Back to Life (13 page)

No longer looking sad or tired, h
is entire face completely lit up. He leaned forward and his lips crashed into mine and I could taste the minty flavor of his toothpaste. Giving in to every emotion I felt, I leaned into the soft strength of his kiss.  His lips engulfed me, gaining in strength until I found myself completely wrapped up in him as he pulled me into his lap, straddling him.
We’d kissed a lot over the last two weeks, but that kiss was by far the best,
I thought as he pulled a fraction of an inch away from me.  He stared deep into my eyes before he began, “I love you baby girl.” His voice was a whisper. “That’s what I needed to tell you this morning.”

My breath hitched. “I love you too,”
I answered in a hushed tone. “I said I wanted some space yesterday because I needed time to think about.  This all seems to be going so fast and I didn’t think I could hide the way I felt anymore. And Friday was the most vulnerable I’ve ever allowed myself to be for a man.  I opened up in ways I never thought I could.  And then you left.  And I didn’t want to tell you that I love you and you leave.  So I needed time to think about what…everything means.”  My eyes watered as I admitted the stark truth. And it felt good. I resisted the urge to avoid his intense stare.

“Baby girl, I’m sorry about Friday night. It was a lapse in judgme
nt.  I shouldn’t have left you… especially without leaving a note or a text or anything. I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever I can to make that up to you. I don’t want you to ever worry about me doing that again. You have me. All of me. From the moment we met,” Ty admitted the last statement in a rushed whisper as he looked up at me while I still straddled his body.  He threaded his fingers through mine and kissed the back of my hand.

“You didn’t even ask me for my number when we met,” I pointed out, leaning down to trail feathery kisses across his lips.
“If I’m remembering correctly.”

“
No I didn’t, but you have to understand what happened to me that morning. I was working with little to no sleep. I had just come to Libby Lofts to work out and get some stuff together before my opening.  And I go into the gym at a ridiculously early hour and stop in my tracks at this beautiful woman on the treadmill.  I mean, you are absolutely beautiful Sahara. You just have this light about you…even though you looked like you had the weight of the world on your shoulders, I could see your light. And then you started singing… Sahara, when you were singing that song. I knew. I knew,” Ty shook his head.

I opened my mouth to respond, but he continued
, “My grandfather told me that one day I’d meet someone who would make me want to live a little.  He said I’d know it in my gut the moment I saw her. And I did, baby girl. I looked at you and I knew…I felt it. And then you were singing my grandfather’s favorite song. He used to play it on the piano all the time.  He would always say that song was written for him and my grandmother.  After she passed away, he would play it and before singing he’d dedicate it to my grandmother. She was his great love.”

He paused and smiled
before confessing, “I’m not going to lie… The way I felt when I saw you, when I heard you sing that song, what I felt between us… it was all too much.  So I wrote it off. Even though I introduced myself, I didn’t pursue you.  But I knew I couldn’t leave the gym without knowing your name.”

“But then Jimmy’s…” I smiled at him lovingly.

“But then Jimmy’s…” he repeated back to me. “The moment I stepped off the elevator and saw you…that was it for me, you had me and there was no turning back.”

Oh. My. God
,
I thought.  Hearing him be so open about his feelings for me rocked me. 

“I don’t even know what to say to that except that I felt it too. Tyree Barker, you took my breath away. And not just because of all of this,” I gestured to his face and body. Placing my right hand over my heart, I said, “I felt you here. You awakened something in me that I thought was dead. I thought it died…” I couldn’t continue because I still didn’t want to talk about that night with Ty.
He leaned up and kissed me. It was so slow and tender and perfect.

“I love you,” I said softly, getting lost in those big brown eyes.

“I love you too baby girl.”

We stayed cuddled on the couch for at least an hour before
we decided to cook breakfast. After breakfast, we spent the rest of Sunday morning cuddled in bed, watching movies, and talking. We talked about our childhood, our favorite memories, our future plans. We talked about everything
.  Well, everything except that night ten years ago. That is off limits. I’m not ready to open that can of worms again,
I thought as I wrapped my arm around his torso and snuggled in closer. 

So I don’t know how I’
m going to sneak off to Thomasville without him asking questions. Because if I tell him, he’s going to ask questions and he’s going to want to talk about it. He is so supportive and I hate that I bring so much drama and negativity with my past.  I just want things to stay how they were before he knew exactly what haunted me.  I don’t feel like he looks at me differently, I just feel like I look at everything differently now. So, I just want to go to Thomasville and say my piece so that jerk can remain in jail where he belongs. I can’t and won’t lie to Ty. But I can’t and won’t verbalize the thoughts that haunt me again either. It’s too hard and too emotionally draining.  What am I going to do?
I thought with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

I woke up from a nap and smelled meat and veggies being sautéed. 
Yum!
I thought groggily. I got up and brushed my teeth before heading downstairs.

“Sm
ells delicious baby,” I said when my slippers hit the leather flooring. Taking in the sight of Ty cooking with his shirt off, I stopped to appreciate the deliciousness.  His muscles were taut and defined as he effortlessly whipped up a concoction that smelled as delectable as he looked.  I walked quickly to the kitchen and wrapped my arms around Ty’s waist.
I can’t get enough of him. This week will be the week,
I thought as that dull ache resurfaced with a vengeance. 
Yes, definitely this week.

“Thank you! I wanted to be done before you woke up
, but I had an incident.” I looked in the direction he was pointing: sauce was all over his T-shirt. 

“Well, I am enjoying the show…” I flirted
as he turned to face me.

“Good because I plan on giving you a more comprehensive show in the near future,” he winked.

“Looking forward to it,” I said as I kissed the center of his chest.

As we ate dinner, Ty received a call. Only hearing his end, I could
tell something was wrong. Once he hung up, I waited patiently for him to tell me what happened. When he didn’t say anything, I took the initiative.

“Everything okay baby?”
I asked sweetly.

“Uh-huh.
I just have some stuff to take care of…out of town,” he said hesitantly.

“Now?”

“No, not now. But I’ll have to leave next Thursday and return the following Tuesday. I hate to leave you baby. If there was any way I could stay here with you, I would.”

H
e’ll be gone Thursday through Tuesday. I wouldn’t have to even tell him I was in Thomasville because he won’t be here either! Win-win! This is the perfect situation. Even though this unexpected trip has come at the perfect time, I hope that Motive is doing well in his absence.  I don’t want any negativity to come his way. He’s worked so hard to have two very successful business ventures and he doesn’t deserve to have anything bad come his way.  Including being thrust into the drama of my past,
I thought as I snuck a peek at his perfectly chiseled face with his sexy 5 o’clock shadow.

Chapter 13
   

My last week at work before my vacation flew by.  Whitney and I pretended as if Saturday never happened as I was busy presenting and then implementing my newly revised policy.  Mr. Miller stopped by my office on Tuesday and then again Friday to rave about the new additions I added. 
Work, I’m good at. I know what I am doing… Relationships I don’t know which way is up,
I thought ruefully as I walked into Jimmy’s Friday night.  Ty wanted me to meet him at Jimmy’s right after work. I wanted to change but he told me that what I had on when I left for work would be perfect.  Even though I was exhausted, there was nothing I wanted more than to spend time with Ty.

Stopping into the ladies room before going to his office, I looked at myself in the mirror.  The red pencil skirt hugged my curves perfectly.  I took off the matching red jacket so that the white silk triangle halter top with red buttons down the back showed.  I took my hair out of the bun I wore it in and shook it out, running my fingers through the tight curls.  Pulling pins out of my Chloe snakeskin handbag, I styled my hair in a sexy up-do.  Feeling satisfied with my look, I walked out of the restroom and knocked on Ty’s office door.  When he opened the door, his eyes traveled up and down my body as he whistled.
Just the reaction I hoped for
, I thought as I smiled at his response.

“Sahara, you look even better than you looked this morning…if that’s even possible,” Ty said as he kissed me and ushered me into his office.

“Thank you baby!” I exclaimed. “And you look great…as always.” Ty wore khaki pants with an olive green button up. His tie was an olive and khaki herringbone print. Per usual, he looked like a model.

I walked to the middle of the room and placed my red jacket on the back of one of the chairs.  “So what’s going on baby?” I inquired curiously.

“Do I need a reason to see my girl?” There was a twinkle in his eye as he made his way closer to me.

“Absolutely not.
But I know you and I know something is up. You’ve been acting weird all day. What’s going on?” I laughed. He put his arms around me and pulled me close. He kissed me softly, teasing my lips with his. I melted into his arms as he picked me up and spun me around in a circle.

“I wanted you to come straight here because I wanted to have dinner with you.”

“
Mmm-hmmm,” I giggled against his lips.

He put me down and said, “You
ready for dinner?” He powered his cell phone off and grabbed his keys.

“Yes sir!”
I chirped as we made his way out of his office and to the restaurant.

Riding
the Libby Lofts elevator to the 9
th
floor, Ty and I laughed and joked so loudly that our 7
th
floor neighbors gave us the stink eye before they stepped onto their floor.  Continuing our joyous mood, we walked down the hallway to my loft with Ty tickling me. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes.  Begging him to stop, Ty grabbed me from behind and held me.

“I love you,” he whispered into my hair.

“I love you too baby,” I responded, leaning into him. My chest still heaving from the bouts of laughter his tickling fingers caused.

“Let’s get you inside.”

I opened the door and put my keys on the hall console.  As we walked deeper into the loft, I cut on the lights and noticed that Ty was hanging back. I looked back at him questioningly. He smiled and looked down.  I quickly looked around the loft before looking at him again.

“What’s going on?
You’re freaking me out,” I burst out anxiously. My wide smile couldn’t be contained as I walked back toward him as he leaned against the wall.

“
I’m just admiring your beauty,” he said smoothly.

Standing in front of him, I
wrapped my arms around his neck. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” he simply stated.  “How about you get changed and then come down the hall? We’ve never stayed together at my loft.”

“Okay... I want to take a shower and then I’ll be right there.”

“Sounds good.
I’d like to hop in the shower as well.”

Even though we were
going to be spending the entire night together and would be meeting back up in half an hour, we took our time saying goodbye. His kisses sent chills down my spine and incited that dull ache between my thighs. I had to force myself to break away from him. We finally said goodbye and I guaranteed him I’d be at his place in 30 minutes. 

During the shower, I thought about our decision to wait. At first, it was bec
ause it was way too soon.  And then after we told each other how we felt about one another, I was ready to give myself to him completely.  He would always cool things off before they got too far by smiling and telling me to be patient because he had something special in store for us.
I’m tired of waiting,
I thought as I pulled on a lacy black thong with a sheer, black baby doll nightie. Taking one of his white button ups from the closet, I slipped into it and then put on a black silk robe that fell to mid-thigh and my slippers. 
It was my idea to wait and he agreed. So maybe he’s waiting for a clear cut sign from me that I‘m over waiting,
I thought as I looked at my reflection. Inspired by something I’d done a long time ago, I stretched.
It’s been ten years, but I think I still have the moves,
I said as I spun around in the mirror.

Knocking on his door, I waited nervously for what I was about to do.
Ty opened the door wearing a pair of oversized grey New England Patriots sweatpants. And nothing else.  My eyes immediately dropped from his face to his chest and arms…and his 8-pack abs…and the trail of hair that extended from his bellybutton into his cotton sweatpants.  My mouth hung open for a second before I snapped it shut and moved my eyes back up to his face. I was caught gawking and I knew it. Unfortunately, I felt unable to stop it.  The combination of what I was about to do and his half naked body left me powerless to my desire. Shaking my head, I looked to the floor to collect myself before looking back at him.

“Hi baby…can I come in?” I asked as calmly as I possibly could.

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry. I was distracted by you in that robe. You don’t even want to know the thoughts I was having,” he laughed.

Hopefully they were similar to my own thoughts,
I thought as I walked passed him into the living room.

“
Let me take your bag,” Ty insisted.  He took my overnight bag from my hand and noticed what I had in the other. “Why do you have your portable speaker baby girl? You know I have one,” Ty asked as we walked into the living room. I didn’t respond.

“Wait right here,” he said as he took my bag upstairs.  I took the opportunity to hook up the portable speaker on the coffee table. Once done, I looked up and noticed the classy set up on the kitchen table.  Fruit, cheese, wine, and crackers sat in the middle surrounded by candles. 
Awww, he is perfect
, I thought as I scrolled down the playlist until I found the song.

When Ty got to the bottom step, I beckoned him over with my finger.  “You look really good in that robe Sahara,” he marveled as he walked over. 

I felt my skin warm at his compliment as it always did when he was around.  Once he got in front of me, I kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck.  With my phone in hand behind his head, I hit play.  ‘All I’ started playing and I pushed him so that he was seated on the couch right in front of me.  As I let the beat fill the room, I lip synced the spoken words to him. I did a slow dance to the music. When the singing started, I started singing as well. I slowly undid the belt of the robe and his mouth dropped as he realized what I was doing.

After removing the robe, I focused on dancing for him. Knowing I had 4 minutes to play with, I took my time unbuttoning his shirt and utilizing the moves I learned in that pole dance fitness class.  By the end of the song, I was
standing in front of him wearing only sheer garments that essentially left my body completely exposed.

“Sahara…that was the sexiest shit I’v
e ever seen in my life,” Ty exhaled slowly.

“I’m gla
d you liked it,” I murmured, glancing at the bulge in his pants.

Sitting up so that he was e
ye to eye with my belly button, he ran his hands up the back of my legs.  He stopped right before my ass and squeezed.  “I want you so bad, you know that?” He groaned as he put his forehead on my belly and pulled me closer to him. He looked up and when our eyes locked, I knew the wait was over.  Lust and desire was written all over his face and the look in his eye instantly got me wet.

Ty sat back and because he still h
ad a grip on my legs, I fell forward on him.  I slid down and straddled his lap.  His hands found their way to my hips.  I felt him pressed against me through the cotton of his sweatpants.  I moaned as I rotated my hips against him. He whispered my name hoarsely before closing his eyes and putting his head back.

“Sahara…” he hi
ssed between clenched teeth.  “We said we’d wait.  And I’ll wait as long as you want baby girl. I have something special planned for you… but if you keep grinding on me—”

I pressed my lips against his
, silencing him.  The kiss was hot and needy and as I pulled away, I lightly sucked on his bottom lip.  Trailing kisses from his lips across his cheek, I whispered against his ear, “There’s nothing I want more than to feel you inside of me.”

Groaning, Ty responded, “I had a plan baby. I want everything to be perfect for you.” His hands cupped the roun
d of my ass and pulled me into him harder.

“
Forget the plan. We’ve waited long enough.  Don’t you think?” I bit his earlobe gently before kissing my way down his neck and over his collarbone.

In response, he pulled me closer to him and said, “You have no idea.”

His mouth crashed into mine and all of the pent up sexual tension between us exploded.  His tongue played with mine in a way that made me long to feel it all over my body. The thought gave me chills.  He stood up with me still attached to him.  I wrapped my legs around his waist and kissed him hard.  Taking his time, he walked across the loft, cut the downstairs lights off, and went up the stairs.  Putting me down with my back toward the bed, he pulled himself away from me.  I pouted playfully and he laughed. He brushed the loose strands of hair from my forehead and stared at me.

Suddenly, reaching over, he turned the light switch off.  A soft glow highlighted the room and I turned around.  Ty had lit candles around the bedroom.  Red rose petals covered the bed and the floor.  Champagne sat on ice and two long stem champagne flutes
sat next to it. 

“What?!”
I exclaimed, taking in the whole room. Bringing my hands to my chest, my mouth dropped open. I practically yelled, “When did you do this?!”

Pulling me to the bed, he sat me down and poured me a glass of champagne. “Well, on my lunch break I picked up the fruit and cheese from the gourmet deli you pointed out the
first day we spent together.  Drink this,” he said, handing me a glass and walking to his docking station for his phone.

H
e continued, “While you were in the shower, I did the rose petals. And when I brought your bag up here, I lit the candles. I kept the lights on up here so you wouldn’t notice.” Finding the song he wanted, he turned around and walked back over to me.  His eyes burned into mine as he walked back to the bed.

“This is perfect, thank you for this,” I sighed as I took another sip, never taking my eyes
away from his. The sweet, bubbly liquid did nothing to cool how hot I felt all over.  I felt as though I was melting under his gaze. I put the glass on the table and scooted back on the bed as he came closer.

Ty crawled on top of me and
my senses heightened with anticipation.  His muscles tightened and flexed under his weight as he balanced himself on his forearms and kissed me hungrily. Our hands explored each other’s bodies as the kiss grew deeper and needier. He pulled away and started kissing down my neck.  His fingers found my nipples and he gently pulled and twisted them before allowing the wet heat of his mouth to suck each one through the sheer fabric.  I moaned as his mouth covered my nipple and flicked it with his tongue.

Kissing down my belly, his fingers had already found the most sensitive part of my body. Instead of ripping my panties off, he slowly stroked me. 
The sensation of the fabric against my damp skin turned me on even more.  He watched my face as he played with me, figuring out what I liked best.  He covered my nipple with his mouth again as he slid my panties to the side to eliminate the barrier. 

“You like that?” he whispered as he bit down gently on my erect nipple and
pushed his finger through my sensitive folds.  I purred as he hooked his finger into my g-spot. His movements would’ve definitely put me over the edge but he kept slowing down, keeping my orgasm just out of reach.

Oh he’s doing this on purpose!
I thought as I felt him quicken his movements to get me close to my orgasm and then slow down again. “Not yet baby girl,” he breathed against my belly as he made his way further down my body.