Summer Nights (5 page)

I captured her lips, pressing softly,
sensually. My hands skimmed along her sides, the lush shape of her
curves. Her skin was smooth, like pressing against a cool pillow on
a hot night. I plucked her nipples with my fingers, catching her
gasp with my mouth, taking the opportunity to taste her. I ran my
tongue along hers; I couldn’t get enough of her
sweetness.

The moment her hips pushed up into
mine, I knew she was ready. I inched out before shoving back in to
the hilt again. Her perfectly manicured nails scraped along my back
each time I hit her cervix. The way she wiggled beneath me, the way
she whimpered into my mouth and the way she melted from my touch
tested my self-control. I couldn’t get enough of her.

My cock slipped in and out of her warm,
tight channel. My muscles twisted as my movements became frantic. I
couldn’t hold back any more. I sped up, increasing in both speed
and strength. Skin rubbed skin creating a luscious layer of
friction that had me grunting with every jolt of pleasure. It was
all happening so fast; I was caught up in the frenzy of her, of
Summer. Before I knew it, I was almost there, the telltale
tightening in my groin.

I pulled away from her
lips; enchanted to see them so red and swollen from sucking my cock
and kissing my lips. I didn’t want any other man to ever see her
like this, experience her like this.
What
the hell?
I was never possessive. It was
always the understanding that even if I had sex with someone I
wasn’t with them. I wouldn’t care who else they fucked, and
likewise, they wouldn’t care if I brought someone else home. But it
was different now. I wanted to be Summer’s only. The thought of her
with another man pissed me off. I made it my goal to give her the
best orgasm of her life. Hopefully making it impossible for anyone
else to measure up to me if she did decide to stray.

I gathered her nipple in my mouth,
flicking the tip with my tongue. She moaned; her fingers lacing
through my hair, holding me to her. I slid a hand between us,
brushing my thumb against her clit. Her half-whimper, half-moan
nearly undid me. Her mouth was slightly ajar as she pushed into me,
met my movements halfway. I felt her inner walls squeeze my cock
and knew she was close. The second I switched breasts, she flew.
She cried out as I milked her, demanding every flutter of pleasure
her body would give. As soon as she started to come down, I pounded
into my own release, announced by a mangled cry.

Chapter 5

My body was alive, every nerve ending
on fire. I struggled to catch my breath as we both floated back
down to earth from our passionate tangle. Cruz rested his forehead
on his heavily muscled bicep. His arms strained to keep him
floating above me, their quivering visible. Moments later, he
collapsed on the bed beside me. His arms curled around my waist and
pulled me into him immediately. He pressed several kisses along my
shoulder, his lips searing beyond the layer of perspiration coating
my skin. It was a sweet sentiment that sent my heart
aflutter.

This man was shaking me up, turning me
inside out. I never knew pleasure of this magnitude existed. He
waltzed into my life, and in one night, he released every ounce of
stress I’d endured over the last four years. My hormones soared
into disarray and my heart swooned in delight. He was dangerous.
I’d never felt so sexy, so ostentatious, yet so weak. I was an
utter submissive when it came to him, and that scared me. I
definitely had to get away before he woke up.

“Sleep now. Think
later,
mi amor
,” he
ordered.

He stood and turned off the light. I
heard him rummaging through a closet. Seconds later I was being
covered with a thin sheet that caressed my skin rather than
sticking to it. Cruz climbed into bed, aligning our bodies beneath
the cover.

I didn’t know what it was about him. He
unnerved me, pushed every boundary I’d created for myself, yet I
was still able to relax into him. Somehow, I knew he would never
hurt me. I actually felt safe with him. Unadulterated bliss or not,
I couldn’t stay.

***

A soft snore echoed throughout the
space. I was sure the hum of the air conditioner was a soothing
lullaby to most locals who had it. It helped lull me off to sleep
last night, though Cruz caressing the side of my body relaxed me
even more.

He had one leg hitched over my left
thigh and his left arm was draped across my stomach. There was no
clock in the room, so I couldn’t tell how long I’d been nestled
next to the comfort of his male warmth. A soft light glowed beyond
the bedroom door, but it wasn’t strong enough to offer me any
guidance.

I held my breath as I disentangled my
leg from his. I waited a few seconds to ensure he didn’t stir
before breathing a soft sigh of relief. With the grace of a snake,
I slithered across the mattress and nearly fell over the edge
before his hand plopped down off of my midriff. My right foot swung
down and landed on the cold floor, steadying me as I again waited
for him to wake. I blew out a silent breath as I slid off the rest
of the way, my ass hitting the hard tile below. I winced, but kept
moving. On my hands and knees I searched for every item of clothing
I’d worn the night before.

After several minutes, I’d located all
but one shoe and my panties. I was desperate enough to leave
without panties, but I loved my sandals. They were my go-to shoes
during the summer since I could dress them up or down. Unable to
avoid the measure, I carefully laid a pillow atop Cruz’s face,
ensuring he could still breathe, before clicking on the lamp. I
immediately spotted my other sandal near the bedroom door and
turned off the light. My heart was racing. Fear choked me as I
listened for any movement, but thankfully, he didn’t
budge.

I grabbed my purse off the bed, made a
dash for my shoe and scuttled out of the bedroom. I didn’t stop in
the living room, but headed straight for the front door. I fumbled
over a sofa near the door before reaching my final destination. My
pulse quickened as I opened the front door. My stealth actions made
it feel like I was breaking out of prison. I was sure the warden
would appear any moment to bust me, but I was relieved when he
didn’t show up.

I struggled to slip on my sandals as I
jammed the elevator call button repeatedly. Guilt chided me as
restlessness consumed me; I kept glancing back at the apartment
door. Deep down, I wanted him to pursue me, but I didn’t want to
give up the freedom to run away from the best thing that’s ever
happened to me.

Once I reached the outside,
I pulled out my cell phone. It was nearly 4 a.m. I walked around
the block, away from Cruz’s building in case he woke and came
searching for me.
Jeesh. Listen to me,
talking as if I’m God’s gift to the man, as if I’m worth hunting
down. It’s not like I’m a supermodel. I’m a plus-size Call Center
manager from Atlanta. No man is going to chase me.

Two hours later I arrived back at the
hotel, my feet begging for a massage. For once I was grateful that
my phone had a built in GPS. After a quick search for the hotel’s
address, I was able to plug it in and be guided via satellite to my
final destination.

I swiped my key card and waited for the
familiar click of the lock that accompanied the telltale green
light. Quietly, I pushed open the door but came to an abrupt halt
at the sight of Stella and Ramon, half-naked, entangled in her bed.
I looked around; as if someone might catch me intruding on their
peaceful mingle. I took a deep breath and entered.

I ruffled around in my suitcase by the
light of my cell phone until I located a decent pair of clothes. I
grabbed my toiletry bag and headed straight for the bathroom to
remove my contacts, which had been in far too long, and then I
wanted to take a cold shower. My skin had a thick film of sweat
that seemed to grasp every speck of dirt I happened past on my way
back to the hotel. My hair was an untamed bush thanks to the rising
humidity. Even without the sun blazing, the air retained heat and
offered little relief from the scorching daytime.

I stood under the showerhead allowing
the water to lazily trace my tired curves. It did little to cool me
given that my mind kept flashing back to last night. The way our
breath mingled as we were enmeshed; the way we drove each other to
our breaking points before diving over the edge of the cliff in
unison. It seemed like Cruz knew my body better than I knew it, and
certainly better than any other man before. The way he touched me,
caressed me gently, yet firmly; it was as if I was a valuable
treasure to be cherished, but he knew with confidence how to handle
me.

I jumped at the knock on the bathroom
door, dropping the conditioner bottle. I quickly picked it up
before all the liquid coated the shower floor.

“That you in there, Summer?” Stella’s
groggy voice carried through the door.

“No, it’s room service. Of course it’s
me.”

The doorknob jiggled, but didn’t allow
her entrance. “Uh oh. What happened?”

“I’ll be out in a sec.”

I quickly finished my shower and got
dressed. Like Stella, I hadn’t brought many clothes that were
suitable for this climate. I put on a pair of white jean shorts,
the last pair of shorts I brought with me, and a short-sleeve,
empire-waist, navy blue shirt that fell away from my body, skimming
and slimming my mid-section or so I hoped. I threw on the same
jewelry I’d worn last night and exited the bathroom, feeling a
million times better than when I’d entered.

Ramon sat up in bed and half-waved my
way. I gave him a small smile, feeling awkward. He’d slept with my
best friend, and lo and behold I’d slept with his.

“Love the outfit,” Stella said. She
adjusted her tank top and sleep shorts, but it was obvious she
wasn’t wearing anything beneath them.

“Uh, thanks.”

“Did he drop you off?” She cut right to
the chase.

“No.”

“Where the hell did you find a cab at
this hour?” Her brows drew together as she raised her
voice.

“I didn’t. It took me a little over two
hours to walk here.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “He
doesn’t know you left, does he?”

I glanced down at the floor, avoiding
her assessing gaze. Stella knew me too well; she could read me a
mile away.

“He let you stay the night?” Ramon cut
in.

I looked up at him in dismay. I began
to chew my lower lip again, trying to read between the lines of his
statement. “Um, yeah.”

“Damn,
mami
. He must really be into you
‘cause he never lets a girl stay the night.”

That didn’t make me feel any better.
I’d been fighting with my conscience the whole way back here. I
walked past the two of them and carefully placed my dirty clothes
in a plastic bag.

“I’m gonna blow dry my hair and go grab
some coffee,” I announced.

“Give us a minute to get ready and
we’ll join you,” Stella said, moving towards her
suitcase.

I studied the two of them to ensure it
wasn’t a pity move. Ramon caught on.

“Yo quiero
café
. I always need a jump in the
morning.”

“Ok,” I conceded.

Stella rifled through her luggage. A
minute later she headed to the bathroom with a fresh pair of
clothes in hand.

“Did my boy do something wrong?” Ramon
asked the second Stella turned on the shower.

I cocked my head. It wasn’t like most
men to pry. My womb tightened as a flash of last night blazed its
way to the forefront of my mind. The way I begged for release; the
way Cruz drove me to the brink of torture before lavishing me with
an intense, erotic pleasure that left me dumbfounded.

I shook my head as I grabbed my blow
dryer, plugging it into the closest outlet. “No.”

“Then why run?”

I stared at Ramon, earnest in his
pursuit of answers. My nervous habits surfaced once again. How
could I pour my heart out to Ramon when I couldn’t do so with Cruz?
In truth, the connection I shared with Cruz scared the crap out of
me. I’d never experienced something so deep; no man had ever driven
me to my threshold and then slowly caressed me down from it. No man
had ever treated me with the balance of a noble gentleman and an
erotic beast. Cruz was in a league of his own, a league I would
never be a part of.

The shower turning off jolted me back
to reality. I shrugged my shoulders at Ramon before turning on the
blow dryer to drown out any persistence he might have concerning
the topic.

Twenty minutes later, my hair was
pulled up in a messy bun, though I ensured no gaps were left
exposing my scalp in my upsweep; my face was covered with minimal
make-up to help conceal my soon-to-be red cheeks and my glasses
were on to mask the bags beneath my eyes from my lack of
sleep.

Stella opted for another pair of white
capris but threw on a bright blue tank top with a built in bra, one
she usually wore for bed. We both slid on our sandals from last
night. I quickly transferred my items to Big Bertha and headed for
the door.

“You ready, sexy?” Stella smiled
charismatically at Ramon. He’d thrown on his shirt and shoes as we
got ready.