SXL Story Sampler #3 | Yours to Love

Hi, lovers,

Welcome to the SXL Story Sampler. Here’s your chance to dip into stories you might’ve missed. Each feature includes a full chapter (or two) from one of my published novels to inspire your next read.

Check out the prologue of Yours to Love below. ♡

(Copyrighted material)

Before you dive in, please note that this story brings you a mix of arousal, adventure, and unapologetic raunchiness. I invite you to read with an open mind so you can fully experience the passion that unfolds within.

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Ivy Dixon

Prologue

“And no, I don’t want no scrubs. A scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from—“

At the blaring sound of my phone, I paused my performance in the full-length mirror on my bedroom wall and glared at it, squinting my eyes at the screen across the room on the bed.

No Caller ID.

Who the fuck did he think he was fooling?! Not me.

His private calls commenced a few weeks after I ended things between us, a little over four years ago. He called frequently to check on me, always masking his number because he knew I wouldn’t answer otherwise. Unfortunately, our connection was complicated and unnecessary.

Travis Jarod Jamison was a toxic man, and I’d discovered it the hard way during the six months we’d dated. The gag was, I sadly realized it after I’d fallen madly in love with him.

After he had wined and dined me every week.

After he dicked me down so good that my soul left my body and latched onto him.

After he made a lot of promises he struggled to keep.

In only six months, I fell so deeply in love with him that I nearly lost my mind and all the good sense the good Lord gave me.

Why me, God?!

Following his first call of the night, I tried to get back to my nightly routine. I’d just taken a refreshing, warm bubble bath after a long day of responding to emails and following up with my clients; I was ready to dive into my queen-sized bed, and my sheets were fresh from the dryer like the silk pajamas I’d slipped on. I felt so good that I sang and danced around my room to every song that popped into my head… until he called… again… and again.

Snatching my phone from the bed, I answered it with silence. A few seconds, which felt like several long minutes, passed before he spoke.

“Ivy.” Trav’s deep, husky voice gave me chills. Though rough, it remained sensual, caring, and downright alluring.

Damn, I couldn’t stand him, but I loved his stupid ass more than he knew—more than I sometimes comprehended.

“Vee-vee, please say something.”

“Don’t call me that,” I spat, closing my eyes tightly. Vee-vee—the nickname he’d given me the day we met at my brother’s wedding reception four years ago. On that night, I wound up in the middle of his king-sized bed, my legs wrapped around him as he drilled me with deep, passionate strokes.

That man made love to me like he’d loved me his whole life, then had the nerve to question why I wanted to complicate things with a relationship. Not only had I fallen quickly for him, I also didn’t want anyone else to experience him or his dick.

Duh.

“Can I see you?” he asked.

All I could think was, “Why is he like this?” Stuck in his ways.

Travis wanted to do whatever he wanted, when he wanted, and didn’t want to answer to anyone. Not even his Vee-vee, whom he claimed he loved and cared for more than any woman he’d ever been with before.

“You just saw me the other day? At the lounge where your brother proposed to my sister, remember? You were holding hands with that half-dressed prostitute you brought with you.”

Travis chuckled. “Why she gotta be all that?” he asked, and I disconnected. His sarcastic asshole demeanor wasn’t cute anymore. I no longer had the time or strength for it.

He brought another woman around to make me jealous. The lengths men went to get a woman’s attention. Instead of getting their shit together and being authentic, they made a fool out of themselves and the women who loved them.

What a damn shame.

I sighed as he called back. Twice. “What do you want, Travis?” I gave in again.

“To see you.”

“Well, that’s too damn bad.”

“Stop frontin’ and open the door, woman,” he commanded, then hung up.

Stomping toward the front door of my studio apartment, I grumbled under my breath, then abruptly stopped on the mat in front of the door. I sensed him on the other side, the power of his presence trapping me before I laid eyes on him.

Denying him on the phone was easy, but laying eyes on his handsome, dark brown face was challenging. Once his six-six, slender stature came into view, I fell victim to his light brown eyes, a fresh line-up that made his appealing jawline stand out, and the intoxicating cologne that urged me to breathe him in every time I saw him.

It took everything in me not to show out at my sister’s proposal when I saw him in attendance with another woman. We were supposed to have moved on from each other years ago, yet here we were... holding on for dear life.

Be some common sense, Jesus.

I unlocked the door, cracked it open, and looked him up and down.

“Step back real quick,” he said, inviting himself inside and locking the door. “Can we talk?”

“You can,” I said, leading him deeper into my apartment. I tried standing as far away from him as possible, but Travis was quick. He plopped down on the teal, suede sectional and pulled me onto his lap.

“Hang it up,” he said as I struggled to escape his hold. He may have been tall and slim, but he was also strong and resilient, always in control of himself and nearly everything around him. “You don’t have to pretend like you don’t wanna fuck with me.”

“Yes, I do, Trav. I’m tired of these games we play. It’s getting old, and all the push and pull between us is wearing me out.”

“You don’t think it's wearing me out?”

“No, I don’t, because you keep calling and—“

“You pick up every fucking time.”

“Why are you here?” I rushed out of his arms and stood before him with my hand on my hip.

Travis brushed his hand down his face and stood. He circled me and grabbed me from behind. I closed my eyes as he pushed my long, wavy hair aside and kissed my neck.

“I miss you, and I’m tired of pretending like I don’t. I feel low without you, and our short phone calls aren’t enough for me anymore.”

“Yeah, well, tough luck. I wasn’t enough for you when you had me.”

“Bullshit.” He whipped me around and glared at me. “I never had you, Ivy. You wouldn’t allow it. You can blame me for how shit went down between us all you want. I’ll accept it like I have been. But you know you held back on me, Vee-vee. Keepin’ me at arm’s length and only fuckin’ with me when you could handle the emotions that came with it.”

“That’s not…” I stopped talking as tears welled in my eyes. The truth wasn’t pretty, and he’d caught me off guard. “You didn’t want to commit, you—“

“Held back just like you did,” he finished. “I’m telling you I don’t want to do that anymore. So now what? Where do we go from here?”

I scoffed and snatched away from him, taking a few steps back. “It doesn’t work like that, Travis,” I said, snapping my fingers to emphasize. “We aren’t a switch you can flip on and off.”

“I know that,” he murmured, moving toward me as I took small steps backward.

“I’m seeing someone.”

“If you really fucked with Zayne Andrew Harrison, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“How do you know his...” I dropped my head and sighed. There was no use in asking; I should’ve known he’d look into who I was dating.

“If you didn’t constantly miss me the way I miss you, you would’ve stopped answering my calls long ago.”

“It’s just...” My back impacted the wall as he trapped me against it, his arms boxing me in. “It’s not enough.”

“It’ll be more than that,” he murmured against my lips. “Give me a chance to show you.”

Delicately, he kissed the small beauty mark on my cheek—one of his signature moves when trying to get through to me. But I couldn’t give in that easily.

“You had your chance,” I whispered, trying my hardest to hold back from moaning as he glided his full lips across my neck.

“Loan me another one. I promise you won’t need it back.”

He was too smooth for his own good.

“Maybe I’m too old for you. At twenty-nine, you’re still explo—”

Travis laughed in my face. “Woman, those ‘lil four years you got on me ain’t shit. Stop playin’ with me.”

“I don’t trust you with my heart,” I confessed between his soft kisses on my cheek and down my chin.

Travis pulled back and grumbled, “Ouch.” The defeat in his deep, low tone revealed that my confession hurt him. The grimace that took over his mug confirmed it. “I guess I deserved that.”

My emotions were on the verge of overruling me. I stripped my eyes from him and stepped back. Though I still loved Travis, I broke my attachment to him after our split. As he stood before me, I felt everything rushing back—every emotion, feeling, and craving I’d tried to bury.

“You should go. It’s getting late, and I have an early start ahead of me.”

Travis snatched me into him again, his hold on me tighter this time. “It’s only eight o’clock, Grandma.” He cupped my chin and beckoned my glossy brown eyes to his. “But if you say it like you mean it, I’ll go.”

“Don’t—“

“Do you want me to leave, Ivy?”

Gazing into his eyes was a trap I should’ve avoided. As his intense stare weakened my knees and the tough act I put on, I slowly shook my head.

“Use your words,” he said.

“I don’t.” I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply against his chest. “I don’t want you to go,” I whispered as we dropped to the pink, shag rug in front of the couch.

I wasn’t shocked that I’d given in to him or that I spread my legs wide and wrapped them around him, either.

I missed him.

My heart missed him.

My body missed him.

My pussy missed him so much that my clit pulsated to the point it ached for him.

My soul missed how his love and affection catered to and complemented it.

I wouldn’t have been able to deny him if I wanted to; his mere being had a chokehold on me. Funny how my heart pumped accordingly and did what it had to do for me to thrive, yet it belonged to him. If it could’ve, it would’ve jumped out of my chest and clung onto him; my love for him was deep and dramatic.

Lifting the silk top of my pajamas over my head, he threw it over the couch and smirked at my C-cup breasts. He gently sucked a nipple in his mouth as he massaged the other.

I moaned and squirmed as his tongue rolled around my hard nipple. My body and clit tingled, and since my panties were nonexistent, it was only a matter of seconds before my juices flooded the seat of my pants.

I tugged at his belt, noting that his white T-shirt, jeans, and Jordan’s attire hadn’t changed. Though he was always fly, clean, and smelled so good that I wanted to melt against him, he was a simple man who dressed the same every day.

Sometimes, he switched it up with a graphic tee, sweatshirt, and maybe even a pair of Yeezy slides; he also cleaned up nicely when it called for it. But outside of his vast sneaker collection, Travis kept it simple. All the money he made never changed that.

He kissed my chest, then murmured against my lips, “I gotta tell you something.”

“Okay.” I stopped moving and looked into his dreamy brown eyes.

“Contrary to what you or anyone else thinks, I haven’t fucked around with anyone else since we were kickin’ it.”

“In over four years?” I rose on my elbows and rolled my eyes. “Why would I believe that?”

“Because I’ve never lied to you,” he said, and I couldn’t negate. He’d always told me the truth, even when it punctured my heart. “And because it’s taking everything in me not to nut in my pants from just kissing you.”

“The girl you brought to—“

“Are you hearin’ me?” He shook his head. “I haven’t been with anyone else. Won’t even let ‘em suck me up. Been jackin’ my shit to thoughts and memories of you like a fuckin’ loser, Vee-vee.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth and giggled.

Travis kissed his teeth. “For real? It’s like that?”

“My bad.” I cupped his face, admiring his handsomeness and holding back a smile. Rubbing my fingertips through his beard, I said,” I haven’t been with anyone else either. I came close, but I... I couldn’t follow through because...” I dropped my hands from his face. “Travis, you—“

I gasped as his hand slid into my pants, his fingers slowly sliding up and down my wet slit.

“What is it?” he asked.

“You know my body.” I moaned as his thumb teasingly swiped across my clit.

“I’ve mastered it,” he corrected, nearly growling under his breath as he eased a finger inside me.

Pulling his hand out of my pants, he smirked at his finger while staring at my juices coating and streaming down his arm. I grabbed his hand and sucked his finger, moaning as we stared into each other’s eyes.

Unbuckling his belt, I pulled his pants and briefs down and freed his thick, long shaft. I stroked it in my hand, licking my lips as a few drops of precum dripped from the head.

I had to be honest with him and myself…

I missed deep-throating his dick while looking into his eyes. I missed blowing his mind as he stared at me like I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

Travis ran his fingers through my hair, occasionally yanking my head back and biting his bottom lip as I sloppily kissed the head of his dick.

“Let’s get your first nut out the way,” I said, pushing him onto his back.

While placing gentle, wet kisses up and down his rock-hard shaft, I massaged his balls. I’d always loved hearing a man’s moan, but Trav’s low, grumbling moans were in a league of their own. He tried holding back on me, but I knew how to milk him. I knew exactly how to pull him out of his comfort zone and consciousness.

We had a lot in common and knew how to please each other better than anyone else ever could.

Wrapping my mouth around his dick, I swirled my tongue around its mushroom head.

“Shit… Ivy… Hol’ up,” he mumbled, entangling his fingers in my hair.

“For what?” I looked up and asked, stroking his throbbing dick in my small hand; it barely enclosed his pole, which intrigued me every time like the enticing, mouthwatering vein on the side.

“Can’t let you bitch me out like that,” he said, flipping me onto my stomach. I lay flat and anticipated his next move.

“Travis, please—“ My sudden gasp cut me short, then my eyes rolled to the back of my head. My heart raced as my mouth gaped open. I feared not catching my breath, but it would’ve been the most pleasurable death known to man if I failed.

Travis eased himself inside the treat that was ready and dripping for him. The pressure of him filling me up was too much; I wasn’t used to it anymore, especially while I was flat on my stomach with my thighs tightly together.

It’d been a while since my tightness experienced his world-changing inches. It hurt so good that tears filled my eyes.

“You still know how to take it for me,” he whispered, wrapping his hand around my neck.

“Yes.” I panted, eyes rolling to the back of my head as my body convulsed.

“Now that we got your first one out the way...” He positioned me on my back, stroking deeply inside me and kissing my breath away as I moaned in his mouth. “I think it's time I tell you why I’m really here,” he said, grunting and cursing as his warmth filled me.

“Tell me.”

Travis’ deep strokes persisted as he praised me for accepting every inch.

As I dug my nails into his back, he murmured against my lips and said, “I’m in love with you, Good Girl, and I’m ready to prove it to you.”

#end of sample#

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Enjoyed this excerpt and want to know what happens next between Ivy x Travis? Their story is AVAILABLE for your reading pleasure: —> https://bit.ly/yourstolovesxl.

That’s it for now, lovers. ♡