When Love Comes Around (Love Conquers All) (20 page)

The moment the question left his lips, Starr turned to acknowledge his presence. The second their eyes connected her stomach did a series of flip-flops. He was standing in the doorway, his hands in the pockets of well fitting jeans, gazing at her with the sexiest grin.

She was grateful the all-wise Momma Joan came to the rescue. After just thinking about all the ways he pleasured her, she couldn’t stand to have him looking at her like that in front of everyone. It was downright scandalous. If he kept it up, she just might have to cut dinner short. “Boy, get your tail out my kitchen before I take a stick to ya!”

Backing up from harm’s way, Kevin chuckled. “Don’t shoot the messenger. Pop Henry sent me in here to check on dinner. Says he’s starving and you haven’t fed him since Friday.”

Joan laughed. She loved that man of hers. “You tell that ‘ole fool of mine to stop telling them lies. Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes. Don’t take long for the macaroni and cheese to bake.”

Kevin chuckled again. Momma Joan was a mess. “All right, I’ll tell pops what you said.”

Making sure he wasn’t in hearing distance, the older woman predicted, “Yes, lawdy I need a stick for that one. A switch won’t due. He’s a big man.” Winking at Starr, nodding her head towards the other room, she teased, “Baby, I hope you can handle that there man. If you can’t, just come to Momma Joan. I’ll tell you what to do with ‘em.”

The younger women gasped in surprise at the older woman’s wanton words. One of them shrieked, “Momma Joan!”

“Momma Joan my foot! As you young folks say, ‘You better recognize!’ Why you think that old man in yonder ain’t had nothing to eat since Friday? He ain’t need no food when he had me.”

Starr, Ava, and Summer fell out laughing at Momma Joan as she sashayed across the floor swaying her round hips from side to side.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Starr had become extremely quiet once they returned to her house. Usually as they watched a movie, the couple snuggled on the sofa. But tonight, Starr seemed content with sitting at the other end.

She bit the inside of her mouth. Why did she have to let it show something was bothering her? Why did she have to wear her feelings on her sleeves for all to see? The entire time they were at the elder Stiles’ home for dinner, she had told herself repeatedly she would have this conversation with him. But now she was suddenly apprehensive, afraid of what he might think or do.

Her mind was scrambling with her thoughts. She couldn’t figure out what she wanted to say now that Kevin had scooted next to her and started to play with the soft curls at the nape of her neck. The seductive caress had her wanting to straddle his lap.

Still caressing, he used his opposite hand to lift Starr’s chin. She didn’t resist when he gently guided her face to meet his gaze. “You gonna talk to me or what?”

Concern fell over Kevin when she eased away for his touch. Standing to claim the nervous energy running through her, she smoothed non-existent wrinkles from the front of her skirt as she began to pace.

Watching her pace, concern gave way to dread. How had she found out? He thought he had hid
it
out of her view. The first thing he had planned on doing once he made it home was to get rid of
it
. Anger set his jaw tight. He was going to choke the life out of that trifling Trina.

After he and Starr finished making love Kevin did like he had done every Sunday morning for years. Opening the front door, he stepped on the front porch inhaling the crisp morning air as he bent down picking up the Sunday Inquirer. Thoughts of the sleeping woman he left in bed fizzled. To his horror as he lifted the paper from the cement floor a familiar pair of red, lacey thongs twirled to the ground from the early morning breeze. Confusion, then anger marred his handsome features. “What the hell...” he hissed under his breath.

“What are you doing out here?”

Startled by the soft, feminine voice behind him, he nearly tumbled off the top step of the porch. With a deft flick of his slipper-shod foot, he kicked the offensive fabric to the step below out of view.

Recovering quickly, he turned flashing a sheepish grin as held up his reason for leaving her warm, nude body. “Had to get my Sunday morning paper.”

Leaning against the doorway in his dress shirt from last night, she was a beautiful sight. So what, her hair was a complete mess; and strands were going every which way, but the right way. His stomach tied into knots when she smiled demurely, running her fingers through the mussed curls on her head. “Come on. I’m ready to take my shower.”

Kevin let out a deep, nervous breath. He was thankful Starr’s invitation was offered thrown over her shoulder as she made her way back up the stairs. The second she was out of sight gave him the opportunity to discreetly kick the thong under a nearby shrub before dashing off after her.

Now he wasn’t so sure he had been discreet enough. What if she had seen the offensive scrap of fabric on their way out this morning to church? If she had seen what he had attempted to hide, would she understand? He couldn’t be a hundred percent certain. She had years of hurt and mistrust bottled up inside.

During their many late night phone conversations she revealed how growing up her father had been in and out of the picture. It killed him to hear the pain and sadness in her voice as she shared the most intimate details of how her father always made promises to stay with his wife and daughters. But every time he came back with promises of being a better husband and father, he ended up leaving and breaking their hearts.

One evening Starr revealed old hurts that had been buried deep within her soul for years. After she had unloaded some serious stuff, she was an emotional mess. Kevin found himself on his cell phone soothing her while she shed uncontrollable tears as he drove over to her place. Once he was on her front door step, in a tender voice, he pleaded, “Open the door, baby.” The moment she opened the door, he swooped in and picked her up in strong arms. Closing the door, he leaned against it for support as she clung to him purging her battered soul.

He had rushed to her in the middle of the night after her quiet sniffles had become gut-wrenching sobs as she told him of her mother’s depression. The poor woman had been so depressed; she attempted to drown her sorrows in a bottle of wine and sleeping pills. He could literally hear her body shaking over the phone when she hissed, “I hate him for doing that to my mother...to me and Karen.” She had just graduated from high school and was excited about going off college. Fear and worry kept her from leaving home. That fall, she enrolled in La Salle University’s nursing program instead of going off to Howard University.

Six months after the attempted incident of suicide, Donna Avery went into seclusion. Her daughters believed she did this because she felt like a failure as a wife and a mother. The only time Starr, Karen, and the children went to visit their mom was on Mother’s Day. They refused to let her shut them out and be alone on that special day. She lived in a small log cabin in rural Virginia, literally in the middle of nowhere.

His heart bled for Starr. She had gone through so much in her thirty-two years. He didn’t want drama from a previous relationship to bring her more heartache. He didn’t, however, want to hide anything from her, either. How was he going to explain Trina’s craziness?

“We didn’t use anything.”

“Huh?” He was caught off guard by the statement as she cut into his thoughts of how he would tell her about Trina.

Slumping back down in the space beside him she repeated, “I said we didn’t use anything.”

Taking a second, her words registered their meaning. Relief bathed him from the inside out. Letting out a deep sigh, he asked, ‘That’s what got you so quiet?”

“Yes. What if
¾
”

Putting a finger to her lips he silenced her.

“I’m cool. I get tested every six months.”

Frowning, she slapped his hand from her lips. Rolling her eyes and sucking her teeth she drawled, “I know that. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

Now it was his turn to frown as he lifted a thick brow.
Women talk too much.
He knew big mouth Summer told her that he and Nick used to get tested on a regular. Now that Nick was a happily married man he didn’t leave his buddy hanging. When testing time rolled around Nick tagged along for moral support. Although Kevin was always careful, he’d be on pins and needles until the results were in.

Starr duct her head…
busted!
Summer was going to kill her! And Nick was going to kill Summer if it got back to him that she told Starr about his and Kevin’s STD testing ritual.

Trying to clean up the mess she made she stammered, “Umm, what I met was…what about a baby?”

Chuckling he found it amusing watching her wiggle and back paddle out of her slip up. “What about a baby?” He teased, a smirk dancing along his lips.

“Stop playing with me, Kevin.”

Lifting his hand, he lightly began stroking the back of her neck again. Tiny shivers crept up the length of her spine from his touch nearly making her squeal out in delight.

“Yes, you are.” She murmured as his mouth descended upon hers kissing her senseless. She wanted to tell him to stop it, and to get serious. She didn’t want to play games, not now. Not when she was ready to tell him her heart’s desire. But the way he was kissing her and caressing her was making her lose her mind.

Breaking the kiss, “No…I’m not,” he whispered against her moist lips.

Pulling Starr to her feet, he gazed deeply into her eyes. What he saw tugged at his heartstrings. Never before had he ever dreamed of a woman making him want to give her his all. For years he expertly played the field telling himself one woman would never be enough for him. There simply were too many beautiful ones out there to sample to be tied down to just one. Heaven help him. He had been wrong – dead wrong. Starr had become his everything. No longer could he see his life without her being its nucleus.

Every body part trembled with anticipation as Kevin slowly stripped her of her blouse, skirt and bra, leaving only her panties on. Her nipples puckered and begged to be caressed and suckled as his large hands tenderly grazed their sensitive tips. She didn’t have to beg long. A quick inhale of air filled her lungs when he dipped his head, capturing a pouting chocolate tip between his teeth. Soft moans floated on airwaves when his tongue laved, then circled the pebbled flesh right before he suckled it.

Moving to pay homage to the other breast, his fingers toyed with the hem of her satin panties. Her abdominal muscles twitched as long, strong lean fingers dipped inside stroking her ultra sensitive pearl. She barely had enough strength to step out of her panties as he glided them past her hips, down her legs. She was glad she didn’t have to worry about removing her shoes since the first thing they always did was kick them off. Goodness knows, she would’ve lost her balance and toppled over on the floor.

The pink tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her suddenly dry lips as she stared at Kevin removing his clothes. Her southern region throbbed in expectancy as thick muscles rippled and flexed with every lazy movement he made. The man was simply built like a Greek god.

Splaying her waist with both hands, he gingerly backed her up against the nearest wall all while nibbling on her earlobe driving her insane. Once secured against the solid surface, he huskily whispered, “Baby, hold onto my shoulders” as he effortlessly lifted her off her feet. Doing what came natural to her, she wrapped her legs around him as he pressed the palms of his large hands against the wall for leverage. Taking her moist lips in a hard kiss, he entered her with a quick, hard thrust of his hips.

Starr’s sweet groans of passion were intercepted and swallowed deep into Kevin’s chest as he deepened the kiss, while pumping in and out. Sturdy well-defined quadriceps and hamstrings gave him the strength to measure out long, deep, powerful strokes.

Needing to come up for air, breaking the kiss, Starr tightened her grip on his broad shoulders. The electrical atmosphere surrounding them in raw sensuality drew their eyes in a heated gaze. Each lover was feeling what the other was saying with their body, yet wondering if they were speaking the same language.

Making certain they spoke the same ancient tongue, their hearts desiring the same blessing, Starr tilted her pelvis enticing her Nubian King to take full possession. The slight shifting of her pelvis magnified the pleasure she was feeling. Every part of her body began to tremble as she climbed the stairs of ecstasy.

That little move, right there, had him on her heels climbing behind her. “Dayum…girl… what you doing to a brotha?” Kevin gritted out between clinched teeth right before his body was hit with a bolt of lightning, sending him into a wave of spasms. The first wave slammed into Starr sending her spiraling into an orgasmic haze of pure, titillating pleasure.