Donald shook from need. He hadn’t been thinking at all when they had made love at her place. All he had done was feel, lost himself in her sweet magic.
“Not here.” He sat up, bringing her with him. They walked hand and hand into his bedroom. He closed the door behind them. “Taylor,” he whispered before brushing her soft mouth over and over again with his.
But he didn’t deepen the kiss as she longed for him to do. She was grateful for his support. She was suddenly so nervous, afraid she would not be able to please him. She felt as unsure of herself as she had that first time they had made love and she had no idea why.
His hands weren’t steady as he undressed her. Taylor’s were no better. Her breathing was quick and uneven as she undressed him. They didn’t stop until they were both nude, nothing between them but their hot passion for one another.
Taylor’s caressing fingertips worried the tiny flat pebbles of his nipples, then smoothed over the broad lines of his muscular chest. She dropped her head until she could lave him the way he had tantalized her. His response was powerful, his chest heaved from his sexual excitement and his sex flexed heavily against her.
“No more,” he whispered, thrusting his tongue into her mouth as he angled her mouth to fully receive the deep thrust he craved. She was sweet…so sweet. He couldn’t wait a moment longer, he cupped her sex, cradling her sweetness. Using the tips of his fingers, he caressed the damp cottony soft curls before he slid between the fleshy folds to luxuriate in the dewy moisture. He felt her trembling as he fingered the tiny feminine bud at the top of her mound. He lingered until she cried out and her unsteady legs gave out and he had to support her weight.
“Now…honey, now. I need you now.” Her sexy sweet cries were his undoing. With her back against the door, Donald bent his knees, guiding himself as carefully as he could manage, slowly penetrating her. He didn’t stop until he filled her to the hilt.
Taylor wondered how much longer it would be before her legs completely gave out on her. Her eyes were closed—trying to catch her breath while she relished the exquisite pressure of his body. Her feminine muscles stroked along his pulsating length.
Donald moaned at her pleasure for it shattered his control. “Put your arms around my neck, baby,” he said, an instant before he lifted her until, although she rested against the door, it was his strong arms and legs that supported her. As he moved, increasing his thrusts, her cries grew louder and her inner muscles fluttered like the caresses of a thousand tiny butterflies. One powerful thrust after another and her climax came quickly just before his own. He shuddered in her arms, flooding her with his masculine offering.
They breathlessly clung to each other. When Donald’s legs began to quiver he slowly let Taylor’s slide down. Although she stood on her own two feet, her legs were also trembling. Donald held her close.
“Come on, sweetness. I think we both could use the whirlpool.”
While they rested in the swirling hot water, Taylor with her back against his chest, her hips nestled between his thighs, he asked, “Are you all right?” His mouth brushed her temple.
“Mmm,” she crooned.
“I can hardly believe I finally have you all to myself.”
“I’m not the one with the crazy schedule. Don’t you ever get tired of the travel?”
“Not until recently,” he admitted. “Unfortunately there are times when I have no choice but to go.”
“You love the work, don’t you?” she asked.
He smiled, “I enjoy being able to give small businesses a helping hand, especially when there are few banks out there willing to take a risk with minorities.”
“Have you ever been wrong?”
He chuckled, “Oh, yeah. I’ve been taken but it happens very rarely. Very few people are looking for a handout. Most of them are in desperate need of a helping hand.”
“Oh, Donald,” she said, turning in order to caress his cheek. “I like what you do. You are a very special man.”
He swallowed with difficulty, her praise meant the world to him. He caught her hand and kissed it. “Trouble is I have very little time to call my own.”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“Where did that come from?”
“Just curious,” she shrugged, wanting to know but uncertain if he would answer.
“At the time, I thought so. But I was only seventeen. It was with my high school sweetheart. It wasn’t until I was in college that I realized it was a bad case of lust.”
“So you were the one to break it off with her?”
“No. She ended it because I wouldn’t quit college and marry her. I wanted to wait until I could take care of us. I couldn’t afford a car, let alone a wife.”
“You were so young.”
“I’ve wondered for a long time if I’d lost my chance for an honest, open relationship.”
“Why would you think that? You were only a kid.”
He rose from the tub and reached for a bath sheet to wrap around his waist. “Don’t want you to turn into a prune,” he said when he reached down and helped her up. He quickly wrapped her in a bath sheet.
“Why did you think that?”
He shrugged. “The women I’ve met from college on seem to want something from me. They don’t really want me but something from me. Probably wouldn’t matter except I can always tell the difference.”
“How? How can you tell? Surely, every one of them was not sincere.”
“I’m lucky. I have a down to earth mother and sister. Oh, don’t get me wrong, for a time I enjoyed the seduction game. Somewhere around twenty-eight, I started taking a hard look at what my folks shared and what my brother and sister have in their marriages. I realized I didn’t have a prayer at the rate I was going.”
Suddenly, Taylor realized they had a lot in common. Difficulty in trusting was a problem they shared. “It’s hard to believe…” Taylor forgot what she was about to say when Donald pressed his lips to her throat.
“What?” he whispered licking the silky flesh of her throat, lingering on the scented hollow.
Taylor moved her hand to caress his muscular chest. “What?”
“You were saying?” he teased, his eyes danced with mischief.
“I have no idea,” she giggled. She’d completely lost her train of thought.
Following her into the bedroom, he watched as she presented her back to him and handed him a bottle of scented body lotion. “Please?”
Accepting the bottle, he sat beside her on the bed. He smoothed lotion down her back. He moved to her feet, stroking her heels and soft soles then moved toward her calves to the long expanse of her creamy brown thighs.
“You are so beautiful.” His hands were replaced by his mouth and he kissed his way down her back, the towel that had once covered her bottom was sliding lower and lower.
“Donald…” she managed to say, breathlessly.
He paused to kiss the nape of her neck. “Sweetness...” he said as he laved the smooth expanse of her back. Slowly, he caressed her spine and cupped then squeezed her sweetly dimpled bottom before he moved down to part her thighs.
“Taylor...” he whispered huskily as he kissed, then licked, her sweet lips.
Embers of desire seem to burn her skin as she waited with wicked anticipation as he rolled her over and began the sensual assault on her senses all over again down the front of her body, starting at the base of her throat. He did not leave a single inch of her soft caramel skin untouched, from her full breasts to her flat stomach and the thick ebony curls between her thighs.
“Look at me.” When her heavy lids lifted, her dreamy brown eyes locked with his rich ebony eyes. He saw a passion that she couldn’t deny, no matter how reluctant she was to admit it. His dark hands stroked over her legs, caressing the outer curves before moving to the baby softness of her inner thighs.
“Baby, let me taste your sweetness. If you don’t enjoy it, I promise I’ll stop. And I won’t ask again.” His eyes never left hers.
Taylor bit her lip, but she nodded. She wanted to please him, give him pleasure more than anything else in the world.
Donald groaned, moving to her soft lips, placing one kiss after another until she opened for him. He held her tight, loving the feel of her velvety soft tongue against his. He slowly moved down her soft frame, leaving sweet lingering kisses behind. Taylor was trembling from head to toe when he smoothed his hands over her thighs lifting them until they rested over his shoulders.
He pressed kiss after kiss against her soft inner thighs, moving closer and closer to her softness. When he kissed the thick curls shielding her sex, she gasped. His caressing fingers soothed her before he gently smoothed over her feminine folds then he parted her to expose her dewy softness to his lips and gradually to the hot wash of his tongue.
Taylor moaned his name as wave upon wave of pleasure rushed over her. It was like nothing she had ever experienced yet offered the most exquisite pleasure. Her climax was quick and powerful. She recovered her breath in his arms as he soothed her, comforted her.
When she was quiet, he kissed her tenderly. “Are you all right?”
“Mmm…” she murmured tenderly, caressing the lines of his dark face.
She felt the urgency of his own passion. She automatically offered herself to him, closing her arms and legs around him as he sank deep inside of her. Neither one of them got much sleep that night as they loved each other through the night.
Taylor woke to Donald’s warm kiss. “You’re dressed,” she said, her arms going around his neck. She rubbed her cheek against his hair-roughened chin. He felt so delightfully male.
“Come on, get up. Run with me.” As usual he had a piece of fruit in his hand. Taylor was amazed at the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables the man consumed on a daily basis.
“Run?” she said in disbelief, taking a small bite of the apple he offered her.
“As in along the jogging path in the park,” he teased, kissing her soft lips.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Come on. We’ll start out slow.”
“How far?”
“Couple of miles,” he hedged with a grin.
“I’ll never make it.”
“Sure you will. We’ll start out really slow. Coming?” he asked with a playful glint in his eyes.
“Yeah,” she said, pushing out her chin. “Give me five minutes to put some water on myself.”
“You don’t shower before you sweat. You shower after.” He laughed at the look of disbelief she sent him, while enjoying the view as she rose.
“Put the coffee on. I have a feeling I am going to need it.”
She showered and dressed in jeans, a turtleneck and one of her brother’s oversized sweatshirts. She was glad she had packed her athletic shoes.
“Where’d you get that?” he asked, eyeing the University of Detroit shirt, handing her a mug of steaming hot brew.
“It’s Scott’s,” she said, taking a fortifying sip.
He didn’t like the idea of her wearing any man’s clothes other than his own. He walked over to the bureau and pulled out an equally thick sweatshirt with the Chicago Bull’s logo on the front.
“Here.”
“You want me to change?”
More concerned about her lack of make-up than what she wore, she shrugged. Other than the quick comb she’d run through her thick curls and the coated band she’d used to hold it out of her face and the trace of lipstick she’d used, she didn’t feel attractive. No—that wasn’t exactly true. She may not look beautiful, but she felt that way. She had never felt so well loved.
“Yeah,” he said, giving her a hard, possessive kiss
Taylor wanted to laugh, but she threw her arms around his neck and gave as good as she got.
“Keep that up and we won’t make it to the front door,” he said, forcing his mouth away from hers.
“Doesn’t sound so bad.”
He shook his head, his hands going to the hem of her sweatshirt. “Let’s get going, girl. The morning is passing.” He normally was up and out at the crack of dawn. This morning he’d been sidetracked as he lay holding her, enjoying her softness, refusing to even consider leaving her.
Taylor was limping on the way back, wondering how he did this day after day. But then his body was finely toned. “I should have stayed in bed.”
“Come on, sweet stuff. Let me carry you.”
“No way. I plan to return as I left—under my own steam.”
He wasn’t even winded but Taylor knew his workouts were much more strenuous than the miles he’d shared with her. She comforted herself with the realization that he had asked for her company. Perhaps he enjoyed her companionship as much as she enjoyed his. As long as they avoided certain topics, they got along fine.
“You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” He placed his arm around her waist. They had stopped on the way back to have breakfast and for Taylor to catch her breath.
“No, just wore myself out.”
They walked back, holding hands, laughing and teasing each other. Donald left for practice while Taylor relaxed with a book while soaking her feet in hot sudsy water.
Taylor dressed carefully for their night on the town. He was taking her to a play, then a late night supper. She had selected the short, red strapless dress that clung in all the right places. A long-sleeved, high-neck, red lace jacket was buttoned to her throat and worn over the dress. The outfit drew the eyes to the graceful lines of her body. She was able to wear a high heel without a single concern about her height. Pearl drop earrings and a gold ankle bracelet were her only jewelry. Her hair was off her neck in a French roll and soft curls framed her face.
Donald was dressed in a black, three-piece suit, learned with pale gray shirt and gray and black striped tie. He looked as if he’d just stepped out of the pages of G.Q.
She felt his lips on the side of her neck. “You look good, girl. Let’s stay home.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Not a chance.” She turned in his arms, her arms going around his waist. “Thank you. You look good yourself, handsome.” She brushed her lips with his, careful not to leave red lipstick traces. “Would you really rather stay in tonight, rest? You really don’t have to entertain me.”
Donald could think of nothing he wanted more than to spend the evening alone with this lovely woman. Their time together was going much too quickly.
No, he wouldn’t spoil the evening by thinking about her leaving.
He said, “Hey, I’m not so old, I can’t show my lady my city.” He placed a warm velvet cape around her shoulders, savoring their closeness for a few moments. “Ready?”
“Yes,” she nodded, allowing herself to rest against him. He was so wonderfully big, but more important, she truly enjoyed his company. If only their time wasn’t always so limited. After this weekend how long would it be before they saw each other again? Two weeks? Three? More?
His voice was rough with emotion when he said, “Let’s go.”
He took her to the Briar Street Theater to see the play Having Our Say.
“I can’t remember when I enjoyed anything more. Those Delany sisters were a marvel. Imagine living a hundred years!”
“Have you read their story?” Donald asked as he helped her into the car. He was glad he had only been recognized and not stopped for his autograph. He didn’t want anything to take away from this special night with Taylor.
“No. Have you?”
“Yes, it was a good read. I’ll lend you my copy; you’ll enjoy it.”
She smiled at him. “Thanks. Did you hear that one of the sisters passed?”
“Yes, Bessie in ‘96 at the age of 104. I understand her sister still lives in New York.”
That was one of the things she enjoyed most about him, that he was well-read despite his busy schedule. He often relaxed with a book.
Dinner was supposed to be romantic, in a candlelit restaurant overlooking the city’s bright lights far below. A flashbulb going off in their faces as they quietly talked, holding hands, was only the first in a series of intrusions. The annoying photographer was quickly ushered out by the management. By the time their meal had arrived, they had been interrupted a minimum of seven to eight times either for Donald’s autograph or for his comment on the team’s chance of winning another championship. The photographer had evidently let the entire restaurant know he was present.
“I’m sorry,” he said, tightly.
“It’s not your doing,” she shrugged. Taylor only picked at the lobster and pasta in cream sauce on her plate, wondering how he could stand it. His privacy was constantly being invaded. They had said less than half a dozen words to each other since they arrived at the restaurant.
He did not try to hide his frustration with the way their evening had turned out. There wasn’t a thing that the restaurant had to offer that could compare to being alone with Taylor. She made him smile. She brought, a special kind of joy into his world and eased the emptiness.
He could be ruthless, a natural competitor. He had accomplished all the career goals he had set for himself. What he hadn’t done was even come close to completing his personal goals. He wanted the same kind of closeness and love his parents had shared over the years. He wanted what his sister and Jess had, as well as Carl and Margie. He wanted that for himself. What did Taylor want? A lifelong commitment? Or a few weeks of being highly entertained by traveling the country at his side?
“You’re not eating,” she whispered.
“I have other things on my mind. This evening has not turned out the way I’d planned. We haven’t been able to say more than three words to each other without being interrupted. How disappointed would you be if we left now?” He lifted an inquiring brow. He was more than ready to put an end to their so-called night on the town. He wanted nothing more than to spend what was left of the evening alone with Taylor.
She didn’t hesitate to nod her agreement. Donald had the bill taken care of and had the car brought around before she could collect her things.
“How can you put up with it?” she asked, once they were under way.
“You get used to it. Most of the time it really doesn’t bother me.” He sighed, glancing at her momentarily before returning his attention to the road. “Tonight was different. This was supposed to be a special night for you.”
“I think it would drive me crazy. People can be so rude.”
“Yeah. Most of the time it’s not an intrusion.”
“Then you have no regrets?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t say that. I hate the demands success places on my time. But I have plenty of perks. I’ve been able to live well and I’ve been able to help my family and others.”
They had barely closed the front door when Donald cupped her shoulder, then said, “I’m sorry our evening was spoiled.”
Taylor looked up into his dark eyes. “This is so silly. I know who you are, I’ve seen you play. All I have to do is look around in order to see the proof of your success. Tonight kind of shoved the truth in my face. I suppose, I just don’t think of you as famous, not since we…” her voice trailed away.
“Taylor, I don’t know what you want me to say. It was bound to happen sooner or later. This is my town. I am well-known here.”
“You’re well-known across the entire country. No, the world,” she paused before going on to say, “Your life is not your own.”
He shook his head before saying, “You’re wrong. It just takes some getting used to.” He couldn’t help wondering if she had found another reason to push him away. “Come here.” When she didn’t hesitate to take a step into his arms, he was able to let out a breath he wasn’t even aware of holding. “Finally…” he sighed wearily.
Taylor relaxed against him, slowly accepting that this was what she had wanted all evening, to be alone with him. “Hold me. Make love to me, please.”
Donald trembled, his entire body suddenly taut with sexual excitement. As Donald’s lips covered hers, he wondered if he would ever get his fill of this lovely woman. In just a few short weeks she had turned his life upside down. He remembered how empty his world had been without her. He didn’t want to go back to that.
Their kisses were slow and intense. Donald was the first to pull away, his heart pounding with excitement. The prospect of ending the evening with her within the shared intimacy of his home thrilled him to the core. Yet, there was so much left unsaid between them. Besides, he had only so much control.
When it came to Taylor, he could forget everything, even his resolve not to jeopardize his ability to play well and hard the next, afternoon. It meant that he had to postpone his release until alter the game.
He caressed her cheek. “Would you like something to drink? Wine? Coffee?”
“What is it? Don’t you want to…make love?” Her body stiffened with tension.
Donald sighed. “I really don’t want to go into the bedroom right now.” He had loosened his tie and tossed his jacket and it over a chair. He sank down on the leather sofa kicking off his shoes. He dropped his head back against the cushions and propped his feet up on the coffee table. “Join me.”
Taylor shivered, confused and hurt by his standoffishness. Something was wrong. What was it? What happened to cause such a drastic change in him? Suddenly, she was feeling decidedly unsure of herself and his behavior didn’t ease her worry.
If she was a bold woman, she would have demanded an explanation. That was not her style. It hurt to think he had tired of her. She told herself she was overreacting…making much to do about nothing. She’d taken a sizable risk when she decided to come to him. There was no way for her not to be vulnerable to him. Right now, the decision to come to him didn’t seem like a wise one.
Instead of moving toward him, she firmly shook her head “I don’t think so. Excuse me.”
Donald swore, realizing that he had hurt her feelings, which was the last thing he had intended. “Sweetheart, wait.”
She’d hurried toward the bedroom they’d shared the night before. He caught her before she could reach it.
“Taylor…”
Slowly, she turned to face him, angry with herself for wearing her feelings on her sleeve for him to knock loose. Although her instincts told her to pack her things and go home, get as far away from this situation and this man as she possibly could, she stood her ground, trying to ignore the tears burning the back of her lids.
“Yes?”
“You don’t understand.”
“And you are not interested in explaining,” she surmised.
“Hell! I’m doing this badly. This has nothing to do with not wanting you. Girl, you had me so hot that all I could think about was having you nude beneath me as soon as possible.”
“I don’t remember offering an objection,” she said, unaware of the way she twisted her hands nervously.
Why was she putting herself through this? She’d known from the first that his attention span when it came to women was, no doubt, limited. She certainly hadn’t gone into this with hopes of a rose colored future. She hadn’t expected it to last longer than their first weekend. Now here she was, a few weeks later, still involved with him and caring more for him than she had ever believed possible. She had no one to blame but herself because she had gone into it with her eyes wide open. Her only saving grace was that she had not done the unpardonable. She had not fallen in love with the man.
By remaining involved with him, she had set herself up for a hurtful mistake. She had begun to expect too much from him. If he was tired of her, he was doing a lousy job of telling her. Although she could not help wondering what could have made him change his mind so unexpectedly. Just last night, he had welcomed her with open, hungry arms.
“I lost my head, sweetness,” he said, gently stroking the curve of her cheek.
“Like I said, I don’t re…” she stopped abruptly, forcing herself to meet his eyes. She had made a painful error in asking for his lovemaking.
“You’re not the problem. I am.” He cupped her shoulders, ignoring her attempts to move away. “Don’t. Let me hold you.”
To her horror, she realized she did not have the will to protest. She wanted to be in his arms as much as he suddenly seemed to want her. She had no choice but to accept the truth. She had no pride as far as he was concerned. As angry and upset as she was with him she found her cheek against his chest, her face buried in his throat. When it came right down to it, where he was concerned, she was downright pitiful.
“Donald, just tell me what’s happening here.”
“Okay, but let’s sit down so we can talk more comfortably.” Once they were seated side by side on the sofa, his arm around her shoulders, he said, “My game was really off at practice today. Lately, I can’t seem to concentrate on anything but you. I won’t go out on that court tomorrow afternoon and make a fool of myself.”
“What does that have to do with us? I asked you to make love to me and you pushed it aside as if it didn’t matter.”
“There’s nothing I want more than to make love to you, sweetness.” He placed a warm kiss on her soft lips, but he made no effort to deepen the exchange. “I want to take you again and again as I did last night,” his voice huskier than normal. “Sweetheart, my control around you is just plain lousy. I have to work tomorrow. I can’t be up all night making love to you. I can’t do that if I come inside of your sweet heat.”
Taylor blinked in shock. “Really?
“Really. I have to be at my best on the court, so…”
“So we don’t make love.” She looked up into the darkness of his eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought that you didn’t want to be with me.”
“How could you possibly believe that after what we shared last night?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry. I suppose I overreacted.” She pressed her lips tenderly against his. “Rejection hurts.”
“I never rejected you. How could I?” He kissed her throat, lingered at the sensitive base. “You know how to press all my buttons,” he whispered throatily.
She trembled in his arms, unable to sort out her jumbled emotions. All she knew was that she cared about him and didn’t want to lose him. She would no doubt live to regret it, but she didn’t even want to think of a time when he was not a part of her world.
“You are staying until Monday, aren’t you, baby?”
A few minutes ago Taylor didn’t think she would ever feel like smiling again. Now her laughter flowed freely.
“Well?” he persisted.
“Yes.”
His mouth was red-hot with need as he ravished her mouth. “Thank you. We wouldn’t have this problem if you lived here in Chicago.”
“We wouldn’t have this problem if you lived in Detroit.” They both laughed holding each other close. For now they were together. For now it had to be enough. “Let’s make popcorn and curl up and watch videos,” he suggested, knowing full well that that was the very last thing he wanted to do. But he was badly in need of a diversion.
“Denzel was the best choice.” They shared a double lounger in the recreational room in front of a wide screen television.
“Yeah, sure. You just can’t see past the man’s good looks like all the other sisters in America.”
“The man is fine!” she said with emphasis, determined to ignore the way her body automatically responded to his closeness. Her head had been on his shoulder as she leaned back against him.
“If you say so.” His gaze lingered on her pretty mouth. She was dressed in his blue silk pajama top, which stopped at her knees leaving a good portion of her long shapely legs bare while he wore the pajama bottoms. “More apple juice?” The huge bowl of buttered popcorn was almost gone and only a quarter of the pitcher of juice remained.
“Not for me. I don’t want to be up all night,” she said, covering a yawn. “Ready to turn in?”
“Go on. I won’t be long.”
She touched her mouth against his before she left.
He sat staring out at the lake, marveling at the complexity of his emotions. He had forgotten everything, even what was best for him under the strain of wanting her so badly. He had come close to hurting her because of his embarrassing lack of control. He had been functioning on hormones instead of brainpower. For the first time, she had shown initiative in their lovemaking; as a result, he had completely lost his head for a while there. He had been concentrating on nothing more than that overwhelming hunger.
He’d been lucky. She had accepted his explanation. For a few minutes there he had been afraid that he had lost her, something that had nearly sent him into a panic. They had just really found each other, just become lovers. He was not about to do anything to jeopardize what they had. It was too special, too rare. He worked hard to get past her resentment and he was not fooling himself into thinking it was in the past. Even though they were lovers, she was devoted and loyal to her family. Both qualities he adored in her. He wanted those feelings directed his way. He told himself he needed to be patient. It would come in time. She was more than worth the wait.
She was asleep when he quietly entered the bedroom. His disappointment was all over his face as he stood studying her beauty. He enjoyed looking at her, especially enjoyed seeing her in his bed.
The bed was certainly large enough for them to sleep independent of each other. He did not even entertain the thought. No way was he going to deprive himself of the pleasure of holding her all night long. When he slid in beside her, she didn’t wake but curved her body to fit against his. Her breath was warm against his throat. He sighed heavily. Eventually, he slept, a smile on his lips.