Melissa groaned as she rummaged through her tote bag for the small umbrella she usually kept inside. Unable to find it, she muttered a curse and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. After typing in her passcode, Melissa selected the rideshare app she used to request a ride home and rolled her eyes at the driver’s estimated arrival time. Had she listened to her inner voice, Melissa would have driven her own car. But nooo, hoping to save time, gas money, and reduce her carbon footprint, Melissa bummed a ride with Jayla since they were both working the evening shift. Now, instead of being on her way home, she was standing outside of the hospital, caught in a late August rain shower, waiting for a complete stranger to pick her up in a city she was slowly getting to know.
The intelligent thing to do was to go into the building to avoid getting any wetter than she already was, but Melissa was too tired. Her body felt like lead. The ringing of her phone jarred Melissa. She glanced down at the screen, hoping it was the driver she requested, telling her she was nearby. But instead of an unknown number flashing across the screen, a smiling picture of her and Elijah popped up.
“Why are you calling me?” Melissa asked in lieu of a greeting.
The sound of Elijah’s laughter floated across the line, warming Melissa from her head to her toes. “Oh, so that’s how we’re greeting each other from now on? No good morning?”
“Good morning. Now,” Melissa paused, shifting her phone from one ear to the other as she pulled the tote bag off her shoulder, “why are you calling me? Shouldn’t you still be asleep or something?”
“Probably. But the truth is I haven’t been to sleep yet.”
Melissa checked her phone to see the whereabouts of her driver and smacked her teeth. The driver canceled the ride request. Using the opportunity to go hands-free, Melissa rummaged through her bag to find her earphones. Once located, she pulled them out and plugged them in the socket before sticking one of the buds in her ears.
“Melissa? Did you hear me?”
“Yeah, I was putting on my headphone. So, why haven’t you gone to sleep yet?”
“I wasn’t sleepy.” A low rustling came through the phone line. “And since you’re asking me questions early in the morning, I have one for you.”
She pictured him lying naked between the rumpled sheets of his bed, one hand draped behind his head as the other held the phone. His eyes blood-shot red from the lack of sleep, but the smile she’d come to enjoy, more and more these days, stretching his handsome face.
Swiping to unlock her phone, Melissa logged back into her rideshare app. She entered her location and the drop-off point. “Okay, shoot.”
“Why are you standing in the rain?”
Melissa looked at her phone to see if she’d accidentally hit the button to video chat instead of answering a phone call. The only details on the screen were Elijah’s phone number and the time indicating the duration of their conversation.
“Because your friend decided to wait until twenty minutes before our shift ended to pull Jayla into surgery. What grown-ass, Black man has freckles?” Melissa briefly met AJ, along with Patrick, a few days after the passing of Bernard Salvatore, about a month ago. Since then, when time permitted, Melissa—along with Jayla—would stop by AJ’s office, as they’d done earlier in the evening. However, Melissa had been shocked to see Elijah there since he’d worked a mid-afternoon shift. “How did you know I was standing in the rain?”
“Because I’m looking at you,” Elijah said, his voice lowering to a seductive octave. “I’m across the parking lot, near the lamppost, right in front of you.”
Melissa smiled so hard her cheeks began to hurt. She started across the parking lot. “I can’t believe you came back for me.”
“I never left the hospital. I needed to catch up on some work.” As Melissa drew closer, a smile crested Elijah’s lips. “You look so sleepy, yet you’re so beautiful.”
“Like Sleeping Beauty?”
“More like a Sleepy Beauty,” Elijah said with a chuckle.
“Look at you, knowing a little bit about Disney movies.” Melissa stopped walking to allow a car to pass. “But Sleeping Beauty didn’t have a horse and carriage. She only had a prince who didn’t understand boundaries and the need for consent.”
“I know who Sleeping Beauty is.” Elijah pushed off the hood of his car and climbed inside. A couple of seconds later, the passenger side door opened. “But you better hurry up. It’s almost seven-thirty. You don’t want your four-hundred-fifteen horse-powered carriage to transform into a pumpkin before I show you a whole new world.”
“Whatever.” Melissa smacked her lips together. A few seconds later, she slid onto the stitched leather seats and closed the door behind her. The heady, earthy notes of his cologne wrapped snuggly around her body, warding off the chill from her damp clothing. Her stomach muscles clenched in anticipation of his touch and the taste of his lips while images of their naked bodies tangled between the sheets of her bed or his flashed vividly in her mind.
“Are you okay?” Elijah shifted in his seat to face Melissa. They weren’t touching, but Elijah was so close, the heat radiating from his body singed her skin.
“Mmm-hmm.” She glanced away, blindly watching as the thick raindrops splashed against the window though she felt the weight of Elijah’s gaze on her.
“Then look at me.”
When Melissa did, her breath stacked up at the base of her throat. There was something arousing about the way his eyes drank in every inch of her frame, lingering on her breasts, thighs, and her lips as she instinctively traced them with the tip of her tongue when his eyes settled there.
“Tell me to stop,” Elijah said huskily. His gaze shifted from her eyes to her mouth.
“I can’t,” she whispered. Melissa was unsure of who moved first, but the moment Elijah’s hand cupped the back of her neck and slammed his lips on hers, she was lost to everything except this moment. She wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him as much as the center console would allow. He tasted of chai with the right amount of honey and a flavor uniquely his own. Sweet and oh so delicious.
Threading his fingers through her wet hair, Elijah pulled Melissa closer. He released a low groan, sending slivers of wanton desire dancing down her spine and straight to the seat of her panties. Melissa couldn’t think straight, let alone force herself to do what the voice of reason in the back of her head was screaming—to remind Elijah where they were, who could be watching, and of all the reasons why Melissa didn’t want to be seen in public necking with Elijah like a teenager at a drive-thru movie theater.
But when his lips left hers and planted themselves at the pulse point in her neck, Melissa was grateful she’d taken a quick shower and changed out of her scrubs. Then his hands slid from her hair, over the slope of her shoulders, down her arms, with one slipping beneath the hem of her shirt while the other landed on her thigh. How was Melissa supposed to utter the single word that could end torture this sweet? Of their own accord, her knees fell apart, allowing Elijah the access he wanted, and Melissa was readily willing to give.
“Melissa, you’re so beautiful.” He nipped at her earlobe, then soothed the spot with his tongue. “And before you say anything, I know where we are. I know I need to stop what I’m doing, where this could easily lead.” Elijah cupped her breasts and rubbed the pads of his thumbs over the soft cotton of her sports bra, causing her nipples to harden into stiff peaks and a moan to tumble from her lips. “But, baby, it’s so hard to when you keep making those sweet sounds.”
Mustering what little strength she had, Melissa pushed Elijah away. She fumbled with the seat belt until Elijah reached over and took it from her hands, safely buckling her in. He gently kissed her forehead, then fastened his own seat belt.
Elijah shifted the car into gear and eased out of the parking spot into a stream of traffic waiting to leave the lot. “So, how’d your shift go?”
“It went okay, wasn’t too busy.” She covered her mouth to suppress a yawn.
Elijah smiled as he maneuvered the vehicle into the left lane. “Rest those beautiful eyes. With this early morning traffic and the construction, it’s gonna take a while to get you home.”
Melissa shook her head. “But how is it fair for me to get some sleep, but you don’t?” She raised a brow. “Why don’t you let me drive you home? You’ve been up longer than I have.”
“True, but right now, my number one concern is you.”
“And you’re my number one concern.” Melissa took her hand in his. “You need sleep as much as I do.”
“That I’ll get once I take you home.” He squeezed her hand in reassurance.
“Your place or mine?” Melissa asked, over the thunderous drumming of her heart. Her body hummed in anticipation of his answer. All she wanted was him.
Elijah eased the car to a stop at the traffic light and glanced over to Melissa. His full lips curved into a sexy side smirk. “Yours. It’s closer.”
Thanks to an accident and construction on the roads, what should have been an easy fifteen-minute journey to her home took more than thirty. And though they’d kept a steady flow of conversation between them, Melissa’s mind—and body—counted down the minutes and seconds until she was back in Elijah’s arms. Unbuckling her seat belt, Melissa slid closer to Elijah and leaned across the console. She wrapped her arms around his neck, using just enough strength to pull Elijah to her, and brushed her lips over the shell of his ear.
Melissa trailed the tip of her tongue over his earlobe before gently drawing it between her teeth. One hand slid over the well-defined muscles of his chest, the taut ridges of his abs. She smiled to herself, enjoying the feel of his stomach muscles contracting beneath her touch, but it was his swift intake of breath—as her hand traveled lower, and the animalistic growl he released when she stroked his hardening sex—left Melissa bursting at the seams, threatening to become undone. Her breasts were heavy, nipples ached with need, her clit pulsed, and although Melissa was fighting a losing battle with her own body’s desire, she refused to let up.
“Shit, Melissa—”
Her lips crashed hungrily against his in an all-consuming, breath-robbing, toe-curling kiss, silencing whatever protest Elijah thought to say. Desire shot through her veins like a sudden burst of energy, and Melissa welcomed it. Her tongue plunged into the warmth of Elijah’s mouth, grazing his before retreating back and snaking over his bottom lip.
Damn, he tastes so good. She never got tired of tasting him, of enjoying his unique blend. Elijah took possession of her body in a way that left Melissa craving his touch when they were apart. That hunger often kept her awake at night, pretending the hand squeezing her breasts, caressing her thighs, stroking her to an explosive climax that had stars bursting behind her closed lids, were his and not her own. As their tongues tangled and swayed to the thunderous beating of their hearts, Melissa couldn’t stop herself from thinking about his masterful tongue and all the wicked things it did to her. But more important than the mind-numbing sex, Elijah staked a claim of her heart, her mind, her soul, and damn if it didn’t feel so good to let go and be the woman she wanted to be with him.
Without warning, Elijah pulled back, breaking the kiss. Melissa groaned in protest even as her lungs celebrated—thankful to the airflow restored to them. He rested his forehead against hers. The shallow sounds of their breathing mingled. Elijah removed the keys from the ignition, then opened the car door to step out into the rain. His dark eyes were clouded with unmistakable lust and appeared midnight black. He quickly rounded the hood to help Melissa out of the passenger seat.
Slamming the door shut, Elijah pulled Melissa into his arms and pressed a quick kiss on her lips. He pressed the key fob, locking the car, and took Melissa’s hand in his as he ushered them toward the front door of her building. No words were said, nor were they needed because Melissa knew exactly what she wanted both now and hopefully the foreseeable future. Elijah.
From the moment Melissa leaned over the console and pressed her mouth to his, nothing else mattered to Elijah but the woman driving him insane with her lips, tongue, teeth, and soft hands. It never crossed his mind what the scene looked like to anyone passing them by, him devouring Melissa whole. In those moments, all Elijah thought about was how his body was being consumed by the flames of desire only Melissa could extinguish.
Even now, while he watched Melissa rummage through her tote bag for her keys, Elijah couldn’t keep his hands—or his lips—off her. He ran a trail from the hollow spot behind her ear to her neck and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the sweet, intoxicating scent of Melissa. As Melissa found her keys, he blazed kisses over her heated skin and suckled on the sensitive spot near her pulse point, which Elijah knew drove Melissa completely wild.
“Oh. Eli. Please, baby. Don’t… Oooh,” she breathlessly chanted. She dropped her head back against his shoulder, offering him more access to the column of her neck.
“Don’t what, baby?” Elijah’s hands gripped her waist, pushing himself forward to rest the thick erection tenting his sweats against her plush backside.
Melissa whimpered, rolling her hips to a beat only she could hear.
Elijah gritted out a curse, his hands tightening on her hips to still them. “Babe, if you don’t want us to give your new neighbors a show they’ll never forget, you gotta stop.”
“Is that a promise, Dr. Grayson?” Melissa reached back between their bodies and cupped his manhood, squeezing gently. “Because it sounds like you’re threatening me with a… Very. Good. Time.” She punctuated the last three words with a bounce of her butt.
Elijah smiled inwardly. He loved this side of Melissa. The woman who wasn’t afraid to say what she wanted—or how she wanted it. Being with her was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The changes in Melissa weren’t as dramatic and only happened whenever she was in the mood. Like when lust coursed through her body, and the need to have him totally eclipsed every single thought that usually caused her to live inside of her head and question herself.
He braced one hand on the side of the door while the other slipped inside of the elastic waistband of her leggings and over the damp material of her panties. Elijah nipped her ear as his hand stroked her through the fabric. “You’re so wet, baby. So ready for me. I need to be inside of you now.”
To anyone watching, the embrace would appear innocent, like two lovers caught up in an intimate moment, but Elijah knew otherwise. This knowledge, along with Melissa’s mewing and the undulating of her hips as his caresses grew bolder and more fevered, were the only reasons why Elijah forced his hands from her pants. But not before he bunched her panties together and pulled gently, apply the right amount of friction against her clit to cause Melissa’s body to shudder hard. She threw her head back, her mouth forming the perfect “O” as she splintered into a million tiny pieces in his arms. His breathing escalated as the need to pump his hips into Melissa’s fist and follow her over the edge of sexual bliss clawed at his neck. But Elijah wouldn’t, not like this. He wanted to be buried to the hilt inside of Melissa and feel her walls clenching him when he released. His hold on her tightened as he watched, somewhat transfixed, as the last remnants of her orgasm subsided along with her soft whimpers. Elijah smiled, pressing his lips to her temple.
“I’m not done with you yet.”
He took the key from her hands, stuck it into the lock, and opened the door. They were barely inside before Elijah swept Melissa into his arms and backed her against the nearest wall. His mouth boldly possessed hers, fueled by an insatiable thirst only Melissa could quench. And although they both weren’t due back to work until the following day, their time together was never enough.
Shit, an eternity with her would never be enough.
Breaking the kiss, much to Melissa’s dismay, Elijah peppered kisses on the side of her lips, her chin, her jawline, finally sinking his teeth into the crook of her neck before soothing the bite with his tongue. He gripped the bottom of her shirt, yanking it over her head, and tossed it a couple feet away. “As much as I want to take my time with you, I feel like I’ll die if I don’t get inside of you.”
“Good,” Melissa said, wearing a saucy smile on her full lips. She reached for his shirt and pulled it over his head, recklessly tossing it aside. “Because I don’t want to wait.”
Reaching for Melissa again, Elijah quickly did away with her bra, adding it to the growing pile of clothing littering the living room floor. It was a flurry of activity. Lips kissing, tongues licking, teeth biting, hands touching, teasing, ripping away fabrics, as Elijah walked Melissa from the front door, through the open-floor living space, into her bedroom, and finally into the en-suite bathroom. Leaving a trail of clothing in their wake.
“Did you grab a condom?” Melissa asked, panting once Elijah broke their kiss to grab a shower cap from a hook on the closet door.
He groaned. In their haste to undress, he’d shed his pants with his wallet tucked inside somewhere between the front door and Melissa’s bedroom. A little voice inside of his head said to forget the condom and deal with possible consequences later, but Elijah knew better. After placing a kiss on her shoulder, Elijah ran out of the bathroom, through the bedroom, finding his pants on the carpeted floor near the laundry room. Grabbing his wallet, he fished through it, grabbing the prophylactics, then took off in a sprint, damn near tripping over the clothes on the floor to get back to Melissa.
A wall of steam greeted Elijah when he returned to the bathroom, but he could clearly make out the silhouette of Melissa’s shapely body. Her sensual movements, though completely innocent, caused him to grow harder. No longer able or willing to stave off the all-consuming need to bury himself between the warmth of her thighs, Elijah ripped open the package, sheathed himself, then stepped into the shower behind Melissa. “So, you decided to get started without me?” He took the exfoliating sponge from her hands and ran it over her back and shoulders.
Melissa glanced over her shoulder, tossing him a sassy smile. “You were taking way too long, Dr. Grayson.”
“Too long?” Elijah placed an open-mouthed kiss on the hollow area behind her ear. “I was only gone a couple of seconds.”
“Well, I—Oh,” she softly moaned, tilting her head slightly to give his lips better access to her neck.
“Well, you what, sweetheart? You were impatient?” He nipped Melissa’s earlobe, passing the sponge between the valley of her breasts, the undersides of them, over her stomach, and stopping on her upper thigh. His dick twitched between her ass cheeks as his other hand slipped between legs and dipped inside of her slickened womanly folds. “Were you trying to deny me the pleasure of washing your beautiful body?”
“N-No,” Melissa stuttered. She wrapped her arm around his neck and arched her back, poking her backside farther into his hardening length.
“It feels like you were. And don’t think for a second I didn’t hear you call me Dr. Grayson.” Elijah pressed his lips to the shell of her ear. His thumb and middle fingers spread her lower lips as Elijah used his forefinger to tease her swollen clitoris. “You know what that does to me.”
Melissa tossed her head back, resting it against his shoulder, and moaned a barely audible, “Umm-hmm.”
“How when you purr it like only you can do, it turns me on?”
“Yes,” Melissa sighed.
He removed his hand from between Melissa’s legs and licked his fingers, tasting the sweetness of her essence. Melissa was delicious. If Elijah had it his way, he would spend the rest of the day—into the night—tasting her. But he was well aware of the need clawing at him to make love to Melissa. It was more than fulfilling the carnal desires of the flesh. Elijah wanted to speak the words on his heart his lips couldn’t say for fear of scaring Melissa.
Once he’d rinsed away the white suds from her body, Elijah tossed the sponge down and pushed the shower lining out of the tub, sending water flying onto the tiled floor.
“Elijah!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll clean it up,” Elijah said, not giving a damn about the mess he’d made since they’d left a trail of their clothing from the front door to Melissa’s bedroom.
“You better,” Melissa snapped.
Seconds later, the air hissed from her lungs when Elijah lifted her leg up on the side of the tub and plunged two fingers inside of her. Elijah sank his teeth into the side of her neck, his fingers moving in and out of her core with slow, unhurried strokes. “What was that you were saying? I better what?”
“Ohh,” she moaned, rocking her hips in time to the rhythm of his thrusting fingers. When Elijah’s thumb skimmed her nub, Melissa whimpered. “Eli—”
Taking her lips with his own, Elijah silenced his name on her mouth. He twirled his tongue with hers in a sensual dance, thrusting it in and out of her mouth, mimicking the pumping of his fingers inside of her core. With his free hand lightly squeezing her neck, Elijah plundered her mouth as if in search of a treasure only she possessed. Lungs burning from the lack of air, Elijah released his hold on her lips but rested his forehead against hers. The sound of her labored breathing filled the air between them.
“Dammit, baby, do you know what you do to me? How hard I get just seeing you? How beautiful you are when you’re on the verge of coming, baby?” He took her hand and placed it on his painfully hard erection while his fingers continued their assault. “Let it go, baby. Come for me.”
She released a strangled cry from deep within her belly. Her body convulsed and quaked in Elijah’s arms; the muscles of her womanhood milked and contracted around his fingers as her orgasm detonated like a series of well-timed explosions. Elijah held onto Melissa, reveling in the feel of her in his arms, knowing he would never ever get enough of her.
Once her breathing returned to normal, Elijah withdrew his fingers from her and smiled. “See what happens when you get all impatient and do things without me? You have to get punished.”
“I was trying to help you out. Wash myself up to prevent you from coming up with an excuse as to why I can’t wash you.”
Delivering a stinging slap to her butt, Elijah smiled at the memory of the last shower they took together. He’d taken his time scrubbing every inch of Melissa’s body. Those slow, measured strokes of the washcloth against her heated skin drove Melissa to the brink of insanity. She’d begged and pleaded with him to hurry up and make love to her, but Elijah refused to relent, choosing not to give in to her harshly whispered demands, and continued his own brand of torture. At one point, Elijah had her so wound up that an innocent swipe across her breasts left Melissa breathless and trembling as a powerful orgasm ripped through her. But when it was Melissa’s turn to wash Elijah, she’d barely gotten the chance to touch the cloth to his skin before he’d lifted her against the cold tile of the shower wall and buried himself inside of her.
“You really wanna wash me, baby?” At the nodding of Melissa’s head, he grabbed the washcloth she’d laid out for him, then handed it to her as she turned around, reversing their positions until the pulsating spray of the water pelted the tense, corded muscles of his back. “I’m all yours.”
“As long as you remember that,” she whispered, coming up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’m going to get you all nice and clean.”
Elijah didn’t doubt it for one second, but the glint of mischief in her eyes set all the warning sirens in his head going off at the same time. She added gel to the rag, and Elijah quirked a brow. “You’re going to have me smelling like you, shea butter and honey.”
“Is that such a bad thing? If I recall correctly, you mentioned loving how good I smelled.” She ran the washcloth over his neck and shoulders, drawing tiny circles of suds over his skin. “You said it made your mouth water.” When she reached his arms, the pressure in her touch changed to one of gentleness, as if she were afraid she’d scrub away the ink of his tattoos.
“It does,” he paused briefly, adding, “on you.” Elijah sucked in a swift breath when Melissa passed the washcloth over his stomach. His muscles bunched under her ministrations. The sexy smile on her face let him know she was enjoying this far too much. Still, taking deep breaths, Elijah allowed her to continue, not at all caring that the sensations of the washcloth and the woman controlling its movements were having dizzying effects on his. He closed his eyes, forced air into his lungs, and willed himself to gain control of his thoughts, his emotions, and most importantly, his body. The last thing Elijah wanted was to allow Melissa to catch him slipping, and come without being inside of her.
Melissa laid a flat hand on his stomach. Her teeth gently tugged at his nipple before a cool swipe of her tongue soothed the sting. “Open your eyes.”
Slowly, Elijah opened his eyes, blinking his Nubian goddess back into focus. She was absolutely stunning—swollen, thoroughly kissed lips curved into a shy but dazzling smile, shower cap on her head, eyes brimming with desire, flawless skin. Before he could fix his mouth to tell her how beautiful she was, Melissa dropped to the shower floor in front of him. Taking Elijah into her hands, Melissa carefully rolled the condom off and swirled the tip of her tongue around the head of his member, moaning loudly as she looked up to him with a smirk on her lips.
“And you said I taste good.”
“Melissa, I— Oooh shit.” His hands shot to the sides of her head, pushing the shower cap off. He tossed his head back, fighting the urge to pump his hips, and threaded his wet fingers through her curls. Yeah, Elijah knew the importance of a shower cap to a Black woman’s hair. He knew, firsthand, everything Melissa did to maintain her luxuriously thick mane. But at that very minute, with Melissa twirling her tongue around his dick like it was her favorite summertime treat melting under the sun, and her eyes locked on his with an intensity that could burn him alive, Elijah didn’t give a damn. He’d gladly help her pre-shampoo, shampoo, deep condition, condition, and style her hair if it meant Melissa would never stop delivering this sweet form of torture.
Melissa scrapped her teeth over the length of his engorged manhood as she pulled it from her mouth, making a popping sound, then smiled. “You’re lucky I planned to retwist my hair because if I didn’t…” She wrapped her hands around his shaft and flicked her tongue over the slit of his mushroom-shaped tip. “I’d be so mad at you right now.”
Lucky for me, Elijah thought, unable to voice the sentiment. How could he when he was entranced by the sight of this beautiful woman—his beautiful woman—taking him into the warm recesses of her mouth? Elijah was utterly captivated by the way her tongue snaked around him, the feel of the tip of his dick hitting the back of her throat as the water from the shower rained down on them, causing steam to swirl around them and Melissa’s hair to become plastered to her face. And the sounds she made? Those moans of appreciation that bounced off the wall of the bathroom? The slurping and gurgling that emerged from her throat as she bobbed her head up and down to a rhythm so sensual and sexy? It was all a masterfully composed symphony, and Melissa Gaines was the conductor. He dug his nails into her hair, massaging her scalp as his hips pistoled forward on their own accord.
Forcing his heavy-lidded gaze on Melissa, Elijah’s mind raced with thoughts on any and everything except giving in to the sensations of his impending orgasm building deep inside of him. He mentally went over his schedule, counted the number of gray tiles in his direct line of sight, and even tried saying the alphabet backward, but Elijah was losing a fight he’d never had a chance in hell of winning. Whether he liked it or not, if he didn’t get control of his body or Melissa, he was going to come in her mouth and not inside of her.
Melissa cupped his testicles in one of her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze while stroking him from the base of his shaft to his tip. “You like that, baby?”
Elijah mumbled something that resembled a ‘yes’ to his ears, but he couldn’t be too sure.
She pushed his shaft up until it rested against his stomach, dipped her head, then pulled his balls into her mouth, sucking, licking, and nibbling on them. “What about this?”
“Shi— M-Melissa … b-baby.” Elijah shook his head, unable to believe he’d been reduced to stuttering. Needing to take control of this interlude, Elijah yanked Melissa to her full height, snatched the condom from her and quickly donned it. He pressed a hard kiss to her lips, spun her around, ignoring the bewildered look on her face, and in one swift motion, Elijah was buried inside of her to the hilt. “You feel so damn good, baby,” Elijah groaned, gripping her hips as his body slammed into hers, over and over and over again. The sound of their slickened bodies slapping together with each powerful thrust he delivered echoed throughout the bathroom.
“Oh…oh…yes! Shhhh …”
“Hmm, sweetheart. What was that?” Elijah slapped her on the ass, never once breaking his rhythm. “Did you say something?”
Melissa shook her head and braced her hands on the wall in front of her, arching her back. “N-No, please don’t stop, Elijah.”
“Oh, you want me to stop?” Elijah stopped thrusting and rotated his hips in a circle, hitting the very spot inside of her he knew would cause a wave of pleasure to crash through Melissa like a tsunami.
“Nooooo,” Melissa whined.
Elijah tightened his hold on her, alternating between grinding his hips and agonizingly slow thrusts. He reached between her thighs to tease her clit, causing Melissa to curse and scream out his name as seismic tremors racked her body and her orgasm erupted like an active volcano. The feel of her walls clenching and milking Elijah spurred him on, sending him spiraling headfirst into his own release. He continued to thrust, spilling his seed into the condom until they were both spent.
“Wow,” Melissa panted, turning to face Elijah. She wound her arms around his neck. “I may be addicted to you, Dr. Grayson.”
Elijah cocked a questioning brow, though his pulse sped at her confession, and his heart soared. He kissed Melissa on the forehead. “Nurse Gaines, I know I’m addicted to you.”
Melissa covered her mouth to stifle a yawn. “You better be.”
“Trust me, baby. There’s no one I want but you.” Elijah stepped out of the tub, grabbed a towel from a rack, and dried himself and Melissa off. “And as much as I’m craving you right now, that yawn is telling me you need some sleep. C’mon.” He took her hand and headed toward the bedroom.
“Unh-uh, Dr. Grayson, not so fast. Aren’t you forgetting something?” She pursed her lips together and pointed to her hair. “You made this mess. You have to fix it.”
A couple hours later, Elijah tossed the covers off his naked body and climbed out of Melissa’s bed. Despite being tired, he couldn’t sleep.
“Where are you going?” Melissa asked, turning on her side to face Elijah. She stretched her arms over her head, yawning. “I thought you were…” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and forced a small smile. “I mean, you don’t have to leave. You can spend the night.” Melissa closed her eyes and released a shaky breath. “That is if you don’t already have plans.”
Cupping her chin, Elijah silenced Melissa’s rambling with a tender kiss. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “Sweetheart, I’m not going anywhere.” There was no way in hell Elijah could muster up enough strength to drive home, let alone get dressed. “But there’s that little matter of the mess we made in the bathroom with water splashing all over the floor, and we did leave a trail of clothing from the front door. I don’t want Jayla to come home to a messy house.”
“Oh,” she yawned again.
“Plus, I need to run to my car and grab my overnight bag.” He adjusted the silk bonnet on Melissa’s head.
As Elijah anticipated, Melissa recruited his help with her hair. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken them much time for her to wash and condition her hair. Melissa decided to do—what she’d referred to as—a chunky twist out and explained to Elijah she would undo the twists in the morning and wear her hair curly. It all fascinated Elijah and gave him a newfound appreciation and respect for natural-haired queens.
“Hurry back.” Melissa sighed deeply with a sleepy smile on her lips.
“I will.” But even as he said the words, he remained rooted in place, unable to hide the smile on his face as he watched the subtle rise and fall of Melissa’s chest in the oversized shirt. Elijah didn’t know why or even quite understand the sense of calm that overtook him as he stood there. Finally willing himself to get a move on so he could return to bed, Elijah leaned over the side of the bed and lightly touched her cheek.
“I love you, Elijah.”
Elijah reared back, shocked at the words she’d whispered in her sleep. His lips parted on a barely audible gasp. These were the words he’d wanted to say to her for the longest time, but she’d beaten him to the punch. Hearing Melissa profess her love for him, even in her sleep, set off fireworks in his mind. It was better than every joyous moment he ever experienced in life, and those he’d only dreamt of rolled into one. He quietly waited for Melissa to move, to open her eyes, to say she hadn’t meant to say the words his heart longed to hear, but instead, she snuggled farther under the covers, back into a peaceful sleep.
“I know, and I love you, Melissa.”
And Elijah would do whatever it took to cultivate and preserve their love.