Just Can't Get Enough by Cheris Hodges Read Free Book Online

happened.
    He’d been on the phone with a paralegal when she released a bone-chilling scream as the plane hit the west side of the building. Hanging up the phone, he’d rushed into the house and turned on the TV to see if what his paralegal had said was true. Seeing the pictures sobered him. He wanted to do something to help, but he didn’t know what. Like most everyone else who’d witnessed those attacks, he’d felt powerless, afraid, and angry all at the same time.
    Then the phone calls had come pouring in, first from his mother, then several concerned friends. He’d heard from everyone close to him, except Renita—the woman he’d planned to marry. All sorts of crazy thoughts had run though his mind as he dialed her number, since she did work for the Department of Defense in the Pentagon. What if the plane had hit her office? What if she had been killed and he’d never gotten a chance to tell her just how much he loved her? He got the voice mail when he called her office, adding to his hysterics. Darius had pulled himself together enough to try her cell phone, but all of the networks were down and the call hadn’t gone through. Finally, as he prayed for her to be all right, he called her at home.
    â€œHello?” she said breathlessly.
    â€œBabe, I’m glad to hear your voice. Do you have any idea of what’s going on right now?”
    â€œUm, Darius, I’m late for w-work,” she said.
    That’s when he’d heard the sound of another man asking her to come back to bed.
    â€œWho’s there?” he snapped, unable to believe what he was hearing.
    She’d hung up the phone, leaving Darius seething with anger. He’d gone from thinking his girlfriend might be dead to wanting to wring her neck. After the passionate night of lovemaking that they’d shared, how could she be in bed with another man?
    For the next few months, Darius had tried to go about his regular life, but he was heartbroken and angry. When he saw Renita, all kinds of evil thoughts danced in his mind and he’d been tempted to act on them. So, when his father had started talking about retiring and selling the hardware store, Darius had made the decision to return to Elmore and run the store. He bought the family’s house and decided to settle in his childhood home.
    Never did he imagine finding out that the girl next door had turned into a goddess.
    â€œI ran away from a broken heart and decided to claim my legacy,” he said, then told her the unedited version of why he left Washington. Celina reached out and stroked his hand.
    â€œShe was a fool,” Celina said. “You’re better off without her. Anyone who would cheat on their partner deserves to be alone.”
    I’d be a lot better with you in my bed, he thought, wanting to reach over and kiss her with everything inside of him. But Darius knew it wasn’t the right time. Soon, though, he would taste her lips and feel her supple body pressed against his, tangled in his sheets.
    For the rest of the evening, Darius and Celina kept their conversation light and jovial. She talked about her art, the time she spent in Paris, and how she was going to paint a mural on the side of her father’s house. Darius told Celina how he planned to expand the hardware store and add a garden center. Celina glanced down at her watch.
    â€œI didn’t realize it was so late,” she said. The evening air had turned cooler, but it was still comfortable.
    Darius noticed that she was cool because her nipples peeked through her shirt and he couldn’t help staring. Turning away, he said, “So, this is how the night ends?”
    â€œAnd just what were you expecting, Darius McRae?” she asked, her voice like a midnight tease.
    He stood up and walked over to her. He towered over her as she sat there looking up at him. He didn’t care if it was too soon. He had to taste her lips. “This,” he