Belle and Valentine Read online

  The bottom dropped out of her senses. “W-What?”

  “You heard me.”

  Fane had been this way from as far back as she’d known him, blunt, not sparing anyone’s feelings. If one wanted to bury one’s head in the sand and ignore the real truth, one had better not talk to Fane Valentine. He had no problem spelling it out with no sugar coating whatsoever. By the time she found out her parents’ house was up for foreclosure—another secret Sam kept to himself—it was too late for her to appeal to Richard to help. She had learned later Fane had told Sam he had the money, but he would not offer it for a broken-down house that neither Sam nor Zuria truly wanted. Their parents had both passed on, and the house lay empty. Zuria had desired to hold on to the last connection to her mom and dad, and she had assumed Sam felt the same. Fane had instead put up ninety percent of the money for their coffee shop because it was Sam’s dream to own one. Zuria couldn’t exactly fault Fane for that, but he still pissed her off.

  She laid her hand on his forearm and gave it a push. Fane didn’t budge, and she felt the tense muscles beneath her palm, sending warmth to her core. “It’s none of your business.”

  “He was with—”

  “Shut up!” To her horror, tears sprung to her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Fane dragged her into his arms, and she held onto to his shirt, balling her fingers into the material, and buried her face in his neck. She shook, feeling so stupid and lame, hating her weakness.

  Fane stroked her back, for once doing as she asked and saying nothing. She clung to him, breathing in his familiar scent, the aching now more than about the loss of her carefully built life, the dashing of all of her plans. Fane had spoken the truth about her wanting him, but she had never intended to give in to it. Still, when he raised her chin and covered her lips with his, she parted them, inviting his tongue. He delved inside, sending tiny jolts of electricity coursing through her veins and bringing her libido to life. She circled his waist and pressed closer, taking the kiss deeper. Fane raised his head, leaving her bereft, but he used a rough thumb to brush the tears from her cheeks.

  “Ride with me,” he murmured, his lips grazing hers.

  Temptation overwhelmed her. She started to tell him no, but he kissed her again, cupping her face between his two big palms. She sagged into his chest, aching with need. “I…”

  “Just a ride,” he said, but he went on planting kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her chin, her throat. He was killing her. “Let go for once. Have a little fun.”

  She pulled from his arms, and he released her. “Just a ride, Fane. Nothing else.”

  He raised his hands, palms facing her. “I won’t make love to you until you ask me to.”

  She glared at him, and he smiled. Bastard!

  “Fine, I’ll go.”

  Whatever else they might have said to each other was lost when Dixie Ann burst into the kitchen, too damn chipper for early morning. She found reasons to engage Fane in conversation and to touch him, and Fane didn’t discourage her. The way he bent his head to listen to the blonde had Zuria rethinking her decision to go for a ride with him, and she reminded herself that even if she did, she would not give in to anything more. Richard had already proven men couldn’t be trusted when it came to women throwing themselves at their heads. When several more female customers throughout the day pressed numbers into Fane’s hand and gave open signs they were available if he was interested, Zuria told Sam she had business to attend to and left the shop. No matter what it was, she would find work elsewhere so she wouldn’t have to witness Fane’s seduction of the women of Aves anymore.

  ****

  Zuria left the upstairs apartment and descended into the coffee shop. The customers had all gone home, and the scent of something delicious wafting from the kitchen said that’s where Sam was, preparing for the next day. She stuck her head in.

  “Don’t you get tired of putting in such long hours? You need a life, little brother.”

  He raised his eyebrow at her, and she laughed.

  “Don’t give me that look. You are the little brother. I’m a whole two years older at the ripe old age of thirty-two.” She groaned at the admission, thinking she heard her ovaries shriveling as she spoke. “You’d make an awesome house husband.”

  A dishtowel flew toward her head, and she jumped back, letting the door close before the towel struck.

  “I won’t be out late,” she called to him and walked outside to wait for Fane.

  Downtown Aves rolled up the sidewalks at sundown. The only sounds she picked up were music from the bar a block over on Artemis Road. She breathed in the fresh, clean air, and a slight scent of the nearby river reached her. Memories came flooding back, of her and her high school friends hanging out there at night. She imagined it was still the spot for teens to make out. Nothing ever changed in Aves.

  By the time she remembered she didn’t want to look too eager to see Fane by standing outside the shop, the motorcycle had already come roaring down the road. Zuria paused with her hand on the door handle to go back inside, and Fane stopped feet away at the curb.

  He flashed his even, white smile at her beneath the streetlights, and the shadows along with his dark clothing made him look sinister. Her heart hammered in her throat, and she froze.

  “Are you running away, little rabbit?” he whispered.

  She straightened. “Why should I? Nobody’s scared of you!”

  “Then come here.” He held out his hand. “Get on.”

  Why the hell did it seem like he was inviting her to get on something other than his bike? She pressed her lips together and approached him. With a few quick movements, she had settled behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Stupid desire threatened to make her pass out, but she buried it. Fane started the engine, and they were off, the buildings whipping by, her hair blowing in the wind. A thrill raced over her, and she felt the ties that held her down slipping away.

  They rode for miles, just enjoying the warm summer night. When they came up on a roadside gas station, Fane pulled into the lot and helped her off the bike. She followed him into the store and strode along the short aisles. Zuria chose a bag of chips and some gum. She watched Fane in another aisle grab a couple of sodas from the refrigerator case. A woman sidled up next to him and started chatting while twirling her hair around a finger. Were women still doing that move, Zuria wondered. Fane flashed a smile, and Zuria stuffed her chips and gum onto a shelf and started for the exit. A strong arm encircled her waist and drew her backward. She looked over her shoulder to find Fane and glared at him.

  “Hang on while I pay for this. Did you want the chips and gum?” He pointed to where she’d put the snacks, and she wondered about him. He always seemed to be aware of her, maybe when she didn’t even know it, like how he’d known about Richard. Was he that dedicated to getting every woman he desired? Perhaps that was why they all wanted him.

  No, she’d seen women flocking around Fane from day one, even those he hadn’t noticed. The man exuded all that a mother warned her daughter to avoid if she didn’t want her heart crushed.

  “I guess so,” Zuria said, and she went to retrieve the items. Ignoring the hateful glance from the woman who had been talking to Fane, Zuria returned to the cashier, and Fane paid for everything.

  When they were back on the road, he shouted to her, “You have to stop getting angry every time a woman talks to me. Just because they do doesn’t mean I want them or that I’ll take them up on what they’re offering.”

  “Makes me no difference. This is a one-time date—I mean ride.”

  His chuckle floated on the wind.

  Sometime later, Fane pulled off the road onto a well-worn gravel path. Zuria glanced around her when he came to a stop. “I don’t recognize this place.”

  Fane climbed from the motorcycle and lifted her off. She moved out of his grasp as soon as her feet touched the ground. Trees surrounded them, but the scent of water was in the air.

  “Sam and I used to come out he
re when we wanted to get away,” Fane said. He pointed to the tops of the trees. “There’s a clearing not far from here where you can see the owls flying around, looking for food.”

  “You came here at night?”

  He nodded. “We used to sneak out.”

  “It doesn’t surprise me that you would.” She followed him, and he held aside branches all along the way to keep them from scratching her face. “I found it odd Sam and you became friends with you being five years older.”

  “Not much choice in Aves. Plus, Sam’s an old soul.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, that’s true. But I think the ‘choice’ had to do with you beating up most of the boys your age.”

  “Not my fault.”

  “Of course not,” she quipped.

  They came upon the clearing he mentioned, and Zuria gasped at the natural beauty. With the moon shining brightly, she took in the bed of thick grass, surrounded by tall, majestic trees. At the top, she spotted a dark shape or two, not sure what it was until the bird called out, “Who. Who.”

  “It is owls!”

  He leaned in so his lips were close to her ear. “Be careful they don’t take you for a little mouse and try to snatch you up.”

  She elbowed him in the gut and winced at the pain for her efforts. “I thought I was a little rabbit.”

  His hands settled on her hips, and he stepped closer from behind. “What you are is sexy. That blouse is killing me.”

  Zuria looked down at herself. She’d chosen the low-cut blouse in a moment of weakness, a desire to tantalize Fane. She should have known better. He would take it as an invitation. “It’s just a blouse. Don’t get ideas.”

  She started walking away from him, but her foot caught on a foot or something, and she tumbled forward. Fane caught her elbow and steadied her. She expected him to make a move, but he surprised her by letting go the moment she regained her footing. A glance up at him gave no insight, but she recalled what he had said before. He wouldn’t make love to her until she asked him.

  Not happening.

  They sat on the grass and Zuria discovered how soft it was. She ran her hand over the blades and sighed. This place was pretty awesome. How many other women had Fane brought here? She glanced over at him as he lay back in the grass, his hands linked behind his head. Leaning closer, she found his eyes were closed, and she watched the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed deeply. He smelled good, not like cologne, but something that was natural and all him, along with maybe a hint of aftershave.

  “How many other women have you brought here?” she couldn’t help asking.

  “Will you always judge me on others?”

  She gasped. “I’m not—”

  “—judging me?”

  She turned away and pulled up a few blades of grass and then felt bad for it.

  “This place is special. Sam and I sort of had an unspoken rule. This is our place. I didn’t think he’d mind if you came.” When she still didn’t speak or look at him, he touched her arm. Chills raced along her spine.

  She lay down beside him, and Fane leaned over her. He touched her cheek. She looked into his eyes, getting lost in their depths. Fear gripped her heart because she knew without a doubt if anyone could destroy her Fane could. He had been so wrong about when she first wanted him. Yes, her body came alive in ways she had only imagined it could when she saw him with Dixie, but she had been aware of Fane Valentine when she was fourteen the first time he swaggered into her house following Sam. Even then, there was something about him that Zuria had been running away from.

  One night couldn’t hurt, could it? Afterward, maybe she could ask Sam for a loan so she could return to the city, get an apartment, and find a job. She had never finished college, had found a new dream after meeting Richard. He had wanted to support her, and like an idiot, she had dreamed of nothing beyond having kids and playing the good little housewife. The dream wouldn’t have been so bad if she had loved Richard as deeply as she had fooled herself and others into believing.

  She reached up to her blouse and squeezed open a button. Fane’s eyes widened. He laid a hand over hers, stopping her movements.

  “You better be sure.”

  She licked her lips and swallowed. “I know myself.”

  “Do you?”

  “Please, who do you think you’re dealing with?”

  He brushed her hand aside and pinched open another button. When her bra came into view, he seemed mesmerized. She’d worn a see-through one that showed off her nipples through the transparent material.

  “Sam’s sister,” he said.

  “Are you scared he’ll beat you up?” she teased.

  “He mentioned something about killing me if I hurt you.”

  She laughed. “I think you can take him.”

  “He was serious.” He leaned down and breathed deep, his lips just touching the space between her breasts. “You are so damn beautiful, such smooth, perfect brown skin, and it’s the softest I’ve ever touched. I’d risk death for more.”

  She didn’t know how to take his words and remained silent. Fane skimmed fingertips along her belly to the waistband of her jeans. Her pussy clenched in anticipation, but he didn’t explore further. Could he be as nervous as she was to take this step, especially when her brother was his friend and business partner?

  She sat up and pulled her blouse off to toss on the grass. Then she removed her jeans. Sitting in nothing but panties and bra, she bit her lip, feeling like a schoolgirl the first night she lost her virginity, but that time hadn’t been with the sexiest man in North Carolina, nor did it happen in the middle of a secret wooded grove.

  Fane caught his breath, and when Zuria cut her gaze over at him, she found the front of his jeans had tented. He groaned low in his throat as he stared at her. “You’re making this hard for me.”

  “You’re resisting now?” she teased and hated the tremor in her voice. “You said you wouldn’t do it until I asked, right?”

  He reached out and ran finger around the edge of her bra, tracing the line along one breast over to the other. “I’ve waited a long time for you.”

  “Are you having second thoughts? Maybe my body isn’t what you thought it was?”

  “Don’t be stupid,” he growled, and she flinched. His gaze raked over her. “You’re sexier than all the rest, and you know it.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  He crooked a finger at her, indicating she should come to him. “Then let me make you feel better.”

  All her bravado drained away. Sure, she’d had plenty of experience, but how good was any of it? Almost every time, she’d had to use her own hand to bring herself to climax. Maybe tonight too.

  She crawled to him.

  “You know what I want you to do?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “I want you to stand up and take off your panties and your bra. I want you to spread your pussy lips and let me look, and then I want to eat you up, until you scream and come in my mouth.”

  Her jaw slackened.

  “Zuria, do it now.”

  The command brought her to her feet, and she reached behind her to undo the latch on her bra. She let the garment fall to the ground, and her breasts bounced free. A full C cup, she liked the size of her breasts and that even at thirty-two they were still nice and perky. Not as high as in her twenties, but still sexy, and her nipples had gone stiff. Fane narrowed his eyes as he looked, and he ran his hands over his thighs as if resisting the urge to touch.

  “Now the panties,” he urged.

  She hooked thumbs into the waistband and pushed the bikini panties over her hips. His sharp intake of breath made her pause. She’d shaved, another indicator that she’d planned to give it up. Man, had she ever been fooling herself pretending she had no intention of having sex with Fane.

  “Um, do you like my pussy shaved?”

  “Yes!” He groaned the word as if it were painful. “Spread your lips.”

  She did so, and
he leaned forward to grasp her thighs. Already the juices flowed with his mouth so close and his hands on her legs. Her pussy ached to be pleasured, but Fane stared, his thumbs massaging her skin.

  “You will scream,” he said. “Don’t worry about anyone hearing.”

  She opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t much of a noisemaker during sex, but the words died with the first lave of his tongue. Her knees wobbled with the pleasure he gave her. She tangled fingers in his hair and struggled not to press him closer, but he did things to her button that had not been done before. The way he flicked his tongue back and forth in a steady rhythm had her quivering. How did he know? She’d tried explaining to her husband the way she did it with her fingers. He’d always complained no one could please her like she could, and why didn’t she just do it herself. She had, and Richard would pinch her nipples and roll them between his fingers. The added sensation took her to climax, but she had always wanted him to go down on her and make her come. He had failed the few times he tried, despite how she had gotten him off countless times.

  Now here was Fane, licking her pussy, circling her clit, and dipping his tongue between her folds like he loved it. He moaned each time he tasted her come and actually sucked for more. His name trembled on her lips. She bit it back, but the muscles in her core wound so tight, she panted.

  Zuria looked down at the dark head dipping between her legs. His fingers dug into her thighs as he drove her closer so he could delve deeper. When his tongue wasn’t teasing her clit, his nose was. He drew a nether lip into his mouth, sucked hard, and tugged a little with it still captured in his hold. A small cry of unbelievable pleasure escaped her. She shut it down, clenching her jaw. Fane paused and looked at her. He tsked, shaking his head.

  “No, little rabbit, scream for me.”

  She shook harder. “No. Way.”

  “No?” She sensed rather than saw the challenge in his gaze.

  He released her thighs to move his hands around to her ass. A sharp drive toward him brought her pussy to his mouth. He devoured, licking like a madman, consuming her come as fast as her body released it, and boy, was she wet. How could her body come so much before she had an actual orgasm? Fane seemed to have the secret to her pleasure, because no matter how he licked her defenses crumbled. Tension left. Fear of giving in to him dissolved. Her orgasm climbed higher and higher. Her teeth chattered with a desire to shout his name. Fane concentrated on her clit. He circled it once, twice, and then sucked hard enough to sting but good enough to undo her sanity. She whimpered, and then he took the assault to a new level. He stuck a finger in his mouth and then drove it into her pussy. At the same time, he clamped onto her bud. She came undone.