Give Me Fever (11 page)

Wanting to see that gloriously lush body of hers in nothing but a lace thong.

Wanting to have her astride them.

Riding.

Licking.

Biting.

Moaning.

Cumming.

Over and over and over again.

Kaeden’s hand tightened on the wheel as he felt his nature rise at the thought of her. “Down, boy,” he drawled, not wanting to want her anymore. Mentally the thrill was gone for him. Now he just had to get his body to play catch-up with the updated status.

Right now he was going to give Felecia a chance. That undeniable spark or flame or chemistry—or
whatever
—had yet to show up, but they had other things. More stable things. She was a good churchgoing, home-cooking, typical Southern gal who catered to her man.

He knew that tonight she would greet him at the door in a pretty dress—in heels—with a drink ready for him in her hand and a pleasant, welcoming smile on her face. And from the door everything she did would be about him.

Kaeden settled down in his seat and pressed the gas a bit. In twenty minutes he was pulling his Beamer into a parking spot in front of Felecia’s apartment building. He removed his tie, throwing it onto the backseat before he climbed out of the vehicle and walked up the short paved walkway to her front door.

He barely raised his hand to knock before the door swung open. Felecia stepped forward, looking pretty in the print strapless maxi dress she’d changed into. “Hey, baby,” she said softly with a smile before handing him a frosted glass of ice tea with a sweet kiss to his lips.

Just like he expected.

Kaeden pushed aside any second-guessing of their relationship as he walked into the apartment and let Felecia firmly shut the door behind him.

Nestled in one of the booths in the front of the Comfort Zone, Jade smiled across the table at Darren. “Let’s dance,” she told him softly, swaying to the sounds of classic R&B.

Darren rose to his feet and held his hand out to her.

Jade let him lead her to the dance floor at the back of the club. She just laughed at her mama dancing with her latest hot boys recruit, a tall and muscular man of about twenty-five. She didn’t really like partying with her mother—that was rule #1 for her once her mother showed up on the club scene—but the Comfort Zone was laid back and Jade was actually having a good time with Darren.

Jade turned her back to him and was surprised when Darren stepped up and pressed the length of his body against hers. She rocked her hips side to side and let her head fall back against his chest.

She hated the way several of the men sat watching her movements like vultures checking for roadkill. Rolling her eyes before she closed them, she ignored their leers.

Darren put his hands on her hips.

Jade brought her arms up to wrap around his neck….

He brought his hand down from her hair to deeply massage her throbbing nipples as he used his other hand to finger her in deep circular motions that sent her spiraling over the edge until she was free-falling into a black abyss of an electrifying climax. “I’m cumming! Don’t stop, Kaeden. Don’t.”

Jade jerked her eyes open as her body flushed in sweet pleasure at the heated memory. Even in Darren’s arms, the memory of Kaeden could not be stopped.

The madness had to stop.

Turning in Darren’s arms, she caressed his face. “You know, I saw a nice bed-and-breakfast in the historic district of Savannah today,” she told him. “Maybe it’s time for a weekend getaway.”

“Now, that’s what’s up,” he told her with a big grin.

Jade was thankful for a slow week as she unlocked the rear entrance to their small three-room office on Main Street in Walterboro. She had just come from a quick workout at the gym, showered, and now she was energized to actually work on getting their files out of labeled cardboard boxes and into the file cabinets lined against the wood-paneled wall.

She removed her shades as she set her oversized turquoise tote on the empty desk in the reception area and walked across the room to turn on the lights. “Be nice if we
had
a receptionist,” she said into the silence, raking her fingers through the long swooped bangs of her short jet-black hairdo.

Jade had just turned the radio to 99.7 FM for her
Steve Harvey Morning Show
fix when she looked up and saw Kaeden’s vehicle slow down as it turned into the parking lot of the brick post office.

Her heart slammed against her chest.

It had been nearly a month since the camping trip, and she had barely seen him since. After church, he was one of the first to leave and he would be gone by the time she stepped outside the church doors. She bit her lips as she rose from the office chair and walked to the large window to watch as he climbed out of the dependable but still luxury vehicle.

He’s gotten new glasses
, she thought, her heart pounding as he strode into the post office in his shirt, tie, and slacks.

Jade pressed her fingertips to her chest as she fought the immediate urge to go to him. Maybe a part of her moving on from that night was not just her and Darren’s trip to Savannah next weekend, but to talk to Kaeden.

And in truth, she wanted to see him and at least set things straight.

Following an urge, she walked out of the building. She checked the one-way street for oncoming traffic before she crossed. Her nerves were in a riot and she was scared her heart would literally burst through her chest, but Jade forged ahead.

Kaeden was just walking out of the building as she neared his vehicle. His steps visibly paused as he sighted her. Jade could see the surprise on his face, but she also saw when the surprise quickly changed to irritation.

“Is that necessary, Kaeden?” she snapped.

He shook his keys in his hand as he came to a stop in front of her. “What?”

“The look on your damn face,” she snapped again, her eyes flashing. “I just wanted to get things straight between us and you looking at me like I’m bird shit on your windshield.”

Beep-beep.

Kaeden deactivated his alarm as he stepped past her to open his car door. “Trust me, you already got me straight,” he told her coldly.

Jade grabbed his arm. “Why are you so mad at me?” she asked.

Kaeden turned his head to look down at her through his spectacles. “Because there is more to me than
dick
. You should understand that since there is more to you than tits and ass, right?” he asked, flinging her own words back at her.

Jade flushed with guilt. “Do you have to be so crass, Kaeden? I would’ve thought that was beneath you.”

Kaeden laughed bitterly. “And I would’ve thought sleeping with two men
shoulda
been beneath you. What’s wrong? He ain’t tapping that thing right?” he asked her coldly.

Jade fought the urge to slap the hell out of him as his words cut her like a knife. “You know what, you bullheaded, arrogant asshole? Just forget
it
and forget
you
,” she told him before turning away.

“You did that as soon as old boy showed up,” he shot at her.

Jade whirled back to face him. “This has nothing to do with him, Kaeden,” she told him.

Kaeden stiffened as his eyes shifted behind her. “Then why is he headed this way?”

Jade whirled and her eyes widened to see Darren strolling over to them.
What the hell does he want?
she thought, aggravated at his oncoming intrusion.

“Mornin’, baby,” he said, stepping up to slide his hand onto Jade’s back with his eyes on Kaeden.

“Listen, Darren, could you excuse us for a minute?” she asked, hating his increasing shows of possessiveness.

“No need for that, playa, we’re done. Trust me.” Kaeden opened his car door with one last long look at Jade before he climbed in. Soon the car purred to life.

“Were you two arguing? It looked like you two were arguing,” Darren asked as Kaeden reversed the car out of his spot, threw up a deuce sign, and then drove out of the parking lot. “What was that all about?”

“Just a misunderstanding I was trying to get straight,” Jade admitted.

“About the camping trip?” he asked in obvious confusion.

A hundred different steamy flashes of a moonlit rendezvous in the middle of the woods bombarded her.

“Yes, about the trip,” she said in half-truth. “Everything’s fine, Darren.”

They walked back to their office in silence, but Jade could tell that he had more questions. Thankfully he left them unasked.

Kaeden watched Jade in his rearview mirror until he turned the corner and erased her from his line of vision. The woman was effortlessly beautiful…but she was not his woman. She was in a relationship with someone else and so was he.

It was for the best anyway.

But was it?

Kaeden knew he hadn’t half the female conquests of any of his brothers, but he wasn’t a slouch either. Since high school he always had a steady girlfriend while his brothers played the hell out of the field. There was Keesha in eighth grade. July in the tenth. Mickala in the eleventh. Keesha again in the twelfth. Then Farrah during the college years and Jennifer in graduate school.

He’d had sex with them all and a few more. None compared to that one sizzling night with Jade. Not separately or totally.

Tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, Kaeden steered his vehicle toward his offices across town. His BlackBerry vibrated on his hip and he grabbed it.

“Kaeden Strong,”

“Kaeden, where are you?” Felecia asked.

“On my way to the office. What’s up?” he asked in return.

“Nothing. Just hadn’t heard from you this morning, that’s all. I’m at the office.”

Kaeden frowned. “Felecia, listen, I don’t need you to check up on me like this. I’m fine. Believe me.”

“I know you’re fine,” she said with a laugh that sounded forced. “I’ve been calling you and leaving messages all morning.”

Kaeden’s jaw tensed in irritation as he accelerated forward. First Jade running up on him with the drama, and now Felecia and her third degree. Rolling his shoulders, Kaeden felt tension race from his shoulders to the back of his head. His eyes lit on the turn for Highway 17. “I’m headed down to Kahron’s. I’ll be in later,” he told her.

Their was silence on the line before she reluctantly said, “Okay, Kaeden.”

He really needed a little piece of peace right now.

He made the turn toward Holtsville and didn’t stop until he was pulling in front of Kahron and Bianca’s house. Kade and Kahron were sitting on the porch with frosted glasses of lemonade in their hands.

“What’s up, bubbas?” he greeted them, using the common Southern nickname for “brother.” Kaeden immediately felt his tension ease being in the company of his brothers.

“We just got back from the auction. What’s up with you?” Kade asked before taking a deep sip of his drink.

“Wishing
I
had a big old glass of lemonade,” he joked as he climbed the stairs and soon felt the cool shade under the roof of the porch.

Kahron jumped to his feet. “You lucky I have to go inside,” he told him before walking into the sizable ranch-style home.

Kaeden let out a long breath as he dropped down into one of the rocking chairs. “Man, it’s gonna be a hot summer.”

Kade nodded as he squinted his eyes. “Especially trapped in a relationship you don’t want to be in,” Kade slid out with ease—and far too much wisdom.

Kaeden leaned to the side to eye his older brother through his glasses. “You and Garcelle having troubles?” he asked without one bit of seriousness.

“Picture
that
shit,” Kade drawled dryly.

Kaeden fell silent.

“I saw you and Jade that morning.”

Kaeden’s gut clenched.

Kade leaned over to sit his glass down beside him before he ran the long fingers of his strong hand through his full silver curls. “I found you guys and saw…you know…you…and, um, Jade doing the Adam and Eve thing. So I walked away and
then
I called out for you two. You know…I gave you guys a chance to find your clothes and ripped underwear and all that.”

“Oh,” was all that Kaeden said as the hot memory of him ripping those lace panties from her made his dick throb with sudden life.

“So it’s funny to me, little brother, that Jade’s boyfriend strolls up almost catching you two and then you take up with Felecia the next day.”

The same night, actually.

“Felecia and I haven’t slept together.”

Kade frowned. “Look, man, I didn’t ask for all your business,” he snapped.

Kaeden chuckled.

“What the hell is going on?” Kade asked, turning his head to look at Kaeden.

“Nothing. With Jade and me, things got out of hand for one night, and Felecia and I are building something more lasting, you know,” Kaeden said.

The words sounded hollow to his own ears.

“First off, you don’t do one-night stands. Second off,
you
barely wanted to hire Felecia because
you
broke up with Felecia because
you
didn’t want to date Felecia.”

True
. Kaeden just released a heavy breath.

“Just be careful with playing with people’s hearts, little brother.” Kade reached down for his lemonade. “You rebounded to her because you mad or hurt or whatever about Jade having a man. So if Jade didn’t have a man and she was wide open for more Strong loving on the regular, you wouldn’t pick her over Felecia. Come on, man.”

Kaeden shifted his eyes away from his brother and the truth.

“Felecia is a good girl. Jade has a man. Jade and I don’t have anything in common but something physical,” Kaeden said, listing his argument, annoyed that the very thought of Jade made him feel alive.

“Don’t settle. Felecia is a pretty girl. A good girl. But you can have the fireworks and the good girl wrapped all up in one. I have it with Garcelle and Kahron has it with Bianca.”

“Felecia is a good match for me,” Kaeden insisted.

“Man, Felecia is the type of girl to go all in,” Kade advised him. “At least sit back and make sure you’re ready for that. Don’t lead her on.”

Kaeden leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he stared off into the distance at Kahron’s farmland.

“You’re not
that
guy, Kaeden.” Kade finished the last of his lemonade in one gulp.

Kaeden spent the rest of the afternoon with his brothers and his inhaler. He’d left his BlackBerry in his car and wasn’t at all surprised to see a dozen missed calls from Felecia when he finally got back to his vehicle.

He called the office, but when there wasn’t an answer he tried her cell phone.

“Kaeden,” she said in a disappointed tone.

He felt like a child being chastised by a teacher.
Or a child being checked by my mama.

“I’m headed back to the office now.”

“Actually, just come on to my house.”

She closed the office early again?
he thought. Felecia had been taking a lot of liberties at work since they started dating.

“I already fixed dinner,” she told him.

Kaeden really just wanted to go home and chill out for the night. Kade had put a lot on his mind to think about, but he knew if he was serious about building a relationship with Felecia then he had to put in the time and the effort to make it work. “I’m on my way,” he told her, turning his car around in the dirt yard of Cyrus Dobbs’s one-pump gas station to head toward Summerville. His mind was set on getting there, eating, and then jetting back to his own house. He wanted to get home but he also wanted to talk to Felecia and make sure they were on the same page about their relationship. Slow and steady
might
win the race.

In truth, the memory of Jade was affecting his relationship with Felecia.

Or maybe just revealing the flaws in it.

In about twenty-five minutes he was pulling up to the front of Felecia’s apartment building. The curtains and blinds of her first-floor apartment were open. As he climbed out of his car, his eyes locked on the sight of Felecia moving about her living room.

She looked nice in the ruffled white shirt she wore with darn denim slacks.

He walked to the door and just as he knocked, she opened the door.

“Hey, Kaeden,” she said with a smile as she handed him a frosted glass of sweet tea.

But Kaeden nearly let the glass slip through his fingers as he eyed the dozen or so people walking out of the kitchen to greet him.

What the hell?

Felecia wrapped both her arms around him and pulled him in. “My family really wanted to meet you,” she whispered in his ear, just before a circle was formed around them.

Kaeden couldn’t do anything but force a smile.