The womanly scent of her shook him to his bones and he knew more than anything, that he wanted her. All legitimate concerns for whatever emotions he was feeling for her were tossed aside.
He lifted his gaze and met hers. “I want you.”
Justice heard the deep desire in his voice and knew it matched her own. “I want you, too.”
He didn’t want to rush things if she needed more time. “Are you sure this is what you want? It’s only been a week.”
As far as Justice was concerned, it was a week too long. “It’s what I want, Blake.”
He heard her loud and clear and she took a few steps back as he stood. His hands skimmed her voluptuous hips, remembering what his grandmother had said earlier and thought of them as childbearing hips.
Hips to bear his child.
A shudder went through him, not knowing where that thought had come from and tried to quickly dismiss it from his mind. He lowered his hands past the hem of her dress to her smooth stockinged legs, liking the feel of them, too. “I think it’s time for this dress to come off,” he said, slowly removing the garment from her body.
“Oh, Lawd!” he moaned, barely catching his breath. She was wearing the sexiest undergarments he had ever seen. Her matching lace bra and panty set was black and the bra fit her breasts snugly while the panties provided more temptation than coverage. He knew it was just the thing Tonya’s Temptations would stock and he bet that’s where she’d gotten them. She was definitely making it sexy.
“You’re beautiful,” he said huskily, meaning it. She was everything any man could possibly want in a woman. And tonight, he wanted all of her.
He wondered how long it would take to completely undress her since he wanted to touch every part of her body, but she hurried him on and as soon as he undressed her, she undressed him.
His breath became shaky as he watched her stretch out on the bed on her back waiting for him and knew, although he didn’t want to think about it now, that this wouldn’t be just an ordinary mating. He would be making love to her, really making love to her, in a way and with a degree he hadn’t made love to a woman before. He felt like a different man than the one who had stepped off the plane when arriving in Virginia. He had different wants and needs and knew that she was a woman who could fulfill all his desires.
Justice read the deep longing in the depths of Blake’s hazel eyes before her gaze took in all of his nakedness. When she lowered her eyes to his midsection, she took a quick intake of breath. The man’s body parts were put together rather nicely and there was no doubt in her mind that tonight he would put them to good use. She watched as he put on the condom he had taken earlier from his wallet and appreciated his efforts to keep them both safe.
The bed dipped as he climbed up next to her on his knees. “Do you know how much I wanted you that first day I laid eyes on you and how much I want you now?” he asked her, his voice low, husky and seductive.
“No.”
He smiled a very sexy and sensuous smile. “Then let me show you.”
He leaned down and kissed her, capturing her tongue in his and greedily tasting her to the point that her body shuddered from the onslaught. They had kissed a couple of times before, but never with this degree of passion and all she could do was wrap her arms around his neck and return the kiss with equal fervor, glorying in the searing heat of his tongue as it explored every part of her mouth.
Blake knew he had to ignore the coils of sexual tension inside of him and go slow, although the need to mate with her was almost driving him crazy. He had to take his time and savor everything and she had a lot for him to savor. He doubted if he would ever get enough of her and felt her desire in the way she was returning his kiss.
He lifted his mouth from hers and immediately went to her breasts, capturing the nipple of one gently between his teeth, holding the hard nub hostage while his tongue bathed it, sucked on it, lightly nibbled as she arched her back, squirming under his attack. Without missing a beat, he moved on to the next nipple, delivering the same torment. Deciding to check to see how ready she was for him, he moved his hand downward to her feminine core and his fingers found her so wet that he groaned deep in his throat.
He then kissed her again, hard and deep, at the same time he placed one leg over her hips to straddle her, bringing the tip of his erection close to the juncture of her thighs. It took all his willpower, every bit of his strength, not to thrust right on in, but he wanted their first joining to be slow and easy. He wanted to feel every delectable sensation while going inside of her. He wanted to experience her every tremor as he journeyed deep, seeking the pleasure he knew awaited them both.
He broke off their kiss and their gazes locked. He felt her arms tighten around his neck but neither said anything. At this point words weren’t needed. Slowly, knowing he couldn’t do it any other way, he eased into her warmth while his gaze held hers. He groaned when he felt her tightness, and his chest heaved with the efforts to strain forward. His body tense, his muscles flexed as he moved deeper.
He knew the instant he had gone as far and as deep as he could go. He felt her inner muscles clamp on to him tight, squeeze him, and felt her thighs beneath him tremble with the effort to hold him. And he wanted as much as she did this intimate, unbroken connection. But when he felt her muscles began milking him, he couldn’t stand it any longer.
After a long, still moment, he began moving with all the strength and desire that he felt. Sliding his hands downward he held her thighs and hips in place while he established a rhythm. She eagerly met his slow thrust each and every time he increased the pace to assure the deepest and quickest penetration. He heard her breathing escalate and knew the same raging fire consuming him consumed her.
She clenched his buttocks as he continued to thrust in and out, rocking against her, building pleasure one stroke at a time. She released a scream when a climax hit, which triggered his own need for release. With a low, guttural growl he tossed his head back as every muscle in his body exploded. He cried out her name and knew at that moment she was giving him everything and for the first time in over seven years, he was greedily taking it, surrendering all. But not to just any woman. This woman. Justice. A woman who definitely knew everything about making it sexy.
In the moments that followed, while he held her in his arms, a part of him felt contented, no longer confused although he wasn’t sure when lust had turned into love. But frankly, he didn’t care. No matter what had happened in his past, now, on this very night, he had been found guilty: guilty of believing he could never care for another woman. But he had been proven wrong.
Justice had been served.
B
lake stood next to the window and looked out. It was two days before he was scheduled to leave and Gramma Thelma had gathered all the Savoys together for a little party in his honor. The backyard was crowded and his heart swelled at the sight. They were loud and rowdy but then they were Savoys, and right there in the midst of his family was Justice.
His heart ached when he looked at her, beautiful as ever, as she played volleyball with his cousins. She was wearing a T-shirt and cut-off jeans and he felt himself getting hard just looking at her.
They had been an item ever since the night they had made love. They would go out and then return to her house and make love until it was time for him to leave to get back to Gramma Thelma’s house at a decent hour. Although he was more than sure his grandmother knew the score, in no way did he want to devalue her opinion of Justice by spending his nights over at her place, although more than once he’d been tempted to do so.
He inhaled deeply as he thought of all the nights they had spent together, the talks they had and the lovemaking they’d shared. She had promised to come visit him in Canada in six months and he was looking forward to that. Since he knew how she felt about commitments, he had decided to keep his feelings for her to himself. The last thing he had wanted to do was to cause friction between them and if she knew he had fallen for her, and fallen hard, she would drop out of the picture fast. So, he had settled for seeing her whenever he could and hoped and prayed that eventually she would come to love him as much as he loved her.
“So, you’re going to leave without letting her know how you feel?”
Blake didn’t turn around since he knew who was standing behind him and asking the question. “Leave it alone, Tonya. It’s not your fight.”
“And it doesn’t appear to be yours. I can’t believe you’re not going to tell Justice that you love her.”
Blake slowly turned and met his cousin’s frustrated gaze. “Dammit, Tonya, you’re her best friend. You of all people know how she feels about commitments. If Justice knew that I had fallen in love with her, she’d cut me out of her life quicker than quick, and right now I don’t want to let that happen. Leaving this way at least assures me that she’ll come visit me in Canada in six months.”
“But will that be enough, Blake?”
He shrugged. “I don’t have a choice. It has to be enough.” He walked over to his cousin and hugged her tight. “Hey, don’t worry your pretty blond head about me. I’ll survive.” Even as Blake said the words, deep down he wasn’t sure.
***
Justice looked around for Blake and noticed her brother looking around for Tonya. Smiling, she walked over to him. “Having fun, Bryan?”
He returned her smile. “Yeah, I’m having a blast.”
“Good, and if you’re wondering where Tonya went, I believe she went inside the house to make a phone call. I’m sure she’ll be back in a few moments.”
Bryan frowned. “What makes you think I’m interested in Tonya’s whereabouts?”
“Because you are. And maybe you ought to take my advice and stake your claim before someone else does.”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you? Think about what I said.”
When she started to walk off, he grabbed hold of her hand. “Hey, you’re a fine one to talk. I don’t see you staking a claim on Blake.”
Although she hadn’t mentioned anything to Bryan about her relationship with Blake, she wasn’t surprised that he knew. After all, her brother and Tyler were best friends. “I have my reasons.”
Bryan rubbed his jaw. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. You still have your hang-ups about committing your life to someone.”
“Yes, I do and it seems to me that you’re suffering from the same plight.”
“But not for the same reason as you. The only reason I haven’t made a move on Tonya is because of my work with the Bureau.” He glanced around again and smiled when he saw Blake and Tonya coming outside to rejoin the others. “But maybe it’s time to get my priorities straight.” He glanced back at her. “And maybe it’s time for you to have a long talk with Mom.”
Justice’s gaze lifted. “Mom? What on earth for?”
“Just talk to her, Justice. And she will explain everything.”
“Everything like what?”
“The reason why she, Aunt Katy, and Aunt Lois had problems with their marriages.”
Justice frowned. She already knew the reason why.
Evidently Bryan read her thoughts because before she could reply, he said. “You don’t know everything. Do yourself a favor and talk to Mom.”
***
Justice sighed as Blake cupped her cheek in the palm of his hand and gave her a slow, drugging kiss. He pulled her into his arms, and shifted their bodies to settle down in the comfortable bed. They had just finished making love and she was too depleted for anything other than this, and wanted nothing more than to spend the next hours in his arms. And it seemed she would be getting her wish.
He had told her when he’d arrived that his grandmother assumed he would be spending the night with Tyler but he had plans to stay all night with her. She had smiled when he’d told her. He had only two more days and then he would be gone. Although she had made plans to visit him in Canada for Christmas, that was almost six months away and to her it seemed like eternity.
When she heard the sound of his even breathing, she knew he had slipped into sleep, which she understood. The party his grandmother had given him that day had been taxing enough, yet he had made love to her with a passion and strength that had nearly taken her breath away. Her nipples grew hard and tight just thinking about it.
There was something else she was thinking about, everything that Bryan had said. What could her mother tell her that she didn’t already know? She decided that the best thing to do was to go pay her mother a visit tomorrow.
She snuggled closer to Blake’s warmth, closed her eyes, then joined him in sleep.
***
Justice really liked Donald Spears, her mother’s third husband. She smiled when he opened the door. Since he was dressed in his policeman’s uniform, she knew he was either on his way to work or returning from work. He was a bear of a man and immediately and automatically she walked into his outstretched arms for the hug she knew awaited her.
Her biological father had moved to Ohio and remarried within a year of her parents’ divorce. He and his new wife had started another family and although Justice would visit him every summer, somehow she felt lost in the shuffle of their growing family and hadn’t received the love and attention she’d wanted from her father. Donald had more than made up for it during the five years he had been married to her mother. Justice’s nightly prayer to God was, considering her mother’s marital history, for their marriage to last.