Crazy Love (4 page)

T
ameeka smiled as Tyrell trotted around his truck, then stopped at the hood and made a funny face at her before coming around to the passenger side and opening up the door for her. Their whole day was like that. He'd do something silly to hear her laugh and she'd comply and laugh until her stomach hurt. Tameeka stepped out of the truck and they walked hand-in-hand to her apartment. At the door Tyrell pulled Tameeka into his arms and rested his chin on the top of her head. Tameeka sighed happily as she relaxed against his chest; she had finally found happiness.

“I had a wonderful evening tonight, lady,” Tyrell said, thrilled that the day was better than he had anticipated.

“Me, too. The swimming, the beer making and dinner—you're spoiling me,” she said, grinning up at him.

“Isn't that what a man supposed to do?” he asked softly as his eyes caressed her face. Then, “When are we going out again?” Tameeka and Tyrell said at the same time. They both burst out laughing. Tyrell stopped long enough to say, “Later this week is cool with me.”

“I'ma have to check my schedule. Bea is supposed to have a day off and I'm going to have to fill in. After all, I am the
owner,”
she said, and Tyrell winced. This was the tenth time today that she'd mentioned she owned a store.

“I know you're the owner, hell, everybody in Georgia knows that you're owner of Heaven on Earth. You don't have to keep announcing it every five minutes,” Tyrell said dryly.

“Announcing it?” Tameeka sputtered, and her happiness suddenly shriveled up. “Oh, now I see, you're a brother who's threatened by a strong black woman,” Tameeka snapped.

“Hardly,” Tyrell scoffed. “But, baby, give it a rest. You're the owner of a shop, it's all good.” Tameeka crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him as though she wanted to kill him.

“Come here,” he demanded, then opened up his arms, inviting her to step in. “Come give your teddy bear a big hug and kiss.” He winked and wrapped Tameeka in a giant hug and her anger instantly disappeared. She tilted her head back and their lips met. His kisses were like lush drops of chocolate and she couldn't get enough.

“Wow!” Tameeka breathed and leaned back against her door and fanned her face. “Wow!” she repeated. “Where did you learn to kiss?” That was the best kiss of her life.

Tyrell smiled modestly, then said, “It wasn't me. It was all about you, baby.”

“Wow!” Tameeka repeated, beaming.

“Hey, what's up?” Stacie waltzed up to her friend, and she couldn't help noticing her glazed eyes and smeared lipstick. She gave Tameeka a wink, then turned to Tyrell. “I'm Stacie…Tameeka's roommate.”

“Tyrell,” he stated as he inhaled Stacie. She looked hotter than Beyoncé.

“I'm sorry,” Tameeka sputtered, pulling herself out of her daze. “This is
Tyrell
.”

“Well, it's very nice meeting you. I have to run.” She turned to Tameeka and whispered in her ear. “He's cute. And by the way I won't be home tonight.” Before Tameeka could say anything, Stacie was halfway to her car.

Tyrell stared after her. “What?” Tameeka asked, as irritation worked its way up her neck.

“I think she'll be a good match for my boy Jackson,” he answered, then glanced down at his watch. “I didn't realize how late it was. I'd better get going. I'ma have to work tomorrow. They're offering overtime and a brother can definitely use the extra money, especially if I expect you to keep me around. And I don't know a woman who wants a broke-ass man,” he said with a laugh.

“Oh,” Tameeka said as her smile dimmed. After the magical day they had spent together, she had assumed that he would want to make the night even more special. Visions of them making love fizzled before her eyes. Just as well, she thought, and to her surprise, relief shot through her. The ten pounds she had lost last month returned along with some friends, and they had happily taken up residence in her stomach and thighs; she wasn't ready for an open house.

Still, her body throbbed for him. She wanted to feel him inside her. Lowering her gaze, she tried to think of what Stacie would do in the situation. Then it came to her, the oldest trick in the world. She lifted her head and gave Tyrell a calculating grin, then began talking in a breathy little girl voice. “Can you do me a
big
favor before you go? There's this
humongous
box in my bedroom that needs to go on the top shelf of my closet. It's
too
big for me to lift. Can you come and move it for me?” she gently pleaded, then looked up at him and batted her eyelashes.

“Er-sure-no-problem-just-show-me-where-it-is,” he stuttered.

Tameeka hid a grin as she unlocked her door and led Tyrell into the apartment.

“C'mon, my bedroom is this way.” She tugged at Tyrell's hand and led him down the hallway.

“There it is,” Tameeka said, pointing to the box. The “humongous” box was roughly about the size of a twenty-pound box of laundry detergent. Tyrell's mouth twitched with amusement. This is definitely something she could've done herself, he thought, as he scooped the box up with one hand and effortlessly placed it on the closet shelf.

“Thank you
so
much,” Tameeka gushed. “You really helped me out a lot.” She had moved to the bed and Tyrell was standing in the middle of the floor, unsure of what to do. He really had to leave, but Tameeka looked good sitting on the bed. “Come, on stay a while. I'll pop some popcorn, we can watch a couple DVDs…” She didn't dare look him in the face lest he figure out her intentions. Instead, she plucked at some invisible lint on her comforter.

Tyrell silently appraised her bowed head and had a nagging suspicion that popcorn wasn't going to be the only thing popping tonight. “Sounds cool, baby,” he said, then shrugged out of his leather jacket, tossing it on a chair, before joining her on the bed.

“Yay!” Tameeka cheered happily. “This will be like a slumber party. Maybe we can have a food fight,” she teased.

“Yeah. Mashed potatoes are good. They always end up in the oddest places,” he whispered, then touched her cheek softly before leaning in and kissing her. Tameeka's body melted as Tyrell nudged her back and slid on top of her.

“Mmm,” Tameeka moaned as she pushed Tyrell off. “I need to take off these clothes,” she explained, and gave him an apologetic look. “I'll be right back.” Before Tyrell could protest she rushed into her bathroom. Slamming the door shut, she slumped against it. “Oh my God! What the hell am I doing?” she whispered to herself. “This is it, girl. He's gonna see me…every goddamn square inch. There's no more hiding.”

On shaky legs, she walked to her full-length mirror. She averted her eyes as she unceremoniously pulled her clothes off and dumped them into the corner. It wasn't until every inch of clothing was off that she allowed herself to look. A mixture of self-loathing and embarrassment darkened her eyes as she studied her reflection.

“I look like the Pillsbury Dough Woman on steroids,” she muttered as she eyed her body. Her legs looked like someone had injected tubs of tapioca pudding in them, her stomach looked like she had swallowed a ten-pound watermelon. “Oh Lord, this is what he's getting.” The confidence that was so strong in her ten minutes ago dwindled down to a teeny, hard ball of self-hatred.

“Hey, what's taking so long? Do you need me to come in there?” Tyrell teased, but she heard some seriousness in his voice just the same.

“I'm coming. I'm brushing my teeth,” she lied, then reached for the toothpaste. She opened it and squeezed the tube until a glob squirted into her mouth. Using her tongue, she quickly swiped it across her teeth, then spit it out and rinsed her mouth. She frantically searched the bathroom until she found her bathrobe peeking at her from a pile of clothes on the floor. She snatched it up, then sniffed it. It doesn't smell
that
bad, she thought. “I'll be damned if I walk out there naked,” she grumbled as she pulled on the robe and knotted the belt tightly around her waist.

She peeked at her reflection. The robe was magenta-colored and made out of a jersey material that itched her skin. It wasn't the sexiest thing in the world, but it did stop right above the knee, hiding her stomach and thighs. She took a deep breath, turned out the bathroom light and then opened the bathroom door.

“It's about time—” He stopped in surprise; Tameeka had turned off the bedroom light before sliding into bed next to him. “Why did you do that?” he protested.

“I like making love in the dark. The darker the better,” she lied. “Come on, kiss me!” she demanded as she pushed her face toward him.

“Nu-uh,” Tyrell said, and Tameeka could feel him pulling away from her. “I like to see who I'm making love to. Where's the light?” he asked as he began fumbling around the nightstand.

“No!” Tameeka shrieked, and Tyrell froze.

Settling back against the pillows, Tyrell crossed his arms over his chest, then asked, “Whassup, Meek?”

“Nuthin',” she lied. “Just kiss me,” she pleaded as she pressed her body against his.

“Come on, Meek, talk to me,” he gently demanded.

“I…” She faltered, then began again. “I don't want you to see my body,” she said softly.

“Why not?” Tyrell asked, clearly confused. “You
are
a lady aren't you? There isn't any funny stuff going on here, is there? No extra body parts?”

“No. I'm all woman,” she said, then blew out a stream of air. “That's the problem. I'm way too much woman…I'm
too
big,” she said, then held her breath and waited for him to laugh or, worse yet, agree.

He laughed. The blood rushed to Tameeka's face and she clutched the front of her robe closed. “Is that all you're worried about?” Tyrell asked. “Girl, puh-leeze! Give me some credit. I have some idea of what your body looks like, and trust me, I am not turned off. Besides, you aren't the first big woman I've dated.” He pulled her in his arms and gently nuzzled her neck. “Tameeka, I care about you. I am attracted to the whole package, your mind, soul
and
body. Besides, look at me, what am I gonna do with a little piece of a woman? C'mon, turn on the light. Would you do that for me?” he asked in a voice so sweet that Tameeka was tempted to say yes. Yet Tyrell sensed her hesitation.

“What if we leave the bathroom light on and close the door halfway. C'mon, now you can't beat that,” he teased. Tameeka considered it, then nodded and did as he suggested.

She turned around and saw Tyrell reclining on her bed as if he had been there a thousand times. He was naked. His six-foot-seven frame seemed to take up the whole bed.

Her eyes wandered south, then stopped and she suppressed a giggle; Stacie's theory was right, thick fingers do yield a thick dick.

“Drop the robe,” Tyrell whispered, his voice husky with desire. Tameeka opened her mouth to protest, but promptly closed it. They had a deal. Her hands were trembling as she undid the knot, then let the robe slip off and puddle at her feet. “Come here.”

Tameeka slid into bed beside him. “You're beautiful, you know that?” he asked, tenderly stroking her cheek.

“Thank you,” Tameeka whispered, then looked up into his eyes and saw her beauty reflected there.

“You are so sexy,” he whispered as he gently kneaded her breasts. He bent over and began suckling her rock-hard nipples, taking one in at a time, and occasionally two. He was feasting on them as if they were oversize ice-cream cones. To her horror, he began kissing her stomach, his mouth leaving a wet trail over her excessive flesh. She tensed up. “Relax,” he murmured into her stomach. “Lie back and enjoy.” She nodded, but squeezed her eyes shut as his mouth moved over her.

Enjoyment only came when he slipped his hand between her legs and her inhibitions were swept away. He slid his fingers into her mound and with deliberate care began sliding in and out, his strokes causing fireworks to explode inside her.

“How ya feelin', baby?” Tyrell asked, grinning down at her. Her eyes were closed and she was panting softly.

She opened one eye and smiled weakly.
“Damn,
you got skills,” was all she could get out before closing her eyes.

“Hey!” Tyrell protested. “You'd better not be falling asleep on me. I'm not done with you yet.” Tameeka giggled, then looked up at him.

“Well, cutie, I haven't even
started
with you.” Tameeka pulled his face toward hers and lightly ran her tongue over his lips, then breathed into his ear, “I wanna be on top.”

“That's what I love. A take-charge woman,” Tyrell teased as he rolled onto his back and pulled Tameeka on top of him.

“You're sexy, baby,” Tameeka murmured as she gently blew on Tyrell's nipples until they were as hard as chips of chocolate. “And you're delicious,” she cooed. His skin was like sugar to her lips, she couldn't get enough as she rained kisses on his chest. Inching down, she nibbled his legs, biting the inside of his thighs. She moved down to his feet, where she sucked his toes.