Heartfelt

by Danielle Allen

  Her laughed dropped back and she laughed. There was so much beauty and light in her face and in her laugh. I loved being able to put that type of smile on her face.

  “I’m kidding,” I amended, putting my forehead to hers. “But I’m here for you. And yes, I thought about William when you brought up your parents, but only because I don’t want you to regret not hearing your parents out. I don’t want that eating away at you.”

  “You’re always trying to protect me.”

  “And I won’t ever stop.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “Now, what day do you want to meet with your parents?”

  “They proposed Saturday and I told them I would talk to you and let them know.”

  “Saturday works.” I paused. “When you talked to your father, did he mention that they came by and were giving Keisha a hard time.”

  Bianca’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

  “Yeah, I ran into Keisha and she said that they weren’t happy about the apartment being vacated, but since you didn’t have a lease with them, there isn’t anything she or the Board can do about it.”

  “He said he wanted to talk about the apartment and everything that was said at their party. He didn’t tell me that they didn’t like that I moved out because they couldn’t control me from afar.”

  I could see her anger toward them creating a storminess in her eyes so I squished her cheeks together, making her lips pucker. Planting a kiss against them, I smiled.

  “We will worry about what they have to say on Saturday and not a minute before it.”

  She nodded, but I could still see the wheels turning in her head. She was not happy.

  Turning the burner to medium heat, Bianca grabbed the olive oil and went back to cooking without a word. I knew telling her what I knew was the right thing to do, but I hated that her parents got under her skin the way they did.

  Sitting down with a thud on the bar stool, I tried to change the subject. “So I talked to Elizabeth today and after a good conversation, I think I invited her to visit us.”

  The cut up vegetables sizzled as they hit the oiled pan. Bianca’s eyes were wide when she looked over her shoulder at me. “Really?”

  I nodded. “Really.”

  “That’s awesome, Ro.” She gave me a look that made me feel proud. “When is she coming?”

  “I don’t know. She’s coming to visit Easy’s parents and one day while she’s on the East Coast, she’s going to take the train up here or something. We didn’t really discuss the details.”

  “I’m so proud of you. And happy for you. This is good, really good.”

  “So how was your day?”

  I watched her prepare the quesadillas while I listened to her talk about her phone conversation with her father. It wasn’t until we sat down to eat that I found a way to bring up the other news I wanted to tell her.

  “So I think Nina is coming around. She actually said that there are three new artists she is putting shows together for at Pho and that having me do the end of the year event would be helpful.”

  “That’s great. Did she tell you anything about it? Who she wanted to feature? What the theme would be?”

  “No. Ever since that incident with those artists getting emails from a fake account, she hasn’t said anything to me about any artists. Well until today. And all she said was that if the big artist she tapped to feature agrees, I could put the show together.”

  I was quiet.

  Bianca’s eyebrows came together and she tilted her head to the side. “It’s a good thing, Ro. Get excited! Nina is very persuasive so if my first solo show rests on her getting someone to agree to participate, I feel like that’s as good as a yes.”

  I knew I should tell her that I was the artist in question. I was the artist standing between her very first solo show. But I needed something from Nina first.

  “I’m proud of you, B. Even if you weren’t working under Nina Lowe, I hope you know how successful you will be all on your own. I hope you can see that.”

  She let out a tiny puff of air. “God, I love you.”

  After dinner, I told her to go shower and relax and I would clean up. There wasn’t much to clean so after washing the few dishes and wiping down the sink and counters, I snuck into the home studio.

  Grabbing the box with the pictures inside, I hurriedly spilled the contents on my desk. Unsure of if the order of the pictures mattered, I picked up the closest one to me and knocked the box onto the floor.

  Shit!

  I didn’t know what was louder, my breathing or the sound of my heart beating, but I froze the moment the box hit the floor.

  Without moving a muscle, I listened carefully for the shower. When I heard not only the water hitting the tiles, but Bianca singing loudly, I continued analyzing the pictures.

  There has to be something I’m missing. There has to be.

  I didn’t see one clue in the picture. No two pictures were alike and no one in the background seemed to be in on it. I had nothing.

  Now that was the shower turning off!

  I shuffled the pictures into a neat stack quickly, wrapping them in tissue paper and before I could slide them into the manila envelope, I noticed a piece of tissue paper stuck to the bottom of the inside of the envelope.

  Reaching inside to pull the excess paper out and throw it away, I was surprised by its thickness. It wasn’t incredibly thick, but thick enough that I noticed. Pulling the paper firmly, I heard a little tear before it gave way.

  I froze, listening out for Bianca and I heard the water running in the bathroom sink.

  She must be brushing her teeth.

  I knew my time was limited, but the excess tissue paper was bugging me. Unraveling it as hastily and cautiously as possible, I wasn’t prepared for a small white card to fall out of the tissue paper folds.

  For the second time that night, my hand actually shook. Even when I told myself it wasn’t what I thought it was, I knew.

  Taking a deep breath and turning the card over in my hand, the same familiar font appeared. I shook my head as I started to read.

  She looks happy. Do you think she’ll still be happy when she loses everything? And do you think she’ll still want you when she finds out you could’ve stopped it? Thursday is not going to be a good day for Bianca. Tick Tock Roman.

  Hearing Bianca in the kitchen startled me out of my trance.

  “No, no, no, no, no,” I muttered under my breath as I stuffed the pictures and the note in the manila envelope. My fingers trembled as I made sure the pictures didn’t bend.

  Tucking the envelope into the box it came in, I threw it on top of a stack of boxes I hadn’t unpacked yet. Moving away from the stack of boxes, I stood in front of the window.

  “There you are.” Bianca’s voice was smoky and sexy as it eased from the doorway.

  “Here I am,” I replied, pressing the heel of my hand into my heart before turning around.

  Wearing just a thin t-shirt, she was standing by the door looking like sex. The shirt clung to her curves teasingly and it did nothing to hide her hard nipples. Her hair was damp and I could only imagine what else was damp. I was momentarily rendered speechless.

  Damn.

  Bianca’s face was etched in concern. “Are you okay? Why are you hiding in here?”

  Opening my arms in a silent invitation for her to come to me, I waited. When her warm body fit snugly against mine, I allowed myself to relax.

  “Your heart is racing, Ro,” Bianca pointed out, her head nuzzling my chest. “What’s wrong?”

  I need to tell her. I need to warn her. But I promised I would always protect her and keep her safe. I also promised her I wouldn’t keep secrets from her.

  I swallowed around the lump in my throat as the pressure built. My muscles were tight and my head was throbbing. I felt like I was going to explode and I needed a release, but I pushed everything I was feeling back down.

  “What’s wrong?” Bianca repeated, pulling her head away from my chest so she could
look me in the eyes.

  Her beautiful brown eyes sparkled with so much light and love. I couldn’t dim that.

  No one has ever looked at me the way she looks at me.

  I let out a noisy breath. “I love you so fucking much, B.”

  She searched my eyes, chewing on the corner of her mouth. “I love you so fucking much.”

  When she blinked a few too many times, I covered her mouth with mine and kissed her hard.

  My anger over the situation and the fear I felt for Bianca’s well-being had my adrenaline pumping. Bianca’s thin shirt and nipples that begged to be sucked didn’t help matters either. My dick was rock hard. I was mad and horny and in love. I could feel the control slipping away from me.

  Bianca’s nails dug into my back as she tried to climb me. Grabbing her round ass, I lifted her off of her feet and she quickly wrapped her legs around my waist. Squeezing the meaty flesh in my hands, I was treated to her soft moan in my mouth.

  Our kiss became frantic as our tongues moved against each other’s. Clasping her hands on the side of my face, she caught my lip between her teeth and bit down. I growled in response.

  Pulling out of the kiss, I dipped my head to capture one of her hard nipples into my mouth through the t-shirt. She hummed and her whole body lifted in my arms. Switching to the other nipple, I let my tongue play with the hardened peak.

  Letting her slide down my body, I felt her gyrating against me. If I had any doubt that she was naked underneath that shirt, the moment she slid over my dick and I felt how hot she was, I knew for sure.

  When her feet touched the floor, I closed my eyes and relished the feeling of her pressed against my hard dick. As soon as her feet were on the floor, I pulled her t-shirt over her head, leaving her naked. I licked my lips in anticipation.

  She wasted no time, pulling my sweatpants down, letting my dick spring out. It bobbed when I stepped out of the pants until she wrapped her hand around it. When she started stroking, my head lolled.

  “B,” I moaned, ravenous for her touch. A groan slipped out of me before our lips found each other again.

  “I need you now,” she murmured into my mouth. “Please. Please I need you.”

  Hearing those words coming out of her mouth drove me wild. But when she dropped to her knees, I sucked in a sharp breath.

  Gazing up at me, she opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. My heavy breathing infiltrated the stillness of the room. The sound grew louder as she let her warm breath tease every nerve ending on the tip of my dick. She inched closer and my entire body shook as she inched closer.

  “Shit,” I swore with quiet intensity as she lightly scraped her teeth across the head of my dick. The sensation was like no other and my eyes blinked slowly as I stared at the top of her head. I closed my eyes briefly. I was intoxicated.

  I felt her breathing on me, just barely touching me. She was teasing me again and I loved it. Her hands lightly brushed up and down my thighs and my muscles tensed. My body was taut and ready.

  As soon as she looked up at me, I gasped as she took me into her mouth. I watched my dick slowly disappear inch by inch. Without stopping her feathery strokes across my skin, she took me to the back of her throat. I shuddered as I saw her lips stretched around me, attempting to get as much of my shaft in her mouth as possible. Watching her on her knees in front of me was a wet dream come true. I shuddered.

  “Good God, B,” I moaned, my head falling back as the intensity of the feeling coursed through me. My eyes closed as I let my fingers tangle in her hair.

  Her wet mouth applied the perfect pressure and suction as she slowly worked her way from the base to the tip and back again.

  “B,” I mumbled, seeing the sparks of colors bursting behind my closed eyelids each time she did that fluttering move with her tongue.

  Fuck, that’s hot.

  Without warning, she took me back further than she’d done before and swallowed.

  My heart stopped.

  “Bianca,” I hissed as the sensation of her neck muscles clamping down on my dick almost made me lose it right then and there.

  Panting, I pulled her head off of me and stared down at her in awe.

  With her eyes filled with lust and her wet mouth open and waiting, I couldn’t resist her when she ran her tongue across her top lip.

  “You’re going to make me cum if you do that again,” I warned hoarsely as she leaned forward to take me in her mouth.

  She did it again. All the way into her throat, but this time, she moved her hands to stroke my balls at the same time.

  When I recovered and looked down at her, I saw the smile in her eyes as she pulled off of me. She ran her soft, fleshy tongue from my balls to the head of my dick as she stared into my eyes, waiting for my next move.

  I grunted my approval. Guiding her head back down, I reveled in the feeling as her mouth covered me. The sound of her slurping mingled with the noises she brought out of me.

  Her soft, whimpering moans mixed with my primal grunts creating a soundtrack that heightened every sense. The sounds, the feelings, and the way she looked with my dick stretching those full lips out drove me to lose control.

  She must have felt it too because she intensified her efforts. Swirling her tongue around the head of my dick, she took the whole thing back down her throat again. She continued to work me up and down until I couldn’t take it anymore. I made a noise that grew from deep in my chest.

  Unable to use restraint, I tightened my hold on her hair and started flexing my hips in time with her movements. She placed her hands on my thighs to keep me from fucking her mouth too deeply.

  “B…Fuck. Holy shit, Bianca.” The words came out sounding more like a plea as she pushed me to the edge, wielding all of her power over me.

  I tried to control myself. I did. But she was working her magic on me and I couldn’t hold back.

  The faster she bobbled her head up and down, the louder the grunts and strangled noises erupted out of me as my hips moved to meet her mouth.

  “B,” I choked out, looking down at her.

  She looked up at me with her mouth full, never slowing down, and my hips jerked.

  Fuck.

  “You’re about to make me cum,” I warned her through clenched teeth.

  She lifted an eyebrow in acknowledgement and started humming.

  Holy shit!

  Grabbing her by her arms, I spun her around and pushed her up against the window. She squealed when her warm skin came in contact with the cold glass. With my lips against her neck, I trailed kisses over her entire back as I pawed her.

  With a final kiss to each ass cheek, I stepped back, pulling her hips toward me. I put my hand between her shoulder blades and pushed down, forcing her to bend at the waist. My hands caressed her back as I did my best to calm down. My dick, covered in her saliva, speared her in the ass repeatedly and I wanted nothing more than to bury myself inside of her.

  Get your shit together or you’re not going to last, I warned myself, worried that I was already too far gone. I felt powerless to my emotions and I wanted nothing more than to be at home. And home would forever be inside of Bianca.

  “I need to calm down,” I choked out, stroking myself as I rubbed her ass. I was staring at her smooth, freshly waxed lips. Unable to help myself, I bent down to give it a proper kiss.

  The shriek of her hand against the glass and the gasp that exploded from her mouth spurred me on. I could’ve gotten off right at that moment.

  Standing up, I replaced my tongue with my middle finger. Feeling the heat and wetness before I even had a chance to push my finger all the way in made my gut twist with longing. I wanted her so bad that my dick was throbbing.

  “Ro…” Bianca’s breathing was heavy and her body was quivering. “Fuck me.”

  I gripped her hips as I let what she said hit me. I wanted to give myself some time to calm down, but with those words, I lined myself up against her wet opening and drove my way into her.

  “Fuc
k…” The grunt rumbled deep in my chest as her tightness overwhelmed me. Flooded with emotion, my eyes closed and my head dropped back. Flexing my fingers against her soft skin, I groaned again. “Bianca.”

  Once I was as deep as I could go, I held myself there for a second before I started long, hard strokes. She rotated her hips against me, working herself on me. She met each of my thrusts with so much intensity that I had no choice but to give it to her harder.

  She rewarded me with the sexiest moans I’d ever heard.

  "Oh God!" Bianca’s voice broke as I felt her start to lose it.

  Taking one hand off of her hip, I grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her head off of the glass. She let out a deep guttural moan before her wet heat clamped down around me.

  “Oh shit, B.”

  She shuddered, squeezing me tightly, pulling me deeper inside of her. Her body stiffened, but I kept going. Wrapping my arm around her, I held her up and continued thrusting.

  I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I love you too fucking much. I’ll do anything for you.

  With each stroke, I bared my soul to her. I left it all out there until I felt another orgasm rip through her body, triggering mine. I came hard and loudly.

  We were both breathing erratically as we struggled to catch our breath. I went from holding her around her waist to holding her hand as I grabbed my sweatpants from the floor. I tossed them into the seat of the oversized chair and sat down, pulling Bianca into my lap.

  Wordlessly, we sat, staring over the bright lights of the city. She laid her head in the crook of my neck and curled her body into me. Her hand settled on my chest, over my heart.

  “No secrets,” she whispered.

  In my heart, I knew that she knew I was keeping something from her. And I didn’t want to lie to her. So I told her the truth.

  “I love you more than anything,” I admitted hoarsely.

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  Chapter Twenty-Four