by Candace Shaw
He picked up the pace when her hips reached up to him off of the bed, and her hands grasped his butt cheeks tightly, pushing him further into her. Fervent cries escaped her, which aroused him even more, pushing him over an edge he never knew existed until he met this woman. He increased his pace with each deep stroke and the passionate response of her orgasm soared into the room. She buried her fingers into his back while her muscles contracted tightly around his manhood, gripping and releasing as he continued sinking deeper into her realm.
Once her orgasm ended, another one followed moments later. Her muscles gripped him, sending a passion-filled vibration straight through his body. He no longer had any control over his movements as he jerked and trembled inside of her.
Armand stared down at the exhausted beauty in his arms, and their breathing eased back to normal. He kissed Raven’s damped forehead, and she graced him with a satisfied smile. They were completely drenched with sweat, as if they’d made love in the rain. He rolled off of her and pulled her to him so that her head rested on his chest. Her fingertips traced the outline of his lion tattoo, and if she wasn’t careful, Leo the Lion would be up again in no time. He couldn’t believe something as simple as her light touch on his chest could turn him on again so soon after he’d had sex. However, Raven was a different kind of woman than what he’d been used to, but not because she was older. He honestly didn’t care about her age. He’d finally met his equal in bed. With other women, he was always the giver and the woman just laid there. While he always aimed to please—no pun intended—he wanted to be satisfied as well. With Raven, he was. He could feel her veins pulsating under him as she began to meet his hard thrusts with thrusts of her own, pulling him into her and contracting her walls around him, making him feel nestled and secure with her.
Armand chuckled out loud. He couldn’t believe what he was thinking, but it was true and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“What are you laughing about?” she asked, resting her chin on his chest to look at him.
“Oh … nothing. Just thinking about you rubbing on my lion tattoo.”
She giggled and kissed it. “Well, he’s cute. Is it Mufassa or Simba?”
“Who or who?” he asked with a wrinkled brow.
She smacked her lips and sat all the way up on the mattress. “You know, Mufassa and Simba from the movie The Lion King.”
Raven got up and headed toward the picnic basket to retrieve the two bottled waters. He watched as her naked hips and butt swayed back and forth, causing his penis to tingle again. Down, boy. Give her a moment to rest.
She handed him the water and sat criss-crossed next to him. He could see her perfectly-trimmed curly triangle and her little rosebud peaking out. He took a swig of the water before answering her.
“My lion’s name is Leo. It’s my birth sign.”
“Awww … I see. Well Simba was my favorite.”
“I’ve never seen the movie.”
Her almond-shaped eyes almost expanded into doe-shaped eyes as she stared at him in disbelief. “Now what now?” she asked in shock. “You’ve never seen The Lion King? Babe, everyone has seen that movie. It’s a classic.”
“Well, everyone except me. I’ve never been into girlie cartoon movies,” he said with a shrug.
“It’s not a girlie cartoon at all. Wow. Too bad we aren’t at my home in Memphis. We’d go down to my media room and watch it right now.”
“When I’m in Memphis, we’ll definitely watch it.”
She seemed satisfied with his answer as she laid her head back on his chest and kissed the lion once more. “He looks like Simba,” she whispered and snuggled close to him.
Armand kissed her forehead. “His name is Leo, and he’s ready for round two …”
Chapter Eight
Raven opened her eyes to an unlit fireplace, strong arms holding her firm against a rock hard chest, and a slight erection against her bottom. They’d made love twice, and she couldn’t believe Armand could go again. The rain had finally stopped, and she was definitely no longer cold since the fire from their bodies warmed her quite nicely. She was a little damp from all of their sweat, and normally that would bother her, but she didn’t care just as long as he was holding her. Raven had made up her mind that life was too short, and she wasn’t concerned about trivial things anymore. She was going to simply enjoy her time with Armand while she could.
A peek of sunlight streamed through a slit in the blinds. She figured the sun would be going down soon, and they needed to head back before they were missed. Even though neither of them were on call, their Doctors Unlimited cell phones were nearby just in case an emergency arose. She hated to wake him, for he was snoring softly in the crook of her neck, but it would be dark soon and their only transportation was a golf cart and a bicycle.
She kissed his arm softly and he moved behind her, pulling her even tighter to him. He allowed his lips to graze the back of her neck, which drew a soft moan from her, especially when he slid his finger down to her rosy bud and rubbed it in a circle.
She snuggled closer to him. “You keep doing that and we’ll never leave this place.”
He slid his finger through her lips and lingered at the opening of her vagina. “That’s the whole idea,” he whispered, as his tongue flicked around her ear and cascaded down her neck to her collarbone. Suddenly, he entered her from behind in one thrust.
“Then your wish is my command.”
He stayed still as she slowly moved her butt back and forth over his shaft, gut wrenching groans escaping him. His hands moved to her hips as she continued to grind on him, speeding up her motion with every passing second as his groaning became even louder.
“Damn, girl … that’s right. Work that fine ass of yours on me.” He slapped her butt.
“Yes … baby,” she called out breathlessly.
He flipped her over flat on her stomach and spread her legs wider, laying straight in between them. Pinning her hands down to the mattress, he moved in a slow rhythm, stroking all the way in her before coming back out and dipping deep into her. Over and over he did this as her soft moans turned into pleasured screams that filled the cabin.
Armand gently bit the side of her neck. “What were you saying about a younger man like me couldn’t handle an older woman like you?”
“I was so wrong,” she replied, clenching the pillow while he continued delving into her, causing her legs to shake under him. “I was sooooo very wrong.” She knew after this episode of pain versus pleasure, she would be sore everywhere, but it was well worth it.
Raven began to bounce her butt back on him when his body tensed, and he trembled uncontrollably. His orgasm erupted inside of her, and he collapsed on top of her, out of breath.
“You okay back there, young man?” she asked teasingly.
“Very funny. I’m fine, but I may need to take a dip in the lake again before we leave.”
“Please tell me you’re talking about the actual lake outside and not me.”
He laughed out loud and rolled off of her, pulling her body next to his. She rested her head on his chest while her fingertip traced the lion once more.
“Why … you need a dip in the lake, too?”
“No, a hot soak. I don’t think I can swim. I’m sore everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. I used muscles I haven’t used in a very long time.”
“Um … was the last time with your husband?” he asked uneasily.
“No. About a year and a half after he passed, I tried to get back out there. Date. Be in a relationship. However, I wasn’t ready. I met a nice guy, but I felt nothing for him even though I tried really hard to. When we had sex, all I could think about was Howard watching from Heaven. I got up, walked out of the guy’s house, and never called him again.”
“Did you think about Howard when you were with me?”
“No. There was a time when I would feel so guilty about not thinking about him for long lengths of time. However, I’ve moved on from that part of my life, but I�
��ll always love him. He was a good man.”
Armand kissed her forehead. “It is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.”
“Hmmm. I used to not believe that when he was killed. I thought the pain would never go away. It’s one thing to break up with someone and have a broken heart, but when your husband dies after being married for three months, it hurts like hell.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He pulled her closer to him. “I’m here if you ever need to talk.”
“Thank you.”
“You know if we don’t leave soon, we’ll be stuck in the park.”
Raven sat up and looked toward the window; the sunlight was fading fast.
“We gotta clean up first,” she stated, standing on wobbly legs and grabbing her clothes from the marble in front of the fireplace. She tossed Armand his shirt and hurriedly slipped her dress over her head. It wasn’t all the way dry, but she figured the drive back would help.
“You go on ahead,” he said as he put on his shirt. “It’s getting dark. I’ll straighten up here.”
“But—”
“No buts, except that fine one you got.” He reached out and popped it. “I’ll be on soon enough. Then you can come over, and I’ll run you a nice, hot bath.” He pulled her to him and kissed her swollen lips.
“I can’t take a bath at your apartment,” she exclaimed in shock. “What if someone sees me?”
“I don’t think anyone is going to see you in my bathtub, Dr. Arrington,” he said with a smirk.
She smacked her lips and shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Look, we aren’t staying in a college dormitory with rules and regulations. Trust me, we aren’t the only staff hooking up. You know Dr. Watkins and Kay are definitely seeing each other.”
“I heard. Wait. Have you ever had sex with another staff member?”
“No. It’s one of my rules not to. When I first saw you in the airport, I hoped you weren’t the doctor I was looking for because I had a feeling you’d be the first woman to make me break my rule if you were. Look where we are now.”
“I don’t want to stop seeing you while I’m here. I just don’t want people to think we’re sneaking around.”
“Um …” He stopped and glanced around the cabin. “We are sneaking around.”
“Oh yeah, but I think we should definitely just keep this between us. When I leave, I’m gone. What happens in Buenos Aires stays in Buenos Aires.”
“I totally agree. We’ll just have a lot of hot fun discreetly. Now head back. I’ll call you when I get there, and you can slide on over to my place for the evening.”
Leaving his embrace, she walked to the door to retrieve her tote bag where he’d left it. She fumbled around in it until she found a scrunchie and pushed her hair up into a ponytail on the top of her head. “Okay, but do you think it’s wise that I spend the night?”
“Look, Raven. For the next month that you’re here, I want you in my bed every single night, even if I’m on duty at the hospital. I want to know when I get off that you’ll be on my side, keeping it warm.”
“Which side is your side?” she asked, reaching for the doorknob.
“The right.”
“Mine, too.”
“Then I guess I’m sleeping on top of you. Call me when you get there. I’ll be on in a sec.”
“Will do.” She stood on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek.
An hour later, Raven was soaking her sore body in a hot bath at Armand’s apartment. She couldn’t believe she was actually sitting there with candles and jazz playing in the background while he was in the kitchen heating up a fugazzeta de veduras that Chef Reyes had prepared for dinner. She’d fallen in love with the stuffed pizza and was glad to know it was one of the dinner choices for the evening.
Raven hadn’t felt this relaxed and at peace in a long time. She was pleased with her decision to let her guard down and give in to what she really wanted, even if it was for a little while, but she wasn’t going to worry about that. She was simply going to enjoy the rest of her month with a handsome hunk just as Shelbi had prescribed. Then it was back to the States and back to her life without him. The thought made her sad, but she knew the risk she was taking when he’d first kissed her. However, she was glad that being with him made her realize that she was apparently ready for the dating and relationship world again. It was just too bad Armand couldn’t be the one.
*****
“Your turn, Dr. Arrington.”
“Stop being so darn impatient,” Raven said as she looked at the tiled-letters on her bar. They were playing their fifth game of Scrabble that week, and Armand hadn’t won yet, but was determined to. “It’s not like you’re going to win.”
“Whatever.”
“Humph … have you won a game yet? Um, let me answer that for you. Nope. In fact, no one has ever beaten me in Scrabble and no one ever will.” She placed her tiles on the board with a huge grin as she calculated the score in her head. It was over fifty points, considering the Z was resting on the Triple Word score.
“I had a feeling you had the letter Z,” he said through clenched teeth. “Zygoma? Really?”
“It’s a word,” she replied with a shrug.
He wrote down her score and shook the bag with the letters so Raven could pick more tiles. “I know it’s a word. I swear you’ve studied the dictionary and the thesaurus just to play this game,” he said, laughing.
“Yep. See, I’m a Scrabble player, you’re just a person playing Scrabble,” she explained, trying to keep a straight face when she saw her new letters. She needed the letter U to accompany the Q.
He laughed loudly. “You’ve got jokes tonight.”
“I never joke when it comes to Scrabble,” she stated seriously because she was serious.
“Cool. So you’ll be mad at me when I win, which will result in you having that pouty lip that I’m going to nibble on, therefore making you all hot and bothered. And we’ll end up in my bed, or the kitchen table, or wherever you push me to.”
She laughed hysterically, but forty minutes later found herself pinned underneath Armand on the floor next to the bed, fuming that he’d beaten her by two points. He held her hands above her head, his eyes firm on her face as he stroked in and out at a steady, slow pace.
“You were saying?” he asked. He slid all the way in and held it there, driving her mad. Her leg trembled, and he released a sly smile before sliding out of her and right back to the hilt. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.
“You only won by two measly points.”
He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “Love you and all of your cute hang ups.”
She bit her bottom lip as he pushed in again until all of him was nestled tightly inside of her. He positioned his hand on her hips while she wrapped hers around his neck, and he stroked in and out, staring at her intently. With each passionate thrust, her emotions began to unravel and her muffled cries of passion rested on his chest. Even though he’d told her the walls were soundproof, she had been a little loud.
Moments later, they both climaxed and laid sated on the floor as their breathing returned to normal. Picking her up, he placed her in the bed. She nestled her head on his chest and kept replaying his last words in her head.
Love you …
Armand had never said it before and figured he’d done so in the heat of the moment. Or perhaps he meant them, but not in the way she was over thinking. It’s not like he said I love you. He probably simply meant he loved her like … well, like a friend with benefits or someone he was quite fond of. She was leaving in three weeks, so he knew there couldn’t be any type of relationship other than whatever the hell they were doing.
However, when he’d said it, she wanted so badly to tell him the same because she was falling for him … hard. Unfortunately, she knew once she left that was it. Tears welled in her eyes, and she was glad it was dark in the room. She didn’t want him to see her cry.
“Raven?” he asked quietly, interrupting her thoughts. She hoped he wasn’t going to question her about what he’d just said. She wanted to avoid any type of emotional attachment with him so it would be somewhat easier when she left. Even though, deep down, she knew it was going to be impossible. The thought made her heart ache.
“Yes?”
“Um … I was just thinking. The pill you take, is it the kind that lasts three months?”
She froze at his words, which were so out of left field that she was stunned. She’d rather tell him she loved him.
“Because you haven’t had a cycle since we’ve been … um, fooling around. I just want to make sure you aren’t pregnant considering I haven’t pulled out.”
“I …”
She didn’t know how to answer him. When she told him she was on the pill it was because she didn’t want to go into a long spiel about her private life, considering their relationship wasn’t more than a fling, or at least that’s what she kept telling herself. It wasn’t like he was going to get her pregnant—that was completely impossible—but she didn’t want to lie to him anymore either.
“Turn on the light,” she said quietly, sitting all the way up in the bed. He did as she asked, but didn’t get back in the bed. Instead, he sat on the edge with a curious expression.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’m not pregnant if that’s what you’re worried about.” Stretching over to the edge of the bed, she grabbed his dress shirt to put on.
“Then what’s wrong?”
She sighed as the tears welled in her eyes. He reached over to her and gathered her in his arms, but she pushed him back. “Just let me speak. I don’t need to be held.”
He caressed her face, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “But you’re crying. I can’t have my baby crying. Tell me what’s wrong.”