AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No one you know.” She tried to look calm but the breathiness in her voice made it clear that she was anything but calm. Her nervousness screamed that Jay was someone special to her, someone Tazeem needed to be worried about.
Tazeem closed the door and took a few steps deeper into the room. Forcing himself to sound amused to hide his anxiety, he asked, “Come on, spill. Who’s Jay?”
“Like I said, none of your damn business.” She closed the distance between them then tried to sweep past him, but he grabbed her wrist to stop her.
“I thought we talked about manhandling me.” Her beautifully arched eyebrows rose as she tried to tug her arm out of his hold. “Get your hands off me, sir.”
He ignored the order. “Who’s Jay?”
She watched him for a second, then announced, “He’s my man. Now can you move?”
A fist immediately tightened around Tazeem’s lungs and it became a little harder to breathe. Trying to sound blasé but failing miserably, he asked, “Since when did you have a man?”
Chess scowled fiercely. “Again, none of your business.”
Oh yeah, it was his business. Was this Jay the reason why she’d rejected Tazeem so fervently from the moment he’d walked back into her life? How long had she been dating this Jay? Did Tazeem have any chance of displacing this Jay from her life?
Having abandoned all pretense of being nonchalant, he asked, “How serious are you about this guy?”
She paused for a beat then answered, “Very serious.”
“No, you’re not,” he protested. Not because he didn’t believe her but because he didn’twantto believe her. “How long have you been dating?”
Emotion flickered in her eyes but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what emotion it was. Instead of answering his question, she demanded, “Let go of my hand.”
He squeezed her wrist. “Do you love him?”
This time there was no hesitation in her answer. “Very much.”
The speed and nature of her response sent instant terror through him. If Chess loved this Jay, where did that leave Tazeem? Had he lost his chance to be with her?
Tazeem didn’t want to accept that. Hecouldn’taccept it.
“No, you don’t.” He yanked her closer to his body. “You don’t love him.”
Chess opened her mouth as if to say something, but he bent his head and sealed his lips to hers before she could utter a word. At first, she was too shocked to do anything other than stand still in his arms. Her shock gave him the time he needed to lift her off her feet and carry her to the wall. Her phone fell somewhere on the way to the wall but neither of them even noticed.
Tazeem set her on her feet with her back against the stone then trapped her there with his body while his lips played with hers. He expected her to resist the kiss once she got her bearings back, but all she did was slightly push at his chest with her fist and gasp sharply. The gasp came with a slight parting of her lips that he immediately took advantage of. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, coercing her to join his erotic dance.
His tongue was her kryptonite. As soon as it met her own, all the fight drained from her. Her lips even began to move over his. That was all he needed to intensify the kiss. He slanted his lips harder over hers and hauled her even closer to his body.
This time she met his kiss with unexpected fierceness. Her arms lifted, not to push him away, but to surround his shoulders while their lips and tongues mated. She tasted amazing; like stevia and wine. Her taste burned through him, setting him on fire, and heightening his desire until it felt like he’d die if he didn’t get more of her.
Even though there were several layers of fabric between their bodies, he could feel her heat scorching his body. His senses pleaded for more of that tantalizing heat. They needed less fabric between them so he could really feel her.
Instinct driving him, he lowered his hands to Chess’s skirt. He bunched the fabric in his fist then started to pull it up while he kissed her. He’d just gotten the hem to her upper thighs when she tore her mouth from his.
“No, no, no.” She slapped her palms over his hands to keep him from pushing her skirt further up. “No!”
“Chess, please!” he pleaded, his voice raspy with desire, as he tried to kiss her again.
“No!” And this time she pushed him away. There was enough power in her push that he staggered several steps back. Disappointment and unfulfilled need swirled within him as he met her eyes.
Chess looked just as disheveled as he felt. Her eyes were hooded, her lips were wet and swollen, and her skirt was still bunched high up on her thighs. As she forcefully straightened the skirt, she repeated, “No.”
It was almost as if she was denying both him and herself, as if she was trying to remind herself that she shouldn’t want him. Eager to give her more reasons to want him, he took a step forward.
“Stay there,” Chess ordered harshly with her hand up. “Stay right there.”
