“This is the first time we’ve talked about this stuff, and it sounds like you’re leaving me.” She clutched my shirt and looked up at me. “Are you leaving me, Roman?”
I took her chin in my hands. “No. But I’m not sticking around for some bullshit. Let me be clear. I love you. Either you know who or what you want or you don’t. And if I feel like you don’t, I’m out. Out. Do you hear me?”
She shook her head. “I hear you. But we’re okay, right?”
“We’re okay for now, baby. Sooner or later, you’re gonna have to answer the hard questions.” I pulled back and started to turn away. “I’ve gotta finish setting up out here.” This was obviously as much as we were going to get settled for now. For the most part, I liked to just go with the flow, you know? Like Madere says, “Let go and let God.” But other times, like today, I needed to know whether I was standing on shaky ground or not. We might not have completely settled anything, but she knew where my head was at and I’d learned a little bit more about her insecurities too.
“Wait a second.” She pulled me back and stood on tiptoe. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. It was different, searching and kind of desperate. I pulled back as she tilted her head away, and I opened my eyes. She blinked her eyes open, and my breath caught in my throat. Swear to God she had tears in her eyes. My Jewellen, always so strong, practical, together. Nothing broke this girl down.
I stared as the tears started running down her face. She was crying over me, a regular brother from the other side of town. Not that I thought I wasn’t worth a tear or two but not from this lady, who always kept her head high and her fears hidden. Opening up was something she did rarely, usually late at night or if she’d been drinking. To see this ... this hurt, to know I was the one to cause her this pain. And it kind of threw me, just how much I cared.
“Aw Jesus, Jewel.” I groaned and kissed the tears off her face.
“I don’t want to lose you. Don’t let me mess this up,” she whispered.
“You’re not losing me; you’re not losing me, babe,” I whispered back.
“I’m sorry. I never cry.” If anything, the tears flowed faster down her cheeks.
“Then stop.” I kissed her. “Stop. You’re killing me, baby, stop.” Next thing I knew, I was kissing her like there was no tomorrow. She groaned deep in her throat and matched me, kiss for kiss. Something about this girl likely to drive me right over the edge one day. Right over. I lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. I backed over to the porch and set her down on the patio table before settling in between her thighs.
Both of us forgot about ribs on the grill, friends and family due any minute, Patrick, Jaquenetta, the world. In this moment, none of it was as important as this, nothing was as crucial as the validation of us. She shifted forward and rubbed that chest against me. I slid my hand up her thigh. “Jewellen?” She knew what I was asking.
“God, yes,” she answered, sliding her hands down my chest to my belt buckle, unfastening it and shoving my pants down just enough so she could reach me.
When her hand wrapped around, she squeezed twice and I winced with the sensation. “Ah jeez, okay.”
I bent down to kiss her again as I flipped her skirt up over her knees. Skipping all preliminaries, I shifted her panties to the side and thrust deep.
“Mmm.” We both groaned. The emotion and the passion were running so high, I knew it was going to be quick. Didn’t realize it was going to be so hot. The first time I pulled back, she growled in her throat, grabbed my ass, and yanked me back.
I looked down at her and we shared a damn-this-is-good moment. “Hard and fast?” I asked.
“Quick and dirty,” she answered before I braced my hands on either side of her head and got down to business. This was not finesse sex; neither of us was patient enough for that. It was hot and sloppy, both of us straining as we slammed against each other. I knew I wasn’t going to last long.
“Baby?” Gritting my teeth, I wanted to see how close she was.
“Yes, now, that’s it—ah!”
Feeling her convulsing around me, I let go. It was always better with Jewel, more intense, more everything. I lay on top of her, getting my breath back. “That was nice.”
She arched a brow. “Okay, player, calling that nice was like saying Hurricane Katrina was just a storm.”
Laughing, I rose up off of her and agreed. “True dat. Okay, off the chains, Miss Jewel. But you know this.”
She pulled me back down and placed her mouth next to mine. “I know this.” She was doing this crazy tongue thing when a voice came out of nowhere.
“Jewellen Rose, what are you doing?” I went absolutely still. Pulling back, I looked down at Jewel. She blinked up at me before looking over my shoulder. My girl’s mouth fell open.
“Mom!” she shrieked. I yanked her skirt down, pulled my pants up, tucked a few things in, zipped, and jumped back. Whirling round, I saw an older version of Jewel standing just outside the back gate with a nervous-looking guy, another older woman I didn’t know, Tammy, Aaron, and my brother Beau with Chase.
Jewellen’s mom spoke first. “We’ve all been standing out front ringing the doorbell for God knows how long, Jewellen.” Shit—great first impression here.
I stepped off the porch and walked over. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Capwell-Williams. We were—”
“I think we all saw what you were doing, young man. Might wanna buckle your belt,” she said.
Tammy snickered behind her. Jewel handed me a wet wipe.
I decided to play it off, buckling said belt and wiping my hands with the wet wipe. Smiling, I cleared my throat. “Yes, well.” I thought about extending my hand before going with a nod. “A pleasure to meet you, ma’am. I’m Roman Montgomery.”
“I should certainly hope so. Might as well call me Cleo,” she retorted, returning my nod and raking me up and down with a look that could have cut glass. If it weren’t for the look she was giving me, I would say she was still a nice-looking woman. Pretty. Still looks nice in a cotton shirt and denim shorts.
“Mom.” Jewel had recovered her composure and walked over. “Leave him alone and come sit down.” She hugged her mom and turned to the man. “Vince.” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “I’m glad you could make it.” She reached a hand out for me, and I took it. “Roman, this is Vince Williams, my stepdad.”
I smiled and shook his hand. “Vince.” Lord have mercy. What a way to meet the folks!
She smiled at the other woman and leaned forward for another hug. “Roman, this is Trudy Capwell, my stepmom. Trudy, where’s Dad?” I shook Trudy’s hand too. She was very fly. Long hair perfectly done up, nails on. Nice outfit, sandals that matched her belt. Makeup just so. Wonder how she looks so cool when it’s already ninety degrees out here. She reminded me of an older Renee, always styling and profiling.
Trudy smiled. “He’ll be back; he went round to the liquor store. You know your father—said you never keep good scotch around.”
Jewellen laughed. “If he means hundred-dollar bottles of Chivas, he’s right!”
Cleo shook her head. “That sounds just like Claude.”
There was a brief lull in all the meeting and greeting. Wouldn’t you know that Chase saw it as an opportunity to speak his mind?
“Daddy, I saw you kissing Miss Joo-well! But Uncle Beau told me never to interrupt a man when he’s getting some. Getting some what, Daddy? Hi, Miss Joo-well.” Little Chase didn’t have a shy bone in his body. Tammy snickered again.
I knelt down to catch the little badass as he ran forward. But instead of running to me, he launched himself into Jewel’s arms. Well, damn, I guess I saw where his loyalties lie.
She caught him with a smile, and they shared a kiss. “Hello, LaChayse. Meet my mommy.” He wrapped his arms around her neck and stared at the new people. “Y’all come on out to the deck. Roman, check the ribs, honey.” Halfway over, she threw a glance over her shoulder and smiled. “Hey, Tam, show Aaron whe
re everything is. Oh, and hello, Uncle Beau.” She sent him an I’ll-get-to-you-later look.
Beau smirked. “Hey, chère.”
I grabbed Beau by the neck and dragged him over to the grill with me. “So, what else did Uncle Beau share with my four-year-old son?”
“Teachin’ mon neveu man thangs, ya know, bro?” The thought of Uncle Beau teaching his nephew anything struck a little fear in my heart.
Beau was one inch taller than me, ten pounds heavier, and three and a half years older, and still I thought of him as a little brother. Beau had more of the Cajun in him than I did, played it up for all he was worth, and he was real big on Laissez le bon temps roulez. That “let the good times roll” attitude was his way of life. He wove Cajun French in and out of his conversations, just enough to be charming or exasperating, depending on how you took it. Real good with charm. ’Til I started a company and gave him a job, his primary occupation had been seducing beautiful rich women and living off of them. Women loved Beau. Everybody loved Beau. Hell, I loved Beau, even if he was a pain in the ass. And Beau loved himself that much in return.
Beau was the life of the party. When the party ended, Beau disappeared. I looked at him smiling what Madere called his “corn pone” grin. You knew it was no good for you, but you had a big old helping anyway. I shrugged. Beau was Beau.
“Want a grab a couple beers out of the cooler while I turn these?”
“Yeah, brother, pas de problème.” He pivoted toward the back porch and stopped dead in his tracks. “Qui est cette jolie fille, mon frère?”
“Who is what pretty girl, Beau?” I turned and looked. “Tell me you ain’t talking ’bout Renee?” Renee had just walked in with Gregory. She was fly, as usual. Who the hell wears silk to a barbecue? Soul Sister Fly Girl, dat’s who.
“Renee, hmm? Think I’ll go get that beer now.” He walked away like a man with a plan.
I watched the women watching Beau approach, and I shook my head. Whatever it was about a man that made women stop and stare, Beau had it in abundance. Beyond the 6’4” 230 of it all, Beau just looked like a man who loved women, and women responded to it ... repeatedly and with enthusiasm. The only one who ignored him was Jewel, God bless my baby. From the moment they met, she saw right through what she called the “yada-yada” of Beau. She told him straight out, “Don’t even shovel it this way, playboy. I’ve heard it all before.”
I watched as Jewel opened the Igloo for Keisha and Arthur. Then she came over to me with Chase on her hip. When she reached my side, she handed me a beer. “He’s got nothing on you, player.”
“Oh, yeah?” Baby was starting to get to know my moods and read my mind a little bit too well.
“Except maybe that sexy way he has of sliding those French phrases off his tongue.” She grinned mischievously.
“Comme ça, ma petite douceur?” I let the simple sentence roll from my throat.
She almost dropped Chase. Her eyes went wide and she flushed. “I didn’t know you spoke like that.”
“Ya all right, Joo-well?” Chase fanned her face with his little hand.
“Just a little warm, sweetheart,” she reassured him before turning her attention to me. “What did you say?”
“I said, ‘Like this, my little sweetness?’ ” I grinned at her expression. Women were suckers for a foreign language. No need to tell her that for Madere and Pops, bayou French was their first language; English was secondary. Let her be dazzled by the patois every now and again.
She shifted Chase and looked me up and down. “Standing there with sizzling pork in your hand, talking that talk, mmm, we are gonna need an encore of that patio table action, player.”
I smiled at her. “You liked that, huh?”
“Oh yeah, I liked it a lot. Right up until the woman who gave me birth was a spectator.”
“Definite buzz kill.” She and I shared a laugh.
“When we eating, girl?” Roni Mae had arrived. She ignored Aaron and sat down next to Jewel’s mom.
“Soon,” Jewel said with a smile. “We’ll talk again later, Frenchie.” Jewel set Chase down and sent me the Look. You remember that time-to-get-wild-and-loose thing I told you she does.
“Patrick, I didn’t know you were in town!” Cleo’s voice carried across the yard. The joy in Cleo’s voice was obvious. It immediately set my teeth on edge. Talk about killing the mood.
“Okay, he was SO not invited,” Jewel reassured me.
“I know.” Sooner or later, I was sure I would get over the need to put my fist in Tricky Rick’s face.
Jewel and I turned to look. Sure enough, Patrick stepped out on the porch with Stacie on his arm and Kenneth right behind him with a twelve-pack of beer in his hands.
Cleo sprang up and I watched while she and Patrick hugged like long-lost relatives. I sent a look to Jewel. “Yeah, we’ll talk again later.”
We both sighed deeply. As Beau would say, “Laissez le bon temps roulez.”
18
Not Gonna Sweat It
Gregory—Sunday, September 8, 1:12 p.m.
Yeah, I spotted Captain Trouble when we stepped out onto the porch. Believe it or not, I’d met Beau a time or two before. Back when I was into the club scene, Monsieur Montgomery was a regular. If I hadn’t seen him here, I’d never have connected him to Roman. As different as night and day. Though seeing them side by side, I suppose they did favor each other.
So what was my problem today? Why did I give a damn about the Bayou Romeo?
Hell, I got problems enough with Renee without dropping this zero into the equation. I knew Renee. I might have her wrapped up now, but the first hint of trouble, she would get those eyes to roving again.
Beau was most definitely her type. Type her roving, restless eye would land on. Pretty boy with a little bank behind him.
So what if it described me too? At least I possessed some substance, some sense of responsibility. Look, I was at the point in life where swinging and flinging was a thing of the past. Much as I resisted it—hell, I was tired of the game—I needed to settle my black ass down, start working on the wife and kids angle.
Hey, I had been around enough women to know—Beau was a fantasy come to life for most women. He was 6’4”, light brown skin but not too light, easy smile, and that damn accent. I had witnessed him and that accent in action. He stared right into a woman’s eyes when he talked to her (a little trick I actually use now and again), made a woman think she was the only thing on his mind. But tell me how he had an accent and Roman didn’t. Help me with that fake-assed shit, if you can?
He had that poor-boy-done-good thing down. Didn’t bother him a bit that it was Roman who put in the years and the sweat. He was happy enough to ride along in his wake, collecting a paycheck for whatever he did at Montgomery Design.
And that bad-boy-looking-for-a-good-girl-to-come-save-me act. We had been here only five minutes and I was beyond ready to beat him down. I sighed and decided not to sweat it so hard. Renee walked over to the pool to talk to Jewel, so I turned to talk to Jewel’s mom.
“So, you’re Renee’s beau?” I winced at Mrs. Capwell-Williams’s terminology.
“Yes, ma’am.” I sat down next to her and watched Tammy strip down to her bathing suit. If you could call it that. More like a few carelessly placed triangles of fabric connected with string.
“Call me Cleo, Gregory.”
“Okay, Cleo.”
“How long have you known this group, honey?” We watched as Aaron sidled up to Roni Mae, and she walked away. Besides trying to run shit and act like Mr. Big, Aaron had been cold busted with some little hottie. Roni had kicked him to the curb two weeks ago. Heard her saying she forgot to rescind the invitation or he would not have been here.
I sighed. “Seems like a long time, Cleo. But it’s only been about five or six months.”
“My, my, my! Who are all these beautiful grown-up women in my daughter’s backyard?” A tall man with salt-and-pepper low-cropped hair came in through the back gate.
“Daddy!” Jewel got up and ran over to him, greeting him with a hug.
“Hi, Mr. Capwell!” Stacie, Roni Mae, and Renee called out.
Cleo looked at me. “Gregory, let me tell you something. With some people, one minute seems like an hour. An hour seems like a day. And every day lasts a month and a half.”
I took my eyes off Renee, who was now lounging in a chair with Beau crouched by her side like a leopard waiting to pounce. She wasn’t hardly objecting to the attention.
“Care for a drink, Cleo?” I volunteered, sensing a kindred soul.
“Cleo, is that you up on the veranda?” Jewel’s father belted out.
“Feel I’m gonna need one, Gregory?” she asked me, ignoring her ex-husband’s exuberant greeting.
“Can’t hurt.” We shared a smile. I reached over to the Igloo and handed her a wine cooler before getting a cold beer for myself. I’ve never been a heavy drinker, but that beer sure felt good going down my throat. I had a feeling that one or two wasn’t going to cut it. I was thinking about how to play this whole scene here when Cleo spoke again.
“I like you, Gregory. If things don’t work out with you and Renee, you keep my Jewellen in mind.” She patted my hand.
Rome stepped onto the porch. “I think Jewellen’ll be pretty much tied up for a while.” The expression on his face was grim. I sympathized but I wasn’t getting in the middle of all that mess.
I threw both hands up. Last thing I needed was Roman for an enemy. “Hey, I’ve got my own woman to worry about. Wanna call off your brother?”
Rome quirked a brow. “Beau’s his own man. Besides, Renee’s no fool.”
I refrained from snorting as I watched Beau brush something off Renee’s bare shoulder. I decided to play it cool. Hell, she still had to come home with me, right?
“Hey, Romeo, which one of these ladies is your Juliet?” a smooth female voice said from behind me.
I damn near dropped my beer in my lap. The most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life stood in the doorway. She had on a halter swimsuit and a long silky thing wrapped around her waist. Her hair was long and glossy. Not a weave either. Her eyes were a haunting shade of gold. She was a six-footer, sleek and gorgeous. She glided forward and hugged Rome. She moved sinuously like a ... “Kat. You must be Kat, Rome’s sister. I’m Gregory.” I stood up and took her hand.
Heard It All Before Page 18