Forces of Nature (11 page)

Crystal pressed her body against his, rotating her hips against him as their kiss deepened. He lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the counter, then ripped her tank top open. When her breasts spilled forward, he released a low whistle. “I knew you would be beautiful all over,” he groaned. “Let me see more.”

Crystal wiggled out of her shorts, revealing that she wasn't wearing any panties. And she was flawless, smooth brown skin and the roundest ass that he'd ever wanted to kiss. Douglas spread her legs apart, stroking her inner thighs. Her skin was silky smooth. Now, he wanted to taste her. He slipped his index finger between her wet folds of flesh, making Crystal moan in delight as he found her throbbing pearl. Stroking her with the pad of his finger, Douglas watched her face as waves of pleasure washed across it. He removed his finger, then planted his face between her thighs. Crystal inhaled sharply as she felt the heat of his breath against her most sensitive spot. But when his tongue lapped her bubbling juices and his lips captured her pleasure point, it was all Crystal could do to stay upright. How long had it been since her body had been pleased so thoroughly? Maybe the whiskey had clouded her mind, maybe it wasn't even . . .

“Oh, yes,” she exclaimed in a voice that she didn't recognize as her own. She gripped the back of his head and pushed him deeper into her valley. Douglas sucked, licked, and gently nibbled her sweetness until he was so hard that he wasn't sure he'd be able to move into the bedroom.

“Oh. My. God!” Crystal exclaimed as she exploded and shivered. Douglas inched up her body, lifting her into his arms.

“That was only the beginning. Are you ready for more?” he asked.

Licking her lips, she nodded her head and leaned against his chest. Douglas walked as quickly as he could down the hall to Crystal's bedroom. Candles were burning on her nightstand near the bed, giving the room a golden glow and the scent of jasmine and roses. Had she been waiting for him? Did she have other plans for the evening that fell through? Why was he feeling so jealous about some damned candles and the fact that another man might have been coming over there to do what he was about to do, make love to the most beautiful woman he'd ever needed?

Needed?
he thought as he laid her on the bed. He was going to blame it on the alcohol and bury himself inside her.

Douglas ran his hand down the center of Crystal's chest and her body moved to his rhythm. Crystal reached for his shirt, but he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Then he leaned against her and took her hard nipple into his mouth, licking and sucking her succulent breast until he felt her shiver. While he sucked, he stroked her wetness and she moaned, sounding like a sweet symphony. He stepped back, disrobing quickly. He climbed into the bed beside her and Crystal placed her hand on the flat of his chest as he lay on his back. She drank in the details of his flawless body. The marblelike six-pack of abs, those strong thighs, and that long, thick erection that made her mouth water.

“It's payback time, Mr. Wellington,” she said with a seductive tilt to her voice. “You did things to me with your mouth that were just unfair. It's time that I return that favor.” She covered his thickness with her full lips and Douglas howled out in pleasure as her tongue snaked up and down while her lips stayed in place.

How in the world did she do that? He buried his hands in her thick black hair, as she bobbed up and down taking him deeper and deeper into her mouth. She was going to make him come if he didn't make her stop.

“Crystal, Crystal,” he moaned, trying to stop her. Instead, she locked eyes with him and licked the creamy drops of his essence from the tip of his penis. “I need to be inside you,” he groaned as a wave of pleasure washed over him. “Now.”

“Condom?” she asked, glad that she wasn't as drunk as she'd thought.

Douglas nodded, leaned over the side of the bed, and grabbed his jeans. He removed his wallet and pulled out a condom packet.

“And I thought boys stopped carrying condoms in their wallets after high school,” Crystal quipped.

“Would you rather that I didn't have one?” he asked as he slid the sheath in place.

Taking a glance at his dangling erection and feeling a throbbing between her thighs, Crystal smiled. “Thank you for still being a high school senior.”

He crossed over to her, pulling her up on her knees and against his chest. “You have a wicked tongue,” he said.

“Takes one to know one,” she said, then licked his right nipple.
Who are you and where is Crystal Hughes?
her inner voice cried out. That voice was silenced the moment Douglas wound her legs around his waist and pressed inside her. Deep inside her. Gasping, panting, moaning, she let go of all thoughts, logic, and legal ramifications. She rode this tidal wave of passion, meeting him thrust for thrust, giving him all the lust that had been building inside her since she handcuffed herself in the lobby of Welco Industries. Lust was all it was—wasn't it? And she was love starved.

“Crystal, Crystal,” he intoned. Douglas had expected good sex, something hot and quick. But this? She was insatiable. Prince's obvious inspiration. She was about to make him come again. And he wasn't sure if he'd be able to walk when he did. Because as she tightened herself around his erection, milking his essence from him and his knees went weak, Douglas knew that he wasn't going to let this woman out of his reach ever again.

Leaning back on the bed, he held Crystal against him as she shuddered from her own release. Covered in sweat, dripping with passion and need, they expelled a singular breath. Crystal leaned her head against Douglas's sweaty chest thinking one thing:
What the hell have I done?

Douglas stroked Crystal's cheek as she pretended to be sleeping. “Damn, you're beautiful,” he whispered against her ear. “And I know you're not sleeping.”

“Maybe if you'd shut up, I could go to sleep.”

Douglas held her tighter. “Do you ever turn the feisty off? Or is this just for me?”

Crystal chuckled, belying the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach. “I'm sleepy,” she said. The truth of the matter was that she was wondering what was next. She'd slept with the enemy. She gave him every inch of her and had a good time doing it. But when the sun rose in the morning, nothing would've changed. He'd still want Hughes Farm. Right now, before she sobered up and before reality hit her like a ton of bricks, he was just going to be the man of her dreams—for the night.

“Are you sleeping?” he whispered.

“No,” she replied, turning around to face him. She smiled at his smile and sighed. “It's obvious that you don't like it when people sleep around you.”

Douglas pulled her closer and kissed her forehead, then stroked her cheek. God, she liked lying with him like this. It felt so . . . natural. Right. She traced her finger across his chest, then replaced it with her tongue, causing Douglas's body to respond. He gripped her bottom, wanting to spear her, spread her wetness and make her scream until she came. He wanted to feel her bucking against him, her tight little body taking him to the heights of passion. But they needed protection and he was all out. “Shit,” he muttered as he brought her head to his chest.

“What?” she asked. “I'm wide awake now.”

“I don't have another condom on me,” he said. “And since there isn't . . .”

Crystal tightened her thighs around his waist and leaned over to her nightstand. Opening the drawer, she asked, “Will two be enough?”

“Quite the little granola vixen, huh?” he said when he eased forward and took the condom package from her hand.

“What?” she asked as she watched him rip the package open. “Am I supposed to sit at home and wait for a millionaire to sweep me off my feet?”

“As long as I'm the one with the broom,” Douglas said after rolling the condom in place. Crystal straddled his body, slowly twisting her hips and building the anticipation of him melting with her again.

“Let's just make it through the night,” she moaned as she took him deep in her valley and slowly rode him like a cowgirl on her prized steed.

Douglas didn't often give up control in the bedroom or the boardroom, but tonight he didn't mind Crystal taking over and giving him pleasure that exploded from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head. What was this woman doing to him? Douglas exploded, filling her with all of his lust, desire, and need. He didn't want the night to end because in the morning, they would be adversaries again.

Crystal fell into the curve of his arm and nestled against him, slowly breathing in his scent. Clean, spicy, lemongrass and citrus. But she had to forget all of this. If she had half a brain, she would've kicked him out of her bed after the first round. But she was cuddling with the man who wanted to take her livelihood, her family legacy, and turn it into a business park. What was sleeping with him supposed to change? Still, she eased closer to him. Inhaled again.

“Are you okay?” he asked, noting her silence.

“I was really trying to sleep,” she lied.

Douglas rolled over and eased down the bed to face her. “You're not a good liar. That's probably what makes you a good community activist.”

“I was trying to sleep,” she whined. “And every time I try to go to sleep we do this dance.” She glanced over his shoulder at the alarm clock on her nightstand. “It's four a.m. At some point, I'd like to sleep.”

Douglas raised his right eyebrow. “So, let's have the conversation that neither of us wants to have.”

“What's that?” she asked, propping up on her elbows.

“What happens in the morning? When this is all said and done, what are we going to do?”

Crystal sighed. He was right—she didn't want to have this conversation. “Let me sleep on it,” she said.

“No. Because you're going to wake up in the morning and pretend you're Jamie Foxx. I know you're not that drunk. And I know that I'm not going to be satisfied with just one night with you.”

“It's not always about what you want.” Crystal tugged at the sheet to cover her breasts, but Douglas pulled it away, smiling at her hard nipples.

“Then let's talk about what you want,” he said as he brushed his thumbs across her erect nipples. “And I know sleep ain't it.”

“Douglas,” she moaned. God, he loved how she said his name. He stroked her nipples again and she breathed his name as she arched her back. “What do you want, Crystal?” he whispered, then licked her earlobe. “What are you going to do?”

“Stop it,” she said. “Please. Don't. Stop.”

Douglas replaced his thumbs with his lips and tongue. “Dooouglasss,” she gasped, and reached for his hardness. As he licked and sucked her nipples, she stroked his erection back and forth nearly bringing him to climax with her expert touch.

“Need you. Need to be inside you now,” he growled.

“But what are you going to do tomorrow?” she asked.
Oh, she was cruel,
Douglas thought. His brain was mush. He didn't give a damn about tomorrow when she had her hand right there tonight.

“Crystal,” he gritted. “Crystal.”

She stroked him slower, feeling him get harder and harder. Douglas's knees quivered and had he been standing, he would've fallen flat on his face. “Is this all about getting my land?” she asked as she reached for a condom with her free hand.

“Hell no,” he exclaimed. Crystal opened the condom and rolled it in place. She pulled him into her hot and awaiting body. Douglas slowly pumped in and out, thrusting his hips into her as he covered her mouth with his. Hungrily, he sucked her tongue as she ground against him. Her hot wetness made it hard to hold back his climax. He wanted to teach her a lesson, but once again he'd been schooled. Crystal took control of his body in ways that he'd never imagined. He'd almost expected a timid lover and she was anything but.

Douglas howled as he exploded from the inside out and she tightened herself around him as she reached her own climax. Wrapping up in each other's arms, neither of them could move, talk, or do any worrying about the question that still hung in the air. What was going to happen in the morning?

The incessant ringing of the telephone and the doorbell woke the couple up Sunday morning. Crystal hadn't slept so late in months, hadn't been so at peace in God knows how long, and if she had half the brain that her family thought she did, she wouldn't be in Douglas Wellington's arms smiling as if what happened between them last night was normal.

“Morning,” he said, his already deep voice a few octaves lower. “Or is it afternoon?”

“Mmm,” Crystal said as she looked over his shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand. That couldn't be right. It was twelve-thirty. “Damn it.” That's why the phone was ringing, and knowing Dena, she was ringing the doorbell as well. “Don't move,” she said.

“I have no plans to do so,” he said, attempting to thwart Crystal's effort to move.

“The door,” she said.

“You're naked.”

Crystal wiggled out of his arms and grabbed her robe from the end of the bed. “Now I'm not.” Rushing down the hall to the front door, Crystal prayed it was one of the Starlight girls at the door, but it was indeed her lawyer. Dena had her finger on the doorbell and her BlackBerry to her ear as Crystal opened the door.

“Hi, Dena,” she said, attempting to keep her voice cool and even. “I was . . .”

“In bed with that man, huh? I knew this was going to happen. I knew this was a bad idea, and if we lose this land, Erin and Joel are going to kill me.” Dena reached into her oversized gray handbag and handed Crystal a legal form.

“What is this?”

“An injunction. While you were getting ready to do . . . whatever, I was in court Friday. Legally, they can't touch this land for three months. Now what we have to do is prove that this farm is a value to the community and provides more than that business park will. And here's something else for you to think about,” Dena said, thrusting her finger in Crystal's face. “Some of the city council are in Welco's back pocket and if Waylon Terrell is involved, they might try to use eminent domain to get this land. Did you think about that before you hopped into bed with Douglas Wellington the third?”

That was just the reality check she needed, Crystal decided. But she still needed to know what Dena and her mother weren't telling her. “Do you want some coffee? Because we still need to talk,” Crystal asked.

“Is that man still here?”

“Dena.”

“Crystal, you're playing with a very hot fire that's going to burn you in the end. Don't repeat history.”

“What history?” she asked.

Dena folded her arms and glared at Crystal. “Ask him why his father wanted this land so badly. These Wellington men and their ilk are ruthless and your mother and I have the scars to prove it. I was really hoping you'd be smart enough to stay out of the fray.”

“I don't understand. So, this is some personal vendetta?” Crystal's head throbbed as she crossed over to the coffeemaker. Dena glanced at the nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniels, the two glasses, and the shorts. She didn't say anything, but Crystal felt her eyes burning holes in her back.

“Listen,” Crystal said as she pressed the button to start the coffeemaker. “I was . . . we had too much to drink.”

“Maybe you did, but don't fool yourself into thinking that this man won't do whatever he has to to get what he wants,” Dena said.

“Well,” Douglas said from the doorway of the kitchen, “I thought my name was being dragged through the mud.” Standing in the kitchen—shirtless—he couldn't help but recall the previous night's activities. And what he wouldn't do for a repeat. But the lawyer had to go.

“What are you doing in here?” Crystal asked through clenched teeth.

“Obviously eavesdropping,” Dena said, not hiding her disdain for the younger Wellington.

“I was thirsty,” he replied.

“I'll bet,” Dena said. “Crystal, remember what I said.” Then she pushed past Douglas and headed out to her car.

Crystal glared at him. “I asked you to stay in the bedroom,” she said.

“I was thirsty, and how was I to know that you and your attorney were having a bash Douglas fest? So, you just used me last night, huh?”

“Are we really going there?” she shot back.

“No,” he replied in all seriousness. “But I do have a question for you.”

Crystal grabbed a coffee mug from the cabinet above her head and said, “What is it?”

“Do you share your attorney's view of me? Do you think last night was about the land and this business deal that I want to happen out here?”

Crystal set her mug on the counter and then turned to face Douglas. “I don't know. But I do know we have an injunction against your company.” She pulled the papers from the pocket of her robe and handed them to him.

Douglas set them aside. “I'll look at that later, but I want an answer to my question.” He closed the space between them and when he was less than an arm's length away from her, Crystal wanted to have an instant replay of last night. But somehow, the light of day made her realize what was really at stake.

Still, being that close to him, knowing how he could handle her body made it hard to think, breathe, and comprehend. “What was the question?” she asked.

“Do you think I'm using you?”

She shook her head. “Last night was amazing for both of us. But we know it can never happen again. I think you should take those papers and leave now.”

“Is that what you want or what your lawyer said you should do?” He reached out to stroke her cheek and Crystal turned her head away from his hand as if she didn't want to be burned. Then she rounded the island in the middle of the kitchen, beginning to clean up their discarded whiskey glasses. When she grabbed the bottle and started to throw it away, Douglas crossed over to her and took it from her hands. “Since you're kicking me out, I'm going to need this.”

“And a shirt. The last thing I need is one of the Starlight girls seeing you walking out of here looking like that,” Crystal said, giving him a slow once-over. How was it that he looked even more delicious to her extremely sober eyes?

“The least I could do before I leave is help you clean up and cook brunch.”

Crystal cocked her head to the side and slapped her hand on her hip. “You cook?”

“At times I have,” he said, leaning back on the counter opposite where Crystal stood. Knowing she was naked underneath that short robe made him bubble with desire. But, he'd play her game—for now.

“What are you going to cook?” she asked as she loaded the dishwasher.

Douglas crossed over to the refrigerator and opened it. He wasn't surprised to see the fresh eggs, vegetables, and cheese in bowls. Knowing Crystal, she probably picked the veggies and gathered eggs daily.

“How about omelets, grits, and toast with some of these preserves you have back here?”

“What do you know about preserves?” Crystal asked, clearly impressed.

“I grew up here too,” he said. “I bet we would've been friends if you lived in the city.”