by Jacki Kelly
He looked away. “This house in an investment. Right now I’m only interested in building my business. I’m a man on a mission. Everything else is secondary.” He led her back to the kitchen.
Asa watched him pull two lobster tails from the refrigerator and drizzle butter over them before placing them under the broiler. “Tell me what you do in the little bit of time when you’re not working?”
He rubbed his chin. “Let’s see. I’m trying to remember the last time I wasn’t working.”
He placed two steaks on the hot, built-in grill.
“I have a place down at the beach that I try to get to several times a year, but it’s been months since I was last there.” He poured another glass of wine.
For several seconds the only sound came from the sizzling meat and the crackling sound of the butter. He motioned to refill her glass.
She held up her hand. “No, I better save my next drink for dinner.”
He stared at her across the kitchen counter. His dark eyes fixed on her face.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked.
He shook his head. For a brief moment he saw his teenage love. “I guess I’m amazed at how little you’ve changed. Your hair is almost the same. I used to sit behind you in algebra class and stare at your hair all period. Now, I know why I almost failed that class.”
“You did not.” Asa laughed.
“Did too.” He mimicked her.
“I’m surprised you didn’t move away after graduation. Why did you stay?”
“My family is here. I didn’t want to leave my mother alone. She had enough hardship to deal with. What about you? Why Delaware and not New York?”
“I thought about New York, but after being in Atlanta, I knew I needed to be closer to my sister.”
“Come, let’s eat. Dinner is ready.”
He carried two plates laden with food into the dimly lit dining room. “I’ll be right back.” He dashed into the kitchen and returned with a platter containing the lobster tails. A bottle of wine were tucked under each arm.
“This is too much food. How much do you think I eat?”
“I wasn’t sure so I tried to cover all the bases. We don’t have to eat it all.”
Asa couldn’t stop grinning. Simeon paid attention to everything she said. He stared at her like she was dessert. Other than his comment about his business, the evening received a pretty high score. Nobody had ever put so much energy into making sure she enjoyed an evening. Simeon had done it twice.
Just relax and have a good time. You’re entitled. She bottled up his earlier comment about his focus on work. Her work was first in her life too.
“You said you could have another glass of wine with dinner. I didn’t know if you wanted white or red, so I brought both.” He held them out for her to choose.
“Let’s have the Riesling.”
“Good choice.” He removed the cork. Her body tingled from the sultry look he gave her.
§ § §
Simeon finished his wine. Half empty platters cluttered the table. Tonight something was different. The reserved partition that seemed to exist between them had disappeared. She looked incredible. He still wanted her, maybe even more than before. He reached for her hand and held it.
“Did you save room for dessert?”
“I always have room for something sweet.”
Her brilliant smile stroked his heart. The flickering candlelight glowed against her skin. He traced her jaw line with his finger. She released a soft moan.
“You are a beautiful woman, has anyone ever told you that?”
She smiled without replying.
He pushed away from the table. “Let me get the fruit.” He hurried from the room.
In the kitchen, he braced himself against the granite counter, his fingers straining to absorb the tension in his body. “Get it together man,” he whispered. “Now is not the time or place to get tripped up by Asa.” His body betrayed him. He grabbed the tray of fruit off the counter. He closed his eyes and took a breath, before going back into the dining room.
“Let’s go back in the family room. Grab that wine, will you?” He used his chin to point to the half-empty bottle.
Her skirt rode up as she reached across the table. His eyes traveled the rich creaminess of her skin along her shapely legs and lean thighs and ended with a partial view of her butt. His body jerked to attention.
“Can you get it?” he uttered before averting his eyes.
“Got it,” she said. “I’ll grab our glasses, too.” She followed him out of the dining room.
He placed the tray on the coffee table and then sat next to her.
“I could get used to this treatment.” She accepted the fruit. “You do this kind of thing for all your lady friends?”
“There aren’t as many lady friends as you think.”
“I saw them lining up to talk with you the other night.”
“I’m not foolish enough to think that was about me. It’s more about the peripherals that come along for the ride.”
“Wow, that doesn’t sound—”
He held up his hand to stop her. “I’m used to it. It’s no big deal.”
“Between the two of us we have some pretty crappy personal relationships, don’t we?”
“It depends on how you look at it. I’m not looking for anything right now, so for me it’s not as crappy.”
“If my future were more certain, maybe I’d feel differently.” Her voice sounded dreamlike. “The fashion show and the studio keep me busy. So, I’m managing pretty well. Sometime in the future, I want a relationship. I want the whole thing, the house, picket fence and two point five children. I already have the dog.”
He nodded. “I don’t think the family scenario is for me.” He placed a strawberry in her mouth.
“You want to be alone forever?”
He thought for a moment. “Just because you’re in a relationship doesn’t mean you won’t be alone.”
She nodded. “No one knows that better than me.”
“I’ve had a little experience in that arena, too. My mother was married for twenty years and most of that time she spent alone.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She gave him a long look.
“Don’t be, that’s in the past.”
Asa looked at her watch. He’d plied her with food and good conversation, but beyond that he had no more tricks to make her stay longer.
“I better get home and check on my dog. I’m not sure how long Dakota is keeping him. If I leave him too long, he gets distressed.” She uncrossed her legs and Simeon gazed at her sculpted calves. “I had a nice time. You’re a very good cook.” She bent down to pick up her purse and he stared openly at her thighs and butt.
He couldn’t resist the temptation to taste her. He stood and caressed the smooth, soft skin at the back of her neck. She melted into him as he pressed his lips against hers. He lowered his arms and pulled her closer. Asking her to stay would be foolish.
§ § §
The intensity of her emotions for him burned just as hot as they had years ago. She pressed her body against him. A song played in her head, but she couldn’t make out the lyrics. The staccato rhythm thumped along with the beat of her heart.
He lifted her a few inches off the floor while his tongue continued to stroke hers. Her skirt rose up her thighs. His fingers trailed along her back and her flesh tingled. He withdrew his tongue but continued to hold her.
She stared into his eyes. Her mind said release him, but her arms were slow to obey.
His strong hand grazed her back, scorching her skin through the thin cotton of her top. She pressed into his massive steel chest, trying to absorb years of desire in the fever pitch of her heartbeat. He ran his thumb along her jaw, then down the hollow of her neck. She couldn’t turn back. Every sense screamed out for him, begging for more. The heat building between them over the last few days couldn’t be denied.
He pinned her against the wall, pushed
her legs apart, and kissed her again. Deeper this time. His erection throbbed against her. Forgetting her priorities would lead to trouble, the tightening in her stomach confirmed her fears. But the feel of Simeon in her arms smothered her logic. She ran her fingers under his shirt, kneading the corded muscles on his back. The guttural noise that he emitted sounded like her name, mixed with foreplay, and desire. It was enough to make her surrender.
He nibbled her earlobe, capturing it between his teeth. The heat from his mouth cascaded over her shoulder, drowning her with longing so intense it scorched. “I want you, Asa. Tonight. Now.”
“Yes, Simeon. Now.”
He lifted her top over her head, then pulled her skirt down her legs. He steadied her with his arm as she stepped free of the garment. He inhaled, then gripped her left breast in his large hand, kneading it with a tenderness reserved for infants. His hands moved in agonizing slowness, while her body hungered for him.
She freed his brawny chest, sending several buttons on his shirt skidding across the hardwood floor. She tugged the shirt off and ran her hands over his thick pectoral muscles. The warmth from his body seared her hands.
He felt exactly the way she had imagined, tough, strong, and more masculine than any man she’d ever known. He lowered his head to the nape of her neck. His breath dusted her shoulder as he trailed kisses along the column of her neck and over the curve of her shoulders. When he kissed her his tongue erased all the years of calluses left behind from her marriage. Simeon’s essence was etched on every fiber of her being. This was a dangerous place to tread, but she couldn’t turn back.
He removed the rest of his clothing and stood before her. In the dim light his body called to her. She folded her fingers around his erection. It throbbed in her hands, causing her core to ache.
“Simeon.” Her throaty whisper sounded foreign to her ears.
He lifted her off the floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck then sought his tongue. His response was immediate, providing the assiduous assault she needed. He inserted his finger into her moist core, stoking the fire that he ignited with that first kiss. She released his tongue and buried her head against his neck. Unable to suppress the unintelligible words that rushed through her brain she bit softly into his shoulder.
He massaged her nub. The pressure between her legs mounted, building momentum with each flick of his finger. The intensity of his touch left her breathless. Ecstasy rolled over her like warm heat. She threw her head back and yelled his name as the orgasm jerked her like a marionette.
§ § §
He waited until she finished shaking. He enjoyed every contraction that ripped through her body. Then he carried her into the solarium and laid her on the couch.
“Let me get a condom,” he whispered in her ear.
“Hurry.” Her husky murmur fueled his desire.
He was gone for only an instant. His heartbeat accelerated when he returned and caught a glimpse of her slender body stretched across the sofa. Her eyes were closed and her hand played between her thighs. He watched with delight as her finger disappeared.
“Let me do that for you.” He crawled beside her.
She removed the silver packet from his hand. Her eyes blazed into him as she ripped it open with her teeth. She fit the tip of the latex over the head of his member, taking her time, tantalizing him with payback. He thrust his hips forward to hurry her, but she refused to rush.
“Let me do it.” He reached for the condom, but she pushed his hand away.
“I’ve got this.” She continued rolling it to the base of his penis.
“And I’ve got this.” He straddled her as soon as she finished, burying his head in her curls and his shaft deep inside her simultaneously.
Her moist folds gripped his shaft and a paralyzing pleasure ricocheted through his body. All the tortured teenage wet dreams vanished.
Finally.
He planted several kisses along her collarbone then suckled her earlobe. She released a moan laced with pleasure that sent him deeper into her. The moment should have lasted forever, but the mounting pleasure coursing through his loins couldn’t be restrained. Beneath him Asa panted and bucked her hips like a wild filly. She wrapped her long legs around his waist, hoisting her hips higher, allowing him greater access.
“Simeon,” she sang his name. “I’m coming. Again.”
He couldn’t hold back another second, her walls locked him in a grip, sending his seed spilling into the constraints of the latex. The spasms ripped through him, draining every muscle in his body. He collapsed on Asa for a moment before rolling his weight off to the side.
She had him, where she wanted him now.
Chapter Fourteen
Carrying her light frame up the stairs was intoxicating. She held on to him with a tight grip around his neck.
“I’m not going to drop you.” He whispered in her ear.
“That’s the least of my worries,” she cooed. “I just don’t want to let you go.”
“I’m not going anywhere. And neither are you.” He placed her on his bed. Her gorgeous body sprawled across the duvet. He ran his finger around her nipple as her chest rose and fell. “Stay with me tonight.”
Her eyes surveyed his face before she nodded. “Let me freshen up.”
He rolled away and pointed to the bathroom. “I don’t have anything to wear. What am I going to do for clothes,” she asked over her shoulder.
“Who needs clothes?” He followed her. “But if you insist, I’ll find something around here.”
“I’m not wearing your ex-girlfriend’s clothes,” she teased. Her quirky grin made his heart speed up. “Don’t give me that look, Simeon. I’m serious. I’d rather sleep naked.” She swished mouth wash around her mouth then rinsed.
“That’s just what I had in mind.” He traced a line between her breasts and stopped at her navel. It was well after midnight, but desire had him wide awake.
She shook her head, curls surrounded her face. “I just don’t know what’s happening with us.”
“What do you want to happen?”
She didn’t look away. “You know, we’re having this serious conversation and I’m naked, I feel disadvantaged.”
He didn’t hide his erection. “You’re blushing.”
“You’re forward.”
“Always, when I see something I want.” Hiding his feelings for her was useless now. “I’ve wanted you for so long. Since that basketball game when you ran onto the court, waving your pom-poms, and hugged me.” The wine loosened his tongue, his inhibitions melted away.
He wished he could control his desire, but it was too late. Tonight wasn’t about her house, his company, the strip mall, or which side of the tracks they grew up on. Tonight was about them. Over the years, every woman, every acquaintance, every date had been compared to Asa, and so far, no one measured up. No one could. Now that she stood completely nude in his bathroom. Nothing else mattered.
He held out his hand and pulled her closer. Her willingness only accelerated his need. He wrapped his arms around her, held her tight, and buried his nose in her hair. It smelled like flowers. She ran her hand along his back. The slow circles stroked new life into his tense muscles. He layered kisses on her shoulders, her stomach and her thighs as he descended her body. Every nerve in his body screamed to be inside her, to feel the warmth of her body, again. But he slowed his pursuit. He lifted her onto the edge of the bathroom vanity.
“Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked.
She responded by inserting her tongue into his mouth and making small circles. He continued to tantalize her nub. With each swipe of his finger she increased the pressure on his tongue. Everything he thought he wanted seemed miniscule in comparison to his desire for her. One touch from Asa and he was ready to walk away from everything just to have her. He released her tongue and peered into her eyes. Her eyes were closed, pleasure showed in the planes of her face.
He kissed the soft skin of her neck. She smelled as goo
d as she tasted. He trailed kisses on her shoulder to her breasts. Her nipples hardened against his tongue as his finger slid in and out of her warm folds. With each stroke her moans grew louder and more urgent as he removed his finger, she arched her back and a low continuous moan escaped from her throat. She ran her tongue across his chest. His body trembled as she fastened her fingers around his erection, tugging with enough pressure to send fire racing through his loins.
He backed away, receiving a tiny groan of frustration from Asa, then opened a drawer on the vanity to remove several condoms. He opened one and rolled it into place.
He couldn’t wait another moment. Desire tore through him like an express train. He grabbed her hips, pulled her toward the edge of the counter and entered her. Her warm, moist core grabbed him, sucking him deeper. She threw her head back and whispered his name. The intoxicating sound of her voice rang in his ears. He wanted the moment to last, but his need for her shattered his composure. Her nails dug into his back as she repeated his name. The steady crescendo of her voice ended abruptly when she clutched him and pushed her hips forward. The force of her muscles contracting pushed him into oblivion.
His explosive release enveloped him. With his head buried in her neck he surrendered to his love for her.
Tripped up again by Asa. Damn.
Chapter Fifteen
Asa recognized the sensation in her gut as she clung to Simeon. She was falling for him. Again. She refused to soften her grip on him until her body resumed a normal rhythm. She quivered when he buried his head against her neck and kissed her. This was real, not the dream she relived in her head whenever she was lonely.
His kiss warmed the insulation around her heart, melting her protective shield. This was exactly what she wanted. But she didn’t need to be in love with someone committed to being single. Her heart thundered in her ears. This same sentiment trapped her in a failed marriage and estranged her from her parents. She tried to swallow the guilt. Get it together or get in trouble.
