Strong Heat

by Niobia Bryant

  “Jealous?” he mused, stopping in his tracks and causing her to stop as well.

  Lisha arched a brow. “Why? They only get to look and I get to touch,” she said, reaching up to caress his cheek before lightly patting it as she smirked.

  “Shit, touch me,” he invited, holding up his hands as a wicked smile spread across his handsome face.

  Lisha reached a hand out to him but paused just millimeters from his chest. “I’d rather touch a plate of food in this cafeteria,” she teased, turning to walk away from him before giving him a coquettish smile over her shoulder. “Coming?”

  “I wish,” he drawled as he followed behind her, his eyes dipping down to take in the back and forth movement of her hips even in her shapeless uniform pants.

  Lisha turned and walked back to him as people passed by them in the hall of the hospital. “I think you did that last night,” she whispered up to him.

  “Not inside you,” Kael said, his voice deep and low and husky.

  Lisha felt her entire body flush with warmth and she licked her lips to ease the sudden parch. She started to say something flirty but just turned and led him to the cafeteria instead even as her heart continued to pound away.

  She thought of those heated moments they shared last night on her couch. The movie he came over to watch on the television served no purpose but to offer just enough illumination in the darkness of her living room so that he could see the tips of her hard nipples as he sucked them. And licked them. And then sucked them some more.

  And it had felt so good that through the haze of desire she had barely been able to focus on stroking his hardness until it stiffened and then jerked in her hand as he came. And came. And came some more.

  It was a hot, passionate, climatic, sticky mess.

  Lisha pursed her lips and released a long steady stream of air she hoped released some of the desire that quickly built up in her like steam pressure. The same pressure and tension that caused the swelling of her clit in a rush of desire. They hadn’t completely crossed the line or even pushed it as far as they did that first night, but she—they—lived in a world filled with building sexual tension.

  Kael Strong couldn’t burn in the kitchen but Lisha took comfort that he had to be skilled in the bedroom. And that knowledge, those glimpses into his prowess nagged at her throughout each and every day of her life since she met him. The thought of him, his body, his lips, the length of his dick kept her steamy and aware—so very aware—of the sexual limitations she put on them. The man made taking a shower torture because thinking of him as she used a sudsy bar of soap to rub across her breasts and her intimacy was a special kind of blend of heaven and hell.

  Lisha let out a little moan in the back of her throat as she found them a table while Kael got in line to select their food. She smiled and waved at people she knew and tried not to fidget guiltily as she crossed her legs to halt the throbbing of her clit.

  But those fleeting moments of bliss were chipping away at the once solid mental wall surrounding her virginity. It was getting harder and harder to bring the passion to an end and she was close—too close—to giving Kael her gift.

  And she meant really giving it to him in a hot, steamy, dirty way.

  “Hungry?”

  Lisha jumped a bit in surprise, looking up as Kael set the tray he carried on the table before sliding onto the seat across from her. “Huh?” she asked, picking up one of the steaming bowls of beef stew.

  “I asked if you were hungry?” Kael asked as he handed her one of the plastic utensil sets.

  For you? Yes. Very hungry.

  Lisha shrugged even as she shifted in her seat and pressed her thighs even tighter together.

  Kael frowned at the stew and then began to chuckle as he raised a spoonful. “And you acted like my chicken and dumplings were the worst dish you ever saw,” he said dryly.

  Lisha looked down at the stew and then up at him with a smile. “I said the chicken and dumplings were good,” she said.

  Kael chuckled. “You lied,” he insisted.

  “I plead the fifth,” she said, biting back a smile.

  “Hi, Alisha.”

  She froze and looked up at Byron standing above where they sat. She fought not roll her eyes. Her suspicions that he spread the word on her virginity had been true. Lisha wasn’t ashamed but it was not his business to tell. “Goodbye, Byron,” she finally said with emphasis.

  “I’m Byron Long,” he said.

  She jerked her head up as he extended his hand to Kael. “Byron, no one cares who you are and you are interrupting our lunch,” she snapped.

  Kael looked from Byron to Lisha as he roughly wiped his napkin across his mouth before dropping it onto the table as he rose to his full height, towering over Byron by several inches. “Kael Strong,” he said, taking Byron’s hand in his and grasping it tightly as he shook it. “And I believe the lady—in her own way—asked you to leave us alone to enjoy our lunch.”

  Lisha’s mouth opened a bit at the hard stare with which Kael pierced the man even as he delivered a cold smile.

  “That is what you meant, baby?” Kael asked, looking down at her even as he held on to Byron’s hand.

  “Baby?” Byron asked, glancing down at the tips of his fingers reddening from the pressure of Kael’s hand.

  “That’s exactly what I meant,” she said, taking a bite of the stew. “Goodbye, Byron.”

  “Have a good one, Byron,” Kael said, finally releasing the man’s hand and bending his body to reclaim his seat.

  “Man, take it from me you’re just wasting your time,” Byron muttered.

  Kael froze.

  Lisha’s eyes widened as his jaw clenched. She reached out to rest her hand on his. “Ignore him. He’s a spoiled little boy in a grown man’s body,” she said.

  Byron had turned away but he turned back at her words. “You, Little Miss Virgin, are calling me a little boy?” he said snidely.

  Kael stood up and stepped close to Byron. Placing his large hand on the man’s shoulder, he whispered a few words in his ear and then leaned back just enough to lock eyes with him.

  Byron’s face filled with an odd expression before he turned and walked out of the cafeteria so quickly that he could have blazed a trail of fire from the soles of his shoes.

  “What did you say to him?” Lisha asked, looking on as Kael took his seat and resumed eating his lunch.

  “Just a little talk among men, baby,” Kael said calmly as he broke his dinner roll in half and dipped it into the stew. “But know this—a real man knows when a woman is worth the wait.”

  Lisha’s eyes dipped from his as she felt her cheeks warm with a blush and her heart warm with love.

  Lisha pulled her Nova onto the drive of Kael’s father’s home. She climbed from her vehicle and removed the Tupperware containing the beef stew she’d made for Kael’s dinner. She’d thought Logan could appreciate a home-cooked meal as well and so she brought him the savory dish before she headed to Kael’s.

  She quick-walked up the pathway and knocked twice before she reached for the doorknob because she already knew it was open. Every morning like clockwork, Logan rose at five o’clock and walked out onto the porch to check the day’s weather. When he came back inside he didn’t bother to lock the door. As he made himself a strong pot of coffee, two fried eggs and toast, he listened to the morning news.

  Every morning. Like clockwork.

  She frowned when the door wouldn’t budge. “It’s locked,” she said in surprise.

  Knocking, she glanced at her watch. It was after seven. Maybe he’s not home.

  Lisha had just turned to head back to her car when the door opened. She turned back and smiled. “Hey, Mr. Strong,” she said.

  He let out a string of coughs before waving her in.

  Lisha was surprised to see that he was in his pajamas. “Turning in early or just getting up?” she teased.

  “A little of both,” he said. He pointed at the Tupperware. “What’s that?�
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  “Some homemade beef stew,” she said, taking it into the kitchen to slide into the refrigerator. “I thought you might like some.”

  He coughed again and it sounded like it rattled something wet deep in his chest. “You thought right,” he finally said.

  Lisha’s eyes became pensive as she closed the door to the fridge and faced him. “That sounds like a nasty cough.”

  He nodded and pulled a cloth napkin from the pocket of his pajama pants to wipe his mouth as he dropped down into his recliner. “Nothing a hot toddy won’t break up,” Logan said, closing his eyes as he let his head rest back on the recliner.

  Lisha removed the floor-length overcoat she wore before heading back into the kitchen. She rummaged through the cabinet beneath the sink and pulled out a small pot to fill with water from the sink. “Where are your tea bags?”

  “I keep ’em in the fridge,” he said.

  She paused at how tired he sounded. “This toddy ought to put you out like a light,” she said, retrieving the tea bags and a cup. “Sounds like you could use some sleep.”

  “I’ll be over it in a day or so.”

  Lisha busied herself making him a cup of tea and then pouring a liberal amount of brandy from the breakfast bar into it. Setting it on the tray, she also made him a glass of water and a glass of orange juice after warming up the stew and adding water to thin the thick broth.

  “You not my nurse anymore, Lisha,” Logan said.

  She set the tray on the coffee table in front of him. “I was never your nurse,” she corrected him with a smile. “But I’ve always cared about you and ain’t nothing changed about that.”

  Logan leveled his eyes on her. “You love my boy, don’t you?”

  Lisha thought back to that night a month ago that Kael professed his love for her. When she raised her eyes to his father she didn’t care if everything she felt was in the depths of them. “Yes, sir,” she answered.

  “I knew since that day in my hospital room,” he assured her around another cough. “I just been lying back watching it all go down.”

  “Oh, yeah?” she asked, sitting down on the sofa with a side eye as he sipped the tea and winced from the shot of liquor.

  “Oh, yeah,” Logan said with a wink.

  Lisha stayed with the older man until she made sure he drank all the tea and half of his orange juice and most of the broth from the stew. Once he dragged himself back to bed she locked the front door on her way out.

  Once she reached Kael’s home, she looked out in the distance at the corrals and surrounding fields to see if he was outside. She could see his truck was parked down by the barn. Parking her car she hopped out and headed in that direction.

  Lisha found Kael and Jim in the barn replacing the water in the trough for the cattle and horses. He looked up and smiled at the sight of her.

  “Hi, fellas,” she said to them, fighting not to frown at the scent of animal and fresh waste as she made her way to Sampson’s stall at the rear of the barn.

  “You stopped by my daddy’s?” Kael asked, from his stooped position beside a cow.

  Lisha stroked Sampson’s nose as she looked over her shoulder. “Yes, he has a bad cold,” she told him.

  She raised her hand up to eye level with Sampson and he used his nose to nudge her palm in greeting. Feeding him a sugar cube the way Kael taught her, she gave him one last pat before she left him and walked over to the stall where Kael worked.

  She arched a brow as she watched him reach his arm under the cow to her privates. “Should I be jealous?” she quipped, resting her arms atop the door to the stall.

  Jim laughed.

  Kael snorted in derision. “If I could satisfy her then you would be in major trouble,” he told her.

  “Now that’s the truth,” Jim agreed, setting his Stetson back on his head.

  Lisha frowned at the image of Kael having a corkscrew penis like a bull. “On that note I’m going to warm up this stew. Have some, Jim?” she offered, already headed out the door.

  “No, ma’am.”

  Lisha used the hose outside the barn to wash her hands before making the sizeable trek back toward the house. She stopped at her car for the Tupperware containing the stew and made her way inside the house. By the time Kael joined her in the kitchen she had heated the stew in a pot, baked fresh cornbread and made a pitcher of sweet tea.

  He pressed a welcoming kiss to her temple before washing his hands. “I sure appreciate this,” he said.

  Lisha rubbed his back as she set the steaming plate in front of him and moved back to the sink.

  “You not eating with me?” he asked, looking over at her.

  “No, I’m not hungry,” she explained.

  Lisha left the kitchen and made her way to the linen closet in the hall outside the bedroom upstairs. She had just pulled out a stack of washcloths when she heard a noise from inside Kael’s bedroom. Thinking something fell she crossed the hall and opened the door.

  At the sight laid out before her, Lisha backed out of the room, shut the door, did a five count and opened the door again.

  Instead of lying across Kael’s bed in a red lace crotchless teddy, Bea was now walking toward the door.

  “How can you be fast in the ass and slow in the brain all at once?” Lisha snapped, stepping into the room to stand toe to toe with the woman.

  Bea eyed her up and down with a demeaning eye. “Like you giving up what he want,” she said mockingly.

  Lisha hated the all too familiar feelings of insecurity that nipped at her, but she stiffened her back and eyed the other just the same. “Like he want what you giving away like free cheese,” she said slyly.

  “What the hell is going on?” Kael asked as he ran up the stairs.

  Lisha glanced over her shoulder at him. “Put down a trap, baby, and catch this rat that snuck into the house,” she said, arching her brow.

  “Bea, how did you get in my house?” he asked.

  Lisha’s mouth opened when the woman stood in her face and struck a sexy pose. Turning, she slowly raised her hands. “You know what, baby. Don’t worry about calling anybody. I’ll handle this,” she finished firmly, pushing both her hands into Kael’s chest and shoving him hard until he stumbled back on his feet.

  Lisha stepped farther into the room and swung the door shut before he could recover. As she turned the lock his knocks echoed. Lisha ignored him. “Enough is enough,” she said coldly, pressing her finger into Bea’s chest. “Kael is my man and regardless of what you think I am or am not giving him is none of your business, but you can bet he loves it just the way it is.”

  “So why did he tell me to come here?” Bea countered.

  “Liar,” Lisha said with a wave of her hand. “The truth ain’t in you. Nobody told you to pull this stunt but his sister and both of ya’ll can kiss my ass.”

  Bea opened her mouth.

  “Shut up lying some more,” Lisha snapped. “Get your clothes and get your raggedy ass out before I drag you out.”

  “Don’t start nothing you can’t finish,” Bea said, the few long strands of her nappy unkempt bush pressing through the lace.

  Lisha made a fist and stomped her foot like she was about to throw.

  Bea backed up and covered her face with her arms.

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked at the other woman in satisfaction. “This is your last chance to get your clothes before I send you out into the world just as you are,” she said, using her foot to kick an errant shoe toward her.

  Bea retrieved her pile of clothes from the floor on the other side of the bed.

  Lisha had a million and one questions for her, starting with just how long the other woman had been in wait, but she didn’t even bother, knowing she would get nothing but lies. She shook her head as she waited for the woman to cover her near nakedness with her skintight jeans and plunging V-neck sweater that still left little to the imagination.

  Bea continued to eye her up and down as she moved past Lisha to the
door. “You lucky I don’t make it a habit to fight over men, sugar,” she said.

  “Especially one that’s not yours,” Lisha countered, following the woman out of the room past Kael and down the stairs.

  “Ain’t no ring on your finger,” Bea said, opening the front door. “So he ain’t yours either.”

  The January winds were biting and crisp as she followed the woman out onto the porch. “You know what, Bea? Beneath all that over-the-top behavior and low-cut clothes could be a woman made to be a wife. No man would know because of the way you present yourself. And giving away your goodness like it’s worth no more than pennies ain’t the way either . . . sugar.”

  Bea said nothing else before she walked down the stairs and around the house. Lisha came down a few steps on her way to follow her, but before she could touch her feet to the ground, Bea drove her green car from around the house and soon it disappeared down the road.

  Lisha turned and Kael was leaning in the doorway. “You have to do something about your sister,” she said, walking up the rest of the steps to brush past him and into the house.

  “My sister?” he exclaimed from behind her.

  Lisha did a spin pretty close to that of the Tasmanian Devil as she faced Kael as he closed the front door. “Your sister is on a one-woman crusade to see you with Bea from the beginning. It took me a minute to wake up and see the truth, but now you have to get your head out of your ass and see it too . . . and then handle it before I do.”

  “So you think my sister told Bea to stroll her crazy ass up to my house and lay in my bed half-naked?” he asked, his face incredulous.

  “Yes,” Lisha stressed. “I damn sure do.”

  He walked up to her. “My sister would not pull a stunt like that. She knows we’re together.”

  Lisha held up her hand. “Did you tell your sister I was a virgin?” she asked him.

  “What?” he asked, confused.

  “Or did you tell Bea? Because either way what does or does not happen between my thighs is no one’s business—not even yours.”

  “I disagree on it not being my business, but I would never go under your clothes . . . to anyone.” Kael reached for her and held on to her even as Lisha struggled against his strength. “Hey, I will ask Kelli about it, but please believe I don’t think she had anything to do with it and I hope you know I didn’t want Bea in my bed.”