Defenseless (16 page)

Dwayne's hands glided up the middle of her back, pressing her even tighter against the hard, muscled length of him. Her skin felt like satin between his fingers. Her lips tasted like fine wine, and he was drunk from their potency. Her lips teased his earlobe, and a rush of warmth raged within him. Her hand roamed down his back and proceeded to travel even lower. This time it was he who moaned in undeniable pleasure. His shirt slid soundlessly to the floor. Unable to bear this sweet torture, he swept her light form into his arms and proceeded to carry her up the stairs.

D
wayne laid Sonya against the firm mattress. He pulled his lips away to gaze into her passion-filled eyes. “You're so beautiful,” he whispered. When his lips returned, he heard a weak moan tumble from Sonya's lips. With skillful hands, he peeled Sonya's dress from her body.

Sonya's hands fumbled with Dwayne's pants.

“Here, let me,” he offered. In a flash, he stripped off the rest of his clothes. “Your turn,” he said seductively.

Sonya reached behind her and unfastened her bra. Dwayne drew in an audible gasp as he stared at her beautiful breasts. Sonya slid off the rest of her clothes and gazed at him.

Passion ate at Dwayne's soul when his eyes traced the curves of satin flesh that reminded him of a forbidden goddess. His hands moved to inspect what his gaze so hungrily devoured. The exquisite feel of her chipped at his sanity, making him want her more.

Sonya felt branded by a fire that burned from within. Another path of fire scalded her flesh as his caress roamed over her abdomen and descended lower. She felt dizzy from the sensations that pulsated through her as he aroused each sensitive point on her body. It seemed he had more than two hands as his fingertips kneaded her breast and strayed to her hips. She pressed closer to meet his ardent caresses. The sensations were indescribable as an ache of desire caused her to whimper.

Sonya gently twisted away, yearning to touch him as familiarly as he touched her. She wanted to satisfy her own curiosity of her Adonis. She combed her hands through the short crop of his hair, then brushed over the broad expanse of his chest to feel the beat of his heart beneath his palms.

Her eyes followed her curious touch, memorizing every inch of his sleek, muscular body, claiming it as her own. Dwayne sucked in his breath at the wondrous feelings he was experiencing. When their lips touched, Sonya felt certain she had surrendered her soul as she melted against him.

Dwayne heard the echo of his own sigh as she whispered his name against his ear. He moved above her, his body trembling with a fierce passion. He wanted to devour her and appease the tormenting craving her touch had stirred.

Sonya curled her arms over his shoulders and, unashamed, peered into his smoldering gray eyes. She saw a reflection of her own chaotic emotions.

“Sonya…” Her name tumbled from his lips as he pressed boldly against her. His mouth moved on hers in a silent request to lose herself to him. His arms tightened around her.

Sonya drifted along clouds of ecstasy as she surrendered to the feelings he stirred within her. It took her a moment to realize that they were not perched on lofty clouds, but were swaying to the rhythm of their own heartbeats.

His hand captured a firm breast, then his lips abandoned hers to circle the tanned peak. A quiet moan tumbled free as a blistering heat wave swept across her flesh. Her own caresses grew bold as she lowered her hand below his abdomen.

Dwayne gasped. “God, woman, you are driving me mad,” he whispered.

Sonya discovered every inch of his body, teasing and taunting him until he groaned in torment. Her lips flicked his hard nipple and then descended across his belly. Her inquiring hands fanned across his chest and then followed in the wake of her kisses until she had touched and tasted all of him.

Dwayne's heart thundered furiously, and his lungs seemed inoperable. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, he could only respond to the rapturous hunger spurting through his body.

Rapture that defied reason gripped him as she continued to explore the sensitive points of his body. He shuddered and felt ready to explode if he couldn't bury himself in her soon. He was oblivious to everything but the maddening urge to end this wild torture by plunging into the blaze.

Sonya cried out as he lunged into her. Pain ripped through her, and she gasped for breath. She had forgotten there would be pain.

“Oh God!” Dwayne pulled away.

Sonya's eyes glazed with unshed tears as she gently pulled his head back to meet her hungry kiss. She wanted, needed, for him to continue. “Please,” she whispered, urging him on.

This time, he entered slowly. Her arms slid around his back as she dug her fingernails into his skin. He thrust toward her and then withdrew, letting her adjust to the experience of accepting a man. It was with deliberate effort that Dwayne kept from ravishing her. He would not hurt her, he told himself repeatedly. But soon he found himself driving toward her, clutching her closer as a wild, budding pleasure gripped him.

She drew him to her as her nails dug deeper into the taut muscles of his back. And then she was soaring, reveling in the rapturous feeling that took her higher and higher. They were one, body and soul.

Forgetting his vow to be gentle, his muscles flexed as he raised her from the bed to meet his hard, driving thrusts. He was blind with passion and trembling with desire.

Sonya felt her soul draining from her body as he moved within her, claiming her as more than just his possession. She was shaky, breathless, seeking some distant, compulsive sensation that waited just beyond her grasp. She strained against him to appease this unfamiliar craving that left her trembling.

A strange, satisfying wave seemed to blossom somewhere in the dark depths of her soul, vibrating through her entire body until she was consumed by its magical, splendorous pleasure. Ecstasy ran through her veins, leaving her oblivious to all except this overwhelming sense of fulfillment.

Tears of pleasure rolled down her cheeks as he buried his head against her shoulder. He groaned as his passion spilled into her, leaving him drained of strength. His soul had abandoned him, leaving nothing more than an empty shell that was devoid of all emotion. Just as he thought this wondrous world had ended, she placed a tender kiss on his forehead, restoring much of his strength.

Dwayne propped his forearms on either side of her and held her head in his hands, keeping her face tilted toward him. “Mine,” he whispered, capturing her lips. Sonya snuggled against him and felt his claim to be true. She had no memory of what followed next as sleep quickly descended upon her.

 

Sonya woke to the rich smell of coffee brewing from downstairs. She stretched lazily against Dwayne while smiling her contentment. “Morning, sleepyhead,” Dwayne's seductive voice greeted her.

She turned over to face him and smiled. “Good morning.”

“Now that's how a woman is supposed to greet a man in the morning, not with flying fists,” Dwayne teased.

Sonya laughed. “Okay, I deserved that.”

“You deserved a lot more than that.” Dwayne bent his head and kissed her passionately. When he pulled away, he saw her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Now that's how a man is supposed to greet a woman in the morning, not with useless talk.”

Dwayne laughed and hugged her closer to him. “Maybe we should join Bridget downstairs. I smell her famous coffee brewing. She must have made it home already.”

Sonya pulled away from his embrace. “Do you think she knows?”

“Not much gets past Bridget, I'm sorry to say. I have to figure out the best way to handle this sticky situation,” Dwayne reflected, shaking his head. “After that recent talk we had, I feel like a hypocrite. Are you uncomfortable with this?”

Sonya's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Things were happening too fast. She went from not wanting to depend on any man to wanting to please this man. Is this how most women felt? Is this where many women went wrong?

“Don't do this, Sonya,” Dwayne warned, interrupting her thoughts.

“Don't do what?” She pretended innocence.

“Don't put up that wall. I feel you doing it.”

“I don't know how I feel about anything anymore. Almost overnight my world has changed. I don't know how I feel about Bridget knowing about us. I don't even know how I feel about it. It's all so new to me.”

Dwayne kissed her tenderly. “It's new to me, too. I haven't felt so strongly about another woman since my first wife. In truth, I don't know how I feel about Bridget knowing, either. I don't know how she will react. But I'm not going to hide my feelings for you.”

“What
are
your feelings?”

“I feel a sense of protectiveness toward you. I want nothing and no one to hurt you. I feel you light up a room whenever you walk into it. And I feel alive whenever you smile.”

Sonya blushed at his kind words, but he said nothing of love. Love? Is that what she truly wanted? For so long, she believed that it was the one thing she could live without.

She studied his strong features and wondered if that was what she felt for him. She certainly felt everything he'd just described. She loved the way he seemed to dominate a room whenever he entered. She loved the way he looked at her as if she were the most beautiful woman in the world. But did she love him?

She thought of her father and how much her mother had claimed to love him. She thought of Laura's marriage. How many times had Laura confessed that she loved Curtis?

When Sonya tensed in his embrace, he gently cupped her chin forcing her to look at him. “Sonya, I'm not like your father. I would never hurt you.” He brought his hands down and cupped her firm breast.

Sonya moaned despite herself. She wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. She tried to pull away from his touch. She couldn't think with him touching her like that.

Dwayne smiled warmly at her, but his expression quickly turned serious. “I can't believe that you…that you were…”

“A virgin?”

Dwayne nodded. “I mean I'm…I was…”

“Surprised?”

Dwayne nodded again. “Why did you wait?”

Sonya looked away. “I don't know why I waited so long. I guess I wanted something different. I wanted something special.” Their eyes made contact. “And then came you.”

Dwayne's lips covered hers in a spellbinding kiss. Sonya's arms instantly embraced him.

A soft knock sounded at the door. Sonya pushed Dwayne away and scrambled to cover herself.

“Just a minute,” Dwayne called.

Sonya's eyes were wide as she looked up to him.

“She's not going to bite,” he whispered.

Sonya remained still when he motioned for her to stay in bed. The pain in his leg had returned briefly as he limped to retrieve his robe. He gave her an encouraging smile, then went to answer the door. He blocked the frame so Bridget would not see past him.

“Good morning, Daddy.” She smiled.

“Good morning, Bridget.”

Bridget jokingly tried to look around him. “I made breakfast this morning for you and Sonya.”

“Thank you. That was very thoughtful of you. We'll be down in a minute.”

Bridget giggled, then winked at her father as she turned to go back downstairs. He shook his head, then closed the door.

Sonya sat on the edge of the bed, shaking her head. “I'll say that she didn't sound too disappointed to discover I'm in here.”

“No, I think that she was rather happy with the idea.”

Sonya smiled. “You seem rather pleased yourself.”

“Guilty,” he said, coming toward the bed. In one quick motion, he swooped her up into his arms.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To the bathroom. I bet you never had a shower with a man before,” he said, winking.

 

Bridget placed a jug of orange juice on the table just as a squeal descended from upstairs. She smiled inwardly.
It's about time he found someone.
Hopefully Sonya was just what he needed. He needed someone to take his mind from work. That was all he seemed to do: work and come home.

There were plenty of times, Bridget felt, that maybe it was somehow her fault. That she was responsible for him not enjoying life. Another squeal caused her to giggle. She liked Sonya. And more important, she didn't treat her as if she were some mindless teenager. Yes, she thought, Sonya was just what her father needed.

Perhaps Ms. Deaton would stop calling so much. Carmen would call four or five times a night, wanting to talk to her father. And it was hardly ever business related.

The phone rang. “Hamilton residence.”

“Hello, Bridget.”

“Oh, hi, Aunt Sharon.”

“Good morning. I was calling to let you know that I made it in safely. Is everything okay?”

Bridget's smile widened. “Everything is wonderful.”

“Oh? So are you going to keep me in suspense?”

“I think you are going to have to wait and see for yourself.”

“That good, huh?”

“Better.” Bridget giggled.

“Okay. Well, is your father in?”

Another squeal filled the house. “He's a little busy right now.”

“Oh? How about Sonya, is she in?”

“I think she's a little busy, too.” Bridget held the phone away from her ear as Sharon screamed excitedly in the phone.