by Marilyn Lee
Mature Men 2: Living for the Moment
©2014 Marilyn Lee
All rights reserved
Marilyn Lee Unleashed
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. All service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.
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Chapter One
Sherlyn Drake
Just when you think life isn't fair and only a few randomly chosen people get to enjoy a happy ever after, something good happens to change your mind. After months spent watching my best friend Amber Hunt-Darkwater break her heart over the handsome John Reddorn, who wanted unprotected sex without a commitment, I ached for her. And because I knew how she felt, I reluctantly accompanied her oldest brother Thomas Darkwater to her apartment. He had come up with the not so bright idea of the three of us having dinner together in an effort to cheer her up when it looked like Am's relationship with John was hopeless.
Anyone looking at Darkwater would wonder how any single, emotionally unattached woman could possibly be reluctant to spend a few hours in his company. Like John, he was a tall, attractive, and charming Native American male. While John had made his fortune on Wall Street, Darkwater's wealth came from the sale of the internet startup business he'd cofounded with his brothers. At forty years old, he had it all: looks, money, and a never-ending bevy of skinny ass blondes eager to be his ho of the month.
So why should a thick, average looking woman like me not want to spend time with him? Well, we had history. It was long and miserable and accounted for how harsh and jealous my assessment of his women must sound. It had taken years of struggle but I'd finally managed to put my feelings for Darkwater firmly in the past and I wanted to keep them there—buried and hidden too deep to ever be resurrected.
Had I known he had other ideas, I would have found another way to support Am. However, I didn't know and in agreeing, I set myself up to be hurt again.
I've heard it said confession is good for the soul. Here's mine. When I say we had a history, I actually mean I had one. I'd fallen hard for him the moment I first saw him over fifteen years earlier. He'd never given much indication that he even knew I existed. That is until recently when he'd started to invite me to join him and Amber for various dinners.
After years of hoping and praying that the too sexy Darkwater would notice me, three years earlier, I'd slipped on a patch of ice on my way to work in Center City Philadelphia. Stumbling forward, I literally fell into the arms of the big, attractive man who dropped his briefcase and hurried forward to keep me from landing face first on the slippery sidewalk.
His attempt to keep us both on our feet was successful. However, as I clutched at his shoulder with my left hand, while my feet continued to slide on the ice, my right hand slipped and brushed between his legs. My relief at having my fall broken was mitigated when he cleared his throat.
I looked up into the dark, warm brown gaze of a man who reminded me of one of my favorite actors, Sidney Poitier.
He cleared his throat again.
That's when I realized I cupped the cock lying along his thigh.
I jerked my hand away so violently, I nearly lost my balance and he spent the next few seconds keeping us both from falling.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered when he finally released me.
"I'm not." His dark gaze made a swift inspection of me. "You can touch me intimately anytime you like."
I stared at him, my heart beating a sweet rhythm of attraction.
He smiled and extended his big hand. "Don Jordon."
"Sherlyn Drake," I said and placed my hand in his. When his fingers closed around mine, I felt a tingle from my head down to my toes. I looked into his eyes and fell hard.
He told me later that he had too. We had our first date three days later when he returned from a business trip. At the end of the evening when he swept me into his arms, I clung to him and we kissed until I couldn't breathe and I felt his cock pressed against my body. Three weeks later, after six dates, we spent our first night together. When I felt his big, hard shaft sliding into me for the first time, I knew I wanted to be his woman. And his alone.
He was a wonderful, passionate lover who knew how to make my body cry out for release and then gave me a climax that shook me to my core. During that first night of bliss when I felt no desire or need to close my eyes and pretend I was with Darkwater, he branded me as his and I knew I was in love.
Meeting and falling for Don changed my life in a wonderful way. The tender nights I spent in his arms were liberating in many ways. I happily shed my sexual shyness and fully embraced the sensuality I'd sometimes felt was better suited for the pretty, thin women of the world. He rocked my emotional world and lit up my nights with a passion that made me ache to be his in every sense of the word.
With Don, I discovered the joy of belonging to a man who couldn't keep his hands off me. We explored every aspect of my newly released sexual inhibitions. We'd meet during the day and have a quickie any place we could find a dark, secluded corner—even if people were in the vicinity. Once, while stuck on the interstate for hours after a multiple car accident during a snowstorm, we had sex twice in his SUV.
After the second time, we'd barely scrambled back into our clothes before a state trooper walked up to the vehicle to see if we were all right. Although I'd found the experience exhilarating, that had been our first and only time making love in his SUV.
Still, I gave myself fully to him. Nearly anything he wanted to try, I willingly participated in. I denied him nothing except my anal virginity, which I planned to surrender on our wedding night.
Happy and secure in the knowledge that I was loved and adored just as I was, any feelings I'd had for Darkwater dissipated under the magical charm of falling in love with my very own sexy ebony knight.
Don swept me off my feet and into a fairytale world where I was the princess and he was my Prince Charming. For the first time in my adult life, Darkwater no longer commanded my emotional attention or my heart. I was free to love and I loved Don dearly.
Within four months of falling into his arms, Don and I spent a glorious week in Bermuda. On our last night, he proposed during a candlelit dinner. I accepted through a flood of happy tears. Later in our room, we spent part of the night making tender love and the other part fucking wildly.
When we returned home, Amber gave a party to introduce Don to our friends. It was a wonderful night, until the awkward moment when I came face to face with Darkwater.
Wearing a dark shirt and pants under a cream-colored jacket, he looked breathtakingly attractive.
"Darkwater," I moistened my lips.
He looked at my engagement ring and inhaled slowly. "So it's true. You're getting married."
"Yes," I nodded, wondering why he didn't have his usual blonde in tow. I was also surprised that he felt the need to ask the question when he could clearly see the ring on my finger.
"Am said you were, but I—"
"But you what?"
He shook his head. "Congratulations, Sherlyn."
Despite the clear lack of warmth i
n his voice and his dark gaze, the sight of him shook me. When he took my hand in his and leaned down to kiss my cheek, my nostrils filled with his cologne. I'd always loved whatever he wore. I was shocked and dismayed to feel the old longing struggling to break free. For one wild moment, I wanted to turn my head, press my lips against his mouth, and kiss him until I couldn't breathe.
Almost as if he knew what I wanted, he lifted his head slightly and locked his gaze on my lips. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Confused by the question, I swallowed hard, uncertain what I saw in his gaze or what he might see in mine. Then I felt Don's presence at my side and I shook the remnants of desire for Darkwater free. He was my past. Don was my future. Moving back to lean against Don's big body, I removed my hand from his and turned to look at Don who smiled down at me before turning to face Darkwater again.
"Darkwater, this is my fiancé, Don Jordon," I said. "Don, this is Am's oldest brother, Thomas Darkwater."
They shook hands.
"You're a lucky man, Don," I was surprised to hear Darkwater say. He actually sounded as if he meant it.
Don nodded. "Yes, I know." He slipped his arm around my waist and hugged me close. "It was a lucky day for me when she slipped on that patch of ice and right into my waiting arms." He paused before going on in a decisive tone of voice. "Just so you know, she's mine now."
Darkwater's jaw clenched. "So I see," he said in a cool voice.
"And I'm keeping her."
"I'm sure you are."
I frowned, confused by the sudden tension I sensed between the two men.
Darkwater glanced at me. "I hope you'll be happy, Sherlyn." He nodded at Don and walked away.
I stared after him, unable to look away until Don turned me to face him. "Was there something between you two?"
I blinked. "Romantic? No. I'm surprised at his presence considering he's always behaved as if he didn't know I existed."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. He's into skinny blondes."
"He seemed a little jealous."
"Jealous? Oh, no."
"No? Well, when he said I was a lucky man, I think he really meant it."
"Why shouldn't he? He's known me since I was sixteen. He probably thinks of me as another sister."
Don shook his head. "I didn't get brother vibes from him, Sher."
"What do you mean?"
"I got the feeling he didn't like me because…"
I shared his belief that Darkwater had taken an instant dislike to him but I wasn't sure why. "Because what?"
"I don't think he feels like your brother."
"I'm sure he does," I said.
"Well, maybe I'm just jealous and afraid of losing you."
"That is not going to happen, Don," I assured him. "I've never been as happy as I am with you. Never."
He smiled and caressed my cheek. "I'm glad to hear that, but I need to know. Were you into him?"
I sighed and nodded. "It shows, huh?"
"Yes. It does. The vibes between the two of you were pretty strong."
"He was my first love," I admitted.
"And?"
"And what?"
"And were you his, Sher?"
"Definitely not. Any vibes you felt were the remnants of the ones that were always only on my side."
"Are you sure about that?"
Recalling all the hurt of knowing I was in love with a man who would never love me, I nodded. "Yes. I am. Tonight was the first time he's even held my hand or kissed my cheek. He's never touched me before. There has never been anything between us on his side."
"So I don't need to be concerned about any lingering tenderness between you two?"
"No because there is none. Granted, I was crazy in love with him. Still, you don't need to be concerned because you came along and cured me of the craziness of imagining I wanted him. Well, I did want him, but I want and need you. And any lingering feelings I had for him vanished the first time you made love to me."
"So it's over for you? And you're mine body and soul?"
"Oh, yes, Don. I admit seeing him threw me a little, but I am definitely yours…heart, mind, body, and soul."
"Good because I love you, Sherlyn Drake."
"And I love you, Don Jordan." I smiled up at him, linking my arms around his neck. "I'm looking forward to being your wife and the mother of your babies."
"Can't wait to get started," he said and bent his head to kiss me.
I lost myself in the joy of his kisses. When we came up for air, I saw Darkwater glancing in our direction before he abruptly turned and walked out of the room. Watching his departure, I felt…nothing in particular. Wonderful. I turned to Don and slipped my arm through his. "Oh, I love you," I said happily.
For that night and weeks later, I basked in the glow of Don's love and never gave Darkwater another thought. A happy future of having Don's babies, growing old with him, and of course living happily ever after stretched before me.
Finally, after years of unhappiness loving Darkwater, I had it all: an attractive, successful man who loved me, nights filled with passion, and a wedding to look forward to. But that rosy future wasn't to be mine. Two months before our wedding Don suffered a massive heart attack. He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, leaving me heartbroken and almost inconsolable. In the miserable weeks and months that followed, my friends help keep me sane and refused to allow me to sink into despair. Darkwater spent a small fortune on flowers sending me an elaborate and lovely arrangement of multi-colored roses each week for well over a year until I'd asked Am to ask him to stop. That's how he and I communicated—through Am.
Then he'd paid for Amber and me to vacation for four weeks overseas twice a year until I'd asked her to ask him to stop that as well.
After the sharp, painful grief of losing Don subsided to a dull, manageable ache, I felt almost desperately hopeless, lonely and depressed. Still, I was determined not to fall for Darkwater again. To ensure that didn't happen, I avoided being in his company whenever I could. Since he did the same thing, we hadn't seen each other in well over two years.
Imagine my unease and chagrin when the evening that we were supposed to spend with Amber turned into an awkward twosome. Just after Darkwater and I walked into her lobby to find her waiting, John arrived.
Then, as I looked on in surprise, in front of everyone in the lobby, John admitted he was in love with Amber. And just like that, an evening I was already dreading seemed destined to turn into a nightmare.
Don't get me wrong, I was delighted that Amber had finally reeled John's big ass in. In fact, I left her lobby at Darkwater's side, feeling great. Then I glanced at him and found him looking at me with a wary look in his dark eyes that could only mean one thing. He was searching for a graceful way to avoid spending the evening alone with me.
After a moment, I was pleased to realize the idea didn't hurt or even sting as much as it once would have. Yes, I still found him as sexy as I ever had, but I was over his big, attractive ass at last. While my lust was still actively engaged, my heart was not. "Can we make a stop on the way back to my place?" I asked.
He nodded and we walked back to his car in silence. He opened the door and waited until I'd slipped inside before walking around to the driver's side.
I watched him. He just oozed sexiness from every pore. Once seated in the car beside me he started the engine but didn't immediately drive away.
His hands on the steering wheel drew my gaze. I've always had a thing for a man's hands. His were big with long fingers. Oh, the days and nights I'd spent fantasizing about having his hands caressing my bare flesh…my breasts…my belly…my pus—
"Hello. Anybody home?"
I suddenly realized he was speaking. Dragging my gaze from his hands, I looked at him. "I'm sorry. My mind wondered."
He nodded. "So I noticed."
"What were you saying?"
"Where do you want to stop?"
"There's a restaurant five blocks f
rom my place."
He frowned. "Why do you want to go there?"
"For dinner," I said. Duh.
"We have reservations."
I blinked. "What?"
"We have reservations for dinner already," he said. "If you want something to take back for tomorrow, you can order it before we leave."
"Oh. You mean you still want to go out to dinner?"
He arched a brow. "Yes. Why wouldn't I?"
"Well…I thought…"
"Yes? What did you think?"
It was my turn to give him a wary look. "Well, you know."
He nodded slowly. "Actually, I think I do. You thought that I was looking for a way to get out of taking you to dinner?"
Nonplussed at how easily he'd read me, I nodded. "Yes. Aren't you?"
"No." He drove off without another word.
Chapter Two
Sherlyn
Certain Darkwater dreaded the coming hours as much as I did, I tried again to give him an out. "I'd understand if you were," I said.
"Thanks, but since I'm not looking for a way out of spending the evening with you, I won't require your understanding," he said coolly.
I frowned. If he hadn't been looking for a graceful way out of dinner alone with me, why did he sound so annoyed? I wasn't sure but damn if I were going to walk on eggshells with him all night. "Then what exactly is your problem, Darkwater?"
"I'm not aware that I have one, Drake," he replied in a cool voice.
"Trust me. You do have a problem and I have no desire to spend the evening on the receiving end of your attitude."
"What the hell are you talking about? I don't have an attitude."
"Please take me home."
"Take you home?" He pulled the car over, put it in park, and turned to look at me. "What's your problem?"
"I don't have one," I said, annoyed that he was trying to turn the tables on me.
He studied me for several, long silent moments that felt like endless minutes.
My thoughts were chaotic. What did he think of me? Why had he spent years dating countless women who never remained in his life for more than a few weeks? Why the hell hadn't he ever given me a chance to win his attention?