His tongue fondled the peak of her nipple for a spine-shivering moment, then he slowly raised his head. Their eyes locked. The corners of his mouth curved slightly in the hint of a smile. Dominique released his hair. Her hands trailed down to unbutton his shirt. Peeling the shirt from his shoulders, she placed her hands on his muscular chest, her fingers fondling the curly dark hair that spread over the ripples.
He gently pushed himself to her, easing her back down on the bed. While he held her gaze, his hand eased between them to the button of her shorts; her hand at the same time unsnapped the waistline of his jeans. Rolling off of her, he tugged at her shorts, sending them and her panties flying to the floor at the bedside. With growing passion, she removed his shoes to get rid of the binding, burdensome jeans and underwear that stood in her way. He caught the jeans just as she was about to toss them, and pulled his wallet from the back pocket. He pulled a square blue packet of protection from the wallet.
Dominique lay down beside him, her bare breasts pressing against his side. She ran a finger caressingly along his jaw line. "That really isn’t necessary," she whispered. "I’m on the pill."
Reaching a hand behind her head, he pulled the scrunchie from her hair. The soft strawberry-scented, dark strands fell freely to her shoulders. "Just a precaution. It never hurts to be double protected."
The wonderment of how he would react if she were to become pregnant rose to darken her thoughts, but all was swept away by the sensation of his fingers trailing up her leg seeking entrance to her most intimate spot. She opened her legs, lifting her lower body off the mattress as his hand slipped between her thighs and caressed there. She sucked in a gasp of air as he fondled the spot that drove her wild. She had to remind herself to breath, and when she did, it came in erratic spurts. Her muscles tensed, she squirmed in pleasure, then suddenly her insides exploded.
"Wow!" she whispered breathlessly.
Joshua climbed back on top of her, his erection full and hard, teasing between her thighs. When their gazes met, a smile of victory for bringing her to a point some women never experience in a lifetime rose to brighten his face.
Dominique brought her hand behind his neck, pulling his face to hers. Her eyes open and fixed on his, her lips touched his in a caress so light he moaned--an obvious warning that whatever control he still maintained was slipping to nonexistence. Keeping one hand on the back of his neck, she lowered the other, clenching his erection in her fist, and stroked, gently at first, then picking up speed with the movement of his hips.
"I can’t take much more of this," he moaned. His fingers searched the sheet at their side for the blue packet. Sitting up, he ripped the packet open then slid its contents over his erection. Dominique’s hands skimmed his chest as he lowered himself over her again.
When he entered her, the thrust of his body into hers sent her spinning into a rapturous rush. Panting like a couple of over-heated dogs, their hands roamed freely, their kisses became sloppy, as each thrust brought them both closer to their climax. Bending to take a nipple in his mouth, Joshua sucked and tantalized as he sank his sex deeper into her.
Her fingernails dug into his back as her muscles tensed once again. With one final thrust, he emptied himself into her, at the same time bringing her to the strongest, most violent climax she had ever experienced. Shaking with exhaustion, he fell on top of her. The rapid beat of his heart fell into sync with hers.
Dominique smirked once her breathing slowed enough she could speak. "I have to tell you. Dinner was nice, but dessert was far more tasty."
Joshua, still sprawled on top of her, lifted his head and smiled from ear to ear. "Actually, there is a French Silk pie in the fridge that was intended for dessert."
"That’s okay, I like this much better," Dominique purred.
"Oh, really." His eyes twinkled in amusement. "Can I offer you another slice?" he asked, rising to plant tender kisses on her face and neck.
She giggled. "I would love another slice."
~ * ~
Dominique’s eyes fluttered open, then shut quickly, in agony from the blinding sunlight that poured through the bedroom window. For a moment, she lay with her eyes closed, mentally preparing herself for the day ahead. Somehow, she had to get estimates from body and mechanic shops on the cost of repairing her car. After which she would spend some quality time with Kalvin. She was not sending him to school today. It wasn’t often she allowed him to miss, but, with no way to get him there, keeping him home seemed like the best alternative.
It wasn’t until she felt the squirm of a figure beside her, heard the soft masculine moan and felt the arm slide over her tummy that the events of the night before raced back to her mind. Her eyes flew open.
What have I done!
Slowly, she turned to Joshua, who slept soundly beside her. His breathtaking features, so peaceful, the feeling of security that rushed over her just knowing she had not awoken alone as she normally did in the cold, empty bed--it was enough to make her want to wake him with the promise of more pleasures such as that which they had shared the night before. Then her senses stepped in and she knew she couldn’t do that. They had made love, not once, but several times, and it could never happen again. Her heart couldn’t take it. She had to get him out of her bed, out of her apartment, before…
"Joshua," she said softly, shaking him gently at first, then harder and harder. "Joshua, wake up."
Slowly, his eyes opened. He gazed at her with a sweet, caring statement. A delighted grin unfolded across his lips. "Good morning beautiful," he said. Turning on his side, he propped himself on one elbow and eased his face closer to hers.
The feel of his breath on her face brought back all the needy sexual emotions in one violent slap. When their lips touched, she returned the kiss completely and passionately.
No! Her insides screamed in protest. You can’t do this again. You have to get him out of the apartment. Now!
Shoving her hands between them, Dominique placed her palms on Joshua’s chest and pushed him away.
Joshua fell back against the mattress. He shot her a penetrating glare. "What did I do?"
Dominique bolted from the bed. She bent to gather his clothes then tossed them to him. "Get dressed. You’ve got to get out of here. Kalvin will be waking up any minute."
"And that’s a problem?" Joshua asked, sliding to the edge of the bed to slip into his pants.
Seeing him again, naked and bulging with muscles, she knew it would take all the control she could muster to throw him out instead of making hot, passionate love to him again.
"Yes, it’s a problem!" she cried, struggling to keep her voice low as not to wake Kalvin too soon. Throwing on a knee-length, red satin robe, she tied the strap with a rapid tug and said, "He can’t see you here."
"Why?" Bewilderment clouded Joshua’s still sleepy statement.
"Because it would confuse him!"
The now fully-dressed Joshua turned to flash her an amused stare. "The boy is smart, baby. He’ll figure it out."
"My point exactly," she said dryly. She attempted to run her fingers through her hair, but it was too knotted from the desperation of the night before. Fuming in aggravation, she stomped to the door. "He doesn’t need to figure out anything. Last night shouldn’t…"
"Shouldn’t what?" Joshua prodded with a tilt of his head when she cut her words short.
"It should not have happened." Spinning on her heels, she threw open the door and stormed down the hall. Her throat began to ache with unshed tears. She didn’t want to appear so angry with him. After all, it took two to tango and she had no doubt participated more than willingly. And she had loved every minute of it! Worse, she now knew she loved him. With all her heart and soul, she loved him. But they could never be. The two of them together could never be. He had too much pain inside that she could never heal, and she had a profession he could never accept.
"Dominique," Joshua called, chasing down the hall after her. When he reached her, he grabbed her by the arm an
d whipped her around to face him. "What do you mean last night shouldn’t have happened? I thought we were great together. I thought we shared something."
Dominique averted her gaze before she could be sucked in by those heart-wrenching green eyes. "Can’t we just forget about last night?" Much to her surprise, her tone was level and calm, but inside she was shattering. "Can’t we just pretend it never happened?"
Joshua raised a hand to her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb. "How could you ever forget about last night?" he whispered in wonderment, his eyes searching deep within hers. "Or pretend we never made love? Last night was the most awesome night of my life."
"Mine, too," she admitted, her eyes filling with tears.
She looked away, blinking hard, trying to stop them. If he saw her cry, that would be the end of it. He would know she had no regrets and insist they talk things out instead of giving in to what they both knew was inevitable.
"Then why--"
"Stop it, okay?" she shrieked, throwing her hands in the air.
She whirled away from him. He wasn’t going to let it go willingly. He was being blinded by one night of passionate sex. Still, she knew once he took the time to assess what had really happened, he would see what she already knew--that it had all been one hell of a mistake.
Somehow, she had to make him see it right now. She had to give him enough of a mental shove to bring him tumbling back to reality. Taking a deep breath, she swallowed her tears and hardened her statement. Turning back to him, she said, "Last night was wonderful. You’re incredible in bed," she said, feeling the need to boost his ego a little. Truth was, she didn’t know a night with a man could be so good. "Still, the fact remains. It was sex, Joshua. Don’t try to make it out to be more than it was."
The crestfallen look that consumed his face was almost enough to cause her to burst into tears.
"I can’t believe…" Joshua shook his head. "How can you say that after what we experienced together last night? After what we felt together?"
She bit her lower lip. Believe me, I have no idea.
But she couldn’t say that to him. She had to discourage him. She had to make him see how wrong they had been to have let themselves get so out of hand. Something told her a sensible talk wasn’t going to cure his blindness. So she would do the only other thing she could think of. She would pretend their love-making had meant nothing to her. After all, that was what he expected from female bartenders like her anyway, right?
Dominique forced a smile, lifting one shoulder. "Last night you said you wanted to get my mind off my troubles for awhile. Well, you succeeded."
Joshua’s jaw tightened. She had angered him, and the evidence of it was gushing from his every pore. "That was the idea behind the dinner, yes," he said. She could see he was forcing himself to remain calm. "Making love to you was another thing entirely. It wasn’t planned. Until I touched you, I had no idea it was going to happen. But the instant I kissed you, I knew what I wanted, and I know you wanted the same. Making love to each other last night was right, Dominique. I knew it then, and I still feel it now. There isn’t a bone in my body that regrets it, and there is no way in hell I could ever forget about it!"
His words stung, driving a knife deeper in Dominique’s heart. But she couldn’t give in. No matter how right he insisted it had been, it was wrong. Soon he would see that for himself and everything could go back to normal. She hoped…
Struggling harder to maintain her forced anger, Dominique walked to the door. Joshua followed close at her heels.
"I simply want to put last night behind me," she said, opening the door. "I suggest you do the same." Joshua opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut when she added, "Kalvin likes you, Joshua. I don’t want to have to find another babysitter for him, but I will if I’m forced to."
Joshua’s jaw dropped in shock. Pushing past her, he stepped through the doorway. His statement devastated and heartbroken, his next words confirmed she had accomplished what she had set out to do. "I thought you were different."
"Well, you were wrong." Dominique slammed the door just as the tears burst from her eyes.
Thirteen
What did I do wrong? Joshua wondered aimlessly again. Dominique had practically tossed him out of her apartment that morning. Now it was early afternoon. He found it impossible to concentrate on any of his classes. Thankfully, there was only one more to go. The temptation to blow off his schedule for the day had been difficult to ignore. Unneeded absences had been the only thing that had stopped him.
"I would have been better off staying at home anyway," he muttered, groaning in misery as he walked down the sidewalk to the Building of Science and Arts across the campus. A cool breeze whipped through the air, sending a chill down his spine. The sky was cloudy and dark, the atmosphere gloomy, much like his mood. It had been a long time since he had experienced such sorrow, but he was certain he felt far worse than he ever had before.
She had wanted it. She had wanted him just as much as he had wanted her. There was no doubt about it. He hadn’t read her signals wrong. She hadn’t objected or moved a muscle to stop him. Hell, she had even told him to touch her! So what caused her to wake up so full of regret and denial?
Their last words, spoken in anger, echoed in his mind. "I thought you were different," he had said, his tone a mixture of sadness and rage. And she had known exactly what he meant. She had all but bitten his head off for even implying she was like other female bartenders. But her last statement was what had stung him to the bone: "Well, you were wrong."
Could I really have been so wrong?
Her change of attitude was mind boggling. It didn’t seem feasible. He had gotten to know her--what was important to her, what was not, what she wanted in life. Heck, he had even watched her work! The way she handled all the advances, polite but forceful. The way she had taken control of the heated situation with the unruly customers. The scene had scared him out of his gourd! All he could think about was losing her the way he had Margot. But apparently, Dominique had enough sense to know the limits of what she could take care of, and when to let the police take over. Still, the stunt she had pulled that morning had given a new definition to the favorite phrase of a female bartender: one night stand.
He shoved his fingers through his hair. No, I wasn’t wrong about her, he argued with himself. She’s not like the others. She can’t be!
He knew the mind was notorious for playing tricks. It was a proven fact. But the heart, the heart was incapable of such deception. His feelings for her--what was really in his heart--could only be described as…love.
There. He’d admitted it. And yet the thought struck him like a hellacious blow upside the head. It was total, undying, soul-piercing love. He had put up his best defenses, fought tooth and nail not to give in, but in the end he had lost the battle miserably. She had taken control of his heart and, no matter what his mind attempted to tell him, there was no doubt his heart was in the right place.
Still, the question remained. If he were right and she was truly different, why did she suddenly want him to believe otherwise? Hell, she had even threatened to fire him if he didn’t forget about what had happened between them! How could he forget? Last night, she had sent him sailing to heights he had never known existed. The feel of her skin, the taste of her body, the sound of her soft sexy moans…
"Joshua." A female voice ripped through his reverie. He turned toward the sound of footsteps on the concrete and saw Heather running toward him.
Not now, he wanted to scream. They hadn’t spoken since she had stormed out of his house the previous weekend. Why did she have to pick today of all days to break the silence?
"We have a few minutes before class. I thought we could chat," Heather said when she reached him.
"I was under the impression you had said all you needed to the last time we were together." Joshua cocked his head to one side.
Heather toyed with the strap of the leather handbag draped over one shoulder. "I s
aw your truck at the bar last night." Her tone was sarcastic, her statement implying he was busted.
"I let Dominique take it to work," Joshua replied through gritted teeth. "She was in an accident yesterday morning and her car isn’t drivable."
Not that I should have to explain myself to you anymore, his silent voice added.
"Yeah, well, I knew I was right." Heather rolled her eyes. She obviously didn’t believe him.
Not that Joshua cared. He hated what had happened between him and Heather, but in all honesty, their relationship would have never made it anyway. That much he finally realized almost the instant she had stomped out the door. He saw no point carrying on the conversation. It was easier to let her believe what she wanted.
Heather flipped her long hair over her shoulder and said, "Anyway, I thought our relationship deserved a better closure. That and I needed to return this."
Taking the key she held out for him, Joshua said thank you and walked away. Further conversation with her wasn’t going to change anything--especially since he now knew she had been right in her assumption. Besides, they would most likely end up arguing as always, and that was the last thing he needed right now. What he needed was Dominique.
~ * ~
The uninvited option of hiring another babysitter to replace Joshua lingered in the air like an evil spirit. Dominique didn’t want to think about it. It was the last thing she wanted to do. She could only pray that it would not come down to that. Kalvin liked Joshua so much, and the time the two spent together had been so good for him. He would never forgive her if she fired Joshua. Never. She would simply have to find some way to keep last night’s incident out of the picture.
The Devine Babysitter Page 14