Epilogue
EPILOGUE
~TAKIRA~
One Year Later
Not again.
Thump thump whoosh
Thump thump whoosh
The sounds float up from Naz’s basketball court outside of our bedroom window. He and Cliff have been at it for hours.
I’m seated on the edge of the bed—bathed, waxed, dolled up, and ready. I’ve been looking forward to this all day. All week, really, since I’ve been on set and have barely seen Naz. Little did I know that when he and Cliff made things right between them, it would be my own brother cock-blocking me. I love that he’s staying with us here in LA for a few weeks while interviewing for a coaching job at a prestigious private high school, but enough is enough.
“Wanna go for another?” Cliff’s shout climbs up through the open window.
I stomp over and lean out as far as I can go without falling or revealing how little I’m wearing.
“Hell no!” I yell, almost laughing when they both jump in surprise and glance up at me. “Game over. Find something to do for the rest of the night, Cliff. You had Naz long enough.”
“Ewwww.” Cliff slams the ball to the court and pretends to gag. “Don’t tell me this is sex-related, ’cause I don’t need to hear that shit about my little sister.”
“Then I won’t tell you.” I laugh, shifting my gaze to Naz, who is grinning like a Cheshire cat with a bowl of cream. “But Naz has to come inside now. You two can play tomorrow.”
Within minutes, Naz’s footsteps are pounding up the stairs. Our bedroom door flings open, almost bouncing against the wall.
“You rang?” He kicks the door closed and prowls over to where I sit on the bed.
I roll my eyes and cross my arms under my breasts, pretending to be irritated but actually turned on by his bare chest, sinewy arms, massive shoulders, and the ridges of his eight-pack glistening with perspiration.
“It’s a shame I had to.” I mock-pout. “I thought you’d be here when I got home, ready to service me.”
He leans in, hovers over me, forcing me to lay back on the bed. His eyes scour my pink bra, crotchless panties, garters, and kitten heels.
“I’m at your service now.” He bends and leaves kisses along my throat.
I yelp, laughing when his sweat drips onto my chest. “You’re nasty. Go take a shower.”
“That’s a great idea.”
Before I have time to guess his intentions, he scoops me up and over his shoulder, walking toward the bathroom.
“No, you don’t.” I beat my fists against his broad back, laughing so hard I can hardly get the words out. “’Boy, if you?—”
He slaps my ass, one arm behind my legs as I dangle over his shoulder. He uses his free hand to turn on the shower and walks us into the huge, tiled space under the spray. The shock of water makes me scream. When he sets me on my feet, I give up, letting the water soak my lingerie through.
“I bet you and Cliff would have been out there for another hour,” I say, reaching for the body wash to soap up his chest, “if I hadn’t called you in.”
“I think you mean if you hadn’t booty-called me in.” He chuckles when I punch his chest with one soapy fist. “Cliff went out to grab some food. Your poor brother is probably scarred imagining all the things I’m doing to his baby sister tonight.”
My hands slow in circles over his shoulder, wander down the corrugated muscles of his abdomen, and finally grip his dick with soap-slick palms. He bends until his lips rest right at my ear, whispering like it’s a secret.
“I’m going to fuck you.” He runs a finger between the cheeks of my ass, pressing one huge knuckle to the puckered entrance. “Here.”
For a second, I don’t respond, but shudder with the promise of something I enjoy so much with him. I slide my hand up and down his rigid length. “Your royal penis is clean, Your Highness.”
“Not for long.” He chuckles darkly, turning off the water. Standing in the shower, he unhooks the front closure of my fragile lace and silk bra, licking his lips when the straps slip down my arms and my breasts spill free. He tosses the bra to a corner of the shower.
“That’s very expensive,” I say, my voice hoarse, breathless. “Which you should know since you bought it. Don’t be so careless.”
“I won’t be careless,” he says, eyes riveted on my nipples hardening in the cool air after the water, “with you.”
He unclips the garters from my panties and rolls down the sheer hose that cling to my legs. Removing the kitten heels, he tosses them and the hose and garters into a pile with my bra. The crotchless panties are next, and he goes down on his knees, lifting the front panel to suck my clit between his lips. I press one hand to the wall, nearly stumbling my knees go so weak. I sink my fingers into his head, pressing him deeper into the V of my thighs. My hips are rocking into the leisurely suction of his mouth when he pulls away and shucks off his basketball shorts.
“Naz, don’t play with me,” I growl as he stands to his full height, towering, naked and wet.
“We got time.” Smiling, he takes my hand and leads me from the shower. He grabs a towel and dries me off, lingering on my breasts. Much more brusquely, he dries himself and walks back into the bedroom.
“Lie down,” he orders, nodding toward our bed. I hesitate just to test him, giggling when his brows lift and he tilts his head toward the bed again. “I said lie down, Kira.”
I settle onto the coolness of the sheets, my eyes fixed on the ceiling, and spread my legs. My heartbeat trips when cool air breezes across my heated flesh. He doesn’t come to me right away, doesn’t pounce on me with the urgency I’d half-expected since we haven’t had much time together lately. He’s taking his time—stretching out the anticipation. At the point when my nerves are drawn tight, he opens the drawer of the bedside table and pulls out a gold vibrator, one he bought for me a few weeks ago. I suck in a sharp breath and clench my hands at my sides.
“Okay, baby.” His deep voice comes after several agonizing seconds. “Reach between your legs and hold yourself open for me.”
I gulp, blinking furiously at the thought of what’s about to happen. It’s not the first time he’s used a vibrator on me, and it’s always intense in a way I never imagined it would be. I obey, raising my knees, spreading them, pulling myself open so cool air kisses the throbbing bud of nerves at the center of my body. Seconds tick by with nothing happening, and when I flick my glance to him, he’s staring between my legs and biting his bottom lip.
He knows what it does to me when he looks at me like that. My bare toes curl into the bed.
“My pretty pussy,” he rumbles. “Are you ready?”
I nod jerkily, beyond ready. Nerve-endings-stretched-thin ready.
The buzzing begins, and my inner muscles clench. My breath stutters as I wait for that first shock across my sensitive flesh. When it comes, when the mouth of the vibrator tugs on my clit, I jerk. My head snaps back, and one of my knees drops.
“No,” he commands, pushing me knee back into place. “Up for me, baby. Should I go to the next setting?”
As much as I know it will torture me, I nod frantically, lost for words because it will also deliver unbearable pleasure. The buzzing gets louder as he adjusts the vibe, increasing the intensity. This time when it touches me, my knees spread wide open, yielding to the command of the instrument of torture. My hips buck. My neck arches, my mouth opens on a tearless sob. My fingers tremble around the lips I’m holding open, and I’m not sure how much longer I can do it when he adds a finger.
“Oh, god!” I scream. “Naz, no.”
“Yes.” His voice is hard. His breathing labored. I manage to open my eyes and find his—dark and filled with storm clouds. His mouth is slack with pleasure as he watches me. The vibrator on my clit. His finger, now another, now another filling me up and stroking in and out with increasing speed. I writhe on the bed, guttural sounds wrenched from my throat until it’s raw. The tight knot building in my belly loosens, dispatching waves of pleasure to every inch of my body. My arms fall limply to my sides. Knees dropped open, my legs collapse as the orgasm possesses me. I gush, soaking my thighs and the sheet beneath me. I’m lost in a haze. The pleasure is a note sustained, drawn out as his fingers continue delving inside me, and even after the buzzing stops and he sets the vibrator aside, he rubs my clit with his thumb, spreading the wetness.
“You are so ready for me.” His voice is gruff, his arms bracketing my head on the pillow. He notches his hips between my thighs.
“Yes.” I rouse my limp arms and clutch his ass with both hands. “I need you inside.”
“Oh, you’re gonna get me inside. In that tight little ass.”
A thrill, a shudder runs through me, and my asshole clenches in anticipation. Naz’s dick is so big, anal was uncomfortable at first. I’ve done it before with relative ease.
But him?
It took a minute to adjust.
I don’t have much time to process the promise of him taking me like that, there before his mouth is on my breasts.
“Naz, fuck me,” I pant. “I’m ready.”
“Obviously.” He reaches between my legs, where the insides of my thighs and the duvet are soaked. “This is for me. I love your breasts.”
His lips close around one nipple while he tugs at the other. My breath ratchets up, and my heartbeat, barely slowed, starts racing again.
“I’mma get to your ass.” He pants, lifting me and plunging inside. “But just a little pussy first.”
“Yes!” I slide my hands over his shoulders, around his neck, and pull him down to me. His mouth latches on to mine, our tongues sparring as the tempo of our bodies increases. I lock my ankles at the base of his spine, anchoring him to me. I’m on the verge of another orgasm when he pulls out.
“Dammit, Naz,” I cry, my hips still moving in subtle, short jerks, seeking him.
He smiles above me, the masculine beauty of his face so arresting for a moment, I almost forget the way my inner muscles are clenching around air.
“I got you.” He rains kisses over my cheeks and nose, soft feathering kisses punctuated by a bite at my throat. He loves to mark me, and I love carrying the little bruising reminders of our intimacy.
“Shit.” He laughs. “I don’t want Cliff seeing hickeys all over you. Don’t want him to suspect I’m fucking his sister.”
We both laugh at the preposterous joke. We’ve been living together for months and there’s no missing how ravenous we are for each other.
No shame.
I don’t deal in shame ever, and Naz never makes me feel it for anything I want. And I don’t make him feel shame for what he wants. We just, as much as we can, give it to each other. There is a generosity to our lovemaking I’ve never experienced with anyone else. In one stroke, selfless. In the next, greedy. In every iteration, it’s startlingly intimate and always powered by a love so deep and so real, it eclipses those old dreams, those first fantasies and ideals I held before. It is altogether new and more than my mind could have conceived.
“Naz, I need it.” I reach between us to grab his dick.
“Don’t I always take care of you?” His voice is shaded with confidence, love, desire.
“Yes.”
And he does. I’ve never had to fake it with him because he ensures my pleasure. Always makes sure I’ve come at least once before he does. He promised he would spoil me, and I have a box full of jewelry, gifts from him. A closet full of clothes and shoes I try to convince him not to buy. There are fresh flowers delivered to the house every week. I chose a livelihood that often casts me in a supporting role, and I love it. Here, at home, though, with him, I’m the main character, and the way he spoils me most is with the extravagance of his love.
“On your knees.” His command is a whisper underlined with steel. A shiver skitters over my spine.
I turn to face the headboard, pushing up onto all fours and spreading my legs so cool air breathes across the wet, hot flesh exposed by the position. My fists burrow into the mattress as he opens the drawer for the lube. The shock of coolness between my cheeks draws a gasp from me, and my thighs clench, anticipation crawling through my body. Not gonna lie, this shit hurts a little, but it’s so worth it.
He covers me, his big body enfolding mine from behind, his broad, muscled torso at my back. His hands find me, first cupping my breast and tweaking the nipples, then wandering between my legs, tending to my clit. My breath hitches, and my body assumes the rhythm of his fingers. Leaving one hand on the bed for support, I knead my breast as his fingers stroke and push inside until another orgasm rocks me, so intense, I fall from my knees onto my belly and lie there, breaths choppy and heart sprinting in my chest.
“You’re so good,” he says at my ear. “Coming for me so much. It makes me hard when you come like that. Feel?”
He reaches under my stomach, pulls me back to my knees like I weigh nothing, and lets me feel the iron length of him at my ass. Involuntarily I arch my back, spread my legs, and offer myself to him.
“I’m gonna give it to you now,” he says, caressing one cheek and then the other. “I love your ass, baby. I think about this pussy, my sweet girl all day. You are a constant distraction.”
As he’s talking, he rubs more lube across my asshole, and my breathing becomes erratic as he pulls my cheeks apart.
“I love you so much,” he says, easing his dick into me slowly.
I clench around the tip, and he draws a sharp breath.
“Shit, baby. Let me in.” He pushes on my shoulder so I fall forward, chest to the mattress. My ass is high in the air as he breaches me by thick inches, and I breathe through the initial discomfort, arching my back, opening as much as I can.
“Almost there,” he grunts, his words choked as he pushes to the hilt.
A shout erupts from me, the shock of fullness I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to. There’s no room for anything but him. He presses one large hand to the small of my back, pinning me in place. With the other, he tugs my braids like a rein wrapped around his fist and starts riding.
Drawing back.
Ramming in.
Drawing back.
Ramming in.
Over and over, in and out, until the cadence of it becomes my heartbeat and a litany of encouragement, of thanks, of praise falls from my lips. Barely coherent, I fumble between my legs, clumsy but desperate to caress my swollen, soaked flesh.
“Kira!” he shouts, his thrusts frenzied and deep and hard in a way that shatters my control, splinters my composure. I scream into the mattress, my mouth full of sheets and bliss. My voice cracks, raw and hoarse as he breaks over me, loses himself inside me. So dominant and strong and hard, but with me, inside of me—vulnerable and undone when he comes.
“Baby,” he chokes out, his hands tight at my hips. “I love you, Kira. I love you. God, I love you.”
My body is wracked with sobs, not just of pleasure but of gratitude. How did this happen? How did we find this? Find each other for the first time and again? That person whose heart carries the key to yours—that soul that is a mirror reflecting yours. It’s a connection not apparent to the naked eye, but unearthed, discovered in whispered conversations, in stolen kisses and urgent touches. Burrowing through layers of skin and bone and muscle until it strikes soul.
We hold each other in the wake of a violent storm, one that tossed us to and fro, broke us. He wraps himself around me from behind, and I’m limp and listless in his arms. Pushing the braids away from my neck, he leaves tender kisses there and over the curve of my shoulders.
“Did it hurt?” he rasps. “Are you okay?”
“It did hurt.” I laugh, pressing my ass and back deeper into the granite line of his body. “A little at first, like it always does, but Jesus. It felt… I love it when you fuck me like that.”
“I know.” He reaches around and cups my breast, splays his hand possessively over my belly. I’m always amazed how hands so big can be so gentle.
“That vibrator.” I turn my head to snare his eyes. “You doing that, controlling that is…” My breath stutters with the memory. “You always know.”
“I’m always learning.” He laughs. “Your responses tell me what to do, what feels good.”
I clasp his arm curled around my waist, lifting his hand to kiss his palm. “I love you so much, Naz.” A grin overtakes my face. “Even though you seem to prefer my brother’s company to mine.”
He flips me to my back and settles between my thighs, smiling down at me. “Your brother can still outshoot me, and you know how competitive I am. That shit is driving me crazy.”
“So every night the two of you are down on that court playing for hours.” I rub my foot along the hairs on his calf. “I’ll be glad when he goes back to Texas.”
He laughs, knowing I don’t mean it. “He may be moving here. If he gets that job, your brother could be here in LA.”
“Thank you for that.” I reach up to trace his eyebrow, the fine rise of cheekbone. “For getting him that interview.”
“I just cracked the door open.” Naz shrugs powerful, naked shoulders. “His knowledge of the game and skill are what’s pushing him through.”
“You give me so much.” I look up at him, pouring my adoration and respect and love into my eyes, praying he sees.
“You give me more just by breathing.” He drops his head until our temples kiss. “By being with me. That’s all I need.”
I hold my hand up, studying the radiant cut pink diamond he placed there two months ago.
“You like it?” he asks unnecessarily because I just about fainted when he proposed. It’s the most gorgeous ring I’ve ever seen.
“It could be made of coal and I’d love it because it means I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“It could have been coal?” He reaches for my hand and slides the ring halfway up my finger. “Well, lemme get my money back.”
I snatch my hand away and gently smack his shoulder, laughing.
“You ain’t ever getting this ring off my finger. I’ll wear it for the rest of my life. You spoil me, ya know?”
He looks at me, his smile dimming, his gaze brightening, intensifies like bright stars under the quarter moon.
“You deserve it,” he says. “And I’m just getting started.”