The One He Craves Read online

  The One He Craves

  A. Marie Johnson

  B. Love Publications

  Copyright © 2018 by A. Marie Johnson

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  B. Love Publications

  Here are the details!

  Introduction

  A woman who loves you should never be crossed.

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Up next from B. Love Publications…

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  B. Love Publications - where Authors celebrate black men, black women, and black love.

  To submit a manuscript for consideration, email your first three chapters to [email protected] with SUBMISSION as the subject.

  Here are the details!

  Title: The One He Craves

  Series: The One… (Standalone series)

  Author: A. Marie Johnson

  Genre: Contemporary romance with an urban undertone.

  Synopsis: “You’re bad for me, Nim, because this is crazy and I know I’m playing a dangerous game but I don’t think I could stop now even if I really wanted to. You got my mind all messed up, and I don’t mind it.” —Andretti

  She’s bad for him, he’s bad for her, yet being together seems so right it shouldn’t be wrong… but it is.

  The very thing that should pull Nim and Andretti apart pushes them together and they find themselves unable to escape each other after one night of forbidden desire.

  In another man’s arms is the one place Nim should’ve never been and also the only place she felt she was ever meant to be. Lust at first sight clouds her better judgment and though she knows Andretti is wrong for her in more ways than he is right, she doesn’t want to leave him alone.

  Andretti’s undeniable attraction to Nim went against everything he believed in and also made him imagine things only a man on the verge of love should think. Lust at first sight is the reason he can’t stay away from her and his morals become tested in ways they’ve never been before.

  Life can turn unexpectedly unfair when it gives you everything you’ve always craved in the form of a person you’re not supposed to have. What will happen when the choice that can make Nim and Andretti the happiest is the same choice that can break them down emotionally?

  Introduction

  ***WARNING***

  Y’all know how I am. I have to give you a disclaimer before you dive in. Lately, I’ve been addicted to bad boys with good hearts, so here’s another one. If you’re not OK with explicit language or a gentleman with an extra dose of “bad boy” this might not be the novel for you, but if you love a man who can be a little rough around the edges and still love his woman softly, please read on.

  Also, please note that this is book one of the title series “The One He.” Although the characters to each book will connect in some manner, each book can be read as a standalone.

  Enjoy!

  With Love,

  A. Marie Johnson

  A woman who loves you should never be crossed.

  1

  Nim Cole

  She classy but niggas from the streets her favorite.

  —Dave East

  Britton: Why aren’t you answering your phone or calling me back? You said you would call me before you boarded your flight. What’s going on, baby?

  I briefly looked down at my phone to read the text message Britton sent me and then looked back up at the airline agent. I was almost positive his guilty, cheating conscience was more concerned about my whereabouts than he actually was.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’ve checked every airline. Every flight from Chicago, Illinois to Omaha, Nebraska has been canceled due to the rainstorm passing through.” The woman gave me a weak smile and handed me the piece of paper she printed out moments ago. “Here’s a voucher for a free night at the Motel 6 in Schiller Park. It’s about eleven minutes away and—”

  “Oh no.” I stopped her before she could go any further and handed the paper back to her. “That won’t even be necessary.”

  I did not stay in motels. The setup of them gave me a bad, somebody might sneak into my room in the middle of the night kind of vibe. It was way too easy for anyone to gain access to the guest rooms with the room doors being located on the outside of the building. Fighting off some random creepy man in the middle of my slumber was the last thing I wanted to do tonight and ever in life period.

  “Are you sure? I know it doesn’t sound like the best place to stay but—”

  “I’m completely sure.” I let out a heavy sigh, grabbed my purse and buzzing phone off of the counter, and said, “There is one thing you can help me with, though. I passed up a bar before I got to this terminal. Do you know if it’s still open by chance?”

  Having a drink would help calm my irritated nerves. My mood went straight to the trashcan the minute my flight back home got delayed for a second time. Finding out it wouldn’t be leaving until tomorrow morning was the icing on the already shitty cake.

  Being thrown off schedule was one of my biggest pet peeves because I always planned my days ahead of time to avoid any mishaps. Everything from what I was going to eat when I woke up in the morning down to what I’d be sleeping in by the time I slipped into bed was all planned out prior to it happening. Even the slightest change in my day could instantly shift my mood in a bad direction.

  To put it simply, I hated the feeling of losing control, and when things didn’t go as planned that unwanted feeling crept over me.

  “Oh, yes!” The agent smiled and pointed to the right of where we stood. “It sounds like you’re talking about Jazz Bar located at Gate C19. They’re open until nine-thirty tonight.”

  “Great. Thank you.”

  My phone buzzed again as I walked in the direction she told me to head in, and I finally tapped on the email notification. It amazed me that Britton still had no idea I had access to his emails. Over the past few months, I’d proven to be a lot slicker than his lying, cheating ass thought he was.

  From: Cassandra Brown

  To: Britton Wilson

  Date: Sun, May 15, 2018 at 8:35 PM

  I don’t understand how you can love both of us, Britt. It doesn’t make sense to me, and I’m tired of sharing you. I want you to leave her or I’m done.

  A year ago, reading messages between Britton and his side dip, more properly known as his assistant, would’ve pained me to the point it brought out the ugly cry. You know, the kind of cry that could make your face rival the ugliest gremlin. Now, though, their messages only made me chuckle. And little did Cassandra know, she would have Britton all to herself very soon.

  From: Britton Wilson

  To: Cassandra Brown

  Date: Sun, May 15, 2018 at 8:38 PM

  I don’t know how to explain it to
you, Cass, but I just do. I can’t leave Nim for you, but I don’t want you to leave me either. Damn, things have been going good the way they are. Why are you pressuring me now?

  More chuckles escaped my lips after reading Britton’s reply. He and Cassandra actually really deserved each other. They were both foolish as hell, and I couldn’t deny that I had once been just as foolish too. The truth was, Britton didn’t truly love me or Cassandra. He only loved himself, and his selfishness is what allowed him to knowingly put us both through heartache.

  I should’ve left Britton the moment I found out he was cheating with Cassandra a year ago, especially after he told me his father wouldn’t allow him to fire her from their real estate company, but instead of counting his unfaithfulness as a loss and moving on, I lowered my worth trying to level up my ego. For months, I made it a point to prove to myself and her that he would never leave me, no matter how good she put the kitty on him. I made it a point to prove he was mine, that he belonged to me. In my mind, letting him go would’ve been too much like handing him over to her, and I couldn’t allow her to feel like she’d won. I wanted to prove to both of them I was and would always be the better choice for him.

  Thinking about how silly I’d been to attempt to compete for a man who wasn’t worthy of a good woman’s love made me instinctively rub the tattoo on the side of my ear. It was a constant reminder to myself that I was indeed worthy of being loved correctly. After having experience with a similar betrayal in the past at the hands of someone I thought loved me, I spent so much time wallowing in that familiar hurt that I forgot the most important things I learned the first time around.

  The wrong person for you will never be capable of loving you the right way. And a person who truly loves you will never put you in a position to feel like you are not enough for them. I learned at a very young age just because you love a person doesn’t mean they’re good for you.

  The moment I remembered all of those hard lessons, I was able to shut myself off from Britton emotionally. My heart was too pure to deal with anyone who didn’t have intentions to protect and love it correctly. So in my heart and head, I was already done with Britton, but I had a few loose ends to tie up before I let him know it.

  Placing my purse and phone on top of the bar counter, my eyes danced around the small establishment and took in the mellow scene. I noticed a few people who were scheduled on the same flight I was scheduled on throwing back shots while their pieces of luggage sat idle against the tall bar chairs.

  Before I could sit down, a cute and petite, brown-skinned bartender made her way over to me.

  “Hey, beautiful. What can I start you with?”

  My fingers trailed across the drink menu as I took a seat.

  “I’ll start with a whiskey sour…” I fiddled with the necklace resting on top of my shirt and decided to say fuck it, I might as well go big since I wouldn’t be going home. “Actually, make that two whiskey sours.”

  The bartender laughed and flashed me a knowing smile.

  “Flight got delayed?”

  I laughed a little as well. My face must’ve said it all.

  “How’d you know?”

  “Honey, I’d recognize that upsetting look from a mile away.” She smiled again and began making the drinks. “Two whiskey sours will definitely do the trick for you, though.”

  My attention soon after drifted from her busy hands to my phone vibrating on top of the counter. Britton’s name displaying on the screen caused me to roll my eyes. By now, I was pretty sure he was at Cassandra’s house trying to convince her to stay in a side chick’s place. So what was he blowing my phone up for? He clearly had an imperative task at hand.

  Instead of answering the call, I ignored it again and googled the number for Aloft, the hotel I spent the weekend in, praying they had room availability for the night. There was absolutely no way I would go crawling back for that Motel 6 voucher.

  Hell to the no.

  Relief washed over me when the hotel clerk answered the phone and let me know they did have a few rooms left for the night, thank God, but in the middle of me rattling off my information, a man’s voice interrupted my conversation with her.

  “Aye, you mind asking if they have two rooms available?”

  His voice.

  Good Lord, his voice.

  The sound of it made my body go completely still while a rush of heat coursed through it. I’d heard a lot of good-sounding voices before but none like his. It put me in the mind of… good sex. It was the perfect mix of rough and gentle that was sure to leave you feeling intoxicated and begging for one more round right after you experienced it.

  I wasn’t ashamed to admit it made me want to beg him to please say one more thing.

  “Ma’am, are you still on the line?”

  If it weren’t for the hotel clerk’s soft voice and the phone still being glued to my ear, I would’ve completely forgotten about the call altogether.

  “Yes, yes. I’m sorry. I’m here.”

  My goodness. I was afraid to turn around and meet the man’s face because his voice already had me floating somewhere high in the clouds. His face had to be just as heaven-sent. I knew he was waiting for an answer, though, so I reluctantly turned in my seat to take a look at him. And I’ll be damned if he wasn’t one of God’s greatest creations.

  My gaze settled on his lush, pink lips, and I bit down on my own lip before I, without a second thought, asked the clerk, “Would you happen to have two rooms available?”

  “Uhhh…” The sound of her fingernails tapping against a keyboard could be heard in the background as I waited for her to reply. “Yes, we do, actually. They’re going quickly, though, so we would have to reserve them within the next few minutes. Are you ready to purchase both right now?”

  I nodded my head yes thinking the hotel clerk could see my answer. My mind was completely gone as I stared into the eyes of this fine ass man. It didn’t take long for me to get lost in their golden-brown color. Any irritated feelings I might’ve still had quickly washed away the second my sight landed on them.

  And when he smiled with those perfectly white teeth and spoke to me again…

  “You mind if I take over?”

  I think I died and came back to life. His beg-for worthy smile and voice resurrected me from my momentary departure.

  He didn’t wait for me to answer his question, either. He took the phone from my ear and placed it to his own. The time he took to pull out his wallet and retrieve his credit card was the time I used to survey every inch of him, starting with the top of his head. A green ball cap with a brown strap graced it, and low-cut, curly hair spilled out of the open part of the cap.

  My eyes marveled over the color of his skin next. It was probably my second favorite thing about him, the first being his voice of course. The color of it reminded me of a French vanilla latte, heavy on the milk and cream. Very light and smooth in appearance.

  A pair of expensive looking round-framed glasses sat on top of his typical manly nose. If I had to guess, I’d say they were from the Cartier brand. A neatly-trimmed mustache rested above the full, pink lips I desperately wanted to glide my tongue across. I—without shame—wanted to familiarize myself with his mouth. Was his tongue as sweet as the peppermint I sucked on this morning? Were his lips as soft as they appeared to be, and could they make love to both sets of mine? The dirty thoughts in my head ran wilder and more freely the longer I stared at them.

  And let’s not even get started on his goatee. I had a thing for them, and I could already imagine how good his would feel rubbing against my thighs as he placed warm and wet kisses up and down them. I promise I would put my hand on the Bible any day and swear the best tickles came from a man’s chin hairs and beard. They felt that freaking good.

  The man’s attire was simple, but I was certain he could make anything he wore look kingly. He was only wearing a plain green shirt with two undone buttons at the top, coupled with blue jeans that held a bulge I wanted to explore,
and he looked like hood-luxury. Hood because the tattoos covering the majority of both of his arms painted a story only someone from the hood could tell. Street names, RIP tributes, and praying hands were only a few of the pieces to it.

  It was never hard for me to spot a bad boy. Their aura and swag spoke volumes on their own. Not to mention, they used to be a guilty pleasure of mine as well.

  “Good lookin’, beautiful.”

  Sexy’s voice snapped me out of my naughty, sinful thoughts. At this point, I needed him to stop speaking. My panties were soaked to the max. I didn’t think they could take any more moisture, and a wet spot between my jeans wouldn’t be a good look at all.

  However, that would’ve been too much like right, and my life was currently too much like wrong so he kept talking.

  “I paid for both rooms, so you don’t have to worry about anything but showing up.” He handed my phone back and took a seat on the side of me. “You ever rode in an Uber before?”

  I took a sip… no… more like three, four sips of my whiskey sour before I answered his question. I was in dire need of something to cool my hot body down and the drink did help… a little bit.

  “Yes, I’ve taken an Uber before,” I said and continued to treat myself to more sips.

  Damn near finishing the entire drink.

  Mercy clearly wasn’t on my side tonight because why did he have to go and rub the chin hairs I wouldn’t mind tickling my center? I crossed my legs to calm the tingling sensation stirring between my thighs and rubbed the back of my neck. The room seemed to grow hotter and hotter the longer he was in my presence.