by Tina Martin
“Mmm,” he growled, angling his head from side-to-side, making the penetration deeper as he savored the flavor of love in the recesses of her mouth. He nibbled her lip again, and groaned, hungry for more of this like five straight minutes of kissing hadn’t been much of an appetizer to appease his ferocious hunger for her. Lost in the moment, he slid his hands underneath her shirt and touched her smooth bare back.
“Mmmm…” she moaned. She wanted to expel a breath, but she couldn’t do that with their mouths fastened together. “Mmmm,” she moaned again her hands trembling against his back. Her moans became louder. Heartbeats more rapid. He squeezed her in his thick arms harder, steadily rolling his tongue. Sucking her lips. His hands migrated to her bottom again and he squeezed. He instinctively pressed his body to hers over and over again for a twofold purpose – making her feel the firm bulge behind his zipper and using his body to keep her stable since feeling her knees buckle.
Gemma couldn’t believe this was happening even in the process of it happening, but after she got over the shock of it happening – of them kissing – she enjoyed every intoxicating pull of his sweet, sensual lips. Her moans turned into whimpers. Long, elongated, drugging whimpers – sounds she hadn’t known she was capable of making. She also hadn’t known that a man could take control of her body. He released her mouth, watching her gasp uncontrollably while trying to force herself to stop moaning but to no avail. And her body was shaking. Her breathing – heavy and wild – as she experienced something she’d never experienced in her life but watched enough romance movies to know exactly what was happening to her body to give her contractions and spasms and cause her to nearly lose consciousness. But how could this happen from a kiss alone? Were his lips that powerful? Or was it because it was him and deep down, she’d wanted him all along?
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked her.
The deep tone of his voice seemed to prolong the aftershocks of her pleasure. Just looking at him was doing something to her – down there.
“No,” she gasped, her body steadily trembling. Her face was completely flushed.
“Do you still want me to leave you alone, Gemma?” he asked, his voice laced with confidence like he knew her answer would be in his favor.
She could hardly catch her breath. Heaving, she responded, “No.”
Royal leaned closer and left a soft kiss on her freckled covered cheek. Then he pressed his lips to hers. Grabbing her butt, he effortlessly scooped her up into his arms.
Gemma wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as their mouths fused together yet again. She could feel him walking backward to the bed until he sat down, still holding her, still kissing her – more like making love to her mouth. Making sensations strike her all over again from all angles.
He released her to study her. To see the love on her face. But he also saw the confusion, too.
“Why did that happen?” she asked. Her lips were still tender, as well as her breasts for some reason, and her head was spinning. The sensitive area between her thighs pulsating.
“Why did what happen?”
“This. Why did you kiss me?”
“Because I wanted to,” he told her. He wasn’t trying to sound cocky although that’s how it came across. He was just answering her question. “Why did you kiss me back?”
“Um…because I—I think I wanted to, too,” she answered, then shyly looked away from his gaze.
He smiled, satisfied. “Look at me,” he told her.
She looked at him. Smiled. “Why do you want me to look at you?”
“So you can get used to us. We’re not going back to just friends, Gemma. Not after this. I need you to be okay with that. That’s why I need you to look at me. You need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I want this. That I want you. Do you understand?”
She nodded.
“Open your mouth and acknowledge what I’m saying.”
She glanced at his mouth when she said, “I’m kinda nervous to open my mouth with it being this close to yours but yes, I understand.”
“Good,” he said, taking her lips again. Sucking them. Teasing them. “Mmm,” he moaned. “You’re just as good as I imagined you would be.”
Gemma looked surprised. He’d imagined this?
“I would like to spend the night with you, Gemma.”
Her eyebrows raised while her hands gripped his shoulders. “Here? In my bedroom?”
“Yes. Here. In your room. In your bed. Just me and you.”
“O-okay.”
“First, though, I want you to finish your dinner. Can we have dinner together?”
Gemma smiled. Although she didn’t think she could stomach any more food tonight, she replied, “Yes.”
“In that case, you know you’re going to have to turn me loose so I can get up, right?” he asked her.
“Why? You carried me over here, didn’t you?” she told him, then moved her legs so she could stand to her feet again. Her legs were still weak, but stable. “I feel like I need to change my underwear before we go back downstairs.”
“No. Let them stay on so it can serve as a reminder of what I did to you.”
“Royal!”
He grinned. “Come on. Let’s go,” he said, clutching her hand.
Hand in hand, they went back downstairs to the kitchen, observing that Gianna and Ramsey were still in the dining room.
“Oh,” Carson said, looking up at Gemma. “I tossed out your plate, madam. I didn’t think you would be returning. Shall I make you another?”
“Yes. With just a little rice, Carson.”
“What about for you, Sir?” he asked, looking at Royal.
“Sure. Give me some of everything you got. It smells good. I wanted to get some when I first came in, but I had some business to take care of first.” He winked at Gemma.
She blushed with already reddened cheeks and thoroughly kissed lips. This time, Royal sat across the island from her, probably so he could stare and reminisce about what just happened between the two of them.
When Carson was back with plates, Royal immediately started eating, looking up across the table at the woman he loved. Kissing her was more satisfying, more gratifying, more filling than his best meal. And it was more meaningful and enjoyable than with any other woman. He couldn’t wait to have her all to himself again tonight.
“Let’s discuss a few things,” he said.
“Let’s,” she said, still high from their kiss and at the realization that Royal was really into her like Gianna and Carson had suspected.
“Did you really think I would leave the country without saying bye to you?”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t think you wouldn’t say bye. It was the fact that I—I didn’t want you to leave me. I still don’t.”
Royal’s chewing slowed. “I don’t want to leave you either, baby, but I have to do my job.”
“I know.”
“And another thing…I know we joke around a lot but I need to make something very clear to you. I don’t care how mad you are at me or how upset I am with you—please, please, please, please do not ever hang up on me.”
“I’m sorry. It was rude of me and it won’t happen again.”
His eyes crinkled, pleased with her apology. “Okay. Now, on to more important matters…did you get a package today?”
Gemma snorted a laugh and covered her mouth. That’s what he meant by important matters? “Yes, I got the pillow, silly. I didn’t think you were actually going to buy it.”
“I told you I was. That’s one thing you’ll learn about me. I’m a man of my word.”
“And a good kisser.”
He smiled big. “Speaking of kissing, I thought you told me you’ve never kissed anyone? Never been touched. All lies, weren’t they?”
“No. I haven’t been touched,” Gemma said, tickled. “Why do you think I’m lying?”
“Because you nearly kissed me right out of my boxers.”
Gemma chuckled. “Wha
t else was I supposed to do? You had me pinned upside the door.”
Royal laughed. “I just want to know where you learned to kiss like that.”
“Movies.”
Royal quirked up his lips. “I’m not buying it.”
“I promise. Remember in Think Like A Man when Michael Ealy was trying to woo Taraji. And that kiss on the balcony…it’s like permanently engrained in my mind. Michael Ealy is such a good kisser.”
Royal lifted a brow.
“But not better than you, of course.”
“Nice save,” he told her.
“Is everything alright in here?” Ramsey asked, stepping into the kitchen.
Gianna was right beside him, alert and focused on Gemma.
“Yeah, man. Everything’s fine,” Royal told him.
Gemma smiled at the inquisitive look on Gianna’s face.
“Sure about that?” Gianna asked.
“Yes. Everything’s fine, sis.”
“Oh, by the way, Gianna,” Royal said. “Don’t be alarmed, but I’m staying with Gemma tonight.”
“Um…why?” Gianna asked.
“Since I’m taking her to the hospital first thing in the morning, I figured I may as well. Either of you have any objections to that?”
“No,” Gianna said.
Ramsey looked at Gianna sideways. “Did you say no?”
“I did.” Gianna smiled.
“You don’t have anything to say about Royal spending the night?” Ramsey asked, just for verification.
Gemma covered her face, embarrassed.
“No,” Gianna replied again. Normally, she would have said something, like restricting Royal to one of the guest bedrooms or making sure there was no hanky panky going on, but she said nothing. She already knew how Royal felt for her sister. She didn’t need anyone to spell it out for her. Even if Gemma couldn’t see it yet, she could.
“Okay, then. You two enjoy your dinner,” Ramsey said.
“Goodnight,” Gianna told them because once she went up to the third floor, she wasn’t coming back down.
“Goodnight Gianna, and Gianna Jr.,” Gemma said, looking at Gianna’s stomach. She was showing a little now going into her fourth month of pregnancy.
“Goodnight guys,” Ramsey said, then clutched Gianna’s hand and led her out of the room.
Chapter 16
After dinner, Gemma retreated to her quarters to shower and prepare for bed. Royal went to get his overnight bag and suit out of the car because even though he was spending the night and taking her to the doctor, he’d still planned on going to the office afterward.
Bummer, she thought. She could get used to having him all to herself. That got her to thinking well into the future – what if this thing with Royal went beyond boyfriend and girlfriend? What if friends became lovers and lovers, in turn, became husband and wife? Husband and wife? She grinned to herself. No way. Royal never talked about marriage in any context. Is marriage something he looked forward to, or did he have objections to it? Did men his age think about marriage? Most men didn’t regardless of their age, so why would he?
“Gosh, we really need to talk,” she mumbled to herself as she shut off the shower. “Or am I being all Gianna-ish? Should I just go with the flow and be quiet about this? See where this thing takes us?”
After she dried off, she slid into a pajama set – a sherbet orange tank top and short shorts. He’d seen her in it before, but something about exposing the length of her legs to him now made a shiver run up her spine, probably because he would try to grab them the first chance he got with his affectionate self.
“Hey,” he said as soon as he saw her emerge from the bathroom.
“Hey,” she responded, instantly feeling goosebumps flutter over her whole body. She tried to dismiss the feeling by casually walking over to the nightstand to grab the bottle of lotion that she left there. She picked it up, flicked the lid to open it and at the same time, she glanced up at him, watching him pull his shirt up over his head. The nerves in her hand jolted, and the bottle slipped from her grasp. When it hit the floor, lotion splattered everywhere. “Oh, shoot.”
“What’s wrong?”
She bent over to pick up the bottle and he came walking around the bed to see what she was doing. “I dropped it.”
“You dropped it? Just like that?”
“Yeah. It just slipped out of my hand.”
Royal walked to the bathroom to grab some paper towels, and when he came back, he kneeled to wipe up the spill while saying, “I’ve never known you to have butterfingers. You must’ve been distracted…checking me out again, huh?”
She giggled. “I was.” She sat on the bed’s edge.
“You should’ve just told me you wanted some lotion on that sweet body of yours. I can handle it.”
“No, I got it.”
“I got it all over my hands now…may as well put it to good use,” he said, crawling closer to the bed while on his knees.
“Royal…stop it.”
He gripped her calf muscles and said, “Shh…lay back. I got this.” His eyes swept over her body. “All of this.”
“Royal…”
“What’s wrong? You don’t want me to touch you?” he asked, while purposely massaging already.
“No, I like it. I just think we need to be doing more talking than touching right now. This thing between us, whatever this is…”
“You’re my girl. That’s what this is.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her right knee.
She smiled. “I’ve never been anyone’s girl.”
“Well, lucky for you, now you’re mine.” Royal rubbed lotion between his hands to warm it, then lowered them down to her skin creating gentle pressure on her thighs. And then he manually pried her legs open wider so they were on either side of his torso and he was in between, still on his knees, massaging. He used his thumb to work the inner thighs, kneading and rubbing the soft skin on up to the juncture of her thighs.
Gemma’s lips quivered. “Oh, Lord, help me.”
He chuckled. Were her eyes really rolling back in her head? He knew he was capable of bringing a woman maximum pleasure but just the pure act of kissing and massaging seemed to be doing it for her. “You act like I’ve never touched you before.”
“You have, but not my biscuit.”
His eyebrows raised. “Your biscuit?”
“Yes.”
He chuckled. He had an idea of what she referred to as her biscuit, but he wanted further clarification just for kicks. “What’s your biscuit?”
“That,” she said pointing to the area between her thighs.
He laughed. “That’s a new one. Why do you call it a biscuit?”
She shrugged. “That’s what Gianna calls it.”
Figures. “A biscuit, huh?” he asked, still laughing.
“Yep.”
“Well, in that case, I need to go see if Carson can find me some grape jelly to go along with it.”
Gemma squirmed, closing her legs tight, but he pried them back open again and said, “Okay, I won’t touch the biscuit—at least not tonight.”
“Royal!”
“What? You act like it’s not going to happen. At some point or another, that biscuit is going to get bitten.”
“Royal!”
He was so busy laughing, he couldn’t apply the lotion properly. “Alright, let me focus. I’m about to get you all lathered up baby. Lay back.”
“No. I told you I got it.”
“I’m not gon’ mess with your biscuit, Gemma. Just lay back.”
“Okay,” she said and laid back on the bed.
Royal did a full once over of her body, then started with her legs, listening as she moaned softly at his touch. And then, he rubbed and massaged her toes, one by one, digging the pad of his thumbs into the arch of her feet.
Gemma wiggled. She never knew it would feel this good to be touched by a man. And when he told her to turn over on her stomach, he straddled her, mindful of his weight an
d massaged her back in heated strokes feeling her quiver beneath his hands. When he was done, he placed the bottle on her nightstand and laid on the bed, opening his arms to her.
She crawled over to him and happily drowned into his calming embrace.
“I think Gianna knows something is up between us,” he told her.
“Why do you think that?”
“Because she didn’t have any objections with me staying with you tonight. She was cool with it—the same woman who is super protective over you—and suddenly she has no qualms with me spending the night.”
“That’s because she trusts you, and she knows I trust you, too.”
“You do?”
“Stop playing, Royal,” she said brushing her fingers across his beard. “You know I trust you.”
He pressed his lips to her cheek. “Did you take your medicine already?”
“Yes. I took my medicine,” she drawled out.
“Good. You said we need to do more talking than touching.”
“That’s right.”
“What do want to talk about?”
“Us.”
“Elaborate, baby. What about us?”
“I’m going to preface this by saying…um…I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I don’t know what questions to ask or not ask…I just know that some things need to be said.”
“So, say them,” he told her.
“I can’t have children.”
“Okay.”
“That’s all you have to say to that?” she asked him.
“Yeah,” he said. “What more is there to say?”
She sat up and looked at him. “There’s plenty to say, Royal, especially if you want children.”
“Gemma, you haven’t been my girl for twenty-four hours yet and you’re already talking about children?”