The Winemaker's Dinner: Dessert (The Winemaker's Feast) (14 page)

“Ahh, ahh, ahh, ahh, Ivan!”

He drank in the sounds as she writhed under his dick. He fucked her hard like only he knew how to do. Their bodies fell into a rhythm that no class could teach. She rebounded her ass in perfect time to his upward strokes. But he needed to feel her even more. He smacked her ass, eliciting a sound that filled the room, followed by her gasp of pleasure. He knew he was in control, and he—and the freak—loved it.

Releasing his iron-clad grip on her waist, he pulled out of her and tugged at the zipper of her dress. He yanked the soft fabric from her body, enjoying the sound of Jaden’s gasp and her low moan of excitement. He flipped her over and tackled her on the bed, falling against her naked body and indulging in the warmth that now surrounded him. He couldn’t see her smile, but he felt it as his lips closed on hers. Her lips were intoxicating—how long had it been since his lips had felt any other’s, let alone hers?— and he relished them for a moment before raising the backs of her knees to rest on his shoulders.

Stealing one final taste of her lips, he plunged into her wetness. An explosion of color burst through the darkness of the room as he penetrated her more deeply than he ever thought he could. He felt her writhe under his force. As he continued to fuck her relentlessly, his body trembled and he climbed to the highest sexual peak he could imagine. Every sense heightened as if this were a drug which was laced with something he’d never tasted before. He wanted more, and she seemed perfectly willing to give it.

Whatever lay ahead for them, if anything at all, he’d earned this after the last six months of torture she’d put him through. Grabbing her wrists, he pulled her up into a curled ball of heat and sweat as his rhythm in and out of her quickened along with their breathing. Although he couldn’t see her eyes in the darkness, when she rolled her neck back for a deep groan, he glimpsed them for a moment. They looked back at him with the same ferocity as he knew his burned into her. But he was in charge now. This was his moment. His climax.

Harder and faster his cock plunged in and out as he changed his angle with each penetration. He hit every inch of her core with menacing delight. Their breaths grew unified as each inhale brought a moment of relief only to be followed by an exhale of pleasure and pain. His nostrils filled with the scent he’d longed for on so many long, lonely nights in his bed. The scent of pure, lavender-and-coconut-laced sex tantalized him, fueling a progression that, once it had begun, screamed through his body. His toes curled and his spine began its telltale loosening in preparation for an orgasm that was seconds around the corner.

The sensation of Jaden trying to free her hands to cope with her orgasm, which now tightened around his cock, was the tipping point—the beginning of the end of a six-month sabbatical from the most beautiful of nirvanas. Tightening his grip around her wrists he pulled his ass high in the air and then slammed himself back down into her. The feeling was magical. Again he brought his ass up only to drive his cock further into her.
Almost
. His body taunted him with a glimpse of pure heaven.

His next thrust plunged him into complete bliss, and he felt as if bright lights exploded around him and in him. This encounter had taken him higher than he’d ever been in his life. As his body trembled inside her, he collapsed onto her and held her tight. She clamped her knees around his shoulders and took all of him she could. The seven seconds of perfection this act provided meant the satisfaction he’d longed for.

He nestled his head in the crook of her neck and held on to her wrists, keeping the feeling for as long as he could. This moment was perfect: no pain, no fear, no confusion or questions. He wished he could freeze time and never leave.

As the sensation diminished, so did the guard he’d meticulously maintained to protect himself. He could feel his heart flickering to life.
Perhaps
…He felt the pang of pity shove aside the anger and sorrow and disappointment he’d felt for so long. An encounter that had started in an alley as the freak’s ultimate conquest, the sweetest revenge, had evolved into…the possibility of something more. Perhaps this woman could be his future, his destiny, after all.

Chapter 19

“If You Leave”

I
VAN
R
ELEASED
J
ADEN’S
W
RISTS
and felt the blood rush back into his fingers. Gentle now, he coaxed her legs from over his shoulders and helped her uncoil. He smiled as she hummed in pleasure—or maybe it was sadness?—as he shifted his hips and the last bit of her heaven slid away from him. He deftly removed the condom and tossed it to the floor. It was a burden he didn’t want to acknowledge.

He crawled over to lie beside her on the bed, cloaked in darkness. Neither of them spoke a word as their lust dissipated into an afterglow that seemed to engulf them both. Unlike the distance he’d previously maintained, Ivan now sought to continue their connection and enjoy the moment. He slowly traced his finger up from the top of her naked thigh, past her hip, across her stomach and to her nipple, which he circled softly. His dissipated fury had left him awash in a rush of endorphins.

From time to time he sensed that Jaden was on the verge of saying something, but she remained quiet. Hastened breaths would hint at an impending exclamation, but then dissolve into a sigh as she indulged in the feeling of his touch.

Moments turned to minutes and minutes to hours as the two lay in silence. Ivan’s mind roved in search of some sort of explanation for the evening, and he guessed Jaden was trying to make sense of it as well. More importantly, he wondered what was to come. But he couldn’t quite bring himself to spoil this moment. He didn’t know when, or if, the next one might come.

He marveled at how connected they’d once been and realized he didn’t know much about her life now at all. But she seemed successful in a world she’d always wanted to be in. He was happy for that. And he knew she was single because people always told him her situation, even though he never asked. But he also couldn’t deny the occasional Google recon when times felt especially tough.

After hearing Damian’s story at the bar and sharing the last several hours with her, his mind—and certainly his body—had begun hinting at the future. And now, for the first time, he began to think it might be possible. He’d spent so long shutting himself off from everything that didn’t go his way, trying to eliminate pain, but perhaps this was something worth repairing. Her love was worth the fall, and it always had been.

His soft caresses turned into a massage, which caused her body to melt under his touch as it had so many times before. How many times had he massaged her to sleep after a night of passion? He savored every sensation and smell around him at this moment. He believed it was something, much like their time spent in the cabin and their moment in the vineyard, that would live in his soul forever.

Ivan gently rolled Jaden away from him onto her side and slid closer, resting her body on his where it fit so perfectly. He propped himself up on one elbow and gathered all of her hair in his hands, raking his fingers through the heavy, tumbling mass and dropping his lips to her neck. He indulged in his most favorite scent in the world.
Jaden.
She nestled against him and sighed when he pushed her hair aside and continued her massage as the sun began to rise, slowly illuminating her bedroom and their bodies. After some time, the masterpiece of a night of unbridled emotions dissolved completely, and they lay open and exposed in the light of day. It was magnificent.

Her ebony hair fanned across the white bedspread like a stenciled work of art. He watched her chest rise and fall with every precious breath. She was thinner now, her ribs more prominent, but her skin was still the perfect shade of tan, and he couldn’t help but steal a taste. He kissed her shoulder and reeled at the salt on her flesh. It was delicious. His fingers worked the small of her back as he continued to take her in. He needed her. And he needed to tell her.

“Jaden,” he called softly.

No response.

“Jaden?”

Still nothing.

Listening for a moment, he heard the sounds of her breath, indicating a deep sleep he knew all too well. Smiling, he contemplated his next move. Being able to lie there and enjoy having her in his arms again seemed like a great idea, but he knew she’d be out for hours. Even after further indulgence, he’d be ready to move before she was.

When he finally grew so restless he feared he’d wake her, he decided breakfast in bed would be a good way to begin the conversation he now believed he wanted to have. This mess with Damian was over. It had been over for a long time, really. And if anything remained, he’d finished it last night—with him and with her. A smile flickered across his face, and, careful not to wake her, he maneuvered his way out of bed. He couldn’t help but glance back to watch her sleep. It was beautiful.

After he found his clothes, he silently gathered the evidence of carnal relations and slipped into the bathroom. He tossed the condom in the garbage and went to work cleaning himself up. He turned the water on, then cupped his hands under it and splashed it on his face.

As the cold water streamed down his cheeks, he looked in the mirror and saw a little black patchwork bear looking back at him. The sight nearly brought him to his knees. In a rush he remembered every instant, every memory attached to that bear, which told the tale of true love. He was so glad to see it. He began to dress and had to laugh when he pulled on his shirt and realized there was only one surviving button.
Some things never change
.

Once he had everything he thought he’d come in with back on, he tiptoed back into the bedroom. He stole another glimpse to confirm she was still asleep, and then crept out of the apartment to find breakfast. He left the door unlocked behind him so he could be sure to surprise her upon his return.

He went down the elevator, through the lobby, and out the door—he hadn’t paid much attention when the cab had dropped them off in the dark, but now that he had his bearings, he had to laugh. Jaden’s building was right next to his.
Damn convenient
. She’d been in his ’hood this whole time, and he’d never known—she’d probably never known. He pulled the flyaway tails of his shirt around him and trotted over to the fresh juice place just a couple doors down. He wanted it to be perfect. Exhaling an out-of-breath order for two juices and various yogurt, fruit, and granola combinations, Ivan then found a seat to contemplate what he
really
wanted. Should he attempt to move cautiously? Start slowly again? Should he jump right back into it? He sighed. After six months of
not
thinking about it, suddenly everything came in a rush.

Back and forth he went until his eyes came to rest on an image his mind couldn’t fathom. Staring back at him from the morning paper, which was scattered across an adjacent table, were two people he recognized: one wore a teal dress, and she was wrapped in a devil’s embrace, his lips ravishing hers. Ivan didn’t even have to read the headline, but the large black letters spelled it out for him anyway:
Jaden Thorne and Damian Gris Make for One Hot Event.

“Fuck me,” escaped him, and an elderly couple sitting nearby looked over.

Done.
It’s done. He couldn’t possibly open himself to this kind of pain anymore. The picture mocked him from the table, displaying itself for everyone in Miami—all his friends and associates and colleagues—to see. Maybe she hadn’t chosen Damian, maybe he’d manipulated her, but she’d certainly chosen fame at any cost—and that was somehow worse. Why else would she fake a relationship with him for the cameras? Someone she loathed, and with quite good reason—why wasn’t she strong enough to say no?

It just wasn’t worth getting back into it, because evidently the mess with Damian was far from over. One way or another, she would continue to make this decision, become anyone she needed to be, and continue to screw him, over and over again. What would happen the next time she felt overwhelmed or they had a fight? Maybe next time her conscience wouldn’t be strong enough to stop her. Maybe she hadn’t really loved him at all, at least not the way he’d thought she did.

“Ivan!” His order was ready.

Feeling sick to his stomach, he approached the counter, expressionless and devoid of any hope. In the time it took for the kid to make two juices, the earth had tilted on its axis and knocked him off his feet. Again.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. You have a pen?”

“Yep.” The clerk reached into the pocket of his ridiculous yellow outfit.

“Can I get one of these?” Ivan motioned to the newspaper.

“Sure, man. Just take one. No one buys them anyway.”

“Thanks, boss.”

Ivan picked up his order, his evidence, the pen, and a stack of napkins and returned to his seat to plot the course for his future. He wrote, pouring his heart onto the paper in black ink. When he’d finished he read and reread what he’d written before gathering his things and returning to her apartment. Each step felt as if he had irons tethered around his ankles.

Just at the other side of her door, he stalled out and stood staring at the numbers fastened to it: 1218. He prayed she was still asleep and he could slip in without her knowing. Slowly he turned the unlocked knob and pushed the door open. He poked his head in to check. He could hear nothing. Finally he crept in and tiptoed to the bedroom, only to find the demon in an angel’s skin still sound asleep.