When he turned around, he’d caught Robyn ogling him. It wasn’t unwelcome. As a matter of fact, it was more than appreciated. Maxwell grabbed the bottle, then took Robyn by the hand, and led her over to the spot in front of the fire, pulling her down onto the floor with him.
He couldn’t tear his eyes away from hers. “You’re beautiful.”
Robyn blushed. “Thank you.”
“Can you give me the glasses?”
She handed them to him with shaky hands and then sat in a more comfortable position pulling her legs underneath her.
Maxwell talked as he poured the wine. “I’m not a psycho. I only brought you here to talk, and whatever happens after that . . . happens.” He flashed that much too perfect grin and passed her a glass now filled with wine.
“Thanks.” Their hands touched briefly, and she felt the electricity shoot up her arm. Based on the darkening of his eyes, Robyn figured he felt it too.
She took a much-needed sip. It was delicious, not too sweet or tart, and just what she needed to take her mind off of what could happen. “This is one of my favorites. Let me guess . . . Eva told you?”
Maxwell shrugged and broke eye contact. “I’m sure I probably read it somewhere.” He took a swallow from his own glass.
Robyn was beginning to feel a little more relaxed. “Ahhh . . . you looked me up on the internet. That’s flattering.”
He didn’t acknowledge the fact one way or the other. She took his non-response as an answer.
Robyn brought the glass up to her lips but stopped before she took a drink. She looked above the rim at the exact moment he’d returned his attention to her. His stare was powerful. With a raspy voice, she said, “You shouldn’t believe everything you read.”
Maxwell nodded. “I’ll make sure to remember that.”
Robyn ran the tip of her finger around the rim of her glass. “Are you sure it’s okay that we’re in here while there is a party going on out there?”
“I promise; you don’t have to worry.” Maxwell leaned back on one of his elbows. “Honestly, I thought you might welcome this little escape.”
She couldn’t hide her smirk. “I hate to admit it because I love being back home, but you’re right. I thought my face was going to break from all the smiling I did tonight. It was like a mini high school reunion. I hate the celebrity thing. How do you deal with all the attention?”
“I never announce where I’m going to be, and I show up . . . very late.” Except for tonight. He didn’t want to miss his opportunity.
“I’m not as well-known as you. I’ve never been on the cover of Fortune magazine.”
“So, you have researched me.”
The wine was working. Robyn let out a laugh. “Maybe a little. I only know the basics. The things I’ve seen on the magazine covers.”
“It’s flattering all the same. And, I’m glad you came tonight. You were definitely a great distraction.” He mimicked the voice of several fans of hers. “Because when the famous Robyn Levy comes home . . .” Maxwell chuckled mostly to himself. “I heard that on more than one occasion tonight.”
She groaned. “Everyone seemed to want a little face time. Usually, I don’t mind, but it’s been a very long week. However, after tonight, if I never hear that phrase again, I’ll be alright with that.”
“What? The famous Robyn Levy?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please don’t.” She mimicked some of the people she had heard use the phrase too. “The famous Robyn Levy. Gawwd. I hate it.”
“It could be worse. It’s better to come home having achieved all you’ve ever wanted than with your tail between your ass.”
“True, but, I’m just a woman. I’m like everyone else and hate feeling like a lab rat.”
He shook his head. “Can’t agree with you there, beautiful. You’re nothing like anyone else.”
Robyn glanced down into her wine glass. “I just got lucky doing something that I love.”
“I don’t believe in luck. I worked my ass off to get to where I am today, and I know you did too.” He was curious. “What I can’t figure out is what brought you back here?”
Robyn shrugged and looked away. “Sometimes you just miss home.” Her voice was a whisper. “I don’t want to talk about me. Tell me more about you.”
Maxwell sat up and placed his elbows on his knees. “What do you want to know?”
Every time she looked into his eyes, breathing became difficult. “Everything.”
He rubbed the darkening stubble on his chin. “Everything? I’ll bore you to tears since there really isn’t much to tell.”
“I don’t believe that at all.”
Maxwell hesitated and stared into the fire. His eyes had taken on a faraway look before he drained his glass. His easy smile faded. “Unlike you, I didn’t leave home to chase a dream. I left because things were chasing me.”
Her voice softened. “Oh.” Robyn placed her hand on his forearm. “We don’t . . .”
He placed his hands on top of hers and smiled reassuringly. “It’s fine. I told you earlier. My dreams weren’t that deep. I fell in love and wanted to spend my life building a life with her.”
Robyn stilled.
Maxwell continued. “She was the center of my world; only she didn’t feel the same way. Every store, theater, and place I turned were reminders of her; of the us that would never be. So, I left all of my friends and family to exercise that demon.”
“Did it work? N-nevermind. Don’t answer that.” She attempted to brush off the serious tone that had taken over the room with a laugh. “No one has ever accused me of keeping my mouth shut when I should.”
He looked into Robyn’s warm brown eyes and gently pushed away a lock of her dark hair that had fallen into her face. The tips of his fingers grazed her forehead. “Don’t be. It was for the best.”
Robyn noted that he didn’t answer the question. She spoke quietly. “I’m sure if she could take it all back she would.”
“No. I wouldn’t want her to. She would have always wondered what if. In this case, everything happened the way it was supposed to. I learned a lot about myself and discovered my own passions.”
She looked up into his face with a small smile. “Cars and women, right?”
“Only as a distraction. The mature me wants more. I mentioned earlier that I wouldn’t settle for anything less, even with the distractions in my life.”
Robyn perked up. “Right. When it comes to cars and women, it has to be the right one.”
He shrugged and winked. “Who knows? Maybe I’m looking at her.”
The butterflies were again in full effect. That was too much, no, he was too much. Robyn turned toward the fireplace and wondered not if they were going to make love but when.
There was a lull in the conversation. A comfortable silence hung in the air with more questions suspended from it. Yet, wanting to know the answers didn’t diminish the heightened chemistry between them.
Robyn sat her glass down and rolled her head around her neck. She did her best to soothe the kinks. The hard work of this past week and the tension of this moment were catching up to her.
Maxwell’s voice was warm and soothing as it reached out to her in the darkness. “Come here. I can fix that.”
Robyn hesitated only briefly before scooting closer and giving him access to her neck and shoulders. Maybe now. This was the moment things were going to get physical. The attraction between them was almost like a third person in the room. It couldn’t be ignored, and she didn’t want to. Robyn wanted to explore every part of Maxwell.
He placed his hands on her shoulders and began to massage away the knots. She was so soft, and her skin was incredibly smooth.
“Mmmm.” Robyn moaned. His hands were like magic. Kinks? What kinks? It wasn’t just the heavenly touch of his hands that had every nerve ending in her body firing off; it was Maxwell himself. His closeness, his touch, was making her feel things she hadn’t felt in a long time. Robyn exhaled slowly. She release
d the pent-up air from her lungs that she hadn’t even known she’d been holding.
He brought his face close to her cheek. The deep rumble of his voice turned her on even more. “How does that feel?”
Between the wine, his touch, and the smell of his cologne, it was almost enough to send her over the edge. She purred, “Perfect.” The heat of his breath as his lips hovered over the soft curve of her neck was more intoxicating than the wine. For a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her in that sensitive spot and was slightly disappointed when he pulled away.
Maxwell put just a little space between them as he picked up his glass and took a drink of wine. Things between them were heating up faster than he thought they would. As much as he wanted to lie between the silkiness of her thighs, and feel her writhing underneath him, he had to show restraint.
He had a plan. He was going to stick to it. “Better?”
Her words came out on a breath. “Much. Thank you.” She liked the closeness between them and wanted to get a little closer. Instead, she placed the palm of her hand over his and gazed into his eyes. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me. I’m a pretty simple girl these days.”
Maxwell glanced at her from the side of his eyes. “Really? If I recall, nothing about you has ever been simple, Robyn.”
“If I recall, that’s one of the things Ian Maxwell Bryant loved about me.”
“Right up until the day you walked out of my life.”
Chapter 7
Nine Years Ago . . .
It was close to midnight by the time Ian and Robyn were able to go to their special place. The day had been chock full of activities from the moment she had opened her eyes, and they hadn’t had even a minute to themselves.
Finally, Robyn could relax. “I love it here.”
Ian parked, and they got out of the car. “Me too. They might as well name it after us considering it is kind of the movie reel of our lives. Lots of firsts happened here.” He winked.
She smiled coyly. “Firsts, seconds, and a hell of lot more. Thank gaawd it’s surrounded by trees and can’t be seen from the highway. Otherwise, all of my lady parts would have been exposed to the world.”
“You have a cute ass and perky breasts, so I wouldn’t mind having a video tape of us. But, I don’t want the world to see you. I’d have to fight the men off.”
Robyn smirked. “More like me having to body slam some chick once she saw she’d been lied to.”
He looked curious. “About what?”
She giggled. “You know, white men aren’t packin’.”
“That’s some of the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe anybody would believe that.” He helped Robyn up onto the hood of his car. “I know you know better. You’ve screamed my name until your voice was hoarse.”
Robyn got comfortable on the hood. She loved how the trees that shielded them from prying eyes opened suddenly into a small clearing and stream. She let out a breath as she looked up. “Everything is so clear tonight.” There wasn’t a cloud in the inky night sky. The stars were twinkling like diamonds as Ian climbed up next to Robyn and laid flat on his back.
They joined their hands together as each of them got lost in the moment. Robyn spoke first. “I didn’t think this day would ever come.”
For Ian, life couldn’t get any better than this moment. “I had no doubt. If I haven’t said it already, congratulations, baby.”
“Thank you. Now that I have a moment to soak it all in, I can’t believe how fast my college years went by. I graduated today, and I don’t know, I think I expected more.”
“More . . . like what?”
She shrugged. “Internal fireworks or something. I worked so hard to get to this point, and while I’m happy, there’s no zing.”
“You want zing? Oh . . . I can give you zing.” Ian rolled over to his side and started nuzzling her neck.
Robyn squirmed and wiggled, loving the way his lips lightly touch her skin. “I’m sure you can. Listen, I’m serious.”
Ian stopped with the kisses. “Damn . . . I was serious too.”
She ignored him. “One minute I was a freshman and the next . . .”
“You were graduating with your bachelor’s and master’s degree on the same damn day. You’ve worked so hard, and you deserve to simply enjoy this moment. Just enjoy it, Robyn. What you’ve accomplished and in the amount of time you’ve done it, that’s pretty impressive, but then you’ve always been incredible.”
Robyn laughed softly. “That’s not what you said sophomore year of high school.”
“Maybe not to you, but I told myself, that’s one hot sista right there!”
“Was that before or after you asked that skank, Rachel Arrington to Homecoming?”
“You’re never going to let me live that one down, are you? Robert Easton said you didn’t date white guys. Had I known better, I would have asked you.”
“I dated you because you were sweet and unlike your asshole buddies, a genuinely nice guy.”
“Admit it. I was sexy as hell.”
“Maybe you were a tad bit better looking than a young Brad Pitt. So, there is that. Still, you should have asked me to the dance anyway.”
“True. But, you’ve got to admit, I know how to go after what I want.” He grinned cheekily. “You still ended up with me at the dance, so what's the problem?”
Playfully, Robyn punched him in the shoulder. “You let Ms. Barbie-doll Rachel think she had the upper hand over me. That is never acceptable. That’s the problem!”
Ian rolled over on top of Robyn and nestled himself in between her thighs. His voice was husky. “No, that is never acceptable. The only person who should ever be over you or inside you is me . . . like this.” He pressed his lips to hers. His kiss was deep, passionate. She returned it with equal fervor.
Robyn moaned softly as her hand dipped low in-between their bodies. Ian deepened their kiss as she caressed the bulge within his jeans. Ian bucked forward moving deeper into the softness of her hands. He wanted her to touch him, take ownership of him, because he was hers.
Her hand continued to work him up and down then back up again, moving closer to the waistband of his jeans. Robyn managed to unbutton his pants as she went in search of her prize. It didn’t take long to connect as she slid her eager fingers around the thickness that had given her so much pleasure. Her grip tightened.
Ian growled and broke the kiss. “Fuck.”
Robyn smiled into his lips. “I hope so.” She loved the feel of him—steel wrapped in silk. Her strokes were long and slow and drove him insane. Her hand was good, but Ian wanted to feel her wet heat clenching around him as he drilled into her over and over again.
He reached up and grabbed a fist full of Robyn’s hair pulling her head back for perfect access to the smooth skin on her neck. Hungrily, Ian took little bites between kisses. Robyn was a delectable treat, and he would taste every inch of her.
She gasped.
That last bite was going to leave a mark—his mark. Ian didn’t care.
Her breathing was choppy. “Mmm . . . yassss, Ian.” She brought her knees up to the side of his waist.
He loved the way his name rolled off of her tongue. Yeah, she was his woman. He whispered into her ear. “We need to take these fuckin’ clothes off.” Then he threw his head back and bared his teeth when Robyn tightened her grip and pumped his steel rod.
Her excruciatingly measured movements on his manhood, as she rubbed his thickness back and forth across the creases of her swollen folds, was pushing Ian to the edge. He could feel her heat through the soft barrier of her silky underwear. He thrust forward against her core. The pleasure was almost too much for him, and apparently, by the cute little noises he loved to hear Robyn make, it was driving her insane too. It was sweet torture for them both.
He spoke through gritted teeth. “You’re killing me, baby.” Ian recaptured her lips and let his hands run a trail down her body until he came to a full soft breast. He cupped it t
hrough her thin little romper knowing she would fit perfectly in his hands. Her nipples had already grown tight and pebbled against the roughness of his touch. They somehow managed to get even tauter as Ian trapped them between his thumb and forefinger, then squeezed.
The sting forced her to cry out. “I’ll kiss it and make it better, baby.” Ian removed her hands from his manhood and placed them above her head. He was true to his word when he sucked her nipple into his mouth. He swirled his tongue around it to soothe the ache. After he had thought he’d given enough attention to one, he eagerly loved on the other.
At this point, they were making love to each other through their clothes. He always knew how to make her feel so good. Robyn’s panties were no longer just damp. They were thoroughly wet. The milky substance of her desire had so coated her underwear that it rendered them useless. Hell, she didn’t need them. She didn’t need any clothing when he touched her like this. The feel of his hardness against her sensitive flesh, and knowing the power of his strokes, had her juices not just flowing, but overflowing.
Ian released her hands from above her head. He pushed the thin strap of her romper away from her shoulders. In a couple of movements, he completely removed it along with her useless underwear from her body. Fortunately, she wasn’t wearing a bra. She was completely naked lying on top of the hood of his Camaro basking in total darkness except for the stars in the moonless sky.
Robyn’s words came out in a breathless whisper. “Are you really going to fuck me on top of the hood of this car?”
He ground out. “It wouldn’t be the first time.” He placed another wet, open-mouthed kiss on Robyn, thrusting his tongue deep into the back of her throat, mimicking the actions he planned to take with her body in a few short moments, breaking apart only long enough to remove the t-shirt he’d been wearing. The man was built like the Greek gods. Robyn wanted to touch him everywhere all at once.
Within moments, he was completely naked and nestled within the softness of her thighs. Finally, they were skin to skin.
The Room - A Sensuous Experience Page 5