Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Thiago observed the play of thoughts and emotions as they crossed Jerricka's beautiful face. He wondered if she knew she'd scrunched her rounded nose, or that her lips were pursed when she gave him a slow blink. His comment was forward as hell, but she'd opened the door. So, he had no problem sticking his size fourteen firmly inside to keep it open.

"Umm..."

Evidently, he'd robbed his beautiful date of her ability to form coherent sentences. It hadn't happened exactly the way he would've liked, but it was a start. From the moment he'd seen her, it had been a battle between his two heads as to which one should enter first. His brain won out... Until she inadvertently gave his other head an opening.

Tracing the back of her hand with the tip of his finger, he watched as her silky-smooth skin developed goose pimples from the contact. He gave her a few more seconds before he searched her face again.

"What was that, Dulzura?"

The nickname came out smoothly, but he liked it for her. He'd bet good money she was even sweeter than she looked. Closing the remainder of the distance between them, he fingered the braids next to her ear, then placed his face beside hers, allowing her to feel the scrape of his low beard along her jaw. Speaking directly into her ear, he continued his campaign.

"We don't have to go directly to satisfying mi madre's wishes. We can stick to the first part and get to the next later."

He was certain her shiver wasn't voluntary. Nor was it born of fear. No. She wanted him. Possibly as much as he wanted her. She just didn't know how to get out of her own way. So, he'd have to help her.

"What is it you want, Dulzura? It's okay. You can tell me." Thiago spoke just above a whisper, directly into Jerricka's ear.

The hitch of her inhale caused her cheek to lightly bump his. He didn't attempt to stop her when she pulled back far enough to look into his face. The hand lying beneath his turned and her slender digits tangled with his. A surge of hopefulness welled inside him. There was no doubt he wanted her, but Thiago wasn't in the habit of forcing himself on anyone. The choice was always hers. So, he waited.

"Thiago?"

If his eyes weren't locked onto her face, he would have missed his name on her lips. His eyebrows lifted as he waited for her to continue.

The dark eyes which met his were clear and direct. "You asked me what I wanted. I answered."

Until she said it, he'd thought she'd spoken his name as a question. He hadn't considered that she was actually telling him what she wanted. Thiago didn't ever remember smiling as much as he had with Jerricka. A lazy smirk lifted the corner of his lips.

With her gaze firmly on his, Jerricka squeezed his fingers. "Are we doing this or not?"

"Fuck yeah."

His reply was immediately followed by him signaling the waiter, dropping a few large bills into the young man's hand and escorting his woman from the restaurant. He didn't care how much he'd overpaid. It was worth it to be able to leave the restaurant quickly. Waiting at the valet stand was an exercise in torture, but it did give them an opportunity to figure out where they'd spend the remainder of their night.

A hotel was out of the question. He wouldn't treat Jerricka like a one off, but he wanted her to be comfortable. So, he followed her to her home. Thankfully, the drive wasn't enough to cool their ardor. The second he put his truck in park, he hopped out and was standing beside the driver's side of her SUV before she could lower the garage door.

The moment she stepped one foot out of the vehicle, Thiago tugged her into his arms. Leaning down, he captured her lips in the kiss he'd been wanting to give her from the instant he'd seen her. His plan was to remove every trace of the mauve colored lipstick she wore.

Jerricka's body felt so good against him, but he wanted more. It was the most natural thing in the world for him to stoop down, grab the backs of her thick thighs and lift her up. Her legs wound around his waist as if they'd performed the move millions of times. Cradling her lush ass in his hands, he braced her against the closed door of her vehicle.

He released her mouth only long enough to rain kisses down her jaw and into the crook of her neck. When the tip of his nose skimmed the area behind her ear, her legs tightened and a melodic sigh escaped from her mouth.

"Tee-ah-go..." Jerricka's tortured moan penetrated Thiago's haze long enough for him to realize he was on the verge of stripping her naked in her garage. When the automatic lights went off, he was urged into moving.

Thankfully, the secondary lights in her garage were the motion detection style. So, when he stepped back from the car, they popped on. Still holding her in his arms, he stalked toward the door leading into her home.

Was it wrong that he whispered a prayer of thanks she didn't need keys to open it? Thiago wasn't sure, but he sent one up anyway when Jerricka placed her finger on the scanner, and the lock clicked to allow them entry. Any other time, he would've been impressed with the security measure, but he had other matters to attend to.

Once they were inside the mudroom, he didn't want to put her down for them to remove their shoes. So, he didn't. Instead, he toed off his shoes, then swiped a finger into the strap holding her wedges onto her dainty feet, flicking them off onto the floor with his.

"Which way?"

They were the only two words he'd spoken since they'd arrived, but they were the most important. Pointing over her shoulder, Jerricka gave directions.

"Through the kitchen, then to the left."

With a nod, purposeful strides cut the journey from the little room to her bedroom to less than a minute. He didn't take time to look at the décor. His vision was filled with the woman in his arms. Thiago didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky, but he wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him by.