Sultry Storm (Kimani Romance)

by Norfleet, Celeste O.

  Stroking her throbbing nub with his tongue, he ravaged and worshipped her body with unrestrained fervor. Her legs quivered uncontrollably. No one could possibly endure such intense pleasure at one time. She heard her own shrieks of pleasure building inside as her climax inched closer to the pinnacle. His gentle licking and lustful sucking stoked her closer and closer to the edge. Then at last she reached a climax so fierce she feared her rigid body would shatter in pieces. But he didn’t stop. His hands covered her breasts, tweaking her hardened nipples as she came again and again, trembling, shaking, shuddering, quivering and writhing in mind-blowing pleasure.

  She held her breath as her heart pounded, ready to explode. She couldn’t think or speak. All she could do was lie there and want him more. “Stephen,” she muttered, “Stephen.”

  Mia opened her eyes. Stephen was there kneeling, but he hadn’t even touched her. She was dreaming. He leaned over and instantly took her mouth in heated possession, filling her quickly. Breathlessly she obliged, readily filling his with her searching tongue. When the kiss ended she was breathlessly exhausted. “Stephen,” she panted, with bated breath. “I thought you were…”

  “That must have been some dream,” he said, smiling easily.

  Mia closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “It was.”

  “Are you okay?” he asked, softly stroking her bare arms.

  She sleepily half smiled. “I’m blissfully confused. I’ve never had a dream that vivid before. It was so real.”

  He returned her sly smile with one of his own. “Looks like I got here just in time. I specialize in the blissfully confused.”

  “Do you really?” she asked. He nodded then kissed her hand. She smiled happily. “Deputy Sheriff Esteban Morales.” When he tilted his head curiously, she told him, “my sister looked you up on the Internet, plus there was also a nice article about you in the newspaper yesterday.”

  “I forgot all about that.”

  “Esteban,” she repeated. “I like it. So what should I call you, Stephen or Esteban?”

  “Call me yours.”

  She smiled. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Love me,” he said plainly.

  She saw the truth and sincerity in his eyes as a fire burned deep in her own heart, one she had never felt burning before. It certainly hadn’t burned for Neal. She understood instantly. Stephen wasn’t joking. He wanted her to love him. She reached out and touched his face gently. “I don’t even know you.”

  “Yes, you do, better than you think.”

  Mia nodded. On some level he was right. It was as if she’d known him all her life. In just hours she felt a connection so deep, so strong and intense that it seemed to overpower time itself. Her mind told her one thing, but her heart compelled her to another. This man had been created for her. He was meant to love her, protect her and honor her. She was filled with sudden warmth that quickly turned to heated desire. “Make love to me, Esteban.”

  “We need to talk first. There are things you need to know.”

  “Okay, so tell me later,” she said, as she began unbuttoning his shirt. When she finished she pulled the hem out of his pants then began undoing his belt. The heaviness of his gun weighed it down instantly. She moved it aside and began unfastening and unzipping his pants. Her nimble fingers brushed against his arousal. He jerked back, grabbing her hands and holding her still. “Mia, I need to tell you this.”

  “After.”

  “No, now,” he insisted.

  “Now?” she questioned, sure he would change his mind. “Are you sure?” He nodded decisively, releasing her. She reached up and began unbuttoning her dress. “I read chapter fourteen,” she purred. When the last button was undone, she stood before him and opened her long dress, completely naked. She saw him close his eyes, clearly weakening. “Are you sure?” she asked him again.

  Stephen grabbed her hips and brought her body to his face. His hands gripped her buttocks, squeezing and rubbing her. He inhaled deep, filling his lungs with the scent of her essence. His body was too hard and his love for her too wanting. They both knew that making love was a foregone conclusion, but he wanted to take it slow and savor every second, every inch of her. He had no idea how he’d manage when he wanted her so bad.

  He kissed her stomach possessively, passionately, sealing the fate they both knew wouldn’t be ignored. She belonged to him and he belonged to her. As fiery passion consumed them, his passion deepened, taking her to the place she longed to be. He reached up to caress her breasts. She covered his hands and massaged her breasts along with him. “Mia.”

  “Esteban, I want you to feel me and taste me,” she said, smiling brazenly down at him. He grabbed her hips and sat her down, then opened her legs wide. He smiled like a man given a glimpse of heaven. His mouth came down to cover her. She closed her eyes, held his neck and leaned her head back, biting her nails into his shoulders, waiting for his love to come to her. It did. In blinding climax, over and over again. In lustful passion that took her to that wonderful place he promised.

  Afterward, they lay together on the sofa, his shirt still open as well as her dress. He held her tight, stroking her arm and back, occasionally kissing the top of her head. “How do I get you out of my system?” he asked, almost rhetorically.

  “You don’t,” she said, smiling to herself.

  Chapter 12

  Stephen woke up and reached out for Mia. She wasn’t there. He instantly sat straight up and looked around the living room. It was dark. They’d fallen asleep on the sofa, but now she was gone. “Mia,” Stephen called out.

  “Up here,” she yelled down.

  He grabbed a flashlight and hurried up to the attic finding her lifting a plank of wood. “What are you doing?” he asked, hurrying over to help her. She knelt down to a wooden box, opened the lid and looked inside. Although the room was illuminated by a portable lamp, he held the flashlight directly above her.

  “I just remembered my dad jury-rigging this system years ago. I forgot all about it. It’s supposed to be self-sustaining especially in high winds. The stronger the outside wind, the more the air circulates inside. It’s like a jacked-up windmill. Hot air escapes as hurricane winds increase. The thing is, you can’t open it too wide or for too long or the strong winds will tear the roof off.” She pushed the last panel to the side and instantly a cool breeze hit them. “Hey, it works,” she rejoiced, proud of her accomplishment. “Perfect.” The makeshift system made an instant impact.

  “Wow, that’s amazing,” Stephen said, standing. “I had no idea Leo was an inventor.”

  She recovered the system then looked up. Stephen held his hand out to help her stand. She grasped it and was quickly whisked into his arms. They stood close until he released her. “My dad called himself a modern-day Renaissance man.”

  Stephen smiled. “Yeah, I remember that phrase well.”

  A moment of reflection passed over them. Mia smiled thinking of all the things her father had done. Then feeling remorseful, she turned and walked away. “So Natalia’s your cousin, huh?” Mia began.

  Stephen nodded. “Our mothers are sisters.”

  “She seems nice. She knows a lot about the local goings on. What does she do here?”

  “She’s a deputy sheriff like me, and our own resident social worker and psychologist.”

  “Impressive, and her husband doesn’t mind what she does for a living?”

  “She’s not married.”

  “Oh, sorry, I just assumed…”

  “Because she’s pregnant?” he asked. Mia nodded. “Family is very important to Natalia, to all of us. She decided that the special man she wanted in her life didn’t exist, so she chose to start a family alone. She visited a sperm bank on the West Coast and came back pregnant, twice.”

  “Twice? You mean she’s having twins?”

  “No, she already has a son, Brice, who’s two years old. She’s expecting a second child with the same sperm donor. She wanted her children to be truly bloo
d-related.”

  “So the donor doesn’t know who she is or that he has two sons?”

  “No, she bought the sperm outright. She didn’t want any legal problems with the donor later.”

  “You mean problems like him wanting his sons?” she asked. He nodded. “Why would he, I mean if he donated his sperm, then that’s it, right?”

  “Not necessarily. There are always loopholes. By purchasing the sperm she’s able to sure up as many as possible.”

  “When you say it like that it sounds so clinical. But still she’s an amazing woman with a lot of courage.”

  “Actually she’s a pain, but that’s a whole other story.”

  Mia laughed as her stomach growled. “Oops, I think I’m starved. Are you hungry?” she asked.

  “Not necessarily for food,” he said, reaching out, grabbing her and pulling her close. She batted his hand away playfully.

  “I’m gonna find us something to eat. I went to the grocery store earlier and got some canned food.”

  “I have a better idea. How about a lobster feast?”

  “Don’t play with me. I just told you I’m starved.”

  “Come on, dinner should be just about ready.” He took her hand and she followed him downstairs then outside. The weather was still horrible with heavy rains, thunder rumbles and high gusting winds.

  “There’s no way I’m going out to dinner in that mess.”

  “We won’t have to,” he said. The cooler he expected to be beside the door was there safe and secure. He grabbed the handles and brought it inside to the kitchen. Mia followed, squealing like a kid at Christmas ready to open her first present.

  He opened the lid. Inside were two sides of the insulated cooler, one hot and one cold. Stephen opened the hot side and pulled out two large cooked Maine lobsters, steaming hot corn on the cob and baby new potatoes. From the cold side he pulled out jumbo shrimp cocktail and two slices of key lime pie.

  Mia laughed with delight. “I can’t believe it. Where did you get this?”

  “A friend of mine owns a nightclub. He has connections, and then another friend dropped it off at the door.”

  “They must be really good friends,” Mia said.

  “The best. We’re like brothers. We all went to the University of Miami together,” he said.

  She popped the cork on the bottle of wine she’d opened earlier and then grabbed two plastic cups, plates and a bunch of napkins. “Where shall we eat?” she asked.

  The choice was simple. The house was like an oven everywhere except in the attic where the wooden slats filtered in a refreshing hurricane breeze. Mia spread a blanket and sheet on her father’s old desk. They pulled up a couple of chairs and enjoyed their feast. Afterward, they sat talking and sipping wine.

  “You have to thank your friend,” Mia said. “This meal was delicious.”

  “I’ll pass it on. I’m sure Lucas and the Holy Terror would appreciate the compliment.”

  “The Holy Terror, as in the DJ on WLCK? He’s your friend?” She thought for a moment. “Oh, right! I heard him give you a shout-out on the radio.”

  Stephen nodded. “Yeah, Terrence Jeffries and Lucas McCoy are my best friends from college.”

  “Wow, Terrence’s career on the gridiron is legendary. How many times was he in the Super Bowl?”

  Stephen chuckled. “Wait, you’re a football fan?”

  “Are you kidding? I’m a huge football fan, thanks to my dad. During the season Dad and I would call each other and talk the entire game. Before unlimited calling, the long-distance phone bills were insane. When I was a teenager, I remember my grandmother threatening to send me to stay with him during the season just so we’d stop killing her phone bill.” She laughed, and Stephen joined in.

  “You two must have been scary.”

  “We were, believe me. It’s funny that we only called each other during football games.”

  “You didn’t communicate anytime except then?” he asked.

  “We did. We just didn’t call. We wrote letters. Every week or so a letter would come. I have hundreds and hundreds of letters. It was our thing—we wrote to each other. When I was young I couldn’t wait until the mailman arrived. I knew there’d be a letter for me from my dad.”

  “That’s pretty cool. It explains a lot.”

  “So, what about your friend Lucas McCoy? How does he fit in all this?” she said.

  “Lucas delivered the cooler.”

  “In this weather, please thank him for me.”

  “I will, if I can catch up with him,” Stephen said, shaking his head woefully. “The man has a huge heart. I hate to see him go down like this. People take advantage of him, specifically his fiancée from New York. At least once a month she promises to visit, but she never comes. I don’t know how he puts up with it.”

  “Maybe he just loves her,” Mia said.

  “Maybe once, but I don’t think so anymore. We’ll see.”

  “I can relate to your friend. Thinking you’re in love can make you do all kinds of stupid stuff, believe the wrong things, trust the wrong people. You give your heart and watch someone else break it with lies. I gave up on love.”

  “Don’t give up on love, Mia. It’ll never give up on you. You have to believe that or none of this will ever matter. Love doesn’t pretend or fool you. Love is trust, understanding and forgiveness. Most importantly, love is unconditional. Sometimes things happen for reasons we don’t see or understand. Afterward we learn lessons, and then we’re able to move on. Don’t give up.” He seemed to almost plead his case.

  She nodded, feeling his words sink deep into her heart. “So,” she offered, sensing a change in the conversation was needed, “tell me about little Esteban growing up in Miami.”

  “I have a better idea. You tell me about Mia growing up here.”

  Mia smiled happily. “Summers here with my dad were the best times of my life. They were magical. I usually came down for about six or eight weeks. He’d have every day planned out. We’d go fishing, or snorkeling, or go to baseball games, or play tennis. Sometimes we’d just go to the movies or walk on the beach collecting seashells.”

  She laughed out loud. “Oh man, I remember this one time we were walking on the beach early in the morning and I saw this beautiful rock on the sand. It was amber, smooth and frosted. Dad told me it was a mermaid’s tear. I was young, so I believed him. For years I collected mermaid’s tears. I found them in all colors, blue, green, amber and even clear. Once I even found a red one, although I still think my dad planted if for me to find. Red ones are extremely rare. Anyway, it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I found out that they were just regular broken glass pieces tumbled and smoothed by the ocean and sand.”

  “Sea glass,” he said.

  She nodded. “Yeah, that’s right. Dad kept my jar of sea glass for years. Every summer I’d come back and start collecting all over again. There must have been a hundred pieces in that jar. One year Dad and I actually made a mermaid’s tears necklace. I wore it that whole summer.” She sighed dreamingly. “I loved that necklace, maybe more because we made it together. Anyway, the necklace broke one winter and I never made another one. The last time I was here, a few years ago, my jar was still sitting in the living room. It’s gone now. I guess he got rid of it.”

  “Leo saved everything. I’m sure it’s safe.”

  She shook her head sadly. “I looked. It’s not here.” She looked around and sighed. “I’m really gonna miss this place.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I came down to save it, though now it’s probably too late. The bank’s already foreclosing on it.”

  “It’s not too late.”

  She nodded slowly. “I was told when they called that someone’s already put a bid on it. I don’t have the kind of money to give the bank to pay it off and I’m not asking my family for it.”

  “The house will be safe, just like your mermaid’s tears.”

  “No, and maybe that’s how this sto
ry is supposed to end. See, Dad and I argued a couple of years ago. We didn’t agree on something and our relationship just drifted apart. No, that’s not true. I let it drift apart. He called, but I wouldn’t pick up. I was so angry at him. I was stubborn, just like him,” she said softly. “I was stupid and he just stopped calling. I know I should have been here, but I—” She stopped as her voice was getting choked up.

  “Mia, I told you, Leo understood. He loved you so much.”

  “No, you don’t understand. He called me,” she whispered, thickly. “It was…I guess a few days before he died. I didn’t take his call. Now I just keep seeing him here alone. It hurts so much inside.” She bowed her head tearfully.

  Stephen wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. “He wasn’t alone. I was here when he died. His last words were for you. He loved you fiercely and wanted you to know that he was wrong.”

  “No, that’s just it. He was right all along. I should have listened to him. Now it’s too late. I’m so sorry. I’m just so sorry.”

  Stephen held her tight and rocked her gently, feeling her pain and reliving his own. “You are so blessed to have had Leo as your father. He was the kind of dad I dreamed of having growing up, someone to hang with and just know that I was alive. My mother was there, and my sisters, but it wasn’t the same. She was great, fantastic, but she wasn’t my father.

  “Meeting Leo made me realize what fatherhood is supposed to be. Just listening to the stories he told about you made me know what kind of father I want to be and what kind of man I am.”

  She sat up. “This isn’t fair. You know so much about me, but I don’t know anything about you.”