by Nicki Night
“Sterling...”
“Answer me, Jewel. Be honest.”
Her response was a groan. “Why are you doing this?” she finally asked. “This can’t work. Raven...” She huffed. “I heard what she said. She doesn’t want me around her daughter. This is why I’ve always avoided dating men with children. It’s not you, Sterling. It’s the situation. It can’t work.”
Sterling remained quiet, waiting for Jewel to finish. “I understand how you feel, but you need to know that Raven doesn’t have a problem with you. She was concerned about Kylee. We promised a long time ago to only introduce her to people that we were really serious about and let each other know. I didn’t do that. It was my fault. Not yours.” Sterling paused to gauge her reaction. He still had her attention. “I knew you needed to come to terms with all of this. When you left I fought with myself all week—contemplating whether or not to let you go. But I don’t want to. I have a daughter and an ex-wife. It’s not the ideal scenario, but you’re the ideal woman for me. This week without you made me realize this even more. I can’t just step aside and let you walk away without knowing where I stand. Now I need to know where you stand.”
Jewel took a deep breath and took her time releasing it. “I don’t know.”
“So at least allow us to find out.”
Jewel looked to the ceiling and then at Sterling for the first time. He released his hold on her arm. Sterling moved in front of her. He held her chin, closing the space between them. The softness of her lips rekindled his hunger for her. He kissed her again, this time allowing his peck to linger. She remained still, not kissing him back. After another peck, he parted her lips. This time she received him. Sterling wrapped his arms around Jewel, reveling in the feel of her body against his.
Jewel melted inside of his embrace, cupped the side of his face and matched his fervor. They consumed each other—grappling to close the gaps that had widened by their distance in the past week.
Sterling pulled back, looked into her doe eyes and at her kiss-swollen lips. She leaned toward him and initiated the next kiss. Jewel being in his home felt right. His lips belonged on hers.
Sterling planned to kiss away her reservations, love her to contentment and make up for any grief he caused her. With Jewel in his arms, Sterling felt at home in his soul.
Chapter 30
Jewel never thought she’d miss Kylee, but she did. If she felt this way after a few short weeks, Jewel could only imagine how Sterling felt about not having his daughter around. That little girl was wise beyond her years and Jewel was thankful for her wisdom. Because of Kylee, Sterling and Jewel made their way back to each other. Jewel’s conversation with Raven at the coffee shop the morning they left for Chicago also helped. Raven had wished them well.
Standing on the balcony, Jewel looked out over the pristine waters of Puerto Rico and let the ocean breeze dance through her hair. This would be the calmest part of her day. She closed her eyes, let her head fall back, and enjoyed the serenity of the moment.
So much had changed in the past few months, most of which Jewel never saw coming. If someone had told her that by the autumn she would have fallen for a man with a child and an ex-wife, she would have laughed in his face. Now she couldn’t imagine life without Sterling and Kylee.
Strong arms slid around her waist from behind. She nestled into Sterling’s embrace as he pressed his taut chest against her back. The masculine scent of him wafted into her nostrils. Jewel breathed in.
“Beautiful,” Sterling said.
“Isn’t it?” she agreed.
“I was talking about you.”
Jewel shifted in his arms and faced him. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Sterling captured her lips. Lately, the simplest touch from him set Jewel’s desire in motion. Flinging her arms around him she parted his lips with her tongue and kissed him until both of them were out of breath.
Jewel’s phone chirped. Without looking, she knew it was Chloe. After one more peck on Sterling’s lips Jewel announced, “We need to go.” But Sterling held her tighter.
“What if I don’t want to let you go?”
Jewel giggled. “Puerto Rico will have a mad bride on the loose!” She grabbed his hand and led him back into the room.
Together they showered—washing and teasing each other until they could no longer deny their need. Pressing Jewel’s back against the shower wall, Sterling lifted her. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his back and he entered her moist folds. Their bodies collided in a feverish tempo. Jewel moaned. Sterling growled. Her walls clenched around him, cushioning and coaxing a strong climax. Jewel’s cries grew louder with each plunge. The edges of her skin tingled. Soon she could no longer stand even his most tender touch. Her release washed over her like floodwaters. The rush of the shower jets muffled her moans. Sterling groaned, thrust and groaned again. His muscles tightened, curling him into her. Grunts rose from his gut with each back-bending compression. At last he pushed as deeply as she would take him and life gushed from him.
For several moments, they held on to each other under the spray of warm water. Their hearts pounded a polyrhythm. Jewel could feel his thumping pulse against her breast. Aftershocks of pure pleasure rumbled through them in spasms. Jewels legs trembled and she licked her lips. She couldn’t help it. Sated, she savored the intensity of their connection. It was nothing she’d ever experienced before. Decadent. Powerful. Intense.
Beyond the sound of the shower, Jewel heard her phone faintly in the distance. She looked at Sterling. When their gazes locked they laughed.
“We’d better get out of here,” she warned. If they didn’t, they would end up starting all over again.
Sterling took her cloth, lathered it up and carefully washed her body. She did the same for him. Minutes later, Jewel rushed from her room with her dress, shoes and accessories in a garment bag.
Serenity was at Chloe’s door by the time Jewel reached her sister’s room. Jade and their mother were already inside. El steamed Chloe’s dress while Jade organized her accessories. Serenity chipped in and helped Jade. Chloe was sitting by the window with the makeup artist wielding a brush over her face. Jewel’s jaw dropped when she really looked at Chloe. She’d always though her sister was pretty, but today—her wedding day—she looked stunning. Jewel could only imagine what she’d look like once she was fully dressed.
“Oh my goodness. Chloe. You look so beautiful!” Jewel covered her mouth. Tears stung her eyes.
“Don’t make me cry, Jewel.” Chloe batted her eyes, waving her hands like a fan to keep them dry.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it.” Tears rolled down Jewel’s face. She swiped them. “My big sister is getting married!”
“I know,” Jade squealed.
Always collected, El simply smiled while her girls engaged in a mini scream fest.
“Okay. Don’t mess up your mascara, lady.” Jewel handed Chloe a tissue. The makeup artist skillfully worked around her.
The next moments were a flurry of adjusting undergarments, pulling dresses over their heads and seeking out single shoes. When El and the girls were all ready, they helped Chloe into her dress—a strapless number that hugged her curves in front and billowed past her ankles in the back. Her perfect bun was topped with a ring of white flowers. Serenity, El, Jade and Jewel stepped back and admired Chloe when she was done.
“Simply beautiful.”
“Stunning.”
“Gorgeous.”
Each had a word for her, but El was quiet. Jewel looked over and her mother’s lip trembled. El clasped her hands together, shook her head and allowed tears to roll down her face.
“Ma!” Chloe pouted.
El shrugged. “My baby is getting married,” she said, abolishing every dry eye in the room.
There was a knock at the door and the girls got themselves together.
&nb
sp; “Who is it?” Jade opened the door before anyone could answer.
Chloe’s bridal attendant, assigned by their wedding coordinator, led them down to where Chloe would emerge to cross the sand and meet her awaiting husband-to-be.
The hotel grounds were as stunning as the bride, with large, lush tropical greenery expertly placed throughout the space. Jewel looked to the other side of the infinity pool and spotted the men waiting under a lovely arch in the sand.
The attendant nodded and music floated into the atmosphere. Donovan stood next to his brother, Dayton, and Chris was next to him. The men took their places under the arch to get ready for the ceremony. Chloe was led to Bobby Dale who took her arm in his. Together they walked across the pearly white sand, closer to the water. Chloe seemed to glide. Donovan appeared to be in awe of the sight of his bride.
Jade and Jewel walked in first, clearing the path for Chloe. Unable to see far beyond her tears, Jewel smiled at her presumed family members as she passed them. When she and Jade took their positions under the arch, the music stopped. Their cousin Kendal, a well-known pop singer, stood and positioned herself near the front. Serenity picked up her violin and stood beside her. Together, they serenaded Chloe and Bobby Dale down the aisle. Kendal’s popular love song accompanied by the delightful melody floating from Serenity’s violin added to the beauty of the setting.
Donovan, looking more handsome than Jewel ever remembered, stepped up to receive his fiancée from Bobby Dale’s embrace. They seemed to stare beyond each other’s eyes and into their souls. The fullness of their admiration oozed into the atmosphere, mesmerizing the guests. Jewel couldn’t help but smile. She knew what it was like to look someone in the eyes and nearly drown in your love for them.
Wait! Had she just said love? Jewel looked out over the small gathering of family and friends and spotted Sterling. His gaze was already locked on her. Sterling winked and that sexy side-cocked smile of his made her warm on the inside as if he’d physically touched her.
So that’s what it was. She loved him. It was love that made her want to share every idea and accomplishment with him. It was love that gave her the courage to meet the other love of his life—Kylee. It was love that caused her body to tingle from a simple touch. It was love that was starved and craved Sterling’s rich voice, scent and affection when they were apart. And it was love that just wouldn’t allow her to walk away when she thought what they had wouldn’t work because of his past.
It was also love that led her back to him that night when Kylee called. The realization hit her like a falling wall of bricks. Jewel could pinpoint when it happened, but she knew for sure that she loved Sterling and hoped he felt the same. Jewel’s concentration faded in and out while Chloe and Donovan exchanged the vows they wrote. Applause exploded when Donovan kissed the bride and the Rivers were announced to the guests for the first time.
Jewel was happy for them, but this notion of love took her focus. Was it really love? she wondered. It must be.
The wedding party was being whisked away to take pictures with the newlyweds against breathtaking backdrops. Jewel smiled, but her mind was on Sterling. Her discovery made her long to be near him. She had to find a way to gauge how he felt about her. Of course he had strong feelings, too. Jewel didn’t doubt that. His actions were clear, but did he love her?
Jewel concentrated hard on being in the moment for Chloe’s sake. She’d get to Sterling soon enough. Those notions of love could be from being caught up in the wedding festivities.
When the pictures were done, they joined the rest of their family and friends in the banquet hall for the reception. Jewel, Dayton, Jade, Chris and finally Chloe and Donovan were announced as they entered the room. Immediately after, Kendal took to the microphone once again and sang as Donovan and Chloe shared their first dance. Mr. and Mrs. Rivers along with El and Bobby Dale joined them. Other couples were also invited to the floor.
“Can I have this dance?” Sterling whispered in Jewel’s ear from behind.
Goose bumps lined her arms at the sound of his voice and the heat of his breath on her. The way her body responded to him tickled her.
“I’d love to dance with you.”
Sterling eased one arm around her waist and held her hand with the other as they swayed to the music.
“I didn’t think it was possible for you to look more beautiful.”
“Who me?” Jewel gave a coy shrug.
“Ha! Yes, you. That sense of humor.” Sterling laughed.
“What about it?”
“It’s one of the many things I love about you.”
Jewel missed a step. “You love that about me?” She willed her heart to stop trying to thump out of her chest.
“Yes. I do.”
“Do you mind sharing some of the other things you say you love about me?”
“Your ambition, your determination, your wittiness, the fact that you know how to have fun, the cute little way you bite your bottom lip when we make love.”
Jewel gasped and then looked around making sure no one was close enough to hear his last comment before snickering.
“There’s a lot. I just love you!”
Jewel stopped moving altogether. “What did you just say?”
“I. Love. You.”
Jewel thought she would explode into millions of tiny, happy little pieces. “Oh my goodness, Sterling! I love you, too!”
His smile was easy, confident, as if he’d been waiting for Jewel to come around. Now he stopped moving and studied her. Their eyes locked in an adoring gaze. She felt it on the inside. Sterling’s stare intensified.
“Jewel,” Sterling’s smile vanished. His expression became serious. “I’ve loved you for a while now. I was just waiting for you to catch up.”
“I’m here now.”
Sterling took her face in his hands and kissed her so passionately Jewel felt as if she’d been lifted from the ground.
Standards. Jewel thought about her list and how dating Sterling had broken all of her rules. Both he and Kylee had completely seized her heart. With his lips against hers she couldn’t imagine being anywhere else but in his arms...forever.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from A SAN DIEGO ROMANCE by Kianna Alexander.
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A San Diego Romance
by Kianna Alexander
Chapter 1
Coffee mug in hand,
Christopher Marland took a seat on one end of the black leather sofa inside the San Diego office of Prescott George. It was quiet for a Wednesday morning, or maybe it just seemed that way to him. As an architect who’d created designs for buildings all over the world, and a divorced parent of teenage twins, he had a million things on his mind. One of his most important roles, though, was here, as the president of the San Diego chapter of Prescott George, a club of sorts for African American millionaires. And at the moment, the problems plaguing the organization were foremost in his mind.
Vaughn Ellicott, an old friend who served as treasurer of Prescott George, sat on the opposite end of the sofa, drinking from his own mug. “Listen, Chris. We need to talk about what happened at Jordan’s studio.”
Chris felt his face crease into a frown at the mention of the incident. Jordan Jace, a gifted sculptor and fellow member of Prescott George, had recently had one of his sculptures vandalized during a Prescott George party he’d hosted at his gallery. That would be upsetting enough in itself, but there was more to it. “I’m still pissed that he would accuse Jojo.” Chris wasn’t the type of parent to believe his children could do no wrong, but he knew his daughter. “Jojo isn’t a troublemaker.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I know Jojo’s a good kid.”
“I mean, I drop thousands every year for her and Jack to go to one of the best private schools in the city.” Chris ran his free hand over his head. “She makes the honor roll every nine weeks, she does her chores and she never gives me a bit of trouble.”
“Jordan was bugging, Chris. It was probably just the stress of the whole incident that had him talking crazy like that.” Vaughn took another long draw from the mug. “Try to cut him some slack.”
While he understood that Jordan had been upset, Chris still didn’t like the way things had gone down. He felt insulted on his daughter’s behalf. “I know, I know. But I’m just not sure what to do here. I can’t go for him talking about my daughter that way. And at this point, he’s just piling on. There’s already so much bad press out there about us right now.”
