Imani led him to a rock formation with a small waterfall seeping through the rocks. The formation was almost completely hidden in the beautiful landscape making this area of the huge backyard a very private place.
“Wow,” was the only word that escaped Daman’s lips.
“My grandfather built this area for my grandmother because she loved being in her own backyard. We call this area Gamine’s Haven.”
When they reached a small seeped-in section of the rock formation, Imani looked into Daman’s eyes. They had so much to talk about, but she wasn’t in the mood for talking. As if reading her thoughts, Daman slowly walked backward until he felt his back hit the smooth part of a large rock. He grabbed Imani’s arm and pulled her to him.
“I missed you, too,” Imani said, as she leaned in to kiss him.
Words weren’t necessary, as her tongue found his, and she slowly began suckling on the tip, reconfirming the honeyed taste she’d missed. He smelled all male in that make-you-want-to-drop-your-panties kind of way. Imani didn’t understand how she’d gone her entire life without being kissed like Daman kissed her.
Daman’s hands slowly made their way to her butt, grabbing it and pulling her closer to the fit of his inner thighs. She could hear the chatter in the backyard and the sound of kids playing in the distance, but she blocked out all of the noise as she focused solely on the way Daman was making her feel.
His hands briefly left her butt to immerse themselves in her hair. The butterflies in her stomach grew bigger and bigger as they continued their exotic foreplay. She felt Daman slowly lift up her dress. She hadn’t known how high he’d lifted it until she felt two of his fingers dip inside her panties and into her moist center. She couldn’t hold the gasp that escaped her throat as he began to twirl his fingers, quickly plunging them in and out. He’d found her G-spot, and he planned to work her right there, in broad daylight. His kisses grew more passionate, and she felt the orgasm inside of her threaten to break free.
“Daman, if you don’t slow down, I’m going to have an orgasm,” she said breathlessly in his ear.
“Then I guess you better prepare yourself because there’s no way I’m slowing down.”
With that said, Daman further increased the tempo of his fingers, releasing the orgasm that Imani had tried to hold back. She screamed in his mouth as she leaned into him for support, her legs growing weak from the intensity. When Daman dropped her dress back down, all she could think about doing was giving him the same release.
Unzipping his pants and looking down at his member, she wondered how he would taste. She’d never gone down on a man before and swore she’d never do such a thing. But for some reason, she wanted to please him in a different way and knew the action would probably shock him.
Squatting down and adjusting her body in the small space, she secretly thanked her yoga instructor for increasing her flexibility. She looked up at Daman and could tell he was wondering exactly what she would do. She leaned closer to him and closed her mouth around his shaft, loving the way his body jerked from the contact. Slowly, she began licking him from top to bottom, hearing his growls increase as her hands went to work. He grew even harder in her mouth, and she loved the solid feel of him. Daman tried to say something to her, but his speech was broken. Imani didn’t mind not knowing what he’d tried to say. She took the opportunity to rotate her tongue in an even quicker up and down motion. Minutes later he was on the brink, and she knew it. With one last lick, he released himself into her mouth. She suckled him dry, thinking he tasted exactly how she thought he would...sweet and tangy all mixed together.
She stood up and smoothed out Daman’s wrinkled shirt while he zipped his jeans. They were both still breathing heavily from their oral foreplay. She was glad she kept extra toiletries at her grandfather’s house so she could clean herself up a bit. After smoothing out her dress and her hair, she leaned into him and stared into his eyes. She could get lost in those eyes all day, and they spoke to her in ways she knew his voice never could. Still, she couldn’t ignore the voice in her head that told her to be careful of this man. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a companion, but she couldn’t let her heart confuse love with lust. Kissing him was the only time she felt like they were on the same page, so she did what she enjoyed doing most with him...she kissed him.
Seconds later, Daman took control of the kiss, making love to her tongue as he had her body weeks before. Imani could usually multitask, but when Daman seductively kissed her, all she could do was focus on the kiss. She failed to hear the branches crunching under footsteps that were getting closer to Gamine’s Haven.
“Daman, it’s so nice to see you again. I see you and my daughter are getting better acquainted,” Mrs. Rayne said with a smile.
Hearing her mom’s voice instantly made her stop kissing Daman. They both turned around to see her parents standing nearby. She could tell Daman was embarrassed, and so was she. She couldn’t recall her parents ever catching her in such a compromising position. Mrs. Rayne was smiling, but Mr. Rayne was not.
Imani was trying to figure out what to say, but it was her father who decided to speak next.
“Daman, do you think you can stop groping my daughter long enough for me to have a quick chat with you?”
“Yes, Mr. Rayne,” Daman said, as he let out a nervous laugh.
Her father walked over and roughly gripped Daman’s shoulders. Imani thought her usually upbeat dad was uncomfortable after catching her and Daman, until he winked at her and kissed her forehead.
“Don’t worry, baby. I won’t be too hard on my future son-in-law.”
Imani was embarrassed by his comment, but at least he was joking and wasn’t upset.
“Dad, please don’t say that.”
Mr. Rayne laughed and led Daman away from Gamine’s Haven. Imani turned toward her mom, who still had a smile on her face.
“Mom, stop smiling at me like that. It wasn’t what it looked like.”
Mrs. Rayne walked over to Imani and gently brushed some fallen hair out of her face.
“Imani, if you feel something for Daman, don’t run away from it. You never were a runner, and I definitely don’t want you putting on your running shoes now.”
She knew exactly what her mom meant and wasn’t surprised that she knew Imani was ready to run from the possibility of falling for Daman.
“I know, Mom, but what Daman and I have is just for fun. We’re working on developing a friendship, but nothing more. I know you, Dad and the family are waiting for all of us young people to get married, and being your oldest child, I know you want me to settle down first. But Daman isn’t the relationship type, and that suits me just fine because I don’t want a relationship, anyway.”
“Oh, baby. For someone so smart, you can be so dense sometimes. If you think the way Daman looks at you is how a business partner looks at another partner, then you are sadly mistaken. That man is taken with you, and it’s obvious to anyone around you that it’s more than a partnership. And I don’t recall you having many friends who you kiss like you just kissed Daman.”
She blushed. “It was just a kiss, Mom, nothing more.”
“It was more than a kiss, and I wasn’t born yesterday. I can tell you two have moved beyond kissing, but if you’re in denial, then I won’t sit here and try to convince you.”
Imani looked into her mother’s eyes and was glad to see happiness in them. It had been a while since she’d seen that gleam that she had when Gamine was alive.
“Imani, can you promise me one thing?”
“Sure, Mom, what is it?”
She noticed her mother’s eyes were watery and she felt her mother’s hand gently massaging the back of her head.
“Promise me that no matter what happens with Daman, you will continue down the path you are on now. You seem happy...really happy. For a while I felt guilty for not being there for you when Gamine passed away and forcing you into a role that no one else in the family could handle at the time. You look
ed after so many people, and still do. And I feel like you lost yourself along the way. Baby, you finally seem like you’re breaking down a little of that hard shell you developed around your heart because you felt like you had to worry about me and the rest of the family.”
Imani couldn’t stop the tears that ran down her face. For so long, she felt like the family would never get back to normal, and it seemed that the person she was worried about the most was finally healing from the loss of Gamine.
“Imani, baby, I’m fine...I am fine. We’re all fine, and I think it’s time for you to stop devoting all your time to being there for us and finally take the time to do something for yourself.”
Imani wiped the tears from her face. “Thanks for telling me that, Mom. I don’t want you to feel guilty because I’d be there for you again in a heartbeat. I know a part of us left when Gamine passed away, but you’re my mom, so you were always my main concern. I’m so glad to see you happy again. I really missed you, Mom.”
Mrs. Rayne wiped the tears from her own face and hugged Imani with all the love she had in her heart. “I missed you, too, baby...I missed you, too. Now enough of this crying,” Mrs. Rayne said, as she continued to wipe her tears. “Let’s go back to the barbecue. Cyd told me you and Daman were walking down the path, but I didn’t think we’d catch you two kissing. For future reference, I think you need to find a better hiding spot.”
Imani laughed at her mom’s suggestion. She was right. There was no telling who else might have seen them had her parents not made their presence known. She was even more anxious about the fact that her parents could have caught them earlier, which would have been way more embarrassing. She’d never done anything so daring surrounded by people, let alone family and friends. Even so, she’d enjoyed every minute of their risky foreplay. Reminiscing about how carried away they’d gotten, she wondered how many more secret public places they could find to please one another.
* * *
Instead of walking to the backyard where the barbecue was still going on, Daman decided he needed to take a quick walk. He hadn’t seen Imani since her parents showed up to the barbecue. It was dark outside now, and he loved the fact that he could see the stars in this part of Illinois. Gazing up at the stars was always something he used to do with his dad. They would lie on the grass, and he’d tell Daman stories about his childhood. Stan Barker was a man who enjoyed the simple things in life, and Daman couldn’t recall the exact moment he stopped remembering the values his father continually instilled in him when he was young.
When he lost his father, he swore that, with the exception of his mom, he would never let anyone get that close to him because the pain of losing someone you loved was a pain he couldn’t bear to go through again. All these years, he’d not let a woman get close because he used the excuse that he was more focused on his career than building a relationship. But he was lying to himself. He knew the famous Tennyson quote, “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” wasn’t true. For him, it was better to never love than to love and lose that person. His mind drifted back to Imani. Mr. Rayne was a good man, and Daman already admired him, even though they’d only shared a couple of conversations. Mr. Rayne’s words still echoed in his mind:
Daman, you seem like an honorable man with a good head on your shoulders, and I can tell that you come from a supportive family. You’re a true career man with an admirable reputation, and that’s something to be very proud of. You see, my daughter is a career woman. Strong. Determined. Her mother and I raised both our daughters with strong family values and the idea that they can accomplish anything they want in life. We are beyond proud of what they’ve accomplished. But don’t let Imani’s exterior fool you, because inside that career-driven woman is a girl who, more than anything, wants a family like the one she was raised in. With Imani, family comes first, and everything else comes second. If you are the man my daughter chooses, I’m pleased for you both because I know you can make each other very happy. But if you don’t think you can be the man she needs, then you should move out of the way and make room for a man that can. I think I know how you feel, but I’ll let you figure that out on your own.
Daman wished he knew how Mr. Rayne thought he felt, because right now, he was confused. He liked the Burrstone clan, but he’d mainly wanted to go to the barbecue to see Imani. Anytime he wasn’t around her, the only thing he could think about was when he was going to see her again. They’d barely gotten a chance to talk today, but what they had done said more to him than words probably could have. He couldn’t recall ever lusting after a woman so much. The way she’d gone down on him had completely caught him off guard. She did it with ease and grace, which made him laugh, since those were not two words you thought about when referring to oral sex.
With Imani, he was quickly learning that she wasn’t your ordinary woman. When she looked into his eyes, he felt like they were communicating without words. She noticed things about him that the majority of people in his life never noticed. The idea of another man getting to be with her angered him more than he wished it did. He had to figure out what to do, and he had to figure it out fast because the only thing he was certain about was that walking away from Imani was not an option.
Walking back to the house, he ignored that inner voice that told him he was falling for her. When he reached the backyard, he noticed most of the people he knew weren’t out there. A glance into the family-room window proved they’d gone inside. Instantly, his eyes landed on Imani as she laughed at something her sister had said. She’d pulled her hair up into a ponytail, so he could see every part of her face now. What was it about her that made him forget why he’d steered clear of women like her all these years?
He stepped through the sliding door and into the living room. People were talking and laughing all around him, but his eyes stayed on Imani as he made his way to where his friends and she stood. She finally looked up at him, and he instantly felt a kick in his gut. It was a feeling he’d grown accustomed to since meeting her. They weren’t even standing close, but the distance wasn’t enough to get rid of the sexual tension he felt emanating between their bodies. If their friends noticed it, they weren’t letting on. He wanted to finish what they’d started earlier that day. Her eyes promised that in due time, they would.
Chapter 19
Jogging on her treadmill did nothing to clear Imani’s mind. Daman was headed over to pick her up so they could discuss the final details of the gala before they headed to Atlanta, and all she could think about was how soon they could wrap up their meeting so that they could finish what they’d started at the barbecue last week. The only thing her jog had managed to do was sweat out her hair a little. She hoped her shower would do the trick, instead.
She and Daman had seen each other several times since the barbecue, but each time had been a short lunch meeting or afternoon coffee. They both had gone to Atlanta once in the past couple weeks, but were there at separate times. It had actually felt strange being in Atlanta without Daman.
Tonight, they were going on their first real date. She knew it seemed backward, considering they’d already done plenty of naughty things that should be done after you’ve dated someone for a while, but she didn’t care. The game she was playing with Daman was a dangerous one, but she planned to enjoy every minute of it until it was time for them to part ways.
She heard a knock at her door and wished she hadn’t told the doorman she was expecting Daman. Because he had sent Daman right up without announcing him, she didn’t get the chance to take that final look at her hair and outfit.
Opening the door for Daman, her breath caught in her throat. He looked extremely sexy in his blazer, shirt and pants. She’d seen him dressed nicely plenty of times, but the way he looked in this outfit was stimulating her insides more than usual. Tonight he looked extra tasty, and she didn’t have the willpower to keep her hands to herself.
Gracefully, she touched the inner lining of his blazer, instantly wishing she
could strip him of the material that kept her from seeing his muscles through his shirt. She heard him take a deep breath and looked up to find him observing her from head to toe. His look of approval told her he appreciated the way her black dress softly clung to her hips, accentuating her figure. She turned slightly to the right to give him a good view of her backside. Hearing another intake of breath made her laugh.
“Come here,” Daman said, pulling her to him.
Her laughing ceased as he dropped his head to hers to steal a kiss. The simple kiss quickly turned lethal, as did every kiss she shared with Daman. She couldn’t recall when kissing him had become so natural. If she were honest with herself, she knew it had been like that from the very first kiss they shared. She welcomed the butterflies in her stomach that grew more plentiful as his hands dropped to her butt, pulling her closer to his center. He ended the kiss when breathing became a difficult task.
“You look beautiful. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, and you don’t look too bad yourself.”
Tossing her purse over her shoulder, she locked her door and linked arms with Daman. They were headed to Michael Jordan’s new restaurant downtown, and Imani couldn’t wait to check it out.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they were immediately seated in a private corner. She didn’t want to waste any time. The quicker they got down to business, the quicker they could get on with their date.
“Can you believe the gala is approaching so soon?”
Daman shook his head and smiled. “Not really. It seems like just yesterday the Simses were asking us to host and plan the event. Did you ever wonder why they didn’t ask you and your partners to plan the gala? After all, it is what you do.”
Imani had actually thought about it several times, but she didn’t know why they hadn’t asked. “I don’t know, but my partners didn’t seem to mind, so I didn’t, either. Besides, we’re extremely busy right now, and since I’m helping with the plans, the girls have been even busier.”
A Tempting Proposal (Kimani Romance) Page 14