Falling for Autumn (9 page)

Chapter 9

A
s soon as she stepped outside, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was getting so crowded in the lounge and she was getting claustrophobic.
Either that, or I'm so sexually frustrated I can't think straight.

She had never lusted after a man like this before. As sad as it was, she hadn't had much passion in her life, which was why the massive swarm of bees buzzing through her body was putting her on edge.

“What am I going to do about this?” she said aloud to the empty alley.

“For starters, how about you avoid walking out into dark alleys by yourself?”

Her head flew to the door she had just exited and her eyes collided with his.
No man has a right to look that sexy.
Ajay had on an all-black shirt, dark jeans and, instead of his usual style of shoes, he was sporting a classic black pair. The lines of his fade and goatee were so clean, there was no doubt that he'd just gotten a haircut earlier. He took a few steps closer to her until he was standing under the same light she was.

“Why did you come out here?”

“I needed to breathe.”

He studied her eyes and it took all her energy to stand there and not fidget under his gaze. Her breathing was scattered and her heart felt as if it actually skipped a beat.

“Why were you flirting with Luke? I thought you didn't like him like that.”

“I don't. But...” Her voice trailed off when she realized she had been about to tell him the truth.

“But what?”

She couldn't believe she was really contemplating telling him the truth. “He told me that the longer he hugged me, the more upset you would get.”

“He said that?”

“Yes. He also told me that the minute he kissed my cheek, the vein in your neck would pop. Then he told me to see what would happen if I placed my arm on his shoulder.”

He squinted his curiosity. “So you were trying to get a rise out of me to please him...or yourself?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes bounced from his eyes to his lips. “I think it was a little bit of both. It was his birthday, so I was being polite. But I also wanted to see how you would react.”

His eyes dropped to her lips. “You don't want to play games with a man like me, Autumn.”

“Why not?” Her voice was so low. She wasn't even sure if he heard her until he snaked an arm around her waist and began pulling them into the corner of the building, away from lights and anyone passing by on the street.

His right hand went to her hair at the same time that he placed his other hand on the building. She had room to move, but somehow she felt captured with nothing in her line of vision but his face inches from hers.

“I thought after the talk we had last week, we'd agreed to keep our relationship platonic.”

Yeah, right! There is nothing platonic about what I'm feeling right now.
“If that was the conclusion of our conversation, then maybe I zoned out at the end because I didn't think we came to a conclusion.”

“Is that your way of giving me the green light?”

It was too dark to see if his eyes had changed colors, but she was pretty sure they had. “You never answered my question. Why don't I want to play games with a man like you?”

“Because I don't play to lose. I play to win.” He started massaging the back of her head. His fingers felt so good in her hair. She yearned to close her eyes. “And I don't just play to win. For example, if you give me permission to kiss you right now, I'm going to go for more than a simple kiss. I would never want you to do anything you aren't completely comfortable with or willing to try, but once I get started, I don't hold back. I'm more of an all-or-nothing type of guy.”

“Is that what you want to do?” she asked when he took another step closer to her. “Do you want to kiss me?”

“Among other things,” he said before his lips crashed into hers. She could hear herself moaning almost immediately, and she vaguely heard her clutch drop to the ground. His kiss was all consuming, demanding her to open her mouth and let him invade her space. She didn't have a choice. Her mind had momentarily shut down so that all she could do was focus on the way his tongue was making love with hers.

“I knew you'd taste this good,” he said between kisses. His words and the fact that he'd just admitted to thinking about how she would taste lit a fire in her. She clutched one arm around his shoulder, rubbing her hand up and down his neck. He chose that moment to wrap both arms around her and brought her even closer to him. She felt the evidence of his arousal pushing against her stomach, and the feel of him made her want to rip off their clothes right there in the dark alley.

Ripping clothes off in a dark alley?
Who was this woman and what on earth was Ajay doing to bring out this side of her? More important, what else did he plan to do? She could feel him changing their position, but she had no idea what he was doing.

“From now on, every alley that you walk past, I want you to think about this moment.”

She heard his words, but she couldn't comprehend them. Nor did she like that he had stopped kissing her. Thankfully, he started placing kisses down her neck and collarbone.

Without warning, his arms went around her thighs and he lifted her in the air. She yelped out of surprise.

“What are you doing?”

“Grab the bottom of that pole connected to the staircase above you. It's locked so it shouldn't budge.” She looked up and saw that she was able to reach it pretty easily. She gripped the pole before asking him another question.

“Why did you lift me?”

He looked up at her as a sly smile crept across his face. “I told you that I play to win and in doing so, that means I can no longer deny myself
exactly
what I've been craving.”

She looked down at him as he lifted her up even higher. She wanted to ask him to specify how long he'd been craving her because she was so curious to find out. But she could barely think straight.

“Since I see the question in your eyes, I'll tell you that I plan on lifting you onto my shoulders and when I do, I need you to continue to grip that pole and wrap your legs around my head.”

What? I must have heard him wrong.
She was just about to say something, but he cut her off.

“You can stop me if you want, but let's not forget that I gave you fair warning. I'm not the type of guy to apologize after kissing a woman, and I'm definitely not the type of man to apologize for giving her an orgasm in a dark alley while she hangs from a stairway pole.”

“Not the type to wha—” She'd had every intention of finishing her statement, but within seconds, he had pushed her completely onto his shoulders and removed her panties so fast, she barely had time to react.

“Oh, crap.” She really wished she had something more poetic to say. However, she couldn't think straight with his tongue alternating between sucking her clit and dipping inside her core.

The faster he licked, the tighter her thighs got around his head.
This can't be happening
,
she thought
.
She could count on her hand how many orgasms she'd had from sex and oral sex combined. It wasn't that she was a prude in bed, but she'd admit that she was picky. If a man couldn't hold an interesting conversation, there was no way she could connect with him sexually.
People don't just perform foreplay midair in a dark alley.
She briefly looked down at Ajay nestled between her legs, standing as if it was the most comfortable position in the world. He must have felt her adjust herself because he picked up his pace even more.
Scratch that last thought. Unless you're Ajay Reed.

“Ajay, I don't think I can be hanging in the air like this.”

He grunted and she assumed that was his way of telling her that he wasn't letting her get down. He didn't understand that she needed to get down. She couldn't handle the spasms that were already shooting through her body.

“Damn, Ajay, I really don't think I can be in the air for this...” Now her voice sounded even more breathless and panicky. “I'm on the brink and I really think I should be on solid ground.”

He glanced up at her. “Do you trust me?”

She studied his face, knowing that if she said no, he would let her down. If she said yes, he would keep going. She didn't want to lie to him.

“Yes, I trust you.”

“Okay, then, I need you to grip that pole. Grip my head with your thighs. And stop thinking so much. I won't let you fall and I promise you will enjoy it.”

She nodded her head in agreement, and this time when he dived in between her legs, she could tell he was done holding back. She had no idea how he managed to stick two fingers inside her, hold her up and keep his mouth attached to her center. Within seconds, her body convulsed in an orgasm so powerful, she couldn't help but yell out in pleasure. Even with her thighs trembling, arms wailing and head shaking, he didn't let her go. He kept her plastered on his mouth, refusing to let her go until he was sure she felt every single bit of that orgasm.

* * *

As he finally helped Autumn to the ground, he deliberately dragged her down his body on her way down. He ignored the voice in his head that told him he was in trouble. Ajay didn't half-ass anything, so when it came to finishing what they'd started tonight, he had every intention of it.

He just knew that day wasn't going to be today. She still needed more time to process what had just happened. He was well aware of how complicated their relationship had just gotten, but he refused to regret what he did with Autumn.

Feeling her orgasm against his mouth was one of the most exhilarating things he'd ever experienced. “I couldn't help myself,” he said honestly. “I'd been wanting to taste you for a while.”

She gazed into his eyes before responding. “You definitely didn't hold back.” Her eyes dropped down to his lips. “But you never said how long you've wanted to taste me.”

She ran her fingers through her curls before adjusting her dress.
Damn, she's sexy after she has an orgasm.
Quite frankly, he'd found her sexy all the time, but tonight seeing her all satisfied and flushed made him want to see how she would look after an entire night of making love.

She looked down at his jeans, clearly recognizing they were growing tighter in his crotch area.

“I can't help it,” he said with a shrug. “But to answer your question, probably around the first time we met.”

Her almond-shaped eyes grew wide in surprise. “Didn't we argue the entire day we first met?”

“We sure did,” he said with a laugh. “And even when I tried not to think about how you would taste, I did... Like I said, I can't help it.” He really didn't think she understood what she did to him. “Autumn, I won't regret anything we do. It was easy for me to keep my attraction to a certain level when I wasn't acting on it. But now that I've tasted you, there's no way I can erase it from my memory.”

He saw her shiver, but he wasn't finished yet. “I wasn't joking when I said I'm not into playing games. Mainly because I don't have the patience for it. Not when it comes to things I want.” He didn't elaborate since he figured she knew what he meant.

“But I won't make a move until you give me the okay. Understood?”

She nodded her head in agreement, but Ajay couldn't read what she was thinking.

“Are you ready to walk back inside?” Once again, she nodded her head instead of voicing words.

The short walk to the back door felt like the longest walk he'd ever had to take. He felt unsettled, and he knew it was because he didn't know how she was feeling.

“Hold on, Autumn,” he said, lightly tapping her arm. “You're being so quiet. I won't apologize for anything that I did because I enjoyed it way too much. But I will apologize for coming on so strong. If I'm being honest, I know I'm coming on even stronger because I've been attracted to you from the moment we met. But I'm sorry if I offended you in any way.”

She studied his eyes before she let out a laugh.
What the heck is she laughing at?

“What's so funny?”

“You are.” She stepped closer to him. So close that her sweet scent filled his nostrils and caused him to stir in his pants yet again. “Ajay, you're right. I do need to comprehend everything that just happened. But the reason I'm so quiet is not because I was offended and was waiting for an apology.”

She placed her hand on his chest and gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek. “The reason I'm so quiet is because it occurred to me that if you could lick me into an orgasm while hanging on a pole connected to the side of a building, I'm dying to know what you can do in other unpredictable settings. I
need
to know what else you can do.”

With that, she removed her hand and walked around him toward the back door. He heard the soft thump of the door as it closed. Ajay had every intention of following her in there. He just needed to take a short walk and try to calm down his body unless he wanted to walk back into Inferno hard as a rock.

Chapter 10

“Y
ou can do this. Everything will be fine. You can act normal. In the past, men have always said they couldn't read you.” She squinted her eyes at her reflection, still not believing the words she was saying.
I need to work on giving myself a better pep talk.
She leaned her hands on each side of the porcelain bathroom sink and tried again.

“You excel at poker, so you've got this in the bag. No need to even worry.” The loud bang on the bathroom door caused her to squeal. She swung the door open.

“What!” she said louder than she'd expected.

“Geesh, I was knocking to tell you that the rest of the bridal party arrived and Danni just called and said the models should start arriving at the pavilion any minute. Why are you talking to yourself in the bathroom?”

Autumn glared at Summer, although she knew it wasn't her fault that she was on edge. The masquerade affair was tonight and she was anxious. It wasn't that she regretted what had happened between her and Ajay in the alley on Luke's birthday, but she couldn't seem to stop her brain from overthinking their situation.

“Sis, are you okay? You've been acting strange since we got here.”

Autumn had managed to avoid seeing Ajay for all the rest of the planning leading to the event. There was one meeting, which they both attended, but she had avoided eye contact most of the night and he had given her space. Yesterday, as originally planned, she, Danni and Summer had arrived at the inn at Woodland Creek Estate early. They needed to make sure the decorating crew they'd hired was getting all the details right in turning the grounds of the pavilion, as well as the inside, into a mysterious masquerade masterpiece.

“I'm okay. I can see how you would think I'm not, but I am.”

“I don't believe you,” Summer said, observing her. “And my guess is that it definitely has something to do with Ajay. I'm not sure what's going on, but I know you're probably overthinking whatever it is.”

She nodded her head in agreement. “You're right. That's probably it. I always overthink the wrong things.”

“Okay, well, I told Danni we would meet her downstairs in five minutes. Are you ready?” Autumn glanced down at her worn jeans and simple navy blue fitted shirt. Not the cutest outfit, but it would do. She started pulling her hair up into a high pony. “Yeah, I'm ready. Let's head out.”

Summer was the first to make it to the door, and as soon as she did, Autumn stopped walking.

“Hey, Ajay,” Summer said as she discreetly stole a glance at Autumn. “What can we do for you?”

“Danni told me we should all head to the pavilion right now, but I was hoping I could talk to Autumn for a minute.”

“Um, sure,” Summer said as she mouthed the word
sorry
to Autumn. “I'll see you guys soon.”

When Summer shut the door behind her, leaving Autumn alone in the room with Ajay, she swore that she stopped breathing. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt and scruffy jeans secured by a brown leather belt. She could see the tattoos on his arms clearer than she ever had before, and her fingers itched to trace them and hear about the meaning behind one that she saw at the base of the sleeve of his shirt.

She'd never seen him in a fitted baseball cap before, and the level of sex appeal emanating off him was enough to light her body on fire.
It's not fair that he makes simple look so sexy.
He looked as if he hadn't even been trying. Being sexy just came naturally to him.

He walked closer to her, his light brown eyes studying her hazel ones. He looked hesitant to talk to her, and for the first time, she thought that maybe she wasn't alone in her confusion. Maybe he was just as confused as she was.

“How are you doing?” he asked, gently grazing her cheek with his hand. The gesture caught her off guard, but instead of moving away from his hand, she found herself leaning into it.

“I'm fine.”

“I don't believe you,” he said as he dropped his hand back to his side. “You've been avoiding me since Luke's party. Is it because of what happened in the alley?”

She sighed and dropped her eyes from his. “It's not that I regret what happened. I just don't know how to act around you now.”

“I figured that was the case, but you don't have any reason to feel strange around me. I told you that I wouldn't push you into doing anything you didn't want to do. If you don't want to go further than what happened in the alley, I respect that.”

She finally glanced back at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. “You really mean that?”

He smiled. “Yes, I really mean it. I'm not going to pretend as if it won't be hard because you already know how attracted I am to you. But besides our physical connection, I really enjoy your company and I enjoy talking to you.” His face grew serious. “I told you information about me that I never disclose to people, but you made me want to open up. Sometimes holding all that stuff in isn't healthy.”

She slightly twitched, understanding the truth in his words all too well.

“We'll be seeing a lot of each other, and I hope that acting on our attraction that night didn't mean that I lost your friendship. Because I really want to see where that goes, and if it turns into something more and you give me the green light, that's fine, too. But you'll control the situation and I won't push you. I know you like control, so I wanted to stop by before the entire group got together to tell you that.”

Her heart melted right then. How could it not? She was the one who'd avoided him for over a week. She was the one who hadn't responded to the couple of texts he had sent. Quite frankly, she'd handled the situation all wrong, yet he was here making sure that she was okay about how everything had transpired. She couldn't even recall a man ever thinking about her feelings like that.

“I appreciate that, Ajay, but both of us were in that alley and nothing happened that I didn't want to happen. I'm sorry for avoiding you, and you're right, I'm enjoying our friendship as well, and I want to see where it goes.”

“Check us out. Acting like grown-ups.” He gave her a huge Chuck E. Cheese grin that had her laughing so hard, tears rolled down her cheeks. It had been a long time since she'd laughed with a man, and she was beginning to realize that with Ajay, she was experiencing a lot of firsts she never thought she would.

* * *

She was gorgeous. Intelligent. A spitfire when you pushed her. An introvert when she was uncomfortable. A debater when she was passionate about something. And as of right now, she was making it hard for him to concentrate on anything else going on at the masquerade affair.

The entire pavilion was decked out in elegant black lace draped from the ceiling with different levels of lighting throughout the venue. Black-and-white decor with pops of red sprinkled throughout added to the chic look and the torches outside the pavilion. The outdoor decor only enhanced the classiness of the night.

It seemed that everyone in attendance was blown away by the design, and the lingerie that the attendees wore was tasteful and abided by the set of rules they'd sent out to everyone. Even though it was still the portion of the night in which men and women were split in the massive room, he had a good view of Autumn.

His parents and a few of his aunts and uncles had been in attendance earlier for cocktail hour, but as the night grew and the festivities got even sexier, they'd retired to their rooms in either the inn or a nearby hotel. Winter and Taheim had outdone themselves with the nightwear they'd designed for the bridal party. The men each had on black silk pajamas, and most of the men, himself included, had chosen to forgo the silk shirt in exchange for a white cotton tank. Each shirt had different words on the back to describe each of their personalities. Taheim had chosen Unapologetic Rebel for him, and had paired it with a black-and-white mask.

The groomsmen all loved their clothing for the night, but the bridesmaids were the ones wearing statement pieces. Each bridesmaid's piece was different. He assumed Winter had wanted to make sure the lingerie fit each woman's body type. All of the teddies or chemises that the women were wearing were tasteful, but the black satin-and-lace teddy that Autumn wore made his mouth water.

She was too far on the other side of the room for him to get the complete view, but even at a distance, he could clearly make out her delectable thighs. Each bridesmaid was also wearing a red satin robe that came to her knees, and their masks were black-and-white with a hint of red. He may be biased, but Autumn was outshining all the women in the room. As if she knew he couldn't take his eyes off her, she glanced at him and gave him a slow smile.
Damn, she's seductive without even trying.
Wasn't it just hours ago that he was telling her that he wouldn't act on his attraction until she gave him the green light? What the hell had he been thinking?

You weren't thinking about how hard it would be to take your eyes off her.
And he wasn't the only one who noticed her. He was keeping a tally of each of his and Taheim's friends whom he saw checking her out. He wasn't going to say anything to the guys, but he was mentally preparing himself for the men he knew would hit on her tonight.

Regardless of the lust he was feeling right now, he'd meant what he'd told her. He was really starting to value her friendship, and it wasn't lost on him that he'd already opened up to her in ways he'd promised to never open up to a woman.

As if his prayers were answered, it was time to combine the room and bring out the models showcasing designs from Bare Sophistication and T. R. Night. The work crew acted fast to roll out the tables and chairs, and within minutes, Danni and Autumn gave Ajay and Jaleen the signal that the second half of the night would start. After making sure Taheim and Winter were sitting together at the front table, they all walked on stage. Autumn took the mic first.

“Ladies and gentleman, we want to thank you all for coming out tonight to Unveiled, Winter and Taheim's grand masquerade affair in which we told you all to expect the unexpected. So far, we think you can agree that this is not your average celebration.” People in the audience yelled in agreement. He could tell she was a little nervous, but she sounded great.

Danni spoke next. “Now we invite you all to join us on a journey.” On cue, he noticed the models and performers coming out of both double doors and standing in formation. “As most of you know, Winter and Taheim are not your everyday couple. As a lingerie designer and a fashion designer, they live in a world of satin, silk and lace.”

Now it was Jaleen's turn. “In their world, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the right piece of clothing or lingerie can make you feel empowered. Sexy. Uninhibited.”

“Welcome to a world where there are no rules when it comes to feeling sexy.” The models and performers stationed around the room began moving in unison to the sultry music as Ajay spoke. “Sexy is a state of mind. A way of life. You have to embrace it.” The models and performers all stopped as practiced, and as hoped, the audience seemed to be holding their breath for them to move again.

“And if you do embrace your sexy,” Autumn added, “truly embrace that inner desire to unleash that feeling of empowerment and accept that we are all uniquely beautiful in our own way. You'll feel liberated. You'll feel unrestrained. Completely
unveiled
.”

Another sultry song began and the models and performers spent the next hour entertaining, dancing and modeling in different sections of the room, one group at a time. Each scene appealed to a different kind of sexy, and the audience seemed completely enthralled by their performance. The waitstaff brought around heavy hors d'oeuvres and champagne throughout the entire routine.

“Check out Taheim's and Winter's faces.” Ajay tapped Autumn's shoulder as the performances were coming to a close. He watched his brother gaze into Winter's eyes, satisfied that the event seemed to be exactly what they wanted.

“They are so happy,” Autumn said with a smile. “Winter has already given me three hugs and told me that she never expected us to plan such a detailed event.”

“Taheim expressed similar sentiments. I'm just glad that they are having such a great time. They deserve it.”

“They really do. I couldn't imagine my life without Winter as my sister.”

Ajay smiled as Taheim kissed Winter for the hundredth time that night. “I couldn't imagine my life without Taheim as my brother, either.”

Autumn curled her arm around his and leaned her head on his shoulder. He was pretty sure she was thinking about the fact that there had been a time he wasn't sure if he would ever see Taheim again. Their moment was short-lived as they both got called away in opposite directions. He knew being the hosts of the event would mean he wouldn't have much time to pull Autumn aside, but he had really hoped he could at least share one dance with her before the night was over. As he listened to Jaleen rattle off something about one of the speakers in the room going out, he knew the chance that he would pull her away again was slim to none.