He grabbed his cell phone. Hey, Lexia. A few minutes passed, then his phone buzzed.
Lexia: Hey. How are you feeling?
Khalil: Better. Did you take classes to learn sign language?
Lexia: A couple. Are you going to do it?
Khalil: Only if you teach me.
Minutes passed before she responded: I’m not a teacher.
Khalil: But you said you’d help me in any way you can. And this is how you can help me.
Lexia: That’s not what I meant.
Khalil: Maybe not, but that’s what you said. So, will you help me?
Lexia: I’ll agree on one condition, that you put in the time studying.
He had to think about that for a long moment. He recalled how frustrated he became when trying to learn French and, after leafing through the sign language book, could see the same thing happening.
Lexia: Well?
Khalil’s thumbs hovered over the screen’s keyboard. Okay.
Lexia: When do you want to start?
Khalil: Tonight, if you’re not busy.
Lexia: Let’s make it tomorrow afternoon. Oh, and I think we should just focus on the ASL for now.
Khalil: No promises.
Lexia: What does that mean?
Khalil: It means that the first chance I get I’m going to take my time touching you, tasting you and kissing you. Any other questions?
Lexia: See you tomorrow.
If she thought he’d be able to sit next to her and ignore the chemistry between them, she had another think coming. No, he wasn’t interested in anything permanent, but he didn’t see anything wrong with the two of them exploring this mutual attraction.
Chapter 10
Lexia muttered to herself all the way down the hallway leading to Khalil’s condo Tuesday afternoon. Yes, she had promised to help him, but the man had no problems twisting her words to his benefit. Stick to the plan, Lexia. Focus on fingerspelling the alphabet and not his captivating eyes, smooth as honey voice and warm, sexy lips. She groaned. Who was she kidding? Her lips tingled at the prospect of him kissing her again. She stopped at the door and sent him a text. A moment later, it swung open. She did her best to keep her eyes focused on his face and not the corded muscles of his arms and chest visible beneath the sleeveless tee. Then again, with his newly trimmed mustache and beard, long eyelashes and golden-brown-sugar eyes, his face was just as much a visual treat as the rest of his body.
Khalil’s low chuckle snapped her out of her thoughts. “Come on in.”
He backed up just enough so that when she passed their bodies brushed against each other, the contact sending a jolt of awareness through her. Lexia stifled a moan. Halfway across the room, she turned around and noticed him standing with his back braced against the door, arms folded. She angled her head. “What?” He straightened and came toward her with the grace of a panther and she unconsciously took a step back.
Khalil stroked a finger down her cheek. “I didn’t get my hello kiss.”
Before Lexia could blink, his mouth came down on hers, hot and demanding. His mouth devoured hers and she came up on her toes and slid her arms around his neck to pull him closer.
He groaned and trailed kisses along her jaw, behind her ear and in the hollow of her throat.
Her body trembled and she moaned his name. Fighting for control, she released him and moved out of his embrace. She pointed to the book lying on the table and sat on the sofa.
He nodded and took a seat next to her. “What’s first?”
“We’ll start with learning the alphabet. The signs pictured in the book are for right-handed people, but since you’re left-handed you’ll just make them in reverse. Ready?”
“I guess.”
Lexia smiled at his less than enthusiastic response. “Let’s do the first five letters.” She demonstrated each letter, saying it aloud and waiting for him repeat it. They practiced over and over. “Okay, now I’m going to call out a letter randomly and you show it to me—D.”
Khalil sat for a moment as if thinking, then made the correct letter.
“Right.” He got five out of five and they moved to the next five. The added letters proved to be more of a challenge and she had to help him with some of the hand positions.
“I can’t get this,” he grumbled.
“It’s only your first time and we’ve been at it for what, fifteen minutes? Of course you aren’t going to get them all right away.”
Khalil let out an exasperated sigh. “Keep going.”
They continued for another fifteen minutes. “How about we stop here? Just practice them every day and add more as you feel comfortable.”
He closed the book and tossed it onto the table. “How do people do this?”
“With lots of practice. I told you it took me over three years to become fluent, but I could hold a very basic conversation after about a year and a half. Hopefully, your hearing will return long before then,” she added when he frowned.
He leaned forward and cradled his head in his hands. “Every day I wake up, praying that I’ll hear some sound...anything, but there’s nothing. Absolutely nothing,” he said emotionally.
Lexia placed a comforting hand on his back. She didn’t know what to say and didn’t want to trivialize his pain, so she kept quiet.
Finally, he raised his head. “So what do you want to do now?”
She hadn’t planned on doing anything other than getting him started and leaving. “I don’t know. I wasn’t going to stay long. A movie?” She had momentarily forgotten about his hearing and said the first thing that came to her mind.
Khalil scowled. “A movie? I can’t watch a movie.”
She lifted a brow. “Why not? There’s nothing wrong with your eyes. And, unless you have a television built in 1950, it should have captions.” Lexia studied him. “Are you telling me that you haven’t turned your TV on in two weeks?” His expression said it all.
“Why turn it on if I can’t hear what’s going on?”
“Again, captions. But if you don’t want to watch one, that’s fine.”
“No, no...okay.”
Lexia smiled. “Great. Do you have any popcorn?”
“I think so.” Khalil stood, went to the kitchen and searched the cabinets and walk-in pantry. He held up a box of microwave popcorn.
She joined him and took out two packages.
“We don’t need two.”
Lexia cut him a look. “We do if you want some. I do not share my popcorn. So, are you having some?”
He nodded. “Anything else, Your Highness?”
“Tea?”
Khalil pulled out a drawer. “What kind?”
She peered into the drawer and burst out laughing. He had at least twenty varieties of tea. “I guess you like tea, huh?”
He shrugged. “I don’t drink coffee and I don’t like a lot of caffeine, so...”
She scanned the selections and settled on mango passion fruit herbal tea.
“Do you want it hot or cold?”
“Hot, please.”
He filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove to heat, then started the popcorn in the microwave.
Lexia sat on a stool at the bar and observed him in the kitchen. He seemed quite comfortable. She could count on one hand the number of times her ex stepped foot into the kitchen to prepare something. Not even popcorn. He always had a ready excuse as to why he couldn’t do it. That was one more reason her short marriage came to an end. When everything was done, he dumped the bags of popcorn into large bowls. She added a little sugar to her tea, grabbed a bowl and followed him out. He bypassed the living room and continued to the stairs. Was he planning for them to watch TV in his bedroom? That would be dangerous on every level. Sure enough he hea
ded directly there. She hovered in the doorway.
Khalil set his bowl and mug of tea on the table by the fireplace. “Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
Make herself comfortable? Because of its position, they could only view the television from his bed. And that’s the last place she needed to be. Lexia hadn’t moved from her spot when he returned with two trays and napkins.
“Problems?” he asked, placing the trays down and retrieving his snacks. He climbed onto the bed and patted the space next to him.
She tentatively approached the large bed. She put the bowl of popcorn on the tray, the tea on the nightstand and sat, leaving plenty of space between them. “What are we watching?”
“I’ve been meaning to watch The Magnificent Seven for months, so that’s what’s in the player, but we can choose something else if you don’t want to see it.”
“Me, turn down a movie with Denzel in it? Please.”
Khalil smiled, shook his head and started the movie.
Lexia picked up the remote and turned the sound down.
“What are you doing? Did I have it too loud?”
“Nope. I’m going to watch it with the captions, just like you.”
He gave her a strange look, then leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “You’re a special lady, Lexia.”
They shared a smile and settled in. She had never been a huge fan of westerns, but Denzel and Chris Pratt had her eyes glued to the screen. She wanted the villain dead now, not two hours from now. She and Khalil laughed and commented on scenes and had a great time.
“Mmm, mmm, that Denzel is one good-looking man.”
“I don’t know what all you women see in him. He’s old enough to be your father.”
Lexia paused with a fistful of popcorn and gave Khalil a look of disbelief. “So what. The man is still sexy as all get out.”
Khalil shook his head. “So, is that what you look for in a man, his sex appeal?”
“Of course not, but I do want the package to look good.”
“Sounds a little judgmental to me,” he said with a teasing glint in his eye, reminding her of when she’d said the same thing to him. “There could be a nice guy beneath all that bad packaging.”
Her mouth dropped. She threw a handful of popcorn at him. “Shut up and watch the movie.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I couldn’t resist.” He wrapped a hand around his middle and groaned, but kept laughing.
She rolled her eyes, scooted as far away from him as she could without falling off the bed and skewered him with a look. “See if I watch another movie with you.” She bit her lip to keep her smile hidden and refocused on the movie.
“That was a good movie,” Khalil said as the credits rolled on the screen. “Much better than I anticipated.”
“It was. I’m still a little salty about some of the parts, though.” The room had darkened considerably and the sun had started its descent. The view from his window tempted her to ask if they could sit out there to watch it, but she thought it best they got out of his bed and out of this room.
Apparently he’d read her mind. “Let’s go check out the sunset. Unless you have other plans for the evening.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to lie and say she did, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Nothing other than cooking dinner and doing some menu planning.”
Khalil eased off the bed and grabbed the same blanket they’d used the last time. “Well, I’ll cook you dinner, so that’ll be one thing off your list.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Lexia said quickly.
“I know, but since you took time out of your schedule to come and help me out, it’s the least I can do. Besides, I want to make up for my rude behavior the other day.”
The sting of his words came back to her, but she pushed them away because she understood his frustration. “Okay.”
Out on the balcony, he wrapped her in the blanket and held her the same way as last time. A short while later, his hands started roaming up and down her thighs, over her torso and up to cup her breasts. Lexia gasped. His lips skated along her temple, down her cheek and ended at her mouth. “Khalil.” His name slipped from her lips. He shifted her and continued kissing her body.
“I’ve wanted to touch you and kiss you like this from the moment you walked through my door,” he murmured.
Lexia had wanted the same, but couldn’t tell him that. She stilled when he dipped his hand inside her loose sweatpants, squeezed her buttocks, moved around to the front and slid her panties to the side. He parted her folds and his skilled fingers went to work on her. Moans spilled from her throat.
“Lift your leg over mine,” he whispered against her lips.
She complied and his fingers sank deeper, sending shock waves of pleasure through her. He teased her slowly at first, increased the speed and then took up the unhurried pace again. Each time he brought her closer to the edge and she cried out. The sensations heightened and she gripped his shirtfront as a blinding orgasm tore through her. He seemed to sense she was about to scream and covered her mouth with his. Her body trembled and she gasped for air.
At length, he removed his hand, but continued to kiss her.
Finally, he lifted his head. The blatant desire she read in his eyes rekindled her passion. She ran a caressing hand down his bearded face and over the strength of his arms. She slid her hands beneath his tee, wanting to touch his warm, bare skin and feel the muscles flex and contract under her touch. She heard his sharp intake of breath and resumed her journey, being careful not to injure him. Lexia felt herself losing control and couldn’t do anything to stop it. Didn’t want to stop it.
* * *
Khalil relished the feeling of Lexia’s hand on his body. He couldn’t explain why her touch sparked something within him he’d never experienced before. Ignoring the slight discomfort in his upper body and hand, he shifted her until she was stretched out next to him on the wide lounger. Thankfully, the balcony had privacy walls on either side. Being on the top floor was an added bonus, so they were shielded from prying eyes. He lifted her top and bent his head to kiss the tops of her breasts visible above her bra. As he’d told her yesterday, he wanted to taste, touch and kiss her. The way her feminine muscles clamped down on his fingers had him ready to take things to the next level.
He reached around and unclasped her bra and eased the cups to the side, baring her breasts to him. Khalil latched on to one dark nipple and sucked gently. He felt the vibrations and knew she was saying something. He loved her voice and missed it and, more than anything, he wanted to hear her sounds of pleasure. Hear her scream his name when he made her come again. He was quickly losing control and, although parts of his body were in full agreement, the pain in his ribs let him know it wouldn’t happen tonight.
Khalil raised his head, traced her kiss-swollen lips and lowered his head. Her taste was intoxicating and he had to force himself to back away. He sat up, pulled her with him and helped redo her clothing. He gave her one last kiss. “Come on so I can feed you, baby.” He guided her to his bathroom, where she could clean up. He used the spare one and came back just as she finished.
Together, they made their way downstairs and he took out the chicken breasts that he had marinating in a chipotle lime mix, red and yellow bell peppers and an onion.
Lexia placed a hand on his arm and fingerspelled.
F-a-j-i-t-a-s. Or that’s what he thought it was. They hadn’t gotten to the end of the alphabet. “Fajitas?”
She smiled, nodded and twisted her hands back and forth in the air.
“That’s a sign for...?”
She clapped.
“Applause?”
This time, she raised her closed fist and bent it up and down at the wrist. He lifted a brow.
“Yes,” she mouthed.
“So this is applause or clapping and this means yes.” Khalil repeated the signs.
“Very good.”
“I’m glad you think so. So far I’ve got yes, clapping and about half of ten letters down. Not real competent.” He sensed that this would be much harder than learning French or Spanish. “To answer your question, yes, I’m making fajitas. Is that okay with you?”
“Sounds good. I can help, if you want. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
He leaned down to read what she’d said. “Unlike my sign language skills, I’m pretty competent in the kitchen, so you can hang out on the terrace or take a seat at the bar and keep me company.” Their eyes held, then she climbed up onto a bar stool. “Can I get you anything while you’re waiting?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to check my email.”
“Go right ahead.” Khalil got out a large cutting board and sliced the vegetables. He preheated the built-in grill on his stove and added the chicken. While it cooked, he sautéed the peppers and onion. He thought about opening a bottle of wine, but decided against it because he continued to intermittently take the pain medication. He made lemonade, instead.
He stole glances at Lexia as she typed on her phone. She was the first woman he’d invited to his home, outside of the few times he had hosted get-togethers for friends. However, he hadn’t been romantically interested in any of those women. His relationships, if they could be termed as such, never lasted past three or four dates and he preferred it that way because no one got hurt. He tried to apply the same logistics to his relationship with Lexia, but was having difficulties maintaining the distance he usually craved.
Khalil placed the now-done chicken on a plate to rest, filled small bowls with cheese and sour cream and placed them on the table. He warmed the flour tortillas, sliced the chicken and added them to a plate, along with the peppers. “Dinner’s ready,” he said, passing Lexia.
A Touch of Love Page 10