With that he lowered his head and pressed his mouth sweetly against hers. Kaycee exhaled as he moved his mouth to trail kisses down her jawline and neck.
“I wanted to tell you that day when your friend came over and interrupted our talk,” he murmured against her skin between kisses. “I’ve tried everything to convince myself that it couldn’t work. The age difference, our working relationship—but I couldn’t stop my feelings. Truth is, Kaycee Jordan, I can’t get over you no matter what I do. So I’m not going to fight it any longer. We have something special and we deserve to allow it to grow. I want to give it a chance.”
Kissing him softly, she cradled his head against her own. Their bodies swayed only slightly to the beat as they absorbed the lyrics to the song as if Kem was performing it just for them!
When the song ended, Kaycee took Kendrick’s hand, brought it to her mouth and kissed the back before placing it on her breast where her heart beat rapidly underneath.
“You got it now.”
His brow raised in uncertainty, he asked, “What do you mean?”
“You got my heart,” she whispered. “And with it comes my complete love and devotion.”
“Then I guess I better take care of it,” he said, leaning over to kiss the warm skin on her shoulders where his hand had rested moments earlier. He continued planting slow, deliberate kisses on her neck and bare shoulder where he proceeded to tease the spaghetti strap down with his teeth.
He smoothed his hands over her silky shoulders so that both straps now dangled, threatening to release the flimsy material and display her nakedness.
With seductive eyes, Kaycee took Kendrick by the hand. “Show me how you can take care of me,” she challenged.
She led him over to the fireplace. Along the way, she retrieved the pillows from the table, and laid them before the hearth. Holding his hand, she lowered herself to the floor on top of the pillows.
Kendrick reached to unbutton his shirt, but Kaycee leaned up on her knees and grabbed his hands before he could begin. She then pulled him down to his knees so that they were kneeling before each other.
Slowly she began unbuttoning his shirt. When the last button came undone, she pressed her hands against the silky hairs on his rippling abdomen and slid them up to his sculpted chest.
She knew that Kendrick had a nice build because his clothes seemed to fit him well, but the proof was seeing it without covering. She shivered with delight, deciding right away that she loved his body. At forty-eight, Kendrick had a body that could give any man half his age a run for the money.
She leaned forward and kissed him in the center of his chest, her tongue swirling through the soft hairs. Kendrick groaned and reached to pull her into his arms, but Kaycee caught his hands in her own. She held them to his side while she continued tasting him.
Glancing down between them, she could see that he was ready to receive her. With a naughty glint in her eye, she lowered the straps of her dress to reveal her full breasts, swollen with desire. His breath caught as her soft flesh melted against his when she closed the space between them.
When he tried to reach for her again, Kaycee stopped him by entwining her fingers with his. She rained kisses up his arm onto his shoulder and across his chest before capturing his mouth with a sexy bite.
“Stop teasing me, woman,” he groaned.
“Am I teasing you?” she asked with a swirl of her tongue.
Kendrick couldn’t take it any longer and responded by freeing his hands and pulling her into his embrace. He repositioned their bodies so that they were lying on the floor with him leaning over her. He looked down into Kaycee’s beautiful face as feelings of love flooded his mind and heart.
“Kaycee, I love you.” He kissed her, the realization both exciting and frightening him. He’d never thought he could start over following his wife’s death, but with Kaycee he could see a whole new chapter of his life unfolding and he wanted to pursue it with all that he had. “I really love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
With skillful hands, Kendrick slid the dress over her hips and was surprised to find her wearing nothing more than a string as a pair of panties.
“What the—”
“You like your dessert?” she asked with a playful smile.
“Yes!” he emphatically replied.
He quickly tossed his shirt to the side and undid his pants, kicking them across the room. When they were both finally free, they began to explore each other with kisses and caresses, savoring the feel and touch of each other’s bodies.
Kendrick was gentle, especially when he dared to explore her most secret place. It was a journey Paul had refused to take, but one that Kendrick traveled with boldness and much skill. He made Kaycee feel like a prize the way he handled her. He was slow and tender, making sure that she received every bit of enjoyment in the process.
Kaycee had never known what she was missing. She felt as if she was being sucked up into a cyclone, spiraling out of control then knocked totally immobile. When Kendrick gripped her hips and proceeded to do some things with his tongue, Kaycee thought she was going to disintegrate. She couldn’t describe what was happening because her tongue was tied from the blissful fire burning in the core of her body.
Kendrick moved away for a few minutes to protect them both by slipping on a condom. When he returned, he kissed his way back up her body until he reached her mouth where he kissed her deep and hard.
Instinctively, Kaycee braced herself to receive all of him. Although he had waited for this moment, Kendrick took his time. He wanted them both to savor the feel. He eased himself in, then out several times until she begged him to stay. Finally, when Kaycee couldn’t take his teasing any longer, she locked her legs around his, causing them to connect deeper. The impact made her see stars.
With the hardness and vigor of youth, Kendrick made love to her as though their lives depended on it. Kaycee quickly picked up his rhythm and matched his strokes with her own. Suddenly her body trembled, unrestrained yet totally satisfied, leaving her murmuring Kendrick’s name over and over and over again. In the intimate glow of the firelight, man and woman became one.
Chapter 20
Kaycee stretched and yawned as she crossed over from sleep to consciousness. Ordinarily, she was bothered by the sunlight shining through her window, but not today. A satisfied smile spread across her face as she remembered her night with Kendrick.
She reached to the other side of the bed for his warm body and was surprised to find it empty. Her eyes popped open when her hand came in contact with the rumpled bedding where he had lain the night before.
Rolling onto her side, Kaycee looked toward the door to find him sitting in the chair across the room.
They exchanged warm smiles before she eased back down under the covers.
“What are you doing way over there?” she asked and beckoned for him to return to her. “Come back over here.”
“I was just watching you sleep,” he replied, lying down beside her. He pulled her against his chest.
He caressed her back. “I know you didn’t think I’d left you.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t know what to think.”
He stopped stroking to peer down at her. “Has that happened to you before?”
“It has,” she whispered with a nod.
“Tell me about it,” he replied, pulling her tighter in his arms as if to protect her from further pain. “I want to know everything about you.”
“Those are the kind of memories I prefer to forget,” she snorted.
“We should never regret our past,” he said. “Besides, now that we are going to start seeing each other, it’s necessary that we clear up our pasts so we can move forward.”
She shrugged. “What would you like to know?”
“Has the situation with Paul soured your outlook on marriage and relationships?”
“I accepted our incompatibility long before we split. So I’ve had plenty of time to heal f
rom the separation.” She looked up at him. “What about you? I know your wife passed a few years ago, but have you moved on from that yet?”
He hesitated before answering. What he and Amanda had shared was special, but he had asked for honesty so he had to give it in return.
“I must admit that I’m still affected by her passing, but I know I don’t like being alone.”
“Kendrick, do I remind you of her?”
He hesitated, realizing that he had to choose the right words. “In some ways you do. You both have a fighting spirit. But you have a way about yourself that is unique. You are confident and you know how to have real fun. I admire your ability to say exactly what’s on your mind without hurting a person’s feelings. I also like how you don’t let social mores hold you back from what you want. That’s what I love most about you.”
His complete acceptance of who she was touched her heart deeper than he would ever know. Tears clouded her eyes as she squeezed him tightly.
The day was dedicated to their newfound love. Kendrick decided that they both should take a day off from work so that they could spend quality time together.
Kaycee took on the duty of planning their day. After they’d shared a hot shower where they engaged in heated lovemaking once more, Kaycee slipped into a pale-yellow sleeveless dress with a flirty flouncing hemline and a pair of sexy strappy sandals with a rosette on the toes and ties up at the ankles.
“Where are we going that we have to dress up?” Kendrick asked, stepping up to embrace her from behind.
“It’s a surprise,” she told him and fought not to close her eyes and sink into his possession again. She quickly regained composure and turned around to inspect him.
“We need to go over to your house,” she announced, her eyes skimming over the previous evening’s now-wrinkled shirt and pants.
“Where are we going again?” he asked as they exited her front door hand in hand to go to his place.
“It’s a surprise.”
“I should know so I’ll know what to wear.”
“Just pick out something dressy casual.”
Kendrick opened the door and allowed her to enter the quiet house before him.
Kaycee looked around expecting to see Tiki running up to greet them, but when it didn’t happen she turned to Kendrick with questioning eyes.
“She finally went back home.”
“Your daughter picked her up?”
He nodded. Then pulled her close to him, wrapping her in his arms. “You know, we’re going to have christen my place now.”
Kaycee laughed. “I haven’t seen your place. Why don’t you give me a tour?”
“Help yourself,” he replied “while I run up and get ready.”
“Okay.” She knew his taste at Café Jireh and was curious to see if it matched that in his home. She watched him bound up the stairs before taking her self-guided tour.
In his office, which held a large desk, a credenza, a loveseat and chairs and bookshelves, Kaycee spotted some framed photos. Curious about them, she stepped across to the shelves to investigate. There were pictures of a younger Kendrick with a little girl who, except for missing front teeth and shoulder-length ponytails, was his spitting image. Pictures of his daughter showed her in different stages of her life, including high-school graduation, her wedding and a family photo.
Next she came upon a picture of him dressed in his Steelers uniform with two other players, apparently after winning a conference game. There were pictures of Kendrick with local celebrities like Evander Holyfield and Monica Kaufman.
Traveling down the rows of photos, she came across an obviously older picture of Kendrick with a beautiful young woman that she guessed was Amanda. There were others of the two of them and then one of Amanda in her later years, looking just as beautiful as she had in her youth.
With a sigh, Kaycee stepped out of the room and went to the other parts of the home.
The dining room was simple, with a mahogany table with eight high-back, black-leather chairs and a matching buffet.
The kitchen was clean and although it had the same layout as hers, it displayed a difference in taste with darker cabinets and countertops and Mexican-tile floors. Like her, Kendrick appeared to do most of his living in the family room, which was warm and cozy with an inviting lived-in quality.
She turned on her heel and headed upstairs in search of the room that she was most curious about.
The second level differed from Kaycee’s home in that there were only three bedrooms compared to her four. She headed straight for the double doors at the end of the hall; that was where her bedroom was also located. She toyed with the idea of just walking in, but decided against it and knocked instead.
“Kendrick.”
She pressed her ear against the door and could make out the sound of water running and music playing.
Kaycee knocked a little harder. “Kendrick!”
“Yes!” he shouted back.
“Are you almost ready?” She couldn’t wait to tell him that her surprise would be a day spent at Château Elan where they would dine in the Versailles restaurant, visit the winery and take pleasure in his and hers salon treatments at the spa. It was something that she had longed to do with Paul, but he had never had an interest.
“Come in!” he called back.
She turned the knob and stepped inside his bedroom.
“Hello?” she sang as she inched into the spotless, spacious room.
“I’m in the bathroom,” he called back.
Kaycee went directly to the bathroom where she found him wearing nothing more than a towel around his waist.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he announced through smoldering eyes. At that moment, he released the towel from his hips, exposing his naked glory, ready and waiting.
Her eyes traveled down the full length of him, and she smiled appreciatively at his sheathed member swollen with desire. “You have, haven’t you?”
He nodded and slowly walked toward her until they were a breath away from each other. He pulled her by the hips against his hardness. “We have to christen my house, remember.”
With a swift motion, Kendrick scooped her up in his arms, so that she was straddling him. He backed her up against the closed door for leverage. Smoothing his hand up her thigh, he lifted the skirt of her dress so that it encircled her waist, leaving her panties as the only barrier between them. With skillful hands, he maneuvered the delicate fabric to the side before entering her with a satiated groan.
Kaycee had never realized that making love in a standing position could be so satisfying. In fact, it enhanced her arousal, causing her to do and say things to Kendrick that she wouldn’t have ordinarily. The rumbling feeling deep in her belly quickly grew into an outright roar and she screamed as she collapsed against him. Kendrick soon followed with his own release. Afterwards, they slid down the door to the bathroom floor, kissing each other all over.
Château Elan was the furthest thing from either of their minds.
Chapter 21
“Daddy!”
Kendrick thought he was dreaming and rolled over onto his back.
“Daddy, are you here?”
He stirred in his sleep at the sound of his daughter, Bianca’s, familiar voice.
He groaned and looked over at the clock on his nightstand. It was almost seven o’clock in the evening.
A soft rap on his door made him sit up. When he did, he felt the familiar warm body that he had been almost literally glued to for the last twenty-four hours. Looking down, his eyes fell upon Kaycee sleeping peacefully on her stomach with her arms wrapped around a pillow.
“Dad.”
“I’m coming, B,” he called back.
Kaycee stirred, her eyes fluttering open.
“Mmm,” she moaned. “Did you say something, baby?”
“No, go back to sleep.”
“Dad, are you okay?” Bianca asked.
“Yes, baby. Give me a minute and I’ll be down,” Kend
rick replied.
Kaycee’s eyes opened and she quickly covered herself. “Who is that?”
“It’s my daughter, Bianca,” he replied, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. The cool air hit his skin and he yearned for the warmth created by their bodies in the sheets.
“Oh, my goodness, Kendrick, what is she going to think?” Kaycee asked with alarm.
“Don’t worry,” he replied, reaching for a pair of jeans and a T-shirt discarded on a nearby chair. “I’ll handle it, but since you’re here, you might as well get up and meet her.”
Kaycee’s eyes popped open. “You’ve got to be kidding?”
“No, I’m not. Why shouldn’t you two meet? You’re going to have to one day.”
“Can it be another day?” Kaycee asked.
“Daddy, are you alone?” Bianca called out.
Both of their heads turned to look at the other in surprise. Kendrick had thought Bianca had gone downstairs. He should have remembered how stubborn and nosey his daughter could be. He believed these qualities made her a great attorney.
“Bianca, I thought I asked you to go downstairs!” he barked.
“I’m not a child!” she shouted back.
Kendrick sauntered over to the bedroom door and yanked it open just as Kaycee pulled the covers over her head.
“You’re right, you are not a child which is why you shouldn’t be standing at this door eavesdropping.”
“I’m not eavesdropping. I heard talking and I came back to the door because I thought you were talking to me.”
“Well, I wasn’t,” he replied, slipping the T-shirt over his head. “I’ll—no, we’ll be down in a few minutes.”
Bianca’s eyes traveled beyond his strong shoulder and narrowed in anger when they came back to rest on him. Kendrick knew she had an attitude, but he also knew she had better get over it. Since Amanda had died, his daughter had seemed bent on hindering any relationship he could have. It might have worked with some of the other women, but it wouldn’t with Kaycee.