Beginning of an Eclipse (SIN CITY HEAT SERIES PREQUEL) (13 page)

    
“This what you wanted? Hm?” He grabbed her hips and slowed down to a deep grind. Roni was too busy trying to catch her breath to speak. Through clenched teeth, Darrell warned in a low voice, “You betta answer me before I stop. Don’t think I won’t.”
    
“Yes! Yes! Damn you,
yes…!
”
   
“Mmmm. I love this shit.” His voice was a gruff whisper. “Swear to God.”
    
Darrell continued to pump and thrust his dick around, in, and out until he brought them both to a mutual orgasm so strong it left them too weak to move afterwards. He leaned on his trembling arms to keep his weight off her back. When his legs finally regained their strength, he carefully got up and scooped an exhausted Roni into her arms.
    
Darrell looked down at her and smiled as he walked over to the bed. “You okay?”
    
“Mmmmm…..”
    
Roni couldn’t find the words even if she wanted to. After covering her up, Darrell climbed in beside her and unsnapped the ruined cuffs which were still on his wrists. Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he silently dared her to make a comment. She tried, but couldn’t stop herself.
    
“Baby…”
    
Darrell sighed in resignation. “Yeah, baby.”
    
“I think breaking the straps like that is the same as tapping out.”

Chapter 13

    
With eyes still closed
, Darrell reached over to throw his arm over Roni but came in contact with an empty space. His eyes opened to thin slits and confirmed she wasn’t there.
    
Groaning, he turned over on his back and looked at the clock:
7:30
a.m. Taking a deep breath, Darrell lay still and listened as he heard movement in the master bathroom. A moment later, Roni came out dressed in a chocolate, velour jogging suit.
 
His eyes followed her as she tiptoed over to the closet.
    
“Where’re you going?”

    
Roni jumped and let out a quick laugh. “You scared me. I thought you were still asleep.” She crawled in the bed and plastered herself against him. Slipping her arm around his waist, she leaned down to kiss him. “I was trying not to wake you.”
    
“If you not by my side, I’m gonna know it.” Darrel returned her kiss and let his eyes roam over the visually pleasing picture she presented and wondered how she managed to look so beautiful this early in the morning. When he shared that thought with Roni, her long lashes swept down, slightly embarrassed, but Darrell saw her lips tilt up at the corner. Her hair was in a high ponytail and her smooth, pretty, face was free of make-up. His eyes went down her slim, but gently curvaceous body and smiled. She had filled out a little since they’d been seeing one another and it looked good on her. He liked to tease her and say that with a few more pounds she’d fit into his hands just right. Anyone seeing her would never believe the age difference between them which, to him, had never been a factor; he’d been captivated and under her spell from the very first moment he saw her.
    
“What are you smiling at?” she asked, raining small kisses over his face.
    
“You. Just thinking about how beautiful you are. How much I love you….” He looked over at the clock. “And how early it is,” he finished with a scowl. “What are you doin’ up?”
    
Roni laughed. “Baby, it’s not early. If this were a weekday, I’d have been up, worked out, and in the office by now.”
    
Darrell’s scowl deepened. “Yeah. I know. You and Marcus are the most cheerful morning people I know. It’s just not natural.”
    
“Don’t get mad at us because you’re such a grouch in the mornings,” she giggled. “That’s why I was trying not to wake you. I hoped to be back before you woke up.”
    
“Which brings us back to my original question: where’re you going?”
    
Roni studied him for a moment. Her heart melted at the slight pout she saw on his face. She smoothed a hand along the side of his face, loving the feel of the morning stubble against her palm.
    
“I have to run to the office really quick.”
    
“What? You’re kidding, right? Now?”
    
“Yes. I left early yesterday before some documents I needed were faxed over. I won’t be long.”
    
“Roni….”
    
“Baby, I promise. You know it’s going to bug the hell out of me until I get them."
    
“And you have to go right now? Right this minute?”
    
“I just want to get it out of the way so that we can have the rest of the weekend. I promise. Until Sunday night when I go over the papers, I will be all yours.” She tilted her head and blinked imploringly down at him.

    
Darrell sighed and shook his head. “You know you wrong for lookin' at me like that, don't you? One of these days, that look ain't gonna work on me.”
    
“But that day is not today, right?” she asked innocently.
    
Darrell laughed. “Nah. Not today. We gonna have to work on that type A personality of yours, though,” he chuckled. “Alright. Give me a minute to take a shower and I’ll be ready.” He threw the covers back, but Roni put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down.
    
“No, stay here. When I say I’m running in and out that’s exactly what I mean.” She gave him a quick kiss then hopped out of bed. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
    
Darrell immediately pulled the covers back over him and snuggled deeper into the comfortable bed. “Okay.” They both laughed at how easily he agreed.
    
“Well, don’t protest too hard,” Roni teased as she picked up her oversized chocolate brown purse and walked towards the door. “Love you.”
    
“Love you too, sweetness. Be careful. Oh! Wait…” He reached over on the night stand and got his keys and tossed them to her. “I’m parked behind you so just take the Escalade.”
    
“Okay.”
    
Roni paused in the doorway of the bedroom and glanced back at Darrell who was watching her leave with lazy observation. A look passed between them as they thought about last night and smiled. They had found several more uses for the sex chaise and Darrell had a few more ideas he wanted to try.
    
“Hurry up,” he growled in a deep, sexy voice.
    
Roni bit her lip. She was tempted to say to hell with it and crawl back into bed with him, but she’d rather get the papers now. Then it would just be the two of them. No interruptions.
    
She blew him a kiss and walked out the door…

     
He was parked several
houses down in a car he’d rented yesterday, and wore dark glasses and a baseball cap. From where he was sitting, he had a perfect view of Roni's house...a perfect view of the annihilation of the bastard who had been a thorn in his side from the first moment he’d met him. He remembered the way he and Roni had looked at one another in the restaurant that very first night. Even then, he’d known there was going to be trouble.
    
Hate twisted the man’s handsome face into an ugly mask as he looked at the cream colored Escalade parked behind Roni‘s car as if he belonged there.
Arrogant motherfucker!
Yes, he’d expected him to be a problem…but not the insurmountable obstacle he’d become. Not only had he weaseled his way into Roni’s life, but now Bryan and Roni were allowing him to get involved in actual business decisions!
    
He’d barely been able to hold it together when that uneducated ignoramus was allowed to sit in on the meeting yesterday. Bryan had even asked his opinion about matters he could not possibly know anything about! Was everyone crazy but him?! He was the only one who saw Darrell Monroe for who he really was: an opportunist! Not only was he was using Roni to get close to her money, but he apparently wanted to be in charge of her business dealings. Why, Roni hadn’t even bothered to show up for the meeting yesterday. As if she trusted
him
to sit in for her!
    
But Monroe wouldn’t be a problem after today. He’d paid that hoodlum a great deal of money to pull the irritating thorn out of his side - permanently.
    
Roni might be upset at first, but she would get over it, and he‘d be right there to help her. This was for her own good. If she was too blind and too weak to save herself from that Don Juan gigolo, he’d have to do it for her. She should’ve been his anyway. He’d waited patiently for her to look at him as more than just someone who worked for her. But before that could happen, this son of a bitch came in from out of nowhere and snatched her right out from under his nose.

    
This ended – today!
    
Moments later, he saw Roni’s front door open and sat up with a look of anticipation on his face.
Showtime!

    
Darrell waited for
the front door to close. As soon as it did, he quickly jumped out of bed and went over to the dresser he had claimed as his months ago. He practically lived at Roni’s house, and had a complete wardrobe here so it only made sense that he had his own space. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d spent a night at his condo; he and Roni had talked about renting it out. He’d definitely have to look into that.
    
Darrell opened the top drawer and pushed his t-shirts and underwear to the side. He picked up the black, velvet ring box he’d stashed there when Roni had fallen asleep. He’d intended to propose to her last night after they had made love, but things had gotten kind of wild. Darrell smiled. Wild was an understatement. He glanced over at the sex chaise. Oh yeah, he planned on putting that to good use for the rest of the weekend. But first things first.

    
He opened up the jewelry box and looked at the three and a half carat engagement ring. This was really the reason he hadn’t gone with Roni. By the time she got back, he’d have breakfast made, mimosa’s waiting and his proposal ready. Darrell took the ring out of the box and held it up to the light. He’d known this was the one as soon as he’d seen it and paid for it in cash, much to the salesperson's delight.
    
He took a deep breath. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was. He
never
got nervous - but then again, he’d never asked a woman to marry him before. With typical arrogance, he’d already made up his mind that there would be no long engagement. He wanted Roni to be his wife as soon as possible. Hell, this was Vegas. Maybe they could even be married within the next day or so.
    
Whoa, slow down, Monroe. You know damned good and well if Roni says she wants a big wedding, that’s what she’ll have. And you damn sure know she’s not gonna want to get married by some cheesy Vegas justice of the peace.
    
Snapping the box closed, Darrell placed it back in the drawer. He didn’t care where they got married. As long as Roni became his wife, he’d do anything she wanted. And as far as kids were concerned, if it wasn’t in God’s plan for them to have their own, he had no problem with adopting. He knew all too well, there were children out there just waiting for someone to love them and make them part of a family.
  
Darrell shook his head as he thought about how his life had turned out. Never in a million years had he thought he’d be so blessed. A wife. Kids.
    
Damn.

    
Blowing out a swift breath, Darrell swiped his hand over his face and made an effort to calm the nervous energy coursing through his body. This was crazy. He walked over and picked up the phone to call Marcus. He would help to calm him down a little bit. Marcus was always cool under pressure. That’s why he’d make an exceptional doctor. Darrell knew his shift at the hospital didn’t end for another two hours.
    
He dialed the number then sat down on the side of the bed…

    
With a smile
still on her face, Roni locked the front door and walked towards Darrell’s SUV. She climbed in and adjusted the mirror and seat, then put her seatbelt on.
    
I hate these tinted windows
, she thought for the umpteenth time. She hesitated for a moment, tempted to just move the truck out of the way and get her BMW out of the garage. Shaking her head, she started the ignition then slowly backed out into the street. She had just put the car in gear to take off when out of nowhere, a nondescript, black car pulled in front of her and blocked her way. Roni frowned.
   
What in the hell…

    
From his vantage point
down the street, he saw Roni step out of the house. She was leaving.
    
Perfect.
    
Monroe would be in the house alone. They could get the job done quickly and be out of there without a hitch. Damn he loved it when a plan came together.
    
Once Roni pulled out of the driveway, he picked up the prepaid phone he’d purchased to call Rakeem and tell him it was a go, but as soon as he punched the first number, he saw Rakeem’s car pull up in front of the Escalade and stop. What was he doing?
    
When the doors to the vehicle blocking Roni opened up and two masked men stepped out with guns drawn, he froze.
    
No!
    
NO!
    
He desperately leaned on the horn to get their attention…