Whatever He Wants (14 page)

 
     
Noelle didn’t need clarification to
understand what he meant. She bit the inside of her lip to hold back an angry
retort. He’d just given her the opportunity to tell him to shove it but she
couldn’t bring herself to take it.

 
     
Not trusting herself to speak, Noelle
attempted to leave the kitchen but James grabbed her wrist and turned her
around to face him. “Are we understood?”

 
     
The moment she met his intense gaze she
lost the will to fight. “Yes.” Noelle snatched her wrist out of his grip and
stalked out the kitchen.

 
     
“Is everything okay?” Simone asked as
Noelle approached.

 
     
“Um, no actually.
I was wondering if I can have a rain check to watch the rest of this movie.
James…” She saw no need to finish when it was clear her cousin got the message.

 
     
Simone pursed her lips and shot a
disgusted glare toward the kitchen. But to Noelle’s relief, her cousin held in
whatever it was she wanted to say.

 
     
“I’m really sorry. Maybe we can go out
another time. Or I can come by the apartment with the movie so we can finish
watching it together.”

 
     
Noelle waited for Simone to collect her
purse and walked her to the door. She stepped into the hallway with Simone and
closed the door behind her so James wouldn’t hear their conversation. “Please
don’t be mad at me,” she pleaded to her stiff-backed cousin.

 
     
Simone released an exaggerated sigh and
turned to face Noelle. She placed her hands on Noelle’s shoulders, leaned
forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Sweetheart, I’m not mad at you.”

 
     
“But you’re annoyed. I can tell.”

 
     
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. But it’s
not directed toward you. I can’t tell you how to live your life, just know, no
matter what happens
,
I’ll be here for you. You’ll
always have a place to stay with me. And before you think I’m jinxing your
relationship, I’m simply saying I have your back. Okay?”

 
     
Noelle’s eyes welled with tears as she
walked into her cousin’s open arms. Noelle hung on to Simone for as long as she
could. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

 
     
“And you mean a lot to me.” Simone gave
her one last squeeze before letting go. “I’m going to take off now but don’t
take too long getting in contact with me again okay?”

 
     
“I’ll call often. I promise.”

 
     
“You’d better.”

 
     
They hugged again before Simone left. Once
her cousin was gone Noelle quickly wiped away a stray tear that slid down her
cheek. Leaning her forehead against the door, she worked up the nerve to go
back inside. Part of her feared he’d be done with her because of this faux pas
and the other half didn’t think that was a bad idea. Once she was sure she
wouldn’t break down, Noelle went back inside.

 
     
James leaned against the bar, drink in
hand.

 
     
“She’s gone,” Noelle announced. James took
another sip from the tumbler he held in his hand. Unable to stand the tension,
Noelle headed to her bedroom. She lay on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to
make sense of his coldness. She might be his mistress but it didn’t mean she
wasn’t entitled to a little courtesy.

 
     
Dealing with James’ standoffishness after
sex was bad enough but this outright disregard for her as a person was a blow
to her spirit. He never told her his comings and goings. There’d be periods
when he wouldn’t show up for days, yet he expected her to be here to wait for him
in case he did show. She only left the penthouse for a couple hours at a time
to either shop or take a walk. At times she felt like a princess trapped in an
ivory tower.

 
     
When she was in his arms Noelle felt
special but when she wasn’t she felt cheap. Soft foot falls alerted her to his
presence. She lay still, making no attempt to get up.

 
     
“Noelle.” The low timber of his voice was
like a sultry music to her ears. The bed dipped beneath his weight. A strong
finger moved down the center of her back sending a shiver through her body. He
leaned over and kissed the side of her neck.

 
     
She didn’t want to respond but her body’s
betrayal was absolute. Her pussy tingled and her heat index rose. Noelle
squeezed her eyes shut as hard as she could to ward away the temptation he
offered.

 
     
James tugged at her shoulder until she was
flat on her back. “Open your eyes, Noelle.”

 
     
Reluctantly she did. “James I—”

 
     
“Noelle, I realize I was unfair to you
earlier. And you’re right I never said you weren’t allowed company. But there
will be times when I visit that I need you right away and you weren’t ready for
me.”

 
     
This was the closest James had ever come
to apologizing and this was probably as good as it was going to get.  “I
understand but I haven’t seen my cousin in weeks. There’s only so much shopping
I can do to pass the time.”

 
     
“I’ll tell you what; I’ll have Paul call
you when I’m traveling.  At least then you’ll know when not to expect me.”
She was surprised he conceded that much to her; it was then she realized how
tired he looked. It was hard to stay mad when she caught something that almost
seemed like sadness in his gray gaze.

 
     
“James, is everything okay with you?”

 
     
“I’m fine. I just need you, Noelle. Need
you so bad.” His gruff admission caught her off guard, leaving her mute. He
took advantage of her slightly parted lips to push his tongue past them. The
skillful mastery of James’ kiss had her stomach fluttering and body quaking.

 
     
Noelle wanted him to open up and trust her
with whatever secrets he currently guarded, but thoughts of his
well being
were pushed from her mind as he continued to
conquer her with his kiss. She kept her fists balled at her side, unsure of
what he wanted her to do.

 
     
James stood up and placed his hands on
either side of her head. “Touch me, Noelle.” He bent over to brush his lips
against hers, still holding her face.

 
     
His request almost sounded desperate and
she wanted to demand he tell her what was bothering him. But the spark of
sadness she’d glimpsed earlier touched her soul, making Noelle want to soothe
whatever ache he felt. It suddenly dawned on her when he said he needed her it
wasn’t in the physical sense. He needed
her
. 

 
     
She reached up and cupped the side of his
face in her palm. “What happened? What’s the matter, James?” she asked again,
hoping he’d open up some more.

 
     
He didn’t reply right away but he didn’t
break eye contact with her either. Finally he answered, “Nothing some time in
your arms won’t solve.”

 
     
It wasn’t the answer Noelle was looking
for but she realized it was the most she would get out of him. He continued to
hover over her, signaling for her to make the next move.

 
     
Noelle released the breath she didn’t
realize she’d been holding in anticipation of his response. She stood with him
and pressed her mouth against his. He remained, still allowing her to take the
lead. James usually took charge so this put her in new territory. The ire she’d
felt shortly after he’d arrived at the penthouse was gone, to be replaced with
the need to please him.

 
     
Noelle pushed James on the bed and
straddled him. She locked gazes with him as she lowered her head to place light
kisses along his jaw line. She cupped his face between her palms and captured
his lips in a light kiss. She moved her mouth in different positions until
their mouths fit together perfectly. The press of James’s cock against the
juncture of her thighs emboldened her to run her tongue across the seam of his
lips before pushing it inside his mouth to fully taste him. She’d never been
the aggressor in bed but her movements were led by instinct.

 
     
Noelle was cautious at first, flicking her
tongue along the cavern of his mouth, savoring the taste of coffee, bourbon,
mint and a flavor that was uniquely James. His tongue shot forward to greet
hers, tangling and wrestling with it in a passionate duel of wills but still
allowing her to be in charge. Noelle caught his tongue between her teeth,
giving it a playful nip and then sucked on it. He moaned, sending a delightful
vibration against her lips and a tingly sensation throughout her entire body.

 
     
Her core was hot and wet and she began to
grind against his erection, wanting the pleasure only he could give.
Breathlessly, she broke the kiss to stare into his deep gray gaze. His eyes
were filled with hunger and a lust that took her breath away. The raw passion
she saw in those depths made her shiver. Still maintaining eye contact, Noelle
found the buttons on his shirt and slowly undid them, grazing her finger along
each inch of skin she exposed. His flesh was heated and breathing shallow,
which gave her a heady sense of power. She enjoyed the ability to turn this
gorgeous man on.

 
     
Once her task was complete she pushed the
shirt off his shoulders. With James’s assistance, she pulled his shirt off
completely and tossed it to the floor. She next turned her attention to his
shoes and socks, making quick order of pulling them off and discarding them.
She then moved to his belt, clumsily unbuckling it.

 
     
James caught her wrists. “Take it easy,
baby. We have the rest of the day and night.”

 
     
Their eyes locked again and though no more
words were exchanged, there was a wealth of meaning in that look. Slow and
steady. With a nod, she followed his silent instructions and finished undoing
his pants in unhurried movements and slid them down his muscular thighs. Noelle
tried to be casual when disrobing him of his boxers but it was difficult to
remain nonchalant when beholding such a magnificently cut figure. She bit her
bottom lip to hold back a gasp. His body never ceased to amaze her. From his
taut pecks to washboard abs, he was sheer perfection—Adonis in repose.

 
     
She’d deliberately skimmed over his
burgeoning member. No matter how many times they had sex, it was quite an
intimidating organ. Its girth alone had her shivering as she remembered how
deliciously it stretched her walls until she begged for mercy. Noelle didn’t
realize she was staring until James’ light chuckle reached her ears. “Go ahead
and touch it. I know you want to.”

 
     
She shot him an uncertain glance before
returning her gaze to his cock. Noelle moistened her lips with the tip of her
tongue and wrapped her fingers around his shaft. She’d only done this once
since they’d been together and even then she’d barely gotten her mouth on it
before he’d pulled her off and buried himself deep inside of her. This time
around, she had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case. She slid her index finger
along the length of his shaft. James’ sharp intake of breath indicated he liked
it, encouraging her to continue. Noelle wrapped her fingers around the base and
slowly stroked his cock from root to
tip,
gently at
first but when he raised his hips she tightened her grip and sped up.

 
     
“Yes, just like that,” he encouraged. His
eyes were now closed, and face taut with tension. Deciding to turn the heat up
another notch, Noelle lowered her head and flicked her tongue against the head.
James jerked. “Yes, more like that. Do it again.”

 
     
Noelle licked his tip like the top of an
ice cream cone, reveling in the velvety texture of his skin. She circled the
head with her tongue then slowly sucked his length into her mouth an inch at a
time. When she took in as much as she could, Noelle pulled back until her lips
rested at the mushroom capped tip again. She repeated the process several times.
To her surprise, James dug his fingers through her hair and guided along his
shaft. She clenched her lips around his dick to create more friction. His moans
were now loud and throaty and the sound of his arousal turned her on beyond her
wildest imaginings. If someone would have told her how much she would enjoy
pleasing a man in this way she would have scoffed, particularly after her first
disastrous relationship. But here she was, loving the feel and taste of James’s
hard cock in her mouth.