When Jax opened the bedroom door, she picked up the voice of her neighbor more clearly. “Tae, are you okay? I heard screaming. Tae?”
Tae could have sunk through the floor. The neighbor wasn’t the one downstairs but the one next door. She’d been too loud. “This is your fault, Jax.”
He seemed unrepentant and threw on a pair of pants as headed to the front door. Embarrassed, Tae hid in the walk-in closet as if her neighbor would barge into her apartment and demand to see proof she wasn’t dying. She did all she could not to hear the details of the two men’s conversation because something told her Jax would not cover the truth of what they had been up to.
“You can stop hiding now. He’s gone.”
She glared at him. “I’m not hiding. I was just looking for something to put on.”
He shook his head and snagged her wrist to pull her forward. “Oh no, you’re not putting anything on. I’m not done with you.”
Her curiosity got the better of her. “What did you tell him?”
“I told him you were riding my cock.”
She yelped. “Tell me you didn’t say that.”
He chuckled and turned her to the bed. “Lie down and wait for me while I clean up the water in the bathroom.”
“Jax.”
He ignored her call and disappeared. She ground her teeth, but she knew no amount of nagging the man would get him to admit anything. Jax was blunt and crazy. He probably did say it, and now she’d have to see her neighbor’s red face every time she ran into him. Great. Thanks, Jax.
A few minutes later, he returned from the bathroom, and she took him in from head to foot. “Why do you have so many clothes on?”
He grinned. “A pair of pants? Not even boxers under here.” He ran a hand over his crotch, igniting her between the legs with such a move.
“Like I said, too much material.” She curled a finger, signaling him over.
His brows rose. “You want this here?”
“You know I do.”
“Are you sure?” He undid his pants and let them gape open, revealing that he’d already gone hard again or never softened to begin with. She bit her bottom lip, staring. Jax wasn’t as thick as Daniel, but he did have a good span and length, and boy oh boy did he know how to use his equipment. She forgot to answer, and he pulled his cock free of his pants to stroke it in his palm. His voice when he spoke had dropped lower. “Tell me you want it, Tae.”
She shivered. “I do.”
“Say it again.”
“I want your cock, Jax.”
“Where.”
“In my—”
“Show me,” he demanded.
A lump rose in her throat at his rough tone. She rose to her knees and turned away from him then touched her ass cheek.
“Tae,” he warned.
She moved her fingers to her rear entrance and shut her eyes. His moan sent ripples of awareness over her skin.
“Good girl. Now lie down on your side.”
She obeyed. Jax walked out of the room, and she heard him rummaging around in the living room where he’d left his overnight bag. When he returned, he held a condom packet and a tube of K-Y Jelly. Tae squirmed in anticipation. Jax climbed on the bed and tore open the packet. She watched as he rolled it down his cock. She reached for it, but he pushed her hand away, making a clicking sound. When he repositioned one her legs forward and bent it at the knee, he leaned over and kissed the back of her thigh. A swipe of his tongue along the delicate skin made her shiver and murmur encouragement.
“Oh, I have every intention of continuing,” he said between sucking her skin and laving it as he made his way higher. “You belong to me, but you’re not ready to acknowledge it yet.”
“Jax…”
He pushed her butt cheeks apart, and she jammed her face into the pillow. Jax didn’t do what she feared he would do. He pushed a greased finger into her anus and began working it around in a circle. The pressure from his entrance and movements robbed her of thought. She stuffed the comforter into her mouth. Still her moan erupted.
“Looks like somebody likes what I’m doing to her,” Jax teased. He eased his finger deeper and then pulled it out. Tae struggled for a breath. The sensations overwhelmed her. She reached back and grabbed his wrist. He made a reprimanding sound. “You know better. Move the hand, or I won’t give you any more.”
“Jax.”
“Now, Tae.”
She balled both hands in the covers and buried her face. He added a second finger, and she thought she’d faint. Her head spun, her pussy throbbed, and another orgasm began to build. He knew how he tortured her. He was mean and wonderful at the same time, tough and cruel. She arched into his exploration and whimpered his name. In her mind, she begged him, but she knew to say it out aloud would get her more punishment. Jax would not be rushed.
At long last, he penetrated her anus with three fingers, but he didn’t leave them in long. He pulled out and replaced the digits with his cock. The head squeezed past her tight entrance with much prodding. This wasn’t the first time she’d been taken from behind, but it robbed her of lucidity nonetheless. Jax scooted close, spooning her ass. He tossed an arm over her shoulder and across her chest. His big palm engulfed one of her breasts, and then he thrust forward. His cock sank to the hilt. She opened her mouth to scream and found it covered with Jax’s other hand. Her cries muffled, she started to play with her clit while he ground into her ass. Her climax descended like a storm, tearing through her body, rocking her world. She pushed back on Jax’s cock and rode him as fast as he would allow. This time no one interrupted while her lover found his release.
“Ah, Tae, what you do,” he whispered in her ear when he was done.
“Not my fault.”
“Who dropped their robe in the bathroom?”
“Who walked in there with a hard-on?”
“No idea.”
She laughed, and he squeezed her in a hug. When he pulled out and discarded the used condom, she moaned. He looked at her. “I can take you again if you like.”
“A little rest?”
He leaned over and kissed her lips. Her heart beat faster with love for him.
“Of course. Take a nap. I’m going to get cleaned up.”
She yawned. “Okay.” Before she even got the words out, she began to drift off, but for the second time someone knocked at the door. Tae looked at Jax, and he shrugged. At least the person wasn’t banging like they’d lost their mind. Jax had muffled her screams, so it couldn’t be because she’d been too loud. The doorbell rang. She sat up. “I’ll get it.”
“No. You’re resting.”
She slid to the end of the bed. “Go clean up, Jax. I’m fine.”
After locating her second favorite robe, one thinner and less comfy than the terry cloth, she headed to the front door. She yawned again before she reached it, putting a hand up to her mouth. Exhaustion came over her so she wasn’t thinking straight when she pulled open the door without first checking the peephole. The woman standing with her back turned made Tae curse herself for her stupidity.
Janita spun to face her. “Sis, I’m here for a loan. I’m not even hearing your excus—” Her eyes bugged as she took in Tae’s belly. “What the hell? Are you pregnant?”
Tae readjusted her robe. “Fat.”
She spun away from the door and headed into the living room, her sister tumbling after her. The door slammed, making Tae wince.
“Don’t you lie to me. You’re knocked up! Who’s the fucker that did it? Does Ma know? Wait, of course not or she would have told me. I’m calling her.”
“Janita!” Tae faced her sister, frustrated and worried to see her whipping out her cell phone, a phone that seemed to be in perfect working order with no sign of cracks as Janita had been texting her about for months now. “I’ll tell her my news myself.”
Janita smirked. “When your baby is in college?”
“What do you care?”
Her sister paused in the act of dialin
g and placed a hand over her chest. “I’m your sister. If I’m hurt because you didn’t tell me, what do you think Ma will feel?”
Tae folded her arms over her chest. “You’re not hurt. You’re calculating how much you’ll lose by me having another mouth to feed.”
“Can you blame me? You’ve always been there for me, Tae, and now I see why you left me hanging all these months.”
“So selfish of me to have my own life and responsibilities.”
Janita rolled her eyes. “You always claimed you didn’t want kids. I should have known it was a lie. You thought you were better than us.”
“You know what, Janita, I’m sick of the attitude. I don’t owe you anything.”
“Tae.”
She turned and glared at Jax. “Don’t dare to tell me to calm down.”
“You should.” He strode up and glanced meaningfully at her belly. “Nothing is worth our son’s life. No one is.”
Janita sneered. “Another white man? Damn, don’t you like your own kind anymore?”
Tae clenched her hands into fists and released them over and over. She wanted to wrap her fingers around her sister’s throat and wring her neck until she shut up. “Who I date isn’t your business, and you claim not to have any money, but here you are in Charlotte. Jersey is a long way away.”
“I took a bus, okay? Besides, that’s not the point.” She hesitated, and Tae was taken aback when her sister burst out crying. “I left Terry!”
Both Tae and Jax stood there in shock for a few minutes, staring at Janita and not knowing what to do. Tae knew her sister, and she would not leave her moneymaker unless she had another lined up. She did like drama and to be the center of attention, but Tae didn’t want to jump to conclusions unless Janita really was hurting. She loved her. She just couldn’t stand her for long periods.
Tae rubbed her side, and when Jax glanced at her, she dropped her hand and approached her sister to try to get her to stop with the loud hiccupping sobs. Is she five, for goodness sakes?
The doorbell rang, and Tae groaned. Not another person. Janita wasn’t so loud the neighbors needed to get involved. Jax beat her to the door and opened it. Tae blinked at finding Terrence, Janita’s husband standing there. Had all of New Jersey traveled south? She peered over her brother-in-law’s shoulder but saw no one else in the hall.
“Is Janita here?” Terrence demanded, like he didn’t see her making a scene in the middle of the living room.
Janita whirled around, pausing in her performance—or preparing for a new scene in it. “What are you doing here, Terry?”
The new drama unfolding before Tae as her sister and brother-in-law argued and then made up then back to arguing drove Tae to the brink. Jax seemed ready to throttle the couple and throw her over his shoulder to force her into the bedroom. She shouted at him that she was fine and so was the baby. The nightmare only escalated. Then the front door opened again. With an expression of serenity, Daniel took in the scene and no doubt came to his own conclusions.
“Terrence and Janita.” Daniel’s voice rose above the din, and all of a sudden silence reigned. “Good to see you two again.”
Janita’s brows rose. “You’re seeing two men, sis? Damn.”
Tae rolled her eyes. “Funny how you came to that conclusion.”
Terrence shook Daniel’s hand, and they passed a few words between them. Daniel dug into his pocket and brought out his wallet. He peeled off a few bills from a thick wad of cash. “Let me buy you two dinner.”
Terrence held up his hands. “That’s not nece—”
Janita snatched the money and began counting it. “Thanks. Come on, Terry. We’ll see you later, Tae.”
Two minutes after Tae exhaled in relief that her family was gone, her cell phone rang. She looked at the display to see that it was her mother calling. The muscles of her stomach clenched. She knew without a doubt Janita had wasted no time to tell her mother she was pregnant.
She moaned, her finger hovering above the Connect button.
Daniel crossed the room and slipped the phone from her fingers. She stared as he answered. “Mrs. Croft, how are you? This is Daniel. Yes, I’m well. Thanks. Sure. I understand. That’s kind of what I wanted to talk to Tae about today.”
Tae’s mouth hung open. What the heck were they discussing? She reached for the phone, but Daniel turned his back and disappeared into the kitchen. Glancing at Jax turned out to be a mistake. His face looked like a thundercloud.
“Why does he think it’s his right to talk to your mother?” he growled. “This has nothing to do with him.”
“As if I know?”
Her mood shot, Tae stomped into the bedroom and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. By the time she returned decent, both men sat in her living room talking as if it was not awkward having them there together. She didn’t know whether to sit beside Daniel, who had parked on the couch, or lean on the arm of the chair Jax occupied. She paused, tugging on the dress she wore, feeling like Daniel could tell just by looking what Jax and she had done earlier.
Daniel stood up. “Tae, your mom is expecting your call, but for now, I was wondering if you’d take a drive with me.”
“It’s getting late,” Jax snapped.
She looked from him to Jax. The living room never shrank so fast. From Jax’s outburst and expression, he didn’t like the invitation, but he didn’t fight to keep her there. She did want to talk to Daniel, to ask where he’d been and if everything was okay at home. Most of all, she’d missed him and just wanted to hear his voice. “Um, sure. Hang on a sec.”
Their low murmurs reached her as she went back into her room, and she smiled to herself at Jax’s insistence that Daniel not let her overdo it wherever they went. Daniel’s “I’ll take care of her,” warmed Tae’s heart, and she hurried to get her sweater.
Chapter Fourteen
“I filed for divorce.”
Tae gaped at Daniel as he sat in his car in a grocery store parking lot. “You what?”
He reached for her hand and laced fingers with hers. Her heart raced out of control. When he massaged her skin with his thumb, she swallowed and looked away.
“I can’t pretend anymore, Octavia. I care about Alise, but I was fooling myself thinking I was in love with her. I thought somehow going through with marrying her would erase you from my heart. I was wrong, and I wasn’t being fair to her or myself. I won’t stay in a relationship that is doomed to fail because I can’t stop loving you.”
Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me you don’t love me.”
She gasped.
“Say I have no chance with you.”
“Will you go back to Alise?”
“No.”
She eased her fingers from his and clutched hers together in her lap. “It’s wrong, Daniel. I feel bad like I destroyed your marriage. I can’t be the other woman.”
He frowned. “So you’re going to throw away what we could have because of guilt?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Explain it to me!” He grunted and ran fingers through his hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
“You call that yelling?”
He shrugged.
“I love Jax too,” she whispered.
He looked like she’d punched him in the gut.
“I’m sorry.”
“You said ‘too.’ That means you still love me.”
She could have kicked herself. “Daniel, I feel like I’m in a tug-of-war. I can’t deal with this.”
“I’m sorry, baby.” She thought he’d back off, but he grabbed her chin and turned her head to face him. The inches between them disappeared. “I’m not backing down. I stayed away long enough. I love you, and I’m going to have you.”
His mouth descended on hers. She scarcely had time to draw in a breath before he claimed her lips in a searing kiss. He forced her lips apart and snaked his tongue into h
er mouth. Wet panties and hardened nipples were the least of her issues when she brought her hands up to push him away. Instead, her fingers curled into his shirt. While she didn’t push him away, she didn’t draw him closer either.
Daniel took his time kissing her, tearing down all her defenses and leaving her raw and vulnerable. When he raised his head, her lips were numb and her heart sore. She put a hand to her mouth and stared at the woman struggling with a full cart, pushing it a slight incline to her SUV. Others entered and exited the grocery store, and out at the main road, cars zoomed by. The entire world went about its business while she had come to a screeching, confused halt. Why wasn’t it easier than this?
“Marry me.”
She shut her eyes. “Daniel.”
“I know I got it wrong years ago.”
“So you don’t have a problem with me working?”
“I don’t like it, but I just want you to be happy. If a job makes you happy, we can work around it. I just want you with me.”
Six months ago she might have jumped in his lap and demanded he take her home to stay. “I can’t just walk away from Jax, and I can’t have you both.”
“You’re right about that,” he ground out. She looked at him. The bitter anger in his eyes was almost palpable. “The friendship we had won’t return to the way it was.”
She felt sick.
“The second you choose me, if he touches you, he’s dead.”
“He’s my baby’s daddy, Daniel.”
“And he will have visitation rights.”
She stared. Daniel may have claimed to accept her working, but his words made her feel like nothing had changed. He wanted to control everything. Not that Jax was much different. She didn’t blame either man, but neither of them truly understood her position.
“Can you take me home, please? I’m feeling pretty worn out. It’s been a long day.”
He turned over the car engine. “I hoped we could have a late dinner together.”
Right now she had a lot of thinking to do, and who knew what mental condition she’d have after she spoke with her mother. “I already ate, but can I call you tomorrow?”
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