place looking good in no time. Do you want some more soup or anything to drink?â
âNo,â he said, and then drifted off to sleep.
Celina crept out of the room, heading for the kitchen to finish cleaning it. The knock at the door startled her as she began to mop the floor. âOne minute,â she said as she dropped the wooden mop on the floor. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Darius on the other side.
He was dressed in a blue and white vest and a pair of khaki pants that hugged his narrow hips and made Celina wonder if he preferred boxers or briefs. Her lusty thoughts shocked her because, after three years of celibacy, she didnât think that she had the desire to have sex. The last man to touch her was Terrick, the night before she ended their engagement, and it was less than a night of passion, making her vow even easier.
âHi,â she said breathlessly.
âI know youâre probably busy with your father, but Iâm grilling out tonight and I wondered if you wanted to join me.â
âWhy not?â she said. Celina, who usually turned down dates as if sheâd been offered drugs, was genuinely looking forward to dining with Darius.
âGreat. I have some steaks, chicken, and sweet corn on the cob.â
Celina drew her bottom lip between her teeth. âI donât eat meat, not even chicken.â
Dariusâs eyes widened in disbelief. âYou went to New York and got all Yankeefied. You donât eat meat? If I remember, when we were growing up, you were the hamburger queen.â
Celina rolled her slanted eyes and placed her hands on her hips. âFor your information, I stopped eating meat before I moved to New York and Iâm very proud of my southern roots, thank you very much. But that doesnât mean I have to eat artery-clogging meat.â
âCalm down, CC, I was just joking with you,â he said, waving his hands as if he were giving signals for a plane to land. A slow smile spread across his face, making Celinaâs heart race into overdrive.
âAs was I,â she found the voice to say. It was hard to concentrate on anything he was saying because all she could think about was tasting his kiss.
âI know how you transplants can be,â he said. âSo, tonight, around seven. I have to go back to work. With the big festival coming up, weâve been busy.â
Celina contained her giddy excitement, wondering how the moonlight would look bouncing off his cocoa brown eyes and creamy, dark skin. Then her mind wandered to tasting his honeysuckle lips in that same moonlight. Celina looked away from him quickly as the vision of his lips grazing hers blossomed in her mind. Darius bid her farewell and Celina returned to the task of cleaning the kitchen, all the while fantasizing about being alone with Darius in the moonlight.
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On the drive to the hardware store, all Darius could think about was Celina. She must have been a milk drinker because it did her body well. If he had his way, they could skip dinner and feast on each other. He wasnât one to believe in love at first sight, but he damn sure believed in lust at first sight.
In short, he wanted her in his bed and sooner rather than later. Darius had given up on relationships that came with strings attached. The only strings he wanted to deal with were g-strings that were easily removed. Just thinking about Celina strutting around in a thong caused a tightening in his groin.
Celina aroused the most sexual part of him with her flirty smile and her intoxicating scent. She smelled like summertime, fresh flowers and sunshine with a smile as bright as the North Star. Darius wanted to bury his face in her cotton-soft hair and fill his nostrils with her fragrance until he was dizzy with desire.
He didnât have to worry about Celina putting pressure on him to make a commitment like so many other women heâd dealt with in Elmore because she had a life in