Midnight Muse

by R. W. Shannon

“Man, if you’re not inside of me in ten seconds, there’s going to be trouble.”

  He licked her nipple. “But I like being in trouble.”

  “Evander, I’m warning you.”

  Chuckling, Evander climbed on top of her. Grace practically squirmed beneath him. After what felt like an eternity, his cock pushed into her. She exhaled. Evander kissed her hard. Grace moaned against his lips. She wrapped her hands around his neck. Damn, she was wet. He thrust deep inside her. The slick sound of her wet pussy was music to her ears.

  Grace ran her hands over his muscular, olive-toned biceps. Running her hand through his dark hair, she stared into his blue eyes and got lost in them. She didn’t want to leave him, either. Instead, she wanted to build a room in his arms and live there permanently.

  “Is this what you wanted, mia bella?” he whispered against her lips.

  Unable to speak, Grace simply nodded. She held on as he pumped hard against her opening. The vibration of his flesh hitting hers caused her to tremble. Her legs drifted open while her pussy quaked.

  “Do you like my cock in you?”

  She nodded. Her breath was in her throat. When he claimed her lips in a kiss, her heart felt like it was going to leap from her body into his. Evander pulled back to stare down at her and cupped her cheek. His cock expanded the width and depth of her pussy. The tip of his cock stroked her g-spot, and she was about to explode.

  “Oh. God. Evander.”

  Grace tensed, and then released her orgasm. She writhed in his arms. Evander’s pace quickened. Gripping his hips with her thighs, she shuddered. Another climax rushed out of her. His staccato pants matched hers. When he grimaced with the need to release, she kissed his jaw, then his lips. He groaned when he came inside of her. Once they both stopped trembling, he gathered her in his arms.

  “I wish we could stay here,” she whispered against his chest.

  “Naw. There are mosquitoes. There’s nothing worse than an insect bite on your ass.”

  Grace giggled. “Speaking from experience?”

  Evander smiled and pinched her ass but avoided her question. He looked at his watch. “We can still make the last ferry.”

  “Okay.”

  She moved to sit up, but he pulled her back down against him. Closing her eyes, she listened to him breathe.

  “That’s going in the book, right?” Evander said.

  Grace laughed. “Jackass.”

  Chapter Eleven

  When they landed in Athens, it was well after eleven. Evander’s apartment was a modest two-bedroom corner unit. The walls were painted a delicate shade of yellow, which brightened the otherwise dark space. Harry made himself known by rubbing his orange face against her calf. While she petted him, Evander took her bags into the bedroom. She wandered around the space, admiring his taste in artwork and searching for signs of other women who frequented his place, but she found none. When he caught her snooping, he encircled his arms around her waist and kissed her bare shoulder.

  “I have no girlfriend.” He chuckled. “Or a hidden wife. If that’s what you were looking for.”

  She blushed. “I wasn’t…”

  He spun her around in his arms and kissed her nose. “You’re as bad as the heroines in your book.”

  Grace smirked at him, and then set up her laptop on the dining room table. She only had the strength to reschedule her flight before they collapsed into bed. When she awoke in the morning, she was alone. Evander left a note to tell her where to go for food. After showering, she took a quick walking tour of his neighborhood and bought a few souvenirs before returning home.

  She was deep into her novel when Evander returned from work. Cursing in a mixture of Greek and Italian, he tossed his briefcase on the sofa and scooped Harry into his arms. Grace sat back in her chair and smiled. He looked so handsome in his gray suit. His hair was a little tousled, but she liked the rugged look about him. Setting Harry down on the floor, he crossed the room and kissed her on her lips. The normalcy of the moment wasn’t lost on her. It seemed as if she was always meant to be right here.

  “Bad day?” she asked.

  “Ah, people are idiots,” Evander said as he lifted her into his arms and sat down in her chair with her in his lap. “What part of don’t open e-mails from people you don’t know do they not get? Now, the whole system is infected with a virus.”

  She kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry.”

  “What can you do,” he said with a shrug. “How are Chaz and Lisa?”

  “They’re coming along.”

  Evander closed his eyes. Sighing, he held her while the stress of his day melted away. Grace wrapped her arms around his neck and stroked his hair.

  “I love coming home to you,” he confessed.

  “I love being here when you do.”

  “Maybe we should make this a permanent arrangement.”

  Not yet ready to answer him, she leaned back and changed the subject. “Hungry? How about some dinner?”

  He grinned. “Okay.”

  Evander stood with her cradled to his chest and carried her to the kitchen. Sitting her down on the island, he paused to strip off his jacket and red tie. His eyes held a mischievous look as he yanked up her skirt, pulled down her panties and parted her thighs. With his index finger, he tipped her back against the counter. She gasped when his tongue touched her clit.

  “I didn’t mean…” She sighed but lost her train of thought.

  Grace’s thighs trembled as he lapped at the bud. Each stroke of his tongue brought her closer to an orgasm. Reaching between her legs, she touched the top of his head. He smacked her hand away and pinned her wrists against the marble counter top.

  “Evander,” she begged.

  He simply shook his head as he buried his nose in her pussy, licking the essence that pooled at her opening. Shit. Her hips arched into his lips, needing to feel each glorious caress of his tongue. Grace’s body tingled with the need to feel him inside of her. Moaning, she tried again.

  “Please.”

  “No.”

  He paused to hook each of her legs over his shoulders and then dived back in. Fuck. Each swirl of his tongue coaxed her to let go of her climax. Grace couldn’t fight it any more. And, she didn’t want to. Both her heart and body were now his. Her walls contracted around his tongue and, suddenly, her orgasm rushed out of her like a flood.

  “Oh…God…Evander!”

  With another chuckle, he lifted his head and climbed up her body, pausing along the way to kiss her stomach, the valley between her breasts and her shoulder. Her sweet scent lingered on his breath as he whispered into her ear.

  “That’s the best meal I’ve ever had,” he said.

  While she cooked dinner, Evander left her to shower and change. He was gloriously naked when he returned. Grace almost dropped the dinner plates she was carrying to the table.

  “Are clothes restricting, too?” she teased.

  “Why put on pants when I’m going to take them off again, mia bella?”

  He gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply. She couldn’t argue with his logic. After a real dinner, Grace snuggled with him on the sofa. They had finished making love, and she was trying to keep her emotions from bubbling to the surface but failed. Tomorrow, she’d be on her way back to Virginia. She wasn’t placing a bet that they would keep seeing each other. A flight to Greece was expensive, and she didn’t think he’d be able to take off from work at a moment’s notice. Soon, she was sobbing into his bare chest. He tightened his arms around her.

  “Don’t cry, mia bella,” he whispered while stroking her back.

  “But I love you.”

  “I know.” He paused to kiss her. “Stay.”

  She shook her head. “I have obligations back in the States.”

  “Like what?”

  “A conference. Some lectures. A book signing.”

  Evander nodded. “Okay. So, I’ll be the first to visit you. And we shall talk and text every day.”

  “
Yeah,” she exhaled and then kissed his chest. “But I’ll still remember how your body feels against mine. And I won’t be able to experience that every day.”

  Evander fell silent and then said, “I’m not going to cheat on you, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  Grace closed her eyes. She was thinking that but wasn’t going to say it out loud. Maybe she was crazy to fall in love with a guy she’d known for less than a week. But this felt right. Her friends had told her that when she met “the one,” she’d know. And Grace knew Evander was him. It was the logistics—him living here and her in the States—that she was having trouble with.

  Opening her eyes, she raised up to memorize his handsome face. He kissed her. Straddling his hips, she guided his cock inside her. She didn’t want to make love again, but wanted to remember how felt in her pussy.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked her. She nodded.

  The next morning, Evander dropped her off at the airport. Grace clung to him, even though security threatened to tow his car if he didn’t move soon. She kissed him one last time but let him go when her tears swelled up in her eyes.

  “I love you,” he said.

  “That doesn’t help,” she whispered.

  “Okay, I hate you.”

  Grace smirked. “Jackass.”

  Evander took her hands in his. He was going to say something, but his cell phone began ringing “Computer Blue.” Cursing, he turned it off and pulled her into his arms. Security shouted at him again, but he ignored them.

  “I’d better go,” she whispered. “I love you.”

  “Call me when you get home.”

  “What’s my ring tone?”

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and played it for her. “With or Without You” by U2. Grace began to cry again. She turned away from him and gathered her carry-on bags. Her check-in bags were already on the conveyer belt. As she walked through the airport door, she heard Evander get into his car and start the ignition.

  Chapter Twelve

  “When are you going back?” Grace’s mother asked.

  Grace flinched at the question. Just moments before, she was lost in a daydream that starred Evander. It’d been two months since she left Greece. One miserable long week had passed since Evander had visited, and she was still trying to convince herself that it wasn’t going to work out. While she was ecstatic to see him, she still didn’t want to get too attached in case it didn’t work out.

  Today, she finally had time to pick up her mail from her first week in Rhodes. Grace had been dreading this visit to her mother’s house because of this very conversation. Dropping the stack in her tote bag, she tried to avoid her mother’s inquiry.

  “Go where?”

  “Don’t be coy with me, Grace Lynn Bower. When are you going back to Greece?”

  Grace sighed. She knew there was no arguing when her mother used both her first and middle name. “I’m not.”

  Gasping, her mother followed her into the kitchen where Grace pulled out the pitcher of sweet tea and poured herself a glass. Her mother’s stern look was more than she could stand.

  “Grace…”

  “Mom,” she said, holding up her hand. “We’ve been over this. I can’t just pick up and move to Greece. I’ve got a life here.”

  Her mother raised an eyebrow. “You got a life that you can do just about anywhere. And I had a dream you were carrying a bowl of goldfish.”

  Grace choked on her tea. Fish meant that she was pregnant. Impossible, she almost said, sitting the glass on the counter so her mother wouldn’t see how badly her hands were shaking. She’d love nothing more than to have Evander’s child.

  “And,” her mother continued, “you’ve been walking around here like you done lost your soul.”

  “It’s not that simple. I mean, I don’t know if I’m in love with him enough to make that kind of move.”

  Her mother walked to her and placed her hands on Grace’s shoulders.

  “Your face says that you do,” her mother stated.

  Damn, Grace thought as she looked away. She knew it did. That was what made this so difficult. Her heart was telling her that she needed to be with Evander, but her mind was telling her it was too soon. As her mother pulled her into a tight embrace, Grace closed her eyes and struggled to hold back the tears.

  “Go,” her mother urged. “Don’t spend the rest of your life regretting this because you were afraid.”

  Grace turned her mother’s advice over in her mind as she drove home. She still hadn’t reached a decision as she pulled into the driveway and shut off the engine. As she entered the three-story townhome, the space suddenly felt big and empty. It was three in the afternoon, but the rooms seemed dark and lifeless. With an exhale, she went to her office and turned on her computer.

  The week he’d spent here had been amazing. She still hadn’t changed the sheets on her bed because she wanted to inhale his scent while she slept for as long as she could. Resting her head on the desktop, she continued to think through the situation.

  Until she talked to her mother, it never occurred to Grace that she could pick up and move to Greece. Evander couldn’t move back to the States because of his business and his father’s illness. Maybe she should be the one to make the move. She had worried about her family, but they were the ones pushing her to move. Her career was one that she could do anywhere, and she could cut down on expenses by scheduling all of her tours and conferences for the same time. Closing her eyes, she remembered how normal it felt to be in Evander’s apartment, as if she was always meant to be there.

  While she was lost in thought, her phone buzzed, indicating she’d received a text. Grace smiled as she looked at the LCD screen. It was from Evander. She opened the message and was surprised to discover that it contained a series of pictures. The first was a close-up of his face. Though he had sent her many pictures before, she never tired to seeing his piercing eyes and dark olive skin.

  She clicked on the next photo. It was of him and Harry with the words, we miss you, typed underneath. Her heart fluttered. She missed them too. The final image caused her breath to catch in her throat: it was a picture of his hard cock. Grace bit her lip as she studied his tanned skin that was stretched to capacity over the pattern of veins. Still yours, was typed under the picture.

  Dammit, she thought as she logged on the Internet to search for realtors. She was moving to Greece.

  Chapter Thirteen

  One year later…

  Their wedding was just a Grace had always pictured. The small ceremony and reception took place in Stephano’s inn. She wore a flowing strapless dress while Evander wore a dark navy suit that she couldn’t wait to tear off of him. A small group of family and friends had cheered as they exchanged vows, and now blew bubbles as they climbed into the convertible to drive to his aunt’s cottage, their honeymoon destination.

  Life in Athens was just as Grace had always dreamt. She spent her days writing on her laptop as Evander worked on his across from her on the days he worked from home. At night, they would dine at one of the cafes before returning home for some heavy make-out sessions. It didn’t take long for her to adjust to life in Greece. This was the long-forgotten dream that she’d stored in her heart, and it took falling in love with Evander to bring it back to life.

  Grace looked at her new husband. She giggled as he cursed at the slow-moving animals that wandered in the road. Evander was anxious to get to the cottage, and she understood why. They agreed to hold off on making love again until they were officially married. He had proposed to her on this very island, at the harbor next to the lions. The tourists clapped when she said yes.

  Now, the sun was setting behind them as they zipped through the winding country road and screeched to a halt in front of the cottage. She was just thankful that the car started and got them there. Evander finally brought a new car. Another convertible whose engine purred like she did.

  “You’re mine now,” Evander said as he held her car door
open.

  “No. You’re now mine.”

  Grace giggled when Evander scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the door, and then over the threshold. He didn’t set her down until they were in the bedroom. Slowly, he undressed her while she fought with herself not to tear his suit from his body. Once they were naked, she sat on the bed and curled her hand around his cock.

  “I’ve wanted to do this since you sent me the picture,” she confessed.

  Grace wrapped her lips around the thick tip of his cock. Gripping his hips for support, she glided her mouth over his rigid shaft. Evander clutched her shoulders as she licked his length and then covered him with her moist mouth. His sweet taste triggered her own essence to coat the walls between her parted thighs.

  “Mia bella,” he groaned, followed by a few sentences in a mix of Greek and Italian.

  She didn’t know what he said, but she liked how he said it. Grace moaned as his shaft hardened against her tongue. As she breathed in his masculine scent, she vowed to never be that stupid again. Her fear almost cost her the love of her life. Instead of having everything that she’d ever dreamed of, she’d almost wound up with nothing.

  Evander removed his cock from her mouth and pushed her back on the bed. When he entered her, electricity flooded her limbs. Oh, how she missed his cock in her. He kissed her cheek, then her shoulder.

  “Perfection,” he whispered as he pushed deep into her.

  She smirked. “You can stop with the sweet talk. You got me.”

  “I was just saying how amazing your pussy feels, mia bella.”

  “Your dick feels amazing in me.”

  He shifted to pump his cock deep inside of her. The tip brushed against her g-spot, and she moaned.

  Grace arched her hips into his. Her rhythm matched his, and she gripped his hard buttocks for support. His lips engulfed hers in a deep kiss.

  “I think,” Evander panted when he broke the kiss, “we are amazing together.”

  Grace nodded. A grimace spread over his handsome face, signaling that he was close. More than anything, she needed him to release all that he’d been withholding from her.