James (Members From Money Book 34)

by Katie Dowe

  He stared at her for a moment. “I want it to be what you want to do.”

  “It’s what I want to do.” She tilted her head to look at him. “You broke the door down.”

  “I'll buy a new door,” he said with a slight smile. “I would have broken the entire building down to get to you.”

  “You have no idea how hot I am to hear you say that,” she said softly.

  She'd meant it as a partial joke but it had the opposite effect on him. “How hot?” he asked her thickly.

  “This hot.” She unbuttoned her blouse and then unhooked her bra. His eyes wandered over her bare flesh with the puckered nipple. He used his hands to cup the flesh and passed his thumbs over them, watching her flesh react to his touch.

  “You set me off,” he murmured as if to himself. “The slightest look, the slightest touch from you and I'm off, spinning into a passion and desire that I'm unable to control. I was born into control. It was drilled into me, but the moment I saw you in class I knew that my life would never be the same.” His head lifted and he captured her gaze. “You're my Achilles heel. You're the only one who can make me rethink anything, change the way I see things and behave differently. You're the only one who is capable of having me on my knees. I live to please you and to love you and to cherish you. You set me off baby, and sometimes I wonder if this intensity is going to wear you down. I will never control you because I love you so much. You set me off Kennedy.”

  Kennedy stared at him, her throat constricted and her body trembling. This beautiful man was baring his entire being to her and she couldn't stand it. She placed her hands on his jaw and held them there. “I love you.” Somehow the words seemed inadequate but she couldn't find others to say. “I love you.”

  He hauled her into his arms and cover her mouth with his!

  *****

  She was having a difficult time choosing her wedding dress. Somehow the parade of incredibly beautiful gowns didn't seem right. It was the end of October and she'd officially stopped working, concentrating fully on preparing for her wedding. Their home had become wedding central and Leesa and Kelly, as well as Monique and Ciara, came by every other day to run something by her or go out to lunch.

  “I'm sorry guys but I have to have the perfect gown,” she said as she stepped out of yet another one. The assistant took it from her and put it back on the hanger.

  “What do you want, darling?” Monique asked her. Kennedy couldn't believe that this group of wealthy and powerful women were her friends. “I want a fairytale wedding.” She reached for the robe to put on. “I know it's not the wedding that counts, it's the marriage but I want the fairytale wedding and I've wanted it ever since I was a little girl. I had shelved the thought when my dad left us but ever since I met James and realized that there's hope and all is not lost, I've wanted it with a vengeance and he is determined to give it to me. I want the perfect dress.”

  “Give us an idea and we can create something,” Monique suggested.

  “That’s a brilliant idea darling!” Leesa said.

  “You would do that?”

  “Of course. Just give us an idea and I will get my team on it.”

  *****

  “Would you zip me up?” She moved her hair as she turned her back to him. It had been two weeks since she'd stopped working but she'd been busy with the wedding arrangements. She was here when he got home in the evenings and they would eat at the counter or at the dining table. She knew she wasn't going to stay home forever but for now it felt right. They felt right. He zipped her halfway and stopped, bringing his head down to nuzzle her shoulder. “How bad will it be if we're late?” he asked her huskily.

  “Considering that it is your sister’s birthday party then I would say very bad.” She leaned back against him as he wrapped his arms around her. “And she did say she had a surprise for us.”

  “I wonder what that could be?” he said dryly. “Julia has a way of springing things on me.”

  Kennedy turned into his arms and looped her hands around his neck. He looked sensationally handsome in his dark grey pants and red cashmere sweater. He looked happy and relaxed and very much in love. “I'm sure it’s something wonderful.” She touched her lips to his and his mouth opened for her. He indulged in the kiss and his tongue tangled with hers. She dragged her lips from his as she felt the zipper sliding down. “James.”

  “Just a couple of minutes.” His dark eyes had gone intense and she shivered as she looked into them.

  “It’s never usually a few minutes.”

  “You're right.” With that he lifted her into his arms and took her back to bed.

  *****

  “There you are! What took you so long?” She looked at the expression on their faces and shook her head. “You know what? Don’t bother. I can hazard a guess.” She linked her arms through her brother’s as they walked forward. The party was being held at one of their hotels uptown. Julia had gone all out for her twenty-fifth birthday and there were gallons of champagne, food and people milling around and having fun. She looked great in a shimmering rose-colored dress that fitted her like a glove. “I want you to meet someone.” She directed them over to a tall African American man standing with a drink in his hand. He looked bored out of his skull but as soon as he saw them his expression changed. “Michael this is my brother James and his fiancé Kennedy,” she said with a flourish. “Guys meet Michael Murray. He's a model and we met a month ago.”

  “Nice to formally meet you,” the man said as he gripped James’ hand. His dark brown eyes went to Kennedy and lingered before linking hands with Julia. “Your sister has been bending my ear about the upcoming nuptials. I hear it’s going to be the wedding of the year.”

  “Yes.” James eyed the man slowly. There was something about him that he didn't like but he kept it to himself. He had a feeling he was being too protective. “You're just a model?”

  Julia laughed before the man could answer. “Darling, please don’t scare Michael off with the interrogation. We're going to mingle and dance. See you later.”

  James watched them walk away, his expression contemplative.

  “What’s wrong?” Kennedy asked looking up at him.

  “I'm sure it’s nothing,” he forced a smile. “Why don’t we dance?”

  *****

  Across the room Michael's eyes followed the couple on the dance floor. Julia was a strikingly beautiful woman but he couldn't take his eyes of Kennedy. The woman was stunning. He watched as she cozied up to the Asian and watched as he pressed his hand against the small of her back and his expression as he stared down at her. The man was hooked and Michael could see why. She was hard to look away from.

  “Michael you haven't heard a word I said,” Julia said with a pout as she looked up at him.

  “You were saying something about the hotel.”

  “So you were listening.” She snuggled up to him. They'd met at a party and they'd hit it off. He'd taken her back to his apartment and made love to her and it had been particularly wonderful and exhausting at the same time.

  “How about we leave the party early and head up to a room?” she said softly.

  “It’s your birthday party. You're the guest of honor, you can't leave,” he said mildly.

  “We could disappear. I'm sure the guests wouldn't notice,” she insisted as she circled in his arms.

  “Later,” he said distractedly. “So what’s their story?” he asked as he nodded to the couple dancing at the far side of the room dancing.

  Julia looked over at them. “My brother is head over heels and so is she. I'm happy for them. Maybe someday we could be like them.”

  “Maybe,” his eyes followed their movements and he felt himself tightening as she laughed at something he said to her. “Why don’t we switch it up? You dance with your brother and I dance with his fiancé.”

  She agreed reluctantly and they walked over as soon as the song ended. Julia touched her brother on the arm. “How about a birthday dance?’


  She saw when he hesitated and looked at Kennedy.

  “Don’t worry, I have no intention of stealing her,” Michael said it as a joke but stiffened at the look the man gave him.

  He went and kissed her on the lips slowly before letting her go. Michael felt something curl inside him at the naked passion.

  Michael held her loosely as they circled the floor. “Your fiancé is watching me like a hawk,” he said conversationally. “I think he believes that I'm going to run off with you.”

  “He knows that will never happen.” She looked up at him. “Are you in love with Julia?”

  “We just met a month ago,” he said with a laugh. “She's sweet and I like her but I'm not ready for that commitment yet.” His eyes met hers. “You are a beautiful woman.”

  “Thank you,” she said mildly.

  “We should stick to our own kind,” he said suddenly.

  “What?”

  “We're both the same color and ethnicity and we should stick to each other. I mean, what are we doing with them?”

  “Our kind?” she asked, her tone acidic. “Want me to tell you what 'our kind’ did to me? I'm sure you've read up on the relationship with James and I as the reporters dug through our lives. Our own kind, as you put it, almost destroyed my life,” Her dark brown eyes blazed with righteous anger and he stared at her in amazement. She was truly a beautiful woman.

  “He was an ass and never knew what he had. If you were mine—”

  “Let me stop you right there,” she told him coldly. “That’s the difference with James. He never makes me feel as if I'm his possession and that makes me want to be his and his alone.”

  The music ended just then and she walked out of his arms and over to James.

  *****

  “You okay?” his eyes scanned her face and she realized that if she told him he would go right over to Michael.

  “I was just missing you,” she told him lightly. He looked at her searchingly and then at the man she'd been dancing with and who now had his arm around his sister’s waist.

  “How about getting something to eat?” he suggested. Julia had told him how much she liked Michael and she could tell he was wondering if this was something permanent.

  “I would like that.”

  *****

  “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Julia asked him as he sat on the edge of the bed in the hotel room. They'd come up a few minutes ago and he'd yet to touch her.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Michael you haven't touched me. Usually we'd be all over each other but you haven't touched me. What is going on?”

  “Nothing.” He got to his feet and took his pants off and then his shirt. He was ashamed to know that his erection wasn't because of her but because he'd done nothing but think of Kennedy. He wondered if he'd met her before James if they'd have stood a chance. But he'd seen both of them together and knew that there was no way he would ever stand a chance now.

  “I'm just a little bit drunk,” he told her sheepishly, trying to cover up.

  “So am I,” she told him as she slipped the bra off her shoulders. “So let’s go and have drunken sex.”

  *****

  James fought the pleasure creeping all over his body. The sleep was so deep that he was trying to fight the fog covering his body. But the pleasure pierced his brain so fiercely that he couldn't imagine a dream being so real. His dick was so hard and the tongue licking his balls felt so real. He groaned and his body moved restlessly. It took a moment before he realized that it wasn't really a dream but was very real. He opened his eyes slowly and felt her fingers on the hardness of him.

  “Kennedy?” His voice was thick as he raised himself up on the pillows. “Baby—” he broke off as her tongue went up the length of him. “Christ!” His fingers tightened into fists on the sheets. He reared up as her mouth closed over him and she pulled him deep into her throat. He couldn't think. His body arched towards her and he felt he tightness of his testicles. “Baby!” he said through his teeth. She lifted her head and, pulling her nightgown over her head, she came over him and sank down on his erection. His body was shaking as he gripped her hips, his dark eyes intense and his face harsh with need. Kennedy shook back her hair and curled her fingers into his solid chest. She lifted her bottom up and rotated slowly on him. He lifted his legs and guided her movements, pushing himself deep into her. His heart pounded inside his chest so hard that he felt as if he was about to pass out.

  She arched her back, her body coiled as she felt the orgasm slam inside her. She bent to him and he reached for her mouth frantically. He felt his control ebbing and his body went rigid. He spilled his seed inside her and he switched positions, putting her feet onto his chest as he pounded into her. Kennedy lifted her body to his and cried out his name as she tumbled with him.

  *****

  “That was some wake-up call,” he murmured as she lay there sprawled on his chest.

  “Hmm,” she said drowsily. It was still midnight but she'd woken up feeling very horny and had decided that she wasn't going to wait for him. She lifted her head and looked at him. “You liked it?” she asked him mischievously.

  “I don’t think like is a word that could adequately describe what I felt.” He tunneled his fingers through her tangled hair. “You almost blew the top of my head off.”|

  “I woke up and felt as if I didn't have you I couldn't go back to sleep,” she murmured.

  He pulled her head down and kissed her loudly on the mouth. “Thanks.”

  *****

  Kennedy stopped short as she saw the man seated next to Julia. The girl had called to ask her to lunch to discuss the wedding and her dress and her part in the wedding party. She hadn't expected to see Michael there as well.

  Julia got to her feet and hugged her. “Darling! I hope you don’t mind Michael tagging along. He came to see me at the office and I invited him.”|

  “Not at all,” Kennedy said with a forced smile. She felt uncomfortable with the man eyeing her from the top of her head to her denim clad legs and the thin cashmere sweater she was wearing. She'd hurried into the restaurant, not noticing the eyes following her. . “I hope you don’t get bored Michael,” she said as she took her seat opposite them.

  “I'm sure I won’t.” His eyes lingered on her lips and Kennedy felt anger curling inside her. How could Julia not see it?

  “I wanted to ask if Michael could be the guy walking with me.” Julia asked her as the waiter came over.

  Kennedy waited until he'd left before she responded. “I thought you already had someone.”

  “We were one person short, remember?”

  “Yes.” Kennedy had originally wanted a twelve person bridal party, excluding her sister Joan and the best man who was a member of the club that James went to. But now it had gone to fourteen. The wedding was really getting bigger each week. Her eyes went to Michael who looked at her a little challengingly. “I guess that’s fine.”

  “Good,” Julia said briskly. “Excuse me guys I have to go and talk to someone. I'll be right back.”

  Kennedy sipped her wine, determined not to talk to him.

  “I thought that the night I saw you at the party was it. I told myself that she was beautiful because of the dress she was wearing and the makeup she had on but you are truly a beautiful woman, aren’t you?” he asked her softly.

  Kennedy turned to face him squarely. “I always thought the idea of interfering in another person’s relationship was low and I would never think of doing so. I want you to stop talking to me like this. Julia likes you and I don't want to think of what James will do to you if he finds out that you're flirting with me. Drop it, man. I'm in love with an absolutely wonderful man and that will never change.”

  “I know you're in love with him. I can see that but I can't stop thinking about you. I tried to stop because Julia is a beautiful woman and we're good together but I cannot stop thinking about you.”

  Before she could respond Julia came back. �
�Okay darling I've ordered the linguine which is the special for the day and it's really good. Okay Kennedy, let’s talk about the color of my dress.”

  Chapter 12

  She finally told him. She battled with it for a week and wondered if she should. She was ashamed to say that she was also battling with what he said to her. Was she in love with James because he was the first man who'd come along and shown her a hint of kindness and something different? Was she only into him because he was so different from Conway?

  “When did this happen?” he asked her tightly.

  They were getting ready for bed. It was November and exactly three weeks away from their wedding. She'd also discovered that his birthday was December 1st and was planning to take him to dinner. She told him about the first incident and the second.

  “That was two weeks ago,” his dark eyes met hers and she started to feel uncomfortable.

  “I didn't want to upset you.” She put away the cream she'd been rubbing into her skin. He'd come home and they'd had dinner together as usual. She was having a taste of what it was to be his wife as they'd been making the social rounds for the past month or so.

  “As opposed to upsetting me now,” his voice was cool and remote and she knew that was when he was most upset. “Aside from the fact that the guy is hitting on the woman I'm about to marry he's being unfaithful to my sister. You should have told me before now, Kennedy.”

  “I'm telling you now,” she said defensively. “I spent my life having to explain all my actions to a man—”

  “Don’t do that!” his sharp tone caused her to jump. “Do I ever ask you to explain your actions to me? I've been bending over backwards to show you that I'm not him but you compare us every time we have a disagreement! The man is disrespectful and I wish you'd said something to me before now.”

  “I'm sorry!” she cried. “It’s just that I was wondering if I'm in love with you for the right reasons.”

  The minute the words were out of her mouth she knew she'd made a gigantic mistake. His body went rigid and he was silent as he stared at her. “Explain that to me.”