Prolouge
Chapter theme song: "Not Afraid Anymore": Hasley
His lips rammed against mine with increasing haste, his body meshing with mine like the silk satin of my blood red dress that clung to every crevice of my skin. His fingers felt like liquid fire against my flesh, the soft velvet of his lips grazing over the nape of my neck in hunger.
He gripped the plump roundness of my bottom, palming it as he pressed himself against my core. A throaty moan escaped my lips against my will as I pushed my thoughts away and gave into fantasy. I racked my nails against the starched cotton if his blazer, pulling and tugging in any direction that it would allow me to. I tossed it in an unknown direction over my shoulder before succumbing to the small biting he gifted unto me as his hands worked on the zipper of my gown.
"Kendell..."
"Not tonight." He breathed in sharply. He slid my zipper down gracefully until the beds of his fingers glided against the curve of my waist. It sent a small shiver down my spine as I pressed myself deeper into him.
"I don't want any regrets for either of us."
"There won't be any." His finger slinked into the silkiness of my feminine heat, coating itself in my essence before he tauntingly removed it to sample with a slow, agonizing lick. I shivered.
His masculine hands palmed my waist before he forcibly turned me to press my breasts against the cool sheet of marble. My nipples instantly hardened, the silk of my dress inching towards my waist as he stoned against my backside.
Red fingertips kissed the wall as his lips meshed into my neck. A small bite was placed against my skin as the clanking of metal and the fabric of his slacks hit the floor. He breathed my name, entering me swiftly with a simple motion. My breathing halted, pulse quickened as his name echoed throughout the barren hallway. His strokes quickened in pace, sweat dripping onto the curvature of my spine with each passing thrust.
"I love you."
My mind screamed aloud, my voice trapped within designer matte lips pursed between my clenched teeth. "Please..."
My curls became embedded within his grasp, his dominance possessing my weakened body as I edged closer. His free hand slinked up to my nipples, expert fingers rolling them around like thunder into the night. I felt myself near, closing in on the orgasmic wave I was effortlessly riding.
"I love you." He repeated again. "I love you."
Another thrust, his hands orchestrating the pleasurable sensations of my body while coiled against the once lusterful curls of my hair as his breathing hitched in his throat. I screamed aloud into the coolness of the wall before I released against him, he filling my womb with his seed moments later.
He collapsed against me, drenched in sweat. His dress shirt clung to his chiseled form as his necktie resembled a cheap Mardi Gras necklace laced against his torso. He kissed me briskly before grabbing his jacket from from floor, buckling his pants with haste. I watched him silently, pretending to pick lint off my dress as I composed myself. I fixed my hair, wiping smeared lipstick off my cheeks, and flattened any wrinkles.
His amber eyes pierced through mine as we dressed quietly. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, leaning against the wall facing me to gather his thoughts.
Do I regret this?
"Do you regret this?" His voice whispered. My fantasy becoming reality. I caught my heart in my chest before answering; unsure of what to say or how to say it. He repeated.
I shook my head. "N-No."
"You don't sound convincing". He took a step forward. "We said no regrets."
"And there are none." I mustered, trying to sound convincing.
I stood before the only man I have ever loved, the cousin of the man that wanted to marry me. I had no intentions to fall for Kendall but fate happened and I did...effortlessly. Here stood the older, more established, drop-dead gorgeous cousin of my fiancee...the man I was set to marry in three months. We stand in an empty corridor of one of Chicago's most renowned steak restaurants during my engagement party making love like hormonal teenagers. The shame came over me.
"Chanel!" I heard my best friend, Tanya, call out. She rounded the corridor and found he and I standing there. Our faces were flushed and our breathing was heavy. She gave a knowing look before dismissing it altogether. "Eric was looking for you."
I breathed in, his gaze still locked onto me like a hawk eyeing its prey. "I had to freshen up really quickly." I fixed my dress, making sure my zipper was securely fastened. "Is it time to cut the cake?"
She nodded, still eyeing me. I knew she knew. After nine years of friendship, she knew everything. "Should I tell everyone to wait a minute?"
"No." He spoke up, forcing the grin of a sly fox that just caught an unsuspecting rabbit. "She's ready."
He offered his arm and waited for me to accept his invitation. He and I followed the frustrated clicks of Tanya's heels into the main dining room where our family and friends awaited. Eric, my fiancee, stood beaming with pride and joy as a three tier cake that read "Congratulations Future Mr. And Mrs. Wilson" stood proudly next to him. I felt nauseated.
"There is my blushing bride-to-be!" He exclaimed. I hadn't noticed Kendall quietly released me as Eric embraced me for a hug and a passionate kiss. Camera flashes and whistles followed.
"Show us the ring!" His aunt shouted.
Eric-proudly- raised my left hand and showed off the five carat princess cut solitare that he had purchased for me. He had proposed during my birthday vacation to Mexico and I had accepted but with a simple silver band with a pink heart in the center. That was over a year ago and during that time he and I had separated for a few months due to infidelity on his end. It was after we reconciled that he bestowed me with this beauty.
The trauma and emotional turmoil of Eric's infidelity caused me to become mildly depressed and secluded from the outside world. It wasn't until then that I grew close to his cousin, Kendall, and sought comfort. What was initially unintentional and harmless catalyzed into something dangerous. His text messages offering advice on reconciling became flirtatious in nature as our phone calls morphed from platonic to deeply personal. Eventually we went on secret dates and weekend getaway trips that quickly turned our emotional chemistry into physical intimacy.
Today, however, was the first day he told me he loved me.
