“How old were you?”
Now his whole face was darkening. “Seventeen.”
“That’s a good age.”
“That’s late for a boy. Trust me.”
“Really?” Her brows stretched.
“Oh, yeah. Most of my friends lost theirs like at twelve and thirteen. I was teased mercilessly through junior high and high school. It got so bad that I started to lie about it.”
“Nooo.” Anna laughed.
“Yep. My first girlfriend was this imaginary girl, named Janet—named after Janet Jackson whom I was madly in love with back in the day. Anyway, I told everyone that the reason that they didn’t see her around was because she went to some private school out in the suburbs and that her father didn’t like her hanging around inner-city kids.”
“You put some thought into it,” she said, impressed.
“Desperate times called for desperate measures.” He chuckled, remembering. “It was crazy trying to keep up with all the lies I had going with the whole Janet affair.”
“I just can’t imagine you having to resort to lying about a girlfriend. I’d figure you had girls throwing themselves at your feet.”
“Nah. Only Kappa brother I imagine I could’ve hung out with back then would’ve been Stanley. But don’t you tell him.”
Anna crossed her heart. “It’ll be our little secret.”
“Good. I appreciate that.”
She hugged her legs tight and then peeked at him over her knees. “Sooo…how was it with the hooker?”
“Awful!” His laughter filled the room.
“You’re kidding!” Anna developed a serious case of the giggles.
Taariq shook his head. “I wish I was. My father sent me in with a pack of condoms to become a man and I came out crying like a baby.”
“Oh, now you have to tell me.”
“Her name was Sheila. She was at least two times my age and had a thing for spandex and bamboo earrings. Thick girl—nice smile. She tried to talk to me. Asked me how old I was, what school did I go to? I couldn’t get my mouth to work. The whole thing was over in less than a minute and that’s all you’re going to get out of me.”
Anna clutched her side as she continued laughing.
“So glad that I amuse you,” he said with a flat smile.
“It’s just so…so…pathetic.”
“Trust me. I know.” They shared another laugh while their gazes drifted over to the fire.
“What about you?” Taariq asked.
“Me?”
“Yeah, you. How was your first time?”
She hesitated.
“C’mon. I told you about Janet and Sheila so come out with it.”
“All right.” Anna huffed. “I was sixteen.”
“Sixteen?” He blinked. “See? Even you beat me.”
“What do you mean even me?”
“You know what I mean, Ms. Prim and Proper. You were doing the do a whole year before me.”
“What’s a year?”
“It’s an eternity when you’re a teenager.”
She laughed. “I have to agree with you there.”
He waited, and then, “Sooo? Who was it with?”
“Just a boy.”
“Janet and Sheila.” He rolled his hand. “I’m going to get it out of you.”
“All right. It was this guy named Fred.”
“Fred?” Taariq frowned. “Sounds like a loser.”
“He wasn’t a loser. He was my biology lab partner.” She smiled. “I used to love watching how he would dissect things. I thought he had great hands—and I was right. He went on to become a neurosurgeon.”
“Great,” Taariq deadpanned.
“He was sensitive and smart.”
“Oh, God. I think that I’m going to barf.”
“What? You asked.”
“My bad. Go on. How did Mr. Surgeon finally make his move?”
Anna dropped her gaze. “Actually, I’m the one that jumped him.”
“What?”
She shrugged and avoided his gaze. “What can I say? I was young and impetuous.”
Taariq just rolled his hand, impatient for her to get to the nitty-gritty.
“I went to his house so that we could work on our biology paper. When his mother left to run to the store, I sort of just…jumped him.”
“Wow. How come you didn’t go to my school? I did pretty good in biology.”
She blushed. “Oh, God. I can’t believe that I told you about Fred.”
Taariq tried to ignore a few pinpricks of jealousy about the Fred guy and tried to picture Anna ever doing something so bold. Then again, there was that one night at the frat party. He knew now that night was rare for her. Far as he could tell, she really didn’t drink or dress up like a video-vamp often. “So who were you trying to hook up with that night at the frat party?”
Anna’s laughter died out. “What?”
He was on to something. “You know. That night, you wore a dress that—wow! But that really wasn’t you. I mean that wasn’t your style.”
“Are you saying that you don’t like the way that I dress?”
“I hate it.”
“What?”
“C’mon. You have a banging body and you go out of your way to cover it up. I don’t get it.”
“I don’t…”
He cocked his head.
“I’m a business professional. I dress accordingly,” she defended.
“You’re also a woman—a beautiful woman, I might add.”
Anna was taken aback by the compliment. “Thank you.”
“Mind if I tell you something else?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“That night I took you home?” He paused for a moment. “I’ve thought about it a lot over the years.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.” He waited for her gaze to meet his. “I always wondered what that night would’ve been like had you…”
“Been sober?” She laughed and dropped her gaze again.
“Just a little more sober,” he agreed and then allowed another beat of silence to pass again. “I would’ve made love to you that night. Lord knows that I wanted to.”
Suddenly Anna couldn’t breath. “You did?”
He nodded. “I still do.”
Their eyes connected and despite the chill in the room, their bodies were suddenly infused with a sweltering heat. Anna wasn’t aware of him moving but then he was just inches from her face, their breaths mingling together.
“Let me make love to you,” he said, cupping her face and drawing her lips to his.
The moment their mouths connected, she fed off him like a starved woman. He moved forward, which forced her to ease back until she was lying against the soft bear rug. Their hands became a manic frenzy, pulling and tugging layer after layer of clothes from their bodies. Boots, pants and thermal underwear went flying into the air and despite the amount of clothes they had to remove, they were both naked in less than fifteen seconds.
“Oh, Jesus,” Taariq moaned, taking in the exquisite artistry of her body. Before now, he’d only dreamed of what she would look like. And those images paled in comparison to the real thing. “I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“I was just thinking the same thing.” Her hands slid up his chest and around his shoulders. Sleek. Beautiful. Powerful. He was all these things and so much more. “Be gentle with me.”
Taariq lifted his head and gazed lovingly down at her. “All I want to do is cherish you.”
When Anna gazed up at him, she had no problem believing his words. He took his time caressing and stroking her. It was as if he was trying to memorize every inch. Her nipples had never been so hard or ached so deliciously. When his warm tongue slid across their chocolate tips, her body imploded and a low winding hiss streamed from her lips. Encouraged by her response, Taariq twirled, flicked and even nibbled on the soft flesh while his hand roamed south. It glided over her flat belly and then dipped into the soft cu
rls between her legs.
She arched her back and parted her slim legs. He dipped his fingers inside her downy lips and snaked across the base of her clit.
“Ohh.” Anna thrashed her head from side to side as orgasmic tremors spread across her body. Taariq shifted his head from one nipple to the other, while his fingers continued to stroke her in a slow and steady pace. In no time, the sounds of her wetness as well as its sweet aroma caused Taariq to be hit with a sudden hunger pang. He wanted—no—needed to taste her. He was convinced that if he didn’t do it soon that he would go crazy. With a husky groan, he abandoned her delicious titties and inched down her curvaceous body.
He kissed her thigh. “Open up for me, baby.”
Anna pushed away any embarrassment she might have had and reached down between her legs and peeled her pussy open. Taariq’s eyes glittered as if a treasure box had been opened and inside all the riches in the world had been revealed to him.
“Oh, God. You’re so gorgeous.” He slid his arms around each of her thighs and wasted no time diving right in.
The moment his tongue plunged deep into her depths, Anna gasped and her hips came off the ground. Suddenly, everything was too intense. His wicked tongue twirled around her honeyed walls and then pulled out to suck the nectar off her pulsing clit.
Orgasms shot off like bullets from an AK-47. She instinctively tried to inch away from the assault his mouth rained on her, but his muscular arms had her locked in place. She wasn’t going anywhere. Around and around her head spun like a toy top. By the time Taariq satisfied his hunger, she was as limp as a rag doll.
“You need a break, baby?” Taariq chuckled as he climbed back up her body.
Anna started to say “yes” when she felt and then saw his long, thick chocolate cock and experienced a hunger pang of her own. “No. I…” She reached for him.
Taariq smiled and then put his hands behind his back so that she could have full access.
Not only was Anna struck by its beauty, but she was equally impressed by how silky smooth it felt bobbing and gliding in her hands. She stroked him slow and steady as a little payback for what he had put her through, but it was a struggle not to start drooling.
Turnabout was fair play, Taariq learned as Anna doled out her own brand of torture. Her hands were so incredibly soft yet firm that he found himself performing all kinds of tricks in his head to prevent him from blasting off too soon. But he was sure that he was giving himself away just by his choppy breathing. Plus, there were a few moans and groans added to the mix, as well.
However, the true test of his sanity came when Anna’s hand dipped forward and her mouth stretched open.
“Sweet. Baby. Jesus.” He hissed when her mouth sank over the head of his fat cock. Taariq unclenched his hands from behind his head so that he could instead comb them through her thick hair. He was hypnotized watching her lips slide up and down his shaft. Gently, he pumped his hips, setting a rhythm that she was comfortable with. Soon his head started rolling around his shoulders. When he felt a telltale sign of a pending eruption, he finally pulled back and let his cock pop out of her mouth.
“Enough foreplay, baby.” He leaned forward, which forced her to ease back until she was on the floor. Their eyes locked as he hooked her legs on his hips. Their past didn’t exist and who knew what tomorrow would bring. All that mattered was the here and now. He glided into her slick, tight opening with a long hiss. And when he moved, Anna whimpered and sighed. His strokes were slow and even at first, but it all started feeling way too good to him, and his hips became a hammer.
Faster. Harder. Deeper.
Anna’s moans became a cry of ecstasy.
Faster. Harder. Deeper.
Anna started to convulse.
Faster. Harder. Deeper.
She grabbed hold of his shoulders and tried to hold on for dear life.
Faster.
“Oh, God.”
Harder.
“I’m coming. I—”
Deeper.
“Ahh…”
They both exploded at the same time. Her musical scream blended beautifully with his Herculean roar, while their minds and bodies vibrated with aftershocks. Taariq gathered her close and rained kisses against her fevered brow until they both drifted off to sleep, happily content.
Chapter 21
For the next three days Anna and Taariq didn’t mind so much their small confinement. Sure, the rations where getting low and the temperature in the cabin remained chilly, but at least the snow had stopped and they could hear machines working outside to get things cleared. But in that time, the couple had discovered numerous ways to stay warm.
Besides having sex, they had their share of pillow fights and tickle contests. She had to learn the hard way that Taariq was extremely competitive and sulked if he lost. One of their favorite games was strip poker. Both layered piles and piles of clothes on before they sat down at the coffee table to play. Anna had him stripped completely naked before she had so much as removed a scarf.
“You cheat,” he often said before he started to pout.
Best way to shut him up was to take him back to bed. They had tried every position imaginable. Anna’s current favorite was being facedown in the center of the bed while Taariq mounted her from behind. There was just something about the heat that was generated from his broad chest rubbing against her back that put a smile on her face. When Taariq snaked a hand around her hip and played with her clit at the same time, she bit down and screamed into the pillow.
“I’m addicted to you,” Taariq admitted, slumping over onto his side and pulling her close. “You’re like a drug.”
She giggled. “I think that’s the first time I’ve heard that one.”
He smiled lazily against her shoulder blade. “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
A long silence stretched between them while he pretended to draw on her back and she started thinking about what would happen once they left the cabin. What did all of this mean? Were they a couple now?
In six days they had talked about a lot of things, but hadn’t talked about that.
“What’s wrong?” Taariq asked, sensing a change in her.
“Nothing,” she lied.
He chuckled as he leaned closer to her ear. “Liar.”
She shook her head. “You think you know me that well already?”
“I’m a fast learner.” He tapped her on the butt. “C’mon. Talk to me.”
Anna sighed as she rolled over so that she could face him. “What’s going to happen when we get back to Atlanta?”
He frowned as if he didn’t understand the question. “Well. I guess first things first. I’d love to get you into my Jacuzzi.” He snuck in for a quick kiss.
“Ha. Ha.” She smacked him on his arm. “Be serious. I want to know what’s going to happen to us—or, rather, if we’re even an ‘us.’”
“Oh.”
Her brows dipped together at that weird response. “Oh?”
“Well…I, um, haven’t really given it that much thought.” He pulled back so that he lay against his own pillows.
Anna was stunned by his reaction, but she decided to wait him out while he processed whatever the hell it was that he needed to process.
“Well, of course, I would love to continue seeing you,” he said.
“Seeing me?”
“Yeah.” He bobbed his head. “I like you.”
“Gee. Thanks,” she sneered.
“What?” He hunched up his shoulders.
“You want to see me…and other women?”
He hesitated and Anna quickly scrambled off the bed.
Taariq sat up. “Wait. Where are you going?”
“Has this past week meant nothing to you?”
“What? Of course it has. We’ve been having a good time.”
“A good time,” she repeated and then smacked her hand against her forehead. “I’m just a good time for you?”
“Not just a good time…but, wait
, you’re twisting my meaning.”
“Then just speak plain and tell me what you mean.” She folded her arms and stood like an Amazon goddess in front of him.
Taariq didn’t know how, but he’d wandered into a minefield. “Whoa. All of this is going so fast.”
Anna bobbed her head. “Okay. I get it. We’re going too fast for you to consider a monogamous relationship, but we’re going at the right pace for us to be screwing like rabbits.”
“Monogamous?” He nearly choked on the word.
She shook her head. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She took a deep breath, but it didn’t stop her from feeling the tears burning in the back of her eyes. Anna turned and stormed toward the bathroom. “Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to worry about anything going too fast anymore because I’m putting the brakes on this!”
What did I just do? “Anna, wait!” Taariq hopped out of bed and raced behind her, but of course, she’d locked the door. “C’mon, Anna. Let’s finish talking about this.”
No answer.
“Anna, don’t make me feel like the asshole here.”
“You feel like the asshole because you are the asshole,” she shouted back through the door.
He dropped his head against the door and prayed for patience. “Anna, please. I like you. Of course I want to keep seeing you.”
No answer.
Taariq placed his ear against the door. “Are you crying?”
“No! I’m not!”
She would’ve been more convincing if her voice hadn’t cracked. Taariq’s heart squeezed. He’d never meant to cause her any pain. He definitely didn’t want things to end between them. That was the last thing he wanted. He liked her—more than liked her. What he’d been feeling these precious few days…well, it scared the hell out of him. But monogamy wasn’t in his DNA. His father was a rolling stone and he had followed in his footsteps.
One man. One woman. Was that really something he could do?
The bathroom door jerked open and Anna shot past him so fast, it stunned him. She quickly grabbed some clothes and headed back.
Taariq blocked the door. “Anna, please. Talk to me.”
Without missing a beat, she shoved her weight up against his side. Surprised by her sudden superhuman strength, he went careening sideways while she stormed back into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.
My Only Desire Page 17