Carmen laughed, “Jasmine I will give you 100 bucks right now if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t want Blake.”
Jasmine didn’t have to answer because there was a knock at the door.
Jasmine gratefully said, “Come in.”
Blake walked in and took her breath away. God, what was she going to do about this thing she had for him?
Lucy said, “Speak of the devil.”
He smiled and Jasmine thought she would melt.
“Ladies, I need to talk to Jasmine alone. It’s kind of important.”
Carmen smirked and looked to Jasmine for her answer. She was working through her fear but she was still mad at him.
“I’m busy Blake.”
Lucy said, “No, actually you’re not because we were just leaving. Weren’t we Carmen?”
Carmen mischievously replied, “Of course. Your timing could not have been more perfect.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes at Lucy as they began to gather all of their ice cream bowls.
“Good night Jasmine.”
Blake decided that the weekend was too long to wait. He’d gone out to look for her when he saw Derrick kiss her. The jealously that hit him was dangerous. He wasn’t about to waste any more time. He would do this right here and right now. She was about to officially be off the market.
He was sick of her attitude. He knew just how to play his hand. Damon was right. He knew her better than anyone. He was the only one who could put a stop to this nonsense. This space between them was going to end now. He was putting his foot down. He’d let her dictate this game between them for too long.
Blake closed the door behind them.
Jasmine climbed off her bed and headed towards him.
“Blake, you need to leave. I don’t want to talk to you about anything.”
She tried to maneuver around him and open the door. He gently but firmly grabbed her by her arms and shifted their positions. He had her up against her bedroom door trapped with his body. He felt her tremble but he didn’t know if it was anger or fear.
He backed away slightly because he didn’t want his body to betray his intentions before his mouth could tell her the truth. She stared up at him wanting to fight it with everything in her. It really was pointless. She was hopelessly head over heels in love with this man.
“Jasmine, if I hit women you would be the first one I’d deck. Why do you have to be so stubborn?”
The fear of losing him rose up again. She turned her head to break the eye contact.
He gently shifted her face back to his.
“Look at me Jasmine.”
She didn’t respond.
“Look at me.”
She made eye contact.
He said, “I’m sorry about everything. I’m sorry about what I said. I’m so sorry about hurting you. Jaz, this isn’t us. I’m not happy about the way I’ve been behaving. I know you’re not happy with your behavior either. I miss you. I miss us. I need you back in my life.”
Stubbornly she said, “So just like that forget everything that happened and go back to being best friends.”
“Well no not exactly. First you need to apologize.”
She gave him a nasty glare.
“Jasmine you’re starting to tick me off. If I can come in here and swallow my pride then you can definitely suck it up and show some kind of contrition. I mean you’re the one who started this wedge between us in the first place.”
She squirmed. She wanted some breathing room. He had her trapped but she knew he wasn’t going to back off until she confessed it all. What angered her the most is she knew he knew he just wanted her to say it.
She said, “Blake, can you please back up some, you’re…”
“I’m what? Suffocating you? Well that’s too bad Jasmine because you’re hurting me. So let’s just get to the bottom of what’s going on. Then I’ll back up but not before.”
She wanted to scream.
Irritated he asked, “Why can’t you just apologize? I know you didn’t mean it so what’s the big deal?”
She felt her resistance slipping. She knew fear was a trick of the enemy. She had to put it behind her.
“If I say I’m sorry then I have to tell you why. I don’t think I can do that.”
He relaxed. She was beginning to cave.
“Jaz talk to me. What is going on with you?”
How could she tell him?
“I think you already know.”
His voice was almost a desperate whisper when he said, “I need to hear you say it.”
“Why don’t you say it?”
“Because you’re the one who started this little war and this is how you’re going to wave your white flag,” Blake said.
She rolled her eyes and took a deep breath. It was so lawyerly of him to punish her on a technicality. She stared up into his dark blue eyes.
Nervously she admitted, “I think maybe…lately…well I’ve realized that I might be…okay it’s like this, I think I’m falling in lo…”
She didn’t finish her haphazard confession because his lips were on hers. The kiss caught her off guard. She didn’t have a chance to brace herself for it. His soft mouth so perfectly fit onto hers. She reached up and fisted her hands in his hair.
Blake wrapped his arms around her so tight. The punch he felt in his gut was incredible the moment his lips touched hers. Everything about his world steadied and was starting to make sense again. Her lips were soft, warm and inviting. The fact that she was no longer pushing him away but pulling him into her gave his heart a peace it hadn’t had in a long time. Reluctantly he pulled away. He needed to see her beautiful face to know it was real.
She buried her face in his chest.
“Blake, I am so sorry for everything. Please forgive me for being so mean and stubborn. I was afraid of what I felt for you the only way I could think to deal was to push you away. I wasn’t entirely sure what to do about it. All I could think is that if it didn’t work I would lose you forever. That I could not handle. When I put that look on your face the morning we fought I was so ashamed but my temper was working overtime. Everything happened so fast. There was safety in my anger. I’m so sorry I pushed you away. I will never do that again. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Blake. The night Ahmed died was so unbelievably painful. Then I realized too late what I had done by continuing to push you away. I’m sorry.”
It meant the world to him that she wished she could take that one moment back.
“I gave out some pretty hard blows myself,” he said.
“Let’s never fight again.”
He smiled, “I am definitely on board with that idea. It took 25 years for us to have our first fight. I think we can make it another 25 without incident.” Blake caressed her face. “Jaz, I’ve been in love with you since we were nine. I’ve just been blinded by my own prejudices because I didn’t understand that it was okay to look for love with you.”
“When I realized the same thing it made me sick. So what do we do now?”
He grabbed her face with both hands.
“I’ve waited a long time to do this, so let me do it right this time.”
He gently placed his lips on hers again and kissed her with such exquisite tenderness it made her want to cry. They explored each other through their kiss for a long while. When the kiss was broken she was shocked to see unshed tears in his eyes.
He put his forehead on hers, “Jasmine I love you so much. I don’t want to be just your friend anymore. I want you as my friend, my lover and my future.”
She couldn’t hide her shock. Her mouth fell open. He chuckled.
“You’re so adorable.” He kissed her all over her face. “Jasmine, I love you more than I ever thought I could love another human being. My love for you runs very deep. It’s rooted and grounded in this friendship. It’s more important to me than anything else. It was always untainted and innocent. I never thought for a moment about you in a sexual way, not once. You were just one of my boys, wi
th excellent tits.”
She laughed.
“But that night of your anniversary dinner it’s like once those curls were gone I could see your face so clearly. It was the most beautiful face I had ever seen. That dress made you look like a woman for the first time not just my friend who was always in my baggy clothes. I’ve seen you dressed up before but not like that. Then those lips of yours, I literally couldn’t think. For the first time ever my body reacted to yours. It traumatized the heck out of me. All I could think to do was run.”
She laughed.
He pinched her nose, “Oh so that’s funny?”
She laughed again, “Heck yeah it’s funny because I didn’t know what was wrong with you.”
“I can’t tell you how relieved I was when you came to me that night because it meant that you weren’t with Derrick. The thought of you with him made me insane with jealousy. I have done everything in my power to go back to the way it was before that night, but I can’t. I notice everything you do. Whenever you touch me you’re doing things to me that’s not supposed to come from you. I find myself doubting my abilities to please a woman for the first time ever. I’m stressing because you being a black woman never mattered before. Now I’m nervous about would I satisfy you, am I enough man for you? Will I measure up to her expectations? How am I supposed to approach all that booty?”
She choked on her surprised laughter.
He smiled now too, “Don’t laugh, I’m serious.”
She asked, “What about…what about everything else? Blake this will change everything in our lives and in other people’s lives. What if it doesn’t…”
He put his finger over her lips and said, “Shhh. Tell me how you feel about me. Do you want more than this friendship with me?”
She felt the heat in her cheeks. Did she ever.
She cleared her throat and said, “I never even thought about dating a white guy. It was always ingrained in me by my mother. Treat them fairly but don’t trust them. For me it was bring home a man that looks like your dad. When we were little I really didn’t see your color. You were just this boy that was my friend. Like you said it was so pure and innocent there was no point in even acknowledging other people’s opinions. I just knew that I felt safe with you, that you had my back. Even though you knew the worst of me you loved me anyways. I’ve never enjoyed being with one person the way I enjoy being with you. I always had someone. You always had someone so it never occurred to me to look for anything more. Then that night you got all sexy to take Amber to that thing, with your perfectly tailored tux, I dern near jumped your bones. I was appalled like Jasmine what the hell? Your mouth was driving me crazy.”
He smirked.
“I felt like I violated something sacred. It terrified the crap out of me especially the little twinge of jealousy toward Amber. You know me, I’m not the jealous type, but I couldn’t stand the thought of you in her arms or her bed. I realized that I had been in love with you for a really long time. I honestly was so blind to it because I never thought to look there for love.”
He let out a deep breath. For the first time in months he began to relax.
He laid his forehead on hers.
“I’m just glad this isn’t just a physical attraction but something real.
She laughed, “Now I’m wondering how in the heck I’m going to react to pink body parts!”
He threw his head back and laughed hysterically.
Sober now he looked into those big brown eyes and said, “Jasmine I love you so much it alarms me because I know it can only grow. You’re the woman that gave my father your kidney just so he would have more time to make it right with me. That man treated you worse than any person should ever be. No woman can take your place in my heart. I’m sorry I couldn’t see past my own preconceptions to see it sooner, while true happiness evaded you.”
She responded, “You’re the man who was willing to raise my child as his own. You’re the man who held my hand through an abortion that you didn’t want me to have. You’re the man that held me on every birthday my child never had because I couldn’t stand the guilt. You’re the man that loved me through it all and never judged me. No man could ever love me the way you do. I’m amazed I have the capacity within me to feel what I feel for you. I’m so sorry I let the color of your skin keep you from being loved the way you deserve.”
He kissed her again because it was quickly becoming one of his favorite things to do.
He broke the kiss and whispered, “How much do you want to bet that those three are on the other side of the door trying to listen?”
She laughed, “Can’t take that bet because I believe you’re right.”
He pulled her to his side and snatched the door open. Lucy almost tumbled in but Damon grabbed her with one arm to prevent it. They all laughed.
Carmen screamed, “Oh my God you guys, I’m so happy. We couldn’t exactly hear all the words but we figured the long pauses involved kissing.”
They laughed. This had been a long time coming. Lucy and Carmen hugged Jasmine. Damon gave Blake’s fist a bump. When the girls released Jasmine they jumped into Blake’s arms and kissed him all over his face.
Damon kissed Jasmine, “I’m happy for y’all baby girl.”
“I know, thanks Damon.”
Blake said, “Okay now that we have shared this moment with everybody, I need y’all to find something else constructive to do because me and my lady have a lot of things to uh…discuss.”
Jasmine’s eyebrow shot up, “So I’m your lady now?”
He kissed her hard and said, “Absolutely.”
Carmen and Lucy gushed with oohs and aahs.
Damon said, “Come on ladies. Let me take y’all out for a movie or something. No chick flicks! There is too much romance in the air.”
They laughed.
Blake said to him, “Thanks.”
“Anytime bro.”
Chapter 38: No Time to Waste
Blake grabbed Jasmine’s hand and led her back into her room. He closed the door. He lay across her bed and pulled her down on top of him.
She smirked, “Now as bad as I want you, you know you’re not about to get none right.”
He laughed, “Yeah I know that.”
“Good.”
“I just really want to hold you. It’s seems like forever. It means so much more to me now to be able to put my arms around you knowing that you’re mine.”
He rolled so that they were now facing each other. This was all happening so fast. Jasmine felt like she was trying to catch her breath.
She asked, “Babe, so after our first kiss we’re in a committed relationship with each other, just like that?”
“What? Don’t tell me you want to date me and get to know me to see if we’re a good fit?”
She laughed, “No, but this is just happening so fast. I feel like I’m dreaming or something.”
“Okay, well do you have a problem being committed to me or something? Is there another guy in your life that I have to knock out?”
She rolled her eyes, “No of course not. He wouldn’t last anyways. That much we know.”
He pulled her closer to him.
“You know this could go a lot faster if you would just say yes.”
She gave him a puzzled look, “What are you talking about?”
He looked her deep in her eyes, “Marry me Jaz.”
To say she was speechless was an understatement.
When she found her voice she gasped, “Oh my God. You’re serious aren’t you?”
Without a hint of doubt or disinclination he said, “Yes.”
“Blake isn’t this too fast I mean…”
He kissed her to stop her denial then said, “Tell me Jasmine, what are we waiting for? How much time have we wasted? I’m so ready for this I just had to know that you felt the same way. If you can give me one reason why we should wait I will oblige.”
She gawked at him taken aback. She couldn’t think of any reason. She knew no o
ne would ever love her more. She recognized she would never love anyone else. She believed that she could take him for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health without hesitation. This was so big, but her heart, her mind and her spirit was screaming yes.
She whispered, “Yes.”
His smile was so big it made her laugh, “Really?”
“Yes really, unless this is just a plot to get in my panties?”
He laughed and kissed her cheek, “Well of course it is.”
She laughed. He sat up and dug into his jeans pocket. He pulled out a small black velvet box.
Her eyes got big.
“Oh wow, you really were serious.”
“Jasmine, if Ahmed made me realize anything it’s that tomorrow is not a guarantee. I will not waste another minute of my happiness for anything or anyone.”
He opened the box to reveal a three-carat princess cut diamond in a platinum setting. He slid it on her finger.
She held her hand up to admire it and exhaled, “Blake it’s so beautiful. Oh my God, I can’t believe you did this.”
She looked at him with such love on her face he felt like the luckiest man in all of creation. She kissed him with so much passion it took his breath away. She broke the kiss to catch her breath and to look at her ring again. He laughed. Proud that he’d gotten the ring right.
She said, “I’m struggling right now.”
“With what?”
“With my morals. When a man gives you a flawless three-carat diamond you give him the goodies.”
He laughed hard.
“Girl, you are crazy. I’ve waited all this time. Besides, I know you’d be worth the wait.”
Their eyes met and the love between them took on its own personality. She reached up and ran her hands through his hair. She kissed his temple. It sent a shiver through him like nothing he’d ever felt. He leaned down and kissed her nose, her lips and the scar his father left on her jaw. He kissed her neck. His hands began to roam. Jasmine’s body simply yielded. His touch was electric. It was blowing her mind that it was Blake’s hands that had this effect on her. She’d never felt more completely in tune with another human being.
Color Me Blind (A Divine Love Story Book 1) Page 24