Renaissance: A Contemporary Erotic Romance (Iris Series Book 5) (25 page)

She reached out and ran her hands along his shoulders.  They were broad and hard with rippling muscles.  Her hands coasted down his biceps where he flexed for her benefit.  She smiled and squeezed.  Then she got to the place she loved most; his stomach with his six pack and little indents over his hips.  She licked her lips and she felt his skin jump under her fingers.

She looked up at his eyes and they were shining with pleasure.  “I like when you touch me,” he murmured with a slumberous smile.

“It’s quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do.”  Her fingers came back up his torso to cup his neck, then she leaned forward until she was flush against his chest.  “Your skin is so warm,” she hummed, snuggling deeper down onto his shaft.

His arms wrapped fully around her back and he kissed the side of her face.  “And yours is so soft.”

She turned her face and kissed his shoulder, leaning up on her knees slightly so she could push back down onto him. 

“Hm,” he said. 

Slowly, she moved over him, rolling her hips.  Moving at a lazy pace, they stayed entwined like that, simply enjoying the feel of each other until the build became too much for both of them. 

Quickly, he stood.  “Let’s take this to the bedroom.  I need more room.”

She was wrapped around him, still amazed that he could lift her tall frame.  It made her feel so feminine.

He walked into the bedroom and they fell onto the bed in a tangle, the darkness of the room adding to the mood of anticipation.  On top of her, he kept his arms up around and under her back and with that added leverage, pushed hard into her, causing her to cry out.

He pulled out and pushed in again, hard and fast, a squeal now escaping her lips.  The force caused pleasure to mix with that tinge of pain at his depth, but she wanted it.  She wanted it so badly.

“You’ve unleashed the animal in me, Tiff.  I’ve been wanting you for too long,” he breathed out, working himself inside her.  “If you want to feel what you’ve done to me, I’m happy to oblige you.”

He moved faster, harder, stroking himself inside her drenched sheath and causing more and more sounds to escape from both of them.  He’d set her on fire, the flames licking deliciously all over her body but most especially at the core of her being.  The burn consumed her, making her yell over and over at the overwhelming heat of him.  Only he could relieve her of the burn, and as he pounded into her, he quenched that thirst with his movements and his sounds of encouragement, working them to the edge together.

She had freed the primal being inside him that he’d kept hidden so well.

“Fuck,” he grunted and before she knew what was happening, he pulled out and flipped her to her stomach.  She knew what he wanted and got on her knees with her ass high in the air, already dying for him to lose control.

She wiggled her ass in temptation, begging him to finish.

He thrust into her from behind, his fingers gripping her hips as he pumped into her and pulled her back forcefully onto him.  She’d happily and willingly given up all rights to her body at the moment, and allowed him to move her at his will.  Her nipples bumped onto the comforter, her chest now flat on the bed with him slamming into her, causing the friction of the cotton to further stimulate her front.

She sobbed out his name.  She couldn’t help but scream every time he hammered into her.

“Tiff.  Oh,
fuck
.”  

And then it began.  His hand went to her hair and with the hard slapping of his body into hers with his animalistic growls behind her spurring her into a keening prey who had been captured by its predator, he won her.  Claimed her, and she was now lost. 

She screamed, her voice raspy, and still he continued, moving faster, harder until he let go of a sound she’d never heard from another human.  A yell of such completion and triumph reverberated throughout the room, sure to alarm her neighbors.  Imbedded deeply inside, he ground more into her but there was no more space he could take.  He had taken over her body and collapsed onto her, imbedded deep.

They didn’t move, only breathed until they could finally speak.

“Please, Tiff.  Don’t let me take you like this all the time.  It’s going to kill me.”

“I love this,” she mumbled into the comforter beneath her, still breathing heavily.  “I don’t want you to kill yourself, but God, I love this.”

“I knew you’d make me happy, Daniels.  But I didn’t realize how happy until just now.”

She pushed back into him.  “Well, the word ‘happy’ doesn’t even describe how this makes me feel.”

“What then?” 

“Filled.  Complete.  Used and cherished at the same time.  Bliss.”

He kissed into her hair.  “I’ll take them all.”

“They’re yours, Doc.”

“Let me get a towel so we can clean up.”  He pulled out and left her there to recover, then came back with a warm wash cloth and placed it between her legs, rubbing away the wetness there and on her thighs.

When they were finally back in bed together, they lay facing each other, Drew just looking at her.  He looked deep in thought.

“What?” she asked.

His hand played with her hair as he said.  “I was thinking about what you said, about how you feel afterwards.”  He paused.  “I meant it when I said that I may ask you questions during sex.  I want to make sure you never feel like I’m doing anything you don’t like.”

She wished he wouldn’t worry about her so much.  “Where is this coming from?”

He shrugged.  “I dated a girl back in my twenties.  She thought I was a little intense.  I know I can be.  I think because of how disciplined I had to be in med school, I became very controlled.  But these last two days,” he stopped.  Then, “I’m really able to be myself with you.”

That made her smile.  “That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“As long as I don’t lose it so much that I hurt you.”

“You mean with sex?”

“Yeah.”

“That’ll never happen.”

“It would kill me if I ever hurt you.  I don’t want to trigger any memories of the asshole.”

She smiled softly.  “On your worst day, it would never happen.  Nothing you do reminds me of him in the slightest.  Not one thing.”

“You’ll tell me if I ever hurt you physically, okay?”

“It would never happen,” she repeated.

“But you’ll tell me.”

“Yes, but just so you know, knowing that you lose it because of me is a huge turn on for me.”  She ducked her head into his neck.  “It fulfills a very deep insecurity of mine that I’m not enough.  To know that I am, and that you want me so intensely is incredible for me.”

His mouth sought hers and he kissed her on the mouth.  “And knowing what that does for you makes it even better for me.  When I’ve been with women in the past, I never really let go to that extent.  I’ve always reined it in.”

“I don’t want you to rein it in.”

“Same goes for you.”

She smiled into his neck, inhaling his scent, surrounding herself in it.  “I really like you,” she whispered.

“I really like you too,” he whispered back.

She was quiet.  She wanted to tell him she loved him, but held back.  Then, “I don’t want to dance around each other anymore.”

He chuckled.  “I don’t know.  You are a pretty good dancer.  I could watch you dance the Salsa all day.”

She kissed his neck, knowing he was purposely misunderstanding her.  Maybe he wasn’t ready to say the words yet.  “I was so nervous when we all went out.  I couldn’t wait to see you that night, and maybe dance with you.  I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to come out with us and I was so excited when you said you didn’t have to work.”

“When I got that text, I was like, ‘Hm, the Salsa.’  I wanted to see your moves.”  His hand cupped her neck and he began kissing her face.

“My mom taught Luke and I all of the Spanish dances.” 

“I can’t wait to thank her.”

They cuddled and talked some more, sharing their memories, and eventually fell asleep.

“I’ll see you tonight,” Drew whispered in her ear as he hugged her at the door.  “Are you sore at all?”  His hand went to her face and he looked down at her.

She shook her head no.

“You sure?” he murmured.

She smiled and nodded.  “Don’t worry about last night.”

He touched his forehead to her.  “I didn’t handle you very gently.”

“And for that, I’m grateful.”

His eyes warmed as he probed hers.  “You keep talking like that,” he said quietly, “I’m going to take you on every surface I can find.”  Then he rubbed into her, making his hard on known.  “What time do you want me there tonight?”

“It starts at 7.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

She pulled away and knew she loved this man more and more each day.  “Maybe a little earlier.  I think you’ll help to calm my nerves.”

“Calm you?”  He frowned.  “When did I stop making you nervous?  I don’t know that I like that I don’t make you nervous anymore.”

She hugged him again, just enjoying being surrounded by him.  “You know what I mean.” 

“I can be there at 6:30, unless you want me there earlier.”

“6:30 works,” she said, her mouth muffled by his shirt.  “Thank you.”

He tipped her face up to look into his eyes.  “I don’t want to dance around each other anymore either,” he whispered.

She felt surprise, then a deep happiness.  “Okay.”  She waited.

“After my rounds today, I’m taking the next few days off.  I won’t have to go back into the hospital again until Wednesday.  So,” he said thoughtfully, “I was thinking after the event tonight, the fundraiser will be out of the way, and maybe we could spend some time together.  Talk over some things.”

She tapped down the nerves.  “Okay.”

He kissed her softly.  “I’ll see you at 6:30, then.”  He kissed her again, then turned and left.

She spent the day finishing things that still needed to be addressed for the fundraiser even though there wasn’t much more for her to do until she actually got there.  That left her a lot of time to think about Drew’s parting sentiment that morning.

She’d fallen in love with him, that was for sure.  And she hoped he felt the same.  But she knew it was quick, perhaps not for her, but maybe for him.

By 5:30 she was at the warehouse and answering last minute questions about the placement of the Tabitha Lowe painting.  When her phone rang and she saw that it was Drew, she answered happily. 

“Hey.”  She walked away from the others for some privacy.

“Hey there, beautiful woman.”

She smiled and teased, “You’re not calling to say you can’t make it, are you?”

“Not a chance.”

She breathed easier.

“But I did want to tell you something that I’m hoping you’re okay with,” he continued.

“What’s going on?”

“Katrina is moving on Monday.  I knew it would be happening quickly, but I didn’t realize how quick.”

She waited for him to say more and was beginning to feel the stirrings of unhappiness.  Trying to be mature, she prompted, “Okay?”

“She called to tell me that she wanted to say goodbye since she knew the next few days would be busy.  She knows that the fundraiser is tonight and since she lives on the way to the warehouse, she wondered if I could stop at her place on the way for a minute.  I wanted to call you first and make sure you were okay with it.”

She wanted to cry at how honest he was.  “Thank you for doing that.  That was,” she paused because she really was in a state of shock.  “That was really thoughtful of you.”

“You can trust me, Tiff.  Given your experiences with your ex, I’m sure you’re not happy about this, but I won’t be there for more than ten minutes.  I just figured we could say goodbye and then there’s closure, and then,” he said meaningfully, “I’m all yours.  Are you okay with that?  I would need to leave now so I could still make it to you by 6:30.”

She took a deep breath and had to remember that he’d been good friends with this woman for years, much longer than he’d known her.  And she knew she could trust him given how sensitive he’d been to both her
and
Katrina for the last few weeks.

He wasn’t Richard Hewitt.  She needed to remember that.

“Okay,” she finally said.  She couldn’t say she was thrilled, but she appreciated his honesty and thoughtfulness in even asking her.

“Thanks for understanding, Tiff.  I won’t be there long.  I’ll be there to calm your nerves at 6:30, baby.  You’re going to do great tonight.”  His voice sensually wound itself around her.

She smiled at his term of endearment, his pride in her, his...everything.  “Thanks, Doc.”

“I’ll text you when I leave her place.”

“Okay.  And,” she paused slightly, “thanks for telling me.”

“You’re welcome.”

God, I love you.
  “Hopefully I’ll see you in an hour.”

“You will, Tiff.  I promise.  I’ll text you soon.”  With that, he disconnected and she busied herself so she wouldn’t think about where he’d be for the next half hour.

Nearly forty five minutes later, after hustling and bustling around, she got his text.

DREW:
On my way.  Lots of traffic, but I’m on my way.

She hadn’t realized how nervous she’d been until she let out the breath she’d been holding. 

TIFF: 
Everything ok?

DREW: 
It will be when I get there.

She held the phone to her chest then texted a smiley face and ran to finish the final details.  She had a little less than an hour before the fundraiser was to begin and she hadn’t changed into her dress yet, but her hair and makeup were done as well as all of the decor in the vast space.

She’d already gone with storybook whimsy as the main design in the warehouse, so when she hired a party planner for the fundraiser, the end result was the epitome of a child’s wonderland.  Tiffany wanted it to feel like an escape for the girls, and the strings of tiny white lights and wispy fabrics in beautiful deep jewel tones, along with the stonework painted on the walls lent to the image of walking into another time.  She had loved
Harry Potter
in her teen years so was thrilled with the end result, a space meant for the whimsical and quirky imagination.  The last two weeks had been spent finalizing all of the touches throughout.

While music piped through the sound system, she waved to the security guards who had arrived and went toward the back where her two girlfriends and their team of help were getting things ready.  Once she knew that Janie and Ayanna were set, she’d be ready to change so she could talk to the press and welcome the guests.  Thankfully, their catering van was equipped with heating and cooling units for venues such as hers.  She had the little kitchenette in the office/staff lounge, but no means of cooking or storing the hors’ d’oeuvres that would be served that evening.  The guest list stood at fifty, and since dinner wasn’t being served, the majority of the evening would revolve around the light fare being served, some dancing if people were inclined, Tiffany’s speech planned for 9pm at the close of the night, and then the auction for Tabitha Lowe’s painting which was set beautifully in front of the tall tree in the corner.

“Hey,” Janie said and bumped her.  She had yet to change as well.

“Everything okay with the food?”

“Yup,” Ayanna jumped in. 

“I’m so glad you have those heating and cooling thingies in the van.  I wondered how you would keep everything warm.”

“That’s why we have them.  Tons of our venues don’t have stoves or fridges to store the food, so they were a good investment,” Janie said.  “We’re set here.  Our wait staff has been given their marching orders, so I think we can all go get dressed.”

“Alrighty then,” Tiffany said.  “See you back there.” 

She walked back to the staff lounge area where she had her beaded Ralph Lauren evening dress hanging.  The dress’s main feature was a mix of red, gold, and purple crystals embroidered on see through mesh.  The beading started at the top of the ribbed and corseted sleeveless bodice, creeping up the neckline to wrap around her neck.  Below the deep red corset hung elegant drapes of red silk cascading to the floor. Finishing the look were her sophisticated slippers, making her feel like she was a ballerina in a medieval ballet. 

She was putting it on when the girls walked in and closed the door.

“Wow.  Beautiful.  Luke is going to love this, not to mention Drew,” Janie said, looking her up and down.

“This beading is gorgeous,” Ayanna said, fingering them around her chest.  “Watch out, Dr. Drew.  So,” Ayanna began almost immediately.  “Gimme the deets.  Has he said I love you yet?”  She tore off her shirt and leggings, then grabbed a gorgeous spring colored sari from a hanger.

The girl was a man’s wet dream.  She was the definition of exotic, and she began wrapping herself in the fabric like it was second nature to her.  Mainly because it was.  Janie on the other hand, put on her sexy, neckline plunging purple number, ready to make Tiffany’s brother drool.  It wasn’t difficult given her curves.

They both waited for Tiffany to answer.

Tiffany thought back to her times with Drew over the past two days and how close she’d come to blurting out her feelings.  “No.  But,” she paused.  “He went to Katrina’s tonight.”

They both screeched in indignation.

“What?!” from Janie.  “What the hell are you
talking
about?!” from Ayanna.

She waved her hand to shut them up.  “She’s moving to LA on Monday.  I told you guys she was moving,” she reminded them.  “She wanted to say goodbye to him.  What am I going to say, no?  I’m not that petty.  And anyway, he’s on his way here already.  He just texted me.”

“Geez, Tiff.  You scared the shit out of me.”  Janie kept her hand over her busty chest.  “I thought something bad happened with you guys and he wasn’t coming.”

“Sorry,” she shrugged.  “Everything is still good from when I last talked to you six hours ago,” she said dryly.  “Better than good.  He’s amazing,” she sighed.

“We knew that.”  Janie reached around and pulled Tiffany into a hug.  “I can’t even put into words how happy I am for you.”

Ayanna was smiling from ear to ear.  “I’m happy for you and Dr.
Hung
ington, too.  Two nights in the sack and things are still good?”

Tiffany pointed a warning finger at her.  “Don’t you dare slip and call him that, Yan.  I don’t want to have that conversation with him.”

“But it would be so much fun.”

Tiffany glared at her.

“Oh, alright,” Ayanna sighed dramatically, completely put out.  “So.  Back to the ‘L’ word.”  She let her voice hang.

“Well, this morning he talked about tonight, like after everyone leaves.  We’re going to spend a couple of days together, and he wants to talk.  I think I want to tell him.”  She looked at the girls.

“Tell him what?” Ayanna asked innocently, loving to see her flustered.

“You know what.  Tell him I
love
him.”

Janie pulled her into another fierce hug.  “I think he feels the same, Tiff.  I really do.”

“I feel like he does.  I mean he treats me like he does.  He’s so loving in how he is with me.  And he’s like a god in the sex department.  But maybe it’s too soon.  I’m in a constant state of arousal whenever I’m thinking of him.  He’s smart, and caring, and funny, and
God
, how am I supposed to function like this?  I have a speech to give in a couple of hours, for crying out loud!”  She fanned herself, already getting worked up.  She couldn’t believe she actually thought he would be calming to her nerves.

Janie giggled.  “Trust me.  We both know what you’re talking about.  I think it’s time to tell him, sista,” she joked.  “And let the chips fall where they may.  How many times have we said that life is too short to sit around and not start living?  If you want him for good, you need to tell him.  And I would be completely shocked if the man didn’t return the same sentiment.”

“I’m a chicken, I know, but I so want him to say it first,” Tiffany asked quietly.

Janie gave her a sympathetic and affectionate bump to the shoulder.  “Tiff, he could just be waiting for the right time.”

Tiffany’s mind went back to the times they were having sex and his incredible control, his stamina, his ability to wait.  She would die if he showed the same ‘skills’ in admitting his love for her.  At that rate, it might take him forever given his patience level.

“No,” she said bravely.  “I’m going to say it.  I’m not going to wait for him.  We’ve already talked about how much we feel for each other.  I just need to bite the bullet.  That’s my new motto with him.”  Tiffany turned her back to Janie.  “Can you zip this please?”

Janie went to work at her back.  “He’ll say it.”

“I think he will.”  Tiffany turned her head to look back at the girls. 

They all smirked at each other, helping with zipping and primping, lip glossing and boob adjusting.  After all was said and done, they were ready to head out to get the food and start saying hello to the guests who were about to arrive.