Authors: Cheris Hodges

Betting On Love (19 page)

BOOK: Betting On Love

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“I was wrong,” Maurice said. “I'll admit that. Forgive me if I have some trust issues when it comes to women.”

“Well, you can't keep judging us by what one woman did,” Jade said as she took a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray as he passed her.

“That's true, and thank God my brother doesn't think like me. He would've left a good thing in Vegas.”

Jade tapped her glass against Maurice's. “Thank goodness.” She was about to take a sip when the lights went up and everyone's attention was focused on Kenya, who had a microphone in her hand.

“Thank you all for coming to celebrate my husband's birthday,” Kenya said. “He looks good for an old man.”

The crowd laughed.

“This was supposed to be a surprise party, but if you know Mo, you know the brother is nosy and he found out about the party,” Kenya revealed.

“Yeah!” Maurice called out and lifted his glass.

“But I know something you don't know, Mo,” Kenya said. “As a matter of fact, come up here, darling.”

Maurice bounded toward the stage and hopped up next to his wife. “What's up, babe?”

“I have a special present for you,” Kenya told him.

James headed toward the stage, holding the box with the baby cake in it.

“Let me have it,” Maurice said as he stole a quick kiss from Kenya's cheek.

James opened the box just as Kenya said, “I'm pregnant.”

Maurice's mouth fell open, and then he scooped his wife up into his arms and hugged her tightly. James motioned for a waiter to come over and take the cake so that he could take a picture of his brother and sister-in-law.

Jade smiled as she watched the exchange between James, Maurice, and Kenya. They were really cute, and she wondered if James wanted all of this. Would he be as happy as Maurice if he was about to be a father? She shook her head. She and James weren't ready to do what Kenya and Maurice were doing. They weren't married, and that wouldn't be on the horizon anytime soon.

James crossed over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Ready to go?” he whispered.

“That was really cute,” Jade said. “What Kenya did.”

“Uh-huh,” he said as he brushed his lips against her neck. “So, you want some cake, or are we getting out of here?”

Jade turned around and smiled at James. “Why are you so ready to go?”

He took her hand and surreptitiously slipped it into his pants. “Because,” he said.

When she felt his hardness, Jade was ready to leave as well. “I guess we'd better tell your brother and your sister-in-law good night,” she said, with a smile on her face.

CHAPTER 21

Jade and James rushed back to his place, ready to get out of their clothes and into each other's arms.

“Where's my surprise?” he asked as they walked into the foyer.

She flashed him an alluring smile. “Wait right here,” she said.

Jade dashed down the hall and into James's bedroom. She fished her teddy out of her overnight bag, then slipped out of her dress and stepped into the sexy black garment she'd purchased just for him. Then she reached into the side of the bag and removed the icing she'd gotten from his mother's bakery. Jade smiled as she looked at the squeeze bag and remembered the tale she'd told his mother about baking some buns of her own for James this weekend. There was no way she was going to tell Maryann Goings that she wanted to lick the sweet icing from her son's heavenly body.

“James,” she cooed as she walked into the living room. His eyes widened as he drank in her image. Her breasts sat up perfectly, and the black lace and satin made her caramel skin glow.

James crossed over to her and engulfed her in his arms. “Damn, baby,” he said.

Jade held the icing up. “And here's your surprise,” she said. She squeezed the bag, sending a line of icing down her chest. She stuck her finger in the white, creamy icing and held it out to James. He seductively licked the sweet icing from her index finger.

“Delicious,” he said, then licked the line of icing from the middle of her chest.

Shivers ran up and down her spine as his tongue traveled down the center of her chest. With one hand, he pushed the top of her strapless teddy down, exposing her perky breasts. She squeezed icing across the tops of her breasts, then rubbed it down to her nipples as James hungrily eyed her. Slowly, he licked the icing from her bosom, sucking her nipples until all the sweetness was gone. Jade moaned, quaking as he alternated between breasts. Then he slipped his free hand between her legs and unsnapped the crotch. He entered her wetness with his finger, seeking out her throbbing bud. Jade moaned in delight as his finger found her pleasure point. He backed her against the wall and took the icing from her hands.

“This tastes a lot better on you than on any cinnamon bun,” he said.

“I wonder what it tastes like on you,” she whispered as she unbuttoned his shirt.

James squeezed a line of icing down the center of his chest as she pushed his shirt off his shoulders. She leaned into him and leisurely licked the creamy icing from his chest. Then she ran her tongue across his pecs, circling his nipples as he pushed her teddy down to the floor.

Now kissing his neck, Jade reached down and unsnapped and unzipped his fly and massaged his manhood through his silk boxers. He lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

“I need you,” he whispered in her ear.

“You got me,” she replied throatily.

With grace fueled by desire and need, James stepped out of his pants. His erection hung from the opening in the front of his boxers, ready to melt with Jade's wetness. Though he was tempted to enter her, to feel the heat of her body around him, he knew they had to be protected. So, instead, he lifted her hips to his lips, and with her back against the wall, he pressed his lips against the wet folds of skin that hid her desire. With his hot tongue lashing her sensitivity, Jade nearly lost it. Her legs trembled and she clawed at the wall.

James indulged in tasting her, as if she were the icing that they'd nibbled on earlier. He kissed slow and deep, darting his tongue in and out of her, all the while savoring her tangy juices as she came over and over again. Jade cried out, begging James to stop, because what she was feeling was beyond description, sinfully delightful. Her body went limp as he ignored her cries and continued lapping her juices. Finally, James ended his extended kiss and looked into Jade's satisfied face. When he lowered her to the floor, she stumbled a bit and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You beat icing any day,” he said as he cupped her bare bottom and pulled her against his hardness.

“Umm,” she moaned, her throat too dry to speak.

James picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. Once he laid her against the sheets, he reached into his nightstand and retrieved a condom.

Jade looked up at James while he slid the latex barrier in place. Being with him was so easy, so comfortable, and everything unexpected. It was almost as if she was living that fairy-tale life that she'd dreamed about on those riverboats.

“Are you okay?” he asked once he caught her gaze.

“Yes, everything is fine.” She stretched her arms out to him.

James lowered himself on the bed, wrapped up in Jade's embrace. He gently kissed her neck as she stroked his back lovingly. Jade parted her lips, inviting his tongue inside. She tasted her essence on his lips as she sucked his tongue, urging him to give her more. James responded to her kiss with his hands, wrapping them around her waist and pulling her hips against his. Their tongues bounced off each other's, jockeying for position in their passionate kiss. Jade spread her legs as she felt James's manhood throbbing against her thighs. She wanted him, needed him to be inside her. She wanted to melt with him, wanted their souls to become one as they rocked back and forth, giving each other untold pleasure. Was this happening too fast? Was she supposed to feel this way about him so soon after their meeting?

James thrust into her body, making her call out his name. He rotated his hips, touching every spot that made her scream. They fell into a sensual rhythm that was like a dance. Sweat covered their bodies as they rocked on.

“You feel so good,” James groaned, nearly on the verge of climax.

Jade's only response was a moan, because she was in the middle of her third orgasm. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she gently nudged him so that he would roll over and give her a chance to take control. He held her hips, slowing her down to a gentle grind, which pushed him over the edge. He covered her nipples with his lips, then circled them with his tongue as she ground her body against his.

“Oh, James,” she cried, reaching her own climax. She collapsed against his chest, closing her eyes as James held her. Their hearts seemed to be beating in tune. Jade didn't want to say it, but she'd fallen hard for James Goings. She was in love with this man.

“Are you sleeping?” he asked.

“No, I thought you were,” she replied.

“Umm, not with all this in my arms.” James tapped her bottom softly. “I like watching you sleep, watching you wake up, and watching you naked.”

She playfully slapped his shoulder. “Just when I thought you were sentimental.”

“I'm a man, so there's only so much sentimentality you're going to get from me.”

“I have something to tell you,” she said.

“What's that?”

I love you,
she thought. But she said, “I don't want to freak you out, but I'm thinking about moving to Charlotte to run our restaurant.”

James licked his lips, then smiled. “And why would that freak me out?”

“Because I don't want you to think that I'm trying to force you into something that you're not looking for or ready for.”

“First of all, I can't be forced into anything. If I didn't want to be with you, we would've never made it past Vegas. Secondly, I have real feelings for you, and if you're going to be in town, that's going to save me a lot of money on gas.”

“Let's be honest. What are we doing?” she asked. “I don't want to be hurt again.”

“And I would never do anything to hurt you,” he replied as he stroked her cheek. “You mean a lot to me.”

Her heart leapt for joy at James's declaration. Granted, he didn't say those magic three words, but Jade was confident that they were heading in the right direction. She knew she could give him her heart and not worry about finding out about him and another woman in the Charlotte newspaper.

James made her feel safe, and that meant more to Jade than anything else. She wrapped her arms around him even tighter.

The next morning James did just what he'd told Jade he liked to do: he watched her as she slumbered against his sheets. He wondered if he should've told her last night that he was falling hard for her.
You mean a lot to me,
he thought.
What kind of crap is that? I'm lucky she didn't bolt out of the bed and leave. That is what you tell a friend, not the woman you're falling in love with.

James had never been a man who wore his emotions on his sleeves. Confessing that he was falling head over heels for a woman wasn't something that he did. Love didn't last in his world. He'd seen what had happened to his parents, and even though Maurice and Kenya seemed happy now, he remembered how much pain Kenya had been in when their relationship ended the first time.

Still, he didn't want to miss out on something special with Jade because of other people's mistakes. And then there was Stephen. Was she really over him?

We have time,
he thought.
It's not as if I'm going to ask her to marry me tomorrow.

Jade began to stir in the bed. He reached over and stroked her cheek; then her eyes fluttered open.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said.

“Morning yourself,” she said as she stifled a yawn.

“Let's get dressed and grab some breakfast,” he suggested.

Jade shook her head. “Let's stay naked and lie right here.”

“You won't hear any arguments from me,” he said as he kissed her cheek and nestled against her.

“Sorry. I'm just not a morning person,” she said. “But you seem to enjoy the mornings.”

James shrugged his shoulders. “It isn't that I enjoy the morning. Most days I don't have a reason to stay in bed.” He squeezed her bottom. “Today is different, though.”

Jade smiled and brushed her lips against his. “Really?”

“Oh yeah.”

“So, you mean to tell me, you don't have women beating a path to your door?”

“It doesn't mean I let them in,” he said, with a smirk.
And I don't let too many people spend the night.

“I hear you, Mr. Goings.”

“So, what are we going to do next weekend?” he asked.

“Next weekend?”

“Yeah, when I come to Atlanta.”

She smiled brightly. “Anything you want,” she said. “As long as it doesn't include a trip to Chez Marcel.”

James groaned. “I wouldn't take a dog there,” he said. “That bastard. Then again, maybe I do owe Stephen a debt of gratitude.”

“What?” Jade asked, raising her right eyebrow. “What could you possibly have to thank him for?”

“For being the jackass who let you go,” he said as he squeezed her waist. “But that doesn't mean I'm going to eat his cooking.”

She laughed and kissed him again. “Well, when you put it that way, I should thank him, too.”

“Really?”

“Uh-huh. Because had he not been a jackass, I would've never gone to Vegas, and I would've never run into you in that scandalous dress.”

“That was a beautiful dress,” he said. “As a matter of fact, where is it?”

She slapped him on the shoulder. “You're so bad.”

“And you love it.”

I love you,
she thought again and nearly let those words slip from her lips. But she just smiled and nodded.

It was after eleven before they got out of bed, got dressed, and headed out of the house. Had it not been for Kenya's call, James and Jade would've stayed in bed all day, ordering pizza and Chinese food in between lovemaking sessions. But Kenya insisted that the couple join her and Maurice uptown for brunch.

“Your sister-in-law is nice, but I'm not sure your brother really wants me around,” Jade said.

“Don't worry about Maurice. He's trying.”

“Really?” she said, still smarting from the fact that he'd had a private investigator look into her past. It wasn't that she had something to hide, but it was such an invasion of privacy. Especially when she didn't want anything from James but his love.

“Mo is going to behave. Besides, that man is so happy to have a baby on the way, he'd have brunch with the devil in the hottest pit in hell without complaining.”

“That's reassuring,” she said.

“You know what I mean.”

“Let's just hope he's as happy as you say, because I feel too good to let Maurice get to me this morning.”

James kissed her on the cheek as they headed out the door. “Give the man a chance,” he said. “Mo is really a nice guy.”

BOOK: Betting On Love

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