legs to her chest, she rested a chin to her knee. “She died when I was a little girl.”
“How?”
She frowned. “Cancer.”
“I’m so sorry, baby.”
Tears threatened to spill from her sad green eyes. “She used to sing to me and she always wore the color blue. That’s all I remember.”
Shifting closer, I draped an arm across the back of the sofa, dropping a kiss to her bare shoulder. I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear just as the first tear slipped down her cheek. “I miss her and I don’t even know her. How is that possible?”
My only instinct was to make it all better, but growing up around three women told me the best thing to do was keep my mouth shut and just be there for her. Stroking her back, I gave her silence. After several minutes and a few more tears, she lifted her red puffy eyes to mine. “Is this what you wanted? I’m a mess, Barrett. Pretty sure you don’t want all this emotional baggage.”
I swiped her wet cheek with my thumb. “I want you to share everything with me, including these.” Cradling her face, I used my thumbs to dry her tears, “Whatever it is… good, bad, ugly, or sad, let me have it all,” her lips trembled. “Let me have you.” My final plea earned me a small gasp.
Releasing her legs, she wrapped her arms around me, bringing her lips to mine. Hard and deep, we were tongue and teeth, set on devouring every last piece of one another. I eased her back. One leg curled around the top of my thigh, urging me closer while her hands drifted up and beneath my shirt, across my ribs.
With great strength I release her mouth. The air we shared, precious between us. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.”
“Me either.”
I pressed my forehead to hers and swallowed around the sudden dryness in my throat. “I need you,” fingers dipped beneath the band of my shorts, digging into my ass. “Now,” she demanded.
Pulling the flimsy tank top from her head, red hair fanned out across the brown cushion and her eyes flooded with the same need I heard in her voice. I took in the beauty beneath me, placing a kiss between her heaving breasts. “Are you on birth control?”
“Yes, why?”
I pressed a kiss to her lips. “I want to make you mine in every way,” I stayed in place, watching helplessly as she retreated.
I attempted to lower my mouth to her neck, but she jerked away. “I think you should leave.”
Shit, that hurt.
A lot.
“You’re joking right?”
She reached for her top, covering her chest as she shoved me away. “No, I’m not.”
When she moved to get up, my hand caught her wrist. “I thought we’d just taken a step forward, now you’ve taken five steps back. What’s wrong?”
“You.”
Oh, now the bitch was back. I released her. Was I wasting my time? Part of me wanted to walk away. There were plenty of other women out there who came with far less bullshit than this. But damn it, I wanted this one. I wanted her. Every cell and bone in my body screamed for it. And no matter how much my mind told me I should, my heart refused to let her go. “What’s his name?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“If you’re going to compare me to someone else, at least tell me his name.”
She refused to look at me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,”
“You’ve been hurt. You’re afraid I’m going to hurt you, too. But I’m trying to prove to you that I’m different.”
“What exactly do you think will come of this? My God, Barrett, you were in love with my best friend. This could never be more than just sex.”
“I was not in love with her!” I threw my hands up, my blood hot and angry in my veins.
“She told me what you said when she gave you her notice. Do you still regret it? Being too late?”
I thought back to the day Madison had come to me, telling me she was leaving not only the firm, but Boston for good. I would be lying if I said it didn’t sting. I cared about Madison. Still do. But I never loved her. Because Madison walking away from me then… was nothing compared to the feeling I had in my chest right now. I had no idea what to say or how to explain any of this to her.
I gave her truth.
“My career has always come first. I’ve never craved an emotional connection with a woman. Ever. That all changed when I met you. Those lips had me wanting to tempt fate and your eyes urged me to take risks. I can’t explain it. Only thing I knew for certain… I wanted you. I couldn’t get you out of my head. You were everywhere. So three days later, in a moment of weakness, I kissed Madison. I was desperate. Desperate to know what those feelings meant and what the hell I was supposed to do with them,” I wrapped an arm around her waist, cupping the side of her neck. “I’ve been eating dinner at that damn pub every Friday night for a year. Hoping… praying I would run into you.”
A gasp parted her lips. “Barrett.”
“Just tell me what you’re so afraid of?”
“I’m afraid… I’m afraid of falling in love with you.”
Being fueled by the fire in my chest, heat coursed through my body. “Baby, when you’re mine… you don’t have to be afraid. I’ll always catch you when you fall.”
A lone tear rolled down her cheek, stopping at the corner of her mouth. My lips to hers, I kissed away her doubts and fears. Tabitha opened the door to her heart once more.
A little wider this time.
Truth is like the sun.
You can shut it out for a time,
but it ain’t goin’ away.
~ Elvis Presley
The cobalt dress fit me perfectly. I smoothed out the invisible wrinkles for the hundredth time, butterflies fluttering furiously in my belly. Barrett and I had spent every free moment together over the last three weeks. Our nights ending tangled in each other’s arms. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Even if I had ended it, nothing could have prevented the inevitable impact this man would have on me. With every beautiful promise spoken and every stroke of his hand across my skin, he shoved aside another piece of debris, slowly making his way to the shattered remains of my heart.
This was our last night together. He had no idea and I still hadn’t come up with a
way to tell him, but I had no choice, I was running out of time. The knock at the door sent my heart racing faster than my high heeled feet could carry me.
Breathtaking.
From the tips of his shiny black shoes, to his sharp blue tie that made his eyes sparkle, Barrett filled any suit he wore with such raw beauty. I’d mentioned how much I loved his five o’clock shadow a few days ago and he’d yet to shave it. A shiver raced down my spine, reminding me of the burn left behind by those rough whiskers when he ate me for dessert last night. He took two steps inside, shutting the door behind him. “I changed my mind,” Snaking his arm around my waist, he hauled me against chest. “We’re not going anywhere.”
Resting my hands on his strong arms, I looked up at his handsome face. “If you promise not to mess up my hair and makeup, I’ll let you grab a quickie.”
“Quickie?” Barrett worried his bottom lip, slipping his hands beneath the hem of my dress. Greedy fingers slid across the backs of my thighs, dipping to the thin lace of my panties. My breath shortened to hungry pants. “There’s nothing quick about the things I want to do to you right now.” He rubbed back and forth, the fabric sticking to the wetness he’d created in less than a minute. “We’re already late. This will have to wait.” I exhaled a frustrated breath. “I have a gift for you.” He spun me to face the mirror behind me, warm breath tickling my ear. “Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I say.” I felt something land in the center of my chest just above my breast. “Open.”
My jaw fell to the floor and my fingers immediately reached for the teardrop sapphire. It was stunning. I was speechless. Tears pricked my eyes. I had no idea what to say. I knew I shouldn’t accept this precious gift, but I couldn’t tell him that yet. Sadness attempted to creep in, but I immediately shut it out.
