Authors: Marie Rochelle
“You have a breathtaking home.” True remarked. “I hate to admit that I’m a little jealous.”
He had looked at her house first before deciding to buy this one. His house design differed from hers, with its vaulted ceilings. Four wide-open windows on the far wall overlooked a beautifully landscaped backyard. Additionally, his breakfast nook was separate from the kitchen area, with its own window.
Hayward
placed the warm cake in the middle of the marble island and took one last whiff of the mouth-watering creation. “T
hank
s again for bringing dessert.”
He stared at True in the kitchen doorway and his pulse quickened. “True, you don’t have to hover in the doorway. I won’t bite you if you come in here.”
He watched True ease away from the door and come toward him. Once again she proved she wasn’t intimidated by him. “T
hank
you again for inviting me to dinner. A home cooked meal beats a TV dinner any day of the week.” She commented standing mere inches in front of him.
Hayward
hid his smile. “You’re welcome.” His gaze traveled over her face, then moved over her body slowly. Why did she have to look so perfect all the time?
“I didn’t think you would actually show up,” he confessed. The sweet intoxicating scent of her body overwhelmed his mind and body. It was hard for him to keep a rational thought.
“How much longer is it, until the food is done?” True asked.
“If I tell you something, you can’t laugh.”
Tilting her head to the side True stared at him and he could tell her curiosity was aroused. “Okay, I promise I won’t laugh.”
“I was so excited about our date that I turned on the oven timer, but I forgot about the oven.” He glanced at her face for any kind of expression. A very tiny smile touched her lips. “Hey, you promised not to laugh.”
He waved his finger toward the slight smile on her lips.
“Don’t you dare laugh at me; anyone could have made the same mistake.”
“I’m not laughing,” True whispered pressing two fingers to her mouth.
Hayward
couldn’t take his eyes off her because the smile lit up her entire face. “Do you know how much I want to kiss you?” The second the words left his mouth, the light went out of her face.
Shit, why did I have to say that to her?
His brows drew into a frown when she eased away from him. He needed to save the situation fast or this date was over.
* * * *
True’s
heart fluttered against her chest like a caged bird.
Hayward
’s soft-spoken words made her body ache for his touch.
Her interest was aroused by his suggestion. What would it really feel like to have those sculptured lips pressed against hers? Would their first kiss be soft and sweet or hot and passionate with tongues dueling?
Stop thinking about it, because it not going to happen.
“Would you like something to drink?”
Hayward
blurted out.
“I don’t drink alcohol. Do you have tea?”
The smallest amount of liquor gave her a raging migraine, so she stayed away from it.
“Yes, I believe I do,”
Hayward
muttered opening the refrigerator. He grabbed a pitcher of ice tea from the top shelf. Walking over to the counter he placed it beside him. Reaching above his head, he grabbed a glass and filled it with ice from the freezer. Pouring the dark liquid inside the glass, he handed it to her. “I hope it isn’t too sweet.”
Taking a long refreshing sip, the light traces of lemon tingled inside her mouth. True sighed, “No, it’s perfect, t
hank
you.” The harder she tried to ignore the truth the more it persisted. She wanted the man beside her. However there was no room for romance or even the hint of it in her life, so she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
“Would you like a tour of my home?”
Hayward
asked. Grabbing the garlic bread off the table, he shoved it inside the oven beside the lasagna.
She was too startled by
Hayward
’s offer to say no. “Yes, I would like that a lot.” She took another sip of the sweet tea and followed him out the door. His living room blew her away the second she stepped inside, so if the downstairs was this breathtaking. She wondered what the rest of his house looked like.
* * * *
Hayward
heard
True’s
soft footsteps behind him, but his mind wasn’t on giving her a tour of his house, but on how unbelievable she looked tonight. The off-the-shoulder pink sweater highlighted her mahogany skin color to perfect. With her hair pulled back her neck looked so tempting and inviting.
Calm down. I don’t want to scare her away.
Pausing in the hallway, he looked back over his shoulder at True and bit back a groan. It was going to be a long hard night on him, because she looked too damn hot not to kiss.
“Is there something wrong?” True asked. She touched the middle of his black shirt with her free hand.
“No, I was just staring at you.
You look so beautiful tonight pink is really your color.”
Hayward
muttered his eyes sliding down her body then back up to meet hers.
He could tell that she was a little taken back, by his frankness. “T
hank
you,” she mumbled, averting her eyes from his.
Reaching out with his fingers,
Hayward
traced her smooth jaw, “Are you uncomfortable with me giving you an honest compliment, Kitten?” His thumb brushed slowly back and forth across her bottom lip feeling the moisture left from the ice tea.
Gasping softly
True
took a step back from him and cleared her throat. “I thought I was going to get a tour of your house.”
Hayward
dropped his hand. “Right this way,” he mumbled, then turned heading up the steps.
He paused by the first door at the top of the stairs and pushed it open. “This is the guestroom tell me what you think.” He didn’t know why her opinion matter so much, but it did.
True gasped at the simple elegance of the room.
A hazelnut colored four-poster bed covered with neutral linens was positioned in the middle of the room. A wicker chair and a dresser were on the left side of the bed. “
Hayward
, this room is amazing.” The room was full of rich colors and textures. Anyone would love spending a night in this regal looking space.
“T
hank
you. I like this room myself,” he replied moving away from the door. “Come on, so I can show you the rest of the bedrooms.”
Moving back, he let True ease past him.
The second bedroom blew True away because of how much it differed from the first one. This time the walls were painted a cream color. An armoire had been stained a rusty brown giving the space an added flare. “Wow,” she remarked walking further into the room totally surprised by the shear beauty it possessed. “This room could be a print ad for a decorating magazine.”
Leaning against the doorjamb he watched True. She was so relaxed. A light shined in her eyes, which only enhanced her beauty. “I’ve one more room to show you then I’ll take you back downstairs.”
Hayward
said going back into the hallway.
“
Hayward
, I can’t imagine another room more unbelievable than the two you have already shown me,” True whispered, as she followed him down the hallway.
Hayward
continued ahead of True. He listened to the ice cracking in the glass, as True took another drink. He stopped in front of the last closed door and glanced over his shoulder. “Here’s the last room. I hope you like it as much as the other ones.”
With a flick of his wrist, he opened the closed door for her.
True froze in the doorway. The bedroom’s signature screamed
Hayward
. Masculinity controlled a huge part of the room, mixed with warmth. A massive old-silhouette bed with a padded headboard was in the middle of the floor. His nightstand had a few books and lying on them was a pair of reading glasses. An iron rodeo cowboy statue was an added accessory to his space.
Hayward
’s cologne hung in the air. Its musky rugged scent blended with the other smells emanating from the room. “Your bedroom seems very relaxing.” True stated, brushing past him going back into the hallway.
Chuckling softly, he followed her back into the hall and closed the door behind them. “I believe that’s the first time a woman has ever said my bedroom was relaxing.”
He wanted to prove how wild a place, his bedroom could be. But he didn’t think now was the time, however later on, he would make her retracted that statement.
“Let’s go back downstairs.”
Hayward
placed his hand in the middle of
True’s
back and led her toward the stairs. “So what to you think about the upstairs?” He asked when they were settled in the living room.
“I really enjoyed looking at all the bedrooms, but your home doesn’t fit
Grinning
Hayward
responded, “An architect built this house but after living here for about a year and a half he didn’t like the serenity. So he packed up and moved back to
Washington
,
“I wanted all the rooms to have a different feel, so an interior designer helped me decorate most of the rooms,” he confessed. “Except my bedroom because I knew how I wanted that room to look.”
The thick aroma of garlic gravitated toward them from the kitchen. “I better go check on the food. Why don’t you come with me?” He caught True by the elbow and escorted her into the kitchen.
* * * *
True thought about putting up a fight and then decided against it. She wanted to enjoy this date. She heard the oven door shut and then felt
Hayward
’s eyes on her. She wondered what he was thinking and it didn’t take too long for her to find out.
“Why is someone like you still single?”
“What do you mean someone like me?”
“A beautiful and sexy woman,”
Hayward
whispered inching closer to her.
She took an abrupt step back from his body, bumping into the island behind her. Laughing nervously she asked, “what are you doing
Hayward
?’
His fingers stroked her arm sensuously, “I’ve been trying to fight this but I need to kiss you.”
True shook her head. “No, you can’t do that.” She stammered trying to move away from the island and
Hayward
’s hard body. However, she wasn’t quick enough, as he slid his hands on either side of her hips, trapping her. His aroused body leaned closer to her. She shivered when his warm wet mouth moved below her right ear, and worked its way down her jawbone.
“Damn you smell so good,” he moaned.
Hayward
worked his mouth along her flesh, taking nibbles here and there. Slowly
Hayward
tilted her head back, slightly and pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, sucking softly.
* * * *
Sliding his fingers back further into the island,
Hayward
felt
True’s
heart thudding against his own. Her soft moans mixed with purring sounds, were driving him crazy. Cupping her chin gently, he eased his tongue inside her mouth. He didn’t want to move too fast, but kissing her was making his blood boil. Her mouth tasted like sweet tea and innocence. Sliding his finger into the waistband of her jeans, he tugged her little closer to him, deepening the kiss with a quick thrust of his tongue.
Slowly, True allowed her tongue to mimic the movements of his tongue; then she kissed him back.
Could she hear the low growl erupted from the back of his throat? Smiling against his lips, she nibbled at his firm bottom lip and then ran her tongue over his front teeth. The sweetness of her mouth made him want to kiss her longer and harder, but he suppressed those feelings.
“You taste so sweet,” he whispered pulling his mouth away from hers. Titling her head back, he nipped his way down her slim neck. It felt so good to have a woman in his arms again, he thought.
Grabbing True by the waist,
Hayward
lifted her up and sat her down on the island. “I’m going to erase the taste of any other man’s mouth from your memory,” he whispered by the side of her mouth. He bent his head to make good on his promise, when the timer went off for the lasagna.
“What’s that?” True asked dazed, her breaths coming out in quick gasps.
“I knew I hated that timer for a reason,”
Hayward
joked. He lifted True off the counter and stood her back in front of him. “Don’t move I’ll be right back.”