vittanos willow (6 page)

were, how smooth her unblemished toffee skin was. His hand contin-

ued to brush over her face, keeping her thick hair behind her ears. He

noticed the silver hoop in the top of her left ear.

“Why do you keep staring at me?” Her words were hushed in

the soft light that filtered around them.

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“You are so beautiful,” he murmured as the pressure from his

fingers brought her head closer to his mouth.

Chantoya shivered as his breath caressed her cheek. She licked

her lips as he gazed at her. Their mouths were millimeters from touch-

ing. She could smell the coffee on his breath and it was so nice.

Osten removed the minuscule distance and claimed her soft lips

with his firm ones. He nibbled on her bottom lip before slipping his

tongue into her waiting mouth.

Straddling his waist, CJ could easily feel his rigid erection press-

ing firmly against her body. Her mouth eagerly accepted his searching

tongue. She put her hands on his head, pressing them closer together.

Rocking back and forth, she ground herself down onto him. The

kiss was still gentle, exploring, and learning. Osten refused to change

the pace. She whimpered as she rotated her hips faster, telling him what

she desired, what she craved.

Inhaling the subtle smell that surrounded her, Osten could make

out the scents. A light tropical smell and a hint of something that he

knew was pure Chantoya Jackson. The combination resulted in him

being as hard as marble and wanting desperately to be buried deep

between her toned thighs.

He moved his hands down over her shoulders and arms until

they rested on her full hips. Her little mewling noises kept chipping

away at his waning control.

He felt her hands move over his chest and could feel her nails

scoring his skin. Groaning over his own lack of restraint, Osten laced his

hands under her sweatshirt, allowing himself to finally touch her satin

skin.

His hands cupped her breasts, cradling the fullness of her along

with the smoothness of her bra. He trailed his fingertips over her taut

nipples, delighting in her shiver.

“Off,” he ordered. Both of them wasted no time in removing

shirts. Osten sat back against the couch as her eyes moved over his bare

chest.

Taking in a sharp breath, Chantoya allowed herself to ogle his

chest. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. His olive skin was stretched

tight over a six-pack that was covered by a moderate amount of chest

hair. Every muscle in his upper body was rock hard and well defined,

making her want to trace over the ridges with her tongue.

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Aliyah Burke

Her hands reached out to move over the carved physique before

her. Licking her lips, she mumbled, “Jesus, you are cut.”

Each touch of her soft hands brought a tremble in his chiseled

body. CJ drew her bottom lip into her mouth as she explored the bared

chest before her.

Over the pectorals, down across his ribcage, her hands flowed

slowly. Total enjoyment and concentration was on her face as her

fingers memorized his torso as a blind person learned a face.

Finally she moved her eyes and hands back up to his visage. He

was fighting to not give in to the demon that wanted to be released and

dominate this woman. CJ could see he was struggling to remain in

control.

Osten felt ten feet tall at her observation. He was pleased she

found him attractive. His own eyes moved over her flat stomach, toned

abs and up her full chest that was barely contained in the white satin

that covered them. “And you are astoundingly gorgeous.”

His callused hands moved to the sides of her full breasts and he

teased her nipples again with his thumbs. A masculine grin crossed his

face as her head dropped back, granting him further access. All this

magnificent bounty and it was all being offered up to him.

Unable to stop himself, he maneuvered his hand to the front

clasp on her bra. The material sprang apart, revealing to him the total

and perfect view of her breasts. His mouth latched onto the right nipple,

drawing it deeply into his hot mouth. She released a low moan.

His teeth grazed against the pebbled nipple, changing her low

moan into a richer, deeper one. His palm cupped her left breast, teasing

the nipple with his rough skin.

“Oh,” her throaty voice split the breathing sounds in the room.

“Osten.” His name was half groan, half beg.

Without responding verbally, he changed breasts with his

mouth. His thumb and forefinger continued to tease the hard nipple he

had just released. Each tug he gave on her tight tips aimed to draw a

responding pull from deep within her body.

She ground against his throbbing cock. Her hips had begun to

move in that instinctive motion he knew would take him to the stars.

Osten placed his strong hands on her sides, bringing her head

up. Their lips met in an intense explosion. There was no wish to go slow

any longer.

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Aliyah Burke

Their mouths mated together in increasing passion. He pulled

on her lower lip and nipped it before sucking away the pain. Each

whimper she emitted he took as his mouth refused to release hers.

Bare chests rubbed together. The coarse hair on his evoked tre-

mors through CJ as it brushed over her highly sensitive nipples. And

each quiver she experienced shot a jolt of awareness through his primed

body.

Osten changed their position on the couch. Mouths still con-

nected, he laid her back on the soft gray material of her sofa. Now he

was on top of her and one hand moved down to the button on her jeans.

Beneath him, CJ pulled back from his kiss. Her eyes were heavy-

lidded as she gazed upon his face. “Osten,” she whispered.

“What?” his question just as hushed as her voice had been.

She shook her head in embarrassment. “I can’t.”

Closing his eyes against the disappointment that coursed

through his body, he leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on her swollen

lips. “Okay,” he murmured, climbing off her body and putting some

much needed space between them.

CJ sat up and tugged her sweatshirt on over her head, leaving

the bra where it lay on the floor. She worried her lower lip with her

teeth while regarding the almost wary expression on his face. One of

her hands reached partway to him only to retreat.

Osten fought to control his breathing. He hadn’t ever been so

randy in his life, for only getting as far as he did with a woman. And

with this one, he wasn’t going to rush, no matter how he wanted to.

However, when he noticed her reluctance to touch him, he

reacted. He grabbed that same hand and tugged her over to him,

settling her across his lap. He latched his hands around her waist,

grateful and disappointed for her wearing the sweatshirt.

“Did I go to fast for you?” he queried as his nose nuzzled her

soft hair.

She relaxed her weight against his chest. “No, oh, God, no! I

want you so much it hurts, but I can’t.”

“Will you tell me why? What did I do?”

“It wasn’t you. I want to, I just
can’t
.”

It dawned on him what she was trying to communicate with

him. His face spilt into a wide smile. “I get it now; just call me stupid.”

“I never should have led you on,” she mumbled in his chest.

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45

“Baby, when this is over and we are in this position again, I will

show you just what I wanted to do to you tonight. I’m okay.” He

stroked her arm as she eventually nodded, remaining silent.

For a while they sat together on the couch without speaking.

Her fingers trailed idly up and down his bare arm. Osten kept his cheek

pressed against her head and gently rocked them back and forth.

Chantoya woke up on her couch covered with the purple blan-

ket that had been over the back cushions. Blinking a few times to focus

her eyes, she realized she was alone. His jacket was no longer on the

chair by the door.

Swinging her legs to the floor, CJ got up and headed down the

short hall to her bedroom. Quickly she grabbed some clean clothes and

went into her shower. It didn’t take long for her to return to the living

room, straightening up while a breakfast casserole baked in her oven.

A knock at the door made her smile. “Hey there,” she said,

swinging the door open to come face to face with a tall black man.

One eyebrow arched as he asked, “Is that the way you were

taught to answer the door?”

“Ajani,” she said with elation. “Probably not, but who cares.

Give me a hug.”

The man was about six feet tall and solid muscle. “Hey, your-

self.” His trunk-like arms settled around her smaller frame. He pressed

a kiss to her cheek.

“And me?” the voice behind them caused her look at the man

walking around the hall corner. Tall, blond, and extremely handsome.

“Thurston!” she exclaimed as she was handed between the men.

The blond pressed a kiss to her cheek as well.

The trio walked back into her apartment where the men went in-

to kitchen and began snooping into what was cooking. “I’m hungry,”

they complained as she shooed them out back to the living room.

Luckily, she had already picked up her discarded bra from last night.

Standing in the lot to CJ’s apartment complex, Osten frowned

when the same Asian man whom CJ had embraced so easily at the

school entered her home. The man, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved

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Aliyah Burke

crewneck, had climbed out of an older model Ford truck. A brown

bomber jacket protected him from the biting wind.

Osten had fallen asleep with CJ’s luscious body in his arms.

Around two in the morning, he had awakened and decided to leave.

After tucking her in on the sofa, he had kissed her lips and slid out of

the apartment to head home and work out.

Around eight he’d realized he wanted to spend the day with

her. Instead of calling, he took a chance and dropped by. As he’d

climbed out of his car, he’d seen the man from the school heading into

her building.

He’d glowered and come to a decision. At the school, Osten had

let it go; but since last night, he was more than willing to fight for what

he knew was his future. His teammates who had gotten married had

told him his soul would know when it was right.

And it said Chantoya Jackson was right. Tugging on his three-

quarter length, black leather jacket, Osten took a deep breath and

headed for the door as well. He would find out what her relationship

was with that man before he did anything stupid. At least that was the

plan.

Sitting at the table with the three men, Chantoya grinned. She

loved them all so much.

“What’s so funny, Chipmunk?” Thurston asked as he helped

himself to more of the casserole and steaming biscuits.

“Nothing,” she said, accepting the dish of hash browns from

Binh.

“Shouldn’t lie to us,” they all reminded her.

“Can’t I just smile?” she quipped, getting up to grab the pitcher

of juice.

Ajani held up his glass and she refilled it. “I suppose, but we

want to hear about this date you had earlier this week.”

Her light pecan eyes snapped to the blond in the group. He held

up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t tell, they guessed. And I can’t lie to

them.”

“Right,” she scoffed. She believed that about as far as she could

throw him.

“Well,” Ajani prompted, picking up his fork and beginning to

eat.

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47

With a sigh, Chantoya sat back down and started to tell them

about Osten, but a knock sounded on the door. The men exchanged

glances before looking back to CJ with questions in their gazes.

Moving quickly, CJ went to the door. She swung it open to re-

veal the man who had made her feel like the most precious woman in

the world from the way he kissed her, caressed her, and respected her.

He was dressed in another pair of sinful jeans, blue ones today.

A dark-green shirt was visible beneath the expensive jacket. She could

smell the light hint of aftershave he wore. His dark eyes moved eagerly

over her body before meeting her questioning gaze.

“Osten?” She glanced nervously over her shoulder. “What a

surprise. What are you doing here?”

Osten’s heart plummeted as he imagined her in the loving em-

brace of that other man. “I came back to make sure we were okay.”

Doesn’t she want me?

Her hand tightened on the door. “We’re just fine. I—”

“Who’s that at the door, CJ?” a deep masculine voice interrupted

her. Instead of waiting for an answer a man appeared behind her and

met Osten’s gaze.

Immediately bristling at the familiar way he touched CJ’s shoul-

der, Osten sized up the man he now considered a threat. He was even

more handsome close up. Tall and lean, the Asian carried himself with