Southern Love
Page 25
She looked up at her new receptionist and nodded. “Sure, Robin. I plan to get out of here soon myself.”
Robin smiled. “Hot date?”
Kenyatta laughed. “Yeah, actually.”
The police didn’t charge Robin with homicide, since she’d killed Brad in self-defense. Kenyatta knew it would take a long time for Robin to heal from the wounds that Brad had inflicted. She wanted to help Robin as soon as she’d recovered. When she and Jeremy realized they needed a front desk receptionist, she’d suggested hiring Robin, and Jeremy readily agreed. It wasn’t much, but Kenyatta felt it was the least she could do for the girl who’d put up with so much on her behalf. Their past with Brad strained their relationship, but they were beginning to grow comfortable with each other.
“Do you need me to do anything before I leave?” Robin asked.
“No, everything here is good. This week’s been crazy, and I’m glad it’s finally over.”
Robin nodded in agreement. “Well then, I’m going to head out. Have a good weekend.”
“You, too.”
Robin turned to go then hesitated. “And, thanks. You know, for the job and all.” She gave Kenyatta another smile and left.
Kenyatta smiled before turning back to her computer to wrap up the final proposal for a potential new client. She and Jeremy had been pleasantly surprised to learn that due to Jordan and Burke’s status throughout the U.S., and their reputation as successful project managers, they’d been able to interview with several potential new clients in their first week. Combined with the clients the company already had in the Southeast, they were already busy.
She was finishing up when the phone rang. “Kenyatta Copeland, may I help you?”
“You can most definitely help me,” a sexy voice answered.
Kenyatta smiled and lowered her voice. “And how can I help you, sir?”
“Hmm, how about you turn off that computer, leave the office, and come to your man who’s been waiting to kiss you all day.”
“Is that all you’ve been waiting to do?”
“No, there’s much more, but I’d rather show you than tell you,” Malcolm replied.
“I’m turning off the computer and leaving the office now.”
“Good. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” It still surprised her how easy it was to say that to him. She’d spent so much time thinking she wouldn’t have love and passion in a relationship that it was hard to believe she’d actually found it with Malcolm.
As Kenyatta prepared to leave, Jeremy was still working and she stopped to speak with him briefly. He teased her about leaving early because he knew she was in a hurry to see Malcolm but she didn’t care. If there was one thing she had learned from her experience, it was that life is too short to spend every night of the week working late.
Minutes later, Kenyatta pulled into Malcolm’s driveway. She got out and let herself in the front door. After she’d gotten out of the hospital, she’d been nervous sleeping in her townhouse alone so Malcolm gave her a key to his home. She knew Brad was dead, but every noise at night still caused her to wake up suddenly with her heart racing. Malcolm assured her it was fine to come over whenever she wanted. She’d eventually put her townhouse up for sale. Malcolm suggested she just move in, but she wasn’t ready for that.
She walked into the family room, as Malcolm was putting take-out on the coffee table. She’d quickly learned that Malcolm couldn’t cook anything other than grits and eggs. He lived off take-out and whatever he could microwave, but she didn’t mind. Brad only cooked as a way to say he was sorry for something. It wasn’t related, but it was a comfort to know Malcolm wouldn’t do the same.
“Hey, baby.” She walked over to him and sat on the couch. “What did you order?”
“I stopped by the Hibachi place and got the steak and shrimp.”
“Mmmm, sounds good. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I smelled the food.”
“Well, I’m glad I made a good choice.” He leaned over and kissed her before turning back to the food.
“How was work?” he asked.
“Ugh, long!” Kenyatta filled him in on the proposal she was putting together. He listened and offered suggestions. She’d been nervous that because they worked for competing firms it would be hard for them to discuss work, but to her surprise, it wasn’t difficult at all. So far, they weren’t competing for the same clients and had already identified areas where H20 could subcontract with Jordan and Burke with some of their larger contracts. H20 still needed the expertise she and Jeremy had and collaborating would serve both companies well in the future.
They talked about work as they ate, then she helped him clean up the mess before they settled on the couch to watch television. Kenyatta relaxed into Malcolm’s embrace and knew she should go home soon, but was enjoying the feel of Malcolm’s chest underneath her head. She was dozing off when he spoke.
“I want to marry you, Kenyatta.”
She froze and sat up slowly. That was the last thing she expected to hear from him. She wasn’t even sure if she was ready to take that step after the fiasco with Brad.
“Hear me out. I’m not talking about marrying you today, tomorrow, or even next year. I know you need time and I understand that. I just want you to know that I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you have whatever you need.”
She spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Malcolm, I love you, too. So much that it’s scary, but, I don’t know how long it’ll take for me to fully believe it.”
“I hear you, but I need to understand why you feel this way. I know Brad plays into it, but you didn’t feel for him a quarter of what you feel for me.”
She sighed. “That’s why this is hard for me. The last time I was this crazy about a guy, he hurt me. You know about my experience in college, and well, it took years for me to trust another guy. When I did, I found out he was sleeping with my next-door neighbor. I’ve only had men want me for one thing. Brad was the first guy willing to wait, and he turned out to be psychotic. I don’t know if I can trust myself to make the right relationship decisions.”
“Saying I’m not like Brad, or those other guys, isn’t going to help you trust me. I know that, but I need you to understand that I have no intention of hurting you. What do you need me to do to prove it to you?”
Kenyatta smiled. “I know you’re not Brad or Chad or Robert. You are nothing like any of them. I thought Brad was safe. It’s ironic, considering how crazy he turned out to be, I thought he really wanted me, not just my body.”
He considered her words before answering. “I’m not going to lie, Kenyatta. I feel a passion for you that I’ve never felt with another woman.” When she turned away he put a finger under her chin and brought her face back around. “I’ve wanted you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. You’re beautiful. Your eyes, your skin, your body, but it’s not just that. Your mind and spirit are beautiful. I love everything about you. I know your first experiences were bad, and that Brad deceived you, but you can’t expect a relationship that has no passion or desire to be fulfilling.”
She gave him a lopsided grin. “My mind knows that, but my heart doesn’t want to listen.”
“That’s why I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.” He reached over to put his arms around her waist and pull her close. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve wanted you for three years and now that I have you, I can’t imagine life without you.”
She rested her forehead on his shoulder. “I can’t imagine my life without you, but what if it burns out? What if you lose this passion for me?”
He took her hand and placed it between his legs. Kenyatta’s eyes grew large when she felt the massiveness of his erection.
“I’m not worried about
my passion for you burning out. You drive me crazy just by breathing.”
She squeezed his hardness. “But how do you know it’s not just this talking?”
“I’m not going to tell you that I want to be celibate. We’ve gone there and there’s no going back.”
“Well, I certainly agree with that,” she said with a smile.
“I’m glad to hear it. Even though you make me hard constantly throughout the day, if for some reason I couldn’t enjoy that part of our relationship, I’d still want you in my life. I enjoy us, the way we are around each other, the way it feels. I don’t know how to explain it, so I’ll guess I’ll just have to show you every day how much I love you, until you understand I don’t just want you for sex. I want you for life.”
Kenyatta considered his words and felt happier than she had in years. Brad had made her think she’d found someone who wanted her for herself, but feeling the way she did with Malcolm let her know she’d mistaken complacency for happiness. The love shining in Malcolm’s eyes was something she had never seen in anyone else’s. Like her mom had said, it felt right in her heart, not just her body, and that is what mattered.
“Give me a year — or two — before we talk about marriage.”
He nodded. “Okay, but please know that I probably won’t be able to stop myself from asking you periodically.”
She smiled. “I don’t have a problem with that. Or with you showing me how much you love me.”
He grinned. “I’ll be happy to demonstrate that right now.” He took off her clothes and showed her just how much he loved her for the rest of the night.
About the Author
Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of thirteen. It was only natural that she would begin penning her own romances soon after. It wasn’t until 2010 that she began to actively pursue her publishing dreams. You Can’t Plan Love is her first novel. When she isn’t writing, this Green Queen, as dubbed by South Carolina’s State Newspaper, works to improve air and water quality, while balancing the needs of her husband and two sons. You can keep up with Synithia by visiting her website, www.synithiawilliams.com, where she blogs about writing, life and relationships, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/synithiarwilliams) or on Twitter @synithiaw.
Worth the Wait
Synithia Williams
Avon, Massachusetts
This edition published by
Crimson Romance
an imprint of F+W Media, Inc.
10151 Carver Road, Suite 200
Blue Ash, Ohio 45242
www.crimsonromance.com
Copyright © 2012 by Synithia Williams
ISBN 10: 1-4405-6183-4
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-6183-2
eISBN 10: 1-4405-6184-2
eISBN 13: 978-1-4405-6184-9
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, corporations, institutions, organizations, events, or locales in this novel are either the product of the author’s imagination or, if real, used fictitiously. The resemblance of any character to actual persons (living or dead) is entirely coincidental.
Cover © iStockPhoto.com/anouchka, 123rf.com
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
CHAPTER 36
CHAPTER 37
CHAPTER 38
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks to T.J. Proofs for helping me find my writing flow over virtual mugs of coffee. Big thanks to my trainer, Kelley Blashka for taking the time to provide insight in the life of a personal trainer. Finally, once again, thanks to my wonderful husband for supporting me and my writing career.
CHAPTER 1
“Look, Tasha. It’s been fun going out with you, but unless we have sex tonight this needs to end right now.”
Tasha Smith’s jaw dropped. She stepped back from her date, clenching her keys in her hand. She was at the end of what was previously a nice dinner and movie date with Charles Worthington, a software developer her sister had introduced to her weeks before. It’d been so nice that she had planned to invite him in for coffee, and only coffee, but apparently he wanted more.
She raised an eyebrow as her eyes narrowed in on him. “Excuse me?”
He tugged at the corner of his shirt and shifted slightly, his caramel skin and hazel eyes quickly losing their appeal. He stopped fidgeting and stood straighter, his stance becoming defensive, and she glared back.
“Look, it’s commendable that you’re a virgin, but I’m a man with needs. If you can’t satisfy those needs, then it’s best we move on.”
She looked away from Charles’s face to the silent street before her home. There were a few lights on in the other single family houses. Ten minutes earlier the cool night air and faint scent from the roses along her porch would have been romantic. But now they set the scene for another disappointing date. She’d hoped — in vain — that Charles would be different.
Her internal warning bells had gone off about Charles when he’d hinted around about spending the night after a heated kiss on their third date and then didn’t bother to hide his disappointment when she informed him of her virginal status. Of course he’d gone on to say it wasn’t a big deal, and previous experience should have reminded her that she’d heard it all before. His good job, good looks, and winning personality had muffled those bells. But once again, dating a woman who was saving herself for marriage had put too much commitment pressure on a member of the male species. She knew only one way to deal with Charles.
She relaxed her stance and smiled at him. “You’re right. You do have needs and I shouldn’t have ignored them.”
His face brightened. “I’m glad you said that. I’m willing to wait a little bit longer. I mean, you are fine as hell.” His gaze swept over her body. “If you want to hook a brother up with a blow job, that’s cool.”
She fought the urge to roll her eyes and leaned closer. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He took a step closer. “Hell yeah.”
She reached out and put her hands on his shoulders. “Then you know what you can do? You can go suck your own damn dick,” she snapped as she shoved him to the ground ass first. “When I do give it up you’ll be the last person to get it.”
She turned and stormed into her house.
Once inside, she wanted to scream. The routine was beyond annoying. Every guy she dated was either overly fascinated to find a grown woman who was still a virgin, or ran away as if she carried the plague.
She was tired of the novelty of it. It had been easier to save herself when she was younger with hopes of meeting prince charming. But at twenty-nine, she didn’t feel the same satisfaction from being different from the girls in high school and college who’d slept with any guy who looked their way. As her thirtieth birthday ap
proached, with no marriage prospects in sight, being a virgin wasn’t much fun, it was a burden.
She picked up her phone and called the person who was partly responsible for this latest disappointment: her sister. Angie was happily married with two little girls and made it her life’s mission to ensure everyone was as happy as she. She grabbed a discarded hair band from her coffee table and swept her shoulder-length natural curls into a ponytail while waiting. At least she hadn’t wasted time flat ironing her hair for this disappointment.
Angie picked up the phone on the third ring. “Hello?”
Her sister’s hoarse voice gave Tasha only a passing second of guilt for waking her. Angie deserved to know she had set her sister up with an idiot.
“Never hook me up again, Angie,” she said, kicking off her heeled sandals and rubbing her feet.
“Tasha? What are you talking about?” Angie’s voice became more alert.
“I just pushed Charles off my front porch.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“According to him, if we’re not having sex we don’t need to see each other.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Tasha fell back onto her sofa and sighed. “It’s true. I’m so sick of this. It’s the same thing with every guy I date.”
“It’s not every guy. You just have to find the right one.”
Tasha leaned her head back on the couch and stared at her ceiling. “When am I going to find the right one, Angie? Men our age aren’t looking for a virgin wife anymore.”
“You’re being silly. Men appreciate virgins. You just haven’t found the one who appreciates you waiting on him.”
Tasha rolled her eyes. Her sister was the last person who would understand. They’d both taken to heart the teachings of their father, a Baptist minister, and abstained from sex. But Angie found her husband in college and married him before the ink was dry on her degree. She’d never come close to going through the hell of post-college dating.