“Yes. I’m awake,” he replied huskily. “I haven’t slept this late in a long time. It must be the company.”
“There’s coffee made if you want some,” she murmured, and as she lowered her head, Jarred knew she was trying to avoid direct eye contact with him.
“I sure do. Let me take a quick shower, if that’s okay, and I’ll be right out.”
She nodded. “You can use the bathroom down the hall. I’ll get you some fresh towels. I’m afraid I don’t have anything you can change into,” she added. Jarred caught the teasing tone and responded in kind.
Tilting his head to the side, he let his gaze travel boldly up and down her body. “I don’t have a problem walking around in the buff. What say you? Would you have an issue with me being nude?” he murmured, never taking his eyes off her.
He watched her intently, practically making love to her with his eyes. Her quick intake of breath, the slight shiver of her body and the glazing over of her eyes were not lost on him. To add fuel to the fire, Jarred licked his lips. A sound escaped her mouth, so decadent, so wanton Jarred almost lost his mind. His arousal went straight to the roof. He needed to stop this game he was playing before he was the one to get burned.
“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” she breathed.
“Why not? I rather like the idea myself,” he crooned. She blushed beautifully. “No worries, my sweet Nevea. I have a small case that I usually keep in my trunk for emergency purposes. I brought it in last night and put it in your hall closet. I’ll just grab it and get that shower.”
He was so hard he dared not move just yet. Nevealise either sensed something or could tell he had an erection, because her eyes stretched as big as saucers and she bolted.
“Okay. I’ll—I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” she said as she rushed out of the room.
Jarred wanted to laugh, but he was so hard it hurt. She would have surely made a run for it had she seen his erection protruding like a battering ram—ready for action.
“Down, boy,” he whispered, trying as best he could to adjust himself. At least enough so that he could gather his things for his shower.
He inhaled and exhaled a few times and concentrated deeply, willing himself to go down. After a few agonizing minutes, his erection lay semiflaccid against his thigh. Throwing the duvet back, he went to get his case.
Jarred quickly showered, dressed in a pair of sweats and a pullover, brushed his teeth and slipped his feet into his leather loafers. He walked into the kitchen, where Nevea was waiting with a cup of steaming hot coffee in hand.
“You will have to add sugar and milk if you like. I didn’t know how you take it,” she said shyly.
“I thought you didn’t know how to cook,” he said, taking the cup from her hands. Their fingers touched, and she jumped back, almost causing him to spill some of the hot liquid. “Careful,” he murmured.
“Sorry,” she said. “Making coffee is not cooking. I just measure the grinds and pour in water.”
“True. However, it still takes skill.” Jarred put milk and sugar in his cup and sipped. “This is good.”
“Thank you,” she said happily. “We can order breakfast and pick it up if you want.”
“No need. I bought the fixings for breakfast last night when I went out.” He stepped around the island, grabbed what he needed from the fridge and began to make French toast, bacon and eggs.
“Who taught you to cook?” Nevealise asked.
“My mom made sure all of us knew how to cook. She wanted us to know how to be independent and fend for ourselves. So she taught us. I have to say, it’s a much-appreciated lesson. It comes in handy.” He grinned, handing her a plate. “Eat and be merry.”
“Want to hear something funny?” she asked, cutting into her French toast.
“What?”
“My mom taught my brothers how to cook, but not me.” She laughed softly.
“Huh?” he questioned. A frown furrowed his brow.
“Cedric and Elijah hated it, too. See, my mom’s way of thinking was that Daddy always wanted a home-cooked meal, but he had a problem with men cooking, even though some of the greatest chefs in the world are men. In my father’s mind the household duties were ‘women’s work.’ It was so bad we only had takeout when he was away on business trips. I mean, can you imagine being ill with children, but still having to make a home-cooked meal? And let’s not talk about the times he’d call her an hour or two before coming home to tell her that he was bringing some business associates for dinner.” Nevealise snorted in disgust. “She found herself cooking and cleaning all the time. As we got older, my brothers did a lot of the cooking. My father had no idea that some of those meals he was eating were cooked by his sons.”
“Did your mother ever tell him that it was too much for her?” Jarred asked quietly.
“I used to hear little bits and pieces when I was younger. Not enough to say that she was totally against being a housewife when we were little. As we got older, I know she wanted a career. She has a degree. As a matter of fact she has three. My dad just refused to let her work.”
Jarred remained quiet, letting Nevea tell her story. He had a feeling she hadn’t told it in a long time, if ever.
“Early childhood education and mathematics are her specialties. She wanted to teach kids with learning disabilities. She would tutor some of the neighborhood kids, but somehow, Josiah found a way to ruin that, as well,” Nev said angrily, stabbing at her eggs. “So she spent her days helping us with our homework and tutoring us. We all excelled in our studies thanks to her.”
“What did she do when you all went off to college?”
“There’s a six-and seven-year age gap between me and my brothers. When they went off to college, I became the hostess alongside my mother. Only I was clumsy, and couldn’t cook. I felt bad. The one time I tried to help out in the kitchen I dang near burned the house down.” She snickered.
Jarred winced. Ooh, he could only imagine how that turned out.
“What did your father do?” he asked.
“Other than having the kitchen remodeled, my father didn’t say or do anything. He never knew that I was the one who caused the fire. However, my mother lit into me. She was livid. After that I was banned from all things kitchen related. So I read a lot, joined the computer and math clubs at school, and that was the start of my journey. Besides her normal routine, Mom did a lot of charity work. Mostly for her church. But she never did get a career.”
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. Her parents had always seemed happy to him. Her mother, Clara, was so regal. A beautiful woman just like her daughter.
“Why? You didn’t do anything. You know, the one thing that I couldn’t understand was how my father became such good friends with yours. I mean, your father always seemed so loving to his wife. Kat and I used to catch them sneaking a kiss all the time,” Nev said, lowering her lashes.
“Yeah, they’re still doing that.”
“I would watch what your parents would do and run home and tell my mom. I mean, your dad worked late hours, but still had time for his family. He still expressed how much he loved and respected you all. I admired that quality in him.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to tell him the next time I talk to him.” Listening to Nevea speak so highly of his father made Jarred feel ashamed of himself. Here he was, complaining about the mess his dad had left him and his brothers. He never realized how lucky he was to have him, how much it must have cost both his parents to give them a comfortable lifestyle. His dad had surpassed “comfortable” a long time ago, as had Josiah Tempest.
“Sometimes trying to stay on top makes people hard-hearted. I guess in some instances you have to be in order to keep people from taking advantage of you,” Jarred said softly.
“That’s not true and you know it. People tell me
all the time how savvy a businessman my father is. How much they learned from him. Yet he taught strangers, helped strangers, before he did his own children. Does that sound like a great businessman to you?”
Considering the state Tempest Mortgage was in, Jarred wasn’t about to comment on that subject. He recalled a lesson his father once taught him: Never kick a man when he’s down, because you never knew where you’d be one day. That person you mocked might just be the one to save you. Jarred took those words to heart.
Nevertheless, he needed to have a conversation with his father. There was something to this whole Tempest Mortgage thing. He was sure of it. William Manning didn’t make his millions by making stupid business moves. There had to be a method to the man’s madness.
“Nevea, you do know you can be great at one thing and lousy at another, right? Your dad may have been a bad husband and father, but can you truly say that he wasn’t a great businessman? Before you answer, think about it. You all lived in a mansion, on only your father’s income.”
“Of course we lived well. My father is a master at manipulation.”
“Manipulation is a part of business. You should know this, since you own a business yourself. A business that appears to be thriving. So you had to have learned something from your father.” Jarred knew he was reaching, but he just needed her to let go of some of her anger. He didn’t like to see her unhappy.
“No, I didn’t. Your brother taught me what I needed to know about business.”
Jarred was taken aback. “My brother?”
“Yes, Brice. Brice dated my best friend in college. We’ve been close ever since. I’m surprised you didn’t know this. Brice and Jasmine were hot and heavy in school. Anyway, when I decided I wanted to open my own lounge, Brice helped me from start to finish. I didn’t have enough money at the time to build the way I wanted, so your brother stepped in and became my silent partner.”
Jarred knew his mouth was hanging open. He didn’t know what to say. Brice?
“That’s why he has the reserved table,” Jarred said in a hushed tone.
“Exactly.”
“He never said a word,” Jarred whispered. Apparently, there was more to his brother than he thought.
“Why would he? I tried to pay him back, but he wouldn’t take it. So the next best thing was to make him a silent partner. You know he’s superintelligent.”
“Yes, I do. We’ve always known of Brice’s intelligence. Enough talk about my brother. What are we doing today?” he asked, quickly changing the subject.
“I don’t have a clue. I’ll probably just rest up for tomorrow night.”
“What’s tomorrow night?”
“The lounge, remember?”
“Oh yes. I forgot. I guess you’re performing tomorrow?” Jarred was going to make sure he was there.
“I may. Or I might just sit and enjoy everyone else.”
“I don’t think your fans will appreciate your being in the audience and not performing,” he said.
“I am not a celebrity. I don’t have fans. People come to Heavens to be entertained, and that’s what they get—live entertainment. Whether it’s me or someone else. A good show is what folks are looking for. I love sitting with the people, connecting with them. Keeps me grounded.”
“Understandable. By the way, where’d you learn to sing like that?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea. I just opened my mouth and started singing one day. I took dance classes, but not voice lessons.”
“You had to have an inkling that you could sing. I mean, who doesn’t pretend to sing when they’re little?”
“Not me. I was into books,” she said. “I still am. The club is like therapy to me. I chose the New Jersey location as a getaway from my normal surroundings. The added bonus is that I simply fell in love with the building and its surroundings.”
“I know. You used to bombard us with some fact or another. Most of the time it was something you’d discovered in a book,” Jarred mocked.
“Langston and Brice listened to me, or at least they led me to believe that they did. You, however, never did. You used to tease me about reading so much.”
“And look at me now. An attorney. Now I’m the one reading all the time. That’s life. You never know what you’re going to get.”.
“That’s right, you are a lawyer. I remember Brice bragging about you passing the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut bar exams. Good for you. I’d forgotten about that. I knew all of you except for Kat held positions in your father’s company. However, you being an attorney totally slipped my mind.”
The next thing he knew Nevea was out of her seat and flinging herself at him. “Congratulations! I am so proud of you,” she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.
His own arms instinctively enveloped her. If he knew telling her he was an attorney would elicit this kind of reaction from her, he’d have shared that bit of knowledge long before now. He held her close to him. Ah, man, he was in trouble. His body reacted to hers instantly. She must have realized what she’d done because she tried to move back. Too late. He was not releasing her.
“Don’t go,” he whispered, breathing in her flowery scent.
“Jarred?” she said softly.
“I want you, Nevea, and you want me, too,” he murmured.
Chapter 9
Nevealise found herself backed up against the marble-topped kitchen island. Any objections she may have had were thwarted by Jarred’s full lips sweeping down on hers. Of their own accord her arms tightened around him. Her body relaxed against his as she kissed him with the same intensity as he kissed her. Their tongues met and dueled together in a dance as old as time, as they took their fill of one another, neither relenting their hold.
Now this is a kiss. All the books she’d read on kissing were paying off in a big way. But she had a feeling there was more that Jarred was going to teach her before this was over.
As if he’d read her mind, Jarred tilted her head to the side, deepening the kiss. His hands slid down her spine to her backside, where he grasped her butt, pulling her close.
Nevealise gasped into his mouth at the feel of his erection rubbing against her. Her little experiment with Chauncey in college was nothing compared to Jarred’s maleness. Releasing her hips, he glided his hand up under her shirt to cup her breast. She tore her lips from his and dropped her head back, crying out, “Oh my!” Thrusting her chest forward, she held on to the countertop, allowing him better access.
She was on fire. Her breath came in spurts, hot and shallow. Not wasting any time, he swiftly lifted her T over her head and tossed it to the floor. Pushing her bra down, Jarred bent and tasted her breasts. Nevealise moaned as his tongue did wicked things to her nipples.
“Jarred,” she panted.
“I know, baby. Enjoy,” he whispered against a puckered peak.
Nevealise gripped the island tighter and Jarred had his way with her breasts, alternating from one to the other.
Her hands left the countertop to take hold of his head and pull him closer. She really didn’t know what she was doing; she simply knew what she liked and acted on instinct.
She cried out in dismay when his wet mouth finally left her breast. “Wh-what?”
“A bed. We need a bed, Nevea,” he murmured.
Taking her by the hand, he walked her to her bedroom, where he gently pushed her back onto the bed.
She watched between lowered lashes as he began to undress. Taking off his shirt first, he tossed it onto a nearby chair. His hand went to the band of his sweatpants and her entire body stiffened. He must have noticed, because he halted his movements. Instead of removing his pants, he sat on the bed next to her, giving her a questioning stare.
“Nevea, have you...have you ever been with a man before?”
“Yes
.” She wouldn’t tell him that the man had been a twenty-year-old college student—and she had been nineteen. It had been the first time for them both. “Why?”
“I was just wondering,” he said, still gazing down at her. Her reaction had him wondering if she’d ever had sex before. No doubt his mind told him that there was no way she hadn’t been with a man, not at twenty-eight years old. But her actions had probably told him that she was inexperienced.
“I know how this works, Jarred,” she said, to convince him.
“Say what?”
“I’ve been with a man before. If you don’t want to—”
“Bite your tongue. Of course I want to,” he growled, leaning down to capture her lips. Nevealise latched on to his tongue as if it were her lifeline.
She felt her bra being unhooked, and the confining material falling from her body and onto the bed.
Releasing her lips, he ran his tongue diagonally over her nipples and then slowly traveled down across her abdomen.
Nevealise held her breath as she felt his hot, moist mouth on her belly button. Her vaginal muscles tightened under his ministrations, and he hadn’t touched that part of her yet. The mere thought of him kissing and touching her there aroused her senses. The feelings he evoked in her were so foreign she didn’t think she could handle them. Nothing she’d read about had prepared her for what Jarred was doing to her.
His hands roamed over her breasts, causing a hot, molten sensation to course through her. Nevealise couldn’t stop herself. Feeling like a fiery inferno, she began squirming around on the bed, trying to release whatever it was that had hold of her. Something was happening to her. She didn’t have any idea what it was, but she needed to release it. If only she knew how... Her research had talked about orgasms, but what she was feeling now was indescribable.
Love Me Forever Page 7