Just Say The Word

by Tiffany Patterson

  “Leave my nephew alone.”

  I peeked over Damon’s shoulder to see Joshua entering the kitchen, staring at the two of us. I pushed Damon’s hands from my hips and side stepped him.

  “You sure he’s only ten?” Damon asked Josh, his voice serious.

  “Pretty sure, but you can go ask his father. Carter’s right outside.” Josh tilted his head.

  My eyes widened when Damon nodded and said, “I’ll go do that. I’ll be back.” He bent and pressed a quick kiss to my lips before moving through the kitchen toward the sliding glass door to enter the backyard. It was mid-March, and while it was typically still chilly this time of year, Kayla had wanted her baby shower to be outside. So it was.

  I watched Damon’s retreating back, and then my gaze moved to Joshua who picked up a deviled egg from one of the silver serving platters before popping it into his mouth.

  “Don’t tell Kay. She’s had me running around all day for this thing and I haven’t eaten anything. I’m fucking starving.”

  I laughed. “I didn’t see anything.”

  He winked at me before taking another deviled egg.

  I took one of the few opportunities I had alone with Joshua Townsend to say something I’d wanted to say for months.

  “Joshua, I wanted to thank you for helping me land my current job.”

  His forehead wrinkled in confusion for a half a second before realization dawned on him.

  “No big deal.” He shook his head.

  “It really was.” I knew Kayla hadn’t shared with him the details of why it was so imperative that I leave my last job but he’d been a lifesaver. He’d used his connections throughout the city of Williamsport to find a paralegal opening at the firm I now worked for.

  “It meant a lot to me, and I’m sorry if it caused any problems for you that Kayla kept my secret.”

  Josh raised his hand. “Kay said you were in trouble and needed help finding a job. She trusts you and I trust that woman more than anything in this world. If she believes in you, so do I. I hear you’re doing great at the new firm.”

  I nodded. “I love it. We’re doing important work.”

  “Good. That’s all that matters.” He took another deviled egg and nodded in my direction before heading out.

  I pushed out a breath but looked up to see Damon staring at me. His gaze was narrowed. Had he overheard the conversation between Josh and I? Of course he had. That was evident as Josh passed by him, but those two differently colored eyes remained transfixed on me, questioning.

  “Josh got you the job at the firm?”

  I looked around the kitchen. “Sort of.”

  “It’s a yes or no question.”

  “My credentials got me the job at the firm. Kayla just gave him my resume in case he knew someone who needed a paralegal.”

  “And what happened with your last job?”

  I shrugged and busied myself, organizing the cookies onto the free platter, avoiding his gaze. “I just needed a job that paid more and with better benefits. This one fit the bill.” That was a partial truth and I was glad to have something to do to avoid looking up at Damon. I was thankful he hadn’t heard the entire conversation I had with Joshua.

  “There you are!” Kayla’s breathless voice broke up the tension in the room. “Damon, I need to take the MC of this event outside with me for a while.” Why on earth Kayla had begged me to be the MC of this baby shower I had no idea. I didn’t like speaking in front of people. Most of these people were practical strangers to me. These were her friends, family, and colleagues, yet there I was hosting like I knew these people. But in spite of my uncomfortableness with my hosting duties, I was grateful to be out from under Damon’s suspicious gaze. I wasn’t ready to explain to anyone, but especially not him, what or rather who it was that drove me from my last job.

  “Hey, you all right?” Kayla asked, gripping my wrist as I stared off into space while a handful of the men at the shower played one of the silly baby shower games. Four men stood at a table blindfolded trying to change the diaper of a baby doll that laid in front of them.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “Fine. Are you enjoying your shower?” I smiled.

  Kayla’s cinnamon skin glowed from pregnancy, her cheeks much fuller than when I’d first met her, but she looked gorgeous. Happier than I’d ever seen her.

  “Yes. Thank you so much for agreeing to host. I know it’s a little out of your comfort zone, but I really appreciate it.”

  “Like you gave me much choice.” I gave her a deadpan expression.

  She giggled. “Sorry about that, too.”

  I shook my head. “No you’re not.”

  Another laugh, louder this time. “You’re right, I’m not. You’re the perfect hostess even if you don’t think so.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Whatever. You’re lucky my daughter loves you, or else I’d be tempted not to speak to you after this.”

  “Yeah right. You can’t get rid of me. Who else is going to babysit this kid once he or she is born?”

  I laughed. Kayla had strong armed Josh into not finding out the sex of their baby until it was born. I didn’t think I had that type of patience. I wanted to know as soon as I could when I was pregnant with Monique, even though I had the sixth sense early on that I was going to have a little girl.

  Speaking of, I glanced over into the yard where the children played. Damon was out playing a game of catch with Monique and Diego. He’d opted not to participate in any of the adult games, insisting that he keep watch over Monique and that little boy as he now referred to Diego.

  “They’ve taken to each other,” Kayla noticed, staring out into the yard as well.

  I bit my bottom lip. “You don’t think it’s too soon for that, do you? I mean, it’s still really early on in our relationship, and who knows what will happen. You hear all those horror stories—”

  “Sandra,” Kayla started, wrapping her hand around my wrist, “don’t go making trouble where there isn’t any. My grandmother used to tell my mom that when she got scared for me when I was a kid. Damon’s a great man and you are a great mother. Trust in that.”

  I nodded and smiled at seeing Monique laughing as Damon picked her up, tickling her ribs.

  “You’re right,” I agreed. Maybe I could let my guard down for once.

  ****

  Damon

  “I still don’t think you should’ve let her stay over for the night. I mean, what do you really know about the boy?” I demanded, as we entered my condo. I hung up the leather jacket I took just because Sandra had insisted I needed it, on the coat rack before taking her peacoat and doing the same. Why the hell Joshua’s wife insisted we have a baby shower outside in March was beyond my comprehension, but that man gave his wife whatever she wanted, regardless if it made sense or not.

  “You had no problem with Diego a few months ago. Now you’re all suspicious. He’s ten,” Sandra retorted, her hands on her hips as she faced me.

  I licked my lips, admiring those hips in the leather leggings she’d worn with a beige sweater. She’d also worn her hair down, letting the curls she’d set it in kiss the tops of her shoulders.

  “That was before I saw how close he is with short stuff. You know those two have their own little secret code? Like their own personal language. I ain’t know what the hell they were saying to each other this afternoon. They could’ve been telling all of us to kiss their asses and we’d never know it. He’s trouble.”

  My head shot back when Sandra bent over, laughing. She didn’t cover her mouth like she had in the past. Instead, I got to view her wide open mouth as she guffawed like I’d told a damn joke. But my name wasn’t Chris Rock. I was dead ass serious.

  “Fine. You laugh now, but wait ’til I dig up some info on that little boy. You won’t be laughing then.”

  That made her laugh even more, and my damn heart kicked against the inside of my chest. There really was no use in fighting the inevitable. This woman and her ten-year-old daughter had stolen my
heart. Something I would’ve thought impossible just a few short months earlier.

  But I still had to act like I was pissed at her for laughing. I held strong until she walked over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. My hand instinctively went to those full hips.

  “Thank you for looking out for my baby. But I assure you, Diego Townsend is no threat to her.”

  I dropped a kiss to her lips before spinning her around so her back was pressed against the door. My hands rose to either side of her head.

  “He better not be or I’ll kick his, his uncles’, and his daddy’s asses, too.”

  She smirked. “You’d take on the whole Townsend clan for her, huh?”

  “Hell yeah,” I responded right before dropping my head and nuzzling the crook of her neck. I ran my teeth along the column of her neck when she lifted her head, giving me better access. It’d been two weeks since we first made love in my bed and I thought that that would’ve somehow weakened the constant need I had to be inside of her, but not at all. The only thing it did was make me want to keep her under lock and key, tied to my bed all day so I could slip in between those tight thighs of hers whenever I wanted. I spent many hours trying to convince my crazy ass brain that doing that would be akin to kidnapping.

  “I have something to ask you,” she stated, panting as I continued to run kisses over her neck, chin, and lips.

  “So ask.” I covered her lips with a brief kiss before moving to the other side, sucking her earlobe into my mouth.

  “Hmmm,” she hummed.

  My dick responded to the moan, pressing against the zipper of my jeans.

  “A-are you free next Saturday?”

  I didn’t even need to think about it. “For you? Always.” I pressed another kiss just underneath her ear.

  “Will you come over f-for dinner?” Her question came out on a moan when my hands moved underneath her sweater, touching the warm skin of her stomach.

  “Just tell me the time.”

  She sighed. “I-I want you to meet someone.”

  I pulled back to stare down at her, my hands still wrapped around her body underneath her shirt.

  “Who?”

  “My grandmother. She’s coming over for dinner.”

  Clenching my teeth, I pushed down the wave of anger that rose in my body. I wouldn’t let Sandra see how I really felt about the woman who’d kicked her out of her home when she was pregnant.

  I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

  Her smile was worth putting my anger to the side. She looked as if a weight had been lifted off of her.

  “Now …” I began, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck before pulling back, “can we discuss something …” I kissed the tip of her nose, “more important?” I kissed her lips.

  “I think so.” She nodded, smirking up at me, lashes lowered but not in a shy way. She’d slowly been dropping her inhibitions, at least with me. That felt comforting.

  Reaching up, I wrapped my finger in one of the curls she’d worn her hair down in for the day.

  “You’re going to mess up my curls.”

  I grinned. “Hell yeah, I am. I’m about to have your hair all over your damn head.”

  The giggle that escaped her lips was cut off by my capturing her lips in a deeper kiss than earlier. I’d wanted to get my lips on hers all day and keep them there. If I hadn’t had to keep an eye on Diego with Monique, I would’ve taken Sandra in one of Josh’s spare guest rooms and handled my business, but duty called.

  Now, there were no overly friendly ten-year-old boys to worry about. Just me and my woman.

  “I want to undress you this time.”

  My brows raising in surprise, I took a step back, holding out my arms. “Your will be done.”

  Sandra giggled, taking a shy step forward, but she didn’t pause. Her hands went first to my beard, her personal playground. Tonight was the night I’d show her exactly how soft my beard could be when she used it as a seat. I licked my lips just thinking about it, my dick growing hard in my pants.

  Her little hands moved down to my chest, unbuttoning the three collar buttons of the Polo shirt I’d worn before moving lower to pull the entire thing over my head. I had to help her a little with that. And as much as I wanted to hurry up and rush through this part to have her naked, writhing beneath me, I steeled myself against my own impatience. The deepest part of me told me that she needed to feel this. To feel some type of control in our coupling.

  I sucked in air when her fingers made contact with my bare chest and abdomen.

  “You’re so beautiful,” she stated in awe before pressing a kiss to the center of my chest. She rose, standing upright, and her finger outlined one of the scars on my stomach.

  “Did you win the fight that earned you this scar?”

  I stepped forward, advancing on her until her back was pressed against the door. “I always win.” I dropped a kiss to her lips but pulled back before I got too lost in it. Raising my hands to the door, I bracketed her body. “Undo my pants.”

  Her hands went to the belt buckle holding my jeans in place. She trembled slightly before undoing the buckle along with the button of the jeans.

  “Push them down,” I ordered, still leaning over her.

  Slowly she did as told, but stopped just as the tops of my pubic hairs emerged. She glanced up at me, biting her bottom lip.

  I gave her a look through narrowed eyes. “Keep going.”

  She returned to what she’d been doing, pushing my pants and boxer briefs down past my waist. I sucked in air when the tips of her fingers brushed against my straining dick. I kept my gaze planted on her as she pushed my clothing all of the way down. I lowered my face to the crook of her neck, licking my favorite spot and causing her to shiver.

  “Take it in your hands,” I told her just before biting her earlobe.

  “Wh-what?” It came out on a moan.

  I pulled back. “You think it was an accident I told you to get that red nail color the other day? That’s the color I like to see wrapped around my dick.”

  She gasped, and I captured her lips but didn’t keep the kiss going too long. After guiding her hand to my erection, I pulled back, my gaze going to where her hand was now on my body.

  “Now what?” she questioned, a little timid but there was an eagerness, an anticipation in her voice that called to me.

  “Stroke it. The way you want me to stroke your insides when I get in between your thighs.”

  I dipped my head, biting her chin, eliciting another moan.

  Slowly her hand began moving down my muscle.

  “Now tighten your grip as you get closer to the tip.”

  “What if I—”

  “You won’t. Keep going,” I demanded, my hand going underneath her sweater, to cup her breasts.

  “That’s it. Shit!” I grunted at the feeling of her hand on me. I took her lips, kissing her deeply. The movement of her hand faltered, which was fine because I much preferred coming while inside of her than in her damn hand. Stepping back, I removed my hands from underneath her sweater and kicked my pants and boxers to the side.

  “Undress.”

  She gave me a surprised look, to which I kept a neutral face to. I wanted to watch her undress for me.

  I took another step back, giving her some space. Her eyes circled the room around me, a contemplative gleam in her eyes. I wanted to rush her, to push her out of that deep insecurity I often saw in her eyes, but I knew she needed my patience more than my prodding. I could wait for her to get comfortable with me.

  I was rewarded for such patience when her hands slowly went to the edge of her sweater, lifting it over her head. I held my hand out for the sweater and she handed it over. I tossed it over my shoulder, imagining that it landed on the couch or floor behind me.

  “Pants next.”

  Her eyelids fluttered but her hands went to the waistband of her leather leggings. She’d looked good as hell all day in those damn things. I don’t know what made it worse, see
ing her in those leggings as she ran around hosting the baby shower, or knowing exactly how those thighs beneath the pants felt. Slowly she lowered the pants past her hips.

  I frowned, realizing she’d have to take off the heeled boots she wore to remove her pants all of the way. I would’ve much rather preferred the heels stayed on during what I had planned that night but there’d be a next time. I aided her in removing the boots and leggings, leaving her in just her bra and panties in front of me.

  I took my fill, letting my eyes trail over the smooth, copper-toned skin of hers.

  “No,” I shook my head, as her hands went behind her to begin removing her bra, “let me.” I stepped forward, reaching around her body and feeling for the clasp. With a few flicks of my finger, the bra straps were sliding down her shoulders. I pushed them the remainder of the way down, releasing her breasts for my viewing. My hands went to them, cupping and squeezing her hardened nipples.

  Sandra’s head flopped back against the door as she let out a soft moan, biting her bottom lip. But this time it wasn’t due to fear or doubt. She was turned on. Her breasts were particularly sensitive—something I’d picked up on the first time I’d touched them. To pull even more of those sexy ass moans from her lips, I dropped my head, pushed her breasts together with my hands, and ran my tongue over both nipples. Not only did she continue moaning but a purring sound escaped her lips. That shit turned me on even more, causing me to wrap my entire mouth around her left breast. I tongued her nipple while pinching and plucking the right one.

  I squeezed and massaged her breasts, which were just large enough to fit comfortably in my hands. Her little compact body was perfect for me. A moan of my own escaped from the back of my throat from the softness and sweet taste of her skin. She had a taste that belonged only to her. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how she tasted and smelled like cotton candy. Maybe I was just making it up because I was that fucking far gone over her.

  My free hand trailed down to her left hip and I felt her thighs beginning to tremble.

  “Damon.” It came out as a pleading whisper, her back arched toward me, head lulled against the door and eyes tightly sealed.