TOTAL ECLIPSE: The Evolution (Sin City Heat Series Book 7) (9 page)

“Same thing I said.” Darrell closed and locked the door behind him. Stuffing his keys in his pocket, he flipped a light on, moving further into the living room and looking around.

The sleek, but elegant, open plan three-bedroom condo was a virtual showpiece, that was for sure. Detail and imagination had gone into each and every square inch of it. Each wall of the unit was floor to ceiling glass that offered a breathtaking view of the lit up city at night, and served to let in plenty of sunlight during the day. A focal point of the spacious living room was a huge, slate fountain that continuously spewed a sheet of soothing, rippling water. The fountain had been Jerra’s idea, and the result brought a peaceful, calming effect to the room.

The recessed lighting and crown molding gave the space a modern, contemporary feel, as did the beautiful hardwood floors and built-in fireplace. The clean lines of the furnishings provided ample seating space that was chic yet comfortable. The overall effect of the room was simply stunning.

Although the décor was inviting and tastefully done, Darrell did little more than give it a perfunctory once over. He didn’t plan on being there for more than a couple of days.

“So what’s your brother like?” Marcus asked. “Must be a weird feeling to find out you have another family out there. I know how I felt when I finally found Alexis after searching for her for so many years.”

“Lorenzo seems cool enough I guess. Kind of a smart ass, though.”

“Must be an inherited trait,” Marcus mumbled under his breath.

“Whateva, man,” Darrell grinned. “Can’t say I look at him as a brother or anything, but I can see the resemblance,” he admitted. “Scary as fuck.”

“Kind of surreal Jerra knowing him from back in the day.”

Darrell was slow to answer. “Yeah. I don’t know, I think something’s up with that.”

“What do you mean? You think they…”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s me, but I sure as hell asked her about it. She skirted the question and never gave me an answer that I’m satisfied with, but I plan on revisiting that subject again.”

“That’s something you need to tread lightly around.”

“If the two of them have a past I think I have a right to know about it.”

Opening the sliding doors that led to the balcony, Darrell leaned against the glass wall railing and looked out at the panoramic views of the city. It was one of the reasons the units in this building had been in such high demand when they first went out on the market. It was gorgeous out here at night.

Darrell smiled, remembering Jerra’s reaction the first time she saw this particular condo. He’d intentionally brought her here at night knowing she would appreciate this view, and he’d been right. Surprising her with a table set up on the balcony, they’d enjoyed a romantic evening full of her favorite wine, delicious food, and exquisite lovemaking that still got him hard just thinking about it.

The smile slowly slipped away as he reentered the present, which was so very different than that night had been. Tonight, he stood there by himself, alone and full of regret, instead of enjoying his wife’s presence as he had then. Sighing, he went back inside.

“Hey, Marcus, I’m gonna and hang up now I’ll give you a call tomorrow.”

“No, what you’ll do is come by for dinner, and don’t even think about telling me no.”

Darrell’s lips tightened in a semblance of a smile. “I’ll be there. Ya’ll have a good night.”

“You too, bruh.”

After Darrell hung up, he wandered from one room to the next before finally ending up in the master bedroom. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he leaned over and placed his elbows on his knees before dropping his head in his hands. The silence was almost deafening. His chest grew tight. Damn. He missed his wife. Missed his son.

Lifting his head, Darrell swallowed hard as he looked around the room. He wanted to be in
his
home. Wanted to sleep in
his
bed tonight, make love to
his
wife. The condo was nothing more than a cold, beautiful showplace. It wasn’t home.

Blinking rapidly, he stood abruptly. Fuck this. He couldn’t stay there. If he had to spend one more second in that condo, he was going to lose his fuckin’ mind.

Darrell turned off lights along the way to the front door. In his mind, he’d already decided to handle this the only way he knew how. Maybe it would only serve to make a bad situation worse, but Darrell didn’t linger over that possibility.

He was willing to take that chance.  

CHAPTER 9

Marcus turned the light out in the bathroom after he finished his shower and walked into the bedroom. Glancing at Aleesha, he saw her lying on her side with her back facing him. Marcus grimaced. He hadn’t been in the shower very long so he knew she wasn’t asleep.

Folding the covers back, he climbed in bed but instead of lying down, sat up with his back against the headboard and studied her for a moment. If he’d had any doubt that she was still ticked off at him because of what he’d said to Jerra, her nighttime attire made it perfectly clear that she was. Before the phone call, Marcus had noticed that she’d laid out a short little wisp of material that he guessed was a nightgown to put on after her bath. He’d been looking forward to relaxing and watching her model it for him before he stripped it away and feasted on that sexy body of hers.  The oversized white cotton t-shirt she wore in place of the negligee was a far cry from what he’d hoped to see when he got in bed.

“I know you’re not sleep, Leesh.” He started off in a slow voice that was smooth as warm molasses being poured out of a jar. “Wanna talk about it?”

“Not particularly.”

Marcus bit down on his lip and waited while beginning the countdown. In five…four…three…two…

Sighing, Aleesha added, “We can talk tomorrow. You have to get up early in the morning, don’t you?”

Marcus reached over and lightly ran the back of his finger up and down the smooth skin of her arm. “Didn’t seem like you were thinking about that when you picked out that little sheer black number you’d planned on wearing to bed at first,” he pointed out in a playful voice.

“Well now I am.”

Her clipped words dripped with freezing cold icicles and had the desired affect. He abruptly halted the lazy caress but didn’t remove his hand.

“Come on, Aleesha, I know you’re mad because I upset Jerra, but–”

“She was right. You automatically shut her down and came to Darrell’s defense.”

“No I didn’t. I was merely trying to get her to step back and see the whole picture.”

Aleesha twisted around to glare at him through the dim light provided by the lamp on his nightstand. “That wasn’t the time or the place to go in on her like that, Marcus. No matter which way you try to serve Darrell’s bullshit, it stinks. Bottom line, he was wrong.”

“And you think Jerra did the right thing kicking him out of the house?” Marcus asked in a tone full of disbelief.

Aleesha sucked her tongue, the loud smacking sound conveying her exasperation. “She was just upset and needed some time to cool off and deal with her hurt...which I think she’s entitled to do. As Jerra said, she’s already been down this road with Darrell before. I don’t know what it’s going to take to make him leave that woman alone once and for all.”

“Even you have to admit it was an entirely different set of circumstances this time. But in any case…” His voice got a little louder in order to be heard when Aleesha started to protest. “In any case, it’s for the two of
them
to work out. We’ll be here to talk to them if they need us to listen but we’re certainly not going to sit here and argue over
their
argument. That’s what we’re
not
gonna do. ”

His tone told her the subject was not just closed, but locked in a room with the key thrown out the window. Eyes narrow and lips tight, Aleesha mumbled something under her breath that made his gaze sharpen before she plopped over and gave him her back again.

Marcus stared at her with eyebrows raised. So it was gonna be like that? Fine with him. However, as the minutes passed, the insistent throbbing in his groin told him he’d better get over there and somehow placate Aleesha and get her to change her mind. His dick had no intention of going to sleep without properly bidding goodnight to the addictive sweet spot between her legs.

He took in the stiff set of her shoulders and the way she practically hugged the edge of the bed. Stretching out behind her, Marcus pressed the length of his body against hers, letting her feel the imprint of his arousal. His teeth gently bit down on the delicate shell of her ear before he sucked it into his mouth. A groan of need rumbled past his lips as his pelvis rocked forward, grinding the hardness of his sex into her pliant backside. Marcus’ dick grew in length, his girth thickening until he ached.

“Leesh…” Her name came out a hoarse, throaty moan. “Come on, baby, I don’t want to fight. I know you don’t either.”

His hand, which conspired with his dick to help get his ass out of the doghouse, glided up her thigh. It rested on her hip for a moment, squeezing her ass cheek before slipping her panties to the side. But before it could reach the center of her lush paradise, Aleesha grabbed his hand to stop him.

“Don’t.”

“Come on, baby,” Marcus whispered, his voice husky with desire. “Been thinking about being inside you all day. You know that.”

Aleesha pushed his hand away. “I mean it, Marcus. Not tonight. I’m not in the mood.”

Marcus went completely still. “You serious, Aleesha?”

“Very. Goodnight.”

He stared down at her for a few minutes more without moving. Marcus knew Aleesha wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She’d been into it just as much as he, her body softening and her ass grinding back into his groin before she’d caught herself. They both knew he had only to touch her again to make her give in. Matter of fact, he had a feeling that’s what she wanted him to do. She was mad and using her body to dose out a tiny bit of punishment, but that didn’t mean she didn’t want to make love. She had every intention of giving him some, but wanted to make him work for it first. And he could have. But he wasn’t going to.

Peeling his body away from hers, Marcus rolled over on his back. Bringing a hand up to cover his face, he exhaled a long, quiet breath. Damn. He was horny as fuck, mostly because of the desire he always had for his wife, but also because they’d been teasing and flirting with each other all day;
both
of them had been anticipating this moment. They’d
needed
it. Been
hungry
for it. And now…
this
? 

Marcus shifted, trying to get comfortable. They hadn’t made love last night, had been too exhausted when they finally got in bed. The babies had been unusually fussy all day, and on top of that, Dillon and Olivia had been fighting, something they’d been doing more and more of lately. Marcus and Aleesha had decided to get them into counseling. They knew the children were still grieving for their mother. Understandably, some times were worse than others, so he and Aleesha needed to do everything they could to help them channel that grief and deal with it in a way that wouldn’t be harmful to them later on.

He turned his head to look at her again. His dick thrummed in remembrance of the way she’d woken him up this morning by stroking him until he was on the verge of exploding. He had just pushed his pajama bottoms down when Addy’s outraged wail sounded through the baby monitor. Aleesha and Marcus had moaned and collapsed against each other in frustration because it was only a matter of time before her screams woke her brother. Seconds later that was exactly what happened. Although things had been chaotic from that moment on, the heated looks they’d sent each other throughout the day and the lingering touches they’d exchanged had carried a promise that they would finish what they started tonight.

His had slid down and grasped his erection. Damn if he was gonna beg her to give him something that was already his, though.

Taking deep, steadying breaths, Marcus finally managed to get his body to settle down. He had just drifted off when Aleesha snatched him out of his state of relaxation by kicking his shin. Half asleep, he frowned and moved his leg out of her way. She pulled at the sheet, tossing to one side then flipping over again. He groaned in annoyance but determinedly held on to the last vestiges of sleep. The click of her lamp being turned on penetrated his foggy brain first. Scowling, he blinked a couple of times to bring her into focus. 

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice slightly scratchy. “The babies woke?”

“No, they’re still asleep.”

“Then…”

“I thought you wanted to talk.”

Marcus stared at her without uttering a sound. Was she freakin’ serious? Lifting his head, he glanced at the clock on his nightstand. A little more than an hour had passed since she’d shut him down and turned her back on him.

Marcus’ head dropped back down on the pillow. He had to get up in about five hours to work an eighteen-hour shift at the hospital. True, he’d functioned on less before, but it was the principle of the thing. He already knew what was going on. Aleesha had probably been lying there horny and frustrated. When she saw he wasn’t going to dance to her tune and beg her for pussy, she’d caved. Too bad. Now it was her turn to work for it.

He turned over on his side facing away from her. “Go to sleep, Leesh.”

Absolute silence filled the room before she threw the sheet back. He felt the mattress dip and shift then heard her rustling about behind him. Marcus allowed himself a quick smile. She’d taken her t-shirt off. Probably her panties too. Moments later he felt the soft palm of her hand glide down his arm, squeezing the muscles of his bicep before around to his waist. Aleesha let out a throaty groan of appreciation as her hand splayed over the ripped indentions of his abs.

Marcus couldn’t suppress his own moan when her lips rained slow kisses over his shoulders, especially when her tongue lovingly traced the wings of the angel he had tatted on his back. Her hand moved further down until she found the velvety smooth bone of his dick. They both let out a long, satisfying groan.

Aleesha knew exactly how he liked to be touched. She stroked him using steady, fluid movements. Mimicking his earlier actions, she pressed her naked body against the length of his tall frame, rubbing her luscious breasts against his back. Bringing her knee upward, she hooked her leg over his thigh, her hips moving restlessly, desperate to satisfy the hungry itch that only the length of his chocolate dick could reach and scratch.

“Marcus,” she breathed. “Baby, I need you.”

With a deep-throated growl, Marcus turned over on his back and surged up into a half-sitting position. Dragging Aleesha on top of him so that her thighs straddled his hips, their lips seamed together in a kiss that was rough and impatient. His hand went to the back of her head, holding her steady while his tongue plundered and invaded her mouth before tangling and twining around hers.

Marcus worked his hand between their bodies. When he inserted a finger inside the valley of her wet pussy, Aleesha broke the kiss with a swift gasp.

“Marcus!” She writhed over his probing finger, her pelvis rhythmically gyrating, quivering uncontrollably when his thumb flitted across her clit before moving away. “Don’t stop.”

“You’re so wet, Leesh.” He lay back down and gazed up at her, his seductive brown eyes reflecting pools of desire, love, and lust. “Need to fuck you, baby. You ready to stop all the bullshit and ride this dick?”

“Yes!”
Her eyes wide with excitement and anticipation, Aleesha’s voice was eager in her urgency.

“Show me,” he whispered.

Leaning forward she braced herself with one hand on his chest while the other curled around his turgid, swollen shaft. Moments later her mouth opened in a silent scream as she slid down his thick wood. She winced when Marcus held her firmly around her waist and thrust his hips upward, impaling her to the hilt in one powerful motion. He sliced through her tender oyster like a hot knife passing through butter. Aleesha melted around him, her hot liquid coating his shaft.

Marcus watched intently as she brought her hands up to cover her breasts, squeezing and kneading and pinching her nipples before sliding them up to the sides of her neck. Whispering his name, she combed her fingers through her short hair, clenching the strands in tight fists. Moaning low when he went deep and hit her spot, Aleesha threw her head back, interlocked her fingers, and got her ride on. With hips twerking and waist whining, her pelvis rotated rhythmically, popping and thrusting her pussy at a fluid pace, using her body weight and the muscles in her thighs to push herself up and down his dick.

Marcus shuddered with pleasure. Gripping the full curve of her ass with one hand, he reached over and grabbed another pillow with his other hand and shoved it under his head to give himself a better view. Her sexy movements reminded him of the vacation they’d taken to the islands a couple of years ago. He’d been surprised and a little shocked as he sat back and watched her dance with a natural sensuality, swiveling and rolling her hips identically to the Caribbean people around her in the small, out of the way club they’d discovered. He’d known she was dancing just for him, enticing him, and intentionally seducing him to push him over the edge. Marcus had been so turned on he’d been unable to wait until they got back to their bungalow to have her. Instead, he’d found a secluded spot right there on the beach and made love to her long and hard, not caring if anyone heard their screams of ecstasy.

“Feels so good, Leesh,” he whispered now, watching her grind on top of him with uninhibited enthusiasm. “That’s right, baby. Work that na-na for me.”

Aleesha closed her eyes as her climax approached, biting down on her lip and writhing