Southern Love

by Synithia Williams

  Malcolm’s voice mail picked up. “Hey, Malcolm, it looks like I need to leave town and … ” His message was cut off by the beep from call waiting. Malcolm was calling him back. He switched calls. “I was just leaving you a message.”

  “My bad, man, I was getting settled here with Mr. Carter and didn’t pick up in time. Are you in Atlanta yet?”

  Jared frowned. “Mr. Carter. What are you doing with him?”

  “Kenyatta went to see a movie with Mom, so Mr. Carter and I decided to get a drink. I was hoping you were calling to let me know you were here and could join us.”

  “Even if I were in town I wouldn’t join you for drinks,” Jared said.

  “Excuse me for a second, Mr. Carter,” Malcolm said. There was shuffling in the background before the murmurs of bar conversations disappeared. When Malcolm spoke again he didn’t try to hide his hostility. “Jared, it’s time for you to stop acting like a kid and accept the fact that Mom’s moving on. I’m not thrilled about it, but I want her to be happy. Why can’t you do the same?”

  “Because I don’t care if she’s happy, especially if it’s with someone like Mr. Carter. That man’s no good and I don’t want anything to do with him.”

  “What’s wrong with you, man? Why are you being so hateful? It’s our mom.”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “How about you stop telling me what I do and don’t want to know. I’m a grown man, and I don’t need my little brother trying to think for me. So you either start talking or your ass better be here tomorrow for the party.”

  Jared looked up and shook his head. “Look, Malcolm, I had some stuff come up and I need to go — ”

  “I don’t care what came up. Your ass better be here tomorrow or I’m gonna personally kick the shit out of it when I get back in town.” Malcolm paused and Jared could picture his brother trying to calm himself down. “If you don’t want to do it for Mom, then do it for me. I need my brother beside me.”

  “Look, man, I’ll see what I can do, all right?” Jared said before ending the call. It wasn’t the answer Malcolm would want, and sure enough, his phone rang almost instantly. Jared turned off his phone. He rubbed his eyes and pushed aside the guilt for letting Malcolm down. He didn’t doubt his brother would come straight to his house after leaving Atlanta just to kick his ass.

  A fight with Malcolm was preferable to going to the party. Sure the party would be tough for Malcolm, but he’d have Kenyatta by his side. Tasha wouldn’t be there to make it easier for him.

  He’d texted and called all day, but her phone went straight to voice mail. He’d even called her office and was somewhat mollified when they told him she was in meetings all day. But she would have had some breaks to check her phone and call him. He looked at his watch: ten on the dot. Her date with the doctor should be coming to an end.

  He wasn’t worried about one date with the good doctor. She’d said herself she was falling for him. What concerned him more was thinking she’d keep up this silent treatment as a way to end what they had.

  What should be a simple confession would get her to Atlanta with him. It would keep her from looking at another man ever again. But it would require putting his feelings out there. How could he — self declared playboy and denouncer of long-term commitment — tell her he was just as caught up in what they had as she? How could he explain how much he wanted her in his life, but ask her to leave out the marriage and kids part?

  Jared snapped his fingers. He didn’t have to tell her. He could leave the long drawn out discussion about their future for another day. Right now, all she needed was to know he wasn’t interested in anyone except her. It should be enough to calm her fears, kill any thoughts she had about the good doctor, and get her to Atlanta. Yeah, but that’s messed up when you know what she wants, his conscience intervened. He shook the thought out of his head. He pushed away from his desk and grabbed his keys. Right now he had to get to Tasha’s before he chickened out.

  CHAPTER 24

  When Tasha turned her cell phone on briefly at lunch, she ignored the texts from Jared and called Kevis to confirm their date. Kevis’s message telling her to dress casually piqued her curiosity. But she wouldn’t complain after spending a day in heels and a suit. He’d agreed to meet her at city hall then follow her home so she could change. The air was balmy when she walked out of city hall at six, but Kevis looked fresh and comfortable as he waited for her in a graphic t-shirt that hugged his muscular chest, jeans, and sneakers.

  Tasha smiled at him in greeting. “You really meant casual.”

  “You’re going to have to change,” he said. He openly admired her legs below the hem of her grey pinstripe suit skirt.

  Her smile widened. “Sounds good to me.”

  He drove her to her car, which was parked in a nearby garage and followed her home. She quickly changed into a red and orange tank top, flowing white linen skirt, and gold sandals. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail she’d worn all day and let her natural curls frame her face. Jared liked her with her hair down, so Kevis probably would too. He sat on her couch and waited for her to change exactly where she’d left him. Unlike another man who’d roamed around looking at everything during his first visit.

  “I’m ready,” she said.

  He stood up and paused. “Wow, if this is casual I’d hate to see dressed up.”

  She blushed and reached for her purse. “Thank you.”

  She led the way out and he opened the door to his car so she could slide in. As he drove back downtown she talked about sitting through various meetings with Richland County and City of Columbia staff to gain continued support for the Rec Commission. From there the conversation flowed to his night before in the emergency room. He didn’t go into detail about any of the patients, but the compassion in his voice proved that he cared about what he did.

  Downtown he parked in front of Macs on Main and had her wait while he ran inside. He came out with bags of takeout. From there they went to Finlay Park.

  “How does a picnic dinner and movie at the park sound?” he asked.

  Tasha grinned. “Sounds like a lot of fun.” It was her first real date in over a month. Getting together with Jared every night at his house didn’t count. She couldn’t resist the familiar excitement of a first date.

  They found a spot in the grass before the stage where Kevis spread out the blanket he’d brought. Tasha tried to help but he insisted she relax. She sat back and sipped on a soda as he laid out their food as carefully as if he were laying out a meal for the queen. Their conversation flowed around first date topics: where are you from, where’s your family from, what are your hobbies.

  Kevis pushed his finished plate aside and met her eye. “What are you looking for in a relationship?”

  Tasha froze mid-chew, before slowly swallowing the peach cobbler. That question would have been so much easier six weeks ago.

  He softened his features and smiled. “I’m not trying to scare you off or anything, but I’m at a point in my life when I don’t want to play games. I’m ready to settle down and have a family, and if that isn’t in your long term plans, I’d like to know. I’m not saying we’ll get married, but I would like to know I’m dating someone who isn’t playing the field.”

  Tasha took a long drag from her soda can. Kevis was exactly what she’d been looking for — before she’d stupidly asked Jared to sleep with her. She meant what she’d said the night before, she couldn’t keep sleeping with Jared, but until she knew for sure that she wasn’t pregnant — and she prayed every night she wasn’t — she couldn’t say he was completely out of her life.

  “I don’t play games,” she said. “I do want to get married one day, but it’s too early to say who I’ll do that with.”

  Kevis smiled. “Fair enough. Just as long as we’re straight with each other.”

  It
was dusk and the park staff announced the start of the movie. Tasha leaned back on her elbows on one end of the blanket to watch. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t move when Kevis scooted close enough for their hips to touch. Her heart didn’t flutter as it did when Jared touched her, but she enjoyed the pleasant scent of his cologne, the warmth of his body, and the solidness of his frame. By the end of the movie, she was leaning into his side and he’d wrapped his arm lightly around her waist. It was a nice date. Not earth shattering or mind blowing, but nice. So nice, she let him hold her hand on the way to the car, and later when he walked her to her front door.

  Tasha turned to smile at him. “I really enjoyed myself, Kevis.”

  He returned her smile. “So did I. Maybe we can do this again sometime?”

  She nodded. “I’d like that.”

  His gaze left hers to settle on her lips. “I’d really like a goodnight kiss.”

  Her heart sped up. She’d forgotten the good night kiss. Would she’d enjoy anyone’s kiss after Jared? Only one way to find out.

  “I’d like that too,” she whispered.

  Kevis took a step closer to her, his wide shoulders blocking the glow from her porch light. She breathed in the scent of his cologne and although it didn’t increase her arousal, it was nice. When his lips settled on hers, she was disappointed there wasn’t an immediate rush of desire. But she didn’t pull away when his tongue grazed along her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to let him deepen the kiss and slowly slight warmth started in her belly. His hand came up to the side of her breast, but instead of cupping it, he pulled back.

  “I’d better go before I get ahead of myself.” His deep voice was heavy with desire and Tasha could feel the evidence pressing against her.

  She cleared her throat and took a step back. “That was nice.”

  He smirked. “Nice? I’d hoped for something a bit more.”

  Her eyes widened. “No, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I definitely enjoyed it.”

  He smiled crookedly. “That’s better.”

  She laughed and he joined in. “Give me a call when you get back in town.”

  She frowned, then remembered Jared had given the impression she was going to his mother’s party. She wasn’t going, but hadn’t dismissed the idea of going to the party Shayla invited her to. Not because it would put her in the same town as Jared — or so she told herself.

  She nodded. “I will.”

  He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  Her smile froze on her face as Jared’s voice went through her head. It was stupid to think of him and the fact that he’d said the same every night before she left, but she couldn’t help it. Thankfully, Kevis didn’t notice. She had to force the smile to remain on her face as he walked off the porch to his car. He watched as she unlocked her door and went inside. Once inside, her face fell. Why did he have to say that? Now her mind raced with memories of Jared kissing her before she left him when it should be racing with thoughts of her first kiss with Kevis.

  There was a knock on her door and she released a shuddering breath. He’d come back. Maybe she could kiss him again and get thoughts of Jared out of her mind.

  Grinning, she opened the door. “I’m glad you came back.”

  Jared stood on her porch. “Well, when the person you want ignores your calls all day you have to pop up.”

  Tasha’s smile crumbled. She mentally shook her head and stood on her toes to look over his shoulder. “What are you doing, did Kevis see you?”

  He smirked. “I waved at him as I drove up.”

  Tasha rolled her eyes. “Are you crazy? Now he’s going to think … ”

  “That there’s something between us.” He stopped smiling and stared at her solemnly. “Isn’t there?”

  Tasha felt herself melting as she looked into his eyes and she cursed herself a thousand times. “No.” She tried to slam the door but he pushed it open. “Get out of my house.”

  “Why did you kiss him?”

  Her jaw dropped. “You were watching.”

  “I was parked across the street. Did you kiss him because I was there?”

  “I didn’t see your car, stalker. And for your information I kissed him because I wanted to.” She turned and went further into the house. “If I would have known you were watching I would have let him come in.”

  He followed her. “He asked to come in?”

  She whipped around to face him. “Did he see you parked across the street, watching my house?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know and I don’t care. He doesn’t matter.”

  She stomped her foot. “Yes, he does. Look, Jared, I wasn’t joking last night when I said this was over. I had fun tonight with Kevis. It was a real date, something we’ve never had.”

  “That’s because you didn’t want anyone to know about us.”

  “Because we were only supposed to be a one-time thing. What happened later was … a mistake, okay? Kevis wants what I want.”

  “How do you know that?”

  She sighed and sat on the couch. “Because he told me. He’s looking to settle down, Jared. I can’t date a guy like that while sleeping with you.”

  He sat beside her. “What if you date me instead?”

  She closed her eyes and sat back on the couch. “Do you want the long or the short answer?”

  “I’m serious, Tasha.”

  She looked at him out of one eye, he was smiling. “Jared, I don’t have time for these games. You don’t want to date me. You just want to keep sleeping with me. Dating is just a nice name to put on it, but we both know it’ll go nowhere. Let’s just chalk up our losses and move on.”

  “You know we can’t move on. There’re consequences to what we’ve been doing.”

  Tasha stiffened. Had he realized they’d had uninterrupted sex for over a month? “What consequences?”

  He leaned closer to her. “Last night you said you were falling hard for me.”

  She turned away with a groan. “Please don’t go there.”

  He held onto her arm and turned her back toward him. “I didn’t want to say it, but I … ” He stopped.

  She opened her eyes and gave him a wary glace. “You what?”

  “I’m falling for you too, Tasha.”

  Instead of falling into the gooey puddle of happiness his words invoked, she jerked her hand away, stood, and pointed a finger in his face. “Don’t give me that load of crap, Jared. You think you can just come over here, say you’re falling for me, and I’ll jump right back into bed with you? That’s weak, especially for you. Go run that game on some other chick, because I’m not that stupid.”

  She turned away and he jumped up from the couch and took her arm. “I’m not running game on you.”

  “Really? I’m supposed to believe you suddenly realized you’re falling for me? And what next, Jared? We keep on sleeping together, maybe we even let our families know we’re lovers, just to break things off immediately afterward because you can’t handle a relationship. I’m not letting myself get wrapped up in you only to find myself broken hearted and alone.”

  She tried to jerk away but he held fast. “Dammit, Tasha, it’s not like that.” He paused and glared at her before the tension slowly left his body and he let her arm go. “Okay, maybe it was like that … ” When she sucked her teeth, he hurried on. “At first. I did come over here to tell you I was caught up, hoping you’d stay with me. But when I saw you with him, when I saw you kiss him, I realized I wouldn’t be saying it just because. I’ve never been in love with a woman before — I don’t know how to say it, or even if what I’m feeling is love. All I know is that the bad things in my life don’t seem so bad when you’re around. I like coming home and seeing your car in my driveway. I like watching basketball with you, talking to you, and,
yes, making love to you. I’m not usually a jealous man, but when I saw the good doctor kiss you, I wanted to rip his arms out of the sockets. The only explanation I have for that is because I love you.”

  Tasha couldn’t breathe. It was as if each word out of Jared’s mouth sucked some of the air out of the room. She was afraid to speak, because if she spoke maybe she would wake up and realize this was just a wonderful dream.

  Jared reached out and cupped the side of her face. “I just poured my heart out and you’re gaping at me like a fish. Say something.”

  She finally took a shaky breath before smiling. “You mean it?”

  He nodded. “Yes.” He laughed. “I just surprised my damn self.”

  She laughed with him before reaching up to pull his face down. His mouth glided over hers and intense heat erupted below her skin. There was no slow build up when Jared kissed her, it always crashed over her like a tidal wave: forceful, uncontrollable, and sweeping her under.

  He lifted her and carried her into the bedroom. For once, she didn’t feel hurried as he kissed her. She had a lifetime to enjoy him and wanted to savor every moment starting now. He slid her body down his and she marveled at the softness of his skin contrasting with the rock hardness of muscle underneath. They undressed each other slowly, both taking the time to kiss every bit of skin revealed. When Tasha pulled down Jared’s pants and underwear, she gasped at the sight of his erection, large and proud before her. She took it into her hands and kissed the top before slowly taking him into her mouth. He’d loved her like this so many times, but she’d only returned the favor once. She took her time learning every inch of it and became more aroused by his quickened breathing and groans as he dug his hands in her hair. She tasted the salty sweetness of his pre-cum and moaned with satisfaction.