by Dyanne Davis
He’d tried to get there before anything happened, but hadn’t. That he regretted. Still, he didn’t understand why Heaven hadn’t defended herself.
He touched his hand to her shoulder to turn her to face him. “Heaven, are you okay?” He felt the tremble in her body and worried. “Heaven,” he called to her again softly, “answer me please, you’re scaring me.”
She held her hands out; they were shaking. “Look at me,” she said through clenched teeth. “This shouldn’t have happened. I can take care of myself. I shouldn’t need rescuing. I shouldn’t need a hero. I shouldn’t need you rushing in to save the day.”
Hamid tilted her face up for a better look and saw the flesh on the left side of her face raised, her eye already swelling. “You’re wrong, little one, you did need a hero. Tonight you needed me. Come on,” he said, reaching for her hand, holding on to her as he’d wanted to do a thousand times in the past two weeks since he’d seen her.
He met with some resistance. That much, he’d expected. If he said black, she said white. If he saw rain, she saw sunshine.
But tonight he didn’t want to fight with her. No, tonight he wanted…
Despite his stance over the past month, despite his having called his father to find him a bride, Hamid still wanted Heaven. He gripped her hand more firmly in his own and felt the warmth.
It seemed the short distance to her apartment passed in but a single step. So far, Heaven had not removed her hand. He climbed the stairs still holding on to her. When they were inside, he went to her bathroom and found a towel to fill with ice. When he returned, she was watching him from her one good eye, suspicion on her face. He knew she doubted his motives.
“Why are you being nice to me?” Heaven finally asked.
“What would you have me do? Should I have seen a man hitting you and done nothing? Should I leave your eye to swell even more? It’s ice, Heaven, nothing more.”
He pressed the cold compress gently against her swollen flesh. His fingers lingered on her brown skin and he felt a surge of desire so strong that he was forced into silence.
“You do know that nothing has changed, don’t you?” Heaven asked.
Hamid groaned inwardly, wishing that Heaven’s tongue for one night could also have remained as frozen as she had been when attacked. He smiled.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I just thought of something funny,” Hamid replied, his smile now turning to a full-fledged grin.
“What?” Heaven asked.
“The way to make you stop fighting.” With that, he leaned down and brushed her lips with his. He felt her freeze but she did not order him away so he continued kissing her lips softly, not asking or pressing for the intimacy of his tongue inside her mouth. Now it was he who was trembling.
When he didn’t think he could continue kissing her without deepening the kiss, he pulled away. He heard Heaven take in a breath and could almost see her thoughts.
“Hamid, I’m not changing my mind.”
“I didn’t ask you to. It was merely a kiss. By the way, you taste like mangoes.”
“And I suppose you hate mangoes, but no matter—”
“Goodnight, Heaven,” Hamid said, interrupting what would more than likely turn into a tirade. “I see you’re not any the worse for wear.”
He left, pulling his phone from his pocket as he went down the stairs. “Father,” he said as soon as the phone was answered, “I’m sorry to have put you through so much trouble but I’m calling about the matchmaker. Would you please tell her that her services are no longer required? Fate has provided me with a bride, a most unwilling one,” he laughed.
“The woman that Sassa told us about?” his father asked.
“Yes,” Hamid replied, a bit surprised that Sassa had mentioned Heaven to his family.
“Does this woman love you enough to convert?”
“I have no idea,” Hamid answered, “But I know she’s the one. Fate has dumped her in my lap and besides loving her, I think she needs saving. I want to save her.”
His father laughed. “Of course you do. Satisfy this itch, then return home. And, Hamid, I did not make the call for a bride for you. Your cousin forewarned me. It would have proved quite embarrassing to have two members of the family break a marriage agreement.”
“What?” Hamid asked.
“It seems fate has also found your cousin.”
That was news to Hamid. He and Sassa had always told each other everything. But he asked no questions. The roaming charges were already going to kill him. Instead, he would go home and find the best way to break through Heaven’s defenses. He would marry her and begin his family and, as he’d told his father, he would manage to save her from herself. He would be her hero, whether she thought she needed one or not.
* * *
Heaven woke with a splitting headache and pain shooting through her left eye. She was angry with herself and her reaction last night, or rather her lack of reaction. She’d trained for years and should have been prepared for an attack. She would have been, except she’d been unable to stop thinking of Hamid, of his body sweating as she’d put him through his paces. To put it bluntly, she’d been unfocused and she’d gotten her butt kicked.
Daring to peep into the mirror, Heaven frowned at the swelling, glad that Hamid had been around. She was thankful that the man who’d done this to her was probably looking and feeling worse than she was this morning.
Heaven touched her fingers to the tender flesh. “Ouch,” she moaned. Maybe this was a warning. She knew very well what the problem was. She hadn’t seen or really talked to Hamid in a month. In that time she’d at least admitted to herself that she cared for him, and she missed his not being around.
Their last fight was always at the back of her mind. Hamid had threatened to return to Pakistan to find a bride. If he did, it would be too late for her. She would never see him again. She didn’t want that.
Heaven blamed herself for her disorientation and hated that she’d behaved worse than someone who’d never set foot inside a dojo. Her sensei would be disappointed in her if she told him, which she had no plans to do.
Heaven touched her fingers to her lips. Hamid had told her she tasted of mangoes. She laughed to herself. It was her lipstick. She wondered if she’d ever tell him. He must think she was a fruit farmer. He’d commented so many times how much he liked her lemony scent that she hadn’t dared to change her perfume.
What happened last night wasn’t as much a surprise as it should have been. Him swooping down like her dark knight…That was Hamid, chauvinistic and yet the defender of women. She knew he would never allow her to live it down.
What she was thinking of now was the kiss. She could feel his breath warm and sweet fanning her face, his lips soft and lush, just the right feel to them. She had felt his straining not to push and she had appreciated that. Still, she’d wanted to yank him down and kiss him so hard that she’d forget her own pain and his, kiss him so hard that the thought of finding a bride in Pakistan would be the last thing on his mind.
But she hadn’t done it, because when Hamid kissed her she’d thought of Brandon, and realized the sensei was right. She would have to take care of her feelings for Brandon before she did anything about Hamid. Heaven shook her head; she didn’t want to be in love with Hamid because she was lonely.
Heaven looked at the wet spot on her blouse from the soggy towel and wished that she had more ice. She could also do with a strong cup of coffee.
A knock sounded on her door and Heaven moaned. Who would be so insensitive as to come to her home so early in the morning? Then she smiled in spite of herself, thinking she knew who the early morning caller was.
She yanked the door open without asking who was there. “What are you doing here? And how did you get in?”
“I came to bring you coffee.” Hamid held a tray from McDonald’s with coffee and cinnamon rolls. “Your neighbor was coming out and let me in.”
“Are you here to be my nu
rsemaid?” Heaven asked, trying to keep the smile from her face.
“No, but there is a saying that if you save a man’s life that life belongs to you.”
Heaven laughed; she couldn’t help it. “Number one, I’m not a man. Number two, you didn’t save my life.”
“May I come in?”
She moved aside and held the door open. “Sure, come on in.” She snatched the pastry from the cardboard box and took a bite. “Hamid, I have a strange question to ask you. Have you ever thought you heard my voice in your head?” His eyes narrowed and she thought he was going to call her crazy but he didn’t.
“All the time, Heaven. Since the moment I first met you in the hospital, I have heard your voice in my head.” He sat at the table, removed the lid from the coffee, and slanted his eyes toward her. “And since then, I’ve been trying to get rid of the sound.”
Heaven blinked. “Why?”
“Do you like my voice in your head?”
“I never said I heard yours.”
“You didn’t have to. Now, are you going to answer the question?” Hamid took a sip of coffee and waited.
“I’ve wondered what it meant. You’ve annoyed me, amused me, and…”
“And stirred your passion, but because of some silly rule you made for yourself to only date black men, you think you have to save face with your girlfriends and ignore what your heart is telling you.”
He moved his hand toward her arm. “We’re both black, Heaven.”
“But there is only one of us who’s allowed to have a harem. I won’t be a part of that.”
“Heaven, you say the silliest things. You know nothing about me really, about my culture, yet you constantly spout off all of these facts as though you’ve lived the life.” He peered intently at her. “You haven’t, have you, Heaven?”
Heaven pulled her hand away. “You do the same, Hamid. You asked me if all American women were whores. You had judged us in your mind before you even came to this country. You were also guilty of being ignorant and biased.”
“Guilty as charged,” Hamid smiled. “We’ve been acquainted for many months. Now, don’t you think it’s time the two of us stop playing these silly games and really get to know each other?”
“Maybe after you answer one question for me. Are you allowed to have harems?”
“Me personally or Muslim men in general?”
“Both.”
“I’m allowed because I can afford it. But what man would want more than one wife, unless there were good reasons for it? Look at us. We fight constantly. Do you think I would want to do that with more than one wife?”
“I don’t think Muslim men marry women for their conversation.”
Hamid took a slow sip of the coffee. “You’re wrong, Heaven, it’s not about the sex. The prophet Mohammed instituted what you in this country call polygamy in order to protect the women who were without men to protect them. If a man cannot provide for more than one wife, then he shouldn’t have more than one.”
“Why did the prophet think women needed to be protected? Perhaps if rights had been given they wouldn’t have needed it.”
“All women need protecting, Heaven, even in this century. Whether you like it or not, the fact is that women on the whole are not physically as strong as men. Take last night, for instance—”
“I wondered how long it would take for you to bring that up.”
“As I was saying, you can handle yourself when you’re in a ring and can see your opponent. You could have easily kicked that guy’s butt, but you froze. You needed a man with brute strength last night, not skills, or years of practice, but strength.”
“And you wonder why I won’t agree to date you.” Heaven laughed and looked at him in wonder. “You’re so full of yourself. You’re an arrogant—”
His lips were on hers before she could say another word. He was down on his knees, his arms around her. He was not going to hold back on the kiss, and for God’s sake, she hadn’t brushed. And she didn’t have on lipstick, and she wouldn’t taste like mangoes.
“Hamid, stop, not now.”
“Hush, Heaven, for once in your life just shut up.”
And for once in her life, she did. She shivered as his tongue parted her lips she tasted the coffee and sweetness from the apple Danish and hoped he also tasted the sweetness from what she’d eaten. Heaven gave herself over to the kiss. Her head was spinning. She felt weightless, as though her entire body had melted into a puddle.
She should be doing something other than kissing Hamid as though her next breath came from him. She shouldn’t be sucking on his tongue as if it contained oxygen. He’d just uttered the most ridiculous nonsense she’d ever heard. She didn’t need a man. Heaven moaned. But if he stopped kissing her, she would die.
When the kiss ended, Hamid remained on his knees in front of her. “Let’s get to know each other, Heaven.”
What a silly man. Did he think after kissing her like that she could talk? Heaven nodded her head, it was the best she could do. Then Hamid smiled and she melted again. She wanted him to kiss her again. She swallowed, her eyes fastened on his lips. She sighed, and a low moan escaped her, making her feel embarrassed.
“Ask for what you want.” Hamid whispered softly.
Did she dare? “Kiss me, Hamid.” She dared.
Chapter Nine
It amazed Heaven how quickly her life had changed. She would admit that she was happier now than she’d been in a year and a half. She and Hamid had been redefining their relationship for the past month, trying to see if they could make it work.
Heaven had done as she’d said she would. She was giving Hamid a chance. She’d already been to a mosque with him for the wedding, and now she wanted him to go to a Baptist church with her.
Neither of them said much on the ride to the church or after they’d been seated. Heaven opened her Bible and followed along. She sang hymns, glancing sideways from time to time to see how uncomfortable Hamid was. He didn’t appear to have a problem, but she didn’t ask until they were in her truck and heading to her apartment.
“What did you think?” Heaven asked.
“About the service?” Hamid gave a quick laugh. “Heaven, this is not the first time I’ve been in a Christian church.”
“You didn’t say that you had been.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“You could have said.”
“Why? You have all of these assumptions about me that I allow.”
“Allow? You don’t allow me to do anything.”
“Heaven, please watch the road before you run into something.”
Heaven hit the steering wheel and glanced at Hamid. “This is never going to work.”
“I think it’s working just fine.” He pushed the button to her CD. Heaven’s eyes followed his fingers. Number three, of course.
“Hamid, you always try to use that song to shut me up.” Heaven looked down. “Marvin Gaye doesn’t control me.”
“But he controls your sensual nature and makes you more prone to listen to me.”
Heaven couldn’t help laughing. He was right. She wanted to close her eyes as the music washed over her.
“Better pay attention, Heaven.”
“Then I would suggest you turn off Marvin,” she answered, knowing he wouldn’t, knowing that the moment it was safe to do so, she would lean toward him for a quick kiss. What the heck? Heaven leaned over and smiled as Hamid kissed her.
This was every bit as hard as she’d thought it would be but she was committed to at least giving them a chance. She smiled, wondering how Hamid would react when he found out he’d made some mighty big assumptions of his own. She wouldn’t tell him, not until the time was right.
“Hamid, can you come for dinner tonight? Ongela and Latanya are coming.”
Minute after minute passed without Hamid answering her. She knew he was wondering what she would cook. She could have ended his doubt by telling him she was having catfish, home fries and salad, maybe spag
hetti, but she didn’t.
She started talking to herself. “Ham hocks, greens, baked ham, macaroni and cheese. I wonder what I’ve forgotten?” Heaven didn’t smile, nor did she look in Hamid’s direction. Let him wonder, she thought.
“Of course, I can come. How’s it going with your business?” he asked, switching the subject.
This one Heaven would give him because she was extremely excited to tell Hamid that she had three new clients. Still not enough for her to be able to stop working herself, but she was getting there. Thank God, she had three of the best nurses in the city on the cases. If they did a good job, and they would, Heaven would soon be given more work than her staff could handle.
When they were done talking about her, Heaven remembered that Hamid was still waiting to see if he received his medical license.
“Have you heard anything?”
“I think I’ll tell you when we get upstairs,” Hamid said sadly.
Not another word was spoken until they were in Hamid’s apartment.
“Okay, tell me.” Heaven rubbed his arms. “I’m sorry, you can try again in a few months.”
She was lifted from her feet. “I’m a doctor, Heaven. I did it. I passed. I can return home and work.” He spun her around and around. “My dreams have come true.”
And Heaven’s nightmare had begun.
* * *
It was time to get her life in order. Heaven didn’t know what was going to happen with Hamid but it had little bearing on her decision to put things to rest with Brandon. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t trust her decisions.
Heaven sat in the waiting room of Brandon’s office, ignoring the perky woman who’d taken her place in Brandon’s life. The woman was not to blame anyway. It was Brandon with whom she’d had a commitment, and Brandon who’d broken her trust.
When the nurse called her in, Heaven stuck her arm out woodenly and allowed her to check her blood pressure. She’d given a bogus tale and could barely wait until the nurse left the room.