“Condoms, with an s,” Alex assured her. He knelt on the edge of the mattress, balancing one foot on the floor as he reached in the toiletry travel bag he’d left on the nightstand. Renee studied his movements as he retrieved the box of condoms, the way his taut muscles flexed beneath his chocolate brown skin. Alex didn’t need to worry about how long he could last. She would ignite any minute from sheer anticipation.
“Alex, hurry,” Renee pleaded.
He grabbed a square foil packet from the box and ripped it open. Renee bit down on her lip, excitement coursing through her bloodstream like electricity through a live wire.
Alex’s hands shook as he tried to cover himself with the slippery latex.
Renee couldn’t take it anymore. “Gimme that.” She knocked his hand away and rolled the condom over his massive erection. “Now come here.”
Alex lowered himself on top of her, seizing her lips in a slow, deliberate kiss. His hands, calloused and work roughened, worked their way up her legs, traveling over her hips, and settling at her waist. Renee arched into him as he captured her nipple between his teeth, tugging and licking, lapping and sucking. His assault seemed calculated, a strategic battle with her senses, and Renee was no match for the sensual onslaught.
She was incomparably enraptured by this man whose life had been so very different from her own. He’d known love all his life, had known affection and warmth. And he wanted to share that love with her.
Her insides clutched as his erection poised at her entrance. Renee wrapped her arms around his neck and moaned in pleasure as her body welcomed him home.
Alex clenched his eyes tight, his arms trembling, his entire being shuddering at the supple give of Renee’s body as he gently pushed his way inside her. Just like that, he’d found paradise. After years of denying himself, of allowing his guilt to rob him of pleasure, he’d discovered his own small piece of heaven on earth hidden in the depths of her wet, warm body.
He moved in deep, burying his full length into the clenching glove cloaking his body. In and out he thrust inside her, urging her to open wider, forcing her leg up and onto his left shoulder.
She gasped, her mouth falling open and remaining that way, as if she didn’t have the strength to close it.
“Oh my God, Alex,” Renee panted. “This is so good.”
“I know,” Alex echoed.
But she was wrong. This was so past good.
“Hold on,” Alex breathed into her open mouth.
He braced himself with his left arm to take pressure off his still healing right shoulder; then he arched his back and drove into her, pumping up and down, in and out, deeper and higher. Renee captured his right hand and pulled his finger into her mouth, sucking on it as if it contained some kind of life sustaining serum.
The sight of her taking him into her mouth was so erotic it sent Alex over the edge. He slammed into her, his body convulsing as sparks of pleasure shot through every inch of his bloodstream.
Too weak to hold himself up a second longer, Alex collapsed onto his back and sucked in large gulps of air.
“That lasted longer than I thought it would,” Renee said after an exhausted sigh.
“I know. Pretty proud of myself,” Alex boasted.
“You should be,” Renee laughed.
They lay on top of the covers, the whisper of Renee’s soft pants mingling with his harsh, soughing breaths. Alex smoothed his hand across her flat stomach, relishing the softness of her sweat slicked skin against his palm.
“Oh, damn,” he said after a few minutes.
“What’s wrong?”
Alex managed to loll his head to the side. He smiled at Renee. “I was supposed to get you to act out my naughty librarian fantasy.”
Despite her weakened state, Renee gave him the slap he deserved. Alex caught her hand before she could take it away, and brought it to his chest, tracing the valleys between her slim fingers.
“Alex.”
“Yeah?”
“In about a half hour, I’ll be ready to do that again.”
Alex smiled to himself; then he asked, “Renee?”
“Yes?” she murmured.
“You’re really gonna make me wait a half hour?”
Chapter Eighteen
“Mmmmm,” came a purr from deep within the covers.
Alex smiled up at the ceiling fan twirling lazily high above the bed, its blades made to look like banana leaves.
“Are you awake?” Renee murmured.
“I am,” Alex answered. “But I’m not ready to get out of bed.”
“Me, neither.” She scooted over to him and draped herself across his chest. “Wait,” she said, then bounded out of the bed and headed for the bathroom. A minute later Alex heard the toilet flush, then the faucet running for much longer than he thought necessary for her to wash her hands.
“Renee,” he called. “Are you okay?”
“In a minute,” he thought he heard.
Alex threw his legs off the side of the bed. He pulled on the pair of boxers that he’d draped across the nightstand and headed for the suite’s connecting bathroom.
He widened the slight crack in the bathroom door and found Renee bent over the oval faucet brushing her teeth. She’d wrapped the sheet around her and held it together at her breasts. Her bare feet peeking out of the bottom were so sexy.
She rinsed her mouth and patted her lips dry with a towel. “I hate morning breath,” she explained with a smile.
“Does that mean I need to brush my teeth, too?” Alex asked.
“If you expect to kiss me this morning,” she answered.
“If I knew it would be this much trouble,” Alex mumbled just loud enough for her to hear.
“And just what would you have done?” Renee asked, eyeing him with a keen, knowing look.
“I would have had the mouthwash waiting on the bedside table.” Alex grinned.
She threw her head back, the soft lilt of her laughter running over him like a shower of warm honey. She lowered the lid on the toilet, took a seat, and put her chin in her hand as if she were getting ready to catch the Saturday matinee.
“You gonna watch?” Alex asked.
She hunched a bare shoulder. “Why not?”
“I have to warn you, I don’t do any tricks. Ten times in a circular motion, rinse, and spit. That’s about all you’ll see.”
“What a sense of humor you have, Mr. Holmes.”
“I try.” Alex smiled at her in the mirror.
He brushed his teeth, catching her grin in the mirror whenever he raised his head. He’d never felt so at ease with a woman. The entire time he’d been married to Chantal, Alex could not remember a single time they’d shared a morning in the bathroom, just so they could be close to each other.
He rinsed, turned off the faucet, and put his toiletries away. He turned to Renee and crooked his finger.
A slow smile spread across her face. She rose and slowly made her way over to his side of the vast bathroom, resembling some mythological Nubian princess in the flowing sheet. When she reached him, Alex picked her up and sat her on the vanity. He pried away the hand that held the sheet to her breasts and watched as the stark white material fell from her body, pooling around her atop the vanity. Her naked breasts rose and fell with her deep, deliberate breaths.
“What are you doing, Alex?”
“Making up for lost time,” he said before capturing her lips.
Renee wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her legs around his waist. Alex trailed his tongue down her neck, lapping up the salty flavor of her skin. He pushed the boxers down his legs, covered himself with a condom, then lifted Renee from the vanity, and thrust inside her. She cried out, sinking her teeth into his left shoulder to stifle her moans. He turned from the vanity, and carried her toward the shower, but Alex knew within seconds that he wouldn’t make it.
Change of plans.
He backed her up against the wall for support. He braced his legs apart, sank his fingers in
to the plush softness of her behind, and pulling her tighter, pumping in and out in deep, sure strokes.
“Alex,” she breathed.
Renee lifted her head and they stared into each other’s eyes as he continued to fill her. She took her lower lip between her teeth, but her cry still escaped. Time stood still. There was nothing else in the world, only her body surrounding him, squeezing him, milking him.
His arms trembled. He couldn’t let go, but he couldn’t hold her any longer, either.
“Renee, I can’t hold you up.”
“Let go,” she said. She braced a hand against the wall and dropped one leg. Alex hooked his arm under her other knee and drove into her, slamming her against the wall, pumping into her with all he was worth. Renee screamed her release, the cry echoing throughout the room.
Her head fell back against the wall. She slid down to the floor and tugged at Alex, inviting him to join her. He did, sitting up against the wall and pulling Renee into his arms.
“That … should make up … for at least a year,” she said between pants.
“At least,” Alex struggled to get out.
“I don’t have to move, do I?” Renee asked. “I’m way too weak to move.”
“I would carry you to the bed if I didn’t have a bum shoulder,” Alex said.
Once they were back in bed, Alex pulled Renee on top of him. He had no idea how long they lay there completely naked and uncovered. He figured at least a half hour had to have passed when knocking at the door to the suite roused him.
“Daddy?” came Jasmine’s voice from the other side of the door.
“Damn,” Alex whispered. “Hold on, Pumpkin,” he called.
Alex smoothed his hand over Renee’s hair. “Renee,” he said, “it’s Jasmine.”
“Hmmm?” she murmured.
“Daddy?”
“Renee.” Alex gently nudged her shoulder. “Jasmine’s at the door.”
Renee bolted upright. She wrapped a sheet around her and escaped to the bathroom.
“I’m coming, Jazz,” Alex called.
He scooted from the bed and pulled on his boxers. He grabbed a T shirt and threw it over his head before opening the door to the suite.
“Hey, baby,” he greeted Jasmine. She was dressed in yellow overalls and a white and yellow polka dot shirt. “Grandma helped you dress this morning?”
“No, I did it by myself,” she answered. “Grandma combed my hair, though.”
“She did a good job,” Alex said, pulling one of her pigtails.
“Grandma said we’re going shopping for a present for Uncle Eli and Auntie Monica,” Jasmine said. “But it’s a surprise,” she whispered.
“Oh,” he whispered back. “Well, maybe you shouldn’t tell anybody else.”
“I’m not.” Jasmine peered around the partially open door and eyed the bed. “Where’s Ms. Moore?” she asked, sneaking past him and running over to the bed.
Instant sweat broke out over his chest. “She’s in the bathroom,” Alex answered.
“Oooh, your bed is so big, Daddy!” Jasmine climbed on the bed and started jumping up and down in her yellow, lace trimmed socks. “I’ll bet you and Ms. Moore had fun.”
Oh Lord.
“Get down, Jazz. I’ve told you no jumping on the beds.”
“Uncle Eli said I could because these are not our beds anyway.”
Idiot. “Uncle Eli shouldn’t have told you that.”
Alex whisked her off the bed, and swung her up into his arms. He spotted a condom wrapper on the floor and nearly had a heart attack. He kicked it under the bed. God, he wasn’t cut out for this.
There was another knock on the door to the suite. What was this? Happy hour?
“Jasmine?”
“I’m in here, Grandma.”
His mother walked into the room, her eyes darting from corner to corner. “Good morning, Alex,” she said. She looked over at the bed. “Is everything okay in here?”
“I came to tell Daddy about the present for Uncle Eli and Auntie Monica,” Jasmine said. She’d lowered the tone of her voice, but the volume was as loud as usual.
“That’s good, honey, but why don’t we leave Daddy so he can get some rest?”
Alex teetered between embarrassment over his mother covering for him and gratefulness that she was there to do it.
“Have fun shopping,” he said, helping Jasmine down to the floor.
His mother took Jasmine by the hand. “Eli and Monica are sleeping in, too. Jasmine and I will take a cab. We’ll be back around lunchtime.”
Alex placed a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you, Mama.”
“Make the most of your morning,” she said, her mouth tipping up in a grin.
Alex closed the door behind them and hung his head, taking deep breaths to calm his heart. He was not prepared to have the birds and the bees talk yet. Call him old fashioned, but a six year old girl did not need to know what went on behind adults’ closed doors.
Alex entered the bathroom and stood stock still, instantly entranced by the sight before him. Renee stood in the middle of the huge bathroom. She’d twisted herself in the sheet, the linen wrapping around her upper thighs. It fell from her breasts, baring them to his eyes. Dusky pink blemishes marked the places he’d nipped, and licked, and sucked all night long.
“Is the coast clear?” she asked around a yawn. She stretched, arching her back and thrusting her breasts out even more.
If she didn’t quit this, he would make up for all six years of celibacy before the morning was over.
“Yes, Jasmine and Mama are both gone. We can go back to sleep.”
“Sleep, huh?”
“Among other things.” Alex couldn’t help but grin. “Or, if you want, you can shower and we can have some breakfast.”
“That sounds almost as good as climbing back into bed with you.”
“I rank higher than food? That’s pretty good,” Alex said.
“Unless the chef is making French toast for breakfast. Nothing is better than French toast.”
“Seems I have a new goal in life. I’ll be damned if I come in second to French toast on your list of favorite things.”
“You don’t have very far to go,” Renee said. “One more session like the one we just had and you own the number one spot, buddy.”
“Then why are we standing here?” Alex said. “Come on.”
“No,” Renee laughed. “I doubt I can take any more. Until to night,” she was quick to add. She pressed a kiss to his chest, and it burned straight through his T-shirt into his skin. “I’m going to shower. What do you say to taking a walk on the beach to help Jasmine find seashells?”
“She went shopping with Mama, but I’ll take you up on the offer. Go and shower, and I’ll get breakfast.”
“I would ask you to join me, but I doubt we’ll ever get out.”
Alex closed his eyes. How many times had he fantasized about her in his own shower? He didn’t have to imagine what she looked like anymore. The image was forever stamped on his brain. And in his heart.
“Renee,” Alex said, “what do you see happening between us when we get back to New Orleans?”
Renee’s heartbeat quickened. She’d been thinking about the same thing lately, though she still wasn’t sure what she actually felt about it, other than that she wanted them to continue the course they were on. Should they speed up that course? Slow it down? She just didn’t know.
She was secure in the knowledge that he was only a few classrooms down the hallway from her. She’d become a pro at making up excuses to pop into Mrs. Overland’s classroom just so she could see him and smile. But his days of volunteering at St. Katherine’s were rapidly coming to an end. Jasmine’s behavior in class had improved.
Alex had a doctor’s appointment the day after they returned to New Orleans, and one of the outcomes could be clearance for him to return to desk duty at Holmes Construction. The thought of not seeing him on a daily basis sent a wave of nausea through her stomach.
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“What were you thinking would happen after we get back home?” Renee asked.
“Things have changed between us, Renee.”
She nodded.
“I hadn’t anticipated you becoming such a huge part of my life this quickly,” he said.
“Alex, I can’t imagine not seeing you every day,” Renee admitted.
He expelled a huge, relieved breath. “I was hoping you would say that.”
“How could you doubt it?” Renee asked.
“I didn’t, but it still feels good to hear you say it,” he said. “I’m going to talk to Jasmine to night. I know we touched on it a little, but I want her to understand exactly what’s going on between us and explain just what you mean to both our lives.”
Renee stared into his eyes. “I want to know that, too,” she said.
“What you mean to our lives?” Alex asked.
She nodded.
Alex held her chin lightly with his fingers, tipping her head up. “I’m in love with you, Renee.”
Her heart expanded within her chest, so relieved by his words that it nearly burst.
“Is that okay with you?” Alex asked.
“That is absolutely perfect,” she said, fusing her lips with his.
When she finally released Alex’s lips, Renee’s first instinct was to capture them again. He was so delicious. And he was all hers.
“I don’t plan on giving that up any time soon,” she whispered against his chest.
“That’s good to hear.” Alex punctuated his words with kisses. “Because I don’t plan to give you up, either.”
“Any time soon?” she asked, raising her head at the seriousness she heard in his voice.
The playfulness of just a few moments ago had vanished like a whisper in the wind. The look he gave her brooked no argument.
“Anytime. Ever. Not until you say you want out.”
“What if I decide I never want out?” Renee couldn’t stop herself from asking. Their conversation had taken a drastically more serious turn, but now that they were concentrated on this pivotal point in their relationship, she had to see it through.
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