Places in My Heart Page 12

  Morgan silenced him with a kiss. “You talk too much, Drummond.” She reached down, pulled his shirt up and helped him remove it. “Does this answer your question?”

  He answered by picking her up once again, carrying her over to the bed and stretching his tall body over hers. He peppered her face with kisses, then slid down her body, pushed her top up and kissed his way toward her breasts, taking the top with him. He came to his knees. “Sit up a minute.”

  She complied and he removed her top. He bent and kissed and licked his way across the portion of her breasts visible above the bra. With a flick of his wrist, he undid the clasp and dragged the straps down her arms and off. He cupped a breast in each hand, gently squeezed and massaged them, then pushed them together and circled his thumbs over her nipples. He replaced his thumbs with his tongue and kept up the exquisite torture. She cried out when he took the sensitive peaks between his teeth, and arched forward.

  Omar moved back to her mouth and kissed her until she lay flat. Starting at the base of her throat, down to the valley between her breasts, he charted a path with his tongue down the front of her body, pausing to plant fleeting kisses over her belly. “This is so sexy,” he said of her belly ring.

  Morgan’s breathing increased and she closed her eyes. Every place he touched sent sparks of pleasure coursing through her body. His hair grazed her skin, heightening the sensations. He undid her shorts and removed them and her panties, then skated his hands and tongue from her ankle to her inner thigh. She squirmed and trembled, and she called his name. No man had ever made her feel this way—treasured her like a piece of priceless art. She needed him inside her.

  “Omar.” Morgan reached down and tried to remove his shorts, but he shifted out of her reach. She let out a frustrated moan.

  Omar chuckled. “Relax, sweetheart. We have all night. I told you, I like to savor my dessert. And you are a dessert of the most decadent kind.”

  He resumed his conquering, and a shiver passed through her. It had been a while since her last sexual encounter, and she was already running wet and on the verge of climaxing. When he parted her slick folds and slid in a finger, an orgasm hit and nearly stole her breath. He withdrew, stood and removed the rest of his clothes. From the moment she had seen him in that commercial, Morgan knew his body would be nothing short of magnificent. And she couldn’t wait to get her hands on him, especially his long, thick erection that he sheathed in a condom.

  The mattress dipped beneath Omar’s weight as he joined her on the bed. “I’ve waited a long time for you.”

  Before she could utter a word, he covered her mouth in an explosive kiss at the same time his fingers dipped into her center. She reached down between their bodies, grasped the base of his engorged shaft and began to stroke him.

  He shuddered and let out a deep moan. “Morgan,” he whispered and rested his forehead against hers.

  Omar lifted his head and fixed his smoldering gaze on her. He nudged her thighs apart and eased himself inside her. He withdrew and plunged in again, filling her completely.

  Morgan gasped sharply and wrapped her legs around his back. He swiveled his hips in fine, subtle, circling movements with a finesse that robbed her of all coherent thought. Waves of indescribable pleasure whipped through her, and she arched her hips up to meet the next possessive thrust. She gripped his well-developed shoulders and raked her nails down his back.

  He groaned and changed the tempo, delving deeper with each rhythmic push. “I knew it would be like this between us,” he panted. “You feel so good, baby.”

  As his strokes came faster and faster, she felt the pressure building once again. Gasping for breath, she flung her head back and convulsed in an intense orgasm. Spasms racked her body and she screamed out his name. “Omar!”

  Omar lifted her hips higher and rode her hard through the explosive sensations, pounding into her until he found his own shattering release. He stiffened, buried his face in her neck and groaned long and low. He collapsed on the bed, half on and half off her, their ragged breathing the only sounds in the otherwise silent room. He rolled to his side, drew her into his embrace and kissed the top of her hair.

  Morgan snuggled closer to him and released a satisfied sigh. She had always known that sex with Omar would be off the charts. But she hadn’t expected the emotional connection—the feeling that this was more than just physical pleasure. Choosing not to dwell on those thoughts, she wrapped an arm around his midsection and closed her eyes. Her body still hummed with passionate aftershocks, and she drifted off with a smile.

  * * *

  She awakened in Omar’s arms as he carried her across the room.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, her body already responding to the heat of his naked body.

  “To the Jacuzzi.”

  The electric fireplace and candles provided the only light in the otherwise darkened bathroom. He walked up the three stairs, stepped into the tub and placed her on her feet. He sat and pulled her to sit in front of him. She braided her hair and coiled it into a loose bun to keep it from getting wet.

  “Is the water okay?”

  She leaned against his wide chest and sighed contentedly. “Mmm.” Outside, the moon and millions of stars shone in the midnight sky. She couldn’t think of anything more perfect. She gasped softly when Omar’s caresses began again. Turning, she straddled his muscular thighs, kissed him and ground her body against his.

  Omar groaned. “Don’t start something you don’t plan to finish.”

  “Oh, I plan to do more than finish, baby.” Morgan reached beneath the water and grasped his condom-sheathed erection. “And you’re all ready for me.”

  “I’m more than ready for you, sweetheart.”

  He lifted her and brought her down slowly, inch by exquisite inch. They both moaned. On second thought, she could think of one more thing to make this night perfect.

  Chapter 12

  Still trying to sleep, Morgan swiped at something brushing her cheek and flipped over in bed.

  Omar chuckled. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

  “Go away,” she murmured.

  “If I go away, you won’t get your breakfast in bed.”

  She turned, slowly opened her eyes and squinted in the bright sunlight streaming through the now-open drapes. Omar stood next to the bed wearing a sleeveless tee, basketball shorts and a wide grin. “Breakfast?”

  He nodded. “You said nine o’clock.”

  “It’s nine already? I feel like I’ve been asleep for only three or four hours.”

  Desire filled his eyes, and his voice dropped an octave. “That’s because you kept me up all night.”

  Her nipples tightened and her core throbbed. After making love in the bathtub, they’d slept for a short time before he woke her up and they began again. The man possessed an incredible amount of stamina.

  “If you keep looking at me like that,” he said, “I’m the only one who’ll be eating breakfast this morning.”

  Morgan’s pulse skipped. “I... I need to go to the bathroom first.” It dawned on her that her bag was in the downstairs bedroom. “My bag—”

  Omar gestured to the bench at the foot of the bed. “I brought it up.”

  “Thanks.” She made a move to get up but remembered she didn’t have anything on.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I need something to put on.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Please don’t tell me you’re all shy now...not after everything we did last night and this morning.”

  Heat stung her face.

  “I’ll go get breakfast.” Smiling, he tossed her a wink and left the room.

  As soon as the door closed, she hopped up, grabbed her stuff out of the bag and went into the bathroom. By the time he came back, she was dressed and sitting up in bed. He had such a look o
f displeasure on his face, she asked, “What?”

  “The jersey. You can wear my number.”

  Morgan laughed. She had on a football jersey with Malcolm’s name and number. “You are such a man. And I cannot wear your jersey.”

  “You can wear it around the house...for now.”

  “Pitiful. Fine, I’ll wear it around the house.” The smile that bloomed on his face made her shake her head.

  He placed the tray across her lap, came around to the other side of the bed and carefully climbed in next to her.

  “This looks good. Thank you.” Morgan rarely took the opportunity to cook a large breakfast for herself. She typically ate on the run. But this sexy man had prepared a feast—eggs, grits, bacon, biscuits, fruit and her favorite mint tea—and she planned to enjoy every bite. His plate was on the tray, as well. She scooted closer so they could share. While eating, she decided to ask the question that had been bugging her. “Last night you said something about waiting for me for a long time. What did you mean?”

  Omar placed the fork on his plate and took a sip of his coffee before answering. “Just what I said. I wanted you the first time I saw you at Malcolm’s house two years ago. You had on a thin-strapped purple dress that stopped a few inches above your knees and gold-colored sandals, and your hair was pulled back in a ponytail. And your smile... I thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. I couldn’t stop looking at you.”

  She was amazed that he had paid so much attention to her and impressed that he’d remembered what she had worn two years ago. “You never said anything other than a few words to me, and all of our conversations have been casual.”

  “You were dating someone.”

  She frowned at the remembrance.

  “He was a basketball player—Jabari Mitchell—right? What happened?”

  “Yeah, but we broke up not long afterward. He seemed to think I’d be okay with him sleeping around while he was on the road, just as long as he came home to me.”

  “His loss, my gain.”

  “So, why now as opposed to then?”

  “You’re not the only one who’s had relationship problems,” Omar answered and popped a piece of bacon in his mouth.

  Morgan recalled some rumors surrounding him and a woman, but being embroiled in her own drama, she hadn’t had time to be concerned about his. However, she was curious now. “Is it something you can tell me about?” He seemed uncomfortable, so she added, “If it’s too—”

  “No, no, it’s fine.” He blew out a long breath. “The woman I was dating decided she wanted to take our relationship to reality TV and went so far as to sign a contract and forge my name.”

  She stared. “How did she think she could get away with something like that?”

  He shrugged. “I have no idea. I guess she thought she could convince me to do the show. It wasn’t until someone from the network called me talking about how happy they were to be working with me, and giving me production dates, that I even had a clue about what was going on. I found out later she’d practiced copying my signature from an autograph I signed, supposedly for one of her friend’s kids. It was crazy. She figured she could use my name to get her fifteen minutes of fame.”

  “What about your agent?”

  Omar snorted. “That idiot wouldn’t return my calls, and when he finally did, he tried to convince me the show would be good for my image. The only thing he was interested in was getting a large piece of the pie. Hell, if I had done that show, there would’ve been nothing left of my image. And there was no way I’d agree to have my relationships played out for the world to see—my parents, my brother’s family and my personal life.” He shook his head. “They tried to hold me to the contract, but I threatened to sue her, the network and my agent, and they dropped it.”

  Morgan didn’t know what to say. Between what he had just told her, what she knew about his first agent and now Roland, it was no wonder he wanted to steer clear of anyone connected to the league. “I’m sorry.”

  “So was I.”

  “Did you love her?”

  He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “I thought I did, but when I didn’t feel anything but anger and could easily dismiss her, I realized it wasn’t love. What about you?”

  “We hadn’t dated long enough to say it was love, but after having everybody in my business and feeling like a fool, I promised myself I’d never date another athlete.”

  “Not all athletes are like that.” He stroked a finger down her cheek. “I’m not like that.”

  Their eyes held. “That’s good to know.” She picked up her fork again, and they finished eating in companionable silence.

  “After I clean up, we can take a walk to the lake.”

  “I’d like that.” She thought about offering to help with the dishes, but she wanted some time to think. She hadn’t planned to reveal all that, especially the part about not dating someone in the sports field. He said he wouldn’t treat her like Jabari had and she wanted to believe him because, despite her vow, she was falling for him.

  * * *

  Omar started the dishwasher, braced his hands on the counter and bowed his head. Talking about the mess with Latrice had stirred up all the anger and mistrust all over again. It had taken him more than a year after that fiasco to go out on a date, and those few had been nothing more than casual outings. But this thing with Morgan had gone way beyond casual. If he had any doubts about how serious things were, he only had to go back to the fact that he’d invited her into his private space. No one outside his family had been here, and very few people even knew about the place. Then there was last night’s lovemaking. On some level, he had known it would be incredible, but he never expected the depths of emotion that had nearly consumed him. Just thinking about the way she called his name and her rapturous expression when she climaxed made him hard all over again. Omar sucked in a deep breath.

  “Omar?”

  He spun around. “Hey, baby.”

  Morgan’s brows knitted together. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, just thinking about some stuff.” His thoughts were solely on getting her in his bed again. “You ready to go?”

  She nodded. “What’s the weather like?”

  “Supposed to get up to eighty-one, but it’s already seventy-six.” She had changed into a snug-fitting tee and a pair of white cropped pants.

  “Okay. Then I won’t need a jacket.”

  “No. Let me grab my shoes and keys and we can go.”

  After returning, he led her through the back gate at the far edge of his property. He reached for her hand, and they strolled down the path leading to the lake. Several other people obviously had the same idea to take advantage of the nice summer weather. He found a spot for the two of them to view the water, pulled Morgan to stand in front of him and loosely draped his arms around her waist. She glanced up at him, smiled and covered his hands with hers, then turned back toward the water. Omar kissed the top of her hair and tightened his hold. If not for football season, he would have brought her up here every weekend just so they could be together openly. He didn’t know how he was going to manage the business-only facade once they returned home. And he didn’t want to. But trying to convince her they could make it work would be an uphill battle, and one he didn’t think he’d win. He sighed inwardly. Rather than risk the chance of her erecting her professional walls again, he’d just have to wait it out. It was only a few weeks.

  “I love it here,” Morgan said after a long while. “It would be nice to come up again.”

  “I was thinking the same thing. But with the season starting in a couple of weeks, I won’t be able to do it until the bye week.”

  “Yeah, and by then it’ll probably be too cold.”

  “We could always snuggle up in the cabin in front of the fireplace. And I promise you won
’t feel cold for one minute.” Omar trailed kisses along her jaw and whispered close to her ear just how he planned to keep her warm. He heard her sharp intake of breath and felt her tremble. She turned in his arms and, before he could stop himself, his lips were on hers.

  After a few short seconds, Morgan tore her mouth away and buried her head in his chest. They both were breathing harshly. “We’re standing in the middle of a crowded area, Drummond.”

  “True, but none of them know us.”

  “That’s not what I mean.”

  He leaned back and stared at her for a moment. “Are you saying you’re embarrassed?”

  “Something like that,” she murmured. “A peck here and there is fine, but the whole lip-lock thing...”

  Omar chuckled. “I get it. Then we’ll save the heavy stuff for when we get back to the cabin.” He took her hand and started off farther down the path. “I thought we’d go out to dinner tonight.”

  “Sounds good. I had no idea there were so many shops here. I was expecting to find a more rural place.”

  “We’ll eat at one of the restaurants in Big Bear Lake Village. They have all kinds of restaurants and shops, a movie theater, a bank and bowling.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  They walked awhile longer, stopped at one of the eateries for lunch and then retraced their steps back to his cabin.

  “You mind if I do a little work?” Morgan asked.

  “Of course not. If you’d like to work on the deck, I’ll move the furniture outside.” Omar typically stored all the furniture in the garage or small shed he’d had built to protect it from the weather.

  “That would be great. Thanks.” She gave him one of her beautiful smiles, came up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek and walked out.

  He smiled and went to the shed. Yep, I like her a lot. By the time she returned, he had pulled out two loungers, wiped them down and covered them with the cushions he’d removed from their plastic bags. He’d also set up a small table.

  Morgan sat on one of the loungers and removed several manila folders from her bag. “What are you going to be doing?”