Nothing to Lose (BWWM)

Thirty Two

Nothing could have prepared Imani for what she saw when she woke up.

Shifting on the bed, she turned around and was shocked to find Vincent's penetrating eyes watching her intently.

She gave a mental sigh of relief. He was still there.

This wasn't one of her messed up dreams.

He was actually there.

"Morning." Cracking a smile back at him, Imani bit her lip nervously. Vincent reached out and traced her mouth with his thumb, pulling out her bottom lip gently. "Why are you nervous?"

As if she still didn't trust the sight of him in front of her, Imani held onto the hand that was on her cheek. "Because you're here."

Vincent had been watching her sleep and never had she looked more beautiful than when she allowed the sun to first greet her eyes. He had missed the view and most importantly he had missed the feel of her against him.

"I mean this is my house..." He quipped and when he saw Imani not laughing he knew that it wasn't the moment for jokes. He owed her an explanation.

He had been gone for way too long and had made a fool out of himself the night before. A joke was not the best thing to start with.

Needing her closer, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him, his body responding almost immediately to her heat.

"I want to be here," he whispered, tilting his head so that it rested on hers. "Here with you."

"You sure you won't just walk out on me when I turn my back?"

The vulnerability and rawness in her eyes was overwhelming. She was completely bare emotionally - revealing all her cards in that moment. Her emotions, her fears and her feelings for him.

And that's when it all connected for Vincent. What had he been doing?

He had been pushing away the only person who had been there for him through it all.

The one he had pushed to extreme lengths by pulling a disappearing act on her all the time.

He'd behaved in true 'Vincent the asshole' manner and she hadn't deserved any of it.

"Nah." He mumbled against her lips after bringing her head down to close the gap. "I can't walk out on the woman I love, can I?"

Before she had time to process his last few words, he had captured her lips in a sweet, toe curling, mind numbing kiss. It didn't take long for his hands to start stroking her body and she moaned in satisfaction.

It had been too damn long.

"Just for clarification, the woman you love-."

"Is you. I love you, Imani Forde and I'm sorry it took me so long to get there."

Imani could feel her heart soaring as he spoke. He loved her. Nothing had ever sounded so good to her.

He loved her.

"I love you too, mio dolce."

Laughing loudly, Vincent kissed her on the corner of her mouth. This was the first time he had laughed in weeks. Within five minutes of her being awake, she had brightened up his day.

Leaning back until she was straddling him, Imani sighed. "I haven't seen that smile in a while." She mentioned. "Didn't realise how much I missed it till now. It killed me to see you hurting, Vincent. I couldn't help you, I couldn't do anything to make it better, I couldn't-."

"Imani. Imani, look at me." She lifted her eyes to him slowly. "You've been helping me without you even knowing it. I think of you whenever I've put myself in this dark bubble. And when my thoughts do go towards you, it seems to get better." He got this faraway look into his eyes as he thought about it. "I apologise for last night. I didn't want to come back to you in that state but I couldn't keep myself away from you much longer."

"Do you remember what you said?"

Vincent ran a hand over his face as his lips formed a hard line and he nodded. "I wasn't in the best place last night. I think last night was my worst night since she died. I just needed to see you."

"What happened?" She asked worriedly.

Unlike everyone else, when she asked him what was wrong, he told her everything. It all spilled out so easily as he knew she wouldn't judge him, question him or misunderstand him.

So he told her.

Told her about his conversation with Marco that kicked him into thinking about everything. Told her about the conversation with Giovanni that completely threw him and told her how he had drowned his feelings in alcohol for the rest of that night before he came home.

"Vincent, I am so-."

"Don't apologise, you didn't have any part in any of that."

Lacing their fingers together, he let out a deep breath. "I've missed you." She whispered, biting her lip again. "LJ's missed you."

"I've missed the both of you." He admitted.

Making sure their eyes were locked together, Imani squeezed his hand. "What you can offer LJ and I is more than enough. You've given us a place to stay, you've given me multiple chances to prove my worth at the company and we adore you. The fact that you've managed all of that is a lot more than what others have done."

Vincent inwardly groaned in embarrassment. He had hoped with every fibre of his being that she had forgotten all about everything that he had said during the drunken encounter. They were all thoughts that had been stored in the far recesses of his mind. Thoughts that he had never planned on telling her.

"Can we please put last night behind us?"

"You said a lot of stuff that needs-."

"Please." Vincent asked, a little more forcefully. His insecurities were still a box that he wanted to keep closed - if not for a little while whilst he got himself together.

Rolling her eyes slightly, Imani dropped the subject. "You know, someone once said to me 'one day you're going to end up alone and you'll realise it was because of how much of an asshole you were to people'. I did not want to become that person."

"That sounds like something a wise person would say." She mentioned knowingly.

Vincent shrugged. "Nah, she isn't that wise. She likes to think she is but-." He ended in laughter as she delivered light slaps to his chest.

Grabbing her by the arms, he flipped her over so that she was underneath him, squealing and writhing to get free.

Staring up at him, she gasped lightly as his eyes darkened with desire and moved down to her lips.

She had never been happier to see that look pass his face.

"Is LJ still asleep?"

Wrapping her slender arms around his neck, she tightened the hold her thighs had on his hips. "I hope so." Imani mumbled before kissing him passionately.

Every one of her nerves were tingling as she became reconnected with the pair of lips that had been at the forefront of her mind for weeks.

Hot hands smoothed down her body, peeling open the shirt she wore that he had unbuttoned the night before.

He was more than ready for her.

Imani was his kryptonite.

His weakness.

And yet at the same time she was his rock.

His strength.

Opening her legs wider for him, she could feel his need for her and it was laying heavily on her stomach.

Sliding her fingers into the waistband of his sweatpants, she dragged them down low enough to grab hold of his hard length. Her back arched as his mouth latched onto the sensitive spot on her neck that drove her crazy.

Vincent groaned when she wrapped her petite hand around him.

Ripping open a condom that was on the bedside table, he rolled it on and braced himself before burying himself inside of her. The unexpected entrance made Imani yell out but had her seeing stars.


With his breaths now coming out in rasps, Vincent struggled to stay in control as he felt her walls expand and try to get accustomed to him again.

Then he started to move. Holding her hips down and thrusting into her relentlessly as he muffled her screams with his mouth. With every stroke, he pushed her closer to the edge.

Their actions were frenzied - the only thing on their minds was sating the hunger in their bellies that had been there for weeks.

Clutching onto him for dear life, Imani called his name out - her insides quivering as her body exploded in an intense orgasm. Only seconds later, Vincent stilled as his own release hit him, falling beside her afterwards.

When Imani caught her breath, Vincent was drawing lazy circles on her arms.

"What's on your mind?"

"You know I never did finish that drawing of you."

Chuckling, Imani covered their naked bodies with the duvet. "Knowing how it all ended the first time you probably won't ever get to finish it."

Vincent reached for her and pulled her flush against his rigid front. "I'll find time. I'm not going anywhere."

Tilting her head back to look at him, Imani's expression suddenly turned serious. "You sure?"

Planting a chaste kiss on her forehead, he sighed. "Positive. Like I said - this is where I'm supposed to be. Where I want to be."