Rashad sat down on the back step leading to his kitchen. The concrete was a bit cold, and Andre got up from next to him and came to take a seat on Rashad’s knee.
Rashad rubbed Andre’s head and circled Andre’s waist with his arm. Andre began to swing himself back and forth by rocking Rashad’s knee from side to side.
“We’re going to have to build you a swing set when it gets warm. Would you like that?”
“Uh-huh. Where will we put it?”
Rashad looked around his yard, which wasn’t very large. “Well, with the barbecue pit going in there,” he said, pointing to their growing tower of brick, “we’ll have to put it over there.” He pointed to the other side of the yard. “We’ll need a table in between for when we use the barbecue.”
“I can have a swing at your house?”
“You most certainly can.”
Andre smiled.
“What should we do for dinner?” he asked Andre. “Do you want to fix something with me, or should we take Mommy out to dinner?”
“Out.”
“Where would Mommy want to go eat?”
“Jelly Belly,” Andre said, his face lighting up.
Rashad laughed. Jelly Belly was a children’s restaurant. “Hmm. I think that’s where you want to go eat,” he said, tickling Andre’s tummy through his parka. “I don’t know if that’s Mommy’s favorite place. But I think we can go there.”
Shaka wandered over to them, and Andre bent over to pet him. When Shaka wandered back into the yard, Andre turned to him.
“Rashad?”
“What is it?”
“Do you know my daddy, too?” Andre asked.
“No, I don’t.”
“He’s mean to Mommy.”
“Is he mean to you sometimes, too?”
Andre nodded slowly.
“That’s not nice,” Rashad said, wanting to tread carefully. “Daddy is a troubled man. And when you’re troubled, sometimes you’re mean to the people you should love. We’re going to try to get Daddy some help. You and Mommy are going to be okay.” He rubbed Andre’s head. “Okay?”
Andre nodded again. Rashad gave him a hug, and, without thinking, he kissed Andre’s forehead.
“Let’s go see if Mommy wants to go to Jelly Belly.”
“Okay.”
Rashad stood, lifting Andre to his hip as he did. He turned toward the door and whistled for Shaka, who came yelping. Funny, Michelle was worried about Andre getting attached to him. Here he was starting to get attached to Andre.
At dinner, the subject of prolonging their stay with him came up again.
“I want to stay, Mommy,” Andre said, joining him.
“We’ve interrupted Rashad’s life enough,” she said to Andre. “He’s missed work. We have him spending money on groceries. We’ve taken over his evenings. And we don’t know how long this can take. We’re out of clean clothes, and we—”
“I’m caught up with work, and I’ve loved having you with me.”
“Can’t we stay with Rashad?” Andre asked.
“We’re going home tomorrow night,” Michelle said. “End of debate.”
Andre pouted, but only until they had finished eating, when he got to play on the slides.
For their last night together, they decided to watch a movie and stopped to get a new one on the way home. Andre picked an animated film about wizards and dragons, and the three gathered on the couch with popcorn.
Halfway through, Andre got down, rounded his mother’s legs and got up onto Rashad’s lap. Rashad left one arm around Michelle and drew the other around Andre’s waist. After the film, they turned to a children’s channel, and by the time the first show was over, Andre had fallen asleep against his chest.
“I think I tuckered him out this afternoon,” Rashad said and chuckled. “We put a few layers on the pit and then straightened out the garage a bit.”
“Thank you for watching him.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I enjoyed it. I enjoy watching over both of you. I wish you would stay.”
Michelle shook her head decisively, and the two rose to bring Andre upstairs to bed.
After he was changed and tucked in, Rashad and Michelle moved into the den to do some more studying and work. Rashad wanted to try to reason with her again about staying with him, but he could tell that she wasn’t going to change her mind. He understood that she wanted to be in her own space and was tired of hiding and whatever else her reasons were, but he also planned to keep a close eye on her, and he was sure he’d be spending some nights on her couch.
He’d never felt closer to a woman before than he felt to Michelle right then, and despite the fact that she was determined to leave, he could tell that she felt close to him, as well. With Andre there, they hadn’t been intimate over the past week, but the intimacy that had sprung up among the three of them had made them feel like a family.
Rashad got in bed late that night, tired from the day. He wished that Michelle was joining him on the California king. Michelle might want her own space back, but Rashad had no intention of letting her go.
Chapter 15
Michelle entered the security code for her alarm on the keypad and turned back into the living room. Rashad had just left after seeing them home and checking out the apartment. Now she needed to get some meat out of the freezer for dinner, get a load of laundry going, get clothes out for the next day and get Andre started on his homework. Her “vacation” was over.
Being at Rashad’s place had made her feel safe. His presence was there even when he wasn’t. And she loved that presence. Now she was a bit on edge again, but she tried not to let that show for Andre’s sake.
She hadn’t actually wanted to leave, but she did need to get on with her life, and there was no telling how long it might take before Lucius was caught. She had started getting used to being at Rashad’s, and Andre had started getting used to Rashad. She liked that, but she didn’t want to force an evolution in their relationship because of her ex-husband’s trifling. And she was interrupting his life, his work, his routine. She could see the black hole in her life spreading into his, and that frustrated her.
She also needed to get back to work and to get ready for her finals and to get her final projects done. And she needed to think about moving once the semester was over. She planned to see the victim-witness advocate again before she decided. If that was what she had to do to keep Andre safe, then it would be done. Being with Rashad didn’t let her consider that possibility as a real one.
Now that he knew about her past and her trouble with her ex-husband, he seemed just as eager to see her as before, but she still felt guilty for imposing her problems on him. He called every day and came by at least every other evening that first week she was home, and he showed no signs of slacking off.
By the next weekend, they had plans. On Sunday they would take Andre with them to run some errands and do some Christmas shopping. It was already December, and with all that was going on, Michelle hadn’t given any thought to the holiday season.
Rashad was on time for their date to do Christmas shopping. He closed her door behind him, and she recoded the alarm. He met her as she turned with a kiss on her lips. The gentle pressure of his lips stopped her in her tracks and sent a flood of warmth through her body. And when Rashad saw the effect that it had on her, a bright smile spread over his face, shading the passion that was in his eyes with victory.
He cocked his head, looking for Andre. Not seeing him, Rashad pulled her against his chest and kissed her again. His thick, soft lips parted hers and his tongue slipped into her mouth.
Michelle felt her breasts graze along his black wool overcoat, and her mouth opened to the warmth of his tongue inside her. She let out an involuntary murmur as another smile covered his face.
He pulled his mouth from hers and moved it to her ear.
“I want you, beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.
That time when he kissed her, her arms went around his neck, and her body pressed against his.
“Soon,” he said. He let out a breath and took her hand, leading her into her own living room.
“Where’s my little rug rat?”
“Getting dressed.” She turned toward Andre’s room and called out, “Andre, honey, are you almost ready?”
“Yes, Mommy.”
“Go to the bathroom and then come get your coat on. Rashad’s here.”
Andre came bolting from his room and ran to Rashad, who lifted him for a hug and set him down next to her.
The affection Andre had for Rashad stirred her, and Michelle rubbed Andre’s head before opening his coat for him.
“Wait,” Rashad said, turning to Andre. “Did you go to the bathroom?”
Andre pursed his lips and then headed back to his room.
Michelle and Rashad chuckled.
“Good catch,” Michelle said. “Thank you for being so good to Andre,” she added.
“Stop thanking me. He’s a sweet kid. It’s easy to be good to him, as easy as it is to be good to his mother.”
Rashad unbuttoned the bottom of his coat, took a seat next to her and wrapped his arm around her. She stopped fighting her temptations and put her hand into his. When he smiled at that, she pulled him toward her by his scarf and kissed his lips. After she pulled back, she set her gaze on Andre’s door and slipped her hand between the open buttons at the bottom of his coat. She found his manhood and moved her palm over it until it was pressing against her hand.
Rashad’s eyes glazed over with a look of pure passion.
He cleared his throat and said, “Very, very soon.”
Michelle laughed at his reaction and withdrew her hand before Andre emerged from his room.
Rashad closed his coat, and they stood. She had on a pair of red denim leggings, a red pullover and her black flats, and she went to pull her long black cable-knit sweater out of the front closet.
Rashad was helping Andre into his coat. He looked over at her.
“Do you need a winter coat?” he asked.
“No, I do not,” she said emphatically, to end any inkling he might be having of shopping for her. “I have one. It’s not cold enough for it yet. And this is a very warm sweater. Hey, if you’re thinking of getting me something for Christmas, you can make up for the chocolate fiasco.”
They both laughed.
“Actually,” she said, “do you have gloves?”
“No, you won’t be getting me gloves for Christmas,” Rashad said. “I want something far more romantic.”
“Hey, whatever you need is romantic,” she said. She added, “What do you consider romantic?”
Rashad’s eyes lit up and he said, “Ask me later, and I’ll definitely tell you.”
Rashad had put on Andre’s coat. Now he picked up Andre like an airplane and spun him around. After that, he settled her son on his hip, ready to go. Michelle adjusted her sweater and scarf, wrapped a scarf around Andre and entered the security code on her alarm. Then they headed outside.
“What’s first?” Rashad asked.
“Groceries are last,” Michelle said. “Hey, who’s driving this time?”
“Do you know your way to the mall in Wheaton?”
The look she gave him made Rashad start to laugh. She continued to give him this look.
“Okay, okay. You drive, but let’s take my car.”
Michelle nipped that in the bud by going to her car, ushering Andre into the booster seat in the back, settling him in and opening the door for Rashad.
“Okay,” he said. “Let’s take your car.”
“First stop?” she asked.
“Well, I need a few things at Wheaton.”
“Just tell me which way.”
At Wheaton Plaza, Rashad had them stop in Kay Jewelers. He was getting his brothers engraved gold ID bracelets like the one he’d gotten for his father. And since gold seemed to be his family theme that year, he had Michelle help him pick out something for his mother. Michelle decided on a gold heart with a flower in the middle; the back of it could be engraved, so it seemed to fit with his theme.
By the end of the day, they had gotten iPods, Kindles or Nooks for all of Rashad’s in-laws, and his older nieces and nephews. They had also gotten speech recognition software for his dad and gift cards for all of the other adults on his list. Michelle was a bit daunted by his extravagance. She had gotten only a silver bracelet for her mom, a wallet for her dad, hair things for Regina and Mrs. Miller and cuff links for Nigel.
“I can’t wait to give you one of my credit cards,” Rashad said to her out of the blue.
“What on earth would make you do that?”
He kissed her briefly and looked at her seriously. “When we’re married, you get to spend my money.”
Michelle’s heart faltered and her breath stopped, but what she said—that is, when she could finally talk—was designed to check such wild fantasies.
“I do all right on my own, actually. I don’t think I would need to spend your money, even if we were married.”
“Not need to but can. And not if but when.”
Michelle shook her head and decided not to enter the fray. She tugged Andre’s sleeve to draw him back in the direction they were going.
After the mall, the next stop was a toy store. Rashad needed to get things for the rest of his nieces and nephews, and Michelle needed something for Sharon and to collect options for what to get for Andre.
After Rashad found toys for his younger nieces and nephews, he and Michelle followed Andre around the store, observing what he picked up, what he played with longer and what he asked for. At one point, Rashad turned to her and gave her the double thumbs-up signal.
“Eureka. I know what I’m getting him.”
“You don’t have to get him anything, Rashad.”
He put his hands up. “Don’t start.”
“Fine. Now help me figure out what to get him.”
“Hey, you’re on your own.”
Michelle swatted at him playfully and continued to follow Andre around the store while Rashad hung back, apparently to get Andre’s present.
Before they finished at the toy store, Michelle got Andre a puzzle and a paint set so that he wouldn’t have to leave a toy store empty-handed. They had pizza at a little Italian restaurant, and Rashad saw them back inside her apartment before taking off. Michelle reset her alarm with Rashad’s kiss still warming her lips.
* * *
The next week, Rashad kept up his routine of calling frequently and of visiting often during the evening. Michelle loved having him with them and being in touch with him, but she hated that he had to worry about their safety, as he was clearly doing.
There had been no further sign of Lucius, but he hadn’t been apprehended. Michelle kept in touch with the police and her lawyer, and she made an appointment to see the victim-witness advocate again once she made it through her communications law final. Outside of his frequent evening check-ins, she’d be seeing Rashad again the following Saturday, which she had off from work.
Rashad picked them up at noon and started by keeping his promise to take Andre to the National Air and Space Museum, where they spent the afternoon. Rashad had gotten them tickets, and they divided their time between the historic aircraft and the spacecraft, with a 3-D movie in the middle.
Andre loved it as much as the National Aquarium in Baltimore. The museum shop was huge and had three levels, and Rashad got Andre books on aviation and space travel, as well as a model plane that he said they would build together.
The afternoon was all about
Andre, but the rest of the day was about them. They dropped Andre off with Nigel and Regina in time for him to have dinner with them; he was also spending the night there. After that, they went to dinner in Adams Morgan, a multicultural hub in D.C. Michelle had never been there before and had a hard time choosing which cuisine to try because there were so many. Rashad suggested French, and they selected a place called La Fourchette.
After that he took her to the National Mall to see the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial at night. They had planned to see others, but the temperature had dropped with the setting sun, so they decided to head home to do some studying and some work. Michelle had a final exam and final project for her Introduction to Public Relations class, so she needed the time to study, and Rashad always seemed to have work that he could do.
Michelle had packed a few things for overnight along with her book, notes and folder, and after Rashad let Shaka out into the yard for a few minutes, they hunkered down in the den, where Rashad could work on his computer and where Michelle could sit at the other desk.
They were actually productive for almost two hours, and then Michelle got distracted by the aroma of Rashad’s cologne. She got up from her desk to stretch her legs and found them carrying her to Rashad’s chair. Her body was itching for a caress. “Soon” had come.
Michelle kissed the back of Rashad’s neck and felt his goose bumps rise. She kissed and licked her way to his ear, then ran her tongue along the outer shell before moving to the inner lobe. Rashad murmured.
Being with someone who was able to please her and who had taken his time with her had changed everything for Michelle. Knowing she could be pleased by him made her body start to tingle and yearn for that pleasure. Knowing she could be pleased by their lovemaking filled her with desire and released her inhibitions. Knowing she could be pleased by him made her want to please him even more.
In His Arms Page 14