Not This Time (6 page)

He inhaled. Hell, yeah. Hurricane Veronique,
he thought as she climbed him. Heart pounding, he glanced at
the hungry gleam in her eyes as she settled over him. This was one
storm he didn't want to get out of.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sunlight streamed through the slit in the
curtains, warming her outstretched arms. Moaning at the pleasant
feeling, she rolled over and hit a hard chest. Her heartbeat
jumped, her eyes widened and for a moment, she panicked. The room
was familiar and not. Warm wisps of air grazed her forehead
immediately reminding her of the night before.

Frank had not been kidding when he said
she’d want more of him. Last night’s marathon was unlike anything
she’d ever done. Not even in her teens or her marriage. The man was
like a robot stuck on “run.” She couldn’t be positive, but she may
have passed out once or twice, not that she’d admit it. But the man
had turned her on and out. Even now, moisture pooled between her
legs just thinking about how good he’d laid it on her last night
and this morning.

How did you tell someone you just met, you
wanted to extend the one-night stand into three days? She bit her
lip as she went over her itinerary for the next few days. She had a
presentation to make tomorrow night at the awards banquet and there
were a couple of business networking sessions she’d planned to hit,
but that was before Frank. None of them held a candle to spending
as much time as possible with him. After she made a few calls,
she’d be free to see where this could go.

“
What are you thinking
about?” His gruff voice sent tingles down her spine. She felt like
a teenager in the midst of her first crush.

“
How I can spend more time
with you.” She kissed his chest, reveling in the steady beat of his
heart.

“
Oh, yeah? Come up with
anything?” He pulled her closer. She took advantage and nibbled on
his nipple, enjoying the small shudders that went through
him.

“
Well…other than a
presentation I have to make tomorrow night, I can clear the rest of
today and most of tomorrow.” Pausing, she rolled the stiff peak
between her lips and flicked it with her tongue. He groaned and
pulled her closer.

“
That’s if you want to spend
time with me,” she cooed, enjoying his response to her.

He grabbed her hand and placed it on his
hard cock. “I want to spend as much time with you as you’ll allow
and then some.” He pulled her on top and pressed her hips against
his thick rod. “You keep me hard. I like that.”

“
I know.” She smiled and
rolled to the other side. “I have to brush my teeth and shower.”
She wrinkled her nose. “After you feed me, we need to go to my
hotel and change.” Frank grabbed at her. She sidestepped him. “You
need to brush your teeth, too.”

He laughed and stood up. His cock was long
and stiff. She couldn’t look away; the man was impressive and had
earned his bragging rights.

“
You like?” he
teased.

Licking her lips, she stared at his hard
arousal a second longer. “Most definitely. I can’t wait for you to
feed me. I’m hungry for more.” Her fingertips traced the veins on
his erection. His breath hitched as she palmed the masterpiece in
her hands. “You’re beautiful,” she whispered, enjoying the feel of
the velvet steel.

Strong hands wrapped around her waist,
pulling her close against his chest, causing her to release her
treat. “You’re beautiful. In your passion, you’re so real, no
games. It’s addicting being with a woman who enjoys sex. I love
watching you come, your face makes these cute expressions.” He
lifted her in his arms, her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms
around his neck. The flexing of his hips below her clamped feet
sent heat to her core. Within minutes they were in the shower. She
pushed away and grabbed her shower cap from the bathroom hook,
ignoring his sigh.

“
That’s not sexy,” he
complained as she slid down his torso.

“
Maybe not, but it’s
necessary.” She squinted up at him. “I thought you’d dated black
women before?”

“
I have. What does that have
to…yeah right. The hair thing, I forgot.” He pulled her close and
kissed the tip of her nose. “Sorry bout that. You ready
now?”

“
For…?” She grabbed the
washcloth and soap. No matter how much she wanted to play, she
needed to clean up. Smelling herself was not her favorite past
time.

“
To play.” He took the soapy
towel from her and starting at her neck, washed every nook and
cranny on her body. By the time he placed her foot on the floor she
was a shivering mass of goo. In her mind, she returned the favor,
but reality was another bitch. Hot, antsy, and needy, she leaned
against the tile, watching through lowered lids as he zipped
through his shower. Minutes later, he turned off the water and
carried her from the bathroom into the much cooler bedroom.
Goosebumps exploded over her flesh, her heated skin, already
sensitive, tingled in anticipation. Her fingertips ran down his
shoulder, needing to touch him. He flinched and grabbed her hand,
placing her digits in the warm cavern of his mouth. She shivered as
he sucked. His eyes blazed as they scorched her face. Damn, he was
good.

Frank lay on top of the chocolate beauty and
thanked whoever was looking out for him. She was a rare find. Sexy,
articulate, fun and smart. Most importantly, she didn’t play games.
He’d been wondering how to spend more time with her when she
admitted she’d been thinking the same thing. After getting over the
shock of her forthright confession, he'd wanted to shout
hallelujah. Perhaps, he’d finally met someone he could be open and
honest with. They hadn’t known each other a full day, but he knew
he wanted to spend more time with her. They just had to work
through a few things.

“
Have I told you how glad I
am that you chose to spend time with me?” He asked as he placed
kisses up her leg.

“
You may not have said those
exact words, but you definitely let me feel your joy.”

He chuckled at her quick wit.

“
You up to more joy?” He
allowed her to roll him over.

She took his dick in her hand, and stroked
it from the root. He was amazed at the level of concentration she
gave her task. “You promised to feed me first.” Her tongue lapped
against his mushroomed head.

Grinding his teeth, he fought the exquisite
pleasure that shot through him. He wanted to see her this time. Her
cocoa complexion lay against his thigh as she feasted on him. He
slapped the bed as his hips rose and fell, giving her more of his
meat. Her purring shot through him. His legs trembled as his sacs
drew up. His breath caught in his throat. He couldn’t talk as she
sucked harder, taking him to the back of her throat. With a roar,
his body arched. Toes curled as he erupted in her mouth. Shaking,
he watched her kiss the head of his cock, adoringly.

“
Thanks.” She grinned at
him. “Now, would you like room service or shall we grab a bite to
eat on the way?”

He growled and reached for her. She was too
perfect. “Call room service, I’ll need my strength to keep up with
you.” She laughed and went into the living room. He heard snippets
of her conversation, but was too whipped to move. She planned to
give him two more days, somehow he didn’t think that’d be
enough.

****

Veronique and Frank walked across the lobby
of her hotel; they’d decided to stay in his suite last night,
instead of her returning to her room. Not that she was afraid of
another confrontation with her ex; she’d just gotten too
comfortable to leave. She planned to head home with him today, so
he could clear up a few things, and come back tomorrow night for
the awards banquet. A giddy feeling erupted every time she thought
of how well they clicked. Her abruptness didn’t faze him, and his
reticence didn’t bother her. Pretty much, they accepted one another
at face value and moved forward. Spending time together would let
them peel back layers and see if they still liked what they found
beneath.

Her thoughts were so centered on moving out
of her hotel room that she missed her sorority sisters calling out
to her from the hotel’s restaurant. Frank’s gentle pressure on her
arm, and then the escalating voices, made her stop. Turning, she
waited for two of her line sisters to approach. Offering them a
warning smile, she introduced them to Frank.

“
Hi Pam, Linda. Meet Frank.”
She pointed to him and pulled on her wrinkled dress
self-consciously. “Frank, this is Pam and Linda, some friends of
mine.”

He nodded.

Both ladies waved before speaking. “Excuse
us a minute.” They pulled her forward. “Girl, you are not going to
believe this,” Pam said whispering. “That heifer, Rose, came down
here for breakfast a little while ago with Hedrick. You could tell
he was embarrassed. He barely spoke when we saw him.”

The name didn’t register. “Hedrick?”

“
Damn, Frank must be the
bomb if he made you forget your ex,” Linda said in awe. Her eyes
slid to where Frank stood, hands in pocket, waiting.

“
Oh, yeah, right.”
Veronique’s face heated at their gibes, for a moment she didn’t
remember. “Rose was at the hotel last night and probably offered
him some southern hospitality.” She shrugged, a little pissed,
since they were sisters and all, but times were tough, especially
when you reached a certain age. Besides, she’d told him there was
no chance they’d get back together. If Rose rocked his boat, more
power to them. She had a date with a hot fella and time was
wasting.

“
I’ve got to go, I’ll see
you tomorrow night at the banquet.” She waved goodbye. Linda
grabbed her hand.

“
Does he have a brother?”
She pointed at Frank, who was looking around the lobby.

Veronique laughed. “I don’t know, it’s not
that kind of party.” A ping hit her heart at her trademark comment.
For the first time in a long time, she wished things were
different. She wished she had the time to invest in seeing if a
relationship with Frank was possible. He hit the bullseye on so
many levels with her. Sighing at the horrible timing, she put a
smile on her face and walked over to him.

“
Ready?” He looked at her,
his eyes searching for something.

“
Yeah. I’ll go pack, and
then check out. Where’s your truck?”

He grinned. “At the hotel we just left.” She
groaned. “Want me to go get it?” he offered.

“
Yeah. By the time you get
back, just come up to room 1517. I’ll be ready.”

“
Okay.” He bent forward and
gave her a quick peck on the lips before leaving. She watched him
stride through the glass doors.

“
Damn, that’s all I can
say.” Linda walked over and offered her a high-five. “You pulled a
big one.”

If only they knew. But she’d never tell.
Years ago, Veronique had learned, at a high cost to her sanity, to
keep her sexual exploits private. She’d learned the hard way, even
good friends wanted what they couldn’t have. Offering Linda a small
smile, she turned and headed to the elevator. All the way up she
thought about last night and this morning. The way Frank smiled.
His woodsy scent, his full lips and power-train stamina. The man
had mad skills. She was looking in her purse for her room key when
the elevator doors opened, and didn’t see the broad set of
shoulders she bumped into.

Without looking, she apologized and then
gazed into the startled eyes of her ex and Rose. At least Rose had
the grace to turn her head and walk into the elevator. Hedrick
froze, staring at her. His mouth opened and closed, no words
escaped. She was so over him and his bullshit. Pivoting, she walked
to her room.

“
Have a good day.” She waved
and unlocked her door.

****

The drive to Frank’s home took about an
hour. He played tour guide and pointed out landmarks. They passed a
sign and she waited for him to say something. He didn’t.

“
That sign back there, it’s
your company.”

Surprised, he looked at her and then smiled.
His face pinkened. “Yeah. How’d you know?” He took her hand.

“
I researched you. Well, not
your personal stuff, your business. You don’t think I’d come spend
the night with you without knowing if you’d told the truth about
who you were, did you?”

“
I should’ve thought about
it. But I was just glad you agreed. I really can’t put this meeting
off today. After that, I’m free for as long as you want
me.”

She glanced at him, her heart beating fast
at his words. “Don’t throw promises like that around; you never
know, I might just take you up on it.”

He kissed the back of her hand. “I’m hoping
you do.”

That warm feeling filled her
up again and she wanted to laugh for no other reason than she felt
free. Instead, she leaned back against the armrest and squeezed his
hand. The area was beautiful in a quiet way. Frank turned down a
long driveway and she caught a glimpse of what looked like an old
plantation house she‘d seen in a book as a child. It boasted large
white columns, a wrap-around porch, large windows, and a
two-paneled door. She’d always loved homes from this era. The charm
of the place touched her in ways she hadn’t expected. This was a
baby-making house, built for children, family reunions and
get-togethers.
What the hell am I doing
here?

“
This is lovely,” she
murmured, shell-shocked. It was beyond lovely, the grounds were
magazine worthy. The two-story brick house screamed home and
family. Her eyes slid to his, he watched her. Offering him a tight
smile, she turned to open her door. His hand stopped
her.