Fever (Falling For A Rose Book 4)

by Stephanie Nicole Norris

  A running quiver fled down her skin. I removed my hands and reached down to prop her thighs up on my arms. With her legs spread eagle, I slipped out of her then drove into her womb again and again as she screamed my name.

  “Ah, Josiah!”

  The wall vibrated as we slammed against it and the mirror suspended over the dresser fell from the wall. It dived face first into the cabinet, plummeting to the floor, and I continued to rock into Santana until she screamed, “Fever!”

  With her eyes shut tight, tears sprang from the corners of them, and her body shuddered as her orgasm ripped through her.

  “It’s okay, I got you,” I murmured, nibbling on her shoulders as I showered her womb with all the love I had inside me. Santana trembled uncontrollably.

  “Josiah…” she whined delirious, and her river continued to coat my shaft with an invigorating heat.

  “Damn it, girl…”

  We held each other tightly, trembling, with me kissing the side of her face and caressing her thighs. Slowly I peeled her off the wall and slipped out of her to stand Santana on her feet. She steadied, then turned, and I bent to claim her lips. Santana jumped back in my arms and we sucked each other in, dining in a complete meal with our mouths. Our breathing was ragged, and suddenly, Santana pulled back.

  “I need you to hold me. Can you just hold me for a minute?” she asked.

  I took us back to the bed with Santana locked against me. We laid there together with our breathing measured and our foreheads pressed against each other. I gazed into her beautiful eyes when she whispered, “I’m sorry…”

  I frowned and ran through my thoughts over what she would be regretful about.

  “Why are you sorry, Santana?”

  Her smile was barely there, but it was her attempt to shake off her griefs.

  “I’m giving you mixed signals.”

  I knew instantly she was speaking in terms of turning me away before. But I was the one who was sorry. And felt the need to tell her but in my heart, I couldn’t. What would I say? More importantly, how would it make her feel to know I’d almost been in another woman’s bed? I knew Santana was feeling me, but I didn’t know how much. I also wasn’t sure if I needed to reveal my actions. Our situation wasn’t an ordinary one.

  “None of that matters right now. We’ll sort out the details in the morning.”

  Santana lifted her eyes to mine.

  “Does that mean you’re staying?”

  I tilted my head in question.

  “Where else would I go, sweetheart?”

  Santana’s arms tightened around my neck, and the silkiness of her heated skin made my erection rise. I knew the moment she felt me harden because a purr floated from her lips. I maneuvered between her legs, leaning in to kiss her exquisite mouth. We sank into another round of sensual love making, this time lasting throughout the long stretch of the night.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Santana

  Awakening from my dream ushered an instant smile to my face. Rarely had reality been better than my late night restful slumber. However, with the rise of this new day, I expected to be in for a real treat. Josiah.

  His name bounced around my thoughts as if he’d been a part of my life for my entire existence. It was amazing how this man made me feel. It was sensible for me to be concerned that I was falling for a skirt-chasing bachelor, but I wasn’t. After all, Josiah and I weren’t in a relationship. Not a real one anyway. But I couldn’t deny that he made me feel like his only girl whenever we were together. Even before my crazy proposition, he’d treated me with respect as if I was the only girl in the world.

  I tried looking at my life decisions in the best way. I wanted to see the good in everything. I knew our state of affairs had its set of challenges. One. The deal. Our agreement was clear, and I was easily falling in love with him. Damage could be done to my heart, and I’d put myself in this position. But I chose to think about everything that could go right. What if, Josiah was the guy for me? I snickered and rolled to a sit inside my queen size bed. The other side was vacant, but I knew he was still around.

  I could smell breakfast cooking. I wiggled off the bed and landed on my feet, staggering. I almost lost my balance, and my vagina ached with a jubilant pain. My arm shot out to the bed’s post to steady myself. Josiah.

  I wanted to get to him, but I needed to shower first. The thought crossed my mind to ask him if he’d like to join. But the soreness between my thighs thought better of it. I wasn’t a regular when it came to sex. Honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been with someone. My past encounters were of meager flings and my high school boyfriend who was now an up and coming rapper. Who knew?

  I padded to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Because I was already naked, I grabbed a housecoat and hung it on the back of the door then stepped inside the dual shower. The warm water against my skin was numbing, and suddenly, I wished I had asked Josiah to accompany me. I stood under the fall of the showerhead and wondered if he would spend a little time here today. I was ready to take advantage of what each hour would bring, but not without him. Showering quickly, I washed, rinsed, and tied a towel around me not, wanting to keep Josiah waiting. After brushing my teeth and combing my hair, I wrapped myself in the housecoat and left the bathroom to make my way to the kitchen. I pulled my hair behind my ear and smiled as I entered.

  “Good morning,” I greeted.

  Josiah smiled up at me with a grin. “Good afternoon,” he countered.

  I glanced up at the clock on the wall.

  “So it is afternoon. Wow, I must have been exhausted.”

  “So it seems,” he said with a smirk. “I made us some breakfast. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “We’re having brunch?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Cool.”

  I floated up to him and offered him a half of a hug in which he pulled me into the embrace of a toasty cocoon.

  “Wassup with this half a hug, girl?”

  I placed both arms around his neck, and he absorbed me, brushing his lips on my face. His warmness laminated my skin, and I wanted to shed my house coat.

  “Showered without me, huh?”

  I gasped and pulled back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know if you’d want to get in or if you should,” I half spoke, and half whispered.

  Josiah gave me a questionable look.

  “Let’s make a deal,” he said.

  “Another one?” I shouted.

  He laughed, and I couldn’t help but chuckle with him.

  “Yes,” Josiah brought his hands to cup the sides of my face. “Another one,” he agreed. “We will never assume something about one another. If we have a question, we’ll just ask.”

  “Agreed,” I said.

  He bent down and kissed my lips, and I teetered on the edges of my toes to meet him halfway.

  “So, last night was—”

  “Incredible,” I shot out.

  An incredulous smile spread across his lips.

  “There are so many other words to describe it, but incredible is undeniably one of them,” he surmised.

  A flutter of warmth dissolved inside me, and I blushed, dropping my eyes from his.

  “Have a seat so I can serve you,” Josiah said.

  I perched a hip on the kitchenette barstool while he put a plate in front of me with scrambled eggs, diced hash browns, turkey bacon, and grits. On a separate smaller plate, he added, strawberries, mango and orange slices. A third plate held toast, waffles, and pancakes. My eyes grew at the enormity of what he’d prepared.

  “All of this is for me?”

  Josiah chuckled. “Have as much as you like. I know when we spent time in Houston, you ate a very hearty breakfast, so I figured you’d do the same now that you live here in Chicago.”

  “Did you just pleasantly call me fat?”

  Josiah tossed the hand towelette he’d been using down on the counter and strolled around to me. His arms circled my waist, and his mouth touched t
he outer reins of my earlobe.

  “I would never do such a thing. I love the way you eat. It’s sexy, and I need to make sure you keep these hips happy. Wouldn’t want you looking like a skeleton, now would we?”

  I guffawed as he nibbled against my cheeks, making me squirm. Josiah pulled back chuckling and went to claim his seat, pouring a glass of orange juice.

  “Would you like juice or water?”

  “Water for me,” I said.

  Josiah winked and poured me a glass of water. When his arms stretched across the table to grip my hands, I dropped my head instantly, knowing he wanted to pray over our food. I listened to his deep voice speak to God about blessings and guidance. His smooth vocals danced along my skin, and I silently asked God to forgive me if my mind slipped into the gutter. It was easy to do around Josiah.

  “Amen,” he ended.

  “Amen,” I agreed.

  We ate in silence for a minute, and this felt so ordinary. I’d never gotten so much pleasure out of a simple morning or afternoon brunch. But I knew it was the person who occupied this space with me that brought me the most joy. During our time in Houston, Josiah had been there for my every need. Even when there was nothing I wanted, he managed to have something for me. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, car service. He even had Norma, the woman who’d practically raised him to come up to help with things like dry cleaning and such. Norma was their housekeeper, but to them she was Nana. She’d been in the family’s household since their mother passed.

  Josiah hadn’t spoken much about his mother. From what he’d said, he was barely walking when the home invasion that took his mother’s life happened. But Norma was such a delight to be around, and she instantly grew on me. I pulled my sight from the hearty meal to Josiah’s angled face. Such strong features and a pristine contrast of brown skin.

  “This is good,” I said, speaking openly about the food but inwardly about everything else.

  “I think so, too. I’m glad you like it.” He winked.

  I smirked and shook my head. “Cocky much?”

  A full-on smile cast across his face. “Just a little,” he confessed.

  I giggled. “I wanted to ask you a question.”

  “Ask away,” he said.

  “How did you get here so fast last night?”

  Josiah sat his fork down, and his eyes traced over my face.

  “I’d been sitting out there for about ten minutes before you called.”

  This brought surprise to me.

  “But I checked for you a few minutes after coming inside, and you were gone.”

  Josiah was silent for a moment before he spoke again.

  “Yeah, I’d left but didn’t quite make it home.”

  “Oh,” I said, still wondering what made him come back.

  “Why did you call?” he asked.

  I took a sip of my water.

  “I, um, didn’t want to be alone.” It came out as if I was bored, and needed company, so I rephrased my statement. “I mean, I wanted you to stay.”

  I took another strand of hair behind my ear.

  “Why didn’t you say that before I left?”

  I watched him pick up his O.J. and take a gulp.

  “I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t sure what I wanted at the time.”

  “You weren’t sure?”

  “I mean. Well… I was, but I didn’t know if asking you to stay was the right move with us pretending to be a couple. You know I’d hate for something silly to happen like, me thinking you care about me when we’ve both agreed to pretend to be a couple in public.”

  I was beginning to ramble. It only happened when I was nervous, and I was no friend to anxiety.

  “But I do care for you, Santana. Very much.”

  A thrill of pleasure ran through me, and my nerves jumped to the edge. I smiled. “I care about you, too, Josiah.” I reached for my water again, needing to quench the rising heat that sat in my belly. After getting a new sip, I sat my glass back down.

  “When was the last time you’ve been in a relationship if you don’t mind me asking?”

  Josiah smiled at me and his tongue move inside his mouth. “You should’ve asked me that before you agreed to become my wife.”

  A torching heat covered me, and my brows shot up. Using those words rattled me in more ways than one. I laughed it off, but the sound held nervousness.

  “You’re right about that,” I said.

  “It’s too late. You’ll be Mrs. Josiah Alexander Rose in no time.”

  More heat sheltered me. Josiah didn’t have an issue making jokes about being married, but I was beginning to think I’d screwed up. What forced me to think I could pretend to be his wife? I must be crazy. My silence made him reach out to me.

  “Hey, everything okay?”

  I must’ve drifted off into space because I was no longer smiling but looking off into the distance.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “What are your plans for today?”

  Josiah pulled back, readjusting his posture as he sat upright.

  “I’ve got a meeting with Samantha Lean, my father’s assistant. I told him that I had signed the papers to his agreement, but I haven’t. I need to get it done so she can quit blowing my phone up. Afterwards, I plan on going into the dealership. It’s interesting though—I feel like doing none of those things.”

  “What do you feel like doing?”

  He held me under an intense stare before I realized I was holding my breath.

  “What are your plans today, Santana?”

  I shrugged and bit down on the corner of my lip. “I’m on leave at work, so I’ll probably just hang out and watch a couple of movies. You’re welcomed to join me if you don’t think it would bore you to death.”

  “I don’t think doing anything with you would bore me,” he said.

  “Aww, that’s so sweet,” I crooned, batting my eyes at him.

  He traced his upper lip with his tongue. “You know you’re sexy when you do that.”

  “What, this?” I bat my eyes again, and a rumble fled from him. Josiah moved from his seat, making it around the table to me in a flash and scooping me up in his arms.

  “Come here, girl, what are you trying to do to me?”

  I squealed. “Make you fall in love,” I said.

  His movements slowed, and his hand scurried across my cheek as he got an in-depth look at my features.

  “Is that right…” he said.

  “It’s my job. Our love has to appear natural when we’re in front of others.”

  I’d uttered that out trying to cover for blurting my previous statement. A mind was a terrible thing to waste, and I’d let my thoughts spill out of my mouth. How gullible, Santana. My latest statement didn’t seem to show favor on him. For a split second, his face fell, but then he recovered.

  “So, are you making a list or something?” he asked.

  “A list?”

  “Of things to do that will make me fall in love with you or appear to be,” he revised.

  I puckered my lips. “Not a physical list. I have a good memory, so the more you tell me about things you like, the more often I can practice them in public, so your response is genuine.”

  “You’ve figured this whole thing out, haven’t you?”

  “Since I’m the one who proposed this crazy agreement, I need to make sure it’s properly executed, don’t you think?”

  Josiah watched me for a long moment and the warmth of his skin laid against mine in a subtle rest. He agreed with a nod of his head before releasing me to gather my empty plate and take it to the sink.

  “You don’t have to wash those. Where I come from, the person who cooks get to take a load off while the others wash dishes.”

  “That’s a nice tradition,” Josiah commented, “but where I come from, we all give a helping hand in cleaning the kitchen whether we eat or not. Would you like to help me, Santana?”

  I smiled. “Sure.” As I settled next to him, we moved quietly but in sync with him
washing and me rinsing. From time to time, our hips would bump from our proximity, and then he’d purposefully stick a carved hip out to throw me off-balance. I’d laugh and sprinkle him with water, and he’d toss a splash at me. When we were done, I couldn’t help myself. I grabbed a cup from the dish drain and filled it quickly with the soapy suds and tossed it at his chest. Immediately, I dropped the cup and took off running.

  As I ran, a squeal shrieked out, and I slid around the kitchen table to flee into the living room. Josiah caught me before I made it to the couch and his fingers tickled my sides as I coughed up a thread of giggles.

  “Un huh,” he said as his tickle torture continued. “I’ve got you now.”

  My head fell back, and my laughter grew as tears fell from the corners of my eyes. I tried urgently to escape him, but it was no use.

  “Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” I laughed. “Please, Josiah!”

  We fell into the couch, and his hands circled my waist, pulling me against his solid frame. I straddled his lap and reached for his fingers to make sure he wouldn’t go to tickle war on me again. Our laughter died down, and our eyes met as we both felt the electric warmth pulse around us. Josiah’s eyes dropped to my robe. I glanced down and found it partially open with a sample of cleavage on display. When I looked back to him, the dark glow in his eyes held me captive. Slowly, his hands moved to untie the loosened belt, opening it further to reveal more of my bare skin. Josiah’s nostrils flared at the sight of my breasts, and he leaned forward to suck in a distended nipple.

  “Mmmm, Josiah…” I moaned with my hands clasping the sides of his head. Strong arms tightened around me as the robe hung off my bare shoulders in a heap around my waist. The pleasure of his tongue sucking my breasts sent a riveting heat on a rampage to my center.

  “Ssssss, aaah! Baby…” I crooned, my vagina walls pulsating with the energy around us.