Creative Love (Ladies of L.U. #1)

by J. Nichole

  Sitting beside her I say, “It’s not that at all. I just need to get my shit together and rocking the boat with my family again isn’t something I need right now.” I look at the door and stand again. “I should get going. We have an early flight in the morning.” She follows me to the door and I give her a hug before I open it. “Take care, Mrs. Davenport.”

  She kisses my cheek and says, “I hope it all works out for you, Bryan.” With my head hanging low I leave the room, not turning back, not allowing myself to get tangled in the web of issues that will follow if I allow my body to control me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Nicole

  “Who is it?” I hate unexpected visitors. Nobody responds but the knocks get louder. I’m tempted to leave them on the doorstep for showing up and knocking on my door like the damn police. “I’m coming, shit.” I check the peephole before opening the door. What? I pull the door open and say, “Bryan? What? How?”

  He smiles and wraps me in his arms. Behind him I see a few bags and I step back. “Planning on staying a while?” I laugh as I remember Laila describing how he showed up on their doorstep unannounced with his bags.

  He laughs and shakes his head. “Not unless you want me to.” He kisses my cheek and asks, “Can I come in?”

  I move out of the way then realize I never left the house today. I’ve been lounging around in sweats all day with a bare face. Shit. I put my hand to my head and feel my hair wrap still in place. What a perfect time for Bryan to show up. I’m looking a hot ass mess. I look over at him and he looks well put together.

  He sets his bags down near the couch and I ask, “How did you know where I live?” He smirks and slants his head. “Oh, right.” Laila would give him my details and keep me in the dark. She’s determined to get us together.

  I sit on the couch and he sits beside me. With his hand on my head he says, “You look comfortable.” Considering it’s too late to hide, I shrug. “You still look good though.” He pats my leg. “I like this look on you.” He puts his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into him. “Did you have any plans for today?”

  Considering it’s Sunday and I attended Bedside Baptist and binged Netflix all day I think I’m all in for the day. But I don’t want to sound like a total bum. “I was about to get ready to pick up some food.”

  “Great, mind if I come with you?” He’s speaking like he has no plans of leaving anytime soon and still hasn’t explained why he’s here.

  “Sure. Give me a few minutes to get dressed.” I hand him the remote and say, “Make yourself comfortable.”

  In my bedroom I close the door behind me and grab my phone. I escape to the bathroom to avoid being heard. “Laila, what the hell?”

  Laila laughs on the other end of the phone. “He actually came over?”

  “Actually came over? Why didn’t you warn me? I’m wearing sweats and my hair is wrapped.” Looking in the mirror I pat my bare face. “Not a lick of make-up on my face. What is he doing here?”

  She sighs and says, “He just called and asked for your address. Fortunately, I still had it from when I sent your birthday gift a few months ago.” She rambles on about being happy he called her for it, but she avoids my main question.

  “Laila. Answer the question girl.”

  “Oh.” She goes silent. “I guess he never told me what he was coming for. Do you hate me?”

  “No, I don’t hate you. Glad I wasn’t in here laid up with Kevin. Or anyone. Next time Laila, give me a heads up.” She apologizes and I rush off the phone considering I need to come up with dinner plans all of a sudden.

  “Ready?” Bryan looks up from the couch and we make eye contact. His mouth curves into a sexy smile and my stomach does a flip.

  He stands and says, “I love when a girl can look as beautiful in comfortable clothes as she can all dolled up.” Placing his hand under my chin he moves toward my mouth and kisses me, short and sweet; when the kiss doesn’t linger I’m disappointed. “What’d you plan on eating tonight?”

  Smiling wide I tell him, “There’s this place in mid-town I like.” Walking toward the door with him following behind me, my Sunday is ending much better than it started.

  Surprisingly there is no wait at Front Page News, and we are seated away from the band. I have a million questions for Bryan, and I’m happy I won’t be screaming over the music or straining my ears to hear his responses.

  “I know you’re wondering what I’m doing here in Atlanta,” Bryan says as he’s sitting comfortably in his seat. “I should have been on a flight back to New York with Chris, but this morning I had this strong urge to see you.”

  My eyebrows raise as he confesses he wanted to see me. Bryan has never been shy about telling me how he feels, so there is no surprise there, but I honestly thought that was for the weekend while we were in New York. A ploy to seduce me. “Tell me more about this urge you had.”

  He laughs. “I told you. I’m still interested in getting to know you. And I know you have an issue about the distance.”

  “Being spontaneous must be nice.” I look around us then back to him. “Maybe I need to find a career in art.” He laughs then leans forward. “How’d your trip to Tennessee go anyway?” Having spent the majority of his life in Tennessee, I’m sure he has a long list of females he can call that would be ready and willing.

  “It met the purpose.” He sighs. “It did remind me that I miss having space in my place to paint. That’ll be the hardest adjustment in New York.” I nod my head in agreement. I couldn’t live in New York unless I had the money to stay in a penthouse with multiple rooms and lots of space. A few more days in Laila’s apartment would have had me going crazy.

  “Where will you paint when you get back?” I’m assuming that he is going back to New York and doesn’t plan to move in with me on a whim.

  “I’m looking for a studio, hopefully, one that is nearby because when I start painting I get caught up and have long nights.” I wish I had something I was passionate enough about to stay up for hours and lose track of time. I definitely couldn’t get that caught up in the work I do. Every hour in the office I’m counting down my time. Hell I count down the minutes; watching the clock is a constant exercise for me. “My first night back in my place I stayed up all night working on a piece.” He looks at me with a crooked smile.

  “What’s that smile about?” I ask.

  “Just thinking about the piece I was working on.” He adjusts in his seat. “I’d like to show you my work one day.”

  I tell him about my trip to the art studio and told him I was surprised to be interested in the art. I think that has more to do with him and less to do with the art. I’m intrigued by his world, about the passion that inspired him to walk away from his cushy life of privilege and guaranteed income.

  “Next time I visit we can check it out again.” My eyebrows scrunch together. He laughs and says, “I plan to visit often; maybe it’ll help you get over the distance.” I cough but the words I try to speak are stuck in my throat. “Tell me who you went to the art exhibit with.” His eyebrow raises and his smile spreads. Most of my dates ended in no loving and I would promptly call Bryan to complain. He’s aware that my sex life has been absent since my trip to New York.

  “It was a guy from work.” Bryan leans in to hear more. Taking a bite of our appetizers he stares ahead at me. “Nice dinner, art exhibit, and then he dropped me off with a kiss on the cheek.” I laugh. “With these plans to visit me, I hope you plan to end this curse we are both under.” After saying those last words I look down at the table. I hadn’t considered, although he spoke of having no luck with the ladies, this weekend he could have been laid up with one of his old flings. “At least the curse that has its hold on me.”

  “I’m starting to believe it isn’t a curse at all.” Bryan reaches for my hand and rubs his finger across my knuckles. “Maybe it’s the universe preparing us for more.” With my opposite hand, I rub the back of my neck. After a few weeks of little contact, his sim
ple gesture has my sex peaked. “I’m thinking I’ll stay around for a couple of days and spoil you before going back to New York.”

  “Do you consider New York home?” Bryan shifts in his seat and looks down before looking back at me. “Both times you’ve mentioned New York you haven’t called it home yet.”

  “Oddly enough, I don’t consider it home yet.” He laughs. “That could be because I crashed on Chris’ couch for the first few weeks. That felt like a horrible vacation.” He looks away then back to me. “Maybe once I have an art studio set up it’ll feel more like home.”

  “What are your plans while you’re here?” Our waiter returns to the table with our entrees. We both pause at the sight of the food in front of us and thank the waiter.

  “Obviously I know you have to go to work. Unfortunately.” Unfortunately is correct. If I could replay our New York weekend skipping work and instead playing with Bryan, my week would be made. But my bills would be unpaid.

  “Until I find a craft that I can monetize, I’ll have my ass at work.”

  “While that cute ass is at work I’ll explore the city. Find some places for us to check out together.” After chewing my bite of food, I smile. He’s taking this ‘get to know you’ phase seriously. I’m impressed.

  “Then it’ll be back to reality for me. I need to get some pieces on the market before I’ll need to return this ass to a daytime job.” We finish our food and Bryan says, “I saw something that looked pretty good on that dessert menu.” Licking his lips, he continues. “But to be honest what’s across the table from me looks about ten times better than anything they can bring from that kitchen.”

  With my eyebrow arched I say, “Let’s get out of here then.” Bryan nods his head and asks the waiter for the tab.

  While walking to the car, Bryan’s hand rests on my ass. The thought of Kevin pops into my head, from our evening at the festival. It was with him when I realized I wanted to stop having random sex encounters. But here I am hoping Bryan devours me as soon as we step into my apartment. I want him to work me over enough to have me walking like I finished a session of SoulCycle.

  I thrust the door of the apartment open and throw my purse on the counter. Turning to Bryan I wait for him to dig into his dessert. “Need a drink?” I ask walking toward the refrigerator. With the refrigerator door open, I reach for a bottle of water to cool me down. My body is feeling warmer than the sun outside. Then I feel his lips on the back of my neck and his arm snaked around my waist.

  “You’re warm, you feeling okay?” He asks. I close the refrigerator and nod. Turning me around we lean against the kitchen counter. He reaches into the freezer, grabbing a cube of ice. “Let’s see if this will help.” Rubbing the ice down my neck, he licks the trail of water that is left behind. Instead of cooling down I feel warmer, warmer in all the right places. I place a hand on each side of his waist and with my eyes closed, I let my body react to each sensation.

  With the ice fully melted and each trace removed from my neck, Bryan moves his mouth to mine. With a kiss lasting longer than the one earlier, I begin to moan. My hands make their way around his neck and hold him closer. Our kiss ends and Bryan leans his head against mine. “As much as I want to see how long I can last without sexing you, I don’t think I can hold out too much longer.” He leans against the counter beside me.

  Reaching out for his hand I say, “I think we’ve both lasted as long as we can.” I tug him toward me and lead him to my bedroom. Removing my clothes, I lay on the bed while he kicks out of his shoes. I watch patiently as he pulls his shirt over his head and toes out of his pants.

  He looks at me with his body on full display. A body that, at his age, could compete with some of the younger guys I’ve been with. His abs are not ripped, but defined, and his biceps are not bulging, but visible. With a mischievous smile he says, “You sure about this?”

  I couldn’t be more sure about this. It’s been months since I’ve had intimacy beyond a few short kisses. It’s the longest period I’ve gone with no sex, a long, lonely, period that I hope not to repeat anytime soon. “More than you’ll know.” As he climbs into the bed beside me I realize that I could go through another dry spell because he isn’t just down the street. I won’t be able to call him over for a late night rendezvous or creep into his bed in the middle of the night. But I’ll worry about those details later.

  With his body closer than we’ve been I feel his bulge against my leg and his hand on my face as he brings me in for a kiss. My leg gravitates across his and I fight my urge to climb on top of him. Not wanting our time to end too soon, I avoid my desires to mount him and ride him until I reach my peak. His hand caresses my chest and he moves his mouth toward my neck.

  My hands roam his body, exploring his abs and lingering around his waistline just above his boxers. Although his chest is bare, I can feel hair protruding from his boxers. As his mouth covers my breast my hand dips into his boxers and I’m not disappointed; my arousal is uncontrollable. Between moans I ask, “Do you have a condom?” Without moving his mouth from my chest his hand drops from the bed and he hands me a condom. I take that as my cue to get to work.

  Rolling on top of him, and lowering his boxers I position the condom and myself. We make eye contact before I start to rock my hips. I break our eye contact and my head drops back as I feel myself losing control. Bryan grabs my head and pulls me into him for a kiss. With his tongue deep inside of my mouth and his dick deep inside of me, my thighs begin to quiver. Bryan grabs me and rolls me off of him. “Not yet,” he whispers before slipping back inside of me. Over my dry spell I’ve gotten to know myself, and getting to the point quickly was always the goal. Now my body is betraying me. My stamina can’t keep up with his even as he slows down his movements.

  Our eyes connect again and Bryan smiles, “Guess it’s been too long,” he says. I nod and smile back. “We have time to make up for it.” And he thrusts, sending me into ecstasy. With my hands gripping his hips he continues until my body stills. With a kiss to my forehead he lays beside me. “You good?”

  With a sigh I say, “Better than good.” I raise my head and despite the sleepiness trying to keep me still I crawl out of the bed and look back at Bryan. “Join me for a shower?” After a day like today I could use a warm shower and cleaning myself by myself would be wise but departing from Bryan feels uncomfortable.

  Bryan shrugs and says, “You don’t ever have to worry about me turning down an invite from you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Bryan

  “I’ll meet you back in New York in a few days.” I didn’t explain my next steps to my brother and he hesitated before parting ways with me at the airport. But by the smile he gave me before he was out of sight, I knew he understood.

  Not going to New York was what felt right, and being with Nicole was definitely what I needed, especially after my encounter with Mrs. Davenport. Now opening and closing Nicole’s cabinets in search for a pan, I’m certain I made the right choice coming to Atlanta.

  Eggs, bacon, and bread are on deck for a decent breakfast. Considering Nicole only had a can of instant coffee in her kitchen, I hope she’ll be happy for the change in her morning routine. I eased out of bed after she left me for the bathroom and had to squash my goal of cooking half-naked in her kitchen when I had to get dressed to run to the grocery store.

  “Let me find out on top of everything else you can cook.” Nicole sits at her table with her purse perched beside her. “Taking me to dinner, putting me to bed.” She said that with a crooked smile. “Sending me to work with a full stomach.” She sits back in her seat. “Be careful, I may not let you leave.” She winks at me. If she only knew how much I wouldn’t object to her asking me to stay. Most women don’t have the luxury of staying with me overnight, and I would never wake up early to make them a meal. Hell, most women don’t even get a second call from me.

  “The least I could do for you letting me crash your Sunday.” I still haven’t decided how long I’m st
aying and certainly don’t want to overstay my welcome. “What time do you usually get off?” I’ll tour the city while she’s at work and return in time to be here when she gets home. “Wait.” I stop flipping the eggs and say, “Damn. I didn’t consider the fact that you could have plans today or this week.” I look at her cautiously, hoping she doesn’t give me the boot.

  She pulls out her phone and scrolls through it. “My calendar is free for the…” she looks up to me with her head leaning to the side, “week.”

  Laughing I continue flipping the bacon before throwing a plate together for her. “Eat up before you’re late for work.”

  She obeys, taking a bite of the bacon. “How’d you know I would partake in the swine?”

  “Did you forget you ordered bacon wrapped shrimp for dinner last night?” I ask with my eyebrows cocked. Taking a seat beside her I say, “What time do you need to be at work?”

  She shrugs and closes her eyes. I assume she has the same feeling about work as I did when I had to go into an office every day. After years of the same routine I am enjoying making my own schedule, waking naturally instead of from an alarm clock, staying up late to paint and not worrying about having zero energy to be productive the next day. “I should get going soon. I have a daily nine o’clock meeting.”

  “Do you work close by?”

  “About twenty minutes with traffic.” She pushes her eggs around her plate. After only a small bite I assume she isn’t a fan, and take note for the next time I decide to be domestic. Looking at her watch she says, “Thank you for cooking. Don’t know the last time I had a home-cooked breakfast.”

  Living close to my mom as an adult had its advantages. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were readily available. I just had to drop in, and I’d be guaranteed a hot meal, no matter the day of the week. Nicole stands, taking our plates to the kitchen. “Hey Nicole, let me know if I’m invading your space or if you’re ready for me to leave.”