“I’d like that.”
“I’m outside of Chicago right now, but I’ll be back tomorrow night. Maybe I can come by Tuesday after you get off, if you’re up for it.”
“Tuesday is fine. I’ll come to your office, if you don’t mind.”
The first thing that crossed his mind was that she had something else to hide, but he dismissed it. “All right. I’ll see you then.”
“Okay. Donovan, I’m really sorry and...and I’ve missed you,” Simona added softly before disconnecting.
The sadness in her voice caused his chest to tighten. It dawned on him that he had been selfish and had never stopped to think about how hard it was, working and raising a daughter alone. Remorse filled his heart, and he promised himself that he would make it up to her.
Chapter 13
One hour to go. Simona had been doing a mental countdown since she received Donovan’s call two nights ago, and now that the time had come, she wasn’t sure she wanted to have the conversation. Several scenarios of what he might say cluttered her mind, making her borderline crazy. But at least she’d had the foresight to meet him at his office. That way, she could control the length of time she stayed and get out quickly if need be.
“Simona, are you applying for the job as board cleaner now?” a nurse asked as she passed, chuckling.
Simona stopped, looked up and realized that she had been erasing the same spot for the past two minutes. She jerked her hand down, replaced the eraser and shook her head. Putting Donovan out of her mind, Simona picked up the chart for her next patient and hurried off down the hallway. By the time she had a chance to breathe, her shift had ended and it was time to give the report to the incoming nursing staff.
Simona finished her report, showered and changed into a gold tank top, knee-length multicolored wrap skirt and gold wedge-heeled sandals. She slicked her lips with the MAC Oh Baby Lipglass that she wore only for special occasions, not stopping to evaluate why she was taking so much care with her appearance. At the last minute, she decided to remove the band holding her braids. She finger-combed them, surveyed her look one final time, then headed to her car.
“You look nice tonight, Simona. Going out?”
Simona froze with her hand on the car doorknob. The last person she wanted to see was Dr. Harris. She turned. “Something like that.”
“I guess the rumors were true.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “What rumors?”
“That you’re dating someone.”
“Hmm,” she replied noncommittally. What she did on her off-hours was none of his business.
His jaw tightened. “I’d be lying if I said I wish you the best, so I’ll just say good-night.” Dr. Harris spun on his heel and stalked toward the hospital entrance.
“Good night.” And good riddance. Simona shook her head, got into the car and drove off. Even if things didn’t work out with Donovan, at least she wouldn’t have to be bothered with the good doctor anymore.
The closer she got to Donovan’s office, the more nervous she became. Telling him about Yasmine’s birth was easy. Sharing her past relationship and her fear of the media...not so much. Although he worked primarily in the office, an integral part of his job entailed interacting with the public. If things didn’t work out between them, her greatest worry was that there would be a repeat of the harassment she’d suffered previously. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, go through that again. She parked in the underground garage, took a steadying breath and got out.
Simona took the elevator to the sixth floor and walked down the silent hallway. All the doors were locked except the one at the end. Light from the outer office spilled into the dim corridor. Simona placed a hand on her belly to still the fluttering and took a cautious step inside. The secretary’s desk sat empty, but she heard music coming from Donovan’s office. If she left now, he would never know that she had been there, but she couldn’t make her body obey. Before she lost her nerve, she crossed the floor and knocked on his open door.
He raised his head and slowly stood, his gaze taking a lingering tour up her body.
They stared at each other for a lengthy moment until she said, “Hi.”
Donovan walked around his desk and came to stand in front of her. He caressed her cheek and pressed his lips against hers. “Hi. Have a seat.” Taking her hand, he guided her to a small leather sofa, waiting until she was seated before he sat next to her. “You look exhausted. Long day?”
She nodded. His thumb stroking the back of her hand sent electricity up her arm. Simona gently pulled her hand away so she could gather her thoughts. “Donovan, I—”
He placed his finger against her lips. “Baby, I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you over the last two weeks. Please forgive me.”
His emotionally charged words brought tears to her eyes.
“I let my past overrule my good sense and hurt you in the process.”
“Your past?”
Donovan nodded. “Two years ago, my girlfriend got pregnant. I only found out when the hospital made a follow-up call after she’d miscarried. She had no intention of telling me.” He paused. “I’ve always wondered what it would’ve been like to hold my little girl or boy.”
Simona gasped. She could still hear the hurt in his voice and see the pain in his eyes. “I’m sorry.” She couldn’t imagine keeping that kind of information from the father of her child. “And you thought I was doing the same thing.”
“Yes. When I walked into your house that night...” He trailed off and shook his head. “Why didn’t you tell me, Simona?”
“Donovan, I had planned to tell you that night after the barbecue, in fact. I didn’t say anything initially because I didn’t know where this was headed. I saw no reason to bring it up if we were only going out a few times. But then I didn’t want to stop seeing you, and I worried about how you’d react. Most men don’t want that kind of responsibility.”
* * *
Donovan got up, paced the office, then came back and sat down. “I guess I responded just like you thought. Where’s Yasmine’s father?”
Reaching into her purse, she took out a picture and handed it to him. He studied the smiling young couple—a man in an army uniform with his hand over the belly of a very pregnant woman. He brought the photo closer and realized the woman bore a striking resemblance to Simona, with a slightly lighter skin tone...and she was younger. A feeling of dread crawled down his spine. “Who are they?”
“That’s my younger sister, Yasmine, and her fiancé, Aidan. She was twenty-two.”
“Yasmine? You mean, she’s...you’re not...?”
“No. I’m not her biological mother. Yasmine is my niece. Her parents were killed in a car accident. Aidan died instantly. The police said they found his body wrapped around my sister, as if he was trying to protect her. My sister was seven months pregnant and died in surgery, but they were able to save her baby. The baby spent six weeks in the hospital before coming home. We thought it fitting to name Yasmine after her mother. So now you know.”
Yeah, now he knew. And Donovan felt like an even bigger fool. Why hadn’t he listened to her explanation in the first place? It would have saved them both some misery. “You’re a remarkable woman, Simona. It had to be a big adjustment for you.”
“It was. She’s only been with me for two months. My grandmother was taking care of her, and I went up as often as I could to help. But Yasmine is a busy little girl, and it was getting hard for Nana to chase her around. I was fortunate enough to be able to reduce my hours, and Eve volunteered to babysit, so the transition hasn’t been too bad.”
“What about your parents?”
She snorted. “My parents divorced when I was sixteen and Yasmine nine. I talk to my father every now and again. He lives in Atlanta with his wife. As soon as my sister Yasmine turned eighteen, my mother said
it was time to live her life. She married and divorced twice more and is currently traveling with her newest boyfriend. When baby Yasmine was born, Mom said she had already raised her children.”
“Wow.” He thought about his parents. Under similar circumstances, his mother would move heaven and earth to raise her grandchildren, no matter how difficult it was. They fell silent. There was still one other thing that nagged at him. He lifted Simona’s hand and kissed it. “Simona, that night you said you were trying to protect Yasmine. Is someone trying to take her away from you?”
Simona stood and paced the room, wringing her hands and biting her lip.
Donovan rose to his feet and reached for her hands, his heart pounding in alarm. “Tell me what’s going on, sweetheart.”
“No one’s trying to take her. It’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it?”
“Donovan, remember I told you I like my privacy?” When he nodded, she said, “It’s more than that. Before moving here, I dated a guy who was trying to make a name for himself as an actor. We were introduced by a mutual friend and hit it off pretty well. The first month or two was fine. Then every date became a publicity stunt. He promised things would change, but they didn’t. I got tired of the lies. So I ended it.” She stared up at him with tear-filled eyes. “He spun it to seem like he’d broken up with me and accused me of basically being a groupie. I couldn’t go anywhere without a camera being shoved in my face asking all kinds of horrible questions. After they started showing up at my job, I knew it was time to leave.”
His jaw tightened, and anger surged through his veins. Then it dawned on him. “And you’re worried about my job.”
“Yes,” she whispered, swiping at an escaped tear.
Donovan gathered her in his embrace and kissed her softly. “Even if things don’t work out with us, baby, I would never do that to you. I’m not that kind of man. And my mother would be on the first plane out of Chicago if she found out I disrespected a woman in any way...unless my father got to me first.”
Simona laughed.
“Seriously, though, I won’t let anyone hurt you or Yasmine. I don’t want to give you up, Simona. I can’t. Trust me and take a chance on us.” He was glad to have her in his arms again. Although he should be focused on the conversation at hand, with her soft curves against him, he couldn’t think straight. It didn’t help that the moment he saw her in that sexy outfit he wanted to spread her out on his conference table. He’d expected her to show up in scrubs, but clearly she’d dressed to make a statement. He heard it...loud and clear. She had his full attention.
“I don’t want to give you up, either. But he made my life a living hell, and I can’t go through that again, especially not with Yasmine.”
“Anyone who tries to hurt you will find out exactly what hell is like. I can promise you that.” He meant every word. Thinking about what her ex put her through had Donovan seriously contemplating finding the man and beating him to a pulp. He tilted her chin to meet his eyes. “Trust me, Simona.”
* * *
Simona read the sincerity in his eyes and heard the fierce protectiveness in his voice. No man had ever made her feel as safe as she did at this moment. And he had included Yasmine in his statement. “You don’t have a problem dating a woman with a child?”
“Initially, I did. But actually, I’m sort of attached to her already.” He shook his head. “That big grin did me in.”
She laughed. “Yeah, Yasmine has that effect on people. But I’m surprised by how easily she took to you. She usually requires a warm-up period of several visits.”
Donovan leaned back. “Girl, you’d better recognize. I got it like that. Yasmine knows quality when she sees it.”
Her mouth gaped. “I’m not even going to comment on that. Somebody is a little arrogant.”
“Arrogant, not a day in my life. Confident, yes.” He shrugged. “Just sayin’.”
“Wow, I’m amazed you can remain upright with that big head of yours.”
He picked Simona up and swung her around, and she let out a startled yelp. “I like you, Simona Andrews. We’re going to have so much fun. Starting now.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“Do you know how hard it’s been for me to sit here and not touch you? From the moment you walked into my office, it was the only thing on my mind.”
“What?”
“This outfit. Every time you move, that skirt reveals more and more of your gorgeous legs.” His hand reached inside the opening of her skirt and caressed her thighs. “You obviously came dressed for battle, and I’m waving the white flag, baby.”
His mouth came down on hers, hot and hungry, and stole her breath. His hand moved higher and around to caress her butt. He wound a fistful of her hair around his hand and tugged, gently but firmly, to expose her neck, transferring his kisses there. At the same time, Donovan glided his hand beneath her panties. She shivered and moaned as his fingers probed her slick, wet folds.
“So wet,” he murmured. “Do you know how many nights I’ve dreamed of having you here in my office, just like this?”
“I... Oh.” Surely he didn’t expect her to answer. Not when his mouth and hands were on her. He slid two fingers inside her, and she cried out his name. She shuddered with need and arched against his hand, brazenly riding out his wicked rhythm. Her breath came in short gasps as the pressure built, and she screamed his name. Bolts of pleasure tore through her body.
She trembled uncontrollably and collapsed against him, her legs as weak as a newborn baby’s. Donovan withdrew his fingers, picked her up in his strong arms and sat on the sofa with her cradled in his lap. She felt the hard ridge of his erection beneath her and instinctively rocked against him.
He stilled her hips. “Don’t do that,” he warned through gritted teeth. “As much as I’ve fantasized about taking you on that table over there, I want our first time to be somewhere a little more intimate so I can take my time getting to know every inch of this sexy body. But the second, third time...all bets are off.”
The sensual timbre of his voice made her nipples tighten. “I can’t believe I...we... What if someone came in?” His kisses had her so mindless, Simona had totally forgotten where she was.
“Everybody’s gone for the day and the cleaning crew doesn’t come until nine, so we’re safe,” Donovan said with a grin.
Immediately, she wondered why he knew that. How many other women had he brought to his office? She tried to scoot off his lap, but he held her firm.
“I know what you might be thinking, and that’s not the reason. I work late a lot, sometimes until well past ten, so I know the crew. With Terrence being off, I’ve spent so much time here, I should have a shower and bed installed.” He stood with her in his arms and lowered her to the floor. “You’re the first and only woman to have christened my office. Come on, let me follow you home.”
Simona adjusted her clothes and picked up her purse from the sofa. “Is there a bathroom I can use?”
He turned off the lights and locked the door. “There’s one right around the corner.” He pointed it out and then ducked into the men’s room across the hall.
Donovan was waiting when she came out. “Speaking of Terrence,” she said as they walked down the hall, “why didn’t you tell me who he was beforehand?”
“Because at home, he’s Terrence. Like you, he values his privacy—we both do,” he added pointedly. “We’ve been friends since high school.”
“Wait. He’s the buddy you told me about, the one you helped start his business?”
“Yep. He really liked you. So did Janae. By the way, Janae, Audrey and Karen were concerned about you. Janae wanted your number so I gave it to Terrence. I hope you don’t mind.”
“No, I don’t mind. I really enjoyed hanging out with them.”<
br />
He made sure she was in her car before saying, “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Donovan, you don’t have to follow me home.”
“Purely selfish reasons. See you in a few.”
Simona smiled and pulled out of the lot. Memories of their sensual interlude rushed back to her. “The man definitely knows his way around a woman’s body.” Amen! her inner voice agreed, with a mental high five.
Several minutes later, they arrived at her house. She got out of the car and waited for him to park. It was just past nine, and Yasmine should already be asleep. She unlocked the door and heard happy squeals. I guess not.
Donovan followed her inside. “Somebody’s still awake, from what I can hear.”
“She’s probably waiting for our nightly ritual.” At his confused expression, she explained. “We have to read her favorite book, sing ‘Jesus Loves Me’—a nightly ritual my grandmother started—give her a backrub and kiss her stuffed animals.”
He laughed. “You have to start bedtime thirty minutes earlier to get her in bed on time.”
“Tell me about it.” As soon as Yasmine spotted Simona, she tried to jump out of Eve’s arms.
“Hold on a minute,” Eve said, laughing and placing the squirming little girl on her feet.
Yasmine toddled over as fast as her legs would carry her, almost losing her balance twice. Simona picked her up and showered her with kisses. “How’s my baby?” Usually, Yasmine giggled and buried her face in Simona’s shoulder, but tonight someone else had captured her attention. Looking past Simona, Yasmine extended her arms to Donovan.
“I don’t believe it,” Simona muttered. Although she was happy her niece had taken to Donovan, her feelings were hurt.
“Hey, angel.” Donovan took Yasmine, lifted her high and placed a kiss on her belly. She squealed with delight. He kissed her cheek, and she tried to reciprocate, leaving a trail of slobber on his cheek. “Now, that’s a good kiss,” he said with a chuckle. She smiled and snuggled into his chest. Donovan winked at Simona. “I told you, you’d better recognize.”
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