She nodded. “Yep, and I think it’s great. You two would make a cute … co-couple.” The words almost stuck in her throat.
He reached over and wiped another tear from her eye with his thumb. Instead of pulling away he stepped closer, enveloping her with his warmth. He smelled like the body wash he’d put in the bathroom with her. She looked up and gasped when she saw the anguish and desire mingling with the gold flecks in his eyes. Sizzling heat flowed within her, gathering wet and hot between her legs.
What would one time hurt? Everyone already assumed she was going to seduce him. Now that he’d brought her here the damage was done. She might as well get something out of the gossip that was sure to come. But besides that, she’d wanted Devin since she’d first laid eyes on him. And he wanted her, too.
Before she could change her mind, she slid her hand under his shirt. His body was hot, and it ignited a twin fire within her. The muscles in his back flexed beneath her hands. He sucked in a breath before exhaling it in one ragged rush. She parted her lips and lifted her head in a silent invitation.
Doubt flashed in his eyes before he quickly lowered his lids and covered her mouth with his. She parted her lips, gliding her tongue across his full lower lip. His mouth opened and she took the lead, but it was fleeting. He pulled her against his hard body and took over.
She couldn’t breathe; she was dizzy with desire. She tried to pull back, to regain control, but he was relentless. Finally she succumbed. Her hand beneath his shirt gripped his muscled back as her other ran through his soft hair.
When he pulled away, she groaned, wanting more. With hungry eyes he stared at her. Uncertainty and desire fought for control in his gold flecked gaze. Desire won out. He didn’t say a word, but took her hand and swiftly led her out of the kitchen.
She didn’t give herself the opportunity to think about what she was doing. To say it was a mistake, or that she’d regret it later. They both knew this wasn’t going anywhere, but to deny the attraction would only make the fire burn hotter.
She only got a glimpse of his bedroom before he pulled her against him and took her lips in a demanding kiss. His hot lips blazed a trail from her mouth to her neck, where he gently sucked on the sensitive skin above her shoulder. Liquid heat shot through her and she clenched her trembling thighs together to increase the pleasure. He pulled back only to roughly pull her shirt over her head. Immediately he went back to kissing her neck. His mouth returned to hers at the same time his large hand covered one of her aching breasts. His other hand tangled in the damp curls of her hair while his blunt fingers toyed with the puckered tip of her breast. Each caress increased the currents of her yearning pounding within.
She couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but accept his attention. This wasn’t like her. She took control. She brought men to their knees, not the other way around. With a moan, she pushed him back and lowered to her knees. She’d barely gotten her fingers in the waistband of his pants prior to him pulling her up.
Before she could protest, his hand slipped inside her borrowed pants and parted her wet folds. She gasped and clutched his broad shoulders as his fingers slid across her swollen clit. His captivating gaze held hers. The passion in his eyes only intensified the pleasure his expert fingers caused between her legs. When his long finger dipped within her slippery center, she constricted around it. He gasped haggardly.
Too quickly, he removed his hand and led her to the bed. She lay back against the soft cotton sheets. He slowly slid the pajama bottoms down her legs. Her breathing hitched as he leaned over to thoroughly kiss his way from her neck to her navel. Her body jerked and shook with each soft touch of his lips, each flick of his wet tongue against her skin. He moved lower, nuzzling her moist curls with his straight nose before drawing his stiff tongue across her in one long stroke. Her back arched off the bed. She cried out. He repeated the torturous movement and her body bucked. Two long fingers slid within her dewy flesh. He pressed upward against her G-spot, his expert tongue capturing all of her juices as they freely flowed from her.
The stirrings of a climax expanded within her: pulling, tugging and yearning to explode. Usually she could control her orgasm, hold out as long as she needed, but she couldn’t control it with Devin. Her body hummed, her nipples ached, and her legs shook with the need to release.
He lifted his head. Slowly his fingers slid from her creamy center. She protested, and he silenced her with a kiss. She returned it, enjoying the taste of her on his tongue. Frantically, she wrapped her arms around his neck, urging him on. He disentangled from her embrace and stood. She watched as he took off his t-shirt revealing his wide, sinewy chest. He jerked off his pajama pants. His thick erection, slick with his own desire, stood rigid before him from the juncture of his strong thighs. She spread her legs wide, biting her lower lip to keep from jumping up and sucking him deep.
Hunger flamed within his light eyes as he reached into his bedside table and removed a condom. He put it on quickly before gently lowering his large body over hers. Her breath caught with the first full contact of his hot skin against hers. Wanting more, she pulled his head down for a passionate kiss. He kissed her long, slowly, and thoroughly, while his large hands roamed over her body. She writhed beneath him, lifting her hips of the bed urging him to end the exquisite torture. Finally, he reached down to take his erection in his hands and guided it to her silky opening. His head lifted and he gazed into her eyes as his rock hard erection pushed within her. He filled her completely, stretching her wet walls, and bumping against her womb. It felt so good, so right; she squeezed her eyes shut and threw her head back to savor it.
He moved slowly, sliding each wonderful inch in and out of her with slow, deep, purposeful strokes. Her moans started softly, but with each glide of his body they grew louder. His fingers brushed across her eyelids and cheek before he took her chin in his hand and lowered her head. She opened her eyes and met his fiery gaze. They didn’t speak, just watched the ecstasy on each other’s face as he deeply stroked her.
His thrusts were steady, strong, and deliberate. Just like him. He placed one hand on her hip, shifted to anchor her better beneath him, and added a twist to his movements, rubbing every thick inch of him against each crevice inside her. Her passion built. The heat and intensity grew until she couldn’t hold back. Her body cracked. The wave ran over her skin, exploded where they were joined. Her nails dug into his back and her legs locked around his waist, pulling him deeper. Her vision blurred as tears came to her eyes.
Devin’s lids lowered, he bit his lip and groaned as his body tensed. His dick pulsed jerkily within her from the power of his on climax. He buried his face in her neck, and Shayla let the tears flow. She’d just experienced perfection and would never see it again.
Chapter 11
After leaving Devin, Shayla went home only to change clothes and hurry out of town before her mom could catch her. It was time to escape the pressure of Helena and seek refuge somewhere else. So she’d decided to finally come to Columbia and visit her best friend Tasha. She suppressed a smile as she sat on the floor of her friend’s nursery and watched Tasha hurry across the room. Every shade of pink known to man adorned the walls, furnishings, and accessories in the nursery. It looked like a Pepto-Bismol explosion. Shayla hated pink, but the color brought out the happy glow in Tasha’s tan skin. Contentment and excitement practically oozed from her friend, who looked like an extension of the room with her natural curls pulled into a high ponytail and pink sundress dress hugging her slightly rounded belly.
Tasha stuffed the toddler dresses Shayla had brought in the overflowing closet. The dresses were an attempt at a peace offering for neglecting to call Tasha since returning to Helena. Tasha was only an hour away in Columbia; Shayla had no real excuse for ignoring her friend’s calls. Despite the fact that Tasha married a former player after asking him to take her virginity, she would always be her “good girl” friend. The
moral yin to her immoral yang.
“So, are you going to tell me why you finally decided to call me? I know you’ve been in Helena for a few weeks.” Tasha said turning and cocking brow.
Shayla leaned back on a huge pink stuffed bear on the floor. “Come on, Tasha, you know why. It was bad enough facing my family after that disaster in Atlanta. I didn’t want to face you, too.”
“Have I ever judged you?”
Shayla picked an imaginary piece of lint off the bear. “No.”
“So why would I start now?”
“I judged myself. My instincts told me Mark wasn’t through with his wife, but after she moved out and filed for divorce I ignored common sense.”
“Did you love him?”
She shook her head. “No, just the idea of him. It was nice to think a man that put together would be interested in me.” She gave a half hearted smile. “Silly, huh?”
Tasha nodded. “Silly for you to think that, yes! I never understood why you think good men wouldn’t be interested in you. There are always dozens of men drooling over you. You’re smart; you had a great job and will get another one. Dang, Shayla, grab some confidence.”
Shayla covered her eyes and groaned. “Man, you sound like Devin.”
“Wait, I thought you two didn’t get along. Have you seen him?”
“I did a lot more than see him.” She said. She kept her eyes covered or else she’d cry.
She heard the shuffle of Tasha’s feet as she came to sit in the rocking chair beside her. “What does that mean?”
Regrouping with a deep breath, Shayla dropped her hands. “You remember Roxanne and Peaches?”
Tasha nodded, even though she’d never met them. Although she and Shayla became friends after meeting at cheerleading camp, Shayla kept Tasha far away from her friends at Helena High. Shayla could be herself around Tasha, which made her a refreshing relief from the constant show she had to put on when hanging with Roxanne, Peaches, and the rest of their clique.
When Shayla didn’t continue Tasha raised her eyebrows. “And … ”
“They threw me a welcome home party. Devin came.”
“That’s good. You know, that he came. When he saw you at our reception he seemed pretty stiff.”
“He did me a favor by coming.” She quickly recounted everything that had happened with Devin since coming home, ending with them having sex. When she finished, Tasha sat there, her eyes blinking slowly as if she were trying to process everything Shayla had said.
“Damn, Shayla, you’ve lived an entire drama in what … two weeks.” Tasha smiled and Shayla playfully hit her leg. “I don’t know where to start … I’ll skip Tony; my feelings haven’t changed since that situation. He raped you.”
Shayla flinched. “Don’t say that. You make it sound worse than it was.”
“That’s what it was, Shayla. Stop making excuses for it. You told him to stop, he didn’t listen.”
Shayla jumped from the floor and crossed the room to the window. “I didn’t try hard enough.”
“No. Don’t do this. Leave me alone. All of that should have been enough.” Tasha said.
She smirked at her reflection. Tony was right, she’d only said no once, but she’d said everything else Tasha mentioned. Before closing her eyes and turning her head away until it was over.
“Why didn’t you tell Devin that?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’d rather him think I went along with it, than let him know I was too drunk to do much of anything.”
“From what you said, he already knew you were too drunk to do anything and that’s why he took you upstairs. Tell him the truth.”
With a sigh she turned around. “Why? So he’ll magically fall in love with me? I haven’t changed much since high school. I’ve returned home after an affair with a married politician became headlines. I still get drunk and pass out at parties. And to top it off, I have no damn idea when I’ll get another job. That’s the perfect type of woman to be on the arm of the town’s all around outstanding citizen.”
Tasha held up her hands. “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this. I don’t understand why someone as gorgeous as you has low self esteem. You need a therapist.”
“To tell me what? My mom has told me I’m just as no good as my dad for as long as I can remember. I lost my virginity after getting drunk at Homecoming. Since half the town already thought I was as trifling as my dad, people easily believed I broke Devin’s heart for fun.” She sighed and turned back to the window. “I already know why I’m messed up. As long as I exude confidence — no matter how fake it may be — if people buy it, I’m cool.”
“You left out a whole lot of other issues in that list of yours. What happened after — ”
Shayla squeezed her eyes shut. “Stop, Tasha, please. It’s over.” She gripped the heart charm around her neck. She’d done what was necessary after Homecoming and then refused to discuss it ever again.
“Fine. You want to act as if everything that happened was nothing, go right ahead. Although, I should knock some sense into you.”
Other than Devin, Tasha was the one person who took her for what she was, and told her the truth. It was one of the reasons she loved her. Despite Tasha’s strict family lifestyle — a Baptist preacher father who refused to speak to his pregnant daughter until after Jared married her — she never judged Shayla. Tasha always listened, gave her a shoulder to cry on and a kick in the butt when she needed it.
Shayla pasted a smile on her face. “Don’t think I won’t hit you because you’re pregnant again.”
Tasha laughed. “Bring it. I’ll still whip your ass.”
Shayla joined in the laughter. Their moment was interrupted when Tasha’s husband walked in. Jared was tall with smooth brown skin, handsome features and a body well honed from years of personal training. Shayla couldn’t hide her surprise when his eyes lit up after seeing Tasha. Not because Tasha wasn’t completely loveable, but to see the former playboy still look like a lovesick teen one year after their marriage.
Tasha grinned. “Hey, you’re home.”
He rushed over to help her out of the rocking chair and kissed her forehead. “Yeah, we played a few games before Devin and Malcolm agreed to come over and watch the game. Malcolm can’t wait to hold his niece,” he said, referring to their first child.
Shayla tried to smile past the lump in her throat. Devin was here. Crap, she’d forgotten he and Jared were friends. Well, maybe not forgotten, but she wouldn’t have expected him to be here today of all days.
Tasha giggled. “Malcolm’s going to be disappointed. My mom and dad picked her up earlier so I could get a break. She’ll be back later.”
Jared frowned. “Are you okay? Do you feel bad?” His hand went to her stomach. Tasha had mentioned that Jared was concerned when she’d gotten pregnant so soon after their daughter was born. Luckily, her health was good. Shayla’s only advice was for her and Jared to stop screwing like rabbits. Tasha said that was out of the question.
Tasha shook her head. “Not at all. Those were their words, not mine.” She looked at Shayla. “Besides, Shayla came over to keep me company.”
Jared smiled. “What’s up, Shayla. Good to see you.”
“Same here, Jared.”
Tasha patted his chest. “Did you say Malcolm and Devin are here?”
“Yeah, I hope that’s not a problem.”
Tasha shook her head. “No problem. Did you know Devin and Shayla went to high school together?”
Jared looked at Shayla. “For real? Cool, come down the hall and watch some of the game with us.”
Just the thought of seeing Devin so soon made her palms sweaty. Shayla waved her hand. “I really gotta get going.”
“No you don’t, you just got here.” Tasha said. She smiled at Jared. “Go on,
we’ll join you in a second.”
He looked between the two, before shaking his head. “Okay,” he drew out the word. “Whatever you two are up to, I don’t want a part of it.” He playfully swatted Tasha on the butt before running out of the door, dodging her swing at his head.
Shayla rushed over to Tasha. “I can’t face him.”
“Yes you can, and you will. Tell him the truth.”
“It doesn’t matter — ”
“Yes it does. You’ve loved Devin since high school, maybe now’s your second chance.”
Shayla’s lips twisted as she gave Tasha the side eye. “I thought you stopped believing in fairy tales and romance.”
Tasha grinned. “That was when I thought Jared was walking out on me and our baby. But since the day he put it on the line and asked me to marry him, I’m all roses and hearts again. I’m going to the den,” She picked Shayla’s keys off the dresser and dropped them in the pocket of her dress, “and you’re going to join me.”
For the first time in Shayla’s life she contemplated assaulting a pregnant woman. She took a deep breath, wiped her hands on her jeans, smoothed her hair, and plastered on what she hoped was a nonchalant smile before following Tasha.
Chapter 12
Devin didn’t have time to absorb Jared saying Shayla was visiting Tasha before the two joined them in the upstairs den. He stared like a fool as she breezed into the room and smiled graciously as Tasha introduced her to Malcolm. Devin knew Malcolm was happily married, but it didn’t stop jealously from churning in his gut when Malcolm’s gaze quickly ran over her.
He couldn’t blame Malcolm. Shayla looked like a burst of spring in the middle of fall. Her pink shirt had a v-neck that drew Devin’s eye to her cleavage, her black leather jacket accentuated her small waist, and she must have poured herself into the tight jeans she had on. He sat there mesmerized by the way her high heeled boots caused her hips to sway as she walked. When she finally met his eyes he was fighting back memories of her legs wrapped around him, her soft moans as he entered her, and the way she’d become putty in his hands. She, on the other hand, gave him the same serene smile she’d given Malcolm and Jared. There wasn’t a hint in her expression that she was thinking about that morning.
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