“You promise?”
She reminded me of a ten-year-old kid making me pinky swear. Regardless, this was going to go down as a lie of protection so I was okay making it. “I promise.”
“Well, you’ve given me lots to think about,” she said resolutely. “I’m not promising I’m going to go back home,” she started immediately, but I could tell she was seriously considering it.
“I’m not expecting anything from you right now. I just want you to think about it.” Then I smiled as she frowned up at me, obviously confused by my change in demeanor. “I mean, how long can you really work at Sandy’s salon, washing and drying women’s hair?”
“Yeah, that got old like yesterday,” she answered as she shook her head.
“It’s not you. We both know it.”
She nodded. “I didn’t lie about Samuel,” she insisted as I started for the door. I didn’t turn back to face her.
“I’m not saying you did.” Then I hesitated once my hand was on the doorknob. “Just saying this isn’t the lifestyle for you. Go back home, and if Samuel is mine, we will figure out the logistics. I’m not going to shirk my responsibilities.”
By now I was completely convinced that Samuel wasn’t real. He was just a figment of her overactive imagination that might have been borderline crazy. Or maybe completely crazy. Regardless, all the facts had added up to paint the picture that Samuel had just been a desperate attempt to get me to do what she wanted me to.
******
Later that afternoon, I received a text from Janet. In it, she agreed that Marshall Heights wasn’t the place for her and that she was moving back to Las Vegas. She didn’t mention anything about Samuel which only furthered my suspicions that he wasn’t real. She did say she’d be in touch, whatever that meant.
As far as I was concerned, I was pretty firmly convinced that this was the last I’d have to deal with my ex-wife, and I was overjoyed with the realization. With Janet firmly out of the picture, I could focus on Angel wholeheartedly and that thought made me feel nothing but happiness.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Delilah
Two Weeks Later
William and I were lying down on the couch in his cabin just talking about everything and nothing in particular. I still couldn’t believe I was here with him. Sometimes I resisted the urge to pinch myself just to see if everything was real, or if I was really just dreaming it all.
In spite of the odds, he was still here. We were still here.
Every morning his truck would be waiting outside for me, and he would walk me to work. Then he’d do his own thing during the day while I worked. When my work day was over, he would walk me home, and sometimes he’d come in and have dinner with Mom and me. Other times, he’d give us time together until she fell asleep. Then, I would go and spend a few hours at William’s.
Life was great. Actually, it had never been better. Mom loved spending time with William, and he would awe her with his stories of life on the mountain and how he’d braved bears and mountain lions, and he even once told her he’d faced off with a Yeti. Of course, we’d all laughed at that one. Truth be told, I’d figured his stories about the bears and mountain lions were a bit exaggerated as well, but my mother was fascinated by them.
William and I hadn’t yet spent the night together only because I couldn’t leave my mother alone. It was frustrating at times, but necessary for the time being. It was my hope that someday soon he’d get a place closer to Marshall Heights. I hadn’t brought it up with him yet because ours was a fledgling relationship, and I was still afraid of scaring him off. Nonetheless, the words were lodged in my throat every time I had to say goodbye. Goodbyes were the hardest; I’d melt into his embrace, and he’d hold me, and we’d both whisper how we didn’t want to let the other go.
It made me want to be with him forever.
“Penny for your thoughts?” William whispered as he played with my hair.
I smiled and pressed my lips to the side of his face. “I think it’ll cost more than that.”
William turned his head to me, a playful smile hovering on the edge of his lips. “Is that so?”
“Uh huh,” I teased. “Come on, Black. How much are you willing to pay to get a peek inside my head?”
“Darlin’, I don’t need to pay when you’re going to tell me anyway.” William began to pepper my face with kisses, and I giggled as I pushed against his chest, and he started tickling me underneath my arms.
“No tickling! None of that. No cheating! We need to keep this clean and fair,” I laughed.
A wicked smile graced William’s features as he pushed me back, and I sprawled across the couch with him hovering over me. My stomach did a little dip at the sight of him. He was just so large, feral and masculine. He reminded me of a wild animal sometimes.
“Clean and fair, you say? Hmmm, why would we want to do that?” He began to nuzzle my neck as he pushed my legs apart with his own. He pressed his middle against me, and I flushed as I felt the length of him. It still surprised me whenever I saw how hard I made him. And that was a lot. Like multiple times a day. I secretly relished the thought that I could do that to him, that he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
“Because…” I began, and I sucked in a breath when he began to nibble on my earlobe. “Because.”
“Such succinct reasoning. What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?” His eyes gleamed wickedly, and I reached up to ruffle his hair. This playful, teasing side of William was one that I hadn’t seen before and now that we were together and he was comfortable, I found he was like this more and more. And I loved it.
“You’re cheating, and that’s not fair,” I laughed as I tried to push him away from me, just so I could stall him a bit longer. “Besides, I’m an impenetrable fortress. Nothing gets past these walls. Nothing,” I joked as I watched him snake his hands under my shirt.
I gasped as his cold fingers made contact with my warm skin.
“Nothing, eh?”
William began to nibble a path straight down to my belly. He lifted my shirt and started to run his tongue lightly over my stomach. Any fight completely fizzled out of me, and I was left breathless as I tried to remember what we’d been talking about.
What was I supposed to be convincing him of again?
“You were saying?” William prompted as he gazed up at me from lowered lashes.
“Er…” I stuttered as he cupped me over the fabric of my jeans. A moan escaped my lips as my hips bucked of their own accord.
When he removed his hands, I gulped. “Yes.”
“Yes what? I wasn’t asking a yes or no question.” William’s tone was laced with amusement.
“I don’t know. Just yes; it’s all I can manage to say at this point.” I tried to move my hips against his to encourage some friction.
William began to make a tsk noise. “Ah, ah, ah.” He wagged his fingers at me. “You’re not getting away that easily.”
“Easily?” I huffed in frustration. “You call this easy? You’re the biggest tease I’ve ever met!”
“Clearly, I have a few things to teach you about holding out for as long as possible.”
I gazed at him through lowered lashes. “Why would I want to do that when you’re right here, and you have what I want?” I answered as I purposefully glanced at his crotch.
“We are going to do things the right way.” William snorted as he began rubbing his face against my chest. His beard had grown back a little because I’d been sure to mention that I loved the slight stubble against my skin.
I raised an eyebrow. “We should do things our way.”
“We are,” he argued. “Our way is the right way.”
We hadn’t had sex again since the first time, but it wasn’t because we didn’t want to. It was only because William insisted on going back and romancing me first. It was a sweet gesture, and one I loved, but at times like this, it could be downright frustrating. At this point, I didn’t want the flowers, the romantic words or
the dinners. I wanted him inside of me.
I reached down and began to fumble with the buttons on his shirt. Soon, they were undone, and I pushed the shirt off him as quickly as I could. I took a moment to appreciate the smooth slopes and planes of his muscular chest as I let my fingers lightly trail over them. He shivered in response to my touch, and I brought my lips to his skin and began to lightly place kisses all over him. His hands gripped the back of my neck.
“Angel.” His voice was full of primal desire, but it also held a hint of warning. “We shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” I paused in between kisses. “We’ve waited long enough.”
William chuckled, a deep throaty sound that had me peering up at him and grinning. “I know you think we’ve waited long enough, but I am going to do right by you, so that includes taking this in steps. I won’t be dissuaded.”
I let my mouth trail along the tender skin of his stomach until I stopped right on top of his pants, where his happy trail vanished beneath his hemline. I watched him carefully as I stroked him over his jeans with one hand, and ran my nails down his back with the other. I squeezed my legs around his middle, and watched as his entire body shuddered.
“Are you sure about that?” I whispered. His grip on my butt tightened as I held him harder.
I could see his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed hard. “Yes.”
“Really?” I pressed my mouth to his neck and began to gently nip as I felt his pulse speed up. “I think you’ll find I can be very persuasive.”
“Of that I have no doubt, Angel,” William said, huskily. “That’s not what we’re discussing though.”
“We shouldn’t be discussing anything right now,” I countered as I nibbled on his earlobe. “Are you going to make me say it?”
“Say what?”
I smiled up at him slyly. “I want you, William.” I pulled back and slipped my shirt off in one fluid motion, so that the top half my body was naked except for my bra. “Can’t you see how much I want you?” I let the desire seep into my tone, pleased to find that my inner sex goddess was not only back but also swinging.
“Of course I do, and believe me, it’s taking everything I have to keep from tearing your clothes off and burying myself deep inside of you,” William growled playfully as his hands traveled over my body. “But for right now, I just want to worship you.” He took a breath as he took me in from head to toe. “You deserve the world, Angel, and I’m going to do my best to give it to you.”
“I don’t want the world,” I insisted as I reached behind and unhooked my bra. “I just want you.” I took my bra off and threw it onto the floor. “And I want you right now.”
His gaze raked over me, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. “Impatient,” he said simply as he lowered his head and took one of my nipples between his teeth. He began to suck on it fervently until it was erect then he licked it with the tip of his tongue.
“I never said otherwise,” I whispered as I tried to be patient while he took his time, but I wanted him so badly, I began to claw at his back.
William pulled his head back and chuckled at me over the top of my breasts. Then he grinned and clasped my hands above my head in a vice like grip. I had to admit, when I first found out that he was dominant, I wasn’t sure how I would respond, but as it turns out, I liked it.
I liked it a lot in fact. But I also liked being dominant and telling him what I wanted from him. I let out a little squeak when one of his hands plunged down my panties unannounced. William stopped what he was doing and glanced at me in amusement.
“What was that noise you just made?”
“Nothing.” My entire face began to heat up. I was thoroughly embarrassed because I was supposed to be making sexy noises like moaning or groaning or panting or something. Not squeaking like a chipmunk.
“No, no.” He shook his head, and his hair fell forward and framed his face. I tried to unlock my hands, so I could smooth his hair back, but he wouldn’t budge. “Did you just squeak?”
“Maybe.” I bit down on my bottom lip and avoided meeting his gaze.
William used one hand to tilt my chin up until I had no choice but to look him in the eye. “Don’t be self-conscious. I like it. It’s cute. Really really cute.”
“It is?” I breathed, a sigh of relief going through me.
Cute was good. I could work with cute.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “In fact, I want to make you do it again.”
“No.” I made a face at him which made William laugh.
I loved hearing him laugh. I’d decided it was one of my favorite noises in the world. Suddenly, he stopped laughing, and his face turned somber as he studied me quietly.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, suddenly hyper aware of the fact that we were both half naked, and he was staring at me.
“Nothing is wrong. I’m just lucky,” William mouthed as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine. His mouth was mere centimeters from my lips, and when he breathed his breath intermingled with mine. My eyes fluttered closed, and I brought my hands up to pull him closer to me. His body melted into mine, and it fit perfectly.
Like two pieces of the same puzzle.
“What are you doing to me, Angel?” he whispered into my hair as he inhaled deeply.
I brought my mouth up to his ear. “Same thing you’re doing to me.”
William pulled back and gave me a beautiful smile. “I’m glad it’s mutual.”
“So am I,” I answered honestly as I leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek. I let my lips linger there for a second before I pulled away. “So, does this mean I’m going to get lucky?”
“Oh, you are a fiery one, aren’t you?”
“Yes, and I’m used to getting my way,” I kidded.
William began to stroke his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm, it seems we are at an impasse.”
“It would appear so.”
His fingers hovered over the edge of my panties as he stared down at me. Then I felt one of his fingers push past them, and I gasped as he began to finger me. If I’d wanted him before, I needed him now. So I lifted myself up and crushed his lips to mine. William was surprised at first, but in an instant, he relaxed into the kiss, and he was back on top of me with his penis pressed deliciously close to my core.
I wigged my hips and positioned myself so that I was right underneath him. I strained against the hold William had on my hands, but he was still holding them as if I was his prisoner. And, truth be told, I was fine being his prisoner. I squeaked when he bit down on my bottom lip, and when I opened my mouth to protest, he plunged his tongue in, and began a slow sensual dance of exploration.
When my tongue hesitantly rose to meet his, his body responded by gyrating against mine. Both of his hands started roaming all over my body as if they were exploring a treasure map. He didn’t leave a single inch of skin untouched. I felt like the fire inside of me was suddenly doused with kerosene because of the way my body responded to his touch. A fire that started in the pit of my belly and spread throughout my body.
He stood up and took off his pants. They fell into a puddle around his legs, and he kicked them away, so that he was left standing in only his boxers. I swallowed thickly as I took notice of how rigid he was. And how big. He was definitely intimidating.
“I’m going to go slow this time, okay?” he asked, his voice soft. “Last time I didn’t know was your first, and I should’ve gone easier on you to avoid hurting you,” he explained in between kisses.
“Okay.” My eyes connected with his, and I gave him a sweet smile. “It’s okay, I trust you.”
He seemed to like that because he smiled broadly. Then his hands moved to the waistband of his boxers, and as he was just about to remove them, the sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted him. Startled, he pulled his pants back up and glowered in the general direction of the door.
“What the hell?” he grumbled.
I sat up and crossed my arms over my chest as
goose bumps broke out across my naked flesh. “Were you expecting somebody?”
William shook his head. “No.”
“William!” a woman’s voice yelled from the other side. She sounded upset.
My eyebrows knitted together in confusion as I shot him a look. His hands were clenched into fists, and the look on his face was one of guilt as his eyes snapped shut. I could tell he recognized her voice.
“Shit,” he cursed under his breath.
“Who is that?” I stood up and hurriedly threw on my clothes as my heart started racing. He fixed his eyes on me but didn’t answer right away. Then he took a deep breath.
“That’s my ex-wife.”
His ex-wife?! I thought to myself, my stomach dropping all the way down to my toes. The same one who had cheated on him? The same one who had gotten him addicted to cocaine?
“Oh.” I tried to sound casual but I couldn’t keep the surprise from my tone. “Do you know why she’s here or what she wants from you?”
“No.” He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat. I shivered as I went back to the couch and folded my legs awkwardly beneath me.
“Let me take care of this very quickly,” he said, and he swung the door open and stepped outside as I wondered what in the hell was going on, and more, what in the hell he hadn’t told me. What was his ex-wife doing on his porch at this time of night?
He closed the door behind him but it didn’t shut all the way and remained open by an inch or so. An inch that allowed me to hear what was going on.
“What do you want, Janet?” he said, his voice sounding harsh.
What is going on? I asked myself. And why did it seem like he wasn’t that surprised that she was here? He just seemed unconcerned.
Based on the story he’d told me, they weren’t in contact anymore, and he wanted nothing to do with her. So why then was she standing outside of his house, pounding on his door like it was hers? Icy dread began to snake its way through my stomach.