As Long As We Got Love Read online

  He lifted a shoulder. “Or, maybe they’re just that good. I wouldn’t pick just any ol’ restaurant to commandeer for my lady.”

  Tamera blushed, feeling special in that moment to have a man like Preston. And tonight, she had him all to herself.

  When the lasagna arrived, her mouth watered before she could even take a bite. The cheese oozed perfection, layers upon layers of it on a thick, hearty sauce with premium lasagna noodles. She took a bite. “Mmm…soo good. Oh, my God.”

  “It’s that good?” he asked, watching her eat.

  “It is. I’ve had some good lasagna, but not many dishes have come close to this.”

  “Not even your brother’s?”

  “Oh, wait…timeout…I’m not talking about Tyson. Of course, his is better.” She winked.

  Preston laughed. “Of course.” He ate more of the lasagna himself, observing Tamera as she wrote a note. He took a napkin and dabbed his mouth before he asked, “Did you have any intentions of telling me about the family reunion?”

  Tamera’s eyes brightened in surprise. “You—you know about that?”

  “Yes. Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

  She shrugged. “I honestly didn’t think you were interested in going. That you were too busy to go.”

  Preston stared off into the fireplace, wondering how he’d let the distance between them go on for so long while knowing he couldn’t let it happen again. “Well, I want to go. I’ve already cleared my calendar to make room for it.”

  “You have?”

  “Yes. I’m yours for the rest of the week, and while I’m off, we’ll work on my busy schedule to make it work for us.”

  “Let’s do that,” Tamera said, all smiles as she continued eating her meal.

  * * *

  When they arrived home, she kicked off her heels and felt her feet leave the floor as Preston carried her to the bedroom. Her heart raced, pounded in her chest. It had only been a couple of weeks since they made love so why was anticipation so thick on her mind and pulsating through her body? When Preston was busy with work, he couldn’t concentrate on lovemaking and he wasn’t the type to rush it. Tonight, he had plenty of it and planned to use it to his full advantage.

  He pulled the zipper down on her dress before she’d realized it and maneuvered it down around her shoulders and off of her arms until it fell to the floor. She then sat on the bed and laid back, propped up on her elbows, watching Preston undress and make his way to her.

  “Hey, beautiful,” he said as his weight pinned her to the soft mattress and thick, Egyptian cotton sheets touching her bare back. The cool air stiffened the delicate buds of her breasts but the coldness went away after Preston’s warm, firm chest blanketed her.

  “Hey,” she uttered softly while her hands bathed in the familiarity of his strong back muscles, getting used to touching him again. She didn’t realize how much she craved him until just now, feeling their naked bodies share uncontrolled heat as they lay on the bed covers.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said, then snuck a kiss from her lips.

  “I’ve missed you too, Preston.”

  He gave her another quick kiss. “I have a confession to make.”

  “What’s that?” she asked, stroking his back.

  “Every night when I came home from work late to find you already in the bed sleeping, it took a piece of my soul. That’s when I knew I had to fix this. I want us to be us again, starting right now,” he said, then kissed her softly before pulling her lips into his mouth and when those weren’t filling enough, he went after her tongue, devouring it in a way that told her he was hungry for it. Longing for that closeness he so desperately missed.

  And she missed it too, closing her eyes and letting herself feel the pleasure of his body against hers, of his tongue tangling with her tongue while she held on to him. And he inched down to her breasts, suckling her exquisite gems while moans ascended from her mouth like rising fog on a muggy, damp morning.

  Using his tongue, he drew a path down the center of her stomach to her belly button, lapping his tongue around it, feeling her stomach quiver beneath his lips.

  “Preston—” she called out, not because she needed something, but simply because she just felt the urge to do so. And she felt even more urges when he lowered that handsome face of his to her thighs, leaving soft kisses on them before delving deep into her center, feeling her hand settle behind his head while her body jerked off the bed.

  “Preston,” she said, followed by a succession of rapid breaths.

  “Yes?”

  She angled her head to look down at him. “Come here.”

  He crawled up to her while at the same time, settling in between her thighs. “I’m here,” he said, staring down at her, his eyes laced with need and desire. “Did you want something?” he asked in a teasing way, his manhood testing her readiness.

  “Yes,” she said breathlessly.

  “Then tell me what you want,” he said, coaching her.

  “I want you to make love to me.”

  He saw the need in her eyes when she made the request. And actually, he couldn’t recall an instance when they made love that she’d been so forthcoming about what she wanted, further proof she missed making love to him just as much as he missed intimacy with her. So, parting her legs even further with his knees, he guided himself into her damp cave, watching her grimace as her body stretched to swallow him.

  Low groans emerged from between his lips. “It’s been too long, baby,” he whispered, charging forward until there was nowhere left for him to go.

  Tamera felt her stomach quiver even more. Felt her body give in, welcoming him. Capturing him. Her muscles hugging him.

  “Oh, Tamera,” Preston said, seizing her lips again steadily settling deep within her.

  She gasped when she could, moaned when he moved his body on top of her to give her what they both needed. This connection – the most intimate one they could share together. He kissed on her neck, alternating to suckling her earlobe all the while listening to her soft moans. He carefully cupped the soft flesh of her, one of the features that made her so beautifully female. Hunger took over as he devoured her, ravenously enjoying the taste of her, flicking his tongue back and forth over her hardened buds. Pleasure coursed through her at the feel of his hot tongue and the gentle movements he was making below, rocking his body ever so slowly, driving her mind to absolute madness.

  A convergence of pleasure engulfed him at the sound of her love, spurring him on to move faster, drive deeper and maintain a cruise control speed of strokes as he steadily claimed her. Tamera held on tight to him as she completely lost herself in desire. And he plunged deeper and deeper listening to her whine-like moans. The sounds sent pleasure tearing through him.

  She released a scream that connected with him because he knew it was one of pleasure and triggered by her release, he let go and spilled inside of her – her name leaving his lips at the same time the release left his body and transferred into hers. In that moment, he felt like he’d actually lost his mind while the sensations that slithered through him confirmed that he had. How did he go so long without this?

  He stared down at her admiring the beauty in her just-loved face after just being thoroughly made love to. He loved Tamera – was in love with her and he wanted her to be happy. Wanted their lives together to be as good as it could be. And so, from this day forward, he decided that it would be.

  Still panting, smoldering from the heat of passion, their bodies rested together – her hips concaved into the mold of his pelvis. They’d been laying in the same position for a few minutes now, not saying a word until Preston said, “I love you, Tamera.”

  She felt the heat of his breath on her neck. “I love you, too.”

  “I meant what I said, baby. I’m going to make more time to focus on us. By the way, I’m off for the rest of the week so we can leave for the Outer Banks whenever you want.”

  She flipped around so she was face-to-face with him a
nd then she pried her leg in between his. “You really want to go?” she asked, tracing his lips with her thumb.

  “Yes. I really want to go,” he responded, snatching her thumb into his mouth with his lips.

  She smiled. “Then let’s leave Friday morning. That way, we’ll already be there for the festivities on Saturday.”

  “Festivities…you make it sound like it’s going to be huge.”

  “Well, Padma Alexander is throwing this shindig, so there’s no doubt in my mind that it’ll be huge.”

  “Is Tyson doing the catering?”

  “No. Get this—Padma hired four chefs—Indian, Italian, Chinese and American. This is so not your typical family reunion.”

  Preston chuckled. “We’ll be able to get curry chicken, spaghetti, orange chicken and a burger in one sitting. “Sounds like it’s going to be a good time.”

  “It will be, especially now that you’re coming with me,” she said, pressing her lips at the tip of his nose. “I’m so happy.”

  “I am, too. I’ll book a hotel in the morning. A last minute reservation shouldn’t be hard to come by this time of year.”

  “You never know. This is the Outer Banks we’re talking about. But whatever the case, we have family there. I’m sure they’ll make room for us if we can’t find anything. Knowing Padma, she’d insist we stay at her place.”

  “You mean her palace.”

  Tamara chuckled. “She does have a huge house, doesn’t she?”

  “Yes. You can get lost in that thing.”

  “That’s why the reunion is going to be there. I can’t wait to see how she has it decorated. It’s going to be so much fun.”

  Preston smiled, feeding off of her excitement. “Yes, it will. Now, get some sleep. Since I’m off tomorrow, I’m planning in my head what our day is going to be like.”

  “Care to share?”

  He stroked her cheek. “First, when we wake up in the morning, we’ll make love again. Then, I’ll take you out to breakfast, we’ll come home, make love again and after that, we’ll just chill, order takeout for dinner and curl up with one of your chick flicks. Something like Eat Pray Love since that’s right up your alley.”

  Chuckling softly, Tamera said, “That sounds good. I’m going to enjoy every minute of you.”

  “Not as much as I’ll enjoy you,” he told her. “Goodnight, baby.”

  “Goodnight, Preston.”

  Chapter 7

  -*- Dilvan and Eden -*-

  Eden had taken a shower then stepped out and prepared for bed. After she’d moisturized her skin with lotion, she stood naked in front of the mirror, staring at her stomach. She could see a small baby bump – the kind of bump you get when you’ve eaten too much – but otherwise, she didn’t look pregnant. Dilvan definitely wouldn’t notice.

  When she arrived home from work, Dilvan wasn’t there. She had no idea where he was since she hadn’t heard from him since she left for work this morning. All she knew was his car wasn’t here when she arrived and while he was scheduled for a photo shoot today, she couldn’t be sure if he’d made it. Last time she saw him, he was snoring away on the sofa. Now, he was nowhere to be found.

  I wonder where you are, she pondered, slipping into a nightshirt.

  Worried, she sat on the bed and dialed his number not expecting him to answer based on his attitude earlier, but it would be nice if he did.

  “Hello?”

  “Dilvan?” She said his name in the form of a question, shocked that he took her call.

  “Yes, Eden?”

  “Where are you?”

  “Outside in the driveway.”

  “You are?”

  “Yeah. I am.”

  His voice was calm and she could tell right away that he was more rational than he was this morning. But why was he sitting outside in the driveway? “Do you plan on coming in anytime soon?”

  “That depends on you.”

  “Huh?” Her eyebrows bunched up, trying to understand.

  “Do you want me to come in?” he asked.

  “Yes, Dilvan. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because you were irritated with me this morning.”

  “I was, and you know why. You have to be consistent with taking your medicine, Dilvan. I know it’s a pain in the butt for you, but what other options do you have?”

  Silence.

  And more silence fell on top of that.

  Dilvan had yet to respond. He hated being constantly reminded of having to take medicine, especially by Eden. She was his wife. He wanted to please her. Impress her. How could he do that when he had an illness that affected his mood in such a negative way?

  Feeling silly being on the phone with him when he was right outside, Eden said, “Dilvan, just come in so we can talk. I would like to see you before I go to sleep.”

  “Okay. I’ll be in shortly,” he told her then ended the call.

  Eden placed her phone on the nightstand, then walked to the window and moved the blinds with her index finger so she could peep outside. Sure enough, he was in the driveway. She had no clue what he was doing. He probably didn’t have a clue what he was doing either, but he said he’d be in shortly, so she laid on the bed and waited.

  ‘SHORTLY’ TURNED INTO an hour. For one, full hour, Dilvan had been sitting in his car with the headlights still on, car still running – contemplating life and sickness and death. Life was hard – didn’t matter how much money you had – life was still difficult. Thinking about himself as an example, he had millions of dollars and had once attempted suicide after the split from his first wife Gabrielle who was now married to his cousin Tyson. Many times, the past haunted him but he knew he had to move on with his life. Life moved forward, not backward. Beating himself up about past misgivings wasn’t going to make him present for the life he had now – a good life – with Eden. There was no need to give up now, on himself or her.

  After Eden had left in the morning, he’d gotten up from his nap, showered and shaved, then went to his photo shoot. He didn’t take his medication, but he was feeling better. More chipper and focused – a far cry from the way he was interacting with Eden this morning. He sighed. Most of the time, he didn’t understand why Eden wanted him. She was a beautiful woman. Smart. Successful. She was a goddess.

  Then there was him…

  Who was Dilvan Alexander? A man who treated his first wife so poorly that down to this day she could barely make eye contact with him and could hardly stand to be around him. A man who didn’t know how to love a woman. A man who’d been selfish most of his life. A man with bipolar disorder. How was he going to show his face at a family reunion when the family all looked at him sideways – waiting for something to set him off? All of this weighed on his mind as he got out of the car and went inside of his house.

  When he stepped into the bedroom, he saw Eden – more like the silhouette of her – beneath the covers. She wasn’t moving, so he assumed she’d already fallen asleep. He walked over to the bed, eased down to sit in front of her then lightly traced his fingertips along the hairline at her temple. “I don’t know why you love me, pretty lady,” he whispered.

  Eden stirred, opening her eyes. When she caught sight of her husband, his inclement gray eyes and all, she widened her vision. She thought she was dreaming when she first heard his voice, but here he was, sitting on the bed staring down at her. A soft smile kissed her lips. “Hey,” she said, the single word tangling with a yawn. She brushed her hand along his jaw, feeling the stubble tease the pad of her fingers. “Did you say something?”

  He shook his head. “I was just talking to myself.”

  “Really? You came to my side of the bed to talk to yourself?”

  He forced a smile through his stubbled cheek. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you?”

  Eden smiled. “Did you go to the photo shoot today?”

  “I did.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “Umm…it went well—took longer than I had anticipated though
.”

  “I’m just glad you made it. You were sleeping when I left this morning.”

  “I was out of it this morning, and on that note, I owe you an apology.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Dilvan.”

  “No. Just let me,” Dilvan said. “I’m sorry I was being a jerk to you. Sometimes, I hate being reliant on medication to—to make me a good—person.”

  “Dilvan, you already are a good person. You just get so depressed sometimes and it’s like when you get to that point, it’s difficult for you to see your way out of it. What you have to realize is you’re not alone in this. You have me.”

  Dilvan flashed a half smile. “And I love having you,” he said lowering his head to sync his lips with hers, shifting his weight, bearing down on her. He kissed her with enough passion and desire to cause a bedroom meltdown. He unbuttoned his shirt, tossed it across the room and lowered his slacks to the floor, then returned to kissing the lips of his woman. His everything. The truth of the matter was, when it seemed like everyone had turned their backs on him, her love remained constant. Her affection for him wasn’t dependent upon how he behaved on a certain day. She loved him no matter what.

  Tonight, he was loving her back, taking open-mouthed kisses, intent on stealing her tongue away, devouring her in a hungry way. A desperate way. He felt his way down to her bottom, cupping it while groaning at the smooth softness of her, confirming her nakedness beneath the gown. Eden gasped at his touch. She needed this closeness and this man – the one who had her body on fire – was the one she loved with her all.

  Dilvan rose to his knees, nearly taking her lips in the process. “Turn over,” he instructed her.

  She obliged. He licked his lips, satisfied with the beauty of her body before gently pulling her upwards so she was on her knees now. He helped her wiggle out of the gown, then leaned down on top of her, her soft backside cradled into his pelvis as he let his chest come down to her back. He wrapped his arms around her until his hands met somewhere near her navel. And he just laid there, his body cradling hers, thinking about how much he loved and appreciated her before he would actually ravish her.