I nod, “Yup, the box is at my loft.”
Tears fill her eyes and I begin to worry, “Baby, I didn’t mean to make you sad. I’m sorry.”
She shakes her head, “I’m not sad, I’m happy. I never thought that I would see his stuff or sing my songs ever again. This means so much to me, Duke. Thank you.”
I kiss her lips, “You’re welcome. Now, come eat before breakfast gets cold. Then I can teach you a few chords with the guitar.”
It’s been six months since Raya’s been home and four since we’ve been at the beach house. The summer has passed and the fall winds have gone into effect. The sun is still warm but not as hot as it was during the summer. The days are shorter now, bringing darkness to us much quicker. Raya’s been really great with the guitar. She has that natural talent. Buying that guitar for her was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I figured her song writing would be a great outlet for her. She still keeps things bottled inside, but she’s slowly starting to open up again. She still has the nightmares about Derrick, and when she does, those days are rough. She looks over her shoulder when we’re out in public or she flinches when someone comes near her. She’s only back to her normal self if we are alone or if Melanie visits.
Having Melanie visit has helped me tremendously. They do their girl bonding which Raya needs in her life. I have no clue what they do exactly or talk about, but I can tell that it’s helping her. I remember one conversation between Melanie and me as Raya was taking a nap.
I tidy up the living room and Melanie walks into the room, “So…you finally kissed her, huh?”
I stop and stare at her, “She told you?”
She shakes her head and sits on the sofa, “Nope, I can just tell from her mood changes and the way she looks at you.”
I sit on the sofa next to her, “How did you know?”
“You forget that I know what it’s like to kiss you.”
I look away, “Look Melanie, I didn’t—”
She puts her hands up, “Relax, I’m not here to cause drama. I wanted to tell you that I’m happy for you guys.”
I smile, “Really?”
She nods, “Of course I am. You two are my best friends and I just want you to be happy. Besides, you two are meant for each other.”
“Thanks, Mel.”
She slaps my arm and I scowl, “What was that for?”
“It’s about damn time you kissed her! Rob and I have been waiting for years for you to make a move. We even had a little bet going to see how long it would take you.”
I laugh, “Oh yeah? Who won?”
She cheers, “You’re looking at her, baby!”
Raya sneaks up behind me, “What are you smiling about?”
I laugh, “Nothing, just thinking about a conversation between me and Melanie when she visited.”
“Oh yeah, what was it about?”
“You, of course.”
She spins me around to face her, “Good things, I hope.”
I kiss her gently, “I only have good things to say about you.”
“Hmm…okay.”
I head to the kitchen and take out the chicken and begin to prepare it for tomorrow’s dinner, “So are you ready for tonight?”
She looks at me nervously, “I don’t know. Honestly, I’m terrified. I’ve never done this before in front of so many people.”
I walk up to her and kiss her forehead, “You’ll do great, baby. And remember that I’ll be there, watching you and cheering you on.”
A few hours later, we make our way into town and head to the local pub. Tonight is Singers and Songwriters Night and they’ve invited all of the local musicians to sing onstage for a set or two. I heard about the event last week and quickly got Raya all signed up. Even if she doesn’t sing, she can at least get a better understanding of the process and what it’s like. We turn onto the main street and she grabs my hand. I glance at her and her beautiful smile sends an electric shock into my chest.
I see her leg shaking, “Nervous?”
She grunts, “Yes, and I hate it.”
“I can go up there with you, if you need me to.”
Her eyes widen, “You will?”
“Of course, baby.” I raise her hand to my lips and kiss it. “Anything to make you feel more comfortable.”
Ten minutes later, we arrive at the pub and I grab a parking spot. I rush out to open her door for her and grab her hand.
“Before we go inside, I have something for you.”
Her dazzling blues sparkle, “Really?”
“Yeah, close your eyes and open your hand.”
She giggles and closes her eyes, holding her palm out. I reach into my jacket pocket and place her gift inside her palm, shutting her hand.
“Okay, open.”
She opens her eyes and looks down at her hand, slowly revealing the gift I left inside. She gasps as her eyes are fixed on the necklace that I bought her six years ago.
Tears fill her eyes and she looks right at me, “Duke…You saved it?”
“I saved it because one day, I knew I would give it back to you.” I take the necklace out of her hand, “Turn around.”
She spins and lifts her hair, allowing me to link the chain around her neck. She turns back to me and lets her hair down, admiring her new piece of jewelry. She looks at me, places her hands on my cheeks, and kisses me. My hand grabs the back of her head and I pull her into me, deepening the kiss.
A few minutes later, we make our way inside and the hostess seats us at our table. We order our meals and drinks and get ready for the entertainment to begin.
I lean into her, “Are you going to sing an original or a cover?”
“Maybe both? I guess we’ll see how it goes.”
We watch the acts sing and perform onstage as the night goes on. Once the last act finishes their performance, the host walks back on stage and taps the mic.
“I just want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. We have one more performance for the evening. So, everyone please give a warm welcome to Miss Raya Winters!”
I cheer and clap with the rest of the crowd and Raya turns to me, looking a little shaky and on edge. I lean in and whisper, “Do you want me to go with you?”
She breathes deep and exhales, “No, I can do this.”
I smile at her confidence, “That’s my girl.”
Standing up, she grabs the guitar and heads to the stage. She looks fidgety as she walks up the steps and sits on the stool, but I have faith in her. After tuning her guitar for a few seconds, she moves her mouth closer to the mic.
“Uh…Hi everyone. I’m Raya and I want to thank you all for having me. This is my first time singing in public and I’m kind of freaking out over here, so please bear with me. This is a song that touched my soul the first time I heard it. It’s about standing your ground, being strong, and fighting those against you. I’d like to dedicate this song to my friend, Layla. I miss you.”
She begins to flick her fingers along the strings of the guitar and sings the lyrics to Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. As she belts out the words, tears spill down her face as the emotion takes over. I look around the room and see a few of the patrons crying as well. I look at my girl and all I feel is pride. Pride for her willingness to fight, pride for her bravery, and pride for her commitment to get better and open up again.
As she sings the final chords of the song, my cell phone vibrates in my pocket. I quickly take it out and Davis’s name illuminates the display.
I look at Raya as she sings. I need to answer this. So I quickly get up out of my seat and head toward the back of the pub to answer the call.
“Hello?”
“Duke, where are you?”
“We’re in town at the pub, why?”
“There have been reports of a possible sighting of our guy.”
My stomach drops, “When and where?”
“Last night, just outside of Manhattan.”
“Are we sure that it’s him?”
“It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but I wanted to give a heads up, just in case you want to get out of there.”
“Do you think that’s the best plan, to run? We don’t even know if it’s really Derrick. I don’t want to frighten Raya for no reason.”
“I understand your point, kid. Just make sure you stay on high alert until we know for sure.”
“Okay, keep me informed. I got to go.”
“Take care of yourself, kid.”
I hang up and walk back to my table just as Raya finishes singing the second song. The crowd goes wild and cheers for her exponentially. She stands up off the barstool and takes a quick bow. When she makes her way back to me, I engulf her in a tight hug and plant a huge kiss on her lips. The crowd coos and awes around us as we passionately kiss.
Duke
We drive back home and all I think about is my phone call with Davis. Should I tell her? What if it makes matters worse? Will she want to run?
“What are you thinking about?”
She startles me out of my thoughts, “Sorry, I was thinking about something.”
“Yeah? Do you want to talk about it?”
I let out a sigh and clinch the steering wheel. She places her hand on mine.
“Duke, are you alright?”
I pull into the driveway, shut off the engine, and turn to look at her. “I need to tell you something.”
She looks at me, eyes wide, “Okay.”
I get out of the car and hold her door open for her and take her hand, leading her inside of the house. I leave her by the entrance and say, “Stay here,” as I make my way through the house, inspecting all of the rooms and ensuring all of the windows are shut and locked. After the house is inspected, I walk back to Raya, still standing by the door, and pull her further into the house.
I sit her on the sofa and she asks, “Duke, what’s going on?”
Sitting next to her, I take her hand, “While you were singing, Davis called me. He told me that there may have been a sighting in the city.”
“You mean someone found Derrick?”
“We don’t know for sure. And it could be wrong. We just haven’t confirmed it yet.”
I expect to see her panic but surprisingly she is calm and collected.
“When did this happen?”
“Last night. But like I said it could have been anyone.”
She pulls her hand out of mine, stands up, and walks away, looking out the window at the ocean, “Or it could have been Derrick.”
Shit, she’s already pulling away from me. My heart sinks into my stomach as I try not to think about her leaving.
I stand up and walk behind her, “Raya, at first I didn’t want to tell you but I know you have a right to know. And I know you must be scared, but please, baby, don’t run off on me again. I won’t be able to handle it again.”
She spins around to face me, “You think I’m scared?”
I’m stunned, “You’re not?”
She shakes her head, “Nope, I’m tired of being scared and running. I’ve come so far and I won’t be a victim again. I won’t let Derrick win. If he comes, then so be it, ‘cause I’m going to go down swinging no matter how long it takes.”
“You don’t want to leave?”
She puts her palm on my cheek, “Duke, I told you I wanted to stay to be with you. So that’s what I’m doing. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. It took me a long time to realize this, but I need you. You changed my life, Duke, even before everything in Chicago happened. You make me a better person. And ever since I came back home, my life has changed. I’m no longer numb or shut people out. I’m in touch with my emotions and I stand up to face my fears. But all of this was because of you. You showed me how to trust again. I learned to open my heart and share my soul. I followed my gut and believed in myself because you believed in me. You brought me back, Duke.”
I look into her blue eyes, “Remember the day we met? In forensics class? That was the day that I became yours. I tried to deny it for so long but I just couldn’t get you out of my head. You have completely captivated me. You’re that girl—the one of a kind—who you only find once in a lifetime. You are it for me, Raya, and have been for the past seven years. You have my heart. It will be yours, forever and always.”
Tears escape from her eyes and she whispers softly, “Duke, I love you.”
The beautiful words that just came out of her mouth completely catch me by surprise. A huge grin spreads across my face and I pick her up in my arms, spinning her around in circles. She squeals as we spin around and kicks her feet in the air. I stop spinning and set her on the ground, still keeping my grasp on her waist.
“Raya, I’ve always loved you.”
I plant my lips onto hers and we kiss each other with a fierce passion. I glide my hands up her back and around her neck, pulling her closer to me. Her hands move up my back and into my hair, combing her fingers around the strands. I part my lips and stroke my tongue with hers. My breaths for air become irregular as a heated intensity soars throughout my body. I feel the electric current between us siphon through from me to her, expelling charges of pleasure and desire. I lick her bottom lip and she moans with need. Oh hell, she’s turning me on.
At that moment I pull away and notice we are both panting heavily.
I stutter, “I’m…I’m sorry. I don’t want to pressure—”
She puts her finger on my lip, stopping my apology, and hushes me. She then kisses me and briefly bites my lower lip. I can feel my insides turning inside out as she continues to devour my lips. My dick is already busting at the seams, making it harder to control myself. Fuck.
I pull away from her, “We don’t have to. We can stop.”
She cups her hands around my face, “I don’t want to stop. I want you…I want all of you.”
I smile and crash my lips onto hers, hoisting her in my arms. She wraps her legs around me and I move to the sofa as we crush into it. She giggles as I kiss her neck and chin. A rush of heat flows to my dick as I continue my trail of kisses on her and she gasps. Oh fuck. I sit up and pull my shirt over my head and pull her shirt off as well. We feverishly kiss other and her legs are tangled around my waist. I fist my hands into her hair as I pant louder and louder. The intoxicating scent of her lust infiltrates my nostrils.
I try to get a good angle and a comfortable position, but this sofa’s too small for us, so I hoist her up in my arms again and sit her on top of the kitchen island. Her long, wavy hair dangles over her bra and around her shoulder blades. I can see her chest rise and fall as she tries to breathe oxygen into her lungs. Her blue eyes sizzle with eagerness and a craving that only I can fulfill.
“God, you’re so beautiful.”
My lips fall on hers as I being to unbutton her pants and she kicks off her shoes. I lift her ass off the counter and yank the pants right off of her, throwing them on the ground.
I lay her flat on the counter and she yells, “Shit, that’s cold!”
I laugh, “Sorry, baby. Let’s move to the bedroom.”
I carry her into my room and toss her onto my bed. She watches me remove my jeans and crooks her finger at me, telling me to come here. I hop onto the bed and sit her up on her knees, enveloping her body with mine as we kiss with an urgency and dire need for one another. She kisses my neck and licks me right in my sweet spot.
I breathe in, “Fuck, that turns me on.”
She smiles, “Oh, does it?”
She continues to tease my neck as I struggle to control my urges. I try to get her to kiss another area, but she continues to tease me and I lose it. That’s it. I quickly remove her bra and run my hands all around her breasts, squeezing and tugging on her nipples. She arches her head backward and moans as I plant my mouth on one and tickle it with my tongue. Her hands fist in my hair and she pulls as I feel her body heat rising with pleasure.
I grab her ass, pick her up, and sl
am her into the bed. She wraps her legs around me as I make my way down, kissing her stomach. I place my thumbs on the inseams of her panties and slowly slide them off of her. Her legs are trembling as they squeeze around my neck.
I bend down and stick out my tongue, gliding along her swollen clit. She cries out in pleasure, fisting her hands in my hair. I move my tongue in circular motions around her clit, igniting a heated frenzy inside of her. I stick a finger inside of her as I continue to lick. Her legs begin to spasm and squeeze around my neck even harder. I remove my finger and stick it in my mouth, licking it clean of her natural juices.
I look at her and she’s watching me, “You taste so fucking amazing.”
Nerves take over as I realize I don’t have a condom and I pull away from her.
“Raya, I don’t have a condom. I didn’t plan on this.”
She chuckles, “I’m okay now. The doctors checked me before I was discharged from the institution.”
“Are you sure?”
She nods and pulls me closer, licking her lips as her pants grow louder. I slip off my boxer briefs and hover over her, readying my position. I look into her eyes, mentally asking one more time if this is what she wants. She nods her head and smiles, pulling my mouth to hers. I slowly enter her, not wanting to hurt her, but it’s a fucking struggle of self-control.
As I slide deeper inside, I can feel her constricted walls loosen up around me and I hold my breath. She gasps and I quickly pull out. I don’t want to cause any discomfort for her.
She looks at me and I hesitate, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
Her hand cups my cheek, “Duke, it’s okay. I’m not afraid.”
She gives me a reassuring smile and I lower myself slowly into her, kissing her deeply. The immense pleasure rushes to my dick as the thrill of hunger seeps inside. I leave her lips so I can catch a breath and gain back some control. She places her hand on my cheek and I rock into her, back and forth. Slowly building up the sensation from my thrusts, I lift her ass so I can get the perfect angle, ensuring that I’m hitting her sweet spot as well.
As I continue to pump into her, the building heat rises in my dick. I feel her insides tighten around me and begin to throb. Her clit is now swollen and I can feel it brushing against me as I thrust in and out of her. She reaches her hand down and begins to stroke herself.
Little Things Page 26