A Dangerous Way to Love (Dangerous Bonds Book 3)

by Shani Greene-Dowdell

  “Don’t remind me. If it were up to me, I would go home and get rested up for all the things I want to do to Tameka tomorrow after the wedding.”

  “I heard that,” I said, eying Alise as she walked into the room.

  She walked over to me, ran her hands down my chest, and slowly maneuvered them to my crotch. This was her tell that she wanted me inside of her. I had been out of her for far too long.

  We still hadn’t told anyone about us. No one knew what we had brewing, and that was the way Alise wanted it to stay. Jayne had her suspicions, but she didn’t really know that Alise and I were sleeping together. The morning she caught me at Alise’s house, Alise told her I had spent the night because Van had been stalking her and that his car was parked down the street the night before. The pillow and blanket Alise had thrown at me that night were still on the sofa, so Jayne believed that I had slept on the sofa.

  I could understand the reason Alise wasn’t ready for people to know about us while we were still figuring us out. She said it took away from the beauty of getting to know a person when other people started putting their opinions in the relationship. I agreed with her because, at the moment, I didn’t give a fuck what anyone thought about us as long as we knew what we were to each other. And what I knew at the moment was that she was hot and sexy as ever with the sheen of water from her shower still on her skin. She smelled good, too, like a scented flower.

  “I’ll stop through for a little while tonight,” I told Jeb, never taking my eyes off of Alise. “ Then, I have something very important to do,” I said and shifted in my seat so that Alise’s hand could reach what it sought in my pants. “Talk to you later.” I hung up.

  “Do you know what you are doing?” I asked her.

  “Yes.”

  “You won’t be able to walk straight at the party if you keep touching me like this.”

  “Yes, I know,” she replied, then dropped to her knees and licked the tip of my shaft that she had already freed from my pants. The touch of her tender tongue coming in contact with my flesh, and the feel of her soft hand gripping the base of my dick had me in awe of her. My head tilted back as her mouth’s wetness covered my shaft with warmth. She took me all in. All of it.

  She wanted to please me, but not as bad as I wanted to taste her. I had a big appetite, and it was time for me to eat. I lifted her face so that she was looking into my eyes, and my mouth covered hers hungrily. I pulled her up until she was standing in front of me. Sitting at my kitchen table, it was fitting for my breakfast to be staring back at me. I lifted one of her legs up onto my arm and opened the folds of her pretty pussy. Her tender bulb hung low for me, and I ran my tongue over it before taking it into my mouth. My baby tasted delicious as I went through a series of sucking her into my mouth and licking from her bulb to her opening. This routine only heightened my desire to be deeper inside of her, and I only had one tool that could do the job.

  I stood up, picking her up as I did. I laid her down on the wooden kitchen table and sunk inside of her. It was like coming home, and it always felt good to be home. We made love for hours, me stroking her, her riding me, us being one in as many ways possible like we always should.

  ✦

  I showed my face at Jeb’s party and talked to a few old friends. From the look of things, Xander hadn’t done anything too crazy. The place was decorated with only a few balloons and a banner that said, “Enjoy Your Last Night of Life.” That was Xander’s idea. But other than that, everything was lowkey and just a bunch of men hanging out. After about an hour, I shook the groom’s hand and told him I had to go.

  “Wish you could stay a little while longer, Bruise,” he said. “I know you have your own business, but you should try not to work too hard.”

  “It’s not hard work, man. I love it,” I said, thinking about how much I loved Alise. Yeah, I loved her, and the thought had come to me at that moment. What I felt for her was indeed…love.

  I left Jeb’s party headed to Tameka’s gathering. I had dropped Alise off an hour ago and told her I would be back after I stopped into Jeb’s event. There was a small group of women there to celebrate with Tameka, but compared to Jeb’s party, this one was action-packed. The ladies were playing games, laughing, tossing back hard liquor, and talking a lot of smack to each other. The only lady in the room that wasn’t tossing back drinks was Channing’s wife, Kemara. Other than that, it was a slush fest.

  Alise was drinking with everyone and enjoying herself. She also seemed to be doing everything she could to act as if she didn’t notice me as I stood guard in the corner.

  “Can you at least go outside and let us ladies have some privacy?” Alise asked, using the snappy tone that she had with me when she was around her friends.

  “No,” I said plainly and continued to scan the room.

  She started talking to her friends in a low tone that I couldn’t make out. A few minutes later, she got up and walked toward the door. I followed her.

  “Alise, what’s going on with you? Why did you just speak to me like that in front of everyone?”

  “If I don’t, they’ll know we’re…together.”

  “And that would be a problem? Why?”

  “I’m not ready.”

  “Oh, you’re ready to be with me. When we’re alone, you can hardly keep your hands off of me, and I can’t keep mine off of you. You’re just not ready for people to know, and I’m fine with that, but what I can’t handle is you talking to me as if you didn’t just get off of my dick hours ago.”

  “It’s just…”

  “I know what it is. You’ve been hurt so many times that, even now that you have opened yourself up to me, you still don’t want other people to know you have done it again. You think I’m going to hurt you and that if I do, at least, you will be the only person who knows about the hurt. I can tell you right now, Alise, you don’t have to do that. You can trust me with your heart. If we break, it won’t be because I broke us.”

  Her eyes widened in alarm, and she stepped back. Clearly, 'us' was more than the walls she'd built like Fort Knox around her could handle. I caught her arm before she backed all the way to the door and pulled her close to me.

  “I love you,” I told her. I had to make her understand her heart wasn't at risk with me.

  She stepped back, looking into my eyes like she was searching for something. “Bruiser, I…”

  Having demanded enough of her emotionally tonight, I cut her off by pulling her in for a kiss that left us both moaning, hot, and bothered. "Go enjoy yourself, baby.”

  She looked into my eyes, and I saw so much passion mixed with pain staring back at me. “I…I…”

  I put a finger to her lips. “Go inside, Alise.”

  She walked inside, and I went in behind her, posted up in the same corner I was in before, and watched her the rest of the night. I had to grin and bear it when the dancer danced his way over to her and stood in her face, gyrating his body. I could feel the blood coursing through my veins in my neck, hands, forehead, everywhere when he placed his hand on Alise’s leg and raised it in the air. If she had not been wearing jeans, what belonged to me would have been exposed.

  “That’s enough of that! Back away from her,” I said, forceful enough for the man to hear me. My voice had boomed through the room, so loud that the music halted, and everyone turned and looked at me. I didn’t care. What I cared about was this man who had put his hands on what was mine, and that Alise had allowed it to happen. “What do you think you’re doing, Alise?” I growled.

  “You need to back off, Bru—” Alise stopped speaking once I glared at her.

  “Who are you, her bodyguard?” the dancer asked.

  “Actually, he's a party pooper," Alise said, glaring at me for not keeping the ruse going that we weren't involved. It was one thing to keep our secret from our mutual acquaintances, another to outright act as if what we had didn't exist at all. She certainly wouldn't put up with it if the shoe were on the other foot. Neither would I.<
br />
  “Let’s go, Alise. You’re trying to piss me off.” I took her by the hand and guided her out of the seat. She removed her hand from mine.

  “I don’t need you to stand up! My legs work fine on their own!” She rose out of her seat and marched toward the door.

  “Alise, are you okay? What’s going on? Why is Bruiser acting like that about the dancer?” Tameka was asking Alise as she followed us outside. “Are you two…?”

  “No! We’re not involved in that way,” Alise answered.

  “We’re not?” I asked, stepping in front of her.

  The look in her eyes was asking me, ‘Bruiser, what are you doing?’

  My reply was to seize her gently by the nape. Lowering my mouth to hers, I fully intended to ravish her lips, knowing they would be bruised when I was done. Despite what Alise wanted, our secret affair was out, my heart on my sleeve for everyone to see. That didn't deter me from my mission to prove I was in this, in 'us' for the long haul. Alise's hands fisted my shirt, dragging me closer to deepen the kiss until Tameka's gasp intruded on the sacred moment.

  Coming up for air, I tipped my forehead to Alise's, whispering, "It hurt me to see that guy all over you, sweetheart."

  Air sawed in and out of her lungs, her warm, minty breath fanning my face. She may have wanted to pretend there was nothing deep between us, but she couldn't deny how my kiss affected her in front of Tameka. "I certainly didn't want to hurt you, Bruiser, and I'm sorry I didn't think about how being just one of the girls tonight would make you feel," she whispered against my lips.

  It wasn't an 'I love you' from her but just as good. She'd no longer discount my feelings after tonight. That was all I wanted... for now.

  Tameka snickered. "We all know how you both feel after that kiss and about damn time my girl found herself a good man. Now, let the party continue!"

  She pulled Jayne by the hand back into the room. A whoop from the crowd went up. Alise grinned from ear to ear. A man couldn't beat the kind of validation Tameka gave and Alise seemed to be acknowledging. I thanked Tameka for her part with a smile. She squeezed my bicep in a quiet 'you welcome. '

  The music resumed. I went back to my position. The stripper kept his distance from Alise for the rest of the evening, which was just fine with me. Later that night, I loved Alise well into the early morning.

  Chapter Ten

  Alise

  Wedding Crasher

  12:52 p.m.

  Done!

  I walked out of the dressing room, ready for the ceremony to begin. Jeb and Tameka’s wedding was supposed to start in an hour. My hair was pulled up in a bun. The gold sequin maxi dress glittered with shimmer and hugged every curve on my body. This dress would make any woman feel like a star, and the golden pumps set the look off right. The gold contrasted with the barely-there makeup with gold accents had me looking like the star I was.

  A month ago, I never would have imagined I would be standing here feeling this way. It was an exciting day for not only my best friend, but also for me. Bloggers, YouTubers, and even some TV shows were talking about me, the girl who they said came out of nowhere and stunned the musical world with my celebrity. On my way over to the wedding today, Monica had called me to tell me they were talking about the success of “Love Me Again” on Good Day Alabama.

  I was walking down the hallway, checking my social media pages, and looking at all of the messages about my next single. People wanted to know when it was coming because they loved my last one. In those messages, I saw one from this sweet lady I had been talking to named Jessica Newman. I liked chatting with her, so I opened her message and excitedly began reading.

  Jessica Newman:

  --Hi Alise. I see that your music is rising in the ranks. You deserve it.

  --Are you there? Write back.

  --Alise?

  --You don’t think my feelings matter, do you? Wow, just when you think you know someone.

  --Come back to me. I don’t know what I did to make you leave me like this. I miss you.

  --I just want to talk to you again. I want to take you out to dinner. I want to spend some time with you. We need each other.

  --Sorry if I’m sounding too forward. I just want to talk to you again. That’s all I was trying to say. Write back when you get a chance!

  --They did a great piece on you on Good Day Alabama. Congrats.

  --You will pay for ignoring me. I’m not the one you should ignore. I am your forevermore, just like in the song you sing.

  --You will see me soon!

  By the time I finished reading the messages, my hands were shaking. The messages were ominous and strange coming from Jessica. I thought of her as a sweet and adoring fan up 'til now. Her true colors had shown through the second I didn't respond in a timely fashion for her. And today was supposed to be a good day.

  A new message popped up on the screen. I refused to read it. Jessica had said enough, invoked too many bad feelings already on this special day. I closed out my Facebook page, retracing my steps to the dressing room where I put my phone in my purse. As soon as the wedding was over, I was going to show Jessica’s messages to Bruiser and see what he thought about them. Someone might have hacked her page. I hoped she wasn’t another stalkerish fan.

  “Alise, come here for a second,” Shaniqua said, pulling me into the hall.

  “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know what else to do. I did her makeup like she wanted it, but she didn’t like it. Now, she won’t let me back in her room to do it over.” Shaniqua explained the dilemma happening with Tameka’s makeup.

  “Tameka has been stressing everyone out over every tiny detail all day long. Why would you think the makeup would be any different?” I chuckled, needing this distraction from my own issues. “Don’t worry about it; I’ll talk to her.”

  “Thanks,” she replied.

  I walked to Tameka’s dressing room and knocked on the door.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Come on,” Tameka answered.

  I entered the room. A breathtaking Tameka wore a regal lace gown that flared out at her knees. An antique-style bowknot draped the middle of her stomach, and her arms were covered in a lace design that matched the silver broach and crown she was wearing. “What can I do to help?” I asked, admiring my friend with a smile.

  “You look beautiful, Alise, while your girl has me in here looking like a clown.” She crossed her arms over her chest and let out a long sigh.

  “Tameka, you look absolutely stunning,” I assured her. “Trust me, it’s just your nerves. But I did talk to Shaniqua, and she said she’ll come back to redo your face.”

  “Good. We have plenty of time to remove the makeup and redo it,” Kemara said with so much relief in her tone.

  The door flung open and in walked Jayne. “I hear you’re up in here being a bridezilla!”

  “I’m not a bridezilla!” Tameka said.

  We talked for a while before Shaniqua came back in and did Tameka’s makeup perfectly this time.

  Minutes later, I was lined up, ready to support my friend in one of the best moments of her life. I looked over to Bruiser, and he looked so good standing next to Channing in his black tux. I wished I could hurry the ceremony along, just to be alone with him.

  ✦

  3:16 p.m.

  By the time the reception kicked off, I knew I wasn't going to get a moment alone with Bruiser anytime soon. Jeb had a song and then a dance planned for the men, then I was singing Whitney Houston’s “I Believe in You and Me.” After that, Channing and Bruiser were to present the newlyweds with an impromptu speech. Tameka had been micromanaging every little thing to make the day perfect. I couldn’t wait to see her face when the program took a turn.

  Jeb and Tameka were having their first official dance as a couple. Bruiser and Channing waited nearby, ready to crash the song. As soon as the DJ restarted “Pretty Brown Eyes” by Mint Condition, he handed Jeb his microphone, and the mashup began. Some standing under
the canopy oh’ed and ah’ed while others laughed hysterically. It was hilarious to watch Bruiser dance and sing his lines on cue.

  A set of hard arms slinked around my chest. I frowned, knowing it couldn’t be Bruiser initiating that moment I craved with him. He was in the center of the canopy dancing his heart out. The arms around me constricted tightly as if trying to squeeze the life out of me.

  My internal alarms went off, heightening my senses. They took in the distinct smell of tangy alcohol and a familiar whiff of cologne belonging to the weirdo that started the confrontation at the club, followed me home, and was currently obsessed with me. Lord knew what else he'd have done if Bruiser hadn't been adamant about seeing me home every night.

  This guy was just crazy enough to do something like come to my best friend's wedding to make a scene. And now, we were here, standing on the south lawn of a historic estate on a beautiful day with him holding me hostage in the middle of a jovial crowd. All around me, people were cracking up laughing at Bruiser and Channing’s dance moves as Jeb serenaded Tameka.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded, but I already knew what was happening. The weirdo was asserting himself in my life where he wasn’t wanted. “Let me…” I paused when I felt a hard object press firmly against my side. A gun. God, no. “Don’t…”

  “Say another word, and this will be a red wedding,” his grungy voice sounded against my ear, his breath causing my stomach to bubble in disgust.

  The blood in my veins froze. Fear, of his next action, pumped wildly through me instead. The impulse to scream for help rose like a tsunami within, but dozens of lives would be at risk if I did. Who knew what he was capable of or how much firepower he brought with him?

  I couldn't stomach someone else being hurt. I couldn't handle him on my own, either. The only option was to get someone's attention who could handle him without my attacker being the wiser. So, I looked to the closest person nearby. Jayne stood a few feet away, observing the prank song and laughing happily.

  She wasn't trained for this situation any more than I was, and she would likely get me and her both killed trying to save me. Which would only work in my stalker's favor. He had timed his attack perfectly with the ever-vigilant Bruiser not being vigilant for once, completely out of character while dancing rhythmless yet enjoying himself. I'd have enjoyed seeing more of that if it wasn't for the shitstorm I was in.