Redemption (Iris Series) (13 page)

He glared then said, “Go use the bathroom.  I’ll get your bed ready.  Do you want any water, or anything?”

He was so sweet and at the same time, sounded completely disgruntled.  “No,” she said, “I’m good.”

She walked into the bathroom to quickly brush her teeth and use the toilet, then entered her bedroom again.  He was standing next to her bed waiting for her.  She raised an eyebrow. 

“I really can take it from here, you know.”

“Get under the covers.”

“I,” she stuttered, “listen, I’m good.  I got this, okay?”  She wasn’t about to strip down in front of him.

He looked at her, his mouth set in a grim line.  “Alright,” he sighed.  “Go to bed, little sex goddess.  You know how to find me if you need me.” Then, he left her bedroom and closed her door.

Well.  That was abrupt. 

Little sex goddess?  Maybe when she wasn’t so tired she’d analyze that a little.  But since she was, she stripped down to the skin, climbed between her sheets, and was asleep by the time her head hit the pillow.

Chapter 8

“...the kitchen might be your domain, babe, but the bedroom’s mine...” he whispered.

He had her wrists bound to the headboard of her iron bed with his belt, her arms high above her.

She struggled slightly, a little panicked.  Jonathan’s face hovered over her, but it kept morphing into Robert’s.

“You little bitch.  You’ll see how it feels to be humiliated.  Always waving your ass in front of my face.  You know you want it.”

Robert began undoing his pants while standing next to the bed, sneering down at her with lust and contempt.

Ayanna growled, “Don’t you fucking touch me!”

“Oh, I’m gonna do more than that.  I’m gonna claim that sweet cunt of yours and make it sing.”  He reached forward and began gouging his large fingers into her.

“Get off me!” she screamed.  “Motherfucker!  Don’t
touch
me!”  She kicked her feet out, trying to knock him over.

“Whatsamatter, little lady?” he tsked.  “No one here to save you this time?”

She grunted and swore, as she kicked and turned with all of her might.

“Shh, baby.  It’s okay,” he crooned.  Robert’s mouth was moving, but it was Jonathan’s voice coming out of him.

“Ayanna, wake up baby.  It’s just a dream.  Wake up.”

She awoke with a jolt to find Jonathan leaning over her, sitting next to her on her bed and stroking her face.  She was completely strangled by her sheets, having wrapped herself in them during her struggle to get out of the nightmare.

She was so confused.  “Jonathan?” she asked, trying to catch her breath.  “What...are you...?” she stammered.  “Am I dreaming right now?”

“No.  I didn’t leave.  I was sleeping on the sofa.”  He continued to calm her with his hand on her face.  “Are you okay?  Do you need some water or anything?”

“Why are you here?”  She was still confused.  She grabbed at her sheet to make sure she was covered, just as he turned on the bedside light.  He wasn’t wearing his glasses.  His eyes looked tired, but they were the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.

“I wanted to make sure you slept okay.  Now, I’m glad I stayed.”  He looked at the sheet covering her breasts, her shoulders still bare.  Then he swallowed.  “Do you want some water?” he asked again, finally moving his eyes to hers.

She lay there, stunned.  He was there.  He hadn’t left.  And he was shirtless, wearing only his shorts that he had on the evening before...and if he continued touching her face like that, she wouldn’t want to go back to sleep.  Rather, she’d want to be doing something else entirely. 

And it was only Day 28.

“Umm, yeah.  Can you—?  I just need to get a robe, or something.”

“I’ll get the water,” he said as he got up.

“I can get it, if you just—”

“I’m getting the water, Ayanna.  Now would you shut up, please?  Stay there.  I’ll be right back.”

As soon as he walked out, she noted the tattoo on his back.  A phoenix rising from the ashes done in black ink.  It was gorgeous and sexy, and rested perfectly between his shoulder blades. 

JBG just kept surprising her.

She ran to her dresser to get a nightie and threw it on quickly.  By the time he came back with a glass of water, she was back in bed a little more covered.

He hesitated at the door, noting the change in her appearance.  He swallowed again, then walked forward with the water and handed it to her.  “Here.”  He sat on the bed and looked at her chest briefly, then evaded her eyes.

She realized as she drank the water that she probably didn’t look any more covered.  She never wore anything to bed, so her nightie collection was basically chosen for allure.  Her nipples stood erect against the lace of the top.  She hadn’t meant to make this worse, but as he sat there quietly, she began to wonder if she had.

She cleared her throat and put the glass down on the nightstand.  “Obviously, I didn’t know you were here.  As you can see, I usually sleep
au naturale and I wasn’t expecting you to come crashing into my bedroom at,” she looked at the clock, “4:30 in the morning.  I thought it might help if I put something on,” she muttered.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.  “I didn’t mean to scare you.  I just wanted to make sure you were okay.  I heard you yelling.”

“It was just a nightmare.  No biggie.  I still can’t believe you stayed,” she said looking at him.  “That was completely unnecessary, but...nice.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“The dream?”

He nodded.

“No.”  Especially not the part where you bind me to the bed with your belt, she thought.  Her nipples began to tingle.  “It was just some residual stress from the night.”

“You need to get more rest.  Lay down.  I’ll sit here until you’re asleep, then I’ll head back to the sofa.”

She knew then that Day 28 was going to be another momentous day.  Because Day 28 was now going to be known as the day she fell head over heels in love with Jonathan White. 

“You really don’t need to stay,” she said in a small voice.

“I want to, Yan.  Now, shut up and go to sleep.”

She smiled at his disgruntled remark and snuggled back down into the sheets.  He turned off the light and she moved around trying to get comfortable while he sat on the bed next to her.

She looked over her shoulder at him in the predawn light.  “Do you want to lie down?  I promise I won’t touch you.  I can’t imagine how uncomfortable the sofa is.  Do you even fit on it?”

“I’ll make do,” he said, the struggle in his voice evident.

“Seriously, champ.  You’re safe, I promise.  I’ll stay on my side, you stay on yours.  I won’t mess things up.  I’m determined to make it to Day 41.”

He mumbled something, and she wasn’t sure but she thought he’d said, “I’m not sure
I
will.”

She tried not to smile
. She really was
not trying to make things difficult for him
or
her, but inside she was doing cartwheels. 

He had stayed, she thought giddily.  She couldn’t believe what a lovesick dork she was turning into.  If all of the men she had previously dated could see her now, they wouldn’t recognize her.

She knew he would be so much more comfortable in a queen sized bed rather than on a short sofa.  And if he was determined to stay...

“Come on, JBG.  You won’t even know I’m here,” she said.

“Uh, huh,” he said dryly.  “Lie down and go to sleep.”

She scooted all the way over to the other side of the bed.  “I’ll make room for you, just in case you change your mind,” she said with a smile.  Then she snuggled down and closed her eyes.

She remained silent even though she couldn’t fall asleep knowing he was right there.  After about two minutes, she finally felt the bed dip then heard a sigh.  She smiled then, completely content knowing he was next to her.

“I know you’re awake,” he said, still sounding disgruntled and a bit resigned.

“I can’t help it.  I’ve never slept with a guy before, if you know what I mean.”

“Never?”  She could tell he didn’t believe her.

She was glad she wasn’t facing him.  “Nope.  One of us always left after.”

He was silent.

“Have you?  Ever slept the night with a girl, I mean.”

“Yeah.”

Oh.  Why did that make her feel so sad?  She had hoped.

“When I was 10, I had to sleep with Em at my grandmother’s house when we visited.  For a tiny little thing, she sure did hog a lot of covers,” he muttered.

Ayanna giggled then turned to face him.  “For real.  You’ve never slept with a girlfriend, or anything?”

He looked up at the ceiling and remained silent for a minute, then said quietly, “One.  And it was a major mistake.”

“Why?”

He turned his head to look at her.  “Would you stop being so nosy and go to sleep already?”

“Why was it a major mistake?”

He sighed then looked back to the ceiling.  “I didn’t realize at the time that she was so different than what she had led me to believe.  And staying with her,
you know, spending the nights with her, just added an intimacy I now wish I hadn’t shared with her.”

“What happened?”

“Do we really need to talk about this now?”

“No…I was just asking.”

She let the silence hang in the room, until finally he said, “You asked me why I left Wall Street and went into teaching.  I told you half the truth.”

She waited.

“I’ll tell you the other half someday, just not now.  Let’s get some sleep, okay?”

“What does your tattoo mean?”

He turned to look at her and she looked right back.  He looked at the ceiling again.

“I would think you would know what it means.”

“I know what a phoenix rising from the ashes means.  But why did you
choose
it?”

He hesitated then said quietly, “I got it when I was making a new beginning.”

She couldn’t seem to help herself and whispered, “I like you, Johnny Be Good.”

He turned and smirked
, then whispered back, “I like you, too, little sex goddess.  Now shut up and go to sleep.”

She smiled and closed her eyes, and just as she drifted off to sleep, she could feel fingers stroking her hair.

……

“Please, Jon. 
Please
,” she begged.  She was so close, but he kept teasing her, tormenting her.

“Please, what?” he whispered, as he continued kissing at the crease of her leg, just next to her drenched sex, but he wouldn’t put his mouth where she wanted it, where she
needed
it.

“I can’t wait much longer,” she gasped.  She continued to struggle to get her hands free from his belt that secured her to the iron bed.  She was straining her hips toward his mouth, but he kept pulling back.

“You’re not in control here, Ayanna,” he whispered against the lips of her sex.  “Your pussy was made for me.  Designed just for me.  I can’t wait to taste it all,” he murmured, teasing her.

“Now
. 
Taste it all
now.
”

He chuckled.  “Patience,” he whispered as he licked the arousal near her sex.  He suckled at the crease and held her knees back while he looked at her.  “I love how smooth you are.  You’re perfect for me,” he breathed.  “I can’t wait to devour you whole.  But we’re not at Day 41 yet.”

She pumped her hips up, but he backed away again. 

“Ahh…” she growled.  “Please, Jon.  I
need it.  Oh, God,” she whimpered.

“I don’t have to taste you to make you come, you sweet little sex goddess.”  He reached up and rolled her nipples between his fingers.  “You can come now for me.  Just like this.”

“Yes…yesss…please, Jon…”  She gyrated her hips.

“Right now.  Just a kiss…”

She didn’t understand what he was saying.

“No sex, just one kiss,” he whispered.

She opened her eyes from the erotic dream to see Jon over her, looking at her mouth. 

“Just one kiss, baby.  I promise.  Don’t blame yourself for this.  It’s all me.  I’ll take the blame for this one.”

He leaned down and plucked slowly at her lips with his.  Was she dreaming, or was Jon really kissing her?  It felt real.  Boy, did it feel real.  It felt wonderful
.
 

His tongue dipped into her mouth as he became more aggressive, devouring her, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, and nipping at her.

They both groaned and he took full advantage, changing the angle of the kiss, deepening it, plundering her mouth with his tongue.

This was indeed real.  This wasn’t a dream.