Forever Love (Arabesque) (16 page)

Chapter 17

G
ia got out of the car after hugging and thanking Val and Prudence for an awesome day. She was still smiling from the last play ending the game. The Knights were on the three-yard line and Speed, knowing he’d take the brunt of the assault with a quarterback sneak, passed the ball and then dived over the unstoppable defensive line as another player ran the football in to score. No one saw it coming. Everyone cheered until the very end. “Thanks so much, I had a blast.”

“Anytime. We’ll talk to you later,” Val said.

“Gia,” Prudence called. Gia turned and walked back to the car. “Here, take this. It’s Keith’s address at his new place. You should stop by and see him. He’s there now.”

Gia looked at the piece of paper in her hand. “Prudence, really, this isn’t necessary. I don’t need it.”

“We all need somebody sometimes. Just in case. Don’t be afraid to go get what you want,” she said, then waved as she drove away.

Gia watched them drive off. She shook her head and stuffed the paper in her pocket, then went up to her condo. It was still early and even though she was tired, she was also energized because of the excitement of the day. She freshened up, grabbed a glass of wine and went outside to her balcony and sat down.

She thought about what Prudence had said.
We all need somebody sometimes.
Keith. Being with his parents and his sister all day made her wonder about him. Although no one had mentioned his name, he was right there in her thoughts. She looked around at the surrounding building, wondering which one was his since Prudence hadn’t been specific. Then she remembered the piece of paper Prudence had given her. She had said that he was there now. She wondered what he was doing. Gia pulled it out of her jeans pocket and read the address. It was in Chestnut Hill. She didn’t know exactly where it was, but she knew the area well.

She went back inside. The solitude of loneliness was all around her. This was her life and it was going to be until she changed it. She started thinking again about what Prudence had said.
Don’t be afraid to go get what you want.
Prudence was right and Gia decided to do just that. She grabbed her purse and walked out with one destination in mind. She programmed his address into her GPS and drove listening to the audible directions and the sound of her heart pounding. The closer she got, the faster she drove.

When the GPS announced that she had arrived, she looked up to see a gated stone entranceway. She turned and drove up the driveway to a large three-story stone farmhouse that looked as if it were part of a History Channel remake. It was old, stately and majestic and as far from the twenty-first century as light is from dark. But it was also really beautiful. She looked around. The only vehicle parked out front was a pickup truck. She rechecked the address on the paper and the GPS. This was it.

She got out and walked up to the front door. She was excited and scared and had no idea what she was doing. Just an hour earlier she was at home; now she was standing at Keith’s front door. She rang the bell and a few seconds later the door opened. Keith stood in the open doorway obviously stunned to see her.

“Gia,” he said quietly.

“Hi,” she said, trying not to sound as nervous as she was.

“What are you doing here? How did you...”

“Your sister is very persuasive.”

“Prudence, yes, she is. Come on in,” he said, stepping aside.

She walked in, hearing the echo of her heels clicking on the polished marble flooring. She looked around. The foyer was huge and completely bare, no furniture and nothing on the walls. Keith closed the door and she turned to him. He looked too good for words. Losing her battle with her desires, she took three steps and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

This was it—what she’d been wanting for the last week. This was what was missing in her life and this was what she needed now and forever. The kiss instantly swept them away in passion. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Her lips parted and his tongue delved into her mouth. It was the sweetest sensation. Nothing could match this.

She’d been starving and his kiss was the taste of nirvana. Her heart thundered and every nerve ending in her body tingled with the thrill of being in his arms again. She heard a loving moan and realized it came from her. She turned her head. The kiss deepened beyond erotic foreplay as he switched their positions and pressed her against the door, trapping her with his hard body.

He grabbed hold of her butt and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around his body and felt the steel-like hardness of his penis press between her legs. The deep heaviness of his guttural groan told her everything she needed to know. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. Then, from a distance, the sound of joyous laughter resounded. She stopped and looked at him, then pushed to step down, putting distance between them.

Breathlessly, he looked at her, questioning. “What, what?” he said, obviously not having had his fill
of her.

“Someone’s here. You have company,” she said anxiously. It had never occurred to her that he wouldn’t be alone. Suddenly, the thought of another woman coming out and seeing them together ran through her mind. She moved away from him, keeping a more respectable distance. “I’m sorry, I should have called.” She reached around him for the doorknob.

He covered her hand to stop her. “Gia, don’t go. I need—”

“I shouldn’t have come. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Keith, man, we’re gonna get out of here,” Drew said as he walked toward the foyer area. A second later he stopped.

Jeremy was right behind him. “Yeah, we’re leaving you with the rest of the cleanup. Oh,” he said, stopping right behind Drew.

“Guys, you know Gia Duncan,” Keith said, turning to his brothers.

“Yeah, yeah, yes, of course. Hi, Gia. It’s good to see you.”

“Hi, Gia.”

Gia turned around, smiling and feeling like a complete fool. “Drew, Jeremy, hi, it’s good to see you again. I’m gonna go.”

“No,” all three Washington men said at once.

“No, you should stay, really,” Jeremy said quickly. “You can keep Keith company while he finishes cleaning up the kitchen.”

“Yes, definitely,” Drew added, and nodded to Jeremy. “We’re gonna head to the side door. Take care, Gia, it was good seeing you. Later, Keith.”

Both men turned and quickly headed back the same way they had come. Neither she nor Keith spoke until hearing the sound of a door open and close somewhere in the back of the house.

“I didn’t see any cars parked out front,” she said.

“They usually park around the back. It’s closer to the basketball court and game room, and that’s where we usually hang out.”

“Oh.”

“So, welcome, come on in, have a seat,” he said. She looked around the foyer as if to wonder, where? “Oh, right, the house isn’t finished yet. I’m doing it room by room. So far I only have three rooms done. We can go to the family room, this way.” He led.

“It looks wonderful and beautifully antique-ish. How old is it?” she asked, following him down a side corridor.

“It’s old. It was built in 1922. It’s hard to imagine what this place looked like then. There’s a lot of history in these walls.”

They entered the huge family room off the kitchen. She started walking around, looking at everything. It was definitely a man cave. There was a massive television and entertainment center mounted on the wall, comfortable seating, a pool table, slot machines, a poker table to the side, vintage video games and, of course, sports memorabilia everywhere. But it was also cleverly designed and nicely decorated. “This is really cool. You did a great job,” she said.

Keith followed her, watching every move she made and admiring the slim fit of her jeans, silk shirt and heels. He stared at her perfect apple bottom and all he could think about was watching her climax on top of him. “Do you have any idea what those jeans are doing to my body right now?”

She glanced over her shoulder, smiling seductively. “No, tell me, what are they doing to your body?” she asked innocently.

“I have a better idea. I’ll show you.” In three long strides he was standing right behind her. He placed his hands on her shoulders, then eased down her arms and held on to her hips, pulling them back against his crotch. She moaned, feeling their instant connection. He went farther down her body to her butt, then squeezed and massaged firmly. A groan of satisfaction rumbled through his body. “You feel so good.”

Gia rolled her head back to lean on his chest and shoulder. His hands came up to her breasts, then went down between her legs and back to her rear again. He licked his lips. “My mouth is so dry. I just want to eat you up.”

“Cherries again?” she suggested.

“Nah, I have a much better idea. I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” he whispered right
in her ear.

“What is it?” she asked, shivering.

“Later. Turn around.” She turned. He scooped up the hair at the nape of her neck, leaned down to kiss her, but then paused and looked into her eyes. What passed between them in that instant couldn’t be spoken. They knew right then that this wasn’t just a physical release. This was beyond sex and intimacy. This was love, deep and passionate—the forever kind that came around only once in a lifetime. “I love you,” he whispered. She gasped.

The kiss came sweetly followed by a session of tiny erotic nibbles on her lips, eyelids, check, neck and shoulders. Then a split second later he grabbed her rear and picked her up. She encircled his waist with her legs, then wrapped her arms around his neck and everything after that went hazy.

Later, when the deep, lasting, magnificent kiss ended, she was on his lap straddling his hips and he was sitting on the sofa. “So, what other rooms have you completed?” she asked breathlessly.

“The bedroom. Would you like to see it?”

She nodded. “Definitely,” she said, then stood up.

“This way,” he said, motioning to the staircase in the family room. She walked over and waited for him, then took one step up, and they were at eye level. He licked his lips. “Did I tell you how beautiful you look this evening?”

“Thank you.”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you in jeans. I like them.”

“Right back at you,” she said, “although I’m not sure I like the shirt.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” He pulled his shirt from his jeans and she began unbuttoning it. When it was open she pushed it free and let it rest on the banister. The stunning magnificence of his chest left her speechless. “And, come to think of it, I’ve never cared much for silk.”

“I totally agree,” she said, pulling her shirt free as he unbuttoned it. When he finished he helped her take it off, then placed it on top of his shirt. Two perfect mounds faced him.

“If we don’t go upstairs to my bed right now, we’re gonna make love down here on the pool table.”

She glanced behind him and smiled. “Yeah, maybe later.”

In an instant he swept her up in his arms. She giggled, then wrapped her hands around his neck and held tight as he carried her upstairs to his bedroom. He walked in, took her to his big four-poster bed, then slowly put her down and stopped. “What, what’s wrong?” she asked, seeing the concern on his face.

He shook his head. “I don’t have any condoms here.”

“I have condoms,” she said, smiling, and reached into her back pocket and pulled out two foil packets. Then she reached into the other back pocket and pulled out two more.

“I love the way you think, Ms. Duncan.” He sat down and pulled her to stand between his long legs. He slowly traced the full mounds of her breasts with his finger, then dipped between them and unsnapped her bra’s front. With the full weight of her breasts freed, he instantly cupped them. She gasped and arched slightly at the feel of his hands on her body again. He leaned in and licked each nipple, sending shivers through her. They hardened instantly.

He unzipped her jeans and eased them down her legs. She kicked off her heels and stepped out of them. He stood and unzipped his jeans and removed everything. He grabbed a condom, then pulled her lace panties down and picked her up again, entering her in one smooth motion. He pressed her back up against the bedpost and began gyrating his hips into her. Each push made her gasp and squeal louder and louder. Then he moved faster and faster.

The steel hardness of his penis hitting her engorged nub sent her reeling. All she could do was hold on until the end. Then one last push and she exploded in shrieks of pure rapture. He laid her down on the bed and continued. This time he was slow and deliberate. He raised her butt higher and put her legs on his shoulders. A few seconds later her body jerked again. Then they came as one.

He rolled to his back, letting her rest. Hours later, just after dark, they went out to a late dinner at a small out-of-the-way café she knew about just off Germantown Pike. They sat in the back, ordered and talked about everything under the sun. As they walked back to the truck, she stopped to go into a small boutique and he walked on to meet her at the truck. Fifteen minutes later she returned with a small shopping bag. He was already waiting in the truck. “What’s in the shopping bag?” he asked, recognizing the name on the bag as a women’s lingerie boutique.

“It’s a gift for you.”

“May I see it?” he asked.

“Later,” she said.

He smiled, nodding. “Dessert, I’ll look forward to it.”

They pulled into the driveway and drove around to the back of the house. They got out and headed to the side door. He opened it and she walked in but didn’t get far because he pulled her back into his arms, instantly stealing her breath away. He kissed her hard and long, aggressive and demanding. She loved it, a powerful man and an equally powerful kiss. There was nothing timid or maybe about it. It was mind-blowing insanity. Tongues battled and mouths engulfed. Her legs trembled weakly as he pressed her up against the door frame.

This was what she wanted. This was what she needed. Keith had exceptional seductive skills and he applied them earnestly. His hand came up to the nape of her neck to hold her in place as his other hand roamed her body. First, he caressed her breast, and then his hand moved down to her stomach, her waist, her hips and finally, between her legs. She moistened instantly. The thought of having him long, hard and thick inside her made her dizzy.