Chapter 22
I s h o u l d ’ v e k n o w n Woods wasn’t taking me to just any hotel. The moment we pulled into the valet line outside The Arborian, I had to blink twice.
“Fancy hotel,” I said, my eyes drifting up to the black-and-gold sign carved into the marble awning.
He smirked, that dimpled half-grin on his face as he eased the truck into park. “Only way I prefer it.”
“Let me guess. You booked the presidential suite?”
“Of course. I’m a boss, baby.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Here you go…”
He leaned in just slightly, voice lower. “You’ll see soon enough.”
And just like that, my thighs pressed together on instinct.
Before I could come up with a decent reply, the valet opened my door.
I stepped out, trying to keep my composure like I hadn’t just been in his grandmother’s spare bedroom a few hours ago getting stuffed like a turkey.
Like my lace panties weren’t still shoved inside my clutch.
The lobby made a statement. Velvet seating, oversized chandeliers, polished floors that caught every light. There was a clean, expensive scent in the air. The kind of fragrance money wore without saying a word. And of course, he walked through the space holding my hand like he owned it.
We rode the elevator to the top floor in silence, except for the soft jazz playing overhead and the quiet brush of his knuckles against mine. When he opened the suite door and stepped aside to let me walk in first, I wasn’t ready.
Glass walls surrounded the space, showing off the city skyline like a moving painting. A fireplace flickered in the corner. There was a full bar, a massive sectional couch, plush rugs, and a grand piano near the window. I stood still for a second, just taking it in.
“Okay, this is dope,” I said, finally moving deeper into the space. I passed the open double doors that led to the bedroom, already knowing it was going to look like something out of a luxury magazine.
Woods placed our leftovers in the mini kitchen's fridge and just watched me. That unreadable expression on his face. “You like it?” he asked.
I turned around slowly, nodding. “Yeah. I mean… it kind of gives ‘I move weight and hide the money in the walls’... but it’s nice.”
His laugh was deep and low, and I felt it in my chest before I heard it in my ears. “You got jokes, huh?” he asked.
“Maybe I do.” The moment stretched. Just a few seconds, but long enough for tension to build and settle right between us.
He leaned on the kitchen counter, letting his eyes drag down the length of me before meeting my gaze again. “Good to know.”
I broke eye contact first, walking over to the bar just to give myself something to do. “Wow. Fully stocked bar? They’re not playing around with these big bottles.”
“Tequila?” he offered, stepping up behind me. His body brushed against mine, just enough to remind me he was close. “You can have whatever you want.”
I grabbed the bottle of Don Julio and two glasses. Pouring up double shots, I handed him a glass and then held mine up between us. “To nothing but good vibes.”
He clinked his glass against mine. “To a good night.”
The tequila went down smooth, warm, and just strong enough to quiet the nerves humming under my skin.
I kicked off my wedges, and my feet thanked me as I took a seat on the sectional.
Tucking one leg under me and watching him from across the room, I said, “So… now I want to know more about you. This mysterious weed grower persona.”
Woods raised a brow but said nothing at first, which only made me more curious. He poured us another drink and handed me my glass before sipping from his slowly. He came over and sat beside me, not too close, but not far either. “You think I’m one of them type of niggas, huh?”
“What type?”
“The kind that’s all looks, weed, and dick. No depth. No plan.”
I tilted my head, meeting his eyes. “The way you dress… your vibe… demon dick. So yeah, I’m assuming.”
He nodded. “You ever been wrong before?” His tone wasn’t defensive. It was a challenge. A dare.
I swallowed and looked away, feeling heat crawl up my neck. “Maybe once or twice.”
“Don’t let the appearance fool you,” he said, voice lower now. “I got grow farms. Heavy product. Warehouses. Private label partnerships.”
I blinked. “Wait… so you’re like… big time for real?”
“Black-owned and profitable.”
“Damn. What, are you like a millionaire?”
“Somethin’ like that. I keep shit low key for a few reasons, though.”
“Wow. So I really did misjudge you.”
“You ain’t the only one.” He shifted closer, hand coming to rest behind me on the back of the couch. “I judged you, too.”
“Off what?”
He looked at me like he was reading every line of my face. “Thought you were just pretty. Good pussy. Slick mouth.”
“And now?”
“I see somebody guarded but wants to open up. Wants to let somebody in, but you’re scared. That’s cool. I get it. I wasn’t expectin’ shit to be like how it is.”
My breath caught before I sipped my drink to play it off. “Hmm. You’re good at reading people.”
“I’m good at a lot of shit,” he smirked, licking his lips. “So you wanna know ‘bout me,” he said, amused. “But I barely know shit ‘bout you.”
I tilted my head, smiling faintly. “What do you wanna know?”
He gave a lazy shrug. “Start wit’ what you love.”
That caught me off guard. Not what I do.
Not where I’m from. But what I love. I let the silence breathe for a moment, then set my drink down on the table.
“Hair,” I said softly. “I’ve always loved doing hair.
Braiding, curling, cutting, coloring… everything.
It started with dolls, moved to my friends, and never stopped. ”
Woods nodded once, listening as I took a sip.
“Born and raised here in Tavern City. Graduated from hair school. I was hungry for it and I was good.” I smiled a little, then exhaled. “Things got… complicated after that. I couldn’t land a position in a salon, and my mom got locked up.”
His expression shifted. He was still calm, but more alert. “Word? What happened?”
“She tried to kill my father,” I said plainly. “Attempted murder. She swore it was self-defense, but… they had history. She was always accusing him of shit and… just being borderline crazy.”
Woods didn’t flinch. He just sat with it, like a man who knew what violence in a household looked like.
I kept going. “After that, it was just me and him. We left town and started over in Arbor Hills. New place, new beginning, new everything. I landed a job at a great hair salon and began building my clientele. Life’s good.”
He took a slow sip of his drink. “That’s a lot to carry, baby.”
“Yeah, but it forced me to get on my shit, you know? I stay focused and I stay out of the way.”
He nodded. “That’s why you move the way you do, like you got somethin’ to lose.”
“I got everything to lose.”
We both fell quiet after that. The air in the room felt heavier, but not uncomfortable. Woods looked at me for a while before speaking again. “You ever been in love? Like for real?”
I hesitated. “Once. I think. It felt like love at the time, but looking back… it was trauma bonding. He just happened to catch me at a time when I was broken enough to think chaos felt like home. And… after him came a man who was broken in ways I couldn’t fix. Been working on myself lately.”
He studied me with something unreadable in his eyes.
“I feel that. I don’t know if I’ve ever really loved somebody the way I wanna love somebody.
” The way he said that made my stomach tighten.
The silence between us shifted again. He leaned forward slowly, forearms resting on his knees, eyes dipping to my mouth.
“Is it just me or you wonderin’ why the timin’ of this feels right even when you wasn’t lookin’ for nothin’? ”
“Yeah,” I whispered, my pulse picking up. I swallowed. “This feels… fast.”
“Nah,” he said, shaking his head slightly. “It feels real.”
The way he looked at me wasn’t rushed or reckless. It was intentional. Like he had already made a decision and was just giving me time to catch up. His words settled somewhere between my thighs and my chest. The burn from the tequila had nothing on the heat building inside me now.
Woods leaned in, lips brushing mine, and I kissed him first this time.
Soft. Lingering. Heavy. And the way he kissed me back was like he’d held back long enough, and now that I cracked the seal, he was going deep.
His hand curved around the back of my neck, firm but not forceful, and pulled me in like I was his.
I melted into it, rolling my hips against his thigh.
Woods made me forget everything but how good it felt to be wanted like this. With patience. With hunger.
His mouth trailed from mine to my jaw, to that sensitive spot behind my ear that made my thighs twitch. “I’m tryna suck on that pussy like a turkey bone,” he muttered, voice thick, and we both laughed a little.
I bit my bottom lip, breath catching. “So, what you waiting for?”
He didn’t wait for my response. In some swift motion, he stood up and yanked me to my feet.
Then, he started walking me backwards, slow and deliberate, hands firm on my waist, eyes locked on mine like he was daring me to look away.
Like if I blinked, I might miss something important.
He reached back, opened the double doors to the bedroom, and it was exactly what I expected.
It looked straight out of a music video with a plush king-sized bed with black satin sheets. The tray ceiling lit softly with a gold glow. Velvet bench at the foot. Another damn fireplace flickering low in the corner. The kind of room people dreamed about but never actually got to experience.
Woods paused, like he was letting me take it all in. Then he kissed the side of my mouth and stepped back. “Go ‘head and freshen up for me.”
I nodded, lips slightly parted, heartbeat in my throat.
I slid off my dress, then unhooked my lace bra, letting it fall to the floor.
Nothing but skin now. I padded across the suite and disappeared into the bathroom.
It had warm lighting, double sinks, marble countertops, and a rainfall shower already.
I needed that. Not just to clean up, but to gather myself.
After what happened at Big Mama’s earlier, I definitely needed a reset.
I moved quickly as I cleansed, telling myself to stay calm and keep it cute.
Told myself not to overthink the way he touched me.
The way he looked at me. The way I wanted his scent all over me.
When I stepped back out, the bedroom lights were dimmed, and Woods was sitting on the edge of the bed in just his black boxer briefs.
Shoulders broad, chain resting on his chest, tattoos catching the low firelight. Eyes locked on me.
He didn’t say anything at first. He just watched me as I crossed the room without breaking eye contact and stopped a few feet away.
“So,” I said, my voice soft but steady, “what now?”
He stood up, eyes dragging down my body, then back up to meet my gaze again. “Now,” he said, voice low and calm, “you find out what it feels like when I take my time.”
Lord, help me.
Everything in me clenched because I already knew that he meant every word.
Woods pulled down his boxer briefs, and for the first time, I could see his dick in good lighting. His long, heavy, thick, and veiny chocolate dick stood at attention like a soldier ready for war as he pulled me closer and slid his hand under my chin.
He kissed me like my lips were dessert, tongue swirling while his hands moved with purpose to grip my neck. Then he bent down and sucked a nipple into his mouth without warning, tongue flicking, mouth warm, and the way he groaned made me throw my head back.
“Shit… Woods…”
He didn’t rush. He took his time as he guided me onto the bed.
Once I was down, he gripped my thighs and pulled me toward the edge of the mattress.
His grip was firm, possessive, and his eyes never left mine.
Then he spread my legs, licked his lips, and went in for the kill.
That first lick was everything. A full stroke straight through the center, like he wanted me to feel all of it. He knew exactly what he was doing.
My breath caught. “Oh my God…”
He didn’t respond with words. Just a low moan that vibrated against me like he was already hooked.
My hips lifted off instinct, but he dropped one hand over my thigh and held me there.
“Nah,” he muttered, voice low and rough.
Then he dragged my legs wider with both hands, locking me in place like I wasn’t going anywhere until he said so.
Every flick of his tongue was precise. Every suck was focused. He was locked in, devouring me like this was his last meal. I couldn’t stay still. My body wouldn’t let me.
“Shit, Woods… please…”
He pulled back just enough to speak, lips slick, eyes locked on mine. “Please what, gorgeous?”
I couldn’t breathe or barely think. “Please, don’t stop. Please…”
He flashed that dimpled smile and just went right back in. He ate me with hunger, deeper, hungrier, deeper, mouth locked on my clit. And when I came, I damn near levitated off the bed. It was heavy, legs shaking, eyes rolling back. I couldn’t hold it in.
“Fuuuccckkkk!!!” I gripped the sheets, moaning his name like it was a confession. “Woods… Woods…” He didn’t stop. Even as I trembled, even as I gasped for breath, he kept going like he wanted to feel me break again. And I did. Creaming. Messy. Vulnerable. I was seeing stars. “God…”
He slid up my body, kissing my stomach, my chest, my throat. “You ready for round two, baby?” he asked against my mouth.
I shook my head, still trembling. “No. You’re dangerous. I… told you this… already.”
He smirked, placing my legs on his shoulders. Then, he started to tease my entrance with the head, eyes watching mine. “You gon’ let me nut in this pretty pussy?”
My eyes widened. “You better not.” He pushed in slow and deep, one hand gripping the headboard, the other wrapped under my thigh. “Oooh!” I gasped, arching up into him. His dick was so big, and it hurt so good. It was too good.
He fucked like he smoked. It was slow, smooth, and calculated. “Look at me, baby,” he said, thrusting deeper. I did. And the way he looked at me back told me this wasn’t just sex. This was him making a claim, and I didn’t stop him.
Not when he flipped me over and pulled me up by the hips, dragging me back into every stroke.
Not when he reached around to rub my clit while whispering, “That’s it, Autumn.
Let go. I got you.” Not when I came again, body shivering while he pulled out and came all over my ass with a groan so deep it rattled my chest. We collapsed together, breath tangled.
And for a minute, it was just silence. “I really like you,” he murmured, lips brushing my shoulder.
“I really like you too.” I smiled, eyes still closed.