by Candace Shaw
“Brax...”
With his free hand he weaved it in the nape of her hair and pushed it up while massaging her head and ravishing her neck at the same time. She clutched his hand that was on her pelvic bone and swung the other one behind her. Knocking off the hat, she held on to his bald head that she’d wanted to run her hands over again ever since the night at her hotel room.
“Is that what you wanted, Elle?” he asked, biting the side of her neck gently.
“Oh, yes. For such a long time. Please don’t stop.”
“Oh, I’m not. Whatever you want, babe.”
Elle turned her head to him and her lips landed on his but she didn’t kiss him. “You. Tonight. No strings. Just us. That’s what I want.”
Braxton didn’t answer as his pupils turned jet black and the slight bulge on her butt was no longer slight as it pulsated against her. Removing his hand from her hair, he ran it along her side and down to the hem of her dress, inching it up until her blue lacey boy shorts were displayed.
Turning her around to face him, Braxton’s lips hastily captured Elle’s as he wound his tongue hard with hers in a deep seductive kiss that she’d craved for years. His arms encircled her frame, and she blissfully welcomed his exploring tongue on her lips as he delved in even more. Tearing his mouth away, he lifted her dress over her head and slid his hand around to her back to unhook her bra, flinging it across the room. Licking his lips, he eyed her breasts before dipping his head as he sucked a nipple into his mouth while massaging the other one. Erotic moans escaped her as she held on to his head and tried to suppress the shudder that was rocking her uncontrollably on him. However, she couldn’t help it. She’d missed this man. Missed all the ways he would purposely drive her insane with a passionate high that only he could evoke from her. Tears filled her eyes as she was immersed in Braxton’s blazing mouth on her breasts, going back between the two nibbling, biting and sucking them until the pain and pleasure became entangled.
She’d fantasized over the years of how he used to make her feel alive and needed. But the power he possessed at the moment wasn’t even close to her fantasy. He was all man now and he handled her as such.
Lifting his head to hers, he closed his lips over hers and in one swoop, laid her on the floor, wrapping her legs around his waist. Holding both hands on the side of her face as his fingers laced in her hair, he stared at her, hovering his lips over hers. Her heart rate increased as her chest fell up and down awaiting his next move.
“I’ve missed you, Elle. More than I can ever begin to explain, but I promise to show you all night.”
“I can’t wait.”
He awakened every inch of her body as he glided his hand down her side to her hips, finally landing on the spot that had desired and craved him the most. His subtle touch caused exhilarating shocks to rush through her veins. She trembled, and could only imagine what was to come. He slid her boy shorts down and lifted her legs up to take her shorts completely off. His heated gaze roamed over her body with an intensity that signified their foreplay would be brief. He was hungry for her, and she couldn’t wait to be devoured.
Braxton kissed her gently at first as his hand rubbed her in the same rotating manner and on the same beat. As he deepened his tongue, his hand moved down a tad, slipping a finger into her slick canal. Moaning out, her back arched up off the floor and he captured her lips once more. But this time he kissed her with an intensity, as if she were all his once again. Claiming possession over them and over her heart and soul.
“I missed you, Brax. I need you so bad.” She grinded her hips with his fingers. “Please let’s just skip the foreplay. I know you want me right now, Maestro.”
“And I do. I just wanted to make sure you’re ready for all of me.”
Her breath stifled as she remembered what it all was. “I’m ready.” She gulped a tad, as she was now overly anxious to have him.
Lifting her up off the floor, he carried her inside the house and to his bedroom. Laying her on top of the comforter, he stood next to the bed and began to unbutton his shirt, exposing all of his glorious, chocolate skin and that’s when she saw it. His tattoo. It was supposed to be one of her truth questions during the game, but she never had the chance to ask. As he slid out of his slacks, she stood and ran a finger over the treble clef entwined with her name.
“You still have it,” she said softly.
“And you still have yours.”
Pulling her to him, he unleashed a sweet, unhurried sensual kiss that caused a sigh of relief to escape her. She’d wondered for years whether he still had the tattoo, or if he’d had it removed so he wouldn’t think of her. She couldn’t help but wonder what his other girlfriends had said about him having a tattoo of her name, but now wasn’t the time. Now she needed to exhale and release all of the pent-up fervor for him that had been buried deep inside her heart.
“Make love to me,” she whispered on his lips and ran her hand down to the band of his boxer shorts and tugged them down. “I can’t wait any longer.”
“With pleasure.”
* * *
Braxton stood briefly, roaming his eyes over her sexy body, soaking in her the essence. He couldn’t believe he was here with her. He’d daydreamed of being one again with her, feeling her brown sugar skin under him and listening to her soft purrs that would escalate with each kiss or stroke that he’d given her. Making love to her had always been fulfilling. With other women it had been just to get himself off and vice versa. However, with Elle his concentration had always been to satisfy her and she did the same for him. Their connections: heart, body and soul had always been in sync and now he wanted to remind her of that and show her just how much he missed her.
Before joining her, he reached into the side drawer of his nightstand and pulled a packet out and tossed it on the bed. She raised an eyebrow and twisted her lips to the side. “Oh, so you just knew we were going to make love, Maestro?”
Climbing on top of her, he kissed her deeply, delving his tongue into her mouth and initiating a wicked dance with hers as the purrs he loved to hear erupted from her throat.
“And you didn’t bring any?”
“Um... I did just in case. Now please put it on,” she pleaded in between their mouths. “Please.” Her hips rose up to him and he had to restrain himself from thrusting inside of her. But he had his rules and that wouldn’t change until he got married...hopefully to her.
“Wait, baby.” He reached over to where the packet had fallen, opened it and rolled it on all the while she was breathing with anticipation.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, he kissed her as he slowly entered while her moans and breathing rose with each inch. She wiggled her hips until he was all the way in and he stared at her for a moment, holding still until she was calm.
“Are you all right?” he asked, kissing her forehead.
“Yeah...just...um...did you grow some?”
“No, babe. You’re just a little extra snug.”
She smiled. “Mmm, but we still fit perfectly together.”
“Always, my love.”
When Braxton moved a little, her eyes fluttered shut and her head lifted off the pillow. Clutching his shoulders, she moved her hips up and he began to slide in and out of her at a steady momentum. He became engrossed in her body and mind as he always had when they became one. They were in absolute harmony with each other. Their lips, limbs, joyful cries and hearts were tangled together as the fervor of their lovemaking amplified. Her muscles squeezed around him pulling and constricting tighter with each thrust. She wrapped her legs tight around his neck and he held her hands on the comforter as he dove in more and more. Her body shuddered hard against his and she squirmed and wiggled under him as her orgasm tore through her body. The incoherent yet seductive sounds she made were music to his trained ears. Her ardent cries aroused a feral reaction f
rom him. Never had a woman felt so damn good before, including her, because this time was different from all the rest. His pent-up need for her was spilling through his soul and he couldn’t even fathom how he’d spent his years without his sweet Elle. As her next orgasm neared, it wasn’t long before her walls began to clutch around him once more to an excruciating desire-filled earthquake. He lost all the control he had tried to keep composed as he shook against her, holding on to her for dear life.
As their breathing calmed down, he rolled off her but held her in his embrace. He wasn’t ready to let go. Ten years without her was long enough and he decided then that he had to do everything in his power to make her his once more.
* * *
Resting her head on Braxton’s hard chest, Elle swirled her finger along the treble clef and her name while he placed tender kisses on her forehead. They were both happily sated after their lovemaking sessions and too exhausted to move. She’d used muscles that hadn’t been active in a long while, and she was completely sore all over. Being with him again had been pure ecstasy and triggered so much pent-up passion and desire for him that she was scared she’d break him in half for holding on to him so tight. She couldn’t help it. She’d missed him and he needed to know just how much.
Kissing his collarbone, she sat up on her elbow and stared down at him. Reaching his hand up, he cupped her chin and pulled her down for a sweet kiss.
“Hi there,” he whispered. “I thought you were asleep.”
“No. My eyes were just closed. I was enjoying listening to your breathing and your heart beat.”
He smiled knowingly and kissed her again. “You used to say my heartbeat was your favorite sound.”
“It still is.”
“It says your name.”
Giggling, she relaxed her head back on his chest and a thought crossed her mind.
“Sooooooo...not that I really want to know about your relationship life after me, but how have you managed to not have my name removed from your chest? You’ve had other girlfriends and the serious one that I saw you on the red carpet with at the Grammys and a few other awards shows that year. None of them ever asked you to laser it off?” she asked curiously.
“Mmm...yeah, but I always told them that it was a painful reminder of hurting you. Some of them just didn’t care because they were with Braxton Chase, the jazz artist. The alleged “serious one” you’re referring to demanded I have it removed and replaced with her name. I nearly laughed when she said it.”
“Um...that makes sense, Braxton. No woman wants to see another woman’s name tattooed on her man’s body.”
“Yeah, she kept saying I had to do it before we got married.”
Her body tensed against his, and he rubbed her back, which calmed her down a smidge. “I didn’t know you were engaged.”
“I wasn’t. But in her mind we were getting married. I guess she figured she’d lasted longer than the others.”
“So why didn’t you marry her, playboy?” she asked in a teasing manner.
“I’m not a playboy and I didn’t marry her for a lot of reasons, but the main one was I didn’t love her. I tried, I really did, but something was missing. It never felt right with her or anyone...except with you, Sunshine. I couldn’t love another woman because I’d left my heart with you.”
Sitting all the way up, she threw her leg over him and straddled his stomach. She leaned over to give him a single smooch, but he sunk his tongue in and bestowed a hard yet sensual kiss on her lips. He weaved his hands in her hair pulling her deeper to him. She knew her hair was just plain hideous after all their sweating, but she didn’t care. She was where she wanted to be. In his arms. In their world. That is until her back stiffened with pain and she couldn’t move.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think it’s safe to say you blew my back out, Maestro. I’m stuck.”
“I’m sorry, babe.” He turned her over gently and propped a pillow under her head. “You want some painkillers?”
She tried to suppress a laugh at his concern but couldn’t hold it in, even though her sore muscles cracked at the same time. “No, sweetie, it’s a good thing. Perhaps, you can do it again before we leave the Hamptons.”
“Oh, with pleasure, but in the meantime how about a hot bath in that huge soaking tub with me.” A devilish smile emerged across his features as he scooped her in his arms and carried her to the master bathroom.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Moments later she sat in between his legs, resting her back comfortably against his chest as the warm water and bubbles filled the tub.
“Riddle me this, Elle.” He travelled a finger along her neck. “Why do you still have my initials? I’m sure your so-called boyfriends had to have seen them and asked what they meant. That nerdy jerk, I mean gentleman, didn’t inquire?”
“So-called boyfriends? You’re funny. Anyway, yes they did, and I gave the same answer each time. The BC stands for beautiful and confident. I told them it was a fashion thingy. They all bought it, too. I even used it for one of my ad campaigns.”
“I saw that but it never occurred to me why. You didn’t answer the first question. Why didn’t you have it lasered off?”
“Because it stands for bold and confident, like me.” Because I still love you and couldn’t bring myself to have it done. Twice.
“You mean beautiful and confident, don’t you?” he asked with a mischievous snicker.
“Whatever.” She turned around and slid to the other side of the tub while playfully splashing water on him in the process. Grabbing her feet, he tickled the bottoms, which released a loud laugh from her. She hated that he remembered she was ticklish pretty much all over.
“Stop tickling me before I kick you somewhere by mistake under all these bubbles. Even though, I may want it again later on.”
Elle flicked bubbles on him and Braxton immediately let go. She drew her knees up to her chest while calming down her hysterical laughter.
“You have a point, Sunshine.” He dragged her feet back to him and set them on either side of his waist. “So what’s on the Elle Lauren Designs schedule for next week?”
She sighed at the long list of things on her plate. “Getting ready for a new ad campaign, a fashion show for my new collection, my new perfume, and finding time to sleep and eat. Did I mention drink wine?” she asked sarcastically even though it was true. The next few months leading up to the change of seasons were filled with nothing but work and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You have a busy schedule. Speaking of perfume. What’s the name of the one you wore to Carnegie Hall? It’s the same one you wore to the brunch. I couldn’t forget the scent. That’s when I figured I was correct all along about you attending the concert.”
“Funny you mention it. A month or so before the concert, I’d attended a perfume class with some friends. It was just a mixture of oils I put together. I still make it and wear it. And now it’s going to be the first perfume under my design company. It’s called Elle. It will be out this fall.”
“That would explain why whenever I passed perfume counters and smelled the samples I could never find it. Are you thinking about doing a men’s companion fragrance?”
“We’re looking to release it sometime before Father’s Day next year,” She glided back to her original spot between his legs. Wrapping his arms around her, she nestled against him once more and interweaved her legs with his.
“Are your muscles feeling better now?” he asked after a few moments of silence.
“I’m fine.” She paused to yawn eliciting one from him. “I work out and do yoga, but I guess there were a few parts that hadn’t been worked out in awhile. However, I had fun doing so.”
“Well, I aim to please.”
Sucking the side of her neck, he slid his hand betwee
n her legs and rotated a slow, sensual finger around her clit. Soft moans emerged from her throat as he sped up the tempo and her sounds reached higher levels with each passing second. Her hips began to move in sync and the quick orgasm that approached ruptured through her. Closing her eyes, she slumped against him and exhaled to calm down her breathing. She yawned again and pressed her body even closer against his as he wrapped his arms tight around her and kissed the top of her head.
“Sleepy, Sunshine?”
“I am, but I’m enjoying our time together. I don’t want it to ever end.”
“It doesn’t have to.”
“Um...yes it does, or we’ll be prunes soon.” Giggling, she sat up and reached for a towel on the ledge as he popped her on the bottom.
“I meant us, Elle.”
She froze at his words. While she was having a remarkable time with him, she still wanted to take it day by day and mentioning anything remotely that sounded like forever wasn’t on her list for discussion. There was a still a part of her that had doubts.
Standing, she stepped out as he followed suit. Braxton took the towel from her and began to dry her off. After they were both dry, he lifted her once again and carried her back to the bed. Moments later she was at peace, enclosed in his protective arms like a caterpillar in a cocoon as they faced each other. She watched as his eyelids became heavy and closed, only to shoot open again as he’d release a sleepy grin and then repeat the pattern over again. As her eyes finally shut, she nestled her head into the crook of his neck and fell asleep with a fulfilled smile.
Chapter 9
Elle snuggled in the warmth of the down comforter that she’d wrapped around her naked body moments before when she’d begun to feel a bit cold from the air conditioner. She’d been warm all night against Braxton’s chest, kissing it and running her fingers along his tattoo. They’d wake up for a moment to kiss or mumble terms of endearment to each other before falling back into a light slumber. Elle almost didn’t want to fall asleep. She’d been at peace staring into his soulful, warm eyes as he’d tenderly rubbed her damp hair or placed light kisses on her forehead. However, now that she was half-awake, it dawned on her that she was no longer intertwined with his body.