Niki's Challenge (14 page)

“
Is there something you
want to watch?” Her eyes met his.

“
Huh?” He waved at the dark
screen.

“
You want TV or to listen
to music?” His fingers continued massaging her legs.

“
Music. Jazz would be
nice.” She closed her eyes as the sounds of Ben Tankard floated in
the room. “Oh, yeah,” she murmured.

He continued and massaged both arms.
Afterward, he stood behind her, massaging her shoulders and
scalp.

“
Ummm,” she moaned,
dropping her head forward. “That feels sooo good.” He chuckled and
continued easing away knots of tension.

Tony glanced at the mirror over the
bar. Her eyes closed, mouth open, lips full. Long lashes lay on her
face and her neck tilted to the side. He still couldn’t believe
he’d found her. His cock had been at half-mast all day watching
her. Once she entered his house, he’d been rock hard. It was all he
could do not to take her from behind and fuck them both into
tomorrow.

Tiredness clung to her like an
ill-fitting gown. Taking the high road, he beat back his need and
focused on her, helping her relax. Gently he ran his fingers across
her forehead; her chocolate skin was so soft. He loved the red and
yellow undertones in her skin. He hoped his children looked like
her. Exotic. Thinking of a small Nicole, maybe a blend between the
two of them would be better. His father’s family had strong genes,
but something told him, Nicole’s side would make a mark.

“
Beautiful,” he whispered
as he gently massaged her scalp.

“
Hmmm?”

“
Sleepy? You want a
blanket?”

“
Yeah,” she whispered,
snuggling into the sofa with closed eyes.

Chapter 10

Niki woke up disoriented, with a
burning need to go to the bathroom. Groaning, she stood and toppled
back to the comfortable sofa. Across from her, in a wide chair,
Tony sat asleep with a blanket over his arms and chest. She took a
moment to observe him. The man looked innocent in his sleep. As
polite as he’d been yesterday, she heard and recognized the steel
underlying his voice when he spoke of being a part of his
children’s life. Once she identified his determination, she knew
they’d have to find common ground.

After spending time with him
yesterday, she realized co-parenting might not be so bad. He was
intelligent. They had similar morals and ideals. She hadn’t been
bored and they’d spent hours together, talking about any and
everything. Her intentions yesterday had been to see if they got
along as friends, nothing more. Her body vetoed that idea early in
the day. One thing for sure, no man had ever kept her body on a
slow burn like Tony. She knew he wanted her, he’d made no attempts
to hide the fact he’d like for them to be more than friends. Yet,
he slept in the chair instead of his bed.

Her body demanded release. She rose
and headed for the hall to the half bath she’d used last night.
Once she finished, smells of bacon and eggs seduced her further
down the hall. A small, dark-haired woman worked at the stove,
stirring something that smelled delicious. She froze when she saw
Niki.

Hunger overrode Niki’s embarrassment
for wearing yesterday’s clothes without a comb or toothbrush.
“Hello,” she said looking at the food on the platters. Sausage,
eggs with cheese, grits, bacon, toast. She licked her lips in
anticipation.

“
Hi. I’m Missy, Mr. Tony’s
housekeeper.” The older woman looked at her with a slight smile.
Niki noticed her slow perusal of her stomach before her eyes
returned to her face. “He sent a text for me to come in early and
cook this large breakfast. Are you hungry?” She smiled at Niki’s
fervent nod.

“
Yes, I seem to be hungry
all the time now.” She moved closer to the island where the
platters were laid out.

“
Your first?” Niki nodded
as she filled her plate. Without satisfying the woman’s curiosity,
Niki sat and ate.

“
Very good, Missy. This is
great.” She spoke around a mouthful.

“
I’m glad.” She paused.
“Let Mr. Tony know I’ve taken his clothes to the cleaners and will
see him on Tuesday.”

Niki nodded, too busy chewing to talk,
she sent a smile of understanding to the woman as she left. Moments
later, Tony entered the room rumpled.

“
I see you’ve found food.”
He squeezed her shoulder and went to the refrigerator.

“
Uh-huh.”

He poured something from a
container and drank it down. She watched his Adam’s apple bob,
thinking it was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. Lord, she needed
to have these babies soon
. A sexy Adam’s
apple? Please.
His eyes snagged her
stare.

“
What was that?” she asked
as her face heated. He held up the empty glass. She nodded and
drank her water.

“
I make an herbal drink. It
tastes nasty, but it’s good for me. Maybe after the baby, I’ll make
you one.” He winked at her and placed the glass in the
dishwasher.

“
Maybe.” Her tone was sassy
and happy. He planned to be there for
her
after the babies were
born.

“
You feel up to meeting my
parents later today?” he asked as he filled his plate.

“
If you feel up to dealing
with my Nana.”

He grimaced.

She laughed and pointed her fork at
him. “You’re not afraid of a small Southern Belle, are
you?”

“
Yeah, I am actually.” His
face reddened and she melted at his nervousness. Standing, she
walked around the table and pulled his arms free. Turning, she
leaned back against him. His arms wrapped around her and he nuzzled
her cheeks.

“
Please don’t let her hurt
me.” He begged in a soft voice, his breath teased the side of her
face.

Niki laughed. “I’ll protect you from
the little lady,” she promised. “But she has to have her say. I
won’t stop or interfere with that.”

He nodded and kissed her cheek. She
turned toward his mouth and kissed his lips. They felt firm and
soft. Tony turned her toward him.

“
Thanks, Nicole,” he
whispered as he bent forward and took her lips. His tongue entered
her warmth seeking every nook and cranny of her mouth. He stroked
and suckled her tongue, and nibbled on her lips. His appetite fed
hers. Within minutes, she tried to get closer to his heat, trying
to feel more of him. They broke apart, panting for air, and then
locked lips again.

Her body was in flames. His finger
brushed against her nipple, sending a pleasure bolt to her core.
The tips of her heavy globes had become so sensitive since her
pregnancy, she could barely stand as he palmed and flicked her
nipples.

“
Can I taste?” He breathed
against her lips. “Please, let me just taste.” His voice
infiltrated the fog of lust surrounding her brain. She nodded or
tried to convey a hell yeah.

“
Yes,” she said. When he
didn’t move fast enough, she pulled at her top. Tony brushed her
hands away and released the buttons. The offending fabric fell
away. The cool air caressed her skin. The warmth of his mouth sent
shivers through her body. It had been so long since she felt this
good.

“
Yes, ohmigod, yes.” Her
legs trembled under the onslaught. His cock poked her side. She
wanted to see him, touch him and taste him. “Tony. Please, can I
see?” she whispered raggedly as waves of pleasure washed over her.
Her body tightened and she rode the storm of her release. Her hand
grabbed his cloth-covered rod and held on. He gasped at her
touch.

“
Nicole, this is about
you,” he said, pushing her hand away. “I want to make you feel
good.”

“
I want you with me.” They
stared at each other. “Please,” she whispered and took him in her
hand again. “Come with me.”

Tony closed his eyes at the soft
request. He nodded. “Let me taste you.”

“
Okay.” She offered him her
breast.

“
No, baby. I need to taste
you.” He tapped his fingers between her legs praying she wouldn’t
deny him. He needed her as a flower needed rain. She was wet for
him and it’d been driving him crazy.

“
Okay.”

He smiled and took her hand, leading
her to his bedroom. She climbed on the bed, glancing back at him
before lying on her back. Watching him, she twirled her finger on
top of her pubes and opened her legs. He didn’t need more of an
invitation. Deftly, he removed her clothes and looked in awe at her
dewy goodness. Hungrier than he’d ever been, he moved forward to
receive his first taste of heaven. He wasn’t disappointed. Taking
his time, he marked her. Lapping and sucking her pussy to bring her
pleasure was his job. He’d make sure anyone else applying for the
position failed. If her moans and cries of delight were any
indication, he’d say he met his goal. She’d never forget him
again.

“
Tonnneeeee,” Niki screamed
as her body went taught and then shook from her release. “Please
stop.” She released his hair and pushed him away. Her legs fell to
the side.

He kissed her puffy lips and gazed at
her face. Sweat coated her face and tendrils of her hair stuck to
her forehead. Climbing up, he kissed her and held her gently as she
dozed. He’d lost his heart to her and was scared to
death.

Chapter 11

After returning to the hotel, Niki and
her relatives spent the afternoon with Ahmed, her Auntie’s
boyfriend. He was nice and seemed to really be into her Aunt. He
accepted Gale and Rissa’s relationship, and for that alone he won
favor with her easily. It’d taken both her Nanas a minute to
understand and accept Rissa’s choices. However, once they did, Gale
was treated the same as family. While sitting on the veranda of
Ahmed’s large home, she told her Nana and Aunt about what happened
in Chicago. The questions went on for what felt like
hours.

“
Yes.” She was embarrassed
she didn’t recognize Tony. It was dark and she had only seen a part
of his face. “Yes.” She knew about the security bars in hotel
rooms. She had latched it when she first came in, but forgot when
she came back from the vending machines. “Yes.” He remembered her
and had tried to locate her via his detectives. “No.” She wasn’t
going to tell them how she’d had all the information wiped clean.
“Yes.” Tony was going to be a part of the children’s life and “No,”
she wasn’t going to discuss where or what she’d been doing last
night or this morning.

After she finished giving the last
answer, her Nana and Aunt enfolded her in a loving hug and asked
what she wanted.

“
I want to have my babies
all to myself and not share them,” she said with a wry smile. “But
that’s not reality. Remember Nana, you always told me I could chose
my friends, but God chooses our families?”

Her Nana smiled in
remembrance.

“
Well, what can I say or
do? Out of all the men in the world, the one to stumble into mine
happens to be the brother of my cousin’s lover.” She gave a small
laugh. “I’m not about to cut Rissa or Gale out of my life, so I
guess I’ll have to include Tony.” His inclusion no longer left a
sour taste in her mouth. Besides, she planned to get to know him a
lot better, starting tonight. No matter what happened at dinner,
they’d decided to go out afterwards and talk. She couldn’t wait to
get him alone again. Her nipples hardened in remembrance of his
talented tongue.

****

At thirty-three, Tony made it clear he
didn’t need his parents’ approval for anything. He and Nicole
agreed it’d be nice for his family to know her as the mother of his
kids, and not just as Rissa’s cousin. Since he’d been staring at
the entryway for the past ten minutes, he noticed when Nicole and
her Nana arrived at the restaurant.

His mouth watered at how delectable
Nicole appeared in a cream-colored scoop neck top with matching
pants. She’d opted to leave her hair hanging down around her
shoulders and back. Knowing how sensitive her neck and breasts
were, he licked his lips aching to taste her again. She caught his
gaze and smiled. He sent a quick wink as he took her hand, bent and
kissed her cheek first and then her Nana’s cheek in
greeting.

“
You look beautiful,” he
whispered. “I’m glad you made it, we’re over here.” He walked in
the direction of his parents table with his hand on Niki’s back
providing gentle guidance.

Reaching the table, he waited until
his parents looked up. “Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Nicole Bryant
and her grandmother Bea.” He pulled out a chair for Niki first,
then Nana Bea.

“
I met you the other night
at the party,” his mom asked, a frown marring her forehead. “You’re
Rissa’s Nana Bea, right?”

“
Yes, that’s right,” Nana
Bea said. “It’s good to see you again.” She sat across from his
parents. It took Niki a moment longer to get comfortable in her
chair, fully aware she was the object of everyone’s
attention.

“
You are so beautiful, my
dear. Pregnancy certainly agrees with you,” Tony’s mom said.
“Nicole, may I call you Niki like I heard the other
night?”

“
Sure,” a surprised Niki
responded. She hadn’t really thought about how Tony’s parents would
act, but after Gale and Rissa, she should’ve known they’d be over
the moon.