vittanos willow (8 page)

looking at a biology book she had on her coffee table, but his gaze

found hers the moment she stepped into the room.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

His dark eyes took in her faded but fitted blue jeans, turquoise

blue shirt, and tennis shoes. He continued to stare as she went to the

closet and grabbed a black leather coat.

Rising swiftly, Osten cornered her between the closet and his

body. “So am I,” he purred in her ear.

CJ trembled. “Be good,” she admonished.

“I’ll be
very
good, I promise.” His warm breath teased her ear.

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Aliyah Burke

“Osten,” she cried out softly, and he could feel her body trem-

ble.

“I can’t
wait
until I am buried deep inside your gorgeous body

and I hear you moan my name like that.” He stepped closer to her and

pressed his body tight against her, reveling in how she pushed back

against him. There was no way she couldn’t feel his unyielding erection.

“I thought we were going,” CJ forced out.

“I’d rather be coming,” he murmured in her ear, seconds before

spinning her around and plastering his lips to hers.

Every nerve in his body was on edge for this woman. It cried out

for her touch, desperately seeking the relief she could provide.

Her curvaceous form arched into his solid one. Their tongues

dueled and stroked one another. CJ ran her tongue throughout his

mouth, learning its shape and taste the best she could.

Osten pulled away. His eyes were almost black as he stared

down at her, his breathing ragged and shallow. “We need to get going,”

he rasped.

Chantoya nodded, pursing her lips together as if trying to hold

on to the sensations of their kiss. Together they walked out of her

building and climbed into Osten’s vehicle. He remained silent as they

headed off to the train that would take them to Washington D.C.

“Would you like to come in?” CJ offered.

Osten shook his head. “I’d better not.” Seeing her look of disap-

pointment he explained, “I don’t know how much more control I have,

CJ. I want you.”

He stepped flush to her body; eyes met and held. His voice was

like the lure of passion as it caressed her. “I want you so bad I can taste

it. Every time I close my eyes, I see us making love. I have to regroup

and get some control back so you don’t think I am some damn animal.”

Shocked beyond belief at his admission, CJ stared at him wide-

eyed. “Thank you,” she said eventually. “I don’t think anyone has ever

done something like that for me.

“Then they were all morons. There is more between us than just

sexual tension, CJ, and I don’t want to forget that; nor do I want
you
to

forget it. I meant it when I said I was in this for the long haul.”

He leaned in and kissed her tenderly, yet thoroughly before

moving back. “See you at school, my sweet teacher.”

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55

Her hand shot out and grabbed his jacket. Osten could see the

question in her eyes, but she only said, “I had a wonderful time, thank

you.” She moved in and gave him the softest kiss he had ever received

on the corner of his mouth.

By some miraculous power Osten managed to leave the vision

of loveliness before him and walk down the hall. Once outside in the

night air, he stopped. His body slumped against the wall as he tried to

control his breathing. There was just something about that woman that

made him crazy.

Pushing away from the cold stone, Osten strolled to his car.

Once inside he placed his dark head against the leather headrest. “I

must be going crazy; I think I am falling in love.”

CJ slept that night with dreams of Osten floating around in her

head. The next day she went to church with her brothers and then all

four of them went out to eat for lunch.

Her afternoon was spent sitting in front of her big window,

drinking hot chocolate while she alternated reading a romance novel

and watching the snow fall outside.

Binh had been right when they had said a huge system was on

the way. The temperature had been dropping for the past couple days

and finally the snow had begun. It had been snowing for little over an

hour and there was already close to two inches on the ground and the

snow was increasing in its intensity.

A gentle smile graced her face as she finally gave up on reading

and just enjoyed watching Mother Nature as she swept through Virgin-

ia. While flurries were common place, a dumping like this was most

definitely an unusual occurrence. Cradling her hot cocoa in her hands,

Chantoya snuggled deeper into her overstuffed chair and witnessed as

one by one the lights in the city turned on to combat the swarming

darkness and flakes.

Once her drink was gone and her stomach began to growl, CJ

uncurled herself from the chair and padded in her thick socks to the

kitchen to begin making some dinner. She pressed a button and filled

her apartment with some ’80s music. As her gumbo was reheating on

the stovetop, her doorbell chimed.

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Aliyah Burke

Swinging the door open, she grinned at the sight of the snow-

covered person standing on the other side. Dezarae Connelly. “Hey

there, come on in.” CJ hugged her friend.

“Hey, yourself.” Dez walked in shaking the snow off her coat as

she took it off.

“What are you doing driving in this stuff?” CJ questioned, pro-

pelling her friend into the kitchen where she fixed her a mug of hot

cocoa.

“This is like nothing to what I am used to driving in,” Dez pro-

tested.

“I’m not worried about your driving, it’s everyone else’s.” She

handed over the steaming mug.

“Thanks. I know, but I have something to ask you and I just fig-

ured that I would come over and visit you.”

“Well, you know I love to see you. What’s up?” CJ stirred the

slow heating dinner.

“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come to a show with

me, help with the driving and all that?”

“You know you don’t have to ask me that. I love going to shows

with you. Where and when?”

Dezarae laughed as she put her feet up on another chair in the

kitchen. “It would be this Friday we would leave late and get back late

on Sunday.”

Leaving the stove, CJ sat down across from her friend and

propped her feet up on the same chair. Her strip of red hair hung in her

face as she nodded. “Absolutely. I would love to.”

“Wonderful,” Dezarae said. “We will have a great time. Catch

up on things.”

As the smell of gumbo filled the kitchen, CJ got back up and

proceeded to ladle some into a dish for each of them. “I kind of thought

that I would get to see you more when you moved down here.”

“Me too! Who knew being a wife and mother would take up so

much of my time?” she mused. “But on this trip you can tell me all

about you and Osten.”

CJ almost fell over she spun around so fast. “What are you talk-

ing about?”

A knowing smirk filled Dezarae’s face as she took one of the

bowls from her friend. Picking up the spoon she ate one heavenly bite

before she decided to say anything. “Ross says Osten is at your school

for two weeks. This is delicious,” she added with a wink.

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57

“Just because he is at my school doesn’t mean there is anything

going on between us,” Chantoya protested as she began to eat.

“Uh huh,” the doubtful murmur filled the kitchen.

“His table is near my room, that’s all.”

“Umm hmm.” Another bite of the gumbo.

“Okay, so he went to a football game with me on Friday,” CJ

admitted.

One finely sculpted brow arched as Dezarae merely continued

to eat.

CJ dropped her spoon and blurted out, “Then he came back here

and we played tonsil hockey for a while and other things. And then

yesterday he met my brothers and took me to Washington for the day. I

haven’t slept with him yet, though.”

“I knew it!” Dezarae gushed. “Girl, how long have I known

you? Long enough to know what your type of man is. This is great!

We’re going to be family in more ways than one!”

“Hold on there, Phoenix. I never said I wanted anything serious

with him.” Picking up her spoon, CJ took another bite.

Dezarae set her utensil in the bowl and locked eyes with the

woman across from her. “So, how are his kisses?’

“Phoenix!” CJ wailed as a fierce blush ran up her cheeks.

“Well, just from what I’ve seen of him, I’d say he has one hell of

a package for you,” she teased.

“I am not talking about this,” Chantoya insisted.

“We used to talk about all of this kind of thing. Why not now,

unless he means something to you?” Dez took a drink of her water,

never looking away from CJ’s face.

“Because you married a man who works with him. A man who’s

like his brother.”

With a sarcastic eye roll, Dezarae said, “I’ll let it go for now, but

you know Ross’s going to be asking me about you, checking on you for

his friend’s sake; but don’t worry, I’ll leave out all those escapades of

college—the poles, bikini bottoms, and sparkling pasties!”

CJ allowed her head to thump on the table beside her food. “I’m

doomed. My brothers on one side and you with your stories on the

other!” Resignation was on her face when she lifted it.

“I’m sure I can get some babysitting out of the deal. Or some-

thing…” Dezarae let it hang in the air as she looked pointedly at her

dish.

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Aliyah Burke

CJ snorted. “I’ll make you some gumbo.” She loved to cook the

meal. “Just please don’t tell him about the things I did in school.”

“Sweetie, if I never told your brothers, why would I tell Osten?

It’s just a wonderful bargaining chip.” Dez waggled her eyebrows,

causing them both to burst out in laughter.

Shutting the door of her vehicle, CJ was glad she had her broth-

er’s SUV. Her car wouldn’t have made it up that last hill. An artic blast

hit her directly and she tried unsuccessfully to control the chill that

pierced her.

As she moved toward the door, another biology teacher ap-

proached her. “Morning, Gordon,” she said as he fell into step beside

her.

“Morning, Chantoya,” he responded in a kind voice. “Did you

have a nice weekend?”

She grinned despite the cold. “I did. And what about you? You

and your wife have a great weekend?”

“We did thank you. Layla really wants to meet you.” Gordon

Blake sent her a brilliant smile. He was a handsome Caucasian man

with dark-brown hair cut so it accented his aristocratic cheekbones.

Dark-blue eyes looked intelligently out at everyone and his features

were very much defined.

Just before they got to the door, it opened and they found them-

selves face to face with Marvin Whittle. “Morning,” he said low in his

throat as his eyes took in how they were walking together.

“Morning, Marvin,” CJ said. “Soon, Gordon, we’ll have to get

together, I’d like to meet her as well.”

“I was wondering if you would like to have our date this week-

end, Chantoya?” Marvin asked, totally oblivious to the fact she was in

the middle of a conversation with another man.

Gordon looked at her and waited for her response. She shook

her head, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

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Aliyah Burke

“Oh, okay.” His dark eyes roved over her figure. “I am going to

begin to think you are avoiding your date with me, Chantoya.”

She shrugged. “I already promised to help a friend out this

weekend. I am leaving Friday after school.”

“He must be pretty special,” Marvin suggested.

Chantoya Jackson narrowed her light-brown eyes. “Not that it is

any of your business, but the friend I am helping is a woman. Excuse

me; I have to get to class.” She slipped past the men and disappeared

into the warmth of the school. The men looked at each other and

followed her inside.

She was unlocking one of her back cabinets when she heard,

“Morning, sexy,” whispered in her ear.

Gasping, CJ spun around to come face to face with Osten Scoleri.

She blushed as he leaned in for a quick kiss. “How are you doing?”

“Much better now that I’ve seen you,” he muttered as he took in

her outfit. She wore a gray pantsuit with a splash of the same red that

was in her hair. It lovingly hugged her curves and made his mind

follow all sorts of paths it shouldn’t, especially in school.

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Scoleri.” She licked her

lips and enjoyed the answering flare of passion in his eyes.

“I’ll remember that,” he promised as he moved away from her

and put an acceptable distance between their bodies.

Carrying the box she had been after, CJ headed toward her desk

at the front of the room. Osten followed and went over to the box of

things he kept in her room. Placing her things on her lab desk, she

looked at the man who had hefted his own box onto his hip. “See you