Creed dropped to his knees and ran his fingers over the lacy material of her panties. He thrust them aside and kissed one rounded cheek, then the other. Shada rocked her hips. He licked a finger and then thrust it between her crack to massage her anus. Her moan pleased him. A little bit of pressure got him past the barrier’s edge, and he felt her tremble.
“Lean forward,” he ordered, instilling gentleness in his tone.
She did as he asked. The fact that his bed was a high one allowed for her ass to be raised enough so he didn’t have to bend down too much. He positioned himself to the side of her and leaned on the bed. Easing his finger deeper, he watched as he invaded her body, loving every second of it. She squirmed, and he liked it. Shada incited his passions even more when she pretended to try to escape him. Yet she couldn’t help reacting to his touch. He loved that too, the way her pussy wept at the slightest manipulation of any one of her erogenous zones.
While he thrust his finger in and out of her ass, Creed spread her legs with a knee. He found the sight he’d been hoping for, come moistening her pussy lips and wetting the tops of her thighs. “Mmm, look what you have for me, baby.”
“Creed, don’t tease me.” Her lips parted, and she shut her eyes.
He paused to stare at her. Damn, she’s beautiful and sexy. I can’t get enough. I want all of her.
“You like when I tease you,” he said, and he twisted his hand so that his finger rotated in her ass. He pushed deep, and his palm met with her cheeks. A gentle squeeze and a wiggle had her scratching at the sheets. Creed leaned down to kiss her back while he worked her tight ass. Her anus pulsed around his digit, seeming to beg for more. He couldn’t go deeper until he filled her with his cock. A desperate ache said to do it now, but he liked to torment himself, to drive his lust to stir-crazy mode. “Think about me, Shada. About how it’s going to feel when I get my dick in you and fuck you hard. Is it going to hurt or feel good?”
“Both,” she pleaded.
He grinned. “Is that what you want?”
“You know what I want, damn you!”
Mine. He kissed her back again while he worked his hand. The tiny noises she made caused his cock to twitch in his pants. Wait a little longer. He nipped at the spot just above her shoulder blade, then sucked the skin into his mouth. By the time he let go, the area was reddened. He licked it and gave it a kiss. She murmured softly and sweetly. His tolerance ended.
Creed pulled his finger from her ass and straightened. Shada complained, but she waited where she was, leaned over the bed. He shuffled out of his clothing, tossing away each article to land where it may. When he had removed his socks and shoes as well, he scrounged up a condom from the bedside table and rolled it into place. Lubricant, which he also kept on hand, coated her rear entrance. He dropped to his knees, spread her legs wide, and nosed in to eat her pussy, but he didn’t stay long. His cock couldn’t stand being outside her body much longer. He gave a through swipe at her cream and coated his tongue, then swallowed as he stood up. Shada begged him for satisfaction. He positioned himself behind her and allowed the head of his cock to graze her anus.
“Right here?” he asked, knowing the answer.
“Yes!”
He gave the smallest of thrusts, and his shaft pierced her hole. She screamed his name and arched her ass higher. Creed let out a groan of his own. He had trouble not spilling his load with just that bit. She felt so good. Her body always gripped him like it would never let go, and he didn’t mind at all.
“Damn it, Shada, you feel good.”
“I want more,” she whimpered.
“Easy. I’m not rushing this.”
She reached for his wrist and gave it a tug. He resisted. Creed never let her control the rate at which they enjoyed sex, but he did all in his power to please her. Inch by inch, he sank into her, watching as his cock disappeared. Just seeing her body stretch around him, accommodating his thickness, set his teeth on edge and pulled at something buried in his core. He felt like any second he would explode and fill her with his come. That was impossible, of course, because he wore protection. That fact didn’t stop him from imagining it and taking his desire for Shada to unheard-of levels.
Creed flattened both hands on the bed as he leaned over her and thrust forward. His cock sank to the hilt, and he withdrew until just the head pierced her ass. She wiggled her hips until he almost lost her, but he grabbed hold and ground in again. His mind blanked. Pleasure engulfed him. He could hardly draw in a breath, but when he could, he claimed her. Over and over, he pounded deep, pulled back, and drove into her again. Shada cried out his name. She thrashed on the bed, pushed against him one minute and seemed to try to escape the next. Creed ran a hand beneath her and splayed his fingers over her belly. He brought his weight down on Shada and buried his dick as far as it would go. Leaning to the side, he watched as his crotch curved against her ass. They ground and plunged together, gasping and struggling. He loved the way their bodies moved in unison. Just seeing it turned him on, especially with the contrast in their sizes and even their skin tone.
Creed pumped into his lover and listened to the slap of their bodies coming together. The feel of her soft thighs against his prompted him to take her faster. He slid his hand down, from her belly to her pussy, and parted the lips to drive in two fingers. Hot wetness surrounded his digits. He squeezed her mound in his palm. She shuddered. He knew her body well enough to know she would come any second. Creed wrapped his other arm around her waist and let most of his weight come down on her. He rotated his hips to plow in and out of her ass. She screamed once and shook from head to toe. Just as he predicted, she came, her come dripping onto his hand.
When Shada was done, Creed took her with a few more pumps. Then he held his cock deep inside her. Seconds later, he emptied into the condom, imagining he’d lost his load in his sweet Shada. She made a small sound, and he pulled out, then rolled over. As he knew she would, she climbed onto his chest. He repositioned them both to lie the length of the bed. After he had discarded the used condom, he checked to be sure there were more.
Shada’s drive matched his own, and they were far from done.
Chapter Fourteen
Creed stood in the kitchen, trying again to create a dish Shada might like. She’d eaten his sandwich and even said it was good, but he found himself questioning whether she’d said so because she was being kind. The doubt stirred his anger, but he swallowed it. This wasn’t about him. She needed to eat, and he had to be sure she did. Simple as that.
When he carried the tray into the bedroom, it was just after eight in the morning. He had visited Marquette’s the night before and bribed Rene into sharing a breakfast recipe or two with him. Today, he had made Shada an omelet with fresh lump crabmeat, finely chopped green onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers. He had added salt and pepper to taste and cooked the whole in butter—“not margarine!”—as Rene instructed. Creed had decided to serve the omelet with a side of spicy breakfast potatoes and sour cream if Shada wanted it. He added a pot of coffee with cream and sugar.
With a smile on his face that refused to dim, he kicked the bedroom door wide and started inside. “I hope you’re hungry, baby. I made—”
He stopped. Shada stood beside the bed, holding his cell phone and frowning down at the screen. She looked up at him. “I was groggy from the meds you gave me last night. When the phone started vibrating, I just assumed it was mine. I’d looked at it before I realized…”
She trailed off, but he knew there was more.
When he didn’t speak, she held up the phone and turned the screen toward him. He couldn’t see the words from so far away, but of course, he could guess what she’d found.
“You’re still talking to her. I wasn’t listening when you introduced her to everybody, but now I see her name is Madeline. She’s the one you’ve chosen to have your baby, isn’t she?”
“Shada, I didn’t cheat.”
She glared. “I didn’t say you cheated, did I?”
He set the food tray down on the table in front of the settee. He’d liked this master bedroom from the moment he saw it, because of its size and the fact that he basically had a sitting room in his bedroom. He and Shada had never needed to leave this space except when he prepared food for them. Now he’d lost his appetite. “But you’re angry.”
She gave a dry laugh. “Who’s angry? I asked you to fuck me. You did.”
He grunted at the coarse words, knowing she’d chosen them on purpose. She wouldn’t have said it the way she did if she weren’t angry. “Shada.”
“Shada, what? Is she pregnant yet?”
“Stop,” he snapped. “We’re not having this argument.”
“Oh, because you control everything?”
“I’m not trying to.”
“Yeah, right.”
He approached her, his own anger rising. “I don’t know what you’re so pissed about. You turned me down, remember? Both for having my child and for being my lover.”
“I said no because you thought you were going to have your cake and eat it too. Not with me you weren’t.”
The last of his patience evaporated. He snaked out a hand and jerked her to him. The move turned out to be a mistake, because his body lit on fire. Even angry at her, he wanted her. Maybe more. “You know it’s not like that. If you looked at the texts, she was asking why she hadn’t heard back from me after I brought her down here.”
“You brought her…” Shada shook her head and thrust at his chest. “You were already seeing her in New York?”
“No. Well, not recently. We had a thing a couple years ago. I invited her down to New Orleans after you and I broke it off.”
“But you introduced her to Damen and Stefan.”
“I don’t discuss my sex life with my brothers even though Damen tries to goad me into it. They hadn’t met Madeline.” He hesitated about how much to share, not wanting Shada to back off again. Something told him no matter what he said, this was a losing argument. “She wanted a closer relationship two years ago. I didn’t. I think, rather I thought, she might be willing to change the dynamics this time around.”
“And have your baby without having you.”
He scratched the back of his head. Her blunt way of putting it made him sound like a self-serving ass. Maybe he was. “In a manner of speaking, yes.”
Shada managed to get out of his arms. She held out his phone, and he took it. Then she spun away. “I’m leaving.”
“Don’t go. I made breakfast.” He sounded like an idiot and cursed himself.
“It was a mistake coming here in the first place.” She pulled on the black dress she’d worn to the funeral a few days ago. “I shouldn’t have been leaning on you to get me through. I’m a strong woman. I can take care of myself.”
“You know I don’t mind.”
She faced him, barefoot, no underwear on beneath her dress. Yet, his focus wasn’t on getting her naked again. The night before, she had had another bout of tears, and he had held her until she stopped shaking. Then he had made love to her, love this time instead of raw, rough sex. They had both found pleasure in this method as well. What he most worried about was who would comfort her if she grew vulnerable again.
“Thank you for everything, Creed.”
“You don’t have to sound so damn formal.”
“You’re a good man in your way, a really good man.”
Creed dropped his shoulders in resignation. His anger drained away. “We’re not meant to be lovers or anything else.”
A flash of something lit her gaze, but then she smiled a little, the first in days. “True.”
He started to reach for her, and she went up to her toes, her hands rising as if they would wrap themselves around his neck. Then they both froze, and Creed took a step back. They couldn’t kiss good-bye or risk her not going at all. He shoved fingers into his hair.
Shada spun away, gathered her panties and bra, and hooked a finger in the straps on her heels.
“I’ll give you a ride home,” he said.
“Thanks.”
Creed drove her, both of them silent the entire way. At the street outside her apartment, he glanced over at her, but Shada was already reaching for the door to get out. He ground his teeth and turned back to face the street. The passenger-side door opened and closed. He slammed a fist into the steering wheel, and the horn blared. Creed threw the car into gear, and from the corner of his eye, he saw her turn around at the noise, but he kept going. Protests from other drivers lit the air at his sudden invasion into the traffic. Creed swerved to keep from being mowed down and headed toward Marquette’s.
When he arrived at the restaurant, which was closed for the day, he used his key to let himself in. The wine cellar drew his steps, although even as he headed there, he wondered if he shouldn’t go for something stronger. One to shut out the noise and the images.
Creed found a bottle of vodka and frowned at it. This would do the trick, he guessed, and he confiscated it to take to his office. Voices reached him as he walked down the hall, but he ignored them. When he opened the door to his office, he found Damen and Stefan there, and he swore. Stefan smiled and greeted him. Creed offered a grunt in response.
“Don’t you two have homes?” he growled.
Damen’s brows rose. He sat on the side of the desk, hands shoved into his pockets. Stefan stretched his long legs before the chair Creed usually occupied. They had discussed remodeling a couple of the other storage rooms into offices for his brothers but hadn’t gotten around to it. Neither Damen nor Stefan liked to hang out in one long, which had always required him to chase them down in New York.
His middle brother’s gaze lowered to the bottle in his hand, and Creed considered hiding it behind his back like a child. Instead, he frowned and stood taller. Damen’s displeasure became obvious as he stood and approached Creed. By the time his brother reached him, all Creed could do was release the bottle as Damen took it.
“So you let her go,” Damen said.
Creed tensed.
“I would have done anything,” Damen said.
Creed opened his mouth to tell Damen this wasn’t about him and how he handled his failed marriage, but Damen kept walking out the door with the vodka.
Stefan swung his feet to the floor, walked around the desk, and patted Creed’s shoulder on his way out.
Creed moved to the window and stared out at the empty alley. He didn’t stir for a long time, didn’t think, and definitely didn’t feel.
* * * *
Creed set a hand at Madeline’s lower back and pulled out her chair. She sank into it with graceful ease and crossed her long legs at the ankles. He noted the way her already short form-fitting dress rose higher and showed off sexy slender legs. Smooth and milky white, she didn’t seem to have tanned yet beneath the Southern sun.
“Is there anything in particular you want to eat?” he asked as he perused the menu.
Madeline smiled and lowered her lashes. “You always did like to order for me.”
He clenched his jaw. “You only have to say no for me to back off, Madeline.”
“So sensitive.” She tittered, a sound he had once found appealing.
Pull it together, Creed. This what you want.
They ordered, Creed choosing a random dish because food was the farthest from his mind tonight. He just wanted the preliminaries out of the way so he could get down to business. When the waiter had brought their order and Madeline had consumed about a third of her meal—her usual—he figured he didn’t have to delay any longer. “I assume you accepted my invitation to come to New Orleans because you’re not seeing anyone, or at least anyone serious?”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “Nope, not presently. Good timing.”
He nodded and considered whether he should spend a few minutes trying to soften her up with compliments. Then again, why do that when he didn’t feel it? He had never been misleading to a woman about his intentions and didn’t want to start now.
Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened. “You…?” She fanned her face, and the slight pink transformed into full-on red. “You’re asking me to marry you?”
“No!”
“But you said you want me to have your baby.” Some of the enthusiasm left her demeanor, but her eyes still twinkled.
Creed ignored the less than happy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He hadn’t touched his food other than to shift the contents around the plate a few times. “I want a child, and I need a mother. It’s as simple as that.”
Madeline laughed, her tone full of disbelief. “You sound like one of these women who feel their eggs drying up and are desperate for kids.”
She might not know it, but her words echoed Damen’s. He resented the simile. “I’m not desperate. There is nothing wrong with wanting a child to carry on the Marquette name.”
She smirked, for some reason reminding him of Shada. A longing started within him that could be termed “desperate,” but he suppressed it. Madeline leaned forward and laid a willowy white hand over his. He wondered disjointedly if his enjoyment of her pale skin had gone because he’d experienced Shada’s deep mocha. Perhaps he had developed a flavor for black women. The shallowness of that idea annoyed him.
“I’ll do it,” Madeline quipped.
He stiffened. “I haven’t laid out the terms yet.”
She winced. “Do you have to sound so businesslike, Creed? Honestly.”
“This is business. I’m not asking you to have a relationship with me, Madeline. I need to make that clear from the start.”
He caught the disappointment in her gaze and the tinge of hurt. “You didn’t want a relationship two years ago, but you want a baby now.”
Creed (The Marquette Family Book One) Page 14