Читать книгу The Heat Between Us - Cheris Hodges - Страница 12
ОглавлениеMichael stood under the cool shower spray after her hour-and-a-half workout. She’d hit the heavy bag, run for three miles on the treadmill and flipped a 350-pound tire thirty times. She was sore and tired. She wanted to call Jamal and see if they could reschedule, but she wanted to see him. She was excited about his surprise. Closing her eyes, she imagined him slipping in behind her, his big hands stroking her breasts until her nipples were rock-hard. Leaning her head back underneath the shower spray, she slipped her hand between her thighs, imagining that her fingers were Jamal’s tongue. Hearing a throaty moan escape her mouth, Michael snapped back to reality.
Shutting the water off, she grabbed her towel and dried off. Lord, grant me self-control when I see this man.
After getting dressed in her favorite purple romper and silver sandals, Michael decided to get a surprise for Jamal as well. She drove to the Sunshine Café and ordered two slices of the sinfully delicious chocolate cake. She waved at her favorite waitress as the latter crossed the full dining room to greet her.
“Cake, huh? Where is Mr. He-Is-Just-My-Friend?”
“I’m taking this cake to him, because friends do stuff like that.” Michael smiled.
“Umm, my mama would say that you’re working on getting to his heart through his stomach. Good job. But you better learn how to cook, if you don’t know how to already.”
Michael broke out into laughter. “I’m so not after his heart and I can cook.”
“And Shakespeare would say, the lady doth protest too much. Girl, if you don’t jump on that man, I know a bunch of women in Atlanta who will.”
Michael held her tongue because she knew a bunch of women in Atlanta already had. How am I any different?
“Well? I hope you have a thong and a cute bra on underneath that outfit.” She wiggled her eyebrows.
“Not at all,” Michael said. “Just friends.”
“Keep in mind that we do cater weddings.”
Michael took her slices and shook her head. “You’re worse than my friend Mimi. Sounds like something she’d say on her blog.”
“As in Mimi Collins? You know her.”
“Yep.”
“Tell her I’m her biggest fan. I comment on her blog as Cheyenne twelve-eighteen.”
“I will let her know and maybe even bring her back for lunch tomorrow.” Michael winked at her then headed out the door. Glancing at her watch, she saw that she was going to be late if traffic was bad.
For once, it wasn’t. She arrived at Jamal’s house right on time. She loved the quietness in his neighborhood. No sounds from the highway, no blaring horns and sirens every five minutes. And his lawn was always amazing. The little girl in her wanted to kick off her shoes and run through the manicured grass.
“Hello, beautiful.”
She locked eyes with Jamal, who met her at the door dressed in a pair of cargo shorts and a white tank top. He looked so delicious and youthful as well as sexy. “Hey, you.” He enveloped her in his arms and she inhaled sharply. He smelled good, woodsy and clean.
“Ready to be surprised?”
She rolled her eyes. “I guess I have to be.”
“You’re going to love it,” he said. Kissing her on the cheek, he led her into the backyard. Michael was all smiles when she saw the fire pit glowing and the food on the table. But it was the telescope that caught her eye.
“What’s this?”
“Some people call it dinner.” Jamal’s arms went around her waist. “Shrimp, grilled peppers and hush puppies. Because I know you love them.”
“Really? I can’t lie—they are pretty awesome. And I have dessert. Shoot, I left it in the car.”
“We can have it for breakfast.”
“Breakfast? You assume I’m spending the night.”
“Not assuming, just stating a fact. I plan to keep you up all night.”
Michael blinked and her mouth fell open. Images of her body pressed against Jamal’s naked one flashed in her head. “I didn’t come here to sleep with you, and if...”
“Whoa, little red Corvette, slow down. While I would never kick you out of bed, tonight isn’t the night.” Jamal pointed to the telescope. “Tonight, I’m going to give you the universe.”
“The universe, huh?”
“First, we eat.” Jamal led her to the table and pulled the chair out for her like a perfect gentleman. “And you can tell me what you have against surprises.”
“What do you know about astronomy?” Michael asked as she dug into her shrimp. “And I don’t like surprises because most of the time, it turns out to be something bad.”
“That’s because you haven’t had the right kind of surprises. Stick with me, baby girl, and every day will be a happy surprise.”
“I hear you talking. You’re going to have to show and prove. I’m curious, though. How did you get into all of this?”
“I’m what you’d call a nerd—a sexy nerd, but a nerd nonetheless. When I was a kid, I’d always escape into the stars.”
“Did you ever find anything up there?”
“Sometimes I did. But my big dream was to fly to the moon.”
“Yet you joined the Marines and went to war?”
Jamal shrugged as he stabbed at his shrimp. “What can I say? I wanted to serve my country and I don’t regret a minute of it. But when they get that space shuttle ready for commercial flights, I’m going to be the first one on it. Play your cards right and I might take you with me.”
Michael almost choked on her juicy shrimp. “I’ll watch you from down here while you shoot for the moon.”
Jamal handed her a glass of wine. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Planted right here on the ground.”
“Chicken.”
Nodding, Michael took a sip of wine then set her glass on the table. “I’ll be that. But I don’t want to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.”
* * *
Jamal watched MJ eat her shrimp and his loins ached as he imagined her lips wrapped around him like that. Her tongue gliding across his hardness the way she licked the garlic sauce from the jumbo shrimp. He shifted in his seat, growing harder than a brick while watching her eat. He couldn’t remember the last time the simple act of a woman eating had aroused him so much.
“This is so good.”
“I bet you are.”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
“Who taught you how to cook?”
“My gran. She doesn’t believe any Carver, male or female, should be unable to feed themselves. So, when she went in the kitchen, she grabbed one of us to be her assistant. Then there was a quiz.”
“Your gran seems like she doesn’t play.”
“She doesn’t. You guys would probably get along famously.”
“You think so?”
Jamal nodded. “We do a low-country boil at the end of the summer, when the whole clan goes down to Savannah. We all have a part of the meal we’re responsible for. I’m the crawfish king.”
“Sounds like fun. My family does catering and indoor reunions, once every five years.”
Jamal popped a shrimp in his mouth. “You and your family aren’t close?”
She shrugged. “We’re busy and a small group, so... I guess we’re not close. Mimi and I decided to make our own family.”
“Y’all are very close.”
“That’s my crazy sister.”
“She’s mine, too, but always remember you and I are not related.” He poured them both more wine. “Come on—let me take you to the moon.” They walked over to the telescope and Jamal pointed to the pillows underneath the stand. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but get on your knees.”
Michael sucked her teeth. “You know...”
“I’m not the one with the dirty mind, baby. That’s you.”
She laughed and followed his directions. Then he wrapped his arms around her waist as he knelt behind her. “Now, if you turn your head to the left, you will see Orion.”
Michael looked to the left with the telescope. “Wow. Now, is this the same as Orion’s Belt?”
“That’s the top of the constellation. But look at the whole thing. That’s the thing about stars. When you look beyond the surface you see so much more.”
She turned around and looked at him. “Why can’t people be that easy?”
“People are that easy, if you take a deeper look.” He brought his face closer to hers, his lips inches away from hers. The heat of her breath teased him and made him want her with a force so strong that he could barely think. His body was on fire with need for her. He’d never felt this way about a woman before in his life. He didn’t know when she’d gotten under his skin like this.
“Jamal...”
Capturing her lips, he devoured her mouth, savoring the softness of her lips and the taste of her tongue. Jamal pulled her closer as if he was trying to melt with her. She didn’t fight the heat. Her spicy response made him harder than concrete. But just like the end of a summer rain shower, she pushed him away.
“We can’t do this.” Her voice was a husky whisper. Could she get any sexier?
“Why not?”
“Because we’re friends and this is just going to complicate everything.” Rising to her feet, Michael smoothed her hands down her thighs. “I have to go.”
“Don’t go,” he said as he closed the dark space between them. “My intentions were to show you the stars. I don’t want you to do anything that you’re not ready for.”
“I saw stars all right. Jamal, it’s getting late and we have a meeting in the morning. I can’t stargaze all night.”
He stroked her arm. “That’s fine. We’re still going to eat the cake for breakfast, just in your office.” Winking at her, Jamal walked over to the fire pit and doused the flames. “Next time we’ll make the s’mores.”
“You had s’mores?”
“Why else would I have a fire going in the summer?”
MJ smiled and stroked his cheek. “Aren’t you just full of surprises, Mr. Carver. Next time, lead with the chocolate.”
“Oh, so there will be a next time?”
She shook her head. “You’re something else, but this was a good surprise and thank you for sharing the stars with me.”
I’d share a lot more if you’d let me. Jamal took her hand in his and walked her to the driveway. “Call me and let me know you made it home safely,” he said as he opened her car door.
“I will. And thank you again for dinner,” MJ said as she closed the door. Watching her drive away, Jamal could only shake his head. He wanted this woman in his arms tonight, even if they kept all of their clothes on.
* * *
As Michael drove home, all she could think about was Jamal’s kiss. That hot, soul-searing kiss had made her knees weak. Now her body ached with need. She needed Jamal’s touch. Needed to feel him between her thighs. Why did she kiss him? It wasn’t their first kiss. She’d kissed him last year when they’d met at his house to talk about his situation with his mother and Brent’s father. At that time, Jamal had been an emotional mess because Brent didn’t know that his father was also Jamal’s little brother’s father. According to Jamal, Brent had unresolved anger issues with his father and he wondered how that would play into his relationship with the little boy after Brent Sr.’s death.
But that had been a gentle kiss. A friendly smooch that said, I support you. But this kiss... This kiss said, I want you. I need you. And boy, did she want him. It just wasn’t going to be good for her heart.
He was a playboy. He’d even admitted that he hadn’t wanted to settle down. Had something changed? Was he really trying to be with her as more than a friend or had they just gotten caught up in the heat of the moment?
As she pulled into her driveway, Michael sent Jamal a text. I made it home.
She wasn’t sure if hearing his voice would make her turn around and live out her shower fantasy with him. Grabbing the cake slices, she exited the car and walked up to her front door. When her phone rang, shattering the silence around her, she nearly dropped her purse and the cake.
“Hello?”
“Your text was nice, but I could’ve sworn I asked you to call me.”
“Jamal, go to bed.”
“I will, at some point. Have you walked in the house yet?”
“Unlocking the door now.”
“Good. And when you activate your security system, I’ll let you go.”
“You’re all about protection, huh?” Michael keyed in her alarm code. “Done.”
“Sleep well, beautiful. See you in the morning.”
“Good night.” Michael floated to her bedroom on the promise of seeing Jamal in the morning. She didn’t even notice the text message she’d missed from Nic.
* * *
Jamal didn’t sleep well, so when morning came it felt as if it was too soon. His body was so keyed up from wanting MJ that he would have to take a run, and a cold shower would certainly follow. Now he understood Lu-Lu’s insanity from one kiss. Well, kind of. Lu-Lu was crazy, while he was just falling hard for the most amazing woman he’d ever met. Pulling himself out of bed, Jamal tugged on his running shorts, grabbed his sneakers and a bottle of water. Even though it was five after six, it was hot in Atlanta already. Jamal started with a slow jog and sped up as he started thinking about what Michael was doing this morning.
Did she sleep alone last night? Did he cross her mind? Was she going to act as if nothing had happened between them when he walked into her office in a few hours? He slowed his gait; he was going to see her in a few hours. Would he be able to handle that?
I got this, he thought as he started running again. Mile one was easy. Mile two, he ran into Lucy.
“Good morning, handsome,” she said, seeming to appear from nowhere.
“Morning.”
“Isn’t this a beautiful green space? I love running here. I wish I’d known that you were working out this morning.”
Jamal stopped and gave her a sidelong glance. “Yeah. Lucy, enjoy your run.” He tore off as if he was Usain Bolt. Once he’d run for three miles, Jamal was tired. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was time to head home so that he could get ready to meet MJ.
As he ran home, Jamal glanced over his shoulder to make sure Lucy hadn’t followed him. He smiled when he made it home without encountering her again. Now he could focus his attention on MJ. And he hoped that she’d brought the chocolate cake in for them to enjoy over coffee. That cold shower was going to work miracles for him after his morning run.
* * *
Michael wanted to call in sick, but since she was the boss, that couldn’t happen. Besides, she was the one who’d invited Jamal and his company to work on the biggest account in her company’s history.
“What was I thinking?” she muttered as she rose from her bed and headed to the shower. She’d missed two calls from Mimi and she didn’t care because she was in no position to run this morning. All night, Michael had dreamed of Jamal taking his kiss deeper and making all of her fantasies come true. But when she woke up holding her pillow and not Jamal, she had to get her act together.
Business. Focus on business.
Michael took the coldest shower that she could stand. Her mind had conjured up erotic visions of Jamal last night, of his magical tongue touching her most sensitive spots. But in the light of day, she realized that she had to sit across from him and talk real business. She had to listen to him plan how to keep this jazz fest safe.
Get your hormones under control, girl, she thought as she stepped underneath the cold spray. It was just one amazing kiss. Not as if it was your first amazing kiss.
But it was. Michael let the cold water wash over her shoulders. She’d never been kissed like that before, and if she was honest, she knew she wanted more. Needed more. Jamal had awakened a passion inside her that she’d never felt before. He was everything she wanted and that scared her because she had a nagging fear that she might not be enough for him.
