Madea released a dramatic sigh. “Carol and I were at water aerobics. Our new instructor is in college and so cute, the girls and I try to attend his classes at least three days a week.”
Zanaa chuckled at the thought of her feisty grandmother stalking the poor college student. He probably had no idea what he had gotten himself into when he’d agreed to teach the senior citizens’ class. Zanaa had been around her grandmother and her friends often enough to know they were a frisky bunch.
“The reason I’m calling is to make sure you’re still planning to spend the Christmas holiday with us,” Madea said.
Like I have anything else to do, Zanaa mused wryly . “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Christmas was an important holiday for the Reynolds’ clan. Every year the family gathered at Reynolds’ Manor, a seven thousand square foot home where Madea and Zanaa’s parents resided. It was a family tradition.
If Zanaa even thought about doing something else, she would never hear the end of it.
“Glad to hear you’ll be there,” Madea said with a satisfied sigh.
Something in her tone made Zanaa ask, “Why?”
“Oh, no reason. Just wanted to make sure.”
Zanaa frowned as she heard something that sounded like typing at a keyboard. “Madea, what are you doing?”
“I’m finishing up my Christmas letter I’m sending out tomorrow.
You know I like to give a recap of my exciting year and mention all of my lovely granddaughters by name. I’ll mention that Paulette and her husband celebrated ten years last spring, and that Barbara and her husband just celebrated two years of marriage. Then I plan to make sure everyone knows my favorite is still single and quite available.”
Outraged, Zanaa gasped. “Madea, you promised you wouldn’t do that this year!”
“I know, but I can’t help myself. Now that I’ve been introduced to this fabulous thing called social networking, I can’t seem to get enough of talking about my beautiful yet still single granddaughter.”
“Please tell me you aren’t writing about me,” Zanaa warned.
“Of course I am. You know one thing Madea doesn’t do is lie. I even put a notice out in our town bulletin. I’ve already gotten two available gentlemen calling to find out when you’ll be here. You remember Donald?”
Zanaa stuck a finger down her throat. Who could forget corny Donald? He used to belch all the time and smelled like fried eggs.
“I invited him over for dinner on Thursday,” Madea blithely continued. “And Harold said he’ll drop by on Saturday,” she added, referencing Zanaa’s first boyfriend from the third grade.
She groaned again. Her grandmother was making her feel like she was so desperate she needed her family to find a man for her. If she didn’t do something quick, it was only going to get worse.
“Madea, I don’t need you to fix me up.”
“Yes, you do.” There was a pause. “The reason I asked if you were coming home for Christmas is because I spoke to Monica.”
“Monica? ” Zanaa spat. It took everything she had to hold her tongue at the mention of the cousin who’d stabbed her in the back. “What does she want?”
“She and Cole are coming home for Christmas. Monica is hoping the two of you can talk and make everything right between you.”
It was bad enough her first cousin had stolen her man. But now, to add insult to injury, she wanted to rub her marriage in Zanaa’s face.
Monica and Cole had been together for three years, and Zanaa had done her best to steer clear of them at every family gathering. But this time an encounter could not be avoided, because there was no way Zanaa was allowing the treacherous couple to keep her from attending her family’s Christmas celebration.
“I don’t have anything to say to her,” she said tartly.
“It’s been three years,” Madea pointed out. “I think it’s time the two of you make amends. You know…if you had a man on your arm it would make seeing Cole easier.”
Zanaa grimaced, hearing the sympathy in her grandmother’s voice. The last thing she wanted was for her family to feel sorry for her.
“I appreciate you wanting to help, Madea, but I’m already seeing someone.”
“You are!” her grandmother cried in delight. “That’s wonderful! Is it serious? Because if you’re not sure, I can still schedule you to meet a few prospects before—”
“Actually, I’m engaged,” Zanaa blurted before she had a chance to stop the lie spilling from her lips.
“Engaged? That’s wonderful! Does your mother know?”
“No! And please don’t tell her. I-I want to make it a surprise.”
Especially since I don’t have any idea why I just said that, Zanaa mentally added.
She wasn’t dating anyone, so how in the world had she come up with being engaged?
“Well, can you at least tell me his name?” Madea probed.
“Uhhhh…” Zanaa began, trying to think fast. If only she was dating someone else, she told herself. Closing her eyes briefly, she took a deep breath and when she heard music blasting from the other side of the wall, mentally she crossed her fingers for the tiny lie she was about to tell.
“My fiancé’s name is…Scott.”
Chapter Two
Scott moved over to the kitchen counter and placed two hamburger patties onto a small smokeless grill. As he reached for the salt and pepper shakers, he realized he was still smiling. It wasn’t hard to figure out why.
Zanaa.
In the three months since he’d moved next door, life had become quite interesting, to say the least. His neighbor was so serious and uptight he couldn’t resist snatching her newspaper every Wednesday just to get a rise out of her.
“Henric, you think we scored a few points today?”
“Woof!” replied his furry white Husky who was lying on the carpeted floor in the family room.
“Dude, you’re right. She wants me.” Scott laughed and reached for a spatula.
An hour had passed since Zanaa had appeared at his door, yet he still couldn’t get the beauty off his mind. Just thinking about those large golden eyes burning with fire caused his skin to suddenly overheat. The reaction came as no surprise. Zanaa seemed to have that effect on him.
From the moment she showed up at his door welcoming him to the neighborhood, he had been a goner. The thought made him take a long deep breath as he tried to calm the sudden tightening at his crotch. He was a man, after all, who appreciated beauty. Although he could honestly say it was rare when he found himself both physically and mentally affected by a woman. And what a woman she is, he thought. Zanaa was a delicious chocolate decadent.
Every Wednesday evening from his living room window, he discreetly admired the seductive sway of her hips toward the complex.
While gazing at her hair, the designer suits and accessories, Scott ran up a price tag and summed up the total in one word. Gorgeous. She was about five-six and voluptuous with shapely legs and an ass so perfect he could have balanced a champagne flute on top of it. Today Zanaa had worn her shoulder-length brown hair in a tight bun and his fingers were itching to reach up, remove the bobby pins, and let her hair down. He then would have allowed the same hand to travel over every fabulous curve of her body.
Scott shook his head just thinking about all the possibilities that would have created. He was certain Zanaa was a tigress in bed and was dying to find out. The only thing stopping him was the gorgeous beauty appeared to be a forever kind of woman. And after his last serious relationship, forever sent warning bells going off in his head. As he flipped the patties, Scott frowned for even allowing his mind to travel back down that road.
Janice owned the small travel agency he’d used to book an eleven-day excursion of Alaska; the perfect backdrop for a computer program he’d been designing. From the second he walked through the door, the petite beauty had his attention, and by the time he’d left the office, Scott had invited Janice to join him on the trip. Their relation
ship was quick and Scott fell in love hard. They had been dating barely two months when Janice announced she was pregnant. Without hesitation, Scott proposed and they planned to marry on New Year’s Eve. However, on Christmas morning, as he came out the bathroom he’d overheard a phone conversation Janice was having with her sister. Not only had she lied about the pregnancy but she planned to fake a miscarriage. Scott was a strong believer that without trust there was no relationship. When he confronted Janice, she laughed in his face. Scott packed his bag and never looked back.
He cursed under his breath for even allowing himself to think about Janice again. The one time he’d opened up his heart and allowed his guard down, he got burned, but never again. He was a confirmed bachelor who dated who he wanted when he wanted and never made promises he had no intention of keeping. From day one, he made sure a woman knew he wasn’t looking for anything serious. The only problem was, he loved a challenge and that’s what he felt each and every time Zanaa narrowed her golden gaze in his direction.
How many times had he imagined pulling her into his arms and putting out the fire, brewing between them? Scott even fantasized about stripping Zanaa of her clothes, and wrapping those sexy legs of her around his waist while he pumped wildly in and out of her lush body.
“Damn,” he murmured. Just thinking about making love to her made him hard with wanting. And what Scott wanted, he relentlessly pursued until he got it.
Scott smiled confidently then removed the burgers from the grill just as the doorbell rang. His brow rose and for a split second he thought maybe Zanaa had changed her mind and decided to have dinner with him, but he knew better than that. The last thing his gorgeous neighbor wanted to do was share a meal, which was fine with him, considering he didn’t know the first thing about cooking anything other than hamburgers. He kept take-out restaurants on speed dial. The only reason why he’d asked Zanaa to dinner was to see her reaction. There was never a doubt in his mind she’d turn down his offer.
Henric raced down the carpeted hallway to the front door, sniffed then started to whimper, indicating he knew who was on the other side.
Scott strolled to the door, looked through the peephole and grinned as he swung it open.
“Hello, Sheyna.” He stepped aside so his baby sister could move inside. With a quick glance, Scott took in her casual attire: skinny jeans, white sneakers, and a Lakers’ sweatshirt. “What are you doing on this side of town?”
“I was in Wilmington doing some shopping and thought I’d drop by unannounced and see what chick you had at your condo this week.”
He could help but chuckled. Just because Sheyna was happily married, she thought he and their brother Darnell should consider doing the same. It didn’t help that she was confident he would eventually change his mind when the right woman came along. However, as far as the two brothers were concerned, that woman didn’t exist.
“Nah, I’m working tonight.”
Frowning, the mahogany beauty glanced around the clearly masculine room. The decor was mostly dark leather furnishings, beige carpeting, and an entertainment center that took up an entire wall. He chuckled inward at the look of disgust on Sheyna’s face. The room, which was usually tidy and neat, was now cluttered with discarded cans, take-out containers, and electronic equipment. It had been a few days since he’d last bothered to straighten the place.
“I see you’ve been working really hard,” she said and pointed to the Play Station game displayed on the fifty-two inch flat screen television.
Scott shrugged. “I gotta keep up with the competition. Want a burger? I just made two.” He signaled for Sheyna to follow him down the hall into the kitchen where she took a seat on a barstool at the breakfast bar.
“No, I just ate. How’s the new design coming along?”
“Slowly,” Scott said with a hint of frustration as he moved around the counter. “Even though it’s the fourth version, I’m trying to develop more role playing and customization.”
Sheyna’s amber eyes sparkled with admiration. “I don’t know how you do it. I have enough problems setting up a spreadsheet.”
“It just takes a lot of patience.”
“That’s the problem,” she retorted with a rude snort.
Scott shook his head. Sheyna never had been much on patience.
Back when they were kids, she never got excited about anything other than volleyball. Whereas he’d always had a fascination with video games.
While all his friends were playing sports, Scott started taking courses in programming and eventually created a fantasy computer game he sold to his classmates. With the money he earned, Scott convinced his father to allow him to attend a six-week computer programming camp in Oklahoma. By the time he started college, he had produced his first published game, The Aviator. The royalties from the sell paid for his apartment and living expenses all four years of college. It was during senior year, Scott developed the Extinction computer game series. By the second installment, the games had such an enormous following, he partnered with Destination Games, and the rest was history.
“Who’s your neighbor?” she asked. “When I rang the bell, I noticed someone peeking out between their mini blinds.”
Scott chucked softly. “That’s Miss Reynolds.”
“Ms. Reynolds, huh? Is she your community Welcome Wagon?”
Sheyna teased lightly.
He gave her a somber look. “Hardly. Sometimes my guests… accidently knock at her door,” he declared then reached for the hamburger buns and placed two on a paper plate. “As a result, she can’t stand me.”
“A woman who can’t stand you? Hmmm, now that’s a first. I like her already.” Her eyes grew openly amused.
“Ha-ha.” Scott gave a short laugh, not at all surprised by his sister’s response. Sheyna Simmons Beaumont was vivacious, bold, and saw life as being only as exciting as one allowed. They were more alike than he cared to admit. The only difference was Sheyna believed in commitment and he didn’t. “I’m serious. She’s stuffy and cranky, and all because I borrowed her newspaper.”
“Borrowed? You mean stole. I know you have a habit of taking things that don’t belong to you. No wonder she doesn’t like you. You’ve rubbed her the wrong way,” she replied with a soft chuckle then signaled for Henric to come to her and stroked him behind the ears.
Scott drew a sigh as he put mustard and ketchup on his burger.
“No, I think she just doesn’t like people.”
“Sounds like an old spinster with nothing better to do.”
His gazed traveled to the innocent expression on Sheyna’s face as she tapped her fingers impatiently against the granite countertop waiting for a response. She was fishing for information. “Hardly. She’s got a body out of this world, the prettiest eyes, and the most kissable lips.”
“Really?” Her eyes narrowed, reminding him of a cat. A sly one at that.“Very interesting.”
“What?”
Amusement curled her lips. “It sounds to me like your neighbor is beautiful.”
“She is.” Scott bit into his burger.
Sheyna arched a perfectly plucked brow. “She also sounds like the type of women you are usually attracted to.”
He wasn’t about to tell his sister how attracted he was to her.
Despite how his neighbor felt about him, his body refused to deny he wanted her. All it took was watching Zanaa walk or even glaring up at him with those slanted eyes of hers to bring his libido to full awareness.
“I told you she doesn’t like me,” he began between chews. “As a matter of fact, watch this.” He moved over to a state-of-the-art- sound system that had been installed on a main wall in the family room, turned on what sounded like rap music, and cranked the volume all the way up.
Sheyna brought hands to her ears. “Hey, turn that down!”
“Not yet.” Scott replied then folded his arms and counted backwards. Just as he hoped, by the time he reached five, there was loud pounding at the back door. He winked
at his sister, signaled for Henric to quit barking, then moved to the door on the other side of the kitchen and opened it.
“Have you lost your mind?” Zanaa screamed.
The beauty stood there with hands on slender hips, while her head bobbed from side to side. She was giving him a piece of her mind, but he hadn’t heard a word she said. All he saw were breasts that rose and fell with every breath. She was wearing a form-fitting T-shirt, short enough to reveal her perfect stomach, and a pair of faded gray sweatpants so tight they looked like they had been airbrushed on. The outfit was more of a turn on than any of her high dollar suits.
Rudely, Zanaa pushed him aside and stepped into the kitchen, heading straight for the family room. Scott felt the heat of her body as she passed. The tangy scent of her perfume mixed with pure feminine essence assaulted his nose and sent a message to his brain that was totally out of place. Since his condo was a mirror image of hers, Zanaa knew exactly where to find the entertainment center. Reaching up she silenced the noise.
“You could hear me if you turn down your music!”
Sheyna gasped. “Zanaa, is that you?”
Zanaa’s head snapped around, then her eyes lit with recognition “Oh my goodness. Sheyna?”
Scott raised a puzzled brow at Zanaa then looked at his sister.
“You know her?”
Sheyna rose from the barstool, walked over to Zanaa and the two women embraced. “Of course we know each other,” Sheyna said as she released her. “Zanaa has held several weddings at the Beaumont Hotel.”
Zanaa nodded with a knowing grin. “In fact, I have one this weekend. My assistant should be calling your office tomorrow to make sure everything is ready.”
Scott scratched his stubble chin. “I’m still trying to get used to the idea of the two of you knowing each other.”
With a playful roll of her eyes, Zanaa asked, “Sheyna, please don’t tell me you’re dating this dude.”
“What’s wrong with dating me?”
Her skeptical look spoke volumes. “His place is like a revolving door…women in and out at all hours of the night.”
“I see nothing’s changed.” Sheyna laughed as she returned to the barstool. “Zanaa, there’s no way in the world I would date Scott. I just happened to be his baby sister.”
In Her Neighbor's Bed (The Beaumont Series) Page 2