They moved together and apart, panting, whispering each other’s names. Zuria peered over her shoulder, and Fane captured her lips. He curled his big body over hers, consuming her with his presence and his amazing touch. She gave into his lovemaking, wanting it to never stop.
His tongue glided into her mouth and swept the interior. Zuria sucked on it and then moved to his bottom lip. Fane threw an arm around her shoulders and across her breasts. He drew her back to his chest and quickened his pace. He pounded his big cock into her pussy over and over. The sounds of her come as he invaded drove her wild. She went up to her toes and arched as hard as she could to accommodate him. Fane pounded his tool home, and she lost track of his mouth because all strength left her body. Her head bobbed onto his shoulder, and she was at his mercy. He claimed her repeatedly, whispering dirty things in her ear. A tightening started in her belly, spread to her clit, and deep inside her, a strong sensation, a climax that threatened to take everything.
“Fane, I—” She didn’t even get to finish the sentence when the orgasm hit. The sensation was so strong and all-consuming. Her cry of ecstasy was silent, with her mouth open but no sound. Vibrations ricocheted throughout her body, and goose bumps rose on her skin. Fane stoked the inferno by reaching around to rub her clit with the tips to two fingers. She clenched her teeth together, and an aftershock shook her. All the while he kept pumping into her, but when her climax eased, he stilled and emptied himself inside her.
He took his time pulling out, and Zuria stumbled to the bed. She fell over facedown and clutched the sheets in her fists. Fane walked into the bathroom but returned soon after and lay full out on top of her. He covered her hands with his, and his lips brushed her cheek.
“Turn your head before you suffocate,” he said, amusement in his tone.
She did and looked at him. Wow, he was good. Not that he had moves fantastically different from her former lovers. Okay, he does have a big dick. That wasn’t it. The deal was how her body responded to him, and maybe some of Fane’s personality itself. He didn’t hold back. He never let expectations define him and what he did. She didn’t want to admit it, but she liked that level of freedom even if it came off as irresponsible. The obligations and bonds others tended to place on a person just slipped off of Fane.
He smoothed a thumb over her forehead. “You’re thinking too hard.”
She shook the thoughts from her head. “Are you going to lay on top of me all day?”
He nudged her knees apart, and to her surprise his hard cock slipped into her pussy. “Not all day.”
She moaned, and soon they lost themselves in another session of hot sex that lasted until Sam called to demand they bring themselves in to work before he came to find them. After that embarrassing call, Zuria slunk into the shop, head down, hiding behind sunglasses and knowing by the dull murmur that filled the coffee shop and the people who made damn sure she waved hello to them, that everyone knew what she had been up to and with who.
****
Zuria stood behind the coffee shop counter studying a recipe Sam had written down for her. She glanced up to find her brother helping another customer. She’d always happily helped Sam and Fane with the shop, like running the cash register, sweeping up, even pouring batter Sam had already mixed, but she had never actually made coffee since it wasn’t a preference. She enjoyed cold drinks year around, and the flavor of the bean on her tongue was not a good thing.
Fane moved behind her, standing too close. “Mm, what have we here?” he said and nabbed the recipe.
“Hey!” She swiped at the sheet of paper, but he held it out of reach.
“You don’t need this.” He rolled the note into a ball and tossed it into the trash.
“Fane,” she grumbled.
He grinned, so sexy she wanted to eat him up right there in the coffee shop. The glint in his gaze said he knew just what was on her mind. “Let’s keep our minds on the job, shall we?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You’re one to talk.”
“I’ll help you.” He whispered the ingredients into her ear, sending chills of delight up and down her spine. Her face warmed at his nearness, and she could feel everyone’s eyes on the two of them. When she dared to peek up between her lashes, she caught an angry glare from Dixie, who was ignoring the customer trying to get her attention. Okay, that wasn’t so bad, Zuria decided, but she skimmed past the knowing glances from others.
“First the steamed milk and vanilla syrup,” Fane said, gently guiding her hands as if she’d never poured milk into a mug. “Foam, espresso. Careful with the caramel. You want to do a wave pattern.”
She marveled at the finished product. “Wait, that was easier than I thought. Why was I all nervous?”
He shrugged, and she eyeballed him.
“Who would have thought you actually knew how to do it?” she added, and he looked affronted. She laughed, and he started to sweep her into his arms, but she zipped away to set the coffee before the customer and started another order. All day they worked together, Fane teaching her how to make each order and where to find the ingredients. At the end of the day, he whispered in her ear that he wanted her in his bed that night, but late because he had something to take care of. She pretended to consider it. When he strode into the office with Sam to discuss business, she cleaned up the shop, washing dishes and cleaning off counters.
“If you think he cares about you, you’re wrong,” Dixie said, coming around the counter.
Zuria eyed the woman in disgust. “You don’t know when to give up, do you? He certainly doesn’t want you, Dixie Ann. Have a sense of pride in yourself and stop chasing him.”
Dixie smirked and leaned a narrow hip against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “Fane will never be faithful. You know how I know?”
Zuria sighed and decided not to respond. That didn’t stop the woman.
“Fane asked to come over my house later,” Dixie admitted. “I’m cooking him dinner.”
“You mean ordering it, don’t you?”
“Same difference,” Dixie snapped. “Either way, he’s coming, and I guarantee you he won’t leave before morning.”
Zuria threw down the dishtowel she held and faced Dixie. “I thought it disgusted you that he slept with me.”
Dixie waved her hand. “I decided to forgive him for messing around with you. I mean he’s only a man, and I understand his needs. I don’t care if he sleeps with other women as long as he comes home to me. And I do mean home. It’s just a matter of time.”
“You’re delusional.”
Dixie gaped. “You don’t think he’ll marry you, do you?”
Zuria cringed from the notion, the memory of her failed marriage too fresh. “Fane isn’t the marrying kind. I know that. You should know it. We’re just having some fun.”
“That’s because you’re not the right woman for him.” She put a hand on her hip and looked Zuria up and down. “Since you left, you’re different. You came back with the stench of the city on you. Us small town folks aren’t good enough for the likes of you.”
Zuria held up a finger. “I think you better watch what you say to me, Dixie Ann, before you get yourself in trouble. I don’t think of myself as better or lesser than anyone, no matter where they come from.” She thought about it and realized it was true. She had tried to separate herself from her beginnings, as if it somehow made her better or more important to live in the city. That just wasn’t true. Good and bad people lived all over, and the city no longer held its appeal. What she wanted—well, she wasn’t sure what she wanted, whether it was to stay in Aves or to move away again. What she decided was to take one day at a time and enjoy the present to its fullest.
“Anyway,” Dixie said, seeming a little nervous at Zuria’s warning, “I figure you use protection, and after tonight, he’ll be back with me.”
Protection. Oh hell! Zuria schooled her face, remembering she and Fane hadn’t used protection last night nor that morning before coming to wo
rk. Neither of them had even thought of it. She had gone off the pill when Richard stopped touching her because she hated the side effects. With a suppressed moan, she recalled several instances when Fane had come inside her, not even trying to stem his release.
“Whatever, Dixie Ann,” Zuria said, covering her alarm. “You do you and leave me alone.”
Dixie made a rude noise and flounced out of the coffee shop. Zuria waited on the first floor until Fane stepped from the office. He walked around the counter to where she stood and dragged her into his arms. The kiss he settled on her lips made her head spin and her breath catch in her chest. She forced heavy lids open when he raised his head.
“So, I’ll see you later?” he said.
She hesitated. “What do you have going on?”
He seemed just as reticent to tell her, which raised her red flags. Then she recalled him telling her she needed to trust him. Would Fane admit to sleeping with other women if he wasn’t done with her, knowing she’d drop him in a heartbeat?
“Taking care of something,” he said in the end. “I won’t be too late.”
She pursed her lips. “Why don’t I call you if I’m available? I was thinking of looking into going back to school. The evening is the best time to do some Internet research.”
His eyes widened, and he smiled. “That’s a great idea. School’s not my thing, so I won’t be joining you. Probably shouldn’t ask for help with homework.”
“Don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on it,” she snarked, and he swatted her ass. She freed herself from his embrace and put distance between them. Fane didn’t pursue her as she strode toward the stockroom.
“Hey,” he called out, and she stopped and glanced back at him. “We weren’t careful. When I pick you up, we’ll talk.”
She blinked at him. First of all, he had said “when”, and second, he wanted to discuss their mistake of not using a condom. His tone hadn’t been accusing. In fact, she could read nothing at all into the words. As she stood there trying to think of a response, he winked, spun away, and disappeared through the door, the bell over it jingling merrily. Another few minutes passed before she roused herself and prepared to head up to Sam’s apartment.
Chapter Five
The hour grew late, and Zuria found herself looking at the clock for the umpteenth time. Eleven thirty, and still Fane hadn’t called. She hated herself for even giving that bastard a chance. She should have known better, and why the hell was she waiting up for him? Even if he showed now, she wouldn’t answer the door. He could stand out on the street until the sun rose for all she cared.
Unable to sleep, she headed out of her bedroom intent on making a hot cup of tea with something stronger in it. Alcohol would knock her out. Maybe she wouldn’t even hear Fane if he stopped by or called. Serve him right.
She paused in the living room and frowned. Sam hadn’t come upstairs from his office. She knew he hadn’t gone out because if there was anyone unsociable, it was her brother. The man had to get up before the crack of dawn. She’d better see what kept him.
When Zuria made it to the ground floor, the lights in the shop were out, and as far as she could tell, the front door was locked tight. That left his office. She headed that way and noticed the light under his door. The office lay empty. She started to turn away, but paused when she spotted a shock of white-blond hair sticking out from behind the desk, near the floor.
“Sam!”
She darted across the room and fell to her knees. Her brother lay crumpled on his side, eyes closed, a grimace on his face as if he were in pain, but it was clear he was unconscious. Had he hit his head? Had someone attacked him? Fear knotted her stomach, and tears sprang to her eyes.
“Sam, can you hear me? Sam!” She called his name over and over and touched his shoulder. As far as she could see, there was no blood, and a quick search with fingers through his hair uncovered no bumps.
She spun to reach for the phone on his desk and heard ringing in Sam’s pocket. His cell phone. She dug it out and saw Fane’s name flash on the screen. After stabbing the connect button, she shouted and sobbed into the receiver.
“Something’s wrong with Sam. I can’t get him to wake up. I’m going to call 911.”
“No,” Fane said. “I’m on my way.”
“What do you mean no? He needs a doctor, Fane.”
“Sam hates hospitals and doctors. Just wait for me. I promise if he needs to go, I’ll take him myself, but let me look at him.”
She prepared to cuss him out, but his calm yet hurried tone somehow helped her to rein in her emotions.
“I will be there in five. Is he breathing?”
Her brother’s chest rose and fell slowly. “Yes.”
She checked his pulse, and to her surprise, it was pretty steady. After relaying the information to Fane, she stood to snatch a throw pillow off the loveseat nearby and placed it under her brother’s head. As soon as she did, pale eyes opened and stared up at her.
“Zuria.”
“Don’t ‘Zuria’ me,” she scolded him. “You’re on the floor, Sam. I’m calling an ambulance.”
“No. Where’s Fane?”
“Fane’s not a doctor, damn it.”
He gave a weak smile. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
She shook her head. “No way. I’ll let a doctor tell me that.” She helped him sit up and get to his chair to sit down. “I’m going to go get your truck. You don’t move.”
She grabbed his keys from the desk and was about to run out when Fane appeared in the doorway and blocked her path. His hair ruffled and his shirt misbuttoned, he held his jacket in his hand, and a tight expression on his face. Zuria darted back a step when he would have reached to steady her. Her mouth fell open and eyes widened. Fane frowned at her. They both knew what she gathered from his state of dress, but she was too worried about her brother to even give Fane the time of day.
“Later,” he said and turned his attention away from her to Sam. “I warned you, Sam.”
Zuria spun toward her brother. “Warned him about what?”
The two men looked at each other, Sam looking like he passed a silent message on to Fane to shut his mouth. Zuria felt like an outsider. Sam was still pale, and he hadn’t spoken since she helped him to the chair.
Fane tossed his jacket on the loveseat and touched knuckles to Sam’s forehead. “He’s working nonstop. He needs to take some time off.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Whose fault is that? If you were here more…”
Fane eyed her but didn’t argue. To be fair, ever since she arrived, Fane had been faithful to work early. One would almost think he did so to see her before she was sleeping at his house, but then there was also the stress of them possibly losing the shop. She had complicated matters by becoming a financial burden on Sam as well. Her heart ached to know she might be more the cause of her brother overworking.
She rushed over to Fane’s side. “Sam, you have to take care of yourself. On my breaks, I’ll go and look for work so I can take care of myself. Meanwhile, I’m decent with numbers. I can help with the books and take on more of the cleanup. If you teach me, I can even do some of the baking.”
“No,” he said.
She glared at him. “Don’t be stubborn.”
“Leave him to me,” Fane said, and he hauled Sam up from the chair. “He just needs some rest. He will be taking a few days off, won’t you, buddy?”
Sam didn’t answer, but Fane’s tone brooked no argument. Zuria was left to follow the two to the second floor, and Fane dropped Sam on the bed in his room. After she had gotten her brother stripped to his boxers and covered him with a sheet, Fane herded her out of the room.
“Now, you and me,” he began.
She affected a yawn. “I’m really exhausted. Please leave.”
“Zuria.”
“It’s after midnight.”
He studied her face. She turned away and realized she wore only her nightgown. She’d been about to rush her brother to t
he hospital barefoot and naked beneath her nightie. The town would have been lit up with the news. She headed into her room and climbed into bed, ignoring Fane. A twist of the knob on the lamp plunged the room into darkness, and heard Fane sigh.
“I have to take care of something, or I would make you listen,” he said from the doorway. “Just know…nothing happened tonight, Zuria. I want you to trust me.”
“Good night, Fane.”
He stood in the darkness a little longer and then left. She spent the next few hours trying her best to fall asleep. Not until four in the morning did the blessed relief of Neverland claim her.
****
Zuria had little time to learn all the intricacies of making coffee. She relied on Fane even while she ignored the man. With customers coming and going, all she could do was hang on and hope for the best. Between baking simple recipes of cakes and other pastries, as well as helping out at the front of the shop, she barely had time to catch her breath, let alone worry about her love life. Sam had disappeared. Well, not exactly disappeared, as Fane had told her he’d arranged for Sam to spend a few days in a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. Zuria couldn’t believe how fast everything had been organized, and that it had been done while she’d been sleeping, but Fane assured her Sam had done so last year and come home the better for it. He’d just put off the trip when she arrived.
“But what if he collapses again and we’re not there?” she had worried.
“He’s going to check in regularly. Besides, I have a friend out that way that has agreed to look in on him.”
She had accepted that he thought of everything, and willed her brother to rest all he could. That left the two of them and Dixie to hold down the fort, which she had no problem doing. The problem came with Ms. Thing, Dixie Ann. She had shown up the next morning looking self-satisfied, and Zuria imagined what the woman had to be happy about. She had obviously scored.
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