Not This Time (11 page)

“
I’ve worked all my life.
The company has been my world for the past twenty years; it was
good and provided me a solid income. But now I’m at a point in my
life when I need more and I don’t want to waste a lot of time in
airports. Like I said before, I need to see you every day. You’re
the woman I’d love to spend my life with and I’d move to Mars or
Venus to be with you,” he paused, wiping her tears with his thumb.
“If you’ll have me. What about it, will you let me move in with
you?”

Unbelievable. This wonderful man wanted to
take a chance on her. She could barely see through the veil of her
tears. Her heart overflowed with joy. Her arms held him tight
around his neck. Words clogged her throat; there was so much to
say. Finally, the one word he needed to hear escaped.

“
Yes.”

***end***

Erosa Knowles has a love for the written
word. She lives in the Southwest with her husband and son. Her
favorite pastime is reading and people watching. Coming from a
large family, most of her stories incorporate extended families,
realizing it takes a village to raise a child.

Please visit her website: www.erosaknowles.com for
more information. The following books are in the Men of 3X
CONStruction series: www.menof3xconstruction.com.

Have I Told You Lately

Ready for Love

Where There’s Smoke

Not This Time

* Run to You (Coming Soon Brenda and Roark’s
story)

The following excerpt is from her next book in the
Men of 3X CONStruction series, Run to You.

Chap 1

Brenda snuggled into the warmth of the loose
embrace. Wide, rough palms smoothed her outer thigh sending tingles
of pleasure up her spine. Inhaling deeply, beneath the woodsy pine
scent of his aftershave, she smelled him. His natural male scent
teased her nostrils, beckoning her to wake and play. Her lips
curled upward into a smile that after all this time, her heart
still raced when he touched her. The knowledge that she was still
in Pennsylvania with this sexy man fluttered across her mind and
settled. It was no dream. The past three months had flown by.

Dreams really did come true. Roark was her
very own prince. He'd rescued her from a bad situation and gave her
the fairytale. Like Prince charming, he'd swept her into a dashing
romance. Providing everything and anything her heart desired. She
was, the lady of the Castle. No one had ever treated her in such a
manner. He'd won her heart within the first two weeks of her stay.
His kindness and understanding the medicine her bruised heart
needed most.

As she listened to his even breathing, she
relaxed, secure in the knowledge that this was where she wanted to
be. Taking care of this man, his home and building a future with
him blanketed her with a sense of purpose and well-being. There
were days when fear would wrack her body. Visions of her waking, to
find this all a dream, into her past reality shook her to the core.
It was only when she'd look into Roark’s eyes and saw his caring,
compassion, and what she wanted to believe was love, that she knew
she had won the lottery. After all she’d gone through with Texman
and his foolishness, God had poured his favor on her at last. She
made a promise to herself, to thank Him daily for blessing her with
a sane and safe man in her life. Whatever it took, she'd make sure
Roark never regretted bringing her home.

“
You wake?” His deep voice
rumbled near her ear.

“
Um, hmm,” she moaned as his
hand moved up her thigh and cupped her breast. Her body had been on
low simmer since she woke, but as he pulled her taut nipples, heat
flowed to her core.

“
You smell good.” He inhaled
deep and long.

She smiled as his fingertips tweaked her
other nipple. “You always say that.”

“
Because it's true.” His
hand moved into her hair, gently massaging her scalp. A major
weakness for her. He bent forward, brushing his lips against her
forehead triggering a tremor that shot through her body. Moving
back, she rubbed against his morning hardness. A wicked sigh
escaped his mouth as he pressed forward, his thick erection staking
it’s claim on her ass. His arm tightened around her waist as his
lips grazed her ear. Gentle nips from his teeth on her earlobe sent
zings of pleasure to her core.

“
Roark,” she pleaded. Her
voice strained as his fingertips tapped against her wet entrance.
Without thought, her legs widened, allowing him the greater access
they both craved. Eyes closed, she joined him as they journeyed to
a place where nothing mattered, other than the meeting of their
needs. Over the past three months, he had gotten to know her body
so well that all it took was a glance in most cases, or a simple
touch and her panties were drenched. The man knew how to make her
scream and right now she was headed for the opera.

“
You're ready for me.” If
she could move, she'd smack him for stating the obvious. Luckily,
he didn't expect an answer. Pulling her leg up, he slid into her
warmth. Her muscles tightened around him in welcome. He groaned and
laid his forehead on top of her head.

It was like coming home, nothing compared to
the way he made her feel. For a moment, she basked in the sense of
fulfillment, as they lay content, connected.

“
Love me,” Brenda whispered
into the quiet of the room. His arm tightened around her
waist.

Months ago, when she’d first said those
words, he’d tensed. Now, he understood what she meant. She couldn't
say the more vulgar term, and what she did with him could never be
called fucking. Not the way her heart reacted whenever he was near,
whenever he touched her, whenever he loved her. For her, they made
love, always had.

“
Whatever my lady
desires.”

He started with smooth, gentle strokes. It
was the way he started their morning love-fest. The beat of her
heart picked up, in a few moments, he'd become more aggressive
probably the way he was at work. Then, he’d hit his groove, take it
up another level. That's when she’d be transported to a realm he’d
created for her alone. There was no thought, or conversation. Their
bodies communicated sublime pleasure, yoking them together in a way
that she couldn’t explain and didn’t bother to try. Quite simply
the man freed her from some unknown prison deep within herself.

As he pistoned into her, his hips flexing,
pounding, she lost focus as her orgasm erupted and flung her past
reason into a pool of bliss that had her sputtering and babbling.
Stiffening as the sensations spiraled, tightened; she released
herself to his care, never doubting that they’d make the crossing
together. Body shaking as waves of pleasure rolled through her, she
gasped for air. Hearing his shout near her ear, she tightened her
vaginal walls to give him an extra jolt of satisfaction. His hand
tightened on her toned thigh in appreciation. It’d be a moment
before either of them could talk.

Chest heaving, she rolled to her stomach as
he slipped from between her thighs. His palm stroked her ass,
offering comfort. She sighed, enjoying her early morning
post-coital glow. Eyes heavy, she wondered if she had time for a
nap before starting her day. A stinging slap on her butt, made her
jump and turn to watch as Roark left the bed. Watching the flexing
of his tight ass erased the glare she’d meant to send him. This was
one view she never tired of watching. The man had a perfect body
and a delicious looking ass. And for this space in time, he was all
hers. Fingers crossed, he’d be hers for a lot longer.

“
What’re you doing today?”
He asked pulling clothes from the closet. Roark stood two or three
inches over six feet with a wide muscular chest and thick arms. It
never failed to amaze her how graceful he was for such a big man.
His clothes accentuated his physique, and always fit just right.
His thick mahogany colored hair stuck up over his head, but after
he finished dressing, he’d look as though he stepped out of the
pages of GQ. For now, he was her eye candy and she loved watching
him dress.

“
I have some class work and
then some things I need to take care of around here.” One of the
reasons she’d always love this man was his encouragement for her to
finish college. Even though her classes were with an online
university, she felt a sense of accomplishment getting her
education back on track.

Roark frowned at her. “What do you plan to
do here? I told you not to worry about cleaning and stuff, I have
someone who comes in and takes care of that.”

This was an old argument between them. For
some reason he didn’t or wouldn’t understand her need to
contribute. She didn’t work and had no money to pay a portion of
rent or buy groceries. And despite his arguing that he’d invited
her to live with him, she didn’t feel she was a guest and couldn’t
lay up and not do anything. Besides, she enjoyed taking care of
him. Cooking his meals, washing and folding his clothes, and making
sure things were comfortable for him when he came home. Of course,
the sex was the crème de la crème and she’d offer herself on the
dining room table, complete with an apple in her mouth, to make
sure he didn’t stop giving it to her on a regular basis. A woman
had needs and lord if Roark didn’t meet each and every one of
them.