Chapter Nine—Sonny
After christening her storage room, I convinced Delani to come back with me to my place. It didn’t matter that we’d just fucked each other in a rushed frenzy and had what I thought was the best damn orgasms of both our lives.
Conceited? Maybe. But I didn’t think so. The way she moaned my name, and the look on her face when she came for the second time, told me she was just as deep into this as I was.
The truth was, I still wanted her. And I could not bear the thought of leaving her just yet.
I lived in a newly renovated monster of a house, a big old Victorian on a cul de sac not twenty minutes from where both our stores sat.
It had everything I never had growing up. A three-car garage, indoor swimming pool, dining room, custom kitchen, expensive furniture some interior designer picked out for me—but it was missing something.
Looking at Delani, I knew exactly what that was, too.
She offered me a smile, eyes widening as I pulled into the garage I’d just opened with a click of my remote.
Goddamn.
She was so fucking beautiful.
I bought my house because it was something I always wanted, but I wasn’t counting on how lonely I would feel inside the big place by myself. Bringing Delani here felt right.
Being with her felt right. And I didn’t want to spend the night alone. Away from her.
With the promise of a meal and some real talk, Delani agreed to come home with me. I was so fucking happy I could have danced the whole way there.
I didn’t, of course.
But I could have.
And that made all the fucking difference in the world.
She looked perfect sitting in the front seat of my suped up SUV. Her hair was deliciously mussed, and her cheeks flushed. Her sparkling eyes teased as she asked questions and hummed along with the radio.
She was fantastic. Perfect. And my heart squeezed inside my chest as I looked at her.
I didn’t drive sports cars anymore. Living on the East Coast, I felt big and sturdy was the way to go when I bought the SUV. Plus, it came in handy when I had to make special trips to the distillery.
February was cold as fuck in New Jersey. I turned on the heat and the seat warmer for the trip to my house so Del would be comfy and cozy.
Except for the uncomfortable bar inside my jeans, I was fine.
Fuck.
I just came not a half hour ago, and I was already raring to go. The woman was a goddamn seductress. I never felt that way about anyone.
Never before. Never like this.
Delani was the only woman who ever made me out of control. At my age, I thought I was over that sort of foolishness.
But this didn’t feel foolish. This felt right. I took her hand in my mine and walked her inside.
“Your house is beautiful, Sonny,” she said, and I could tell I’d impressed her.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it, Baby.”
She was the first woman I ever brought back there, but I didn’t tell her that. I didn’t want her to feel any pressure to stay, though I was praying like hell she would.
Once seated at the counter, I started taking out the makings of a nice meal. Steaks, some pasta on the side, and a nice tomato salad.
“Can I help?”
“Sure. You want to do the salad?” I asked, leading her to a cutting board and showing her the tomatoes and fresh basil I had in mind.
“Yes, chef,” she replied with a wink, and my heart stuttered inside my chest.
This woman was fun.
That was unusual for me. I never joked around with a potential girlfriend before.
Hmm. Girlfriend?
The word wasn’t enough. Delani felt bigger than that. She started talking about food, and I asked her questions and was surprised to learn more about her.
“Wow. So you trained as a chef, but went into chocolate?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
“Yeah. I guess I just loved working with it. There’s something wonderful about the different confections and flavor palettes I can work with.”
“I thought chocolate was just chocolate,” I said, letting my ignorance show and not minding a bit.
“Oh no, it’s so much more. First, I get all my cocoa from importers using certified fair trade cocoa farms. There is a terrible uproar over these places, where workers are abused, and no child labor laws exist. It’s tragic, really, so I try my best to be diligent and conscientious in where I get my products. I even get my produce from a successful New Jersey farmer. You know that guy who started that popular farm to table company?”
“No shit? That’s crazy. Yeah, I actually went to school with him, Jeremy Kent.”
“You did?”
“Yeah, he’s a year older. But anyway, I had no idea about the cocoa farms,” I told her, and I truly was shocked.
“Yeah. It’s not all strawberry cremes and raspberry jellies. You know, last month my bestselling truffle was pistachio saffron. Last summer, it was watermelon basil.”
“Really? Watermelon and basil? Pistachio saffron? Those sound amazing,” I told her, setting the table with our two plates.
“Thanks,” she whispered, sliding into the seat beside me.
We talked while we ate and shared a bottle of cabernet. By the time we finished, I was more than ready for dessert.
The glimmer in her eyes after I placed both dishes in the sink was enough to tell me Delani felt the same.
“Thank you, Sonny. Dinner was great,” she said.
“The company was even better. You know, Del, I really like spending time with you.”
“You do, huh?”
“Yeah, I do,” I said, grinning as I cupped her face and pulled her in for a kiss.
She moaned softly into my mouth, and I swallowed the sound, drowning in the sweetness that was all her.
Call me foolish or crazy, but I was already halfway in love with her.
My grip on her waist tightened, and all I felt was her soft heat wrapped around me.
Fuck.
I couldn’t be slow and gentle this time. I couldn’t take anymore teasing. I needed her, skin against skin, in the middle of my big ass bed.
Now. Right fucking now.
I lifted Delani in my arms, loving her squeal of delight as I marched her to the back stairs, the top of which was where my bedroom was located.
Once inside, I closed the door with the back of my heal and dropped her onto the mattress with a bounce.
Breathing heavily, I started unbuttoning my shirt, stopping when I noticed her staring at me like a deer in headlights.
“Strip now, Baby, or I’ll do it for you. I can’t promise that outfit will survive me though,” I said honestly.
Delani squealed again. She sat up and started taking her clothes off, but I was already finished, and she still had her pants on.
That wasn’t going to work for me.
“Too slow.”
I grabbed the waistband of her leggings and yanked them off her. The sound of fabric tearing was loud in the room.
I’d apologize later, and I’d buy her a dozen more pairs just to show her I meant it. I was too far gone for speech right then.
Knowing she was bare beneath her tights should have prepared me for the sight of her slick pussy, but my heart stopped as I took in all of her pink perfection.
Her cotton panties were still tucked safely in my back pocket. A trophy I intended to keep.
I pushed her legs farther apart, my hands on her knees, and I couldn’t contain my hunger.
“Fuck,” I growled and dropped an openmouthed kiss on her hot little lips.
“Goddamn, Baby, you are so sweet,” I growled, holding her open as I licked a trail from her tight little rosebud to her dripping slit.
“Are you wet for me, Del? Is my pretty pussy hungry for my mouth?”
“Yes, fuck, yes, Sonny,” she said, panting.
My sexy Good Girl knew the rules, though.
She leaned up on her elbows, her beautiful baby blues locked on me.
That was just what I was waiting for, and I rewarded her with a long, slow lick.
Moaning as her flavors burst across my tastebuds, I made sure to touch and caress everywhere I could reach before sliding two of my fingers into her tight heat.
I couldn’t get enough of her.
After she came once by my tongue, I slipped on a condom and had her coming again in seconds flat.
Her pussy was made for me, squeezing me just right. I loved how her curves cradled my hardness.
So fucking soft and perfect. She was like a sensory feast, and I was starving for her.
“Ohmygawd,” she whimpered after who knew how many orgasms. “I think you broke my pussy.”
I laughed out loud, tucking her into my side as I tried to catch my breath.
Then I gently pushed her back, hovering over her deliciously flushed body, and kissed her deep and hard.
“I better kiss it, and make it better, then,” I said, and I did.
Once for her. And once more, later on, just for me.
Eventually we slept, and it was the first proper sleep I had in who knew how long. The even sound of her breathing pulled me under, and I wrapped her in my arms and held her all night long.
Another first.
Waking up to Delani was better than I imagined, and after we showered—together, which took a lot longer than my usual showers, not that I regretted a single second—I drove her to her place to get some fresh clothes.
MY heart thudded in my chest when I looked at her. She was so happy in the morning, and just being with her was like an invitation to be happy, too.
So I accepted it. I held her hand. Kissed her knuckles. Made some jokes. And I just enjoyed it.
Yeah, it was fast. Way fast. But everything inside me knew Delani Whitman was important.
While she was inside her bedroom changing, I walked back and forth over the cute teal and orange paisley throw rug.
I’d been terse and abrupt at the start of our relationship. Downright pissy, if I were being honest.
But I understood why now. And I needed her to understand, too.
Whatever she thought, this was more than just physical for me. An idea started to form in my brain, but it was too soon to voice it.
I needed to think.
“I’m ready,” she called out.
I spun on my heel, damn near falling on my face when I saw the sexy little minx in baggy chef’s pants with little hearts all over them and a skintight, long-sleeved red shirt.
Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and she’d put something on to make her eyes pop and some sparkly lip gloss.
Fuck, she was so pretty.
As always, the mere sight of her had me shaking in my shoes. The woman was so damn sexy. Kind, sweet, generous, and smart as a whip.
I grinned, pulling her to me so I could kiss that gloss right off her mouth.
“Mmm. We better stop now, Sonny, or I won’t let you leave,” she replied, smiling up at me with her lips and those beautiful blue eyes of hers.
“Okay, let’s stay.”
“Oh my God, you are such a tease. But no,” she said, laughing as if I was kidding. “We have work. Come on, sexy man, drive me back to my store before I have to deal with an angry chocolate hungry mob.”
“Can’t have that, Baby. Come on,” I said, holding her hand as we left her place.
We headed in to work together, and I walked her to the chocolaterie, dropping her off with a long kiss that only whetted my appetite for her.
“Lunch at noon?” I asked, mentioning plans we’d already made.
“Yeah, sure,” she said.
Her cheeks were pink with pleasure and I fucking loved putting that look on her face. I waited for her to go inside, and she huffed a breath and rolled her eyes, but something told me she was pleased by my protective, slightly possessive side.
That was good because I doubted that would change anytime soon.
Maybe in twenty or thirty years.
Oh yeah, I was making plans for the future.
The beautiful woman might not know it yet, but I had no intention of letting her go.
Not now. Not ever.
The sound of her staff clapping, and wolf whistling made me smile as I crossed the alley to the bar.
Buck was already inside, getting ready for the day. He paused when I walked in, eyebrows disappearing somewhere in the bastard’s thick hairline.
“What?” I asked.
“You’re smiling,” he replied.
“So?”
“So I take it things went well with the curvy little chocolatier next door?”
“Don’t fucking talk about her curves,” I snapped, throwing a bar rag at him.
Fucker.
Buck just grinned and caught it with a knowing look on his face. He followed me into my office.
He sat down, playing with the rag while I hung up my keys and coat.
“Well?” I asked.
“Ah, that asshole won’t be back. He had a list of complaints half a mile long, but an uncle on the city council kept saving his job. Not anymore, though. Oh, and he’ll be eating through a straw for a couple of weeks, thanks to you and your little lady. Heard she packed a helluva punch.”
“Damn straight,” I growled, pride filling me.
“Um, we do still have a problem, though. We still don’t have a caterer, and the tasting is in two days.”
“Two days? Fuck.” When the fuck did that happen?”
“When you were pining your sorry ass over your girl,” Buck supplied.
I gave him the finger and rubbed a hand down my face, waving him out of the office. He left, his deep chuckle echoing in the room.
Dick.
He didn’t understand. He’d always had money, and yeah, I had a talent for making it, but this wasn’t about that.
I wanted my label to go big. I needed it to be a success. Whiskey Neat was the only thing I had ever done alone.
No one. Not even Buck had been asked to consult on flavors or distilling methods.
It was good. I knew that without conceit.
I stalked over to the window, pissed off and half a second from despairing.
Then I caught a whiff of dark, decadent cocoa powder mixed with cocoa butter, from conscientious sources, I reminded myself, and I grinned.
I had an idea. A good one.
I just hoped my sweet and sexy Delani didn’t turn me down.