“I thought you had gotten caught up with Jade or something. She’s good for you, James,” she said.
“What makes you say that?” he asked as he stepped off the stepladder.
“I haven’t seen you smile this much in years. That’s a beautiful thing when someone can touch your heart in that way.”
“Jade is special. Who knew this was going to turn out like this?”
“So, will there be wedding bells soon?”
James shook his head and laughed. “Why do you married women feel that it is your duty to marry off every single person within a ten-mile radius of you?”
“Whatever,” Kenya said, then tossed a balloon at him. “I just want you to be as happy as I am.”
“Well, marriage is not on my radar right now. And thankfully, Jade isn’t one of those ‘marry me now’ women. We’re taking our time and getting to know each other. There’s no dash to the altar.”
Kenya shrugged her shoulders. “If you say so. She is coming tonight, right?”
“Yes. Speaking of tonight, I got to go get the baby cake,” James said as he made a dash for the door. “Don’t try and hang anything else until I get back.”
Kenya offered up a mock salute and continued blowing up balloons.
As soon as James got into the car, his cell phone rang. Grabbing the phone, he knew it was Jade before he said hello.
“I’m running late,” she said.
“Where are you?”
“Greenville. I meant to be there before now, because I have a surprise for you.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Why would I tell you now?” she stated. “It sort of defeats the purpose of a surprise.”
“You have a smart mouth for someone that needs a place to stay,” he joked.
“Trust me, you’re going to be more than willing to open your home and more to me.”
“This must be one hell of a surprise.”
Jade laughed. “Do you want me to meet you at your house or ... Where is the party?”
“The Blake Hotel. Meet me at my house. I’m going to get Kenya’s surprise cake for Mo. Then I’ll be home waiting for you.”
“All right. I’ll see you in a little bit,” she said.
James couldn’t get to the bakery fast enough. He wanted to make sure he dropped the cake off with his sister-in-law because he had the feeling that he was going to be late for the party.
About two hours later, after the baby cake was hidden and the ballroom decorated with silver and blue balloons, streamers, and banners, James arrived at his house at the same time Jade did.
He rose from the car and waited for Jade to exit hers. When she got out, James drank in her divine image, loving the short leather dress that she wore. The knee-high red boots set the black outfit off perfectly.
“Wow,” he said. “I certainly hope you didn’t stop on the way here.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because some man is somewhere having a hell of a fantasy about those legs, those boots, and this,” James said as he pulled Jade against his body. He kissed her hard and deep. He cupped her round bottom, slipping his hand underneath her dress. He felt the silkiness of her skin and realized that she was wearing a thong. A shiver ran up his spine and caused his manhood to spring forward.
Jade stepped back from him, feeling his arousal. “We’re never going to make it to the party if you kiss me like that again,” she said throatily.
He brushed his lips against her in defiance. “I really don’t care about a party right now,” he growled.
“But I’m sure you want to be there for Kenya’s surprise, right? And trust me, it’s totally worth the wait.”
James released her, then reached in the car to grab her overnight bag. “Speaking of surprises, where is mine?”
“After the party,” she promised as they walked into the house. “I saw your mother yesterday. Those cinnamon buns are really good. I wonder if she’d allow us to sell her cinnamon buns on the weekends. Charlotte would be blessed with a little piece of Atlanta.”
“We’ll have to ask her about that next weekend,” James said.
“Next weekend?”
“Yeah, I’m coming to town so that I can officially introduce you to my mother.”
Jade smiled and didn’t tell him that she and his mother had already become fast friends. She wondered if they’d be going out to dinner with his mother if Maurice hadn’t spilled the beans. Don’t do this, she told herself as James headed into the house. You’re having a good time. Don’t read more into it.
“All right. I’m going to get dressed,” James said. Then he stole a quick kiss from Jade’s plump lips.
As James dashed down the hall to his bedroom, Jade took a seat on the sofa, smiling about the package of icing she had tucked away in her bag. She couldn’t wait until this party was over, because she wanted to feel James’s arms wrapped around her and his lips against her neck. Closing her eyes, Jade thought about the moment she and James would walk through the door after the party and how she was going to change out of her dress and into a strapless, black lace teddy and matching three-inch pumps. Then she would pull out the icing, and they could take turns tasting it.
“Jade,” James said, “you ready?”
She rose from the sofa and looked at him, drinking in his image. He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans, a collared white shirt, and a houndstooth sports coat. His look was sharp and classic. Jade could not wait until those clothes were out of her way.
“Yeah, let’s go,” she said.
They headed to the car and drove to the hotel in uptown Charlotte.
When James parked, Jade smiled. “This hotel is nice, but didn’t it used to be something else?”
“Yeah, it was the Adam’s Mark for years,” he said as they exited the car. “Kenya has the ballroom decked out, and I’m sure that Maurice is in there, hamming it up.”
Jade smiled. “It was really nice of Kenya to do all this for him. And I’m glad I got to see another side of your brother.”
“Mo’s all bark and no bite. He didn’t even want this party, but when Kenya gives him his surprise, he’s going to be very happy.”
James placed his arm around Jade’s waist and walked into the hotel. The party was in full swing as the couple entered the ballroom. Most of Maurice’s offensive line was there with their wives or the flavor of the moment. Kenya and Maurice were tucked in a corner, sharing a kiss.
“They’re sickening,” James whispered to Jade.
“Someone sounds jealous,” she said as she rubbed her hand across his chest. “I’ll kiss you now if you want me to.”
“Kiss me and we’re out of here,” James breathed against her ear.
Homer walked up to the happy couple just as Jade was about to lay a kiss on James. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t Ms. Cardsharp.”
Jade turned around and faced Homer. “Still bitter, I see,” she said, with a smile.
“Next time we play cards, I need you on my side,” Homer replied.
“No, my brother,” James said. “Jade’s my ace. You got to get your own.”
“Hater,” Homer said. “This is a nice party. A little more subdued than a regular Mo bash.”
“What do you expect from a boring married man?” Smitty, a wide receiver, asked when he walked up to Homer, James, and Jade. He leered at Jade, licking his lips as if she were on the buffet table. “And who are you?”
James was about to say something but shook his head instead.
Jade, on the other hand, said, “Someone you don’t and will never know.”
“Ooh,” Homer said. “Smit, you want to pick that up?”
Scowling, a disgruntled Smitty asked, “Pick up what?”
“Your dignity,” Homer bellowed.
James and Jade laughed before moving away from them. They headed for Kenya and Maurice.
“Get a room,” James said as he slapped his brother on the knee.
“It’s about ti
me you got here,” Kenya said as she and Maurice broke off their kiss.
“Happy birthday, bro,” James said as Maurice stood up and they embraced.
“Yeah, man,” Maurice said. “This is a great party.”
Kenya stood up and smoothed her silver dress. James smiled at her formfitting outfit and figured that she wore it because in the next few months, she wasn’t going to be able to wear a dress like that. “James,” she said, “I need you to get the thing.”
James nodded and headed to the back, where he’d hidden the baby cake.
Kenya turned to Maurice and Jade. “I’m going onstage. You two play nice.”
“I’m always nice,” Maurice said, with a smile. He reached for his rum and Coke. “Having a good time, Jade?”
“The best,” Jade told him.
“Thanks for coming. I really mean that. You seem to make my brother happy, and that’s all I want for him.”
“Is that so?” she asked. “I don’t understand you. I mean, you’ve been pretty nasty to me, and this total one-eighty is catching me off guard.”
“I was wrong,” Maurice said. “I’ll admit that. Forgive me if I have some trust issues when it comes to women.”
“Well, you can’t keep judging us by what one woman did,” Jade said as she took a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray as he passed her.
“That’s true, and thank God my brother doesn’t think like me. He would’ve left a good thing in Vegas.”
Jade tapped her glass against Maurice’s. “Thank goodness.” She was about to take a sip when the lights went up and everyone’s attention was focused on Kenya, who had a microphone in her hand.
“Thank you all for coming to celebrate my husband’s birthday,” Kenya said. “He looks good for an old man.”
The crowd laughed.
“This was supposed to be a surprise party, but if you know Mo, you know the brother is nosy and he found out about the party,” Kenya revealed.
“Yeah!” Maurice called out and lifted his glass.
“But I know something you don’t know, Mo,” Kenya said. “As a matter of fact, come up here, darling.”
Maurice bounded toward the stage and hopped up next to his wife. “What’s up, babe?”
“I have a special present for you,” Kenya told him.
James headed toward the stage, holding the box with the baby cake in it.
“Let me have it,” Maurice said as he stole a quick kiss from Kenya’s cheek.
James opened the box just as Kenya said, “I’m pregnant.”
Maurice’s mouth fell open, and then he scooped his wife up into his arms and hugged her tightly. James motioned for a waiter to come over and take the cake so that he could take a picture of his brother and sister-in-law.
Jade smiled as she watched the exchange between James, Maurice, and Kenya. They were really cute, and she wondered if James wanted all of this. Would he be as happy as Maurice if he was about to be a father? She shook her head. She and James weren’t ready to do what Kenya and Maurice were doing. They weren’t married, and that wouldn’t be on the horizon anytime soon.
James crossed over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Ready to go?” he whispered.
“That was really cute,” Jade said. “What Kenya did.”
“Uh-huh,” he said as he brushed his lips against her neck. “So, you want some cake, or are we getting out of here?”
Jade turned around and smiled at James. “Why are you so ready to go?”
He took her hand and surreptitiously slipped it into his pants. “Because,” he said.
When she felt his hardness, Jade was ready to leave as well. “I guess we’d better tell your brother and your sister-in-law good night,” she said, with a smile on her face.
CHAPTER 21
Jade and James rushed back to his place, ready to get out of their clothes and into each other’s arms.
“Where’s my surprise?” he asked as they walked into the foyer.
She flashed him an alluring smile. “Wait right here,” she said.
Jade dashed down the hall and into James’s bedroom. She fished her teddy out of her overnight bag, then slipped out of her dress and stepped into the sexy black garment she’d purchased just for him. Then she reached into the side of the bag and removed the icing she’d gotten from his mother’s bakery. Jade smiled as she looked at the squeeze bag and remembered the tale she’d told his mother about baking some buns of her own for James this weekend. There was no way she was going to tell Maryann Goings that she wanted to lick the sweet icing from her son’s heavenly body.
“James,” she cooed as she walked into the living room. His eyes widened as he drank in her image. Her breasts sat up perfectly, and the black lace and satin made her caramel skin glow.
James crossed over to her and engulfed her in his arms. “Damn, baby,” he said.
Jade held the icing up. “And here’s your surprise,” she said. She squeezed the bag, sending a line of icing down her chest. She stuck her finger in the white, creamy icing and held it out to James. He seductively licked the sweet icing from her index finger.
“Delicious,” he said, then licked the line of icing from the middle of her chest.
Shivers ran up and down her spine as his tongue traveled down the center of her chest. With one hand, he pushed the top of her strapless teddy down, exposing her perky breasts. She squeezed icing across the tops of her breasts, then rubbed it down to her nipples as James hungrily eyed her. Slowly, he licked the icing from her bosom, sucking her nipples until all the sweetness was gone. Jade moaned, quaking as he alternated between breasts. Then he slipped his free hand between her legs and unsnapped the crotch. He entered her wetness with his finger, seeking out her throbbing bud. Jade moaned in delight as his finger found her pleasure point. He backed her against the wall and took the icing from her hands.
“This tastes a lot better on you than on any cinnamon bun,” he said.
“I wonder what it tastes like on you,” she whispered as she unbuttoned his shirt.
James squeezed a line of icing down the center of his chest as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders. She leaned into him and leisurely licked the creamy icing from his chest. Then she ran her tongue across his pecs, circling his nipples as he pushed her teddy down to the floor.
Now kissing his neck, Jade reached down and unsnapped and unzipped his fly and massaged his manhood through his silk boxers. He lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.
“I need you,” he whispered in her ear.
“You got me,” she replied throatily.
With grace fueled by desire and need, James stepped out of his pants. His erection hung from the opening in the front of his boxers, ready to melt with Jade’s wetness. Though he was tempted to enter her, to feel the heat of her body around him, he knew they had to be protected. So, instead, he lifted her hips to his lips, and with her back against the wall, he pressed his lips against the wet folds of skin that hid her desire. With his hot tongue lashing her sensitivity, Jade nearly lost it. Her legs trembled and she clawed at the wall.
James indulged in tasting her, as if she were the icing that they’d nibbled on earlier. He kissed slow and deep, darting his tongue in and out of her, all the while savoring her tangy juices as she came over and over again. Jade cried out, begging James to stop, because what she was feeling was beyond description, sinfully delightful. Her body went limp as he ignored her cries and continued lapping her juices. Finally, James ended his extended kiss and looked into Jade’s satisfied face. When he lowered her to the floor, she stumbled a bit and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You beat icing any day,” he said as he cupped her bare bottom and pulled her against his hardness.
“Umm,” she moaned, her throat too dry to speak.
James picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. Once he laid her against the sheets, he reached into his nightstand and retrieved a condom.
Jade looked up at Jam
es while he slid the latex barrier in place. Being with him was so easy, so comfortable, and everything unexpected. It was almost as if she was living that fairy-tale life that she’d dreamed about on those riverboats.
“Are you okay?” he asked once he caught her gaze.
“Yes, everything is fine.” She stretched her arms out to him.
James lowered himself on the bed, wrapped up in Jade’s embrace. He gently kissed her neck as she stroked his back lovingly. Jade parted her lips, inviting his tongue inside. She tasted her essence on his lips as she sucked his tongue, urging him to give her more. James responded to her kiss with his hands, wrapping them around her waist and pulling her hips against his. Their tongues bounced off each other’s, jockeying for position in their passionate kiss. Jade spread her legs as she felt James’s manhood throbbing against her thighs. She wanted him, needed him to be inside her. She wanted to melt with him, wanted their souls to become one as they rocked back and forth, giving each other untold pleasure. Was this happening too fast? Was she supposed to feel this way about him so soon after their meeting?
James thrust into her body, making her call out his name. He rotated his hips, touching every spot that made her scream. They fell into a sensual rhythm that was like a dance. Sweat covered their bodies as they rocked on.
“You feel so good,” James groaned, nearly on the verge of climax.
Jade’s only response was a moan, because she was in the middle of her third orgasm. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she gently nudged him so that he would roll over and give her a chance to take control. He held her hips, slowing her down to a gentle grind, which pushed him over the edge. He covered her nipples with his lips, then circled them with his tongue as she ground her body against his.
“Oh, James,” she cried, reaching her own climax. She collapsed against his chest, closing her eyes as James held her. Their hearts seemed to be beating in tune. Jade didn’t want to say it, but she’d fallen hard for James Goings. She was in love with this man.
“Are you sleeping?” he asked.
“No, I thought you were,” she replied.
“Umm, not with all this in my arms.” James tapped her bottom softly. “I like watching you sleep, watching you wake up, and watching you naked.”
Betting On Love Page 17