Read Just Can't Get Enough Online
Authors: Cheris Hodges
Just Can't Get Enough (11 page)
Richard smiled at Celina. “So, that's what's different about my boss.”
She furrowed her brows. “What do you mean?”
Richard released a low chuckle. “You can tell when a man is in love and boss man is definitely smitten. I knew it wasn't that one,” he said, nodding his head toward Tiffany. “Although she
is
having a problem taking âno' for an answer.”
is
having a problem taking âno' for an answer.”
Celina folded her arms underneath her breasts. “Is she doing something to hurt Darius's business?”
Richard shrugged his shoulders. “I don't know if she's the one who broke the window and burned that shed back there, but Darius isn't going to let her or anyone else get away with that. He has some temper.”
She fell silent, not knowing what to make of what Richard told her. She had never seen Darius out of control or angry, until she saw him with Tiffany. Darius looked as if he could snap that woman's neck as they argued in the distance. “A temper?”
Richard nodded. “City residue. Where are you living now?”
“New York.”
Richard grunted at her reply. “You kids love leaving here for a big, dirty city. But somehow you come back. You come back for the homegrown food and the love,” he said.
“What do you mean by that?” Celina asked.
Richard smiled, then walked away without answering Celina's question. Maybe he was right, but she certainly didn't come home to fall in love. Darius's temper didn't quite sit well with her. Then again, maybe this woman had done something to him that elicited this kind of response from him. Could Darius become violent?
Wait a minute,
she thought,
Darius isn't like that. This woman is probably responsible for burning his shed and breaking that front window. Anyone would be angry about that.
Wait a minute,
she thought,
Darius isn't like that. This woman is probably responsible for burning his shed and breaking that front window. Anyone would be angry about that.
Celina walked to the front of the store where Darius and Tiffany were arguing. “Darius,” she said. “Is everything all right?”
Tiffany looked at Celina, giving her the once-over as if she was sizing her up.
Celina returned Tiffany's glare with one of her own. “Problem?” Celina asked.
Tiffany turned on her heels and headed out the door. Darius turned to Celina and pulled her into his arms.
“I'm sorry you had to witness that,” he said. “There's been a lot of stuff going on here and I'm 100 percent sure that Tiffany is behind this. She's acting worse than a child but she's taking things too far now.”
“What have the police said?” she asked. Darius shrugged his shoulders. Celina hugged him tightly. “Let's get out of here so we can still catch that sunset,” she whispered in his ear. “And don't forget, you still have to strip for me.” Celina flashed Darius a devilish grin.
“You don't have to ask me twice,” he said. Darius waved to Richard. “See you in the morning.”
Richard smiled. “Have fun, you two,” he said.
Darius drove Celina to her house so that she could retrieve her sketch pad. He sat in the car while Celina ran into the house. She grabbed her pad from the edge of the sofa, then walked into the kitchen and picked up her charcoal pencils. Celina was ready to go. Darius smiled at her as she walked to the car. He pushed the passenger side door open so that she could slide in. “All right,” she said. “Let's go.”
CHAPTER 11
The sky began to change colors, fading from powder blue to burnt orange, then a faint purple. A lone star dotted the sky as the sun began to descend. A soft breeze blew across the lake, causing the tranquil water to ripple slightly. Celina pushed her hair back off her forehead and looked up at Darius as he leaned on the trunk of a nine-foot oak tree on the bank of Lake Elmore.
“Move your arm a little to the left,” she ordered as she continued to sketch Darius's image. Celina tried not to focus on his crotch, but his semi erect penis seemed to point directly at her. Celina swallowed hard as she forced herself to focus on his face.
“How much longer?” he asked. “It's starting to get cool over here.”
“Not from where I'm sitting,” she mumbled. “Just a few more minutes.”
Darius tried to hold his pose and a straight face, but he broke out into a smile.
“Please, please don't smile,” Celina said.
Darius tried not to smile, but he broke out laughing.
Celina dropped her sketch pad and glared at him. “You're not a good model.”
Darius walked over to Celina, standing in front of her. “Really?”
She slowly stood up, pressing her hand against his chest. “That's right, because good models do as they're told,” she said. “I guess I'll have to finish this from memory.”
Darius reached around Celina's neck and unclasped her halter top. “Well, let me give you something else to memorize,” he whispered against her ear, then pressed her body against his as her breasts spilled from the flimsy shirt.
She started to protest, because they were out in public and anyone could walk by and see them, not to mention the animals that she was sure they'd scared away. But when Darius assaulted her neck with the sweetest kisses, all her reservations flew away with a group of ducks that had floated into the air. She melted against him as his tongue brushed across her neck. Then Darius scooped Celina into his arms, gently laying her back on the plaid blanket that they had spread on the ground earlier. He straddled her body, his fingers dancing around the waistband of her denim cutoffs before he peeled her clothes from her body, kissing each piece of skin he revealed.
Celina's body writhed under the touch of his hands, the lick of his tongue, and his gentle biting. Though Darius's hot erection pressed against her thighs, he didn't glide into her body right away, which she desperately wanted him to do. Instead, he continued teasing her body with his hot kisses. As a cool breeze blew over their bodies, Celina shuddered, every nerve in her body standing on end. With her senses stimulated, all Darius needed to do was kiss her on her neck to bring her to a near climax. She gripped the back of his head as he suckled her breasts, tickling her nipple with his tongue. Arching her back, she pressed herself into his mouth, wanting and needing more of his lips, tongue, and teeth.
Darius wrapped his hands around her back, giving her more of what she'd been silently begging for. Celina sat up, breaking off her kiss with Darius, and looked into his eyes, which were clouded with love, lust, and desire. For a second she wanted to stop and run away because the feelings were too intense. Darius wasn't having that, though. It was as if he sensed her apprehension when he leaned in and said, “I need you.”
Her chest heaved up and down as Darius molded her against him. She wrapped her legs around his waist, inching closer to his erection. He reached into the discarded canvas bag behind them and pulled out a condom package. Darius slid the protection across his erect penis in one quick motion. Celina's breath caught in her chest as she felt Darius throbbing against her thighs and her body quivered with anticipation and fear. Being next to Darius ignited so many emotions in her. Her body ached for his kisses, his touch, and the feeling of him inside her. Her heart yearned for his love, his warmth, and his tenderness. Celina still wasn't certain that she could give Darius everything he wanted or the love he deserved. She was still afraid of the hurt that she knew love caused. Seeing the change in her, he slowed his sensual assault on her body.
“What's wrong?” Darius asked, cupping her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. Celina tried to silence Darius by kissing him, but Darius turned away. “Talk to me,” he said. “If you don't want to do this or . . .”
“Nothing's wrong,” she said, attempting to look away. But he held her face between his hands, not giving her a chance to turn away.
“I know you're holding back,” he said. “I just don't understand why.” He ran his index finger down the side of her arm. “You don't have to hold back from me.”
“I'm not doing that,” she replied unconvincingly.
Darius clutched her round bottom and pulled her closer to him. “Celina, I want more than your body. Why don't you let me in here,” he said, pointing his finger to her chest. “This is what I want more than anything else.”
Celina felt even more exposed and naked than ever with Darius lying on top of her. He'd seen her body before, but in this moment, it felt as if he saw right though her soul. He seemed to see every part that she'd tried so desperately to hide from him.
She uttered the words, “I'm afraid,” as if she were a child stuck in a thunderstorm. “I don't want to be hurt.”
Darius pressed his lips against hers, pecking her gently. “You don't have to worry, Celina. I'll never hurt you.” He moved his mouth across hers, tracing her lips with his tongue. Celina closed her eyes, shutting out the voices of doubt in her head. Darius felt her body relax.
“Make love to me,” she moaned. Darius was more than happy to oblige her request, reaching down and spreading her legs apart. Following a bead of sweat down her flat stomach, Darius's tongue traveled down her body, causing her heightened senses to stand even further on end. When he slipped his hand between her thighs, her legs shook almost violently as he peeled apart the folds of wet skin hiding her tender bud. Then he pulled his finger out of her and sampled her womanly juice.
“You taste so good,” he whispered as he pulled her against his erection.
Celina was rendered speechless as Darius took control of her body. She clutched his shoulders and moaned his name as he took her to the heights of passion. The way he moved against her, stroking her body in all of the right places, she was sure he was a student of the Kama Sutra. As he dove deeper into her core, Celina pressed her hips into his, offering him more of her body, despite the fact that she was near climax.
He went in for the kill as he leaned in and planted a sensual kiss on her neck. She melted against him, climaxing powerfully. Darius had branded her his and, as much as it excited her, Celina was still frightened by the prospect of falling deeper in love with him. Every day wouldn't be like this, every day wouldn't be just pleasure and bliss. When would he tire of her and walk away?
Ignoring her negative thoughts, she rolled her hips into his. “Darius,” she moaned before burying her mouth in his neck.
Now it was Darius's turn to explode as her tongue danced across his neck. Just as he knew her body, Celina also knew his. Her tongue found every crease and crevice to drive him wild. Their bodies were in sync, but would their hearts ever be? Celina tried to push those thoughts out of her mind as they began to climax. Darius pulled the blanket around their naked bodies, using the edge of it to wipe the sweat from their faces. He drew the shape of a heart in the moisture that had collected above her breast.
Celina laughed at the gesture. “What is that? You giving me your heart?”
“Yes,” he replied seriously. “Can you return the favor?”
Celina rolled out of his embrace and picked up her discarded clothes. That was a question she wasn't ready to answer. “It's time for us to go,” she said, kicking out of the blanket.
Darius stood up and pulled on his shorts, then turned his stare toward Celina. “It's time for us to stop playing this game. This stopped being about sex a long time ago.”
“Darius . . .”
He threw his hand up stopping her from finishing. “Let me be totally honest with you. I never wanted this to happen. I didn't mean to fall in love with you, but how could I not? You're everything I've ever wanted and all the things I didn't know I needed.”
“How can you be sure?” she asked. “People fall in and out of love like the weather changes. I may be what you want now, but what happens tomorrow or when I return to New York?”
“I love you, distance isn't going to matter. I know you have your issues with relationships because of what you saw your father put your mother through, but I'm not him.”
She turned her back to him and Darius grabbed her by the shoulder forcing her to face him. “I don't play fair and I don't give up on something that I want,” he said. “Your attitude about love may have pushed a lesser man away, but Celina Hart, mark my words, you will be mine.”
I already am,
she thought as she looked at him without saying a word.
she thought as she looked at him without saying a word.
As Celina dressed, Darius struggled with his desire for her. Just the way she pulled her shorts up over her hips and reached around to tie her halter top turned him on like a light switch.
Darius stood in front of her and pulled her into his arms. His heart was beating in overdrive. When Celina was that close to him, his body lit up like a firecracker. Every nerve stood on end. He somehow found the voice to say, “Celina, you and I will be together, all the way. I just have to make you believe that you can love me without being hurt or afraid.” Darius stroked her bare back. She fell silent. “Baby,” he whispered. “Talk to me. What's on your mind?”
“We need to get cleaned up,” she said, pulling away from him.
Darius shook his head, he could feel his temper beginning to flare. She was hot and cold, holding back her true emotions from him and it was grating on his nerves. What more could he do to show Celina that he loved her and wanted to protect her from all harm? Hadn't he shown her that he was someone she could depend on? Someone who loved her? Celina stared at him, seemingly reading his mind.
“Darius, I need some time,” she said. “This is really new to me and I don't know how I'm supposed to respond and react.”
Darius sighed. He wanted to know how much time she was going to need and what was going to happen when she returned to New York. The lyrics of Bonnie Rait's “I Can't Make You Love Me,” began playing in his mind. Had he turned into Tiffany and many of the other women who had come into his life? They all pressed him to give them something he didn't want to give. Was he doing the same thing with Celina? Maybe their connection was purely physical and she was only going to give him her body and nothing more.
“Fine,” Darius said, ignoring the questions running through his mind. He gathered their things and stalked to the car with Celina nearly running to keep up with him. Darius stopped short of the car then turned around and glared at her.
“Celina, I can't do this. I love you so much it hurts, but you keep holding me at arm's length as if I'm going to do something to break your heart. When you look at me it's as if you don't believe that I love you, and it's breaking
my
heart.”
my
heart.”
She walked over to him and stroked his face gently. “Darius, I don't want to do that to you. But I'm . . .”
“Afraid, I know. You've said it over and over again. But have I given you a reason to feel that way? What more can I do?” he asked as he grabbed her hand and held it over his heart. “You feel that? This is yours, all you have to do is reach out and grab it.”
“But Darius, my life is in New York. My art and my . . .”
He silenced her by placing his finger to her lips. Darius stared into her eyes. “Your life can be anywhere you want it to be. You've said it yourself, you can find art anywhere. What's wrong with here?”
“So, because you say you love me, I'm supposed to pack up and move here? What happens when you decide you don't love me anymore?”
“Would you rather I packed up and moved to New York? Either way, here or there, I will never stop loving you,” he said.
Tears pooled in her eyes as he stared at her. Darius wanted to kiss her and never let her go. “Celina,” he said. “I need to hear you say it. I don't want to waste your time or mine if you don't feel for me what I feel for you.”
“Darius, don't do this to me,” she said as she clutched her sketch pad to her chest.
“Do what? Love you? Ask you for answers that I deserve?” Darius pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Celina, if you need time, I'll give you time. Just don't expect me to wait forever and allow you to play with my heart because you think that's what
I'm
going to do to
you
. In this time that you need, are you going to consider having a life with me? Or is this a smoke screen for you to push me away?”
I'm
going to do to
you
. In this time that you need, are you going to consider having a life with me? Or is this a smoke screen for you to push me away?”
Celina shook her head and laughed sarcastically. “You know, I didn't come down here for you. My father is my priority and he needs me. This relationship is secondary and I can't look beyond today until I know what's going to happen with my dad.”
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