Chapter 27
Skylar and Haven
Haven opened her apartment door and stepped aside, allowing Skylar to enter, pulling her luggage behind him.
He glanced around, liking the colorful furnishings.
She’d told him she’d chosen her modest two-bedroom, one bathroom apartment because it fitted her needs.
She said it was cozy and charming. And it definitely was that.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I like it. It’s very inviting. Where did all these plants come from?” he asked. They were large, green, and looked healthy, and seemed to take up one section of the living room.
“Those are my babies. I got them at my grandmother’s funeral and had them transported here. My cousin’s wife took care of them for me while I was away.”
He nodded and studied the huge, framed photo over her fireplace.
It was a picture of Haven and her grandmother.
He’d noticed that a smaller version of that same picture had been in one of the bedrooms at her grandmother’s house.
She said the picture had been taken when she’d received her bachelor’s degree from Yale.
Her grandmother had died a few months before she got her master’s.
He had enjoyed his visit to Tifton. When some of the neighbors heard she was back in town, they dropped by.
Overall, he’d thought they were a nice group of people, although one or two were a little nosier than he would have liked.
He took their inquiries in stride and figured they were just wanting to make sure Haven had not hooked up with someone who meant her no good, as one of the older men had explained.
Then there were his cooking lessons. Before they’d even gotten into the kitchen, she had spent half a day going over spices and the reasons why her grandmother had grown most of her own.
By the time the two-day cooking class was over, he was thankful he had Chef Franko making decisions about his meals.
Where Haven totally enjoyed cooking, he just preferred eating.
He watched her move around the room, whispering to her plants, and thought the gesture was kind of cute. “Am I being dismissed?” he asked.
She turned toward him and laughed. “No. But I was gone for a long time, and I didn’t want them to feel neglected.”
“I see.”
She began walking toward him in what he considered a sexy stroll. “Don’t worry. I would never neglect you, Skylar.”
You couldn’t convince a certain part of him of that.
He had told her it was up to her when they had sex, but after five weeks, he was suffering miserably.
There were only so many cold showers a man could take, and the last three weeks, he had taken so many of them; it was a wonder he hadn’t caught pneumonia.
He doubted Haven had any idea of the effect she had on him. But he refused to rush her.
Coming to a stop in front of him, she said, “I know it’s late and you probably want to get settled at the hotel, but would you like to share a glass of wine with me. I’m feeling a little uptight.”
Due to bad weather, they hadn’t flown out of Tifton as early as he’d planned, so it was close to midnight. “Could that uptight feeling have anything to do with the fact that I beat you at tennis?” he asked, grinning.
“A true gentleman wouldn’t bring that up, Skylar.”
He had discovered that his Haven, a worthy opponent, had a competitive spirit on the court. He couldn’t wait to see that same kind of assertiveness and drive in the bedroom. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I do consider myself a true gentleman.”
Damn, he loved her, and he loved the time he spent with her. Every hour, minute, and second. When they were together, he didn’t have to think of what to do about the woman who had given birth to him, or the issue of his siblings. He’d honestly liked Logan. Dante had, too.
“I’m just going to grab a bottle of wine. Be right back, Skylar.”
“Alright.” He watched her walk away, admiring the dress she wore. It seemed to flow around her body as she moved. She said it felt comfortable. He thought it looked sexy.
Moments later, he heard the sound of music and figured Haven had turned on a speaker somewhere in her apartment. The soft, jazzy sound was the kind of music that would help you unwind. So, he did, removing his jacket, then placed it across the chair before he sat back down on the sofa.
Haven returned carrying two wine glasses and placed both on the table in front of him. “That time I told you how much I enjoyed dancing, and you said that one day you hoped I would dance for you.”
“Yes, I remember,” he said, smiling.
“Well, tonight is your night,” she said, stepping out of her shoes. Picking up a remote off the table, she dimmed the lights to a soft glow. Then she moved to a section of the living room where the plants were located. All that greenery seemed to serve as a huge tropical backdrop.
Then she began moving her body sensuously to the jazzy beat.
It seemed the music flowed within her, around her, through every part of her.
She was in tune with every beat, strain, and chord.
Her rhythm was perfect, flawless. It was as if there was a message behind each and every movement she made.
Part sensual, part serene, but mostly erotic.
Everything about the dance was getting to him.
Dancing in front of him was a woman of proud heritage and fierce independence.
Raised by a grandmother who had taught her how to be confident in her own skin, she was a woman who was capable of anything.
And at that moment, he felt so grateful that she had miraculously come into his life.
Suddenly, she danced closer, flashing at him a seductive grin that he perceived as an invitation to join her.
Standing, he slowly moved toward her and took the hand she had extended.
Then they began dancing together. Over the past five weeks, they had danced many times, but never like this.
Never had he felt so at ease, yet certain parts of his body were filled with intense need.
Everything he ever desired was here, in her, his Haven.
“Skylar?”
She’d said his name in a way that caused all sorts of emotions to flow through him. “Yes, sweetheart?”
“This is my mating dance. You told me the decision was mine, and I’m making it. I want you to make love to me, here, in my special place, my safe space. And when you aren’t here, I want to be surrounded by my memories of our time here together.”
Then she eased up on tiptoe and kissed him. There was a measured degree of passion in her approach. A combination of anxious abandonment and sweet urgency.
He unapologetically deepened the kiss, making love to her mouth the way he wanted to make love to her body.
He broke the kiss and swept her into his arms. “Which way to your bedroom, my love?”
“Down the hall. First room on your right.”
Nodding, he quickly moved in that direction.
Haven had never truly known how it felt to want a man.
Until now. She was experiencing things she had never felt before.
She now recognized when she felt aroused.
She’d always experienced attraction and desire whenever she was with Skylar.
But now, it was so much more potent than that.
She was overwhelmed by a primitive force that was so strong, jolts of sexual hunger spread throughout her body.
As she danced for him, the heat she’d seen in his eyes had made her womb contract, her pulse increase, and for the first time, she had felt moisture gather between her thighs.
And when he had eased off the sofa to walk toward her, a moan had slipped from her lips.
He had reached out, putting his hands on her waist while he swayed against her, joining in her dance.
She leaned closer to him, reveling in the sensation of having his fingers skim slowly up and down her back, caressing her in ways and places no man had dared before.
And now he was placing her in the middle of her bed. Leaning in, he reached out to gently stroke her cheek. “Are you sure about this, Haven?”
She knew why he was asking. They had only known each other for five weeks, but she had withheld giving herself to a man for twenty-four years.
This would be a significant step for her, and he wanted her to ensure she had no regrets.
Just knowing he cared enough not to move forward until she was certain tugged at her heart.
She had known it, had accepted it, and now she could say it.
“I am sure, Skylar, because I know I was meant to be with you. I can’t explain it, but I know. ”
As if her words were good enough for him, a smile tugged at his lips.
She had expected him to start undressing her, but instead, he eased down on the bed with her and pulled her into his arms, pressing her cheek against his chest. “I called you ‘my love’ earlier for a reason, Haven,” he whispered softly against her ear.
“It’s not something I’ve ever said before, and I do so today with full clarity of what it means. ”
She shifted her body to look up at him, to gaze into the depths of eyes so dark she could feel ragged heat radiating from them. “And what does it mean, Skylar?” she whispered in a voice she barely recognized as her own.
“It means you are the woman I love, the one I will love always. I want you to know that the way I’m touching you tonight will be a promise, not of passion, Haven, but of love. I love you so very much.”
Haven couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in her eyes. “Oh, Skylar, I love you, too.”
Haven’s words of love overwhelmed Skylar.
He couldn’t hold back any longer. He kissed her thoroughly and possessively, ravaging her mouth one minute and then soothing it with mellow urgency the next.
Her taste was hot, and he threw himself into seducing her with deep, hungry glides of his tongue.
He knew she was ready when she started to climax… all from a kiss.