Omar’s laughter filled the car’s interior. “If that was the case, you shouldn’t have touched her.”
He slanted Omar a look. “What are you talking about?”
“You know exactly what I’m talking about. And don’t bother denying it.”
“I had only planned to...we weren’t supposed to...hell, I don’t know. One moment we’re kissing, the next we’re in my bed. The thing that scares me the most is that I’m setting myself up for her to do the same thing again.”
Omar shook his head. “Who says she’s going to do the same thing? Did she give you any hints that she’s thinking of bailing?”
“No. She said she’s not choosing the job over me.” Malcolm related the conversation he and Lauren had had.
“Sounds to me like you’re the one on the fence, not her.”
“I’m not on the fence.” He wasn’t anywhere near the fence, not when he was the one who’d set the pieces in place. He’d jumped clear over the thing like a professional hurdler. He’d known where they’d end up after that card game—intense, passionate sex. He just hadn’t counted on the emotional pull he would feel.
“Things didn’t go as planned, I take it.”
“No. It was supposed to be just sex.”
“And it wasn’t.” It was more statement than question. “You and Lauren have history, and from what Morgan told me, you were planning to marry her.”
“Morgan talks too damn much,” Malcolm muttered.
“That’s the same thing she says about you. With that kind of history, I’m not surprised by the emotional connection. You dated her for two years and were practically engaged. Strong feelings like that can easily be rekindled under the right circumstances, and maybe these are the right ones.”
He didn’t know if the timing was right or not, but somehow his emotions didn’t care. Malcolm hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Lauren, and that kiss in her office yesterday had done nothing to satisfy the craving he had developed for her. The feelings he now experienced seemed deeper and more intense. “How do I make it stop?”
“Sorry, bro, but there’s no cure. Believe me, I tried. The only thing you can do is surrender and pray things work out this time.”
“We’ll see.”
The signing had already begun when they arrived, and he and Omar took up a position in the back. Lexia looked quite comfortable reading from the book in front of a group of about fifty people. Of course, Malcolm’s family had shown up in force to support her. He spotted Lexia’s parents, her staff from the café she owned and a good number from the college-age crowd. He tuned back in as she shared a recipe from the book and took questions from the audience.
She ended the signing by providing a sample of the recipe she had shared. Malcolm finally made his way to the front, where she sat signing books. “Congratulations, sis.” He kissed her cheek.
Lexia threw her arms around him. “Oh, I’m so glad you made it. How’s training camp going?”
“Grueling,” he answered with a smile, handing her his copy of the book to sign.
She passed the book back. “You’re coming by the house afterward, right?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
Malcolm went to greet his parents. “Hey, Mom, Dad.” He kissed his mother’s cheek and shook his father’s hand.
“How are you, son?” his father asked.
“A little tired, but good.”
His mother patted his cheek. “Make sure you get some rest tonight. Are you planning to stop by Khalil and Lexia’s afterward?”
“For a while.” He glanced around at the mass of people still surrounding Lexia. “If she ever gets out of here,” he said with a chuckle.
“I know. Isn’t it fabulous?”
“It is. I’m going to talk to the Gray clan. I’ll see you at the house.” Malcolm spoke to Lexia’s parents and sought out his siblings. They all stood with their spouses, and the possessive hold each man had on his wife was a stark reminder that he was the last single one standing, something that hadn’t bothered him in the past.
As always, Morgan hugged him first. “Hey, big brother.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Good.” She took his hand and, smiling, placed it on her belly.
Malcolm had no words to describe the emotions that grabbed him when he felt the baby move. The little girl he had been attached to at the hip from birth had grown up and would become a mother soon. “He’s an active little one.”
Omar slung an arm around Morgan and cradled her belly. “He definitely is, especially at night.”
Justin and Siobhan laughed, and Siobhan said, “For real.”
Malcolm glanced Brandon and Faith’s way.
Brandon held up his hand. “We don’t know anything about that. I get good sleep every night. Well, maybe not every night...” He smiled at his wife.
Faith elbowed him. “Brandon!”
“What? Everybody here knows what we’re doing at night, and they’re doing it, too.”
Morgan shook her head. “I see he still has that speaking-without-thinking thing.”
“He’s getting better, but I do have to remind him about it every now and again,” Faith said, rubbing Brandon’s arm.
Brandon placed his hand over his heart, as if wounded. “Hey.”
“I said you were getting better.”
They all laughed and launched into a discussion of one another’s spouses’ missteps. A pang of jealousy hit Malcolm, and he immediately shook it off. What the hell is wrong with me?
He scanned the room and noticed Khalil stood not too far from Lexia with an expression of pride Malcolm had never seen, even during Khalil’s modeling days, when he had received several accolades. An image of Lauren standing in front of a room with her book floated across Malcolm’s mind. Would he be standing by her side? Would their relationship even last that long?
Omar had said Malcolm should surrender and pray things worked out. But to Malcolm, that was akin to playing Russian roulette with his heart, and he had no intentions of coming away with it blown to pieces again. The best thing for him would be to step back for a while, but he couldn’t see that happening any time soon. Just the opposite—he was as anxious for Tuesday to come as a kid waiting for Christmas.
* * *
Lauren sat cross-legged on her bed, so engrossed in her typing it took a moment to hear her cell ringing. She hit the save button and snatched up the phone. “Hey, Malcolm.”
“Hey. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“Nope. Just typing. I can use a break. How was the signing?”
“It turned out well. She had a full house.”
If Lauren ever got her book published, she hoped to have the same success. “That’s wonderful. Do you know whether she published the book herself or had a publisher?”
“I have no idea, but I can ask. She’d probably be happy to talk to you. Do you want me to give her your number?”
Lauren didn’t know if that would be a good idea. If she and Malcolm broke up, would his sister-in-law still talk to her, or would things become awkward? “Um...not yet. I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”
“Fair enough. That kiss in your office Friday wasn’t nearly enough.”
She paused at the abrupt change in topic. “Oh? So what would have been enough?”
“Nothing, until I heard you scream my name. And the next time we’re together, I’m going to make you scream loud enough to be heard back in Phoenix.”
She gasped.
“I’m going to kiss every part of your body, starting at your eyelids, and work my way down to your nose and your cheeks. I’ll spend some time at that little spot on your neck right below your ear, using my tongue, branding you. You remember that spot, don’t you, sweetheart? As I recall, it’s a sensitive area. Do you
think if I stayed there long enough, it would produce a kissgasm?”
Lauren couldn’t answer. She closed her eyes as her nipples tightened and her pulse spiked.
“I think your breasts will be my next stop. They fit so perfectly in my hands. Mmm... I can feel them now as I massage and rub my thumbs over your nipples. Can you feel me touching you, baby?”
She could more than feel it. “Malcolm,” she whispered, her hand going to her belly.
“What, sunshine? You want more? Okay, I’ll give you more. What about when I take them into my mouth? I love how hard they get when I suck and circle my tongue all around them.”
Her breathing increased, and she slid down on the bed, her body on fire.
“I can’t forget how you squirm when I trail my tongue down your belly and to your sweet center. I want to make you wet for me.”
No problems there. She was more than wet, and the throbbing in her core increased. She squeezed her thighs together and clenched her teeth. “I’m—”
“Not yet. You can’t come yet. Not until I taste you. One long stroke, a short one, another long one... I don’t want to miss one drop of that honey.”
Lauren couldn’t take it. She came in a rush of pleasure that left her shaking. A deep moan escaped her, and she gripped the phone tighter.
“I see your kissgasm and raise you a phonegasm. Sleep well and I’ll see you on Tuesday, sweetheart.”
She dropped the phone on the bed and lay there panting, still trying to catch her breath. “I can’t believe he made me come by talking on the phone.” She’d just had phone sex! The man was good. Clearly some things had changed about Malcolm, and she speculated on how many other women had he done that with. She told herself it didn’t matter—they’d been apart for eight years and of course he’d dated other women—but right now she had a hard time convincing herself. Things like this made it difficult for her to keep things moving slowly between them. If she were being honest with herself, Lauren would have to admit that she was falling for him all over again...and hard.
When her body finally calmed, she dragged herself off the bed and ran a bubble bath. She stepped in, rested her head against the edge and closed her eyes. She and Malcolm had only been officially dating less than a month, and she’d already slept with him and tonight...tonight... Just the memory sent her arousal through the roof again. A part of her wanted to call him back and do the same thing to him, but she knew he’d already gone to bed. A smile curved her lips. He wanted to play games? Fine. Come Tuesday, she’d give him a taste—pun intended—of his own medicine.
After her bath, Lauren went back to working on her book, but she had a hard time concentrating. Flashes of that erotic phone call kept intruding on her progress. She gave up forty-five minutes later, powered off the laptop and went to bed.
Lauren woke up the next morning determined to get some work done. She pushed thoughts of her sexy lover out of her mind and, after a breakfast of two boiled eggs and yogurt, settled in with her laptop and starting typing. She spread several books and articles across the table to reference. She also had her graduate thesis, which offered a direct link to the impact of eating habits on performance.
She typed and made notes until her fingers cramped, then reread what she’d written. She made a few changes and, satisfied, decided to pay a visit to her parents.
“Lauren, what a surprise.” Her mother engulfed her in a hug and moved aside for Lauren to enter. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming by? We would’ve waited for you to eat dinner.”
“You didn’t need to wait.” On Sundays, her parents tended to eat dinner around three o’clock, instead of their normal weekday time of six. “Where’s Daddy?”
“He’s in the family room reading some article on optometry.” Her father had worked as an optometrist for almost thirty years, fifteen in his own practice.
“Well, I’ll wait to say hello. I know how he gets when he’s reading.” Lauren smiled. “And I bet you were reading up on the latest in MRI technology, huh?”
“Well, with all these young folks coming in, I have to stay up on what’s happening to make sure I have job security.”
“Mama, you know they aren’t going to replace you. No one can make someone feel at ease going into that little tube as well as you can.” She followed her mother to the kitchen and sat at the table.
Her mother took the seat next to Lauren and waved her off. “You’re just biased because I’m your mama.”
“No, I’m not. I’ve seen you in action, remember?” Her high school had participated in the Take Your Daughter to Work program, and Lauren had seen firsthand how comforting her mother could be with a frightened patient.
“Enough about that. What brings you by?”
“Nothing really. I just wanted to see you.”
“I see.”
Her mother’s penetrating stare almost made Lauren squirm in her chair.
“Are you sure it’s not related to you and Malcolm?”
Why are mothers so perceptive? “Maybe,” she mumbled and slumped in the chair.
“I take it the two of you are back together.”
“How did you know?”
“It was clear as glass the last time you were here. I figured you’d share when you were ready.”
“Things are going so fast, and I’m scared the same thing is going happen again.”
“Lauren, sweetheart,” her mother said, grasping Lauren’s hand, “you can’t move forward if you’re holding on to the past. As for things moving quickly, I’m not surprised. You and Malcolm were very close in college and I’d venture to say that a lot of those feelings are still there.”
Lauren had acknowledged that she still cared about Malcolm the moment she locked eyes with him her first day on the job, but her emotions had taken on a life of their own and she had no idea how to control them. “But what about my job?”
“What about it? Malcolm playing for the team has no bearing on you doing your job. Are there any rules against you dating a player?”
“No.”
“Then just take it one day at a time. Honestly, I thought you two would be married by now and I’d have a couple of grandchildren.”
Her shocked expression met her mother’s amused one.
“I don’t know why you’re so surprised. I think Malcolm is a very special young man. He always treated you with the utmost respect, and that made him a keeper in my book.”
“Gee, thanks, Mom,” she said with a chuckle. “That makes me feel even worse.” She’d always known her mother liked Malcolm, but her mother had never mentioned anything about the whole marriage-and-kids thing. “You may have liked him, but I’m not too sure about Daddy.”
Her mother laughed. “Honey, your father felt the same way. And he was looking forward to season tickets to whatever pro football team picked Malcolm up.”
Lauren burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”
“I thought I heard your voice in here,” her father said, entering and kissing Lauren’s temple.
“Hi, Daddy.”
Her father placed his hands on her shoulders. “Job still going well?”
“It’s going better than I hoped.”
“And how’s Malcolm?”
She felt her cheeks warm. “He’s fine.”
He peered into her face. “That good, huh? Maybe this time I’ll get those tickets.”
Lauren spun around. “Daddy!”
“I told you,” her mother said.
“What? You know that’s my team. Well, unless you can get me some good tickets.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, I need you to put in a good word with Malcolm then.”
Her mother stood. “You want some dinner, Lauren?”
“Yes. It’s much safer than this conversation.” She took in her pa
rents’ pleased expressions, and her anxiety over the relationship jumped up a notch. They would be devastated if the relationship didn’t work out. And so would she.
Chapter 13
Tuesday, Malcolm had originally planned to hang out with Lauren at his place, but after that phone call on Saturday, felt it best they stayed far away from either of their homes. He had no idea what had possessed him to engage in phone sex with her. He’d never in his life done that with another woman. As a result, he’d been grumpy and horny for the past three nights. She was becoming a distraction he couldn’t afford, and he didn’t know how to deal with it.
In the past, he’d just tell the woman he needed some distance to focus on the game, and they hadn’t balked. For those who complained about the lack of time he had for them during the season, he’d swiftly ended the relationships. But he didn’t want to end his relationship with Lauren. And when she opened the door to him wearing another one of those sexy sundresses and a smile that made his heart skip, he knew making any kind of decision would be that much harder.
“Hey.”
He kissed her. “How’d the day go?”
“It went okay. Did you sleep in today?”
“Nope. I rarely sleep in these days.” And he’d been up at the crack of dawn for the past three mornings taking a cold shower. “Hazard of the job, I guess.” He led her to his car and drove them to the marina, where they had dinner before taking a walk.
“I think you have a couple of fans over there,” Lauren said, gesturing with her head to two teen boys staring their way.
Malcolm called out a hello and the teens took that to mean they could approach. He shook hands, answered questions and took pictures with them but made sure none included Lauren. After a few minutes, the excited guys ran off, and he and Lauren continued their walk.
“That was nice of you to stop.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind. You never know what you might say that could affect someone’s life. I remember when I was young and my dad took my brothers and me to a basketball game. I saw one of my favorite players and wanted an autograph. Not only did he refuse, he rudely shoved me aside. I was crushed. It changed my perception of him, and I vowed that no matter what job I had, I would always treat people with respect.”
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