Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Cherry

“What’s wrong with me ?” I set the basket of clothes on the floor, good and pissed off now, even if it is irrational. I saw him holding Sarah’s hand, and I just saw red. I wanted to punch them both, and that’s not like me. But I just couldn’t help myself. “What do you mean, what’s wrong with me?”

“You were rude to her, and for no reason at all. I mean, I’m used to that when it’s directed at me , but not Sarah. She’s your friend.”

The jealousy still sits like bile in the back of my throat. I hope I wasn’t rude to Sarah. I like the woman.

“I wasn’t rude to her. I didn’t say anything at all rude. ”

“You don’t have a poker face, sweetheart. And from the look of it, you thought I’d try to diddle with a married woman, and that’s insulting to both Sarah and me.”

“Those words never left my lips.”

But, I admit, for about three seconds, I did think it. And that’s just ridiculous because Sarah is madly in love with Tanner. Has been since we were in high school.

I know better. And, yes, I need to apologize to him, but I just can’t get the words past my lips.

He shakes his head in frustration, and I lift the basket and head for the door.

“I’ll use my parents’ house from now on. I’m sorry to be in your way.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters and rushes toward me, planting his hand on the door and pushing it closed when I’ve managed to open it just a few inches. “You’re the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met in my goddamn life.”

“Then why do you want me here?” I demand and turn to face him, shoving him back so I can breathe because having him so close makes my brain foggy. “And that’s not a rhetorical question, because even I wouldn’t want me around when I’m acting this way. If I’m always a bitch, and I make you so mad, just let me go to my parents’ house. You’ll never have to speak to me again.”

“Because that sounds like a fucking prison sentence,” he shouts back. “Because I like having you here, and I hate it all at the same time. Which I know sounds stupid, but there it is.”

“We make each other nuts,” I remind him. “And I’m a nag. Not to mention, rude to your friends.”

“Exactly.” He throws his hands up into the air and paces away. “So, why do I want you so badly that I ache with it? Why do I want to fuck you into next week, make you laugh, and just sit and talk to you for hours?”

That stuns me into silence. Certain I heard him wrong, all I can do is blink at him until he turns to look at me once more.

“Why did you act that way?”

“Because I was jealous.” The words are out of my mouth faster than I can stop them, and his eyes soften as his shoulders fall. I know that we’re through the worst of this argument. Which is good because I don’t enjoy sparring with Zeke the way I used to. Something has changed between us, and I’m so far out of my element with him, I feel like I’m fumbling my way through the dark. “And I know that’s stupid, and I have no right because you can do whatever the hell you want, with whomever you want, but when I walked in here and saw you standing all cozy by the windows, holding some broad’s hand, I was jealous. And then I realized that it was Sarah.”

“Why were you jealous, Cherry?”

His voice has deepened, and he’s slowly walking toward me, every line in his impressive body taut with energy.

“I—” I have to lick my lips as he moves even closer. “Don’t know.”

He’s just a foot away from me now and reaches up to gently glide his knuckles over the apple of my cheek. I feel that simple touch in every nerve of my body.

“Did the thought of me touching someone else like this make you uncomfortable?”

I frown because I don’t want to admit that it made me more than uncomfortable. It made me angry.

It made me a smidge homicidal.

“Something like that.”

Zeke takes the basket I’m still holding out of my hands, sets it on the floor, and then leans into me even more.

“I can’t think straight when you’re this close to me,” I admit softly.

“Good.”

He presses my back against the door and kisses me, just the way he did the other night at my condo, like he’s starved for me. His hands wander down my arms, up the sides of my torso, and then down again to rest on my hips as his mouth does things to me that I’ve only seen in the movies.

And I’m no virgin.

My hand lands on his chest, but it’s not to push him away. It’s to anchor myself. I need something to hold on to, and right now, that’s Zeke.

“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” he murmurs before placing little kisses on my cheeks and finally my forehead. “I don’t want to fight with you anymore, Cherry.”

“Okay.” I swallow hard, still in the fuzzy haze of that kiss. “No more fighting.”

“I want to turn this around with you. Date you.”

That has my eyes springing open in surprise.

“You thought I was going to say fuck you.”

“I, well, yeah. I did.”

His lips turn up in that arrogant smile he has that used to piss me off. Now, it doesn’t irritate me so badly. “Trust me, I want that, too, but that’s not all I want.”

“Why?”

That question has him blinking in surprise and taking a step back to push his hand through his hair as he thinks about his answer.

“You’re a beautiful woman, but you already know that.”

“I’m okay. Beauty’s in the eye of the beholder.”

“Always have to argue,” he mutters, shaking his head, but he’s smiling rather than scowling at me. “I’m the beholder, and I say you’re hot.”

“Okay.”

“But it’s more than that.” He begins pacing like he’s totally agitated and confused, and I have to admit, it’s fascinating to watch. “Because I like your sassy mouth, and I want to get to know you better. So, yeah, I want to fuck you, and I want to take you out so I can have conversations with you.”

“We can have conversations here.”

“No.” He shakes his head, clearly against the idea. “No. If we hang out here to talk, I’ll just get you naked. If we’re in public, the odds of that are much lower.”

“So, you don’t want to see me naked?”

“No, I definitely want to see you naked. A lot. All the time, in fact.”

“I’m so confused.”

Zeke laughs and tips his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I am, too.”

I cross my arms over my chest and can’t help but smile at him. “So, are you saying that you don’t want to have sex until after we get to know each other better? Because that’s a little…old-fashioned.”

“I definitely didn’t say that.” He shakes his head. “I guess I’m just telling you that I don’t want to just hit it and leave. It won’t be a one-time deal for me.”

“What if it’s bad?”

That makes his eyes smolder again. “It’s not going to be bad. I can guarantee you that.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Wow. Sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

He moves in on me again, and I don’t plant my hand on his chest to stop him. I don’t do anything at all. I just wait to see what his next move will be.

I let out a yelp when he simply lifts me onto his shoulder and carries me caveman-style back to his bedroom.

Zeke tosses me onto the bed and quickly crawls over me, pinning me beneath him, then goes right back to kissing me.

The man obviously loves to kiss, and I’m not about to complain about it because he’s damn good at it. And I know the sex will be good, too. I just can’t stop teasing him. It’s like it’s my third job or something.

“Cherry,” he murmurs next to my ear.

“Mm-hmm?”

“Tell me now if this isn’t what you want. No hard feelings.”

“If you stop, I might set your house on fire, which would be sad because I like this place.”

I feel him smile against my neck, and it sends a shiver of anticipation down to my belly.

I expect him to move fast, to strip us down quickly, and just go for it.

But he doesn’t.

He leisurely tugs my shirt over my head and then settles in to gently touch and kiss what feels like every square inch of my torso before pulling the clasp of my bra free and exposing my breasts.

Zeke sighs before dipping his head and taking an already hard nipple into his mouth.

“Oh, damn,” I mutter, arching my back. My body is on fire. I’ve never felt this kind of need running through me for a man before. Like if he stops touching me, I’ll combust from the heat of it. “Please, Zeke.”

“What, baby?” He nibbles down to my navel. “What do you need?”

“Faster.” My legs scissor, my core needing release. “Move faster. ”

That’s all he needs to hear because he’s suddenly sliding my jeans down my legs, followed by my underwear. As I lie before him, naked as the day I was born, he sits up to hastily strip out of his own clothes and toss them aside.

“Wait.” I lay my hand on his arm, slowing him down for just a moment. “I don’t want to stop, but I want to…look at you.”

His eyes narrow on mine, and then I lazily let my gaze wander over his tanned skin, down his flat stomach—perfectly chiseled—and lower still to where his hard erection waits for me.

“You’re a stunning man, Zeke.”

“You’re fucking killing me here, baby.”

“Well, I don’t know what in the world you’re waiting for.”

He laughs and leans down to bite my shoulder, then reaches to the bedside table and retrieves a condom.

After rolling on the protection, he doesn’t immediately push inside me.

Instead, he nudges his way between my legs and reaches down to massage and drive me out of my mind with his magical fingers.

“So damn wet,” he growls.

“You’re doing things to me. Of course, I’m wet,” I reply and then bite my lip when, with two fingers inside me, he plants his thumb on my clit and sends me into the stratosphere.

“Damn.” He kisses my lips softly. “So damn responsive.”

“Zeke?”

“Yeah?”

“If you don’t fuck me in three seconds—”

Before I can finish the thought, he pushes inside me, stretching me to accommodate him, and my hands immediately grip the sheets tightly.

“Me,” he says. “Grab onto me , Cherry. Not the bed.”

So, I do. My hands clasp onto his back, run down to his ass, and I’m not at all worried that I’m likely leaving marks with my nails. I just need to hold on as he takes me on the most amazing ride.

His body moves so gracefully as he pushes and pulls in a steady rhythm that has us both breathing hard and moaning.

Finally, I can’t hold back the second orgasm already rolling through me, and as I contract around him, Zeke follows me over the edge, succumbing to his release.

He collapses on top of me, panting and sweating, until I finally push on his shoulder.

“Can’t breathe.”

“Sorry.” He manages to roll to the side, still fighting to catch his breath.

“It didn’t suck.”

“Huh?” He looks my way.

“You were right, it didn’t suck.”

He chuckles and turns onto his side so he’s facing me. “Told you. It couldn’t be bad. I’m too fucking into you.”

“Are you a masochist?” I sit up and reach for a throw blanket to cover myself with. “Because I haven’t been the nicest to you.”

“I probably am. Haven’t been before, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”

He sits and faces me, seemingly not at all interested in covering himself.

“But I’ll tell you this,” he continues, “I’m not a submissive.”

“Thank God.” I giggle at that. “I can’t picture you letting anyone dominate you.”

“I don’t know, I’ve put up with a lot from you over the past year.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You had it coming.”

“Sometimes,” he concedes and reaches out to push his fingers through my hair. “Sometimes, I did something to get a rise out of you because it was the only way you’d give me the time of day.”

“You could have tried being nice. We might have ended up here sooner.”

He pulls me in for a kiss and then winks. “Where’s the fun in that?”