The next few days passed relatively quickly. Hannah juggled some important Marketing portfolios at work while simultaneously sorting through a list of London caterers.

It was around 10:00pm and she had not too long reached home from Trini Thursdays with Mikayla and the others. Sitting up in bed, she decided to finish up a report for next week's meeting when her phone chimed. A small smile spread across her face as she read it.

Tariq:
"Thinking about you..."

Even though she had not seen him for a several days, they had not failed to communicate in some way every day. She had invited him over to her apartment on Sunday evening to apologise for the way in which she had walked out on him. He had told her that he understood and was just happy that she had decided to not completely shut him out.

Given how she had rudely left, she had not expected him to accept her apology. In her experience, most men would not have bothered to have any further communication with her after she blew them off. Then again, she should have expected more from him, knowing that she was more than just a fuck to Tariq. He had said as much, both verbally and non-verbally. However, the patience that he had never ceased to amaze her.

Hannah had taken Mikayla's advice to heart. She had decided that she would accept whatever she was feeling for Tariq and just take it one day at a time. The sensation, while foreign to her, deserved to be explored. It had been her plan to spend more time with him during the week.

Unfortunately, her period had arrived and she knew that she could not be in his presence without wanting to feel him inside of her. As a result, she had kept her distance, though she could admit that she was eager to see him again this weekend.

This was yet another first for her. The only person she was ever excited to see was Mikayla. Biting her bottom lip as she came out of her thoughts, her fingers swiftly tapped her phone screen.

Hannah:
"Go on..."

Tariq:
"That's about it... 😉"

Shaking her head as she chuckled, Hannah sent him a middle finger emoji to which he replied with a tongue face before sending another message.

Tariq:
"I miss you..."

Hannah:
"But you just saw me tonight!"

Tariq:
"What can I say, I'm crazy about you..."

Hannah could not deny the warm fluttering in her stomach that she felt when she read his last message. However, she had to stay true to herself and give a typical witty reply.

Hannah:
"Mad out of your damn ass mind indeed lol!"

Tariq:
"Well you know what they say, we're all born crazy,
some just remain that way muhaha!"

Another hearty laugh escaped her as she read his response, she loved that his humour could match hers. There was a permanent smile on her face as they continued to chat via messenger. It would be another hour before they said goodnight.

A soft sigh escaped her as she lay her head back against the headboard, once again surprised at her behaviour. She had not spent this long texting with anyone except Mikayla since she was in secondary school.

"What the hell are you doing to me Tariq Maalouf?" Hannah mumbled softly.

————— ▲ —————

The weekend could not have come fast enough. Damien's parents, Daniel and Sophie, flew in from Paris and they went to the boutique to sort their fittings.

Mikayla has chosen the bridesmaids dresses with the input of those who would be wearing them. She squealed like a little girl as Hannah and the other women came out to model for her. There were seven bridesmaids in total, comprised of friends from work, secondary school, university and one cousin that lived in Brighton.

The dresses were sleeveless A-line gowns with a caviar illusion jewel neckline. There were intricate details along the straps. The pastel lilac coloured chiffon material was flowy and light, and Hannah's maid of honour dress was cut differently from the other girls so that she stood out.

Where the bridesmaid's outfits were A-line in shape, Hannah's dress was a mermaid cut, to match the bride. Mikayla's eyes lit up excitedly as she watched Hannah twirl for her. Once the designer made some additional notes it was time to look at Cynthia and Sophie's outfits.

The mothers of the bride and groom would be wearing elegant sarees, so as to showcase a part of Mikayla's Indian heritage. As the women came out of the dressing room, Mikayla squeezed Hannah's hand in excitement.

The two sarees were stunning, each in similar shades of dark wine as chosen by Mikayla. Both garments were Nivi drape styles sarees with different patterns and designs. Cynthia's was an embroidered art silk while Sophie's was a ruffled art silk. Both sarees were extremely stylish and eloquent with gold accents. The blouses were heavily embellished, while the rest of the garment was enriched with expensive silk and embroidery. Like Mikayla's wedding gown, the sarees had the matching flowers designs embroidered on the drape.

"So perfect!" Mikayla said all teary eyed.

The rest of the Saturday was a frenzied but happy blur of trips to look at wedding supplies, decorations, as well as engaging in talks about menus. All their plans were coming along nicely.

————— ▲ —————

When the Sunday get-together approached, Hannah realised that she was more excited than she had expected.

Damien and Mikayla's penthouse hummed with the joyful sounds of laughter and chatter as family and close friends mingled. An assortment of Caribbean, UK, French and Qatari food was on display on the kitchen counters, where people could easily help themselves buffet style.

During the evening, Hannah and Tariq kept stealing glances between themselves as they sat opposite one another at the large dining room table. Their eyes silently communicated what they could not say out loud. It was beyond obvious that he had missed her dearly, his gaze wandering over to hers any chance that he got.

When Hannah laughed, Tariq found himself being pulled towards her, unable to stop himself from smiling in return. To him, he felt that she controlled all her intricate emotions and hid it behind a beautiful smile.

"Perhaps that is the reason why I find my entire existence bound to her," Tariq whispered as he sipped on his cognac.

Unable to take Tariq's heated gaze any longer, Hannah excused herself to the kitchen. She had been idly day dreaming about what would happen when they got to be alone later when she suddenly felt a pair of arms around her.

"I'd say this Sunday's get-together was one of our best yet!" Mikayla beamed as she hugged Hannah.

"About time you put that over-sized dining-room table to proper use," she chuckled in reply.

Hannah's blue eyes twinkled in remembrance to the time Daniel almost caught his son with a half-naked Mikayla on its surface. Unable to miss Hannah's hidden message about finally using the table for dinning, Mikayla felt her cheeks heat up a bit in slight embarrassment. Clearing her throat, she attempted to divert the attention away from herself and back onto Hannah.

"Have you gotten to speak to Tariq properly since he arrived? Don't think I missed you two making googly eyes at each other." Mikayla asked a mischievous glint in her brown eyes.

"We were not!" Hannah countered scoffing, "And no, we were too busy being well-mannered guests to sneak off and talk privately. I figured I'd just invite him up to my flat when he drops me home tonight."

Mikayla snorted as she teased, "You? Well-mannered? Wow, he really is beginning to rub off on you."

"Hey!" she exclaimed, "I told you that your wedding is my top priority, I wouldn't do anything to mess it up."

"Uh huh!" Mikayla replied not completely convinced.

"It's true! Besides, I don't need your mother ripping me a new one if she caught me and Tariq doing the nasty. You know how scary she gets when she's upset," she shuddered remembering a time Cynthia reprimanded them for something during their university days.

Nodding in response Mikayla agreed, "Fair point, gotta love that Caribbean tongue lashing, whether you're five years old or fifty, they won't hesitate to put you in your place."

The women chuckled a bit as they reminisced. It was clear that the bond they shared was something truly special. They were more than family and Hannah would do anything in her power to see Mikayla happy and vice versa.

Mikayla suddenly asked, "Soooo...is there a reason you're hiding out in the kitchen?"

"I wasn't hiding, I erm just came to get more, uh more wine," Hannah fumbled.

"Riiight, Tariq was staring at you too much huh?" she asked.

Hannah sighed, "Nothing gets past you huh?"

"Nope! At least not where you and Tariq are concerned. Call me Queen Maco! I've been waiting years for you to like someone, so excuse me for wanting to pay extra attention" Mikayla grinned.

"Yay me!" Hannah playfully rolled her eyes before adding, "I swear that man does not know how to be discreet!"

"Eek, I know! The way he looks at you is so... I can't even describe it," she stated.

Hannah sighed softly in response as she remembered the way Tariq's eyes slowly trailed over her. The way he spoke to her without saying a word, causing her skin to tingle as she got aroused. Mikayla saw the facial expressions that danced across her best friend's face and she could not help but bounce slightly in one spot.

Excitedly she said asked, "You're so going to bang his brains out, aren't you?"

"Don't you know it," Hannah responded with a grin.

————— ▲ —————

Hannah and Tariq stepped off the elevator and walked towards her apartment door. His hands had been on her since they exited the car.

"Hurry up and open love, or I won't be held responsible for fucking you against the door," he whispered as he stood behind her.

His hands coming around her waist as his words caressed her ear before he kissed the skin of her neck. She fumbled with her keys, his touches causing her to shiver uncontrollably. They entered into her apartment and slammed the door behind them. She kicked off her shoes as he picked her up in his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist as he walked them towards her bedroom.

"I've missed you so much," he murmured against her lips before kissing her hungrily.

Tariq slowly lowered Hannah's feet to the floor, allowing the front of her body to drag against him. She could feel the hard bulge in his pants as he pressed himself into her. Hannah moaned softly; she had missed him too, but did not voice this. She was certain that he could tell from the way she kissed and touched him, as articulating such things were still new to her.

Their hands moved on their own as they hurriedly undressed each other. Bending his head, Tariq's lips dropped to capture one of her nipples as he sucked it into his warm mouth. Hannah cried out, her eyes closing, she loved the feel of him gently teasing her with his teeth. He played with her for a moment, his mouth switching between each breast.

Once he was satisfied, he dropped to his knees. Tariq then began to playfully kiss the inside of her thighs before his tongue snaked out to lick her skin. Her whimpers sounded needy, but she did not care. Her hands fisted in his hair as she attempted to pull him harder against her.

"I would love for you to show me how much you missed me, but I don't think I could handle it right now," Hannah moaned softly.

Looking up at her, he asked, "So no foreplay?"

She shook her head, "Not this time," her voice a throaty whisper.

"Whatever you desire," he replied as he suddenly stood.

Picking her up from under her thighs, she hooked her legs around his waist while he aligned himself at her centre. It was clear to the both of them that having Hannah's legs wrapped around him as he stood and took her against a wall was definitely becoming a habit of theirs. One that they both seemed to enjoy very much.

Hannah's hands held onto his neck as they kissed passionately. Their moans lost in each other's mouth as he filled her with his hard shaft. She was so hot and tight around him that he had to remain still for a moment. Tariq wanted to go slow, to savour the moment. However, Hannah had made it perfectly clear that she wanted him now. Even if he had plans to try and slow things down, he knew that she would not cooperate.

Tariq groaned softly as her hips ground almost harshly onto him, trying to take him as deeply as she could. Her muscles were gripping him hard as her lips moved against his neck. Hannah's teeth nipped at his skin, marking him, while her tongue licked and soothed.

Her nails were scratching at his shoulders and upper back. Any ounce of self-control that he had left was gone as he could not hold back anymore. Moving them towards the wall, he slammed her against it as his hips started moving faster.

"Yes Tariq! Fuck me!" she moaned out and threw her head back as he thrusted into her, hard and deep.

He gave in to Hannah's ever command, listening to her every plea. He fucked her almost roughly against the wall.

"Like this?" he asked, his breathing ragged as he kept a strong and steady pace.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she cried out with each powerful thrust.

The intensity of their movements illustrated the urgency that they had for each other. Tariq had indeed missed her so much these last few days. His eyes focused on her face as he watched the various expressions that she made. He felt her tighten around him and with perfect timing, he used one of his hands to spank under her ass just as a powerful orgasm tore through her, her screams filling the room.

"I've missed your sounds," he whispered as she shuddered against him.

He waited for her spasms to subside then he grinned mischievously. Tariq slowly but deliberately withdrew his length from her drenched core. She growled, irritated, wanting him to climax as well, but he was on a different mission.

"Why did you stop?" Hannah asked a bit confused.

Smiling Tariq lifted her bridal style and carried her over to the bed and gently lay her down, "Well I figured once you came, you might not be on edge as much."

He hovered over her for a bit as he settled between her thighs. Tariq enjoyed looking at the slight contrast of their different skin tones. Not being able to help himself, his lips found hers, silencing the protest that was about to escape. They got lost in the sensation of the kiss that quickly turned fervent. Hannah's hands fisting in his hair once more as her body writhed underneath him.

Breaking the kiss, he groaned, "Now I can go back to enjoying your body and showing you how much I missed you."

Hannah once again attempted to protest but his lips silenced her once more. With one last gentle bite to her mouth, he lifted his face so that his gaze locked with her.

Tariq's pupils dilated as he spoke, his voice husky, "Once I've finished licking your pussy, I'm going to fuck you all night long so that you won't ever think about running out on me again."

She could not help the gasp that escaped her, his arousing words silenced any further protest. Smirking at her reaction, Tariq began to trail kisses down over her stomach. He was very turned on, and wanted more than anything to keep her legs spread with himself buried to the hilt. However, he wanted her to know that sex with her meant more to him than just about getting off.

To him, sex with Hannah was about the rawest, most intimate and closest form of communication a man and a woman could express. In the past it had been nothing more than satisfying his body's needs. With Hannah though, sex had become so much more.

So, as much as he wanted to fuck her into next week, he was just as resolute in his desire to build a delightful pressure in her by exploring every part of her thoroughly. He wanted to satisfy her like no other man had before, he wanted her to never forget his touch.

Hannah stared at him, her cerulean eyes burning with a look that told him that she would not wait forever to have him back inside of her. But, for the moment, he was in control. Tariq winked at her before his hazel eyes closed as his mouth dove in between her thighs.

True to his word, Tariq had indeed ravaged her body all night long. A few hours later, they lay, blissfully spent, next to each other, their skin glowing in the aftermath.

Hannah's head was resting on his chest, she softly said, "Stay the night."

Chuckling softly, his hand idly caressed the upper skin of her back, "Unlike some people, I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

Looking up at him, she softly sighed as Tariq's lips captured hers in a kiss that told Hannah he did not plan on leaving her anytime soon. She trembled slightly, a small part of her acknowledging that she could get used to this.