Need You Now

by Yahrah St. John

  Kayla’s head whipped around. “I know that.” She turned back around to face the window.

  Ethan scooted over until their thighs nearly touched. Kayla hated that he was so close to her because she knew whenever he turned up the seduction dial she was powerless. “Kayla, it’s you and me from this point forward.” His index finger tucked under her chin as he turned her face to him. “It doesn’t have to be this way. Can’t we find some common ground?”

  “To peacefully coexist?” Kayla laughed. “You sure do want a lot from the woman you forced into marrying you. I’m here, aren’t I? What more do you want?”

  “I want this.” Ethan lowered his head and took her lips. His hands slid down the bodice of her wedding dress and brought her closer to him.

  When he finally lifted his head, Kayla’s eyes were closed and he could feel the rapid beat of her pulse. “And apparently you want this, too.”

  Kayla didn’t have a fast retort, because truth be told, he was right. She’d been trying to fight it, but she wanted Ethan.

  Chapter 8

  The flight to their secret honeymoon destination did little to help Kayla’s anxiety. To be on a plane with Ethan’s sheer male magnetism for hours on end was playing havoc with her system. Sure, he’d pulled away from their stirring kiss during the ride to the airport because he knew what was to come. Once onboard, she’d politely declined his invitation to help her change. Kayla was sure Ethan would like nothing better than to help her out of her wedding dress, so she’d asked for assistance from the stewardess.

  And now as they were landing, Kayla still had no idea where they were. All she knew was that it was someplace tropical, as she’d seen nothing but ocean for hours.

  As she exited the plane, Ethan stood at the bottom of the staircase to help her down. “Welcome to Bora Bora, Tahiti, Mrs. Graham.”

  Kayla looked around her. “Tahiti.” It was certainly a romantic destination for a honeymoon. “Nice touch.” She gave a hesitant smile.

  Ethan smiled back, “Glad you approve,” he said as helped her into a limousine waiting on the tarmac before joining her inside. “You’ll love where we’re staying,” he continued. “I spared no expense.”

  “I’m sure nothing but the best for Ethan Graham,” Kayla said despondently, looking out of the window.

  Ethan had not been lying. Kayla was floored by the stunning lagoon view from the two-story hillside villa of one of Bora Bora’s finest resorts. There was a private waterfront balcony and she could see a vast array of brightly colored fish swimming in the water. The décor was Polynesian-style and complemented with rich mahogany wood flooring and furnishings.

  Then of course there was the looming king-size canopy bed that reminded her of what was to come later that evening. The bathroom was done in Italian marble and had a separate shower and soaking Jacuzzi. The kitchen downstairs was stocked with everything they could possibly need from fruits, cheese, bread and meats, to paté, caviar and the finest champagne.

  “Is everything to your liking, Mr. Graham?” the concierge asked Ethan.

  “Everything looks good,” Ethan said, walking him out. “I’m sure my wife and I will enjoy our stay.”

  “The refrigerator is well stocked,” the concierge stated. “But should you want to come up for air—” he smiled knowingly “—there are excellent restaurants, pools, spas and leisure water activities at your fingertips, and that other item you requested is also well stocked.”

  “Thank you.” Ethan had asked the concierge to ensure there were half a dozen boxes of condoms waiting in the bedroom nightstand drawer. There would be plenty of time for babies later. Right now, he wanted Kayla all to himself.

  Once the door had closed, Ethan walked back inside but found the room empty. He followed the sound of the water and saw Kayla standing outside facing the ocean. “So, Mrs. Graham, what would you like to do now?” His eyes danced with mischief.

  “I don’t know, Ethan. What did you have in mind?” Kayla asked, turning around to face him.

  Ethan grasped Kayla around the waist and pulled her closer to him. “A lot of things come to mind,” he returned. “But I’d rather think you might like a shower and maybe a nap to unwind before dinner.”

  Ethan saw the surprise register on Kayla’s face. “Did you think I was going to throw you on the bed and have my way with you?” he inquired. When Kayla didn’t answer, he responded, “I won’t need to twist your arm.” He lightly caressed her cheek and felt Kayla tremble underneath his touch. “We already want each other, so tonight we will finally do what comes naturally.”

  Kayla wiggled free from Ethan’s grasp. “I…I’m going to get freshened up.” She made a quick exit, leaving Ethan alone on the deck.

  Ethan watched her go. Now that they were free from all distractions, he intended to make Kayla his in every way. Tonight, he would explore every inch of her body until she was crying out his name as he took her to new heights. Oh, yes, tonight was going to be immensely pleasurable.

  Kayla glanced at her reflection in the mirror as she dressed for dinner. She’d thought Ethan would want to have dinner in, so she’d been surprised when he’d suggested they go to the resort’s fine-dining restaurant.

  She wore a simple print dress with a halter neck that flowed to her ankles. Strappy sandals adorned her feet, accompanied by colorful shell jewelry on her earlobes and neck, though one piece stuck out prominently: the huge seven-carat diamond ring that Ethan had put on her left hand that day.

  “You look beautiful,” Ethan said when Kayla came out of the bathroom and found him waiting in the sitting area.

  “Thank you,” Kayla returned. “You, as well.” It was all she could muster, but what she was really thinking was that he looked good enough to eat in his linen suit with matching shirt and tie.

  Ethan held out his arm. “Let’s go have some fun.”

  If anyone would have told Kayla that she would be enjoying her honeymoon night, she would have called them a liar, but she was. The dinner was an eclectic fusion of Polynesian, Pacific and Mediterranean influence, the wine was flowing and the live band was spectacular. Kayla could feel herself loosening up. So when Ethan asked her to dance, she didn’t turn him down.

  Instead, she allowed him to wrap his arms around her and sway her to the beat of the music. He dipped her, and when she pulled back up, Ethan was looking at her intently, passionately. Before Kayla could gather herself, his lips were sweeping across hers and she was responding to him.

  Kayla told herself it was the wine or the moonlight, but none of it was true. The moment his lips were on hers, Kayla’s body took on a mind of its own and she forgot where she was. Her arms circled around his neck, bringing her closer to him. Her nipples puckered and strained against the fabric in her dress, eager to be closer to Ethan.

  Ethan pulled away first. “Not here,” he whispered.

  He quickly ushered her out of the restaurant and into a car that just so happened to be waiting for them. They reached for each other the moment the doors were closed. Ethan pulled Kayla into his lap. Both his hands grasped the sides of her face and then he kissed her so thoroughly and so deeply that Kayla nearly lost consciousness. His hands palmed her backside, pulling her flush against him.

  Kayla didn’t remember the car stopping or how they got into their villa. She just remembered the lights being low enough to illuminate the villa with a light haze and pulling Ethan by his tie onto the canopy bed in the bedroom. She could hide it no longer; she wanted this man, she had for years and it was time she found out exactly what it was like to be made love to by Ethan Graham. She whipped off his suit jacket and flung it across the room.

  “Slow down,” Ethan said, grasping Kayla’s hand in his. “We have all night. Hell, all week. I don’t want to rush our first time together.”

  “Ethan, you don’t have to try so hard to romance me,” Kayla said. “You won, okay? I’m here. I want you, so let’s do this.” She reached for his pants, but Ethan stopped her.

/>   “Kayla, it wasn’t all about winning for me,” Ethan responded. “I do care for you.”

  “Yes, I know. You want me. And I want you.” She rose from the bed to her feet. “There, I said it. What more do you want?”

  “I want you to believe me,” Ethan returned, “before we take this any further.”

  “Are you serious?” Kayla asked, but when she turned and looked Ethan in the eye, she could see he was very serious and it stopped her cold.

  “I have always cared for you, Kayla,” Ethan returned. “Even when perhaps I shouldn’t have, but I do. And you need to know that this is more than winning for me. Please tell me you believe that much about me.”

  “Why are you doing this, Ethan?” Kayla rushed toward the patio doors. “Isn’t it enough that you have me? Why are you messing with my head?”

  Ethan rushed after Kayla and caught her at the door. He hugged Kayla tight, but she resisted him, struggling in his arms, but he refused to let go. “I need you to believe me, Kayla.” He kissed her forehead first and then her cheek and then her lips. He kept kissing Kayla until she stopped resisting him. “Say you believe me.”

  Kayla felt the knot of her halter dress come undone and Ethan lower his head to kiss her neck. He teased the tender spot on her nape with tender flicks of his tongue.

  “I believe you,” Kayla heard herself murmur in between moans as Ethan lifted her off her feet and brought her back to the bedroom. He laid her gingerly on the bed and began undressing her.

  Kayla watched him remove his tie and slowly unbutton his shirt. Her breath caught in her throat when he removed his shirt and she could see his muscular arms, broad chest and hard stomach. And when he removed his pants to reveal muscular thighs and legs, Kayla thought she might die from desire. When he was down to his briefs, Ethan reached over the bed and slid the print dress down Kayla’s body and flung it across the room. It landed near his discarded suit jacket.

  Ethan smiled when he found Kayla wasn’t wearing anything underneath except lace panties. He knew he’d felt her nipples earlier when they’d been dancing. Thankfully, he hadn’t pinched them like he’d wanted to, otherwise they would have made a spectacle of themselves on the dance floor.

  “You are so beautiful,” Ethan whispered, joining Kayla on the bed and stroking her thigh. He slid her panties down her legs until she was completely naked.

  Now he could do what he’d wanted to do for months, and that was feast on her. He started with her lips. They were so plump and alluring that he just had to possess them. He kissed her slowly and with masterful care, sipping at her lower lip before moving to her upper lip until she parted them both for his exploration. Her arms snaked around his neck and she nestled into his embrace. He took this as an invitation to thrust his tongue deeper into her mouth, and she sucked on it fervently.

  Ethan groaned. Kayla was already starting to move underneath him. He knew he had to slow the pace and moved his lips from hers. He heard her slight protests, but only for a second because he was trailing hot, wet kisses down her neck to the valley between her breasts. When he came to one delicious round breast, his mouth latched onto one nipple and he licked and loved the sensitive tip with his tongue all the while kneading the other soft breast with his other hand. When he was done with one breast, he swapped and went to the other.

  “Yes, Ethan,” Kayla moaned. “Don’t stop.” Little bursts of pleasure detonated inside Kayla at each flick of his tongue. He was wicked with his tongue and knew how to exact a response from her. His hot hands burned her flesh as they lightly slid down her sides, skimming her waist, then her thighs. It felt so good and so right. Each touch was intoxicating, leaving her defenseless.

  And it wasn’t just his tongue; his hands made their way to the brown curls at the V of her thighs. He cupped her, petting her lightly, and her feminine lips opened like a flower to his searching fingers. His thumb was stroking that eager feminine pearl at the apex of her thighs. He worried the pearl with his thumb and she writhed in his arms, wanting to ease the ache between her legs.

  “That’s right, baby,” Ethan cooed. “Enjoy it.” He loved listening to the sounds of her passionate breathing. Kayla was becoming more and more wet as he slid his finger inside her. She shuddered at first, but her muscles soon embraced the delicious contact. As his fingers delved deeper, Kayla began to soar. He could feel her body begin to tremble, so he increased the rhythm of his fingers and bent his head to suckle harder on her breasts. That’s when Kayla began to shudder uncontrollably and she cried out.

  “Ethan—” She tried to catch her breath, but she couldn’t. She was barely over her first orgasm when he slid down the bed and grabbed her hips, pulling her toward his mouth until he was facing her sex. He hooked her legs over his shoulders and then began to lap her. Kayla felt the flicker of his tongue on her and nearly became unglued as she was already sensitive down there. “Let…let me catch my breath.”

  “Soon, baby, soon,” he said. Ethan was glad that Kayla had come, but he wanted more. His tongue slid inside the silk walls of her vagina and Kayla jerked. He savored her as if she were a cherry on top of a brownie sundae. He slid in and out of her sweet honey, clockwise and then counterclockwise with slow and controlled movements and then faster. He varied his sucks, licks and flicks until he was wet with her juices. She was sweet, heady and intoxicating, causing Ethan’s tongue to sink deeper.

  Kayla was experiencing a whirlwind of pressure building inside her until an explosion reached her core and she screamed. Her back arched, surrendering to the abyss of pleasure that overtook her, and her toes curled on his shoulder.

  She was completely satiated and fell back onto the bed. “Has anyone ever told you that you are gifted?”

  “Hmm, I’m glad you like,” Ethan said, releasing her legs and sliding back up to the pillows.

  “Oh, I more than liked it.” Kayla smiled.

  Once Kayla’s breathing returned to some semblance of normalcy, she knew that she had achieved a climax and was languid, but Ethan needs had not been satisfied. So she leaned over to rain kisses over his broad chest, licking his nipples until they turned into hard ridges. She could hear his groans as she moved down to his flat stomach and trim waist until finally coming to the stiff ridge of his penis in his briefs.

  She reached down and slid them down his legs. Never in her wildest girlish fantasies had she imagined Ethan would be so spectacular. His obvious arousal only inflamed Kayla further and she stroked him, slowly at first. He was sleek, taut and scorching hot, but it didn’t deter her. She felt empowered that she could give Ethan the same pleasure he’d given her. She licked the full length of him, giving him slow, gentle and fast squeezes along the way. He filled her hand completely and did the same when she put him in her mouth. She lightly licked the head at the base before pulling him deeper in her mouth.

  Ethan was in a sexual haze and could only lie there helpless as he succumbed to Kayla’s ministrations on his throbbing member. He sank his hand into her curly hair, urging her to continue. He watched her pull up to look at him for a moment and smile as she flicked her tongue back and forth, squeezing his girth. His breath began to come hot and quick.

  Kayla could feel Ethan teetering on the edge, so it didn’t surprise her when he turned the tables and had her on her backside. She watched him reach inside the nightstand drawer and procure a condom. He protected them both and lifted her knees, then pressed the tip of his arousal against her opening, nudging inside. Her body slowly obliged and when he was sure she could take all of him, he thrust fully inside. Every hard, hot, powerful inch of him, and Kayla nearly came apart. To finally have him inside of her, the man she’d wanted her entire life. It seemed unreal, but it was happening.

  “I have always wanted this,” she murmured.

  “So have I,” Ethan groaned. His mouth covered hers hungrily, thrusting deep with his tongue while her body drew him in, allowing Ethan to glide in and out with a steady rhythm. He worked deeper inside her with each thrust
until Kayla wasn’t sure where he ended and she began. He covered her body with kisses, increasing the tempo until Kayla cried out in bliss. Ethan’s hands curled around a knot of her hair and Kayla could her him chanting her name. Seconds later, he was growling against her ear and collapsed on top of her. He quickly rolled onto his side, relieving her of his weight.

  “Wow! That was pretty incredible,” Ethan said. He’d never expected the sex to be so intense with Kayla. He supposed it was because he finally cared about a woman he’d slept with. On some unconscious level he’d always known they would be great together. Perhaps that’s why he’d fought it for so long. But now Kayla was his forever.

  “It was,” Kayla said, looking up at the ceiling fan. She’d always wanted to know how it would feel to be with Ethan. It had been the most meaningful lovemaking she’d ever had.

  Kayla jerked awake. She blinked several times as the morning rays came through the wooden shutters of the villa. She turned and found Ethan sleeping soundly on his stomach. It was hard to believe all that they’d shared the night before.

  “I can keep doing this forever,” Ethan had told her last night, his eyes glassy with desire.

  “I don’t want to stop, either,” Kayla had assured him, and so they’d made love again and again. They’d made love until they couldn’t get enough of each other and each experience was better than the last. Ethan had been an eager lover, and looking at the clock on the nightstand, she saw she’d barely gotten four hours of sleep. As she slipped naked out of bed, Kayla felt more like she was in a dream than reality. She was really Mrs. Ethan Graham.

  Kayla grabbed Ethan’s dress shirt lying on the floor and slipped her arms inside before walking out to the patio. The sky was cloudless and the ocean was a vibrant blue. Kayla stared out at the water.