Safe Space (Book 1)

by Tiffany Patterson

“I didn’t even say anything,” I defended weakly.

  “You didn’t have to. Let’s go.” He pressed another kiss to my knuckles before dropping my hand and getting out. Before I could even reach the door handle, Xavier was there pulling the door open, helping me out the car.

  “I can still open doors for you, right?” he joked.

  “Shut up,” I giggled.

  Looking up at him, I reached up to re-tuck one side of his collar that had become untucked. Suddenly, his hand was around my wrist, pulling me into him and pressing those soft-ass lips to mine again. It seemed we’d both forgotten we were standing right outside my father’s home, because this was no innocent peck on the lips.

  “Hey, can you two get a room?”

  I jumped in Xavier’s arms at the sound of a female voice behind us. I pivoted slightly, Xavier still holding onto me, to see Tori trying to look serious, but the laughter swimming in her eyes gave her away.

  “Hey, Tori,” Xavier greeted.

  “Hey, X. Your boy’s been waiting for you. Everyone’s in the back,” she stated, pointing over her shoulder. “I need to catch up with my sister-in-law,” she added.

  I frowned.

  “Cool,” Xavier answered. He gave me another squeeze on the hips before letting me go. He stared down at me, his eyes asking a question I wasn’t quite sure of.

  “She’ll be fine. Go ahead. We’ve got girly things to discuss,” Tori broke up the moment.

  Was that a concerned look he was giving me?

  Reluctantly, he withdrew from me and gave Tori a nod, then headed up the driveway toward the gate that separated the front and back yards.

  “Girl! You know how easily your brother could’ve been out here catching you two making out instead of me?” Tori began as soon as Xavier’s back disappeared behind the gate.

  “That’s probably because your ass was out here snooping, just waiting.”

  “Ouch!” she yelped when I pinched her arm.

  “That’s for telling Marjorie’s ass about Xavier and me to begin with.”

  Her face took on a sheepish expression, and I was glad she didn’t try to lie.

  “Okay, in my defense,” she began, “Marjorie is like a spy or something. She was talking about one thing, asking about you, and it just so happened I said Jay and I saw you the other night at the club and you left with Xavier—”

  “You told her I left with Xavier?” I screeched.

  Her eyes ballooned, shoulders spiked up. “I’m sorry! My bad. She was talking a mile a minute, and the kids were running around, and I couldn’t focus too much on the conversation, and it just slipped out.”

  I stepped back, crossing my arms over my chest, giving her the stink-eye.

  “You can’t be mad at me. I’m the mother of your adorable niece and nephew. And besides, you came with him. It got you another date.”

  “I didn’t want another date,” I claimed through clenched teeth.

  “Oh? Why?”

  I rolled my eyes to the side to see another car pull up. From that angle, I could make out that it was Jamal, and it looked like he’d brought a guest with him.

  “I just didn’t. Anyway, we’ll finish this talk later.”

  Tori’s shoulders slumped in relief at the same time Jamal approached us.

  “What up, beautiful people,” he greeted as he embraced Tori, then me with a kiss on the cheek.

  “Hey, Mal.”

  “This is my friend, Amber. Amber, these are my cousins, Tori and Chanel.” He spoke to the petite woman at his side. She wore a dark pleated skirt that fell well below her knees and a sleeveless ruffled white top.

  “Hi.” She gave a short nod to Tori and me as her hands were full with some dish wrapped in tinfoil.

  We told him everyone was out back and they turned and headed in that direction. I gave Tori a knowing look with my eyebrow quirked. She laughed.

  “Girl, you know how Mal is with these women.”

  “Unfortunately, I do. He reminds me of my father, or worse, his father with his commitment-phobic ass.” My father and Jamal’s father were brothers and had many of the same womanizing traits. For both men, it led to them eventually losing their wives. It just seemed my father fared better than Jamal’s those days.

  Tori and I eventually made our way to the back where my nose was hit by the succulent smell of grilled chicken, beef and pork for tacos along with an assortment of fruit salad, pico de gallo, corn salsa, mango salsa and grilled vegetables.

  “Thought you might want one of these.”

  My eyes closed when the deep, rich and warm voice floated over me from behind. It almost felt like my most comfortable blanket had come to life and wrapped itself around me. Xavier held out a freshly made frozen strawberry margarita. I looked over to see a familiar face behind the bar in my father’s backyard.

  “Is that…?”

  “Joel,” Xavier answered. “He does private parties, and Marjorie hit me up about needing some people to cater this dinner.”

  “Everyone here works for you?” I asked, looking around the spacious backyard at the people preparing the food.

  “Most of them work in one of my spots, but not everyone. You didn’t give Tori too much hell out there, did you?”

  I grinned as I finished a swallow of my margarita before answering. “What makes you think I’d give her hell?”

  A knowing expression covered his face but slowly morphed into a sensuous one as he watched me raise my drink to my lips for another sip. When his lids lowered and his tongue came out to lick his bottom lip, I felt my belly quiver.

  “You have no idea what I’m going to do to you tonight.” His voice was a borderline growl, and I damn near choked on my drink.

  “Xavier!” I scolded, looking around to see if anyone was close by. This was my father’s home! This man couldn’t be saying those types of things out loud like that. Or giving me that look he was giving me.

  He shrugged nonchalantly. “Everyone here can see how fine you are in that damn dress. It ain’t my fault.”

  I had to take another swallow of my drink to cool off the way his words had heated my body. His eyes continued to rove over me as if he knew exactly what was under this dress and wanted to see it again.

  I had to look away. I was doing my best to convince myself I didn’t want this man, at least not anything serious with him. But those damn brown eyes of his and the way his dimple was peeking out as he grinned, knowing he was getting to me, had the seam of my panties moist.

  “Um, have you seen Marjorie or my father?” I asked, avoiding eye contact with him.

  “Yeah, they were inside with Jason for a minute. They’ll be righ—”

  His words were cut short as my father and Marjorie emerged from the back door, his arm wrapped around her waist as if he didn’t want her to get too far from him. Once again, I found myself staring at the couple who seemed to naturally fit together. They made their way around the backyard, greeting the guests.

  “You all right?”

  I shuddered as the warmth of Xavier’s breath kissed my bare shoulder.

  “Y-yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked, more defensively than I meant to.

  “Because you have that look.”

  “What look?” I frowned.

  “That far-off, sad look you get sometimes.”

  I shook my head, denying his words, even though I knew them to be true. “I don’t have a look. I’m just taking in the scenery,” I shrugged.

  He stared at me for a few moments in a way that unsettled me. I waited, but he remained silent, telling me I was lying with just his look.

  “Chanel, you came?” A masculine voice sounded off behind Xavier. He stepped to the side, and my father and Marjorie came into full view. They both appeared to be glowing, and that irritated me even more.

  “Hey, Dad,” I greeted, surprised when he pulled me into a hug. “H-hey Marjorie.”

  “That dress is gorgeous. I was just telling your father how African prints are be
coming very popular,” she greeted, ogling my dress. “Elliott, doesn’t she look gorgeous?” She beamed.

  “Sure does.”

  I tried to hide the surprise on my face when I realized he meant it, and there was no follow-up. He simply let the compliment stand on its own.

  “Thank you.”

  “Chanel, can I speak with you, privately?” my father asked.

  I turned to Xavier, who simply raised an eyebrow and gave me an encouraging nod. Marjorie’s smile fell for a second, but she remained silent.

  “Uh, sure.” I turned, placing my now-empty glass on a nearby table and let my father lead the way. I became even more surprised when he led me through the backdoor of the house and down the long hall to his study. He closed the door behind us and motioned for me to sit in the chair in front of his desk.

  The room was a replica of the office he’d had in our home growing up. Along the far side wall was a shelf lined with legal books and cases. When I was a kid, I’d sneak into his office when he was out, to read through them. I rarely understood the legal jargon, but wanted to feel like I was a part of his world. He’d been taking Jason to the office with him since Jay was a kid. He talked to Jason about his latest clients and how contract negotiations were handled. I wanted to be a part of that world too.

  I dragged my gaze away from the shelf, shaking off those memories, and examined the rest of the room. The huge cherry wood desk that he sat behind in his leather, tufted chair separated us. I glanced at the leather couch on the side opposite the wall with the books, but thought against sitting there. I opted to take a seat in the chair directly opposing my father.

  He hadn’t said anything since we’d entered the room. Now as he sat there, a blank expression on his face, hands clasped, I began to wonder what this was all about. I could only come to one conclusion.

  “Is this about the Wyatt divorce? If so, you can tell Robert to grow up. Of course, I filed that injunction. Any first-year lawyer wou—”

  “Woah, woah,” my father held up his hands. “You’re working the Wyatt divorce?”

  I tilted my head, trying to figure out if he was genuine. I didn’t trust my father, didn’t know him well enough to trust him. I knew he was cutthroat and shrewd when it came to business. I was trying to discern if he’d lie right to my face if it would give him the advantage for a client his firm represented.

  “Your face looks just like your mother’s when you’re deciding whether I’m telling the truth. She did that a lot.” His voice was eerily low and contemplative. His eyes looked at something over my shoulder. This was weird. We never spoke about my mother. Hell, we never spoke, period.

  “No, this isn’t about the Wyatt divorce. Robert is handling that.”

  “Okay,” I breathed out slowly. “So, uh, what is this about?”

  “Are you and Xavier dating?”

  My eyebrows rose dramatically. I hadn’t been expecting that question. “Um, w-we just came to dinner together.” I wouldn’t exactly call this a date that Xavier and I were on, and since we technically hadn’t been on one, I wouldn’t say we were dating. I ignored the tiny voice in the back of my mind that called me all types of liars.

  “Now you’re splitting hairs,” he grumbled. “Are you interested in him?”

  What the hell?

  “We’re friends.” With benefits, the voice in the back of my mind insisted, but I left that last part out.

  “Friends?”

  “Mm-hmm,” I confirmed.

  “I got a glimpse of the way he looked at you out there.” He gestured toward the backyard. “I’ve had some friends like that in my time.”

  “Like Marjorie?” Or any of the countless other women you cheated on my mother with? I pinched my lips together to keep that last thought from accidentally spilling out.

  My father’s sharp gaze honed in on me, assessing me for a long moment. “Yes,” he nodded, “like Marjorie.” Something heavy hung in his voice.

  I remained silent, just wishing for this awkward moment to be over.

  “Chanel, I know I wasn’t the best husband to your mother…”

  You sucked. As a father, too. To me, at least.

  Outwardly, I shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Mom’s gone, and you’re in a different marriage now.” I stood. “It’s water under the bridge.” I admired how cavalier my voice sounded.

  “Okay. Just, uh, be careful. With Xavier, I mean,” he added, taking in my confused expression.

  I nodded, not knowing what he meant by that, or why he would warn me. I didn’t waste much time trying to figure it out, either. Once he stood, I turned and headed straight for the door.

  ****

  Xavier

  “You had a good time?” I looked over to the passenger’s seat to see Chanel relaxed, head against the back of her seat. Large sunglasses covered her eyes, so I didn’t know if her eyes were open or closed. But I knew she wasn't sleeping.

  She sighed before answering. “Strangely enough, I did. I like Marjorie.”

  I got the sense that was hard for her to admit.

  “And the twins are getting so big,” she continued, smiling at the antics of Amalia and Jason Jr.. I smirked as I thought about her taking her heels off to run around in the grass with them. When I pulled up to a stoplight, I looked over her hands that rested on her stomach. For a brief second, I wondered what her stomach would look like, swollen with a baby in it. As soon as the light turned green, I turned back to the road, shaking that errant thought loose.

  “Where’re you taking me?”

  She knew and I knew where we were headed, but I decided to humor her.

  “My place,” I answered, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lips before placing it on my thigh. A surge of happiness shot through me when she left it there.

  “Your place, huh? I don’t even get dessert after dinner?”

  “Why didn’t you eat dessert at your father’s?” I teased.

  “Because I was full. Those carne asada tacos were delicious.”

  “But now you want dessert?”

  “It’s the least you could offer before trying to get under my dress.” Her hand tightened around my thigh.

  I laughed and then asked, “What are you in the mood for?” I’d take her anywhere she wanted to go. The muscles in my lower abdomen tightened when she moaned.

  “Ice cream,” she responded.

  “You keep moaning and rubbing my leg like that, you can have any damn thing you want.”

  “Anything?” she questioned, her voice taking on a seductive note that shot directly to my groin.

  I didn’t bother responding. Instead, I took the highway exit I knew would lead to one of my favorite specialty ice cream shops in the city.

  “Any particular flavor you had in mind?” I asked as I prepared to exit the car in front of the shop.

  “Surprise me.”

  I grinned. “Will do.” I was in and out of the shop in less than ten minutes. Knowing the owner, I was pretty much a regular there. When I got back in the car, the sound of Emeli Sande’s “I’d Rather Not” was coming through the speakers as Chanel sang the words, until she peered up at me. The grin she gave me with excited eyes as she took the bag that held the two Styrofoam cartons of ice cream did something funny to my chest.

  “What kind did you get?”

  “Chocolate and strawberry buttermilk.”

  Her sigh of contentment alone made the little trip worth it. When she placed her hand on my thigh again, stroking it, not in a sexual way, but in an I just want to touch you because I can, kind of way, I knew I was beginning to fall for her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Chanel

  “You gonna run in the morning again?”

  I winced internally at the question. Below the sarcasm, there was a sense of hurt, or maybe I just imagined it. Maybe I was hoping that my early departure after the last time we were in this spot had left him longing for me. Instead of telling him all that, though, I decided on a less revealing co
meback.

  “Depends, are you planning on feeding me in the morning?” I asked, at the same time his big body came to cover me, as I leaned back on his bed in only a pair of panties and matching strapless bra. The dress I’d worn earlier lay sprawled on the floor. Xavier had already brought me one orgasm with his fingers alone, then stood at the edge of the bed, licking himself clean of my essence. That sight alone nearly made me come again.

  “You’ll have to wait and find out,” he responded before taking my lips.

  I opened up completely for him, making room for his body between my legs, and for his tongue in my mouth. I tasted myself on him, and mixed with his pure taste and the chocolate ice cream he’d consumed not long ago, it was the best flavor I’d ever tasted. I moaned into his mouth, relishing everything about the moment.

  “Uhhhh,” I groaned when he pinched my nipple through the fabric of my bra.

  He pulled back, lowering his head to reign kisses down my jawline, neck, and chest, lowering my bra until both breasts spilled out. He didn’t even bother to undo the back clasp, simply pushing it down so both breasts were exposed, and used his mouth to make my already hardened nipples even harder.

  “Xavier, please,” I whined, not even knowing what I wanted him to do, but I wanted him to do something. My entire body was on fire.

  His deep chuckle only served to piss me off. I was wet as a damn riverbed after a torrential downpour, and he was dragging this out. He moved lower, sticking his tongue in my belly button swirling it around the ring. My stomach muscles clenched and sensations shot straight to my pussy.

  “You wet yet?” he teased.

  Again, that damn chuckle and his dimple made an appearance when he heard me growl at his question.

  “Lie your ass down,” he ordered, taking both my arms by the wrists and forcing me back to the bed when I attempted to grab his boxer briefs and pull them down. Shit, that made me even wetter. Slowly his free hand made its way to my panties, tugging them down, revealing my bare pussy in desperate need of attention.

  “Yeah, you’re wet.” He tossed my panties over the edge of the bed and began using two fingers to stroke me, spreading my wetness all around my labia.

  “Xavier, please,” I begged again, my back arching off the bed, my wrists still bound by his hand above my head.