Page 7 of Five Midnight Moment
Dwayne showered when he got home, then spent time catching up on his personal and business emails. By the time he glanced up, it was time to leave. He grabbed the small gift bag and drove over to Valencia’s house. He rang her doorbell at exactly midnight. When she opened the door and smiled at him, he knew he’d be changing that policy, sooner rather than later.
“Hey, handsome. Come on in.”
“Hey, baby.” He lifted her in his arms and kicked the door closed. “I missed seeing you today.” He slanted his mouth over hers and immediately tangled his tongue with hers, wanting to absorb her taste into every fiber of his being. Whether coincidental or by design, every time he sought her out, she’d been away from her desk.
Valencia laughed. “Serves you right for what you did to me yesterday. Leaving people all hot and bothered. You’re lucky I didn’t come to your office and do you the same way,” she added with a roll of her eyes.
Smiling, Dwayne wiggled his eyebrows. “Any time you want to come to my office, just let me know. I’ll be waiting and ready.”
She playfully punched him in the chest. “Whatever.” He carried her over to the sofa and sat with her in his lap. “You know I kind of like these midnight rendezvous. It’s sexy and the gifts have been out of his world.” She fingered the bracelet.
“I agree. Every one of these midnight moments are aimed at keeping you by my side. Speaking of gifts…” He held up the bag.
“Dwayne, you don’t need to buy me things to show you care.”
“I know, but humor me, please.”
Valencia accepted the bag, took out the small box and opened it. “A compass charm?”
“Yes. It means past, present, future…infinity. I drifted in and out of relationships looking for my right woman and my heart’s compass led me to you.” He’d never bared his soul to a woman before and had to pause to steady his emotions. “As long as you’re with me, I’ll never be lost. And I want to be the compass for your heart from now on.”
She wiped the tears from her cheek. “You’re killing me here. I’ve never cried so much in my life. I don’t know what to say.”
Dwayne used the pad of his thumb to swipe away a lingering tear. “It’s easy. Say you’ll stay on this journey with me, that we’ll keep having our moments.” When she opened her mouth to speak, he placed a finger on her lips. “Not yet. I have three more days. Right now, I want to do something I couldn’t a couple of weeks ago at the firm’s holiday party.”
“What?”
“Dance with you.” He stood and placed her on her feet. In the eighteen years he’d worked at Albright, he hadn’t cared one bit about dancing, but watching Valencia with a few of the male employees almost made him lose his mind. The songs had all been up tempo, but the jealousy he’d felt didn’t care. He took out his phone. searched for the song he wanted and hit the “play” button. Eric Benét and Tamia’sSpend My Life With Youflowed into the room and he pulled Valencia into his embrace. She rested her cheek on his chest and he heard her soft sigh.
“I wanted to dance with you, too,” Valencia said, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I had a hard time ignoring you all night.”
“Ditto.” He rested his head on the top of hers, closed his eyes and swayed in time with the music. The lyrics expressed exactly how he felt—he wanted to spend his life with her. He’d been afraid of what she might say earlier and wanted her to wait until his days were up. Until he’d spoken every word that lay in his heart. Valencia lifted her head and stared up at him. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. He heard her loud and clear, and he wanted the same thing. She came up on tiptoe and kissed him, tasting and teasing. The sound of her low moans in his ear and the way she returned his kiss with equal fervor fueled his passions, and he grew harder with each sensual moment. Without breaking the seal of their mouths, he strode down the hallway to her bedroom and lay her on the bed. After undressing them both and donning a condom, Dwayne took his time kissing, stroking and touching every part of her body, lingering on her round breasts, the sweet curve of her hips and her toned thighs.
“Dwayne,” she whispered.
He loved hearing her soft sounds of pleasure and the way she called his name. “What, baby?”
“I need you inside me.”
“I’ll give you everything you need, everything you want, but we’re not going to rush this.” He lowered his body on top of her hers, being careful not to place all his weight on her. His hand traveled down her left leg and back up her right to her center, where she was already wet. Her legs parted to give him access, and he used a finger to circle her clit. Her legs trembled and she opened wider. Dwayne slid one finger in, followed by another, moving them in a steady rhythm. She cried out and arched against his hand. A moment later, she screamed his name as she came. Dwayne withdrew his fingers, shifted his body and guided his erection inside her. Her tight walls tightened around him and he shuddered. He withdrew and plunged deep, swiveling his hips in fine, subtle, circling movements. She gripped his shoulders and raked her nails down his back, causing him to shudder.
“I love how you make love to me.”
Dwayne groaned and kept up the measured pace as he watched the play of passion across her features.
Valencia dug her nails into the flesh of his back and she arched higher to take him deeper. “Don’t stop.”
The pressure of her holding him so snugly made him increase the tempo, delving deeper into her with each rhythmic push and she matched his fluid movements. He gripped her hips and ground his body into hers. Her body began to shake and he buried his face in her throat and held her tightly against him, needing to be as close and deep as he could when she came. As spasms racked her body, it triggered his own release and the climax shot through him with a force that left him weak and panting. “I love you.” And he couldn’t lose her, no matter what.
* * *
Valencia nearly sprinted up the steps to her office building. She had slept straight through her alarm clock, then her car wouldn’t start and she’d had to call Uber. She glanced at her watch again. Fifteen minutes late. Her night with Dwayne had been something out of a fantasy and she’d planned to send him a text this morning to tell him that she didn’t need five days to decide what she wanted. She wanted him,allof him—policy or no policy. But right now, she didn’t have time to savor her memories. She needed to get her butt in her office and pray no one had noticed her tardiness. Valencia pushed through the doors and hurried toward the elevator, her heels clicking on the marble floors.
She jabbed the button. “Come on, come on,” she muttered. The doors opened and a man barreled out, almost knocking her over and spilling his coffee down the front of her gray silk blouse. Valencia cursed under her breath. The man apologized profusely and she snatched the napkins he offered and stepped into the waiting car. She selected her floor and tried to blot the coffee stains from her top. This day couldn’t get any worse.
As soon as the doors swished open, Valencia started down the hallway, but was intercepted by two security officers.
“Ma’am, you need to come with us,” one of them said.
