Janae punched him in the arm. “Hey. No dissin’ my height.” She was grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood. They’d been having a good time all afternoon, and she couldn’t recall the last time she’d laughed so much with a man.
“Ow! You hit pretty hard for a little person.” He chuckled while rubbing the spot.
“You’d be surprised what I can do for a little person,” she said sweetly, batting her eyelashes.
Terrence threw back his head and laughed. “Let’s go back inside and see what kind of snacks they have. I’m hungry.”
* * *
“Monte seems really taken by Janae,” Karen said to Donovan as she watched them through the window.
“Yeah.”
“That’s all good, but if your boy is thinking about trying to hit it and quit it and hurts her, I’ll have his butt tossed off one of these bridges.”
Donovan smiled. “He’s not like that. To tell the truth, I’m a little shocked. I’ve known him for sixteen years, and this is the first time he’s ever done something like this.”
“So you’re saying he’s not a playa?”
This time he outright laughed. “Hardly.” Then he sobered. “He needs someone special. Maybe she’s the one.”
Karen observed Janae and Monte. She and Donovan knew something had happened because they both were quiet. Then she saw them kiss and laugh. “Yes!”
Donovan glanced over his shoulder out the window. “I’m guessing by your enthusiasm, things are going well.”
“I hope this works out. Janae deserves to find a nice guy. She’s had too many jerks in her life.” Karen thought of something. “When we were in the store, she called Monte ‘Terrence.’ Is that another name he uses?”
Donovan’s eyebrows shot up. “Terrence is his first name. He doesn’t share it often, if ever. For him to tell Janae less than twenty-four hours after meeting her says a lot.” Her mouth formed a perfect O, and he laughed softly. “I would appreciate it if you keep it in confidence.”
“No problem. He must really like her. Janae does have that effect on people. She’s the sweetest person I know.” She giggled, thinking Janae just might get her Prince Charming.
* * *
They returned to the hotel a few minutes past midnight. Donovan hugged Karen and Janae, thanked them for a lovely day, then went to wait in the car. Karen told Janae she’d see her upstairs.
“Everybody disappeared. Was it something I said?” Janae asked, wringing her hands.
“Come sit with me for a moment,” Terrence said, gesturing her to the seating area. He sat next to her. Taking her hand, he waited for the familiar warmth to start and smiled. “Janae, I’ve had the most amazing time with you today. I gotta be honest—I’m not ready for it to end. I know we’re going back home tomorrow, but I’d like to talk to you sometimes. Would you be comfortable giving me your phone number?”
She stared at him, seemingly giving serious thought to his request. She stuck out her hand. “Give me your phone. I’ll program my numbers for you.”
Terrence reached in his pocket, pulled out a phone, stuck it back and pulled another one from his other pocket. He unlocked it, opened the contact list, then handed it to her.
“Two phones?” she asked with amusement.
“One for business and one—” he pointed at the phone in her hand “—for personal use. Less than twenty people have this number. Can you put your address in, as well?”
Her fingers stilled. “Why? You’re not going to go buy some expensive gift and send it to me, are you?”
He laughed softly. “No.”
She input the information and passed him the phone.
“Let me call you, so my number will be in your phone. I want you to have it in case you’d like to talk sometimes,” he added quickly. “Don’t worry, I’ll be calling you most of the time.” He called her phone, let it ring once and hung up. “Will you have breakfast with me tomorrow? We can eat in the hotel’s restaurant. How about I meet you right here around eight-thirty?” he asked hopefully.
She seemed to hesitate again before answering. “All right.”
* * *
Terrence enjoyed their quiet breakfast together the next morning. “Tell me something about you.”
“What do you want to know?”
He shrugged. “Anything you want to tell me. Your favorite color, dessert...how old you are...”
“Well, I’m twenty-eight, my favorite color is blue and my favorite dessert is strawberry shortcake.”
“What do you do when you’re not teaching?”
“I enjoy painting landscapes. What about you?”
“I’m thirty-one years old, and away from touring, I’m pretty much a homebody. I enjoy reading history and love cooking.”
“Wow. I would have never guessed that about you.”
“Most people don’t. I like to keep my private life private.”
After breakfast, he convinced her to take another walk on the pier. Today the temperatures had dipped, the sun remained hidden behind the clouds and a brisk breeze blew across his face. He felt Janae shiver.
“Are you cold?”
“A little,” she said, closing her jacket around her.
He placed his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer. They continued to stroll past the shops lining the wharf and ended at the rail looking out over the water. Terrence had never felt such contentment. They didn’t need to fill every moment with conversation, and there were no awkward silences. He had no experience with a woman like her. His preference had always been to take a woman out once, maybe sleep with her and then move on. He glanced down at Janae. He had a feeling it wouldn’t be that easy with her.
His gaze drifted to her mouth, and memories of kissing her flooded his mind—the plush softness of her lips, the sweet taste on his tongue. He had to kiss her again. He scanned the area, then saw a private corner.
“Come with me,” he said, grabbing her by the hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Here.” He pulled her into the dark area, cupped her face and slanted his mouth over hers. Just like last night, kissing her elicited a desire he’d never felt before. He backed her against the wall and deepened the kiss.
She moaned and tore her mouth away, breathing harshly. “I can’t do this.”
She tried to move around him, but he blocked her path and pulled her back into his arms. “Why?” he whispered, trailing kisses in the curve of her neck.
She pushed against his chest. “I told you. I’m not some groupie. I’m not into playing games where I end up being another notch on your bedpost.”
He rested one hand on the wall over her head. “Are we back to that again? I told you that you could never be a groupie.”
“Terrence, I’m not interested in being one of your playthings.”
“Janae—”
“Have you ever been in a committed relationship?”
“No, but I’ve never mistreated a woman. I’m always up-front with them. That way no one gets hurt.”
“I rest my case.” She moved again.
“Wait a minute.” He released a deep sigh. “I don’t consider myself some kind of playboy. I meet a woman, and if we hit it off, we’ll go out.”
“And sleep together.”
“Sometimes.”
“Then you walk away.”
He remained silent.
She folded her arms. “Okay. So you say you’re not a playboy. Then why do you always walk away? Why haven’t you been in a committed relationship?”
“It’s not that easy, and maybe I haven’t met the right woman.” He captured her mouth again. She pursed her lips tightly together, and he chuckled inwardly. He nipped at her lower lip and teased with tiny licks of his tongue. “Open u
p, baby.” He plunged into her mouth and caressed the side of her face. Terrence couldn’t get enough of kissing her. At length, he lifted his head.
“Terrence, I don’t think this is a good idea.” She rubbed her temples. “You’re a really nice guy, but I don’t want to be hurt again.”
“I don’t plan to hurt you.”
“Maybe not intentionally, but I can’t take that chance.”
He held her gaze intently, leaned down and kissed her once more, then led her back out.
They walked and talked awhile longer, and then he had to leave—reluctantly. Janae and Karen had a long drive ahead of them, and his band would be waiting for him on their private plane.
Standing outside her hotel room, Terrence let his gaze roam over her face, trying to commit everything about her to memory. “I’ve enjoyed spending the weekend with you, Janae.”
“Me, too.”
He heaved a deep sigh. “I’d better go. I know you and Karen need to get on the road, and the guys will be ready to fly out soon.” He stroked a finger down her cheek and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Thank you for your company. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye, Terrence.”
Terrence used every bit of his control to keep moving in the direction of the elevator. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to know about her. Being with Janae was so different from the women he usually encountered. Most were so enamored with the man called Monte and what they thought he could do for them that they tripped over themselves trying to get his attention. But not Janae; she wasn’t falling over herself to get to him—just the opposite. She seemed more interested in Terrence. The man who would rather spend a quiet evening snuggled in front of a fireplace talking or reading instead of hanging out at a club or some other party. In spite of his stance to remain emotionally detached, something about this woman fascinated him, and he couldn’t wait to see her again. He smiled. No, he wouldn’t send her an expensive gift, but he would visit. Soon.
Chapter 3
Since the band members wanted to have a late lunch, Terrence didn’t leave San Francisco until after five in the evening. He had planned to be home earlier so he could spend time with his grandparents. He’d been away for almost three weeks, and as the only family he had left, he missed them tremendously. His father passed away when Terrence was eighteen, but his mother had walked out of their lives when he was only eight. The old anger that came with the memory surfaced, but he pushed it down, preferring to reminisce on his weekend. Reaching into his pocket, he took out his phone, then pulled up the picture of him and Janae. In her heels, her head barely came to his shoulder; without them, she only reached the middle of his chest. But her petite body was stacked with womanly curves—curves his hands itched to trace.
“Nice picture, Monte. Who is she?” Malik, the band’s bassist, asked over his shoulder.
“Her name is Janae,” Terrence answered without looking up.
“Oh, yeah. She’s the woman we met backstage. I’ve never known you to let someone come back after a show.”
Before Terrence could answer, Lisa, the drummer and only female musician in the band, spoke up. “Get out of Monte’s business, Malik. You’re just mad it’s not you.”
A couple more of the band members started asking questions, and Donovan interrupted. “Hey, Monte. Can you come back here for a moment? I need you to look at something.”
“What do you need me to do?” Terrence asked, taking a seat in the area sectioned off in the rear of the aircraft set up for business.
“Nothing. I wanted to give you a little space for privacy.”
“Thanks, man.”
After several minutes, Donovan spoke again. “You like her a lot, don’t you, T?”
He stared down at the phone in his hand with their picture still on the screen. “Yeah. I do.”
“She seems like a nice person. Do you plan to talk to her or see her again?”
“Yeah. I need to figure out how to see her before our concerts on the East Coast.”
A slow grin curved Donovan’s mouth. “Absolutely amazing. Janae has done what no other woman has, and without trying. Women always try coming on to you, some almost to the point of stalking, but you never even notice. What is it about her? I mean, you’ve come across countless beautiful women.”
“She’s... There’s just something about her.” Terrence shifted his gaze toward the window. “She gets to me,” he said, remembering. Even now, thinking about her made his heart rate kick up. He hoped she and Karen had made it home safely.
* * *
Janae breezed through the school office Monday morning and spoke to the secretary before checking her mailbox. She glanced at the papers, stuck them in her bag, then went to make copies. She had more than half an hour before the students arrived, giving her time to prepare the art activity that would accompany their lesson. Despite her determination to get back to reality, her mind kept straying to her time with Terrence. Contrary to his promise to call, she knew he probably wouldn’t, and decided the time they spent together would go into her book of memories, to be pulled out time and time again.
“Hey, girl.”
Her head popped up when Karen came through the classroom door. “Morning. You just getting here?”
“No. I’ve been here for about an hour. I have some testing to do today, so I needed to get a lesson plan ready for my parent helper who’s coming in.” She came around the table to see what Janae was drawing. “Foil?”
Janae smiled. “Yep. It’s a fun activity, and the best part is that they don’t even know they’re working on their fine motor control.” She had drawn a flower using a black permanent marker and would have the students use colored permanent markers to fill in the spaces. When they finished, not only would they have a beautiful picture, they would have practiced staying within the lines—something to help with the control needed for writing.
Karen took a seat across from her. “Hmm. Maybe I need to have you do all my art projects. I don’t know how you come up with all this stuff. So, did you talk to Terrence last night?”
“No. I’m sure he had a lot to do when he got back. I didn’t really expect to hear from him.”
“Do you think you’ll see him anytime soon?”
“Probably not, but we didn’t really discuss any of that, Miss Nosy.”
“Well, did you guys at least exchange phone numbers?” she asked with exasperation.
“Yes, we did.”
“Finally, something right.”
“Don’t you have to get to your class?”
“Oh, I have a few more minutes to get in your business.”
“So, did you tell Andre about you ‘hanging out’ with a celebrity?”
Karen hopped up from the chair. “What happens in San Francisco...stays in San Francisco. See you later.”
Janae burst out laughing. “Girl, you are too crazy. Did you bring lunch?”
“Yeah. If you brought yours, we can eat in my room.”
“I did, so I’ll meet you later.”
After Karen’s departure, Janae’s mind drifted once again to Terrence. Alone, she admitted to herself that she did want to talk to him and see him again. In her mind, she recalled the rich, deep timbre of his voice and the effortlessly controlled movements of his body onstage. Automatically, her thoughts shifted to his kiss—how his mouth moved slowly but insistently over hers, and how his body felt pressed against hers. She shook herself mentally.
“Get it together, girl. That was a onetime thing—nothing more.” She rose from the table, returned the supplies to their respective places, then went to her desk to check emails.
She answered two from other teachers and one from a parent. Scrolling down, she read one from her brother Devin, and smiled. Four years her senior, he was the youngest of her
three brothers and the one she was closest to. He wanted to let her know that he’d be by on Saturday, so she responded and exited her email as the bell rang. Her two paraeducators had yard duty and would escort the students to class. Janae made sure the visual schedules for two of her students with autism were posted on the wall near the door. The schedules helped them know what to expect throughout the day and minimized anxiety. Janae was grateful for her two assistants—their presence allowed the students to have core instruction conducted in small groups.
By the end of the day, Janae felt more than tired. Mondays were always harder for some of the students to get back into their school routine. She immediately changed into comfortable clothes when she got home, then went to sit on the terrace outside her bedroom. The late-May temperatures hovered in the mid-seventies, with a slight breeze. She inhaled deeply, feeling her body start to unwind after the long day. She leaned back on the lounger, closed her eyes and started to drift off.
She startled when her cell phone rang. Reaching blindly, she searched the small table next to her, picked it up and read the display. She jerked upright when she read Terrence Campbell. She let it ring a couple more times before she answered.
“Hello.”
“Hi, Janae. It’s Terrence.”
Was his voice this sexy before? “Hi. Did you make it back home okay?”
“Yes, although we didn’t leave until after five. How did your day go?”
“Hectic, but good. What about you?”
“Same as yours. I’m still at my office and will probably be here for at least three more hours,” he answered with a sigh.
Janae glanced at her watch and frowned. “It’s already close to five o’clock. That’s kind of late, isn’t it?”
“It is, but I have a lot to do. I miss you.”
Momentarily stunned silent, she sat holding the phone. He missed her? Didn’t they meet three days ago? How could he miss her without really knowing her?
“Janae, are you still there?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. I’m still here. I miss you, too,” she added softly. It might be crazy, but she did.
Just to Be with You Page 3