Take It

by Francesca Penn

  He was completely annoyed and so damn kissable.

  “Let’s try this again. Remember when you called me out and practically told me I was full of shit when it came to my VP duties?” Kalilah couldn’t say anything, so she just nodded. “Well, I’m returning the favor. Spill it. What’s your issue?”

  He was looking at her so thoroughly that he could probably tell her what color panties she was wearing – well, if she were wearing any. She broke the contact and shrugged out of his embrace.

  “I’m not avoiding you. I was giving you a chance to realize that you didn’t need me.”

  Kalilah would have thought she’d grown an extra nose with the way Nick was looking at her. He either liked or was getting the hang of wearing contacts because she still had not seen him wearing his glasses again. Kalilah inwardly shuddered; it was hard reconciling the two Nicks.

  “Need you?” he repeated in disbelief.

  She felt her annoyance slightly start to surface.

  “Yes. Need me. You are a completely different person than you were a few months ago. You have women checking you out all day, and you have a lot of confidence now.” She held up her hand before he could speak. “I’m not complaining about any of that. It’s a good thing. But now that you are different, you have the option to go about losing your virginity differently.”

  Nick closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he raised his hands and looked towards the ceiling as if praying for patience. When he spoke again, it was with the feigned patience adults usually reserved for children.

  “I promised my mom that I would spend the day with her. I don’t have time to sugarcoat anything right now. You’re right. I don’t need you.”

  She flinched because she didn’t expect that statement to hurt as much as it did.

  “Kalilah. I know that I don’t act like it, so it’s possible that you’ve forgotten. Just in case, I’m just going to lay it all out there. I am a very rich man.” He stretched his arms out. “I mean extremely wealthy. I could stop working tomorrow and still be rich for the rest of my life.”

  Kalilah looked at her feet. She didn’t want to watch him leave her. He stepped closer to her and continued.

  “My confidence may have been a wreck, and I am a different person than I was a few months ago, but neither version of me needs you. Someone as rich as I am can buy almost anything. I’ve had plenty of opportunities to lose my virginity between my thirteenth birthday and now.”

  He lifted her chin, making her look at him in the eyes.

  “I asked you because I want you. That hasn’t changed.”

  Nick pulled her into his arms. It felt so good to touch him. Kalilah fought the urge to kiss him. His intensity was sexy and overwhelming.

  “Nick…”

  He rubbed his thumb on her bottom lip.

  “Let me finish. The old Nick never needed you, and the new Nick doesn’t need you, but both of us want you. In fact, the current Nick’s desire for you is stronger than the old Nick’s.”

  He pulled her against his erection to prove his point. His lips now hovered over hers.

  “If I didn’t have to meet my mom, I would show you exactly how much I want you.”

  Kalilah splayed her hands on his chest; she could feel his rapid heartbeat under her fingertips. He was warm and solid. She tilted her head back, and her breathing shallowed as she stared at his lips. She’d missed kissing him. The thought of never kissing him again scared her more than having feelings for him.

  Her gaze clashed with his. Nick’s eyes were a darker, smoky gray, they were earnest and filled with promise. Kalilah slid her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and rested them behind his neck. Her fingertips toyed with the thick, soft hair that she’d been wanting to touch for the last three days. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

  Nick smirked briefly before he shifted his hands from her waist to the globes of her ass. He squeezed them and pulled her flush against him. His erection pressed against her belly. Her nipples were crushed against his chest. Every breath he took caused her shirt to rub the sensitive nubs. She let out a soft moan. Suddenly, she didn’t care if he was late meeting his mom. She wanted him. She was wet and ready, all he had to do was…

  Nick slid his thumbs under the hem of her shirt and he slowly started to inch the material up. Kalilah shivered in anticipation. His thumbs were almost to the underside of her breasts. Nick watched her intently as his lips slowly descended to meet hers.

  Kalilah jumped out of his arms when the Golden Girls theme song started playing. It was loud and sudden. Nick growled in frustration and pulled out his phone.

  “Hey, Ma.” He nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I should be leaving home in fifteen minutes.” His heated gaze roamed over Kalilah’s body. “Yes. I’m hungry, too. Starving in fact.” His looks told Kalilah that he wasn’t talking about food. “Okay, see you in a bit. Love you, too.”

  Nick disconnected and put his phone back in his pocket. “Golden Girls is still her favorite show. I made it her ringtone.”

  Kalilah smirked. “Using my method?”

  Nick nodded. “Yeah. It made sense. Now I know who exactly is calling. Want to know what your ringtone is?”

  Kalilah rolled her eyes. “Better not be anything raunchy.”

  Nick laughed. “‘Crash into Me’ by Dave Matthews Band.”

  Kalilah was curious. She’d heard the song, but never paid attention to the lyrics or meaning.

  “Why?”

  Nick treated her to another heated look.

  “You wear a lot of dresses and skirts to work.”

  Kalilah shrugged and said, “So? Most women do.”

  Nick nodded in agreement. “True, but you are the only one that makes me hear the lyrics, ‘Hike up your skirt a little more and show the world to me.’”

  Kalilah gasped and flushed. “So, it is raunchy.”

  Nick grinned. “Not overtly raunchy, though.” Nick sobered and looked at her. “So, we’re good?”

  Kalilah nodded. It was all she could do.

  “Good. Please don’t avoid me again. If something is bothering you, just tell me.”

  She felt a story behind his statement. He told her about his ex-friend, David. She immediately wanted to find him and choke him.

  “Nick, I’m sorry for checking out for a few days. But, I would never do that to you. Besides, we work together, and we have a lunch meeting on Tuesday. I know that you are a good guy, and I wouldn’t purposely hurt you. David was and is an ass.”

  Nick nodded. “Thank you.” He switched subjects. “I realized that you’ve never been inside my house. You will be tonight. 7 PM. I’m making you dinner.” Nick glanced at the door. “I gotta go. He stared at her another moment. I’m not kissing you goodbye because I’d never leave.”

  He waved and was gone. Kalilah stared at the door for another moment. Nick had definitely changed, and she liked it. The uncertainty of the future still scared her, but she was starting to accept that she could not control it. Kalilah smiled to herself; she did have control over what she was wearing later that night.

  Nick checked his watch again: 7:15 PM. She was late, but he didn’t want to be the crazy person that blew up her phone over being fifteen minutes late. He was anxious to see her on his terms. He didn’t have anywhere to be, and she would finally be in his domain. He’d missed her so much when he was out of town; even more when she pulled her disappearing act. It had been two weeks since he’d kissed her, and he was ready to explode. He was so close this morning when his mom accidentally cock blocked him.

  Cock block? Would they have gotten to that point this morning? Nick looked down at his current erection pressing against his jeans, then he thought back to the way she looked at him this morning. He had his answer. Yes, he would have had her several times by now if he hadn’t had plans with his mother.

  Anticipation flowed through his body. This could very well be their night. He needed to touch her. Not in the way she assumed he needed her. N
ick frowned as he took the pasta out of the oven. There had to be a story there. She must have dated some needy losers in the past. He vowed to get to the bottom of that issue after he got her out of her clothes.

  He set the dish on the table and went to check his appearance in the guest bathroom mirror. They didn’t discuss the dress code. He aimed to remain casual by wearing jeans; he paired it with a button-up dress shirt. He didn’t want her to feel overdressed if she did dress up. He’d shaved that morning, and his haircut was pretty much hassle free. He was ready, and so was the food. The bread had a few more minutes in the oven.

  The doorbell rang. His lungs released the air he didn’t realize he’d been holding. They hadn’t talked or texted since that morning, and he was worried she’d forgotten. He opened the door to greet her.

  “Hi…Oh my…”

  She did dress up. Her dress was red, tight, and barely there. Nick’s inspection started at her silver strappy stilettos, roamed over her shapely calves, up her beautiful thighs to the mid-thigh dress that stretched over her stomach, and paused at the cleavage that was on display because of the deep V of the dress. This is the look that Marley girl tried to pull off. Kalilah was holding a bottle of wine, and her red painted lips were parted in a smile.

  “Are you going to let me in?”

  Nick cleared his throat. “Depends. I can’t help but notice that there isn’t room for a bra. Does that outfit come with panties?”

  Her smile broadened. “Does a lacy thong count?”

  Nick pulled her inside and put the bottle of wine on the table by the door. His mouth crushed hers in a hungry kiss. He couldn’t wait any longer to taste her. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck. The food was forgotten. Nick picked her up and pushed her against the door. She wrapped her legs around his waist.

  He positioned himself against her, making her feel him. She murmured his name as he nibbled on her neck. She pushed her chest forward, silently telling him her breasts craved his attention. He nibbled and licked at her cleavage but purposely avoided the hard peaks that begged for contact. She grabbed his shoulders and rocked her hips forward. The friction made him growl.

  Nick ran his right hand up her thigh, pushing her dress to her waist. She was hot and wet for him. He could smell her arousal, and his cock begged for contact. He wasn’t the only one.

  “Nick. Please.”

  She begged. His thumb continued its journey up her thigh and paused at the side of the triangle of lace that covered his target. Kalilah snaked a hand between them, unbuckling his belt. Nick waited to feel apprehension or fear and was relieved when nothing happened; he was ready for her.

  The doorbell rang, resolutely shattering their lust bubble. Kalilah jumped and released his belt buckle. Nick let out a creative string of expletives after she wiggled out of his grasp and adjusted her dress. She grinned, fixed her dress, and ran her fingers through her hair. Nick wanted to kill whomever was on the other side of his door. This time, the intruder resorted to knocking.

  “Nick, it’s me open up, bro.”

  Nick’s spine went stiff as he was flooded by different emotions. He was happy his little brother was in town, but he wanted to choke him for his timing for two reasons. One, he’d just gotten very close to getting laid. Two, girls went crazy for Dex, and he wasn’t ready to introduce him to Kalilah.

  “Nick!” Dex yelled from the other side of the door. “It’s a good thing it’s June, or I’d be freezing.”

  Kalilah looked at him expectantly and nodded towards the door. Nick sighed and opened the door for Dex.

  Oh man. Oh man. Oh man. Kalilah tried not to drool. It took supreme effort on her part not to gawk at Dex Sinclair the way Nick did with Natalia. It was an amazing feat because his reputation did not do him any justice. He. Was. Gorgeous. It was obvious that he took care of his body.

  He had a rugged “I love the outdoors” slash “I’m into extreme sports” slash “I could make your toes curl with my pinky finger” look to him that was intoxicating. Kalilah still believed that the girls that took advantage of Nick were some opportunistic bitches, but she understood a little better. Especially, if he had this much charisma as a teenager.

  Some men were physically attractive, while other men had a certain something about them. Dex had both. His sandy blonde hair was long enough to look wavy but short enough for him to run his fingers through it without having to comb or brush it. His eyes were a brilliant shade of gray that was more intense than his father’s and Nick’s.

  Dex had a five o’clock shadow, and it worked for him. He was a little shorter than Nick, but he was thicker. He was all muscle, but not in a bulky sort of way. He had on lightweight sweats and a t-shirt, but the way they fit him didn’t leave much to the imagination. The man was walking sex.

  “Hey, big bro. It’s good to see you,” Dex told Nick as he was hugging him.

  Even the deepness of his voice was like seduction. Dex smiled at Nick showing his perfect teeth and one dimple. Goodness!

  “Look at you! All suave and manly.” Dex took a step back and reviewed Nick’s new look. “I like it. You’ve been cooking. Smells like my recipe. What’s the occas…”

  Dex stopped talking the moment his eyes landed on Kalilah. His eyes slid across her body in a similar way his big brother’s eyes did a few minutes earlier. Although she was sure her hair was not as neat as it was when she’d arrive, she saw a glimmer of male appreciation in his eyes. He flashed her a smile with perfect teeth.

  “You must be Kalilah: The girlfriend.”

  Kalilah smiled.

  “Thank goodness I am Kalilah. If I weren’t, you would have gotten your brother into a lot of trouble. I’m not his girlfriend.”

  Kalilah didn’t want Nick to believe that she went around answering to titles that he didn’t give her.

  Dex laughed. Even his laugh was sexy. His eyes crinkled with laugh lines and his slightly full lips kicked up giving him that sexy bad boy glow. She felt sorry for single women everywhere.

  Kalilah inwardly flinched when she realized she’d excluded herself from the single girls. She was in fact very single and doing a “friend” a favor. Either way, Dex was off limits, and she knew her boundaries. He extended his hand, and she took it. His big, slightly rough, all male hand moved it to his smooth lips. He kissed her hand instead of shaking it. She should have seen that coming. Nick rolled his eyes; a timer when off in the kitchen.

  “I’ll be back,” Nick said reluctantly before moving into the kitchen.

  Dex didn’t miss a beat. He was still holding her hand when he moved closer. “I knew you were Kalilah because my brother would not be able to handle two beautiful black women.” He used her hand and spun her around. “You are wearing the hell out of that dress.”

  Kalilah suppressed a blush. Something was off; Dex was a natural lady killer. Why was he trying so hard?

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded. “Did he tell you I just sold my business for millions?” He toyed with some strands of her hair. “That makes me richer than him now.”

  Kalilah shook her head while replying. “He didn’t. I’m pretty sure he’s very proud of you. What was the business? Maybe I’ve heard of it.”

  “It was a line of cooking gadgets. Very popular in the international market. Did he tell you I am a chef? That’s my recipe he’s serving you.”

  Dex looked her in the eye. Was that a smolder?

  Kalilah looked down and noticed a tattoo on his shoulder. “How many tattoos do you have?”

  Dex grinned. “One big one. Want to see it? It would require me to take off my shirt. It’s on most of the left side of my body.”

  Kalilah’s eyes grew big. “Really? That must be some statement piece.”

  Dex smirked and took off his shirt. Oh my. His body was like Ryan Reynolds on Blade. His tattoo was a big scene that began at the top of his left shoulder and ended in some unknown location under the waist of his sweats. It was a mixture of gargoyles and angels battlin
g against something not pictured on his body. Kalilah gasped. It was a beautiful scene. The intricate details made it obvious that the tattoo was done by one of the best.

  “Do you like tattoos? You want Nick to get one?”

  Kalilah shook her head. “I can’t tell Nick what to do with his body. That’s up to him. I don’t have a thing for tattoos or guys with tattoos. I like art, and this is art. Good job on your selection.”

  Dex gave her a look that she couldn’t decipher before he slid his shirt back on. “Well, since you’re not his girlfriend, how about we meet up later for drinks?”

  Kalilah raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t be serious. She felt a slight stab of disappointment. Dex was too attractive to be this guy. He was a very tempting package, but at the end of the day he wasn’t Nick.

  Kalilah sighed.

  “Dex, while I’m sure you are a lot of fun and such. I will have to say no. I’m not his girlfriend, but I do feel that what you’re asking will be a betrayal on a lot of levels.”

  She braced herself for his reaction. Attractive guys aren’t good sports when turned down. Instead, Dex look relieved. It momentarily confused Kalilah, then it all became clear. She smirked and started to slow clap. Dex looked at her puzzled.

  “What?”

  She smiled. “Bravo. Well done. You missed your calling. You need to be an investigator or actor. You have been interrogating me the whole time, and I didn’t know.” Dex smiled and bowed. Kalilah giggled. “Amazing. You worked your net worth, cooking abilities, muscles, and tattoo into one conversation. You should teach a class.”

  Dex pulled her into a platonic hug. “I like you. What clued you in?”

  Kalilah pointed at him. “The tattoo. Gargoyles are protectors from evil spirits, and guardian angels look over people, as well.”

  “Beautiful and smart. Where have you been all my life? I’ve been waiting for you since I hit puberty.”

  Kalilah understood exactly what he meant. Puberty is most likely when the girls started picking him over Nick. Dex, the protector, probably used that to weed out the girls that didn’t care about his brother. Kalilah smiled. The little brother protecting the big brother.