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

don’t care how beautiful the scenery might be.”
    â€œWhy do I get the feeling that you are a hard woman to resist?” He tugged at her chin gently.
    She turned her head away to hide the flush that colored her cheeks. “Well,” she said, “I think I’m going to go to bed.”
    Darius took his cue to leave. Celina watched him walk away and released a sigh of relief. Or was it frustration? A few more seconds in his presence, and she might have invited him to join her in bed. Closing her eyes, she thought of Darius taking her into his strong arms and holding her against his hard body. The ripple of desire that tore through her body told her that she was going to have to fight those feelings. But did she really want to?
    The telephone rang, interrupting her thoughts. “Hello?”
    â€œHey baby, it’s Mom. How is everything?”
    â€œOkay, I guess.”
    â€œAnd Thomas?” Rena asked. Concern poured from her voice.
    â€œWe’re going to Columbia next week to have a battery of tests run on him.”
    Rena uttered a prayer. “I don’t want anything to happen to that man.”
    Rena’s concern surprised Celina. Had her mother forgotten the pain Thomas caused her? Maybe this is what forgiveness is all about , Celina thought.
    â€œTell Thomas he’s in my prayers,” Rena said. “And you are too, baby. I know you’ve had a hard time forgiving Thomas. Promise me you’ll make peace with him before it’s too late.”
    â€œI’ll try.”
    â€œDo more than try. I’m going to go now. I love you.”
    â€œLove you, too.” Celina hung up the phone with her mother’s words echoing in her head.

CHAPTER 5
    Darius climbed out of the ice-cold shower, but he didn’t feel any better. Celina had lit a fire in his soul that water couldn’t cool. Hell, ice wouldn’t be able to put it out. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Celina’s face. When he licked his lips, he tasted her kiss. Darius had never longed for or ached for a woman the way he did for Celina. She was so damned sexy. Their kiss left him hungry to taste every inch of her body. Any woman who kissed with such fire had to be great in bed.
    Darius knew he wasn’t going to sleep a wink because his fantasies would keep him awake. Pulling a pair of cotton boxers onto his damp body, he headed out the front door to enjoy the clear night sky and pray for a cool wind that would rock him to sleep. As he stretched out on the hammock on the end of the porch, Darius noticed for the first time that his favorite relaxation spot looked directly onto the Hart porch.
    He watched the door, hoping that Celina would walk outside because she couldn’t sleep, either. Darius wondered if he had gotten under her skin the same way she had gotten under his. For all he knew, she was in the house having a conversation with her man in New York, because he didn’t believe for one second that she was single. Jealousy surged through his nervous system, making him want to rush over there and snatch the phone from her hand. She didn’t need him—a man who allowed her to face her dying father alone. Celina needed someone who would be a strong shoulder for her to lean on as she helped her father through his illness. If Mr. New York was too busy and too self-centered to provide that, then Darius would make sure he did.
    Just as he closed his eyes, he heard the Hart’s front door open. Celina stepped out into the silver moonlight. It bounced off her flawless skin, which was covered with a simple white cotton nightgown. It stopped midthigh. Darius’s gaze traveled up her body, stopping at her ripe breasts, which protruded underneath the thin gown. Darius wanted to take them in his mouth and taste them and then travel down her taut body, sampling all of her treats and delights. Not wanting to frighten her, Darius continued to watch Celina in silence, letting his