Just Can't Get Enough (14 page)

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Authors: Cheris Hodges

BOOK: Just Can't Get Enough
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Celina held his face in her hands, stroking his cheeks with her thumbs. “Darius,” she whispered. “I don't know what to say.”
“Say what's in there,” he said placing his hand over her heart. “Say what's resting right here in your heart.”
“I love you,” she blurted out. “I didn't mean to fall in love with you and I didn't even want to. But I did. Darius . . .” He silenced her with a kiss, leaning into her, pressing his body against hers and she melted against him. Darius buried his hand in Celina's hair, pulling her mouth closer to his. Celina savored the taste of his tongue, nearly devouring it as he probed the sweet crevices of her mouth. His kiss seemed to fill her with the essence of his love and she was lost in it, forgetting that her father was just down the hall, that she needed to be preparing dinner, and that she'd spent the better part of her day trying to convince herself that she didn't love him. Darius broke the kiss off. “Your father is going to come after me with a shotgun if he sees us.”
Celina raised her right eyebrow at him. “I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. He thinks you're good for me.”
Darius smiled. “I've always liked your dad. He's a smart man, you should listen to him.”
“Listen, I've got to cook my dad something to eat, but we need to talk.”
“You seem to forget I was invited for dinner.”
Celina opened the door and held it open. “Then I'm going to put you to work, grill master.”
As they walked into the house, neither of them noticed the angry glare that followed them.
Darius sat at the bar with Celina, watching her as she chopped celery and carrots. “Are you going to help me or just watch me do all the work?” she asked as she dropped the knife.
“I like the view,” he said, then rose to his feet. “What do you need me to do?”
“If you don't put that chicken breast on the grill, my poor father is going to starve,” she said.
Darius took the meat from the counter and placed it on the small indoor grill after seasoning it with a little salt, red pepper, and onion powder.
“That smells good,” Celina said. “It almost makes me want to eat chicken again.”
Darius playfully smacked Celina on the bottom with the dish towel he had draped over his shoulder. “Come on back to your roots. You were raised on this. How does one survive without eating meat?”
“And I was raised on breast milk, but you don't see me putting it in my coffee,” she ribbed. “Besides, does this body look or feel as if it's been deprived of any nourishment?”
Darius dropped his head and chuckled low. “You're wild, baby,” he said.
After dinner was done, Celina fixed a plate of chicken breast, wild rice, and steamed broccoli for her father. Darius set the table for him and Celina. He looked up as he set a pair of plates on the table and watched Celina walk down the hall. The sway of her hips put him in a trance. He had a vision of her naked body lying beside him, her fuzzy hair fanned out over the pillow. Darius licked his lips as he thought about kissing her regal neck, moving down her svelte body using his tongue as a guide, tasting the tangy essence of her womanhood. Darius felt his sex growing against the zipper of jeans. No woman had ever aroused him the way Celina did. Just the thought of her filled him with lust, love, and desire. Darius walked over to the refrigerator and fixed himself a glass of water, hoping that it would cool him. Somehow, he had to get her to stay in Elmore, in his life and in his heart, no matter what it took.
“Is everything all right?” Celina asked when she returned to the kitchen.
Darius set his glass on the edge of the bar. “Yeah. Let's eat.” Darius walked over to the table and, in a chivalrous move, pulled out Celina's chair. Then he brought over a bowl of rice and the roasted vegetables she had prepared. Celina looked up at him and smiled.
“Darius,” she said. “I was going to run away. I was going to go back to New York and not look back.”
He nodded. “I felt as if that was your plan, but I wasn't going to let you get away with that.”
Celina smirked. “And just how were you going to stop me?”
Darius turned her chair around, then knelt down in front of her. “By any means necessary,” he said.
Celina wrapped her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his. “I need details.”
Darius ran his hand between her thighs. Her skin felt like silk against his fingers. “Meet me outside when the sun goes down and I'll show you,” he said, in a low, sexy growl.
Celina cleared her throat. “Let's eat,” she said.
“I'd love to,” he said as he ran his finger down her thigh.
Celina smiled and shook her head. “You're so bad, but I was talking about food.”
Darius stood up and smiled. He walked over to his chair and started eating, never taking his eyes off Celina. He couldn't wait for the sunset.
CHAPTER 14
After dinner, Darius headed back to his place, allowing Celina to spend some time with her father. She told him that she was worried about Thomas because he hadn't come to dinner. She walked into his bedroom and found him sitting up in bed watching an old western. His empty plate sat on the foot of bed. Celina picked up the plate and took its place. “Daddy, are you all right?” she asked.
Thomas nodded, turning his head to look at his daughter. “I just needed a little rest. I wanted to feel my own mattress under my butt.”
“Do I need to call your doctor?” she asked, placing her hand on her father's forehead, checking for a temperature.
Thomas patted Celina's knee and shook his head. “Why don't you quit worrying about me and enjoy your life.”
“Meaning go find Darius?” she said with a smile on her face.
Thomas nodded. “But I don't think he's lost. Did you two enjoy dinner? Have you offered him some dessert?”
“Daddy!” Her face flushed with embarrassment. “I didn't make any dessert.”
Thomas smiled knowingly. “I'm sure the Dairy Queen is open and you two could share an ice cream cone or a milk shake.”
Her blush faded. If she and Darius were going to share dessert tonight, it wasn't going to come from the Dairy Queen. “I'm going to wash the dishes and then visit Darius,” she said as she headed for the kitchen with the plate. While washing the dishes, she glanced out the window at Darius, watching him as he set a citronella candle in the middle of the picnic table.
What is he planning?
she thought as she dried the dishes. Celina couldn't wait to find out, so she dried her hands on the dish towel and headed out the door. Creeping up behind Darius, moving like a sleek cat, Celina covered his eyes with her hands. “Boo.”
Darius whirled around, taking Celina into his arms. “I knew it was you,” he said, dipping her as if they were ballroom dancing. “I could smell you.”
“Should I be offended by that?” Celina pushed Darius away.
He grabbed her delicate hand. “No,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “You just smell like the biggest and sweetest honeysuckle bush in Elmore. That's one of the many things I love about you.”
Celina relaxed in his arms. “And,” Darius continued. “I was watching you in the window. I saw you when you left.”
“I forgot, you don't play fair.”
Darius groaned and released Celina, nearly causing her to fall. “When are you going to let that go? You're going to keep punishing me for what happened twenty years ago?””
She pointed to the faint scar on her arm. “When this disappears, I'll forgive you,” she joked.
Darius walked over to her and drew her face into his hands. He gently kissed the smooth skin on the bottom of her chin. “What if I kiss you every time you remind me that I made you fall? Will that make you feel better?”
Celina nodded and motioned for Darius to move down lower. His lips danced against her neck, slowly moving down to her collarbone. Darius wrapped his arms around Celina's waist, lifting her up onto the picnic table. A soft moan escaped her throat as Darius's fingers grazed the top of her waist. He unzipped her shorts with one motion. Celina closed her eyes as Darius began to pour hot kisses over her body. Celina's body came alive underneath the heat from his mouth and tongue as he suckled her breasts through her halter top. Celina wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her body. She wanted him inside of her. Darius had awakened her sleeping desire, making her come alive. She tugged at his white tank top and pulled it off his sexy body. Celina stared at his chest. It was better than any work of art she had seen in Paris or New York. He was quickly becoming the inspiration for her art and her life. She never knew love felt like this because she'd always thought love equaled pain and sadness. Darius showed her instead that love was tender, sweet, and kind.
“Wait, wait,” he said as she pulled at the waistband of his shorts. “I have to protect us and I want to take you inside. I have something special for you.”
Celina stroked his hard penis. “I know.”
Darius smiled and caressed Celina's arm. “It's not just that, although that is a
big
part of it.” He took her hand in his and led her inside through the back door. Celina was greeted by flickering candlelight and a pathway of pink, white, and red rose petals. A dozen yellow, pink, and white roses sat in the middle of the oak coffee table in the living room. Beside the roses were a bowl of ice and a tray of fresh summer fruits, blocks of sweet melon, strawberries dripping with chocolate, whipped cream, and cherries.
“What's all of this?” Celina asked. “And when did you have time to do all of this?”
Darius placed his finger to Celina's lips to quiet her. “Remember I said I wasn't going to let you go?” he said.
Celina stared at the bounty of fruit in wide-eyed wonderment. “You really don't play fair. I love chocolate-covered strawberries.”
“Well, this is just part of our dessert tonight.”
“Part? What more do you need?”
“Your naked body. You taste better than anything on this table and I'm going to feast on you all night.” Darius motioned for Celina to sit down on the sofa. She did as Darius gently commanded, then he took over, lifting her leg and slowly moving down her lengthy leg to her foot. He removed her sandal, then picked up the can of whipped cream, spraying it on her toes. She shivered with delight as his warm tongue licked the cold cream from her digits. Bracing herself for what was next, Darius spread her legs apart and moved in between them. He made her feel like a belt the way he molded her around his body. Darius plucked an ice cube from the bowl and slid it across her lips, then covered her mouth with his. The kiss was hot, deep, and wanton. Celina responded just as passionately, wanting to rip his clothes off and have him right there on the sofa. But Darius was just getting started.
He pulled back from her, then picked up a strawberry and drizzled the chocolate sauce across her chin, down her neck, and across the top of her chest. Smiling, he untied her halter top, pulled it off, and ran the juicy berry across her breasts, paying close attention to her diamond-hard nipples. Darius feasted on Celina as if she were the strawberry, licking the chocolate from her chin, traveling down her neck. He took her rock-hard nipple into his mouth, drawing moans of pleasure from her. The sensations that shot though her body made her back arch as his tongue darted across one nipple and then the other, while his hand eased down her taut stomach to remove her shorts. With speed and skill, he peeled them from her body and exposed the red satin thong she was wearing. The sight of the flimsy undergarment made Darius smile.
Celina took note of the look on his face. “You're not the only one with surprises.”
“I see and I like.”
Celina stroked the side of his face. “I love you,” she said. The words felt so natural when she said them. Just as being with Darius felt natural. It was like breathing. Being this close to him made her think about the future, weddings, babies, and painting in the backyard while he looked on. These were feelings that she'd never felt before, even when she and Terrick had been engaged. Pausing, she froze in place and opened her eyes.
“What's wrong?” Darius asked, noticing how quiet she had gotten.
Smiling, she replied, “Nothing.”
Darius began massaging her thighs. He reached for a piece of honeydew melon, placed it in his mouth, and offered it to her. Celina bit into the melon, then fell into Darius's kiss.
“Tastes good,” she said as she chewed on the fruit.
Darius kissed her again. “I like that much better,” he said when he broke off the kiss.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her, covering his lips with hers. Then she deepened her kiss, savoring the sweetness of his mouth. Darius pulled Celina onto his lap, pushed her thong aside, and entered her with his finger. Celina cried out in delight as Darius moved his fingers up and down inside of her. It felt as if he was spelling out his name inside of her, branding her forever, and at that moment, she wanted that to be the case. She wanted to belong to Darius and wanted him to belong to her. She tightened herself around his finger, moving up and down. “Make love to me,” Celina moaned. “I need you.”
Darius removed his finger, stood up, and then scooped Celina into his arms. He carried her into the bedroom and gently laid her on the bed. She watched Darius as he stripped out of his clothes. Every time she saw his body, she couldn't help but marvel at how magnificent it was. Celina was in awe of his chest, his strong arms, and his legs. She smiled as he climbed into the bed, moving slowly and deliberately. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his hard body. She moaned in anticipation of feeling his hardness inside her. She waited as Darius reached over on the nightstand and picked up a condom, but decided she couldn't wait any longer for what she wanted and took the condom from his hand. Celina opened the package, then took Darius's throbbing penis in her hand and rolled the layer of protection onto him. Pouncing on top of him, she rubbed her wetness against his hardness, urging him to take her to that place of passion she longed for. He eased inside her, gripping her hips as she moved back and forth. Her breasts jutted out as she rode him like a motorcycle, grinding her hips against his, relishing the hot friction between the two of them. Sweat beaded on her body and Darius clutched her back, pulling her even closer to him, seemingly meshing her body with his, making them one. Their hearts were beating in perfect sync. Arching her body, she released herself and moved up and down with the rhythm of a classic jazz song. The heat they'd generated could've kept Elmore warm and cozy all winter.
He groaned Celina's name over and over again as she brought him to the brink of an orgasm. Celina seemed possessed, unyielding in her desire to be filled with his love. She continued riding him, making his toes curl. Unable to take anymore, he pulled her against his chest, but Celina wasn't finished with him yet. She teased his neck with her tongue, causing him to mutter unintelligibly. As she traveled down his body, lashing his nipples with her tongue, Darius shivered.
“Oh, Celina,” he cried as she pressed her head against his chest. Wrapping her arms around his back, she snuggled against him tightly, never wanting to let him go. “Wow,” Darius said after a few minutes of cuddling. “What has gotten into you?”
“You.”
“Come again?”
Celina propped herself up on her elbow. “I feel like I can let go with you,” she said. “You freed me and I like being free. It's like I can't get enough of you.”
Darius kissed her on the forehead. “If this is you being free, then I like it too,” he said.
Celina sighed and looked into Darius's eyes.
Darius stroked her hair. “What is it?”
“I know this isn't the right time, but what are we going to do when I go back to New York?” Celina stretched her arms above her head and closed her eyes.
Way to kill the mood, genius.
“Why do you have to go back to New York?” he asked.
Celina furrowed her brows. “Why wouldn't I go back to New York? My life is there, my work, and the city has become a huge part of me.”
“What about me? I thought I was becoming a part of you?”
Celina sat up and turned her back to Darius. “You are,” she said. “But I can't just stop being who I am because I'm in love with you. Darius, you have your career and I have mine.”
“Yeah, I know that. But, it's not like you're punching a time clock or working in an office building. You can paint here and . . .”
“Darius, this isn't open for discussion. I'm going back to New York. There are no galleries in Elmore. How am I going to get my work seen if I'm here?”
Darius sat up and placed his hand on Celina's shoulder. “Then why don't we build a gallery? With your reputation, the art world will travel here.”
“What?” she asked. “Are you serious?”
Darius nodded. “Elmore needs some culture and who better than Elmore's own to bring it here? And, if you have to go back to New York, at least you will have a reason to return.”
Celina smiled as she mulled over the idea. “All right,” Celina said. “But for the record, as long as you're here, I'll have a reason to come back.”
Darius pulled Celina into his arms and kissed her gently. “I love you,” he said.
Celina reached down and stroked his manhood. Darius responded by pouncing on his lover, showering her face with kisses.
 
 
As the sun crept over the horizon, Darius looked down at the woman in his arms. He had to convince her to stay in Elmore because he didn't want a long-distance relationship; he wanted something permanent.
I want her to be my wife.
Celina began to stir in his arms and her eyes fluttered open like the gentle wings of a monarch butterfly.

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