After The One (The One Series Duet) Read online

  He groaned. “Please what?”

  I couldn’t tell if it was my body or his hands that were shaking.

  “Julian, please...” My entire lower body clenched. “I need you.”

  “What do you need?” The rough desperation in his voice mimicked how my body felt.

  “I need you inside me.”

  His fingers stilled and his breath sounded ragged. “Roll over.”

  He helped, adjusting my legs as I rolled onto my back. The soft light that eased into the room illuminated Julian as he spread me open wide. I was captivated by the way he looked at me, but I could barely keep my eyes on his face. His dick was hard and thick and pointing directly at me.

  If I just lift my body up…

  Letting his hands coast down my thighs, he pulled me where he wanted me.

  I gasped.

  A smirk haunted his lips as his eyes devoured my breasts. It wasn’t until then that I noticed how hard my nipples were. I shifted my body, causing my heavy breasts to shake, and his eyes snapped to mine. Rubbing and gently pinching my nipples, he caused my body to hum from the sensation.

  My chest rose and fell as the seconds passed.

  Falling forward, his lips latched on to my nipple. The warm heat and wet suction of his mouth was almost enough to send me over the edge. He’d teased me for so long and I wanted him so badly that when he sucked and flicked and toyed with my nipples, I was primed for him, ready to get off.

  I groaned, scratching my nails against his back.

  He kissed up my chest and neck until our lips met. The need, desire, and anticipation exploded as we moaned into each other’s mouths. Our tongues touched and I felt it everywhere.

  Pulling out of the kiss, Julian rested his forehead against mine. He grabbed the back of my thighs and pushed them back, exposing me.

  I opened my mouth to beg him to stop teasing me, but instead, I cried out as the head of his dick met my wetness.

  “Oh, God,” I wailed.

  It wasn’t quite a scream, but in the quiet villa, it might as well have been.

  Julian froze. The corners of his lips turned up. “I knew you couldn’t keep quiet.”

  I didn’t want him to stop, so I quickly tried to get my mind to think straight in order to explain and promise to be quiet from that point forward.

  “Th-that was just because you caught me off guard. I can be—” My raspy words cut off abruptly and transformed into a noise that was part gasp and part grunt as he sank into me. Trying to keep it together, I clamped my mouth shut as he filled me up and stretched me out inch by inch.

  “Fuck,” he swore gruffly, extending the word out. His head fell against my shoulder as I locked my legs around him, pulling him in to the hilt. With his mouth only inches from my ear, he whispered, “You are so fucking wet, Zoe. Shit…”

  He pulled almost all the way out before thrusting almost every inch back inside of me. His slow, measured movements felt as if he were strumming my body.

  “Oh, right there. Right there,” I panted soundlessly, chest heaving.

  He kissed his way from my shoulder to my mouth and then brushed his lips against mine. His pace increased as the kiss deepened and when he ended it, he slowed his momentum.

  Heavy breathing and swallowed moans were the only noises coming out of us as our bodies collided.

  I whispered his name over and over again as my orgasm kept building.

  “Let’s see if you can keep quiet,” he teased softly before withdrawing himself and then slamming into me unexpectedly.

  I groaned, arching my back and constricting around him. My body shook uncontrollably as my orgasm took over. My arms fell from around him and hit the mattress hard. I tried with everything in me to not cry out, but it was too good, too intense. I panted loudly and my heart beat out of my chest.

  He swore under his breath, but waited until I stopped convulsing to pull his rock hard cock out of me.

  “I have a confession to make…” He tangled his fingers in my hair and kissed me sloppily. His voice was low and hoarse. “I love the sound of you coming apart because of me…” His voice dropped even lower as he eased into me again. “And I really don’t give a fuck if your friends hear you,” he concluded, grinding himself into me deeper, harder, faster than before.

  His words did something to me as the primal noises I made alternated between lustful and guttural moans. I felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. From the low grunts that seemed to come from deep in his chest to the sound of him pumping in and out of my wetness, I was being pushed to my limit for a second time, and it wasn’t going to be long before I imploded.

  He shoved my legs back, opening me wider, and stroked my clit with his thumb. His touch jolted me and burned through my body.

  “That’s it.” He groaned under his breath, ramming into me. “That’s it.”

  He had one hand playing with my clit and the other pinching a nipple as he continued to drive himself into me.

  “Look at me,” he demanded in a gruff tone.

  My lashes fluttered open and our eyes locked. I could see my effect on him, but more than that, I could see how badly he wanted to take care of me.

  Keeping my lips together, I hummed noisily, swallowing the moan that threatened to echo across the entire hilltop.

  He licked his lips and smirked before delivering a powerful thrust that caused my mouth to fly open and a purr to come from the back of my throat.

  He owned my body and he knew it.

  Julian let out ragged breaths as his strokes became less restrained. His grip on the root of my hair tightened as he lost himself and his inhibitions. The suctioning sound of him slipping in and out of me reverberated through the stillness of the villa. The ache deep inside me became unbearable as he started to lose control.

  I clenched my muscles, letting the wet heat clamp down around him. He sucked in a sharp breath between his teeth.

  The small sound of his impending freefall ignited mine. My eyes shut tight and I bucked feverishly against him as I gave in to my orgasm.

  “Zoe…Zoe…shit,” he groaned as he briefly stilled. As pleasure ransacked his muscular body, causing him to twitch and jerk, his mouth opened, yet no sound came out.

  We climaxed together. Hard.

  Chapter 11

  Poem Within A Poem

  Rhythm and beauty

  Poetry in your words.

  Creative and expressive

  Few lines, all curves.

  Melodic words flow

  Out of me, into you.

  The harder the beat

  Brings the ballad out of you.

  The contents of my heart

  Will move you spiritually.

  Ode to you, this duo,

  I declare it lyrically.

  New rhymes breathe new life;

  Unexpected, but meant to be.

  Verses, either blank or free

  Poem, part you, part me.

  “Hey, how are you feeling?” Keisha asked as she, Koko, and Lenny tiptoed into the room. “Are you okay?”

  I looked up from the poem I’d read twice an hour every hour since I’d found it. With meetings with Robert Brady and other staffers for The One, I didn’t expect to see Julian until it was time for the meet-and-greet. He’d said goodbye to me after brunch and I’d returned to my room to take a long hot shower. When I got out, I found the poem on my pillow.

  He came back and left the poem for me. My heart fluttered just thinking about it. I love him.

  “Of course,” I replied, tucking the poem into the notebook in my hand. “Well rested now.”

  After the workout Julian gave me in the wee hours of the morning, I needed rest. And I needed to spend some time with my family before they went to explore the grounds as well.

  “Good. I’m sure pregnancy is taking a lot out of you,” Keisha empathized, smiling sweetly.

  “So is Julian,” Koko quipped, pumping her arms and thrusting her hips in a sexual manner.

 
“What am I missing?” Lenny asked, confusion creasing her face.

  Koko slapped Lenny on the ass, ignoring the question. “How’s the family?”

  “They’re well. Cousins got in this afternoon so we all hung out and caught up with my brother and his girlfriend. My dad, brother and I called Nana and Pop since they couldn’t fly. Grandma baked a cake. It was good.” I smiled at the memory. “By the way, you guys look nice.” I eyed my best friends with a nod of approval.

  “Between your grandma and Julian’s grandma, I’m ready for old age,” Lenny declared with her hands on her hips. “They are both so cute and so stubborn! I wanted to take them shopping with us.”

  After the big brunch on the veranda, my best friends had left the safety of the hill to explore the rest of the Riviera Villa Resort property. I’d slept and spent time with my family instead.

  “Did you have fun?” I sat back in my chair and waited.

  They all seemed to start talking at once as they described the beauty of the reservoir that separated the golf course from the ballroom. Three restaurants were grouped together near the spa, two small wineries operated in two separate corners of the expansive land, and the recreation center was located somewhere between the two. The hiking trails were closer to where we were on the hill and on the other side, opposite the hill, there was access to a private beach. The Riviera Villa Resort had a little something for everyone.

  “And people are pouring in,” Lenny commented. “I’ve never seen so many B-list TV celebrities and models at one place, at one time.”

  I shook my head with a dry laugh. “People from the show’s guest list, of course.”

  Koko plopped down beside me on the loveseat. “I’m trying to rebound with a hot rock star or sexy rapper or even a former boyband member turned solo pop star. I know Julian keeps his circle of friends small, but I know he’s friends with some A-listers. I need a hot A-list hookup to clear my mind.”

  I bumped her with my shoulder, knowing Koko’s sudden interest in a high-profile hookup was directly related to the fact that Bryce Wilson was likely somewhere on the resort. As much as she tried to seem unaffected by the fact that she would see him this weekend, she was clearly bothered.

  “Did you see him?” I asked, analyzing her movements.

  “See who?” Koko asked, running her hands through her hair as she avoided eye contact.

  “Yes,” Keisha and Lenny answered in unison as soon as I looked at them.

  Koko rolled her eyes. “Fine! He may have been walking toward the pocket of villas right at the bottom of the hill.”

  “Hmm…so he’s close?” I tapped my chin. “Interesting…”

  “Ugh!” She shoved my shoulder playfully and stood up. “Don’t we need to get ready for that meet-and-greet cocktail party?”

  I pulled out my cell phone and looked at the time. “We still have a couple hours before we need to be there.”

  “Nope.” Koko jumped to her feet. “It’s definitely time to start getting ready. They were done setting up at the golf course club house. And—”

  “And it looked great, by the way,” Lenny interjected, leaning against the wall.

  “Really great,” Koko agreed. “But we saw something and we didn’t know what to make of it.”

  I felt my eyebrows come together in confusion. “What do you mean? What did you see?” My stomach turned as I looked at each of their faces. “Does it have something to do with Julian?”

  “Not necessarily,” Lenny answered slowly, looking at Keisha.

  Keisha sighed. “So, we’re almost positive we saw Lillian.”

  I blinked. “Lillian who?” I snapped.

  As soon as the question was out of my mouth, I heard the attitude in my own voice. My friends looked worried, but calm.

  “Lillian Pierce,” Koko responded. “But—”

  “It couldn’t be her.” Frowning, I shook my head. “She wasn’t invited. Maybe you saw Leah and thought it was Lillian. They look a lot alike.”

  Even though I didn’t want Leah to be at the wedding, Robert Brady refused to budge on her invitation. As a former contestant and finalist, he felt as though her presence was essential—especially because Julian had picked me over her. Although he assured me Leah would be on her best behavior, the only compromise he’d made was that Leah wouldn’t be at the ceremony.

  Koko rolled her eyes. “I know that bitch when I see her.”

  I tried not to laugh, but as soon as the gasping screech of Koko’s giggle burst out of her, I couldn’t help it.

  “Listen,” Keisha started, amusement still in her voice. “Maybe it was Leah, but either way, we just wanted you to know that Lillian…or Leah is walking around. And also…” She looked between the two of us. “Don’t forget that at the end of the day, your men want you and not Leah.”

  “She’s right,” Lenny added, walking over to me and extending her hand. “Now let’s get up and get dressed. You’re fucking hot and you need to remind everybody who the real star of this weekend is.”

  I grabbed her hand and she pulled me up. “I love you guys so much.” I hugged them all. “You’re right. I was pissed about Robert inviting Leah, but like you said, it doesn’t really matter. I’m marrying Julian. She’s only here because Robert wants drama.” I turned to look at Koko specifically. “And if Robert invited Leah to my wedding, we both know it’s likely he invited her to that dinner meeting. You need to talk to him.”

  Koko sighed dramatically. “I’m not making any guarantees, but since I’m going to have to see him at some point this weekend, I promise to try to behave. I love you too much to make a scene.”

  I laughed as we started to part ways to get dressed. I’d just put my foot on the first step when I heard my name being called.

  “Oh! Zoe!” Lenny yelled.

  I walked down the hall and around the corner to find all three of them standing there.

  “So…we may have gotten you a gift.” She crinkled her nose as she handed me big box. “It’s from all of us.”

  “Aww thank you so much! You guys didn’t have to do this!” I took the box and opened it right there in the hallway. “Wow…this is beautiful.”

  The white dress had a sheer lace top with a corset styled bodice and a short satin skirt. It was elegantly beautiful—formal yet informally short.

  The lace pattern looks similar to my wedding dress, but where am I going to wear this?

  “Thank you.” I hugged it to my body before gently putting it back in the box. “What’s this for guys? This is so sweet of you.”

  Koko spoke up quickly. “We just wanted you to feel like a bride all weekend long, so when we saw how much this dress looks like your wedding dress, we knew we had to get it for you.” She smiled excitedly. “Now go try it on so we can see if it fits!”

  “Do we have time? We need to get ready,” I pointed out.

  “This is true,” Keisha agreed. “But as soon as we get back, you have to try it on for us.”

  “Deal!” I embraced each of them, hugging them a little tighter than I had before. “Thanks again.”

  I grabbed the box and bounded upstairs. I stripped and before I could pull out my wardrobe options for the meet-and-greet, I received a text message from Julian.

  I’m sorry these meetings have taken so long. I’m about to meet the tailor to pick up the tuxes and then I’m heading back up the hill. Do you need anything?

  I stood naked in front of the mirror. Turning to the side, I slid my hand over the slight bump.

  “Do we need anything from Daddy?” I whispered. I thought for a moment and then uttered the words as I typed them. “The only thing I need is you. I’m glad your custom silk suit arrived on time. Starting to get ready for the meet-and-greet. Call when you can. I love you.”

  I tossed the phone onto the bed and walked to the closet with the white dress in my hand. I had a few different dress options to wear for the weekend. My eyes kept gravitating to the white one, but for some reason, it didn’t feel
appropriate. My eyes flitted around until landing on the clear winner for the night.

  Pulling out a fitted white top and my black leather skirt, I knew it was the outfit I wanted to wear. Picking out the kind of heels that I’d have to soon retire for the rest of the pregnancy, I dressed and spun around in the mirror.

  Nice.

  Putting my thickly coiled hair in a ponytail, I twisted and pinned it into a giant bun. I put in my large diamond hoop earrings and turned my head from side to side with a smile. Even though I loved the earrings, I only wore them on special occasions.

  My phone had vibrated off and on the entire time I was getting dressed. After slipping on a red and black blazer, I went to my phone. Just as I picked it up, it started ringing again.

  “Hello?” I answered, slipping the villa keycard into my blazer pocket.

  “Hey, come downstairs so I can do your makeup,” Koko directed, slightly out of breath.

  “Why are you breathing like that?” I asked, taking one last look at myself before heading out the door.

  “Just finished Keisha’s makeup and I may have told her that she should have a threesome with Omar and Scott since they are clearly into her.”

  I grabbed onto the railing as I walked down the steps, laughing hysterically. “What?”

  “Yeah, she started trying to splash water on me so I had to run.”

  By the time I made it to her room, I had calmed my laughter down a little, but the moment I opened the door and we made eye contact, I started laughing all over again.

  “I can hear you!” Keisha yelled through the wall, leaving us in a fit of giggles.

  “Okay, okay, okay,” Koko said once we finally let the joke die. “Let me get you TV ready.”

  Ten minutes later, I looked like I was in high definition. Between the smokiness of my eyeshadow and the heavy liner, my light brown eyes were striking—even I couldn’t stop looking at them!—and the red lipstick on my full lips gave my pout added sex appeal.

  I leaned close to the mirror. “You are talented, my friend.”

  Koko changed from her oversized t-shirt with makeup smudges on it to a sexy black dress with blue pumps. Her makeup was flawless and her hair was pulled back, away from her face. When she turned around, the blue portion of her hair contrasted beautifully with her black dress.