All of Me

by Sheryl Lister

  Karen tried to put some space between them, but he held firm to her, the warmth of his strong fingers penetrating the silky material of her top. Just like earlier, his touch did things to her insides and made her have visions of the two of them naked and writhing in a bed. She pushed the dangerous thoughts from her head and kept walking. They met Janae coming from another direction.

  The two women embraced. “Hey, Karen,” Janae said. “Nice to see you again, Damian.”

  “Same here. Congratulations on your marriage.”

  “Thanks. How was Jamaica?”

  Karen smiled. “Good.”

  “Very good,” Damian reiterated.

  Janae divided a speculative glance between Karen and Damian, then threw a look at Karen that said she wanted details.

  Ignoring the look, Karen said, “Dunn’s River Falls was great. You and Terrence will have to go when you come back.”

  “Is that so?” she asked with a smile. “Maybe we will.”

  They joined the line of people entering the theater. “Do you know where we’re sitting?”

  “Donovan said he’d be waiting near the front.” As soon as they were seated, Janae leaned over and whispered, “What’s going on with you and Damian?”

  She looked over to where Damian stood talking to Donovan, and then back to Janae. “We’re enjoying each other’s company, that’s all.”

  “Hmph. Girl, the way he looked at you when I asked about Jamaica said he was enjoying more than that. I think he likes you.”

  “I like him, too. He seems nice.”

  “Nooo, I mean he really likes you.”

  Karen waved a dismissive hand. “Please, we just met.”

  Janae shook her head. “Okay, Miss In Denial. Mark my words, the man is interested in far more than just hanging out with you for this week.”

  “He’s just... I don’t know.”

  “Sounds a lot like the way I was feeling about Terrence when we first met.” She laughed. “You do remember what happened the first time we went to Terrence’s concert, don’t you?”

  She stared, confused.

  “One of us ended up married.”

  “What does that have to do with me and Damian? You and Terrence are in love.”

  “We didn’t start off that way. Remember when we used to talk about how sensual Monte’s music and lyrics were?”

  “Yeah?”

  “All I’m going to say is this new music is even more so. And the fireworks between you and Damian are enough to supply an entire Fourth of July celebration. Mark my words, there are going to be a lot of couples behind closed doors tonight, including y’all.” She gave Karen a knowing look when Damian took his seat, and then leaned back with a smug smile.

  Karen didn’t comment. She knew exactly what Janae meant. In the past, music had been part of the foreplay when she and Andre made love. Her attraction to Damian far exceeded that of her ex, and it wouldn’t take much for her to lose control—music or not. She hazarded a glimpse his way and found him seemingly deep in thought. He frowned briefly, and a shadow flickered across his face. I wonder what that was about. His voice broke into her thoughts.

  “You’re frowning. Is something wrong?”

  “No,” she said hastily. “Just thinking. It’s nothing.”

  He studied her a moment. “You sure?”

  “Yes.” She reached down and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

  He lifted it and placed a lingering kiss on the back. Smiling, he laced their fingers together and trained his eyes on the stage.

  Karen turned and met Janae’s smiling face.

  Janae mouthed, I told you.

  Soon the lights dimmed, and Monte hit the stage and greeted the audience. “Before we get started, I’d like my beautiful wife to join me.”

  Gasps and expressions of shock flooded the room. “Did you know he was going to do this, Janae?” Karen asked.

  She nodded. “Yes. He promised it would be the only time.” Janae stood, and Donovan escorted her to the stage.

  While holding Janae’s hand, Monte sang a beautiful ballad he had composed just for her, expressing the depths of his love. He looked at her with such emotion that it brought tears to Karen’s eyes. She wondered how it would feel to have a man look at her that way.

  A tear slid down her cheek. Damian gently wiped it away with the pad of his thumb before she could react. The tender and sweet gesture caught her by surprise, and the tears came faster.

  Damian draped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kissed to her temple. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes,” she said, sniffing. “I’m just happy for Janae, and the words to the song are so beautiful.”

  “He must love her a lot.”

  “He does, and she loves him just as much.”

  He stared at her for a lengthy minute with a strange look on his face before turning his attention back to the stage.

  She wiped away the lingering tears, grateful that she hadn’t worn mascara or eyeliner. She and Janae shared a smile when Janae returned; then Karen tuned in for the rest of the show. Monte sang a mixture of the old and new, and she found Janae’s description of the new music quite accurate. He could have titled it The Ultimate Make-Out CD. By the show’s end, she noticed more than a few couples snuggling closer.

  Karen and Damian said their goodbyes to Janae, and he convinced her to take another walk. Outside, they strolled hand in hand along the deck, neither speaking. She marveled at how comfortable she felt with him. In the short time since she’d met him, he’d impressed her as a gentleman. He had a great sense of humor and a way about him she couldn’t put into words that drew her as no other man had before. Why couldn’t they have met under different circumstances? He stopped walking abruptly.

  “Karen, I...” He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his embrace at the same time his head descended.

  He kissed her with a potency that weakened her knees. She slid her arms around his neck and held him in place as his hands moved slowly up and down her back, caressing and teasing. His lips left her mouth and skated along her jaw before claiming her mouth again. At length, he lifted his head but didn’t release her. She read the question in his eyes, knew what he was asking. She came up on her toes and kissed him.

  Reaching for his hand, Karen led him back to her room. When they reached it, she slid the key in, unlocked the door and glanced back at Damian. Once they crossed the threshold, she knew there would be no turning back.

  Chapter 6

  Damian shut the door behind him and took a cursory glance around the suite. He noted an end table, a sofa and a small bistro-like table with two chairs on one side of the room. But what held his attention was the king-size bed on the opposite side of the room. Karen removed the top she had worn over the dress, then tossed it and her purse on the sofa. She wrung her hands together and looked everywhere except at him.

  He placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Second thoughts?”

  She shook her head hastily. “No.”

  “Are you sure? Karen, we don’t have—”

  She placed her finger on his lips. “I’m sure.”

  He captured her hand, kissed the center of her palm and wrist, then trailed kisses along her arm up to her shoulder. Moving closer, Damian tilted her chin, flicked his tongue against the corners of her mouth and nibbled on the lush fullness of her bottom lip.

  “Damian,” Karen said on a breathless sigh.

  Hearing his name whispered from her lips spiked his arousal. Her mouth parted slightly, and his tongue found hers. He plunged deep, swirling and feasting on the sweetness like a starved man. His hands moved down her back, over her hips and around to gently knead her firm breasts. She trembled beneath his touch, fueling his passion, and the ki
ss intensified. Her hands came up to stroke the nape of his neck, and he groaned deep in his throat.

  Karen tore her mouth away, breathing harshly.

  Running his fingers lightly over the exposed area above her breasts, he asked, “Do you know how beautiful you are?” He bent and replaced his fingers with his tongue, the scent of her seductive perfume filling his nostrils and arousing him further. He had fantasized about being here with her like this almost from the moment they met. Damian swept her in his arms, covered the short distance to the bed in three strides and deposited her in the center. He kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed.

  “You wear the sexiest shoes,” he murmured. He lifted her leg, placed a lingering kiss on her ankle, undid the strap and slid the shoe off. He lifted her other leg and repeated the gesture.

  She moaned softly, and the sound almost snapped his control. He closed his eyes to steady his breathing and maintain control. It had been five long years since he’d been intimate with a woman, and he was close to exploding.

  Starting at her feet, he caressed and kissed his way up her body. He pulled her into a sitting position, reached behind her neck and released the clasp on her dress. The material fell away, pooling at her waist. Karen leaned back on her elbows and lifted her hips so Damian could slide the dress down and off, leaving her clad in a very sexy strapless purple lace bra and matching bikini panties. His breath stalled in his lungs. “Exquisite,” he murmured while skimming his fingers over her hip. He left the bed, draped the dress over a chair and feasted his eyes on her loveliness. He pulled his shirt hem from his pants.

  Karen scooted to the edge of the bed and stood. “Allow me.”

  He stood still while she eased the shirt up and over his head, then laid it on top of her dress. Her hands moved over his chest and stomach, electrifying him in the process. His breaths came in short gasps, and his muscles contracted beneath her touch. She moved her hand lower and stroked him through his slacks. His knees almost buckled, and he released a guttural moan. Damian endured the sweet torture a moment longer, then took a step back and undid his belt.

  Karen followed his move, pressed a kiss to his chest and said, “I got this, baby.” She unbuttoned his pants and lowered the zipper, and they dropped to the floor. She kneeled down for him to step out and added them to the pile of clothes. Standing, she eyed him seductively and smiled. “Very impressive.”

  He chuckled softly, wrapped his arms around her and nipped at her ear. “You think so?”

  “Absolutely. With this body, you could grace every month in a hunk calendar. Did you play sports?”

  He eased back and twirled her slowly. “I don’t know about that, but you...” He shook his head. “Definitely. And yes, I played basketball in high school and college.” He kissed her. “No more talking. Right now I need you naked and in my arms.”

  “Then what are you waiting for?”

  In the blink of an eye, he had her naked and on the bed. Damian removed his underwear, crawled onto the bed and lowered himself onto her. He shuddered from the pleasure of feeling their bodies skin-to-skin. He kissed her with a hunger that both excited and frightened him, and she returned his kiss, giving as good as she got. He kissed his way down to her beautifully formed breasts and captured a chocolate-tipped nipple between his lips. He laved and suckled first one, then the other. He charted a path down the front of her body with his hand and slid two fingers into her slick, wet heat until she was writhing and moaning beneath him.

  Karen leaned up and skated her tongue over his jaw, neck and shoulder. Her hands ignited an inferno in his body as they traveled down his back.

  Damian was nearing the end of his control. He withdrew his fingers, slid off the bed and searched for his wallet. He took the condoms out, tore one off and tossed the other ones onto the nightstand. After rolling it on, he moved over her, grinding his body against her. They both moaned. “It’s been a while, so I’m apologizing up front if things go a little fast the first time. But I promise to make it up to you.”

  “I’m holding you to that.”

  He shifted his body and eased into her warmth until he was buried to the hilt. He held himself still, savoring the feeling of her tight walls surrounding him. “You feel so good, baby,” he whispered against her lips at the same time he started moving inside her.

  “Mmm. So do you.”

  He closed his eyes and let the sensations take over as he kept up the relaxed pace.

  Karen wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled his mouth down on hers, their tongues tangling and dancing.

  Damian lifted her hips as he plunged deeper and faster. Her whimpers and cries of passion excited him in a way he had never experienced and couldn’t explain. He gritted his teeth, feeling her nails biting into the skin on his back, but didn’t slow.

  “Damian!” She arched off the bed and screamed his name. Her body shook, and her inner muscles contracted, clamping around him like a vise.

  He threw back his head and exploded in a rush of pleasure that tore through him like a crack of lightning. His eyes slid closed, he groaned her name and shuddered above her as the spasms racked his body. She reached up and stroked the sides of his face. He opened his eyes, and when their eyes connected, he felt it—a little tug on his heart. This was more than just sex. Damian dismissed the thought, leaned down and kissed her tenderly. He rolled to his side, taking her with him, and held her snugly against his body. After several minutes, their ragged breathing returned to normal.

  * * *

  Karen basked in the contentment she felt in Damian’s arms. Her body still hummed with desire. Even now, as his hand idly stroked her hip, she could feel her passions rising again. Then his caresses became more purposeful, and her breathing increased. He lifted her leg over his and trailed his hand along her inner thigh and up to her core, where she was already wet. She moaned when his fingers slipped inside and began stroking her. He probed deeper, and she moved her hips in time with his rhythm. “Yes, yes, yes,” she chanted. His fingers moved faster and faster. Her breaths came in short gasps, and her legs trembled. She arched her head back, closed her eyes and bucked against his hand, crying out wildly as an orgasm ripped through her. Before she could recover, he rotated his fingers and did something. Her eyes flew open, her body went rigid and she came again, seized by a rush of sensation so intense she thought she might pass out. As she lay gasping for air, Damian lowered his head and kissed her. She moaned against his mouth and circled her arm around his neck.

  He withdrew his fingers, rolled over and grabbed another condom. He tore open the package, and she took it from him. Sitting up, Karen straddled his thighs and rolled the condom slowly over his engorged shaft.

  He sucked in a sharp breath. “Sweetheart, what are you doing to me?”

  She smiled seductively. “Getting ready to go for a little ride. You mind?”

  His eyes lit with desire. “Not at all. Ride on.”

  She held his gaze as she lowered herself inch by exquisite inch until he was embedded deeply within her. She shuddered, reveling in the way he filled her completely. Karen ran her hands over the strong, muscular planes of his chest and abdomen. The sun had darkened his golden skin to a warm bronze. Leaning down, she flicked her tongue against his lips. With lightning speed, Damian grasped the back of her head and crushed his mouth to hers, kissing her with an eroticism that made her head spin.

  “Mmm. You’re something else,” he said.

  She braced her hands on his shoulders and whispered against his lips, “You might want to hold on.”

  He chuckled low and sexy. “Show me what you’ve got, baby.”

  Karen lifted off him until only the tip of his shaft remained. Holding his gaze, she slowly lowered back down and rotated her hips in a figure-eight movement. She repeated the motion several times. The look of pure ecstasy on Damian’s face was like nothin
g she had ever seen and turned her on even more. He kneaded her breasts, pushed them together and leaned up to take the sensitive peaks of her nipples in his mouth, sending jolts of pleasure to her core.

  “No more teasing,” he growled, gripping her hips, lifting the lower part of his body off the bed and thrusting deep.

  She caught his driving rhythm and rode him hard. He pounded into her, and their cries of passion filled the room. Soon desire unlike anything she had ever known consumed her, and she flung her head back and screamed his name.

  He tightened his grip on her hips and thrust faster. Damian tensed, and then his body bucked beneath hers as he shouted her name.

  Karen collapsed over his chest and felt the rapid pace of his heart matching hers. “I don’t think I can move,” she moaned.

  His hands glided over her sweat-slicked skin. “Fine by me. I happen to like where you are right now.”

  So did she...a little too much. Gradually their breathing slowed and she drifted off.

  * * *

  Damian awakened hours later and stared down at the woman cuddled next to him with the sheets twisted around their lower bodies. His gaze lingered over her exposed naked body bathed in the morning sunlight peeking through the partially open curtains. He couldn’t get enough of her. After that second round, their first attempt to shower had ended with her hands braced against the wall as he entered her from behind. Then they wound up in one of the chairs before showering again and falling asleep.

  Something was happening between them—something more than sex. He had felt it when they made love and during their conversations. Troy had been right. Damian couldn’t remember the last time he had smiled and laughed so much. He and Karen had a lot of things in common—everything from music to sports to food. Though they talked, they hadn’t let their guards down enough to discuss more personal topics. Other than what she revealed to him over lunch, he still didn’t know much about her. Had she been married before? What did she like to do outside the classroom?