“Hmmm…you have something on your face.” She laughed, pointing to a smudge of chocolate at the corner of Cash’s mouth.
“Where is it?” His pink tongue darted out and licked the side of his mouth, but he missed it. “Did I get it?”
“No, you missed. It’s right here.” Leaning closer, Rachelle wiped the spot of chocolate off Cash’s face with the pad of her thumb at the same time his tongue came back out.
The feel of his moist, rough tongue brushing over the tip of her finger instantly sent a pool of moisture rushing into her panties. She could barely contain herself from moving in towards him for a kiss.
Hot desire lit up his smoky eyes as his gaze darted down to her finger, then shot right back up to her face. “I think I’ve had a change of mind,” Cash’s deep, rich voice confessed as his hand, dropped his S’Mores down on the rug next to his leg.
“What did you change your mind about?” she whispered, staring into his handsome face.
As much as Rachelle wanted to look away, she couldn’t because the pull between them was way too powerful. He had her body under some kind of spell. Her mind couldn’t break free.
Her pulse sped up as Cash’s large hand eased behind her neck and pulled her closer to his hard chest. “Your lips will probably taste twenty times better than any S’Mores ever could,” he growled before he captured her mouth in a deep, wet kiss.
She had been kissed before—the first time was in middle school by a boy she hated. However, she had never, and she meant never, been kissed so thoroughly as Cash was kissing her right now. Kissing Cash was one of the hottest things that had happened to her in a very long time.
His masterfully, talented tongue licked at hers like he was trying to draw the taste of her S’Mores from her mouth back to his. He devoured her mouth like it was the meal he had been searching for all night long. A sense of urgency drove her to get carried away with the man who was making her body feel so good.
Her heart jolted inside her body. He was so disturbing to her in every single way that he shouldn’t be. Rachelle though her feelings…no, attraction for him was intensifying the more his mouth controlled hers. His nearness made her senses spin completely out of control and she was having a hard time getting them back together.
The way he was taking control of her lips was almost criminal. Without a doubt, a pair of handcuffs should be slapped on his wrists and he should be escorted to jail for making her feel so good.
This wasn’t right at all. She should be pushing him away, but she wasn’t.
God, what if he made love as well as he kissed?
She constantly lectured her little sisters about breaking the ninety-day rule when it came to guys, but if Cash kept kissing her she was going have one hell of a one-night stand tonight and not feel a bit embarrassed about during the walk of shame in the morning from his room.
No! She couldn’t let that happen. She had to keep her wits about her. She needed to stop Cash before their kissing went any further and she would be begging him to strip her naked right here in front of the fire.
Breaking the hot kiss, Rachelle placed her hand on Cash’s chest and leaned her body away from his. Instantly the closeness she felt with him was gone and she regretted her decision.
“We need to stop,” she said, trying to be the responsible one. However, she ruined her chances by moaning when he jerked her back against his body and nibbled at the side of her sensitive neck.
“Please, stop,” Rachelle panted softly.
“Why?” He growled by her ear as his fingers stroked her back through her shirt. “Don’t you want this as much as I do? We don’t have to go any further than you want. I just don’t want to stop kissing you.”
Do it. Do it. Let go and do something crazy for once, her mind taunted.
She shook her head. “We can’t do this. I barely know you. I’m a good girl. I don’t have one night stands with men I just meet.”
“If you let me make love to you, I won’t think any less of you, but you have to feel this connection between us. Sometimes things just happen and this might be one of those things. Just live in the moment,” Cash whispered, then ran his tongue across the shell of her ear.
“I will think less of myself,” Rachelle said, trying to clear her head. Cash was placing a spell on her. She had to get away from him. Everything her sisters told her about sexual chemistry was true. She couldn’t think about doing anything else but stripping Cash out of his clothes. She had to fight her own battle of personal restraint to not give in to her feelings.
“Please let me make love to you. You’re the kind of woman that makes a man want to make love to her for hours. Hell, I know that I’ve been thinking about it ever since my eyes connected with yours earlier tonight. I can’t figure out which thing about you I find sexier, your name or your body.”
God, she wanted to do this so badly, and from the feel of his rock hard cock poking against her stomach, Cash wasn’t lying about his feelings for her. He did want her as much as she desired him, yet she just couldn’t do it.
Chapter Six
Placing her hands against his solid chest, Rachelle pushed Cash away for a second time that night. She had to keep him at arm’s length or he was going to mess with her well-organized life. She still wanted to look at herself in the mirror. She couldn’t do that while within touching distance of him.
What would her sisters think about her lapse in judgment tonight? She was the perfect and logical one in the family. She wasn’t a rule breaker and she was fighting so hard not to become one. She wouldn’t lose her common sense over a handsome man blessed with a sexy body. She loved being in control and, with only one hot-ass kiss, Cash almost took the power away from her.
“We really can’t do that again,” Rachelle whispered, placing her fingertips against her swollen lips.
“Why not?” Cash asked, his eyes searching hers. “What’s wrong with one tiny kiss? I thought we were getting to know each other a little better?”
She dropped her fingers away from her mouth. “I’m just not the spontaneous type. I have everything planned out. I don’t like getting off track, but more than anything I hate surprises.”
The corner of Cash’s mouth lifted up into a slight smirk. “Are you saying that I surprised you by how well I kissed?” The sound of his voice was an octave deeper. “I can promise you if you come back over here, I can surprise you even more and in so many different ways.” He patted the spot in front of him, making his offer so tempting, but she held back.
Rachelle was dying to crawl back across the carpet and let Cash do everything to her that he was promising, but she couldn’t. How could he take her seriously after he got what he wanted from her? She was sure that he had women coming on to him all the time; however, she wasn’t going to allow herself to fall into that same trap.
If he wanted a hot fling while he was on vacation then he would have to look somewhere else, because it wouldn’t be with her. Her body might want one thing, but she needed to make sure her mind was in control.
Ever since she was a little girl, everyone had taken her very seriously because of her ability to stay focused on the big picture. If she allowed lust and desire to take her over now, then everything she believed in would be worthless.
“No, I’m sorry. I can’t sleep with you,” she apologized, getting up off the floor. “I’m not saying I’m not very tempted by your kisses, but I can’t. We need some space from each other. So, I think I’m going to check on that breaker. I’m hoping I can get the lights to come back on tonight.”
“Wait,” Cash said as he jumped up. He stood directly in front of her, blocking her path. “Please let me apologize. I overstepped. I didn’t mean to pressure you into doing anything you weren’t ready for.
“I shouldn’t have moved so fast and kissed you. Yet, you were sitting there looking so beautiful by the fireplace and I couldn’t help myself. I still want to get to know you better. Think we could start over and go on from there?”
“Hmmm…I don’t know,” Rachelle answered, hesitant to give in to Cash.
“How about you think about it while I’m gone?” he suggested. I told you earlier that I was going check the breaker for you and I’m a man of my word. So, tell me how to find it.”
Rachelle tried not to focus on how good Cash looked in front of her, but it was hard not to do. She was dying to feel his warm, hard lips pressed against hers again. God, this guy was making her lose all of her abilities to think straight.
“Go all the way to the very end of the hallway and make a left. You will end up in front of a door and then go down some stairs. It’s on the wall as soon as you step off the last step. You won’t miss it. Are you sure that you don’t need me to come with you?” she asked.
“No… I think I can handle this all by myself. Just hand me the flashlight and I’ll be on my way.”
Bending down, Rachelle picked up the flashlight. “Here you go.”
“Oh, I did forget something,” Cash said as he took the flashlight from her.
“What?”
“This.” Before she could move, Cash grabbed her by the waist and yanked her against his body before she could stop him, and recaptured her mouth with his lips. This kiss was sudden but it was still as hot as the first kiss they had shared earlier.
“Thanks,” Cash said, then winked at her.
Spinning on his heel, he went down the hallway towards the door. She watched his wide back until he disappeared around the corner and out of sight.
Sitting back down in front of the fire, Rachelle stared blankly into the flames. She wondered what she was going to do about Cash.
Why wouldn’t he comprehend he couldn’t come into her life and make her body go all crazy?
Sure, he was good-looking, and everything about him made her fantasize about so many naughty things. Why shouldn’t she, when Cash feasted on her mouth like it was an all you could eat buffet?
Wait a second. Was she actually sitting here in front of the fireplace torn about a man she had only met tonight? What was Cash doing to her?
God, she needed to talk to someone about this. She knew of only one the person who would give her an honest answer. Pulling her cell phone out of her skirt pocket, Rachelle’s finger hit the speed dial number for Sasha’s phone.
She loved all three of her sisters dearly, but she was closest with Sasha. It could come from them having such similar personalities. No matter the time of day, they could talk about anything, and right this very second Rachelle needed some advice about the distracting man downstairs working on the circuit breaker.
Chapter Seven
Rushing around her bedroom, Sasha searched everywhere for her lost high heel. If she spent any more time looking for the stupid thing, she was going to be late. Her boss, Sterling Hamilton, constantly drove her up the wall and she was tired of it.
Within a moment’s notice, she had to cancel all of her plans for tonight to accommodate his needs. Did he think that she didn’t have better ways to spend her free time? Why did he have to call her at the very last minute?
Two years ago, after a lot of soul searching and a long talk with Rachelle, she ended her acting career completely. The tiny jobs she had landed weren’t enough to make her mortgage payments. More than once, her big sister had given her money to carry her over to the next month.
Thankfully, Rachelle gave her more hours at Luxury to help her while she went back to college for a degree in business. Quitting one job after working there for a few years, she was lucky enough to get hired on as a management consultant for a local business, Comforts Sleep Company.
She wasn’t fond of dealing with some of the employees there, especially the ones who didn’t want to learn about team management and building diversity from an African American woman.
Most of the male employees made back-handed comments to see if they could rattle her. The female workers hated how she spent so much time with Sterling.
Honestly, she couldn’t blame them for being upset with her. The first time she saw Sterling walking out of his office, his good looks stopped her dead in her tracks. She almost embarrassed herself right then and there in front of him.
But, she quickly got herself together and back into a professional mode. She was there to train the employees to act in a more professional manner. She couldn’t blow it by drooling over her boss like all of the other female employees.
Yet, in a weak moment while drinking wine and watching her favorite show Hell on Wheels on AMC, she confessed to Rachelle she might be a little attracted to her handsome boss.
God, why did she ever tell Rachelle about Sterling? Her sister never needed to know how she was beginning to see her boss as more than a colleague.
Now, anytime she mentioned Sterling, Rachelle gave her this warning glare like she could look, but not touch because of a bad mistake from her past.
Yeah, she might have made the mistake of flirting with her professor a few years ago. However, the way things ended between them taught her to be more cautious. Now, she knew better than to jump into something without thinking it through first.
How was she supposed to know he was married with three kids? He never talked about his personal life. He hadn’t worn a wedding ring, and he found ways to get her alone in his office.
After a few study sessions, one thing had led to another and he kissed her. Kyler was an attractive guy. He was a pro at spreading on the charm pretty thick. She was so close to falling for his lies. Thank God his wife surprised him at his office one night and caught him sitting a little too close to her at his desk.
If she hadn’t, Sasha would have accepted a dinner invitation that could have changed her entire life. The next day she transferred out of his class and never ran into him again. She was just glad things ended before they had sex. The guilt she would have felt for sleeping with a married man would have been horrible.
Why couldn’t her big sister understand she wasn’t going to do anything to cause trouble at her job?
Sasha hoped to turn her position into a permanent job by landing the promotion Sterling brought up to her last month. Being paid as a full-time employee at Comforts Sleep Company would mean she wouldn’t have to travel between jobs anymore. She could just stay there and give training seminars to the new ninety-day hires.
Her sister had already lectured her earlier on the telephone about not losing this promotion. She couldn’t let her newfound attraction to Sterling cloud her mind. She needed this job because it would build up her bank account. Sasha hated to admit it, but Rachelle was right.
She couldn’t cancel her meeting tonight with her boss. There were a few other people at work trying to get the promotion, but she wouldn’t permit it to happen.
Even if she tried to date Sterling behind Rachelle’s back, it wouldn’t last long because somehow her sister would find out, probably from her other sisters. No, it would be better if she kept her fascination for Sterling buried deep and never mentioned him again.
Her little sister Akisha was the most loyal of her siblings. She was the family cheerleader. She would stick by her no matter what she did.
On the other hand, Genise’s jealousy would skyrocket since she had laid eyes on Sterling first. Her baby sister loved chasing after good-looking men, and Sterling being her boss wouldn’t stop Genise from flirting with him right in front of her.
Hell, Genise would date Sterling to push Rachelle’s buttons. She didn’t know what the deal between Rachelle and Genise was, but they were always arguing about something.
Sasha had to be honest and admit Genise manipulated any situation to get attention. But, in her baby sister’s defense, Genise wasn’t all that bad. She was one of the most engaging people she had ever known. She could draw you into any of her adventures with only a few softly spoken words.
She stopped searching around the room and finally admitted defeat. The shoes she was looking for were gone. She wasn’t going to find them. “Okay, I’ll have to dig out ano
ther pair out of the closet or I’m really going to be late.”
Sasha was halfway to the closet when Bruno Mars’s song “Grenade” went off on her cell phone. Spinning around, she headed back over to the bed and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Great! I caught you,” Rachelle said. “I thought I might have missed you.”
“Hey, Rachelle, how are things going at Luxury? Is there a problem and that’s why you are calling me? Do you need me to come over there? I can do it after my meeting.”
Sasha would love any reason to cut her meeting short with Sterling. It was getting harder and harder not to get lost in his eyes.
“Yes, there is a little problem with the lights,” her sister answered, “but Cash is downstairs in the basement trying to fix it for me.”
“What’s going on?”
“The lights flickered twice and then everything went completely black. I hope that it’s only the breaker because we don’t have any extra money to fix the wiring. One thing is for sure, I’m going to fire Douglas and hire a new electrician because he isn’t doing a good job and I’m tired of hearing his excuses.”
“Are you there in the dark?” Sasha asked, sitting down on the bed. She was worried about her sibling being in a dark hotel with Cash, who she thought could be interested in her sister. Rachelle was too trusting sometimes, which turned out to be a flaw. She was worried about her sister being there alone with Cash. She didn’t know anything about him. “I can come over and stay with you. I know how much you hate being in the dark after a while.”
“No, you aren’t going to skip out on your plans. Anyway, Cash is down there working on getting the lights back on for us,” Rachelle replied. “I’m sure he won’t be much longer.”
“Cash is who I’m concerned about,” Sasha admitted. “How are things going with him? He hasn’t made the moves on you or anything, has he?”
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