Intensity Page 13

  A shake of his head brought any further discussion to an end. “Later, okay?”

  In silent agreement, I placed my hand on top of his and his sister’s, all three lying at her side.

  We spent two hours in the room while he told her about his week and the goings-on in the world. A way I guess to maintain some type of connection even if she couldn’t return the sentiment.

  Afterward, he and I walked along the floral-lined pathways, and I waited for him to speak. When he did, the entire tale gushed out, as if not wanting to ever repeat it again.

  “She’s three years younger. The age difference didn’t mean a thing though. We spent every minute together. A week after I graduated high school our parents died in a car accident. Since she was underage, even though I was eighteen, the courts weren’t sure about custody. We didn’t have any other family, and eventually the judge decided in my favor.

  “From the time I turned sixteen, I had a job. My parents taught me to be frugal and save, which helped afterwards. I had a full academic scholarship and college plans, but ended up not going. We were just two lost kids, whose lives would never be the same.

  “I didn’t know shit about bills and expenses, which made managing finances a hell of a lot worse. The insurance company didn’t pay right away and added to the problems. The first year, I used savings to pay the mortgage, cars, and expenses. When the insurance did pay, it was enough to live on a while. None of that mattered though.”

  On a deep sigh his voice wavered as he described the resulting effects. “My sister…shit.” He came to an abrupt stop and stared up at the sky, taking several gulps before he continued. “Losing them both that quick hit her hard.”

  He grabbed my hand in his and turned toward me. “I tried—I tried so damn hard to help her. Working two jobs, I wasn’t home much. She needed more than a fucking paycheck…needed a brother…needed attention…needed…” He turned away from me, his mumbles filling the space between us. “Caught up in my own shit I didn’t realize…”

  My heart hurt at the self-defeat in his account and the trauma they had both experienced. After a moment, I laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. A small gesture and nowhere near the engulfing embrace I wanted to give. To capture and wipe away every ounce of his pain.

  Cuddled up to his side, I held on to his arm, leaning in to offer unspoken support. His face looked light years away. “A year later, a few months before her eighteenth birthday, I came home and found her beaten to a pulp.” His hand squashed mine like a vise, but he didn’t seem to notice. Pinpointed on the landscape, his gaze really far off, reliving a nightmare stuck on rewind.

  “The police told me a few weeks later, when they arrested a pimp for her assault, that my sister was a prostitute. It was her punishment for a job gone wrong.” Head down, his next testament transformed his typical strength to debilitated in mere seconds. “I didn’t even know.” His deep voice cracked when he continued. “Belinda’s in a permanent vegetative state. Doctors say she’ll be that way until—” he drew in a ragged breath and expelled, “as long as she lives.”

  He spun around and cupped my cheeks, his solemn eyes holding mine. “I come here every Sunday to be with her, any way I can, all day and night.”

  I placed my hand on his and attempted to school my thoughts. “After everything that happened—” Trying to form a delicate response that didn’t sound insensitive, I glanced away and figured out what to say before looking at him again. “Why do you own the lounge?”

  He examined my face and a firm, committed response accompanied it. “I do it because of her. For whatever reason women choose this business, I don’t want them strolling the streets having some asshole controlling every move, taking their money, or worse beating them to death. At my place, they decide and don’t have to do a damn thing they’re not comfortable with. The clients pay a hefty fee for the privilege and every penny goes in their hand. I don’t take a fucking percent. Which wouldn’t happen anywhere else and you know it. My living is made from the building leases, bar, and other businesses I invested in over the years. After what happened to her, I had to do something.”

  I diverted my eyes, focusing on a white trellis covered with climbing purple roses, and considered what he said. In some ways his decisions were logical, stemming from unfortunate circumstances. My own reasons for entering this business were selfish, driven entirely by money. When presented with an injustice he took direct aim, altering his own life after a tragedy struck his one remaining family member.

  How many people would go to such an extreme?

  I positioned my hands on his cheeks, gathering him closer, chest to chest. Questioning blue eyes lightened even more by the sun shining on his face held me focused as I spoke with complete assurance and from a fulfilled heart.

  “I love you.”

  In a trance, and unlike his usual calm and cool demeanor, he stammered, “W-what did you say?”

  Extended on tiptoes, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my mouth to his, guaranteeing with consummate conviction. “I-love-you, Lincoln Jefferson.”

  Every wrinkle on his tense face disappeared in a flash and the unforgiving weight he seemed to always carry on his thick shoulders vanished.

  Locked in each other’s embrace, the fathomless, soul-bearing kiss he bestowed on me resembled a touch used for a priceless treasure—precious.

  The pathway and scenery changed from cobblestone to pea gravel and grass to dirt. A light breeze perfumed the air with honeysuckle, jasmine, lavender, and many unknown sweet fragrances. Linc’s long stride marched at breakneck speed, intent on a location he refused to divulge. For some reason I didn’t argue and paraded along, enjoying the view while he tugged me from behind.

  Oak, pine, cherry trees, and giant ferns surrounded our entry into the woods. Fixated on my feet, I skirted over little ruts and around big divots. Linc didn’t have any problems though. Without hesitation he darted around trees and over logs. Thistles and sharp stalks scraped my ankles as the path narrowed. When we crested a small knoll, a sudden chill brushed over my skin. Thick rock slabs, jutting outward and layered one on top of another overtook the landscape. My grip tightened in his as he navigated us over the uneven knobby crevices. A rumbling and deafening roar vibrated in my eardrums, rocking against me and shaking the ground under my feet.

  “Be careful, this next part’s tricky. Hold on tight. It’s single file through here.”

  One foot in front of the other, I matched each of his steps, left, right, left, right, getting more and more nervous as the slabs beneath our feet got narrower and narrower. “You know where you’re goin’ then?”

  “Yeah, I come out here all the time.”

  Scared to look up or anywhere else but down, I asked with impatience, “Where are we?”

  “Uh-uh, you’ll see.”

  “Been there, done that,” I mumbled.

  “Don’t be a grump.”

  “Stop driving me crazy,” I yelled above the roar, adding a pinch to the back of his thigh and delivering my own form of retribution.

  Without acknowledging me, he ventured onward. Either he didn’t feel a thing or he played it off. “Believe me, you’re going to love it.”

  “Yeah, yeah, that’s what the slashers in horror movies say too.” His enormous chuckles rolled over my chest, switching my mood from disgruntled to gooey in a flash.

  Two gigantic rocks, one a beautiful burnished brown with moss covering most of it and the other reddish with striated black strips, provided minimal protection from the enormous gap on my left. A drop-off, of maybe twenty feet appeared endless from this height. If he hadn’t been guiding the way, I would’ve turned around from fear. His careful but sure steps helped a teeny bit.

  Less than a minute later, he came to a sudden stop, bumping my nose into his broad shoulder. As I took a step back, he tugged me forward and repositioned me, front and center.

  A vista that needed to be experienced up close and personal appeared out of nowh
ere. The great beyond came to mind. When that day arrived, I wanted it to look like this.

  Water—gushing over a jagged cliff into a dark green pool with cresting white caps. A raging stream below spouted and splashed upward with might.

  Sunshine—beaming rays, darting at distinct points along the waterfall—revering the top, middle, and bottom.

  Birds—swooping through the splashing and billowing waves. Melodies springing from their beaks in delight as they plunged head first into the water. As they ascended into flight with their catch, their squawking echoes resounded in the breeze, becoming cloaked in the willowy forest.

  Linc wrapped his arms across my stomach, swaddling me tight. My temple resting against his cheek, I blessed the perfection and this precise point in time.

  A stone ledge, several feet away, jutted out from underneath the waterfall. He escorted me beneath it, the spray baptizing our faces. Its sheer force commanding awe and filling me with tranquility.

  “Worth the wait?”

  “It’s amazing.” I placed my head on his chest and slid my freezing hands under his shirt, warming them against his heated skin.

  “There’s another spot close by.” His fingers wove through mine, and he plotted a course downhill toward the gushing bank. Grassy reeds and cattails swayed as we swept past. Dragonflies whizzed back and forth along the rippling currents, lapping the pebbled shore. Chipmunks and birds chirped and scampered out of our way. Dried red leaves and clover curled beneath my steps. I glanced back. My footprints showed an imprint in a straight line, creating a map of the journey.

  Not paying attention, I stumbled at a sudden change in the surface. Just as quick, he latched onto my elbows and kept me from falling.

  “Wow.” We ended up smack dab in the middle of a psychedelic array of wildflowers, surrounding us at every angle, a circular niche carved in the grass like a crop circle. “This is unreal.”

  A squeeze to my hand pulled my gaze away, and found Linc dropping to his knees at my feet. He brought my hands to his lips, kissing the top of one then the other. His silence didn’t unnerve me much, but the way he kept biting his lips and the distress written all over his face amped my anxiety and concern. Not for me—for him.

  I wiggled one of my hands out of his, and sifted it through his long hair, repeating the soothing motion. “What can I do to help you, Linc? Tell me and it’s yours.”

  “Serena…” He dropped his forehead on my stomach, and his shuddering shoulders compelled me to hold him in a protective embrace like he’d done so often for me. My arms tightened until his breathing calmed and his shoulders relaxed. He stood and pressed his temple to mine. Locked in his arms and hypnotic eyes, his sexy baritone whispered, “Make love to me.”

  Oh. My. God. I catapulted backward a foot or two, jolted by the unexpected request and the significance.

  He frowned and examined every minute detail of my face. I had no idea if it showed anything, because all that registered was a thousand and one mini-explosions going off like fireworks inside of me, freezing me in place. If I dared to blink or move a muscle, I might miss the pivotal and momentous moment.

  He reached his hand out to me and inched closer.

  “No.” My abrupt command stopped him mid-step and sent my feet forward, bringing me to where I first stood.

  Long awaited anticipation drove me to shove his shirt over his head and toss it behind me. Go ahead touch, I heard my brain urge or maybe it had been him. Either way, I didn’t allow my eyes or fingertips to miss out. Both christened his magnificent body by running up and down the curly hairs trailing the center of his abs, then right and left across his muscular pecs, blessing with devout and profound tender loving care.

  So much better than observing from near or far.

  “Take off my pants.” His direct and to the point demand brought with it undeniable exhilaration.

  Oh, yeah. My time had come—finally.

  In ten seconds flat, I undid his belt and unzipped his jeans, sliding his boxers and pants down with expert proficiency. Again I found myself sitting at his feet, legs tucked behind me, bringing to mind a very embarrassing scene. That thought lasted less than it took to remove his clothes, because my eyes overruled my brain and eagerly explored his naked perfection, standing at ease in front of me.

  He kicked off his shoes and dropped to his knees once more. “You want this? Want me?” His intense stare inspected mine for the slightest hint.

  Was he out of his freaking mind?

  Instead of answering, I planted a dainty kiss on his heart, the tiny hairs tickling my nose. Still as a statue, hands at his sides, he let me have free rein over the centerfold displayed just for me. His twitching muscles and labored breathing, a small indication my touch affected him as much as it did me, since my reaction was identical to his.

  The new beginning and fresh start unveiled an adventurous side I’d kept hidden. Jumping jacks in my belly and a high like I’d never known kick-started my journey. I began at his nipple, licking all around it, and making sure I left my mark, nipping and sucking the tip between my teeth. His groans and clenching fists implied he liked it too.

  An uncontrollable wicked smile joined my torturous investigation, which zigzagged from one side of his abs to the other, implanting each birthmark, sinking in every pore, and counting thousands of teensy hairs. That way, no matter near nor far, our bodies would always know and recognize the other, transcending space and time. I got as far as his belly button before he grabbed my shoulders and proceeded to remove my shirt, shorts, bra, and panties with such skilled efficiency it should’ve given me pause. But his desperate pursuit and undivided attention delighted me beyond belief.

  Similar to Adam and Eve, naked as nature intended, a dreamlike and euphoric state embodied me as he held me in his arms, one of them wrapped around my lower back, the other pressed between my breasts, his hand cupping my cheek. Exposed in broad daylight, his customary misty eyes transformed to a dazzling and transparent blue, fusing with my sea-green ones and blending into a serene turquoise mirrored in our combined gaze—peace replacing intensity.

  Caught up in his blissful expression, I hardly noticed the breeze blowing hair in our faces. It wasn’t until he leaned forward and grazed an endearing kiss on my temple, on my cheeks, and on my lips that all my senses kicked in. Attuned and in-sync with him, I repeated the same actions. After I did, he whispered in my ear, “Many are the stars I see but in my eye no star like thee.”

  My eyes closed, capturing the sentiment in my heart and soul. The roaring waterfall and endless twittering animals stilled, as if nature and all its glory recognized our unique union and wanted to cherish it too.

  He pulled me on top of him, lying in the grass, wildflowers surrounding us and swaying in tune to our heartbeats. Heat from the sunshine surged through my veins, dotting sweat on my brow and trickling down my spine. Boyish exuberance stretched across his lips, a blush brushed his cheeks, and his expression, one of awe, mimicked my emotions and increased my awareness of what would happen next.

  Before I could get more comfortable, he rolled me beneath him, and sprang up on his knees.

  “What are you—”

  He pressed his fingers on my mouth, riffled through the pockets of his pants with his other hand, and held up a condom. A dimpled, devilish grin appeared as he lifted my arm and dropped the crinkling wrapper in my palm.

  “What am I supposed to do with that?” Yep, my idiotic babbling struck again. Ugh!

  He chuckled and tore it open, pinching it between my fingers.

  “I’m all yours.” He scooted forward, bringing his bobbing cock a nose length away.

  Oh, sweet heaven.

  My eyes crossed while I stared at the enlarged head, clear fluid dotting the slit.

  Holy smokes.

  Swirling my pinky through the indent, I spread the cream around the ridged head, careful to gloss the mound using methodical precision. His heaving chest and measured breaths coordinated in a rapid beat wi
th mine as I grasped his length and pumped it up and down.

  Since I’d never tasted a man before, I was willing to give it a concentrated beginner’s effort, but a bout of shyness hit me. Unwilling to let this opportunity be missed, I swiped my finger over the dripping liquid and sucked it between my parted lips. A salty taste embodied with his distinctive scent infused my blood with a craving addiction. Delicious.

  “You’re driving me fucking nuts.” He positioned the object still clasped in my hand to the spot I’d just been. “Condom on, now.”

  Ha! Mr. Bossy Pants getting impatient. Served him right for torturing me for months, leaving me frustrated and horny.

  Zeroed in and focused, my shaky hands unrolled it, covering him from tip to base. Now I was the one wearing the wicked smile extended ear to ear like a little girl who’d been waiting all year to ride her first loopty-loop, super-speedy coaster, discovering she superseded the restrictions.

  Yeah for me!

  “Beautiful,” he whispered, cupping my breasts and brushing a thumb over each pointed nipple. He leaned down and inhaled, coddling them against his cheek and then flicking his tongue once…twice…three times on each. I arched up, using his muscled biceps as my anchor. My moans alerting Mother Nature and every other creature in a five-mile radius to our carnal acts.

  His slid his hand between my legs, pressing his thumb on the nub. My hips pumped up and down, repeating the same as my wordless mouth—more, no less—more, less—definitely more. Then out loud. “Please.”

  “What do you want? Tell me.” He gazed into my eyes and waited for my response.

  Caught up in the emotions, it took me a while to form coherent words. “Give me you. All of you.”

  “Tell me again,” he whispered, clasping our hands together and placing them above my head, and in the same breath he slid his shaft halfway inside me.

  Somehow I knew what he wanted and needed. In response, I set my mouth to his temple and professed, “I love you.”

  At his lips, I murmured, “I love you.”