Stranger in my Arms

by Rochelle Alers

  Reaching for the instrument, Alex picked it up. “Hello.”

  “Hello, cuz,” said a deep voice with a distinctive Southwest intonation.

  “What’s up, Michael?”

  “My folks just called to say they’re coming up for the Fourth. Jolene’s parents are also coming in to see Teresa, so I decided to throw a little something. If you and Ana aren’t doing anything, then come on by any time after noon.”

  “Hold on, Michael.” Alex covered the mouthpiece with her hand. “When are you going back to Boca?”

  Ana sat up and stared at Alex. She’d come to the D.C. area to meet with a young female vocalist who’d sent Serenity Records a demo, but once she met with the fifteen-year-old she realized she wasn’t the one who’d recorded the songs. Livid because she’d been duped, Ana hadn’t bothered to stay and uncover who’d actually recorded the demo and decided to extend her stay to visit her sister and cousin.

  “There’s no rush for me to go back. Why?”

  “Michael wants us to come over for the Fourth. Uncle Josh and Aunt Vanessa are coming up to see the baby. He said Jolene’s folks are also coming in from Chicago.”

  Ana flashed her dimpled smile. “Count me in.”

  Alex removed her hand. “We’re in. Do you want us to bring anything?”

  “No. I’ve got everything covered.”

  “How about dessert?”

  “I’ll order pies and cobblers from Rudy B’s.”

  “Hot damn!” Alex had discovered Rudy B’s by accident when she drove through northwest D.C. The original Rudy B’s, a one-room log cabin, was built behind the small house that belonged to Reuben Brown in 1908. It was expanded after World War I, then again in the sixties, and had undergone extensive renovations in 1998 for its ninetieth anniversary. The family-owned restaurant had earned the reputation of serving the best soul food in the Capitol District. The first time she ate a slice of sweet-potato pie she was hooked!

  “I guess that means we’ll just show.”

  Michael laughed. “You do that.”

  Alex hung up, smiling. “Save your appetite because Michael’s ordering dessert from Rudy B’s.”

  “Who or what is Rudy B’s?” asked Ana.

  “It’s the best soul food joint in the world.”

  Ana lifted her eyebrows. “Did you say the world?”

  “You heard me.”

  Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Ana pushed her feet into a pair of sandals. “Get up. We’re going on a food run.”

  Alex took a quick glance at the clock next to the telephone. It was 8:48 p.m. “Are you sure you want to eat this late?”

  Combing her fingers through her short hair, Ana gave Alex a knowing look. “Don’t play yourself, Alexandra. You know it’s never too late to eat. Especially when the food’s good.”

  Grinning, Alex swung her legs over the bed and pushed her feet into a pair of worn leather flip-flops. “Let’s roll.”

  Merrick had spent the night vacillating over whether to accept Michael’s invitation to come to Georgetown for a cookout or stay in Bolivar because he knew Alex would be there; she’d hung up on him, and his pride, false pride, wouldn’t permit him to call her back.

  He missed her, missed their nightly chats even when they were hundreds of miles apart. He missed her so much that his heart ached. There had been a time when he’d accused her of ripping his heart out, and she had, leaving him to bleed emotionally.

  Perhaps, he mused, he wasn’t cut out to be a good boyfriend because he didn’t know how to be a boyfriend. There were women, women he’d slept with, but they weren’t someone with whom he would plan a future.

  Love, the emotion that had eluded him, had come into his life like a slow-moving mist, the silent paws of a stalking cat and death when it came stealing to reclaim the breath given at birth. It was so unexpected that he wasn’t given the opportunity to reject it.

  Slumping lower in the porch chair, he stared at a doe and her fawn feeding on blackberries. Something must have startled them because they took off running in the direction of the woods.

  Merrick closed his eyes, sighing heavily. Love. Men and women sang about it, poets wrote sonnets about it, people took their own lives and killed others for it.

  He’d fallen in love with a slip of a woman who made him look for the next sunrise, a woman he had proposed marriage to and wanted to have his children with, a woman who had pulled him from a morass of self-pity and irrelevance where one day turned insignificantly into the next. He opened his eyes, pushed off the chair and went into the house. Grasping the hem of his T-shirt, he pulled it over his head.

  He had to stop the bleeding, and the only way he could do that was to confront Alex.

  Merrick drove from Bolivar to Washington, D.C., utilizing back roads and pushing the speedometer above ninety. Crossing the Virginia state line, he slowed to the speed limit. He’d made the trip in half the time.

  He made one stop on Connecticut Avenue at Dupont Circle. Returning to his truck with his purchase, he drove the short distance to Q Street NW. Fortunately, Merrick found parking outside Michael’s house. The cars lining the driveway bore Virginia and Florida license plates.

  Hoisting a box to his shoulder, he walked around to the rear of the house. A large awning and colorful beach umbrellas shielded the Kirklands’ guests from the blazing summer sun as they sat at tables eating, drinking and laughing.

  Merrick saw her, and went completely still. Alex had her back to him so he was given the opportunity to observe her unnoticed. A baseball cap covered her hair and a pair of sunglasses shielded her eyes. His gaze caressed the smooth brown skin on her back and shoulders under a halter top.

  “Hey, man. What do you have there?”

  Merrick lowered the box and put it in Michael’s outstretched arms. “It’s just a little something to quench your thirst.”

  Michael’s eyes, hidden behind the lenses of a pair of sunglasses, crinkled when he smiled. “What is it?”

  “Your favorite sake.”

  “All right,” Michael drawled. He’d acquired a fondness for the Japanese brew when he’d been stationed in Japan. “Why don’t you circulate while I take this in the house. I’ll make the introductions later.”

  Merrick wanted to tell Michael that he didn’t need an introduction, at least not one to Alexandra Cole. He knew not only her name, but every inch of her compact body. He knew how to make her moan and sob in ecstasy. He knew what made her laugh and cry. And he’d heard her admit to loving him as much as he loved her.

  Alex felt Ana’s fingers tighten on her wrist. “He’s here,” she whispered close to her ear.

  She frowned at her sister. “What are you talking about?”

  “The guy from our New Year’s Eve party. You know, the one who was staring at you and I told you he was hot.”

  Alex forced herself not to move, react. She knew Ana was talking about Merrick. She’d wanted to ask Michael if he had invited him, but hadn’t wanted to appear that interested. What her cousin didn’t know was that not only did she know Merrick, but she was also in love with him.

  “Don’t get crazy,” she whispered, sotto voce.

  “He’s looking this way, Alex. I take that back. He’s coming this way.”

  She removed her glasses and schooled her expression to one of indifference when she saw Merrick making his way toward her. He wore a dark blue shirt with large green leaves over a pair of jeans that were molded to his lean hips and thighs. When he was less than three feet away, she stood up and extended her hand.

  “It’s nice seeing you again, Merrick.”

  Merrick ignored her hand for several seconds, and his expression was that of complete unconcern. He saw a flash of fear in her eyes; she didn’t want her family to know how well they knew each other; she was still hiding their affair. Reluctantly he took her hand, certain he heard her exhalation of breath. He decided not to out her.

  “Same here, Alex.”

  She mouthed a thank-y
ou. “Do you know everyone here?” she asked louder than necessary.

  He released her hand. “I’m afraid I don’t.”

  Looping her arm casually through his, she steered him toward her sister. “Alex, this is Merrick Grayslake. Merrick, my sister, Ana.”

  Ana flashed her dimpled smile. “Hi, Merrick.”

  He inclined his head. “My pleasure, Ana.”

  Before Ana could utter another word, Alex escorted him over to her aunt and uncle. “Aunt Vanessa, Uncle Josh, I don’t know if you remember Michael’s friend from the—”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that you were making the introductions,” Michael interrupted.

  Alex released Merrick’s arm. “He’s your guest, so I’ll let you do the honors.”

  That said, she walked away, feeling the heat from Merrick’s gaze burning into her back. She made her way into the house and a bathroom off the gourmet kitchen. Sitting on a chair, she closed her eyes. She had to get Merrick alone; they had to talk, but not in front of a crowd of people.

  Alex lingered in the bathroom long enough to splash cold water on her face, before patting it dry with a paper towel. She knew she couldn’t hang out in the bathroom, so pulling back her shoulders she opened the door, stopping short when she saw Merrick in the kitchen with Jolene. He’d cradled Teresa to his chest, smiling and making cooing sounds. The sight of him holding a baby stopped her breath. He’d talked about having a child—their child.

  Jolene’s dark eyes sparkled like polished onyx. “It appears as if my daughter is partial to men. The minute a woman, other than myself, picks her up she cries.”

  Merrick’s head came up and he smiled at Alex. “Does she cry with you?”

  “I haven’t held her.”

  “Come hold her,” Jolene urged.

  Alex took half a dozen steps and held out her arms for the two-week-old infant. She smiled when feeling the slight weight. “Hey, baby girl,” she crooned and Teresa opened her eyes. Brilliant green eyes met a pair in gold. The two cousins regarded each other for a full minute before Teresa yawned, closed her eyes, then fell asleep.

  “I guess there goes your theory about her preferring men,” Alex said proudly, handing the infant to her mother.

  Jolene cradled the baby to the shoulder draped with a cloth diaper. “There must be something about you that Teresa likes, because she won’t let my mother or Vanessa hold her. I’ve told her it’s not nice to shun her grandmothers because they’re always more indulgent than grandpas.”

  “You’re right about that.”

  Jolene shifted her baby to a more comfortable position. “Alex, would you mind seeing that Merrick gets something to eat?” She smiled at Merrick. “Now, if you were family, then it would be the reverse.”

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Merrick angled his head. “What do you mean?”

  “If you were married to Alex, then it would be you bringing her a plate, not the reverse.”

  There came a beat of silence as Merrick regarded Alex. “I wouldn’t have a problem serving Alexandra.”

  His response seemed to surprise Jolene, who’d lifted her arching eyebrows. She never would’ve expected Merrick Grayslake to be accommodating, especially to a woman.

  “How interesting,” she said in a quiet tone as she gently rocked her baby.

  Alex winked at Merrick. “Let’s go, Mr. Grayslake. Enjoy this while you can.”

  Merrick took long strides as he followed Alex. “When are you going to let me serve you, querida?”

  “We’ll talk about it.”

  “When, Ali?”

  She stopped, turned and glanced up at him. “I’ll come to you after my sister goes back to Florida.”

  Merrick held her gaze for a full minute. He wanted to ask her when, but held his tongue. He would wait as long as it took, not because he wanted to but because Alex was worth it.

  Chapter 19

  Alex navigated Deadman’s Curve, her heart in her mouth. It had taken three weeks to fulfill her promise to come to Merrick. Their relationship had changed. The nightly telephone calls had stopped, replaced by one or two a week. The urgency to see each other had waned, replaced by a waiting as to when they would be reunited.

  She also found it odd that her feelings for Merrick had intensified. It was as if the separation allowed her to take a step back to confirm what she did share with him was love and not lust.

  Alex would’ve come to West Virginia sooner if Ana hadn’t extended her stay in Virginia another two weeks; the morning of her sister’s departure she received a letter of hire from the National Trust and that they wanted her to return to Boston for an orientation session; this time she flew to Massachusetts instead of driving.

  Within miles of her crossing the West Virginia border the weather changed. An oppressive humidity and green-gray haze made normal breathing nearly impossible. She chanced glancing away from the curving, winding roadway for a second to adjust her car’s air-conditioning.

  Alex hummed a tuneless ditty to take her mind off the road ahead of her, while chiding herself for driving to Bolivar and cursing Merrick for living in the wilderness. She decelerated when she saw the bumper of a pickup several car lengths in front of her. It was apparent she wasn’t the only driver going under twenty miles per hour.

  Deadman’s Curve leveled off as she maneuvered into a valley nearly obliterated by the thick haze. She continued along the paved road, peering through the windshield for the turnoff to Merrick’s house. She missed it the first time and had to reverse directions.

  Then she saw it! Merrick’s house was ablaze with light, a beacon in a darkened sky that looked more like night than day. It was only ten in the morning. She maneuvered around to the garage where he housed his classic cars, parking behind his truck.

  Merrick heard the sound of a car’s engine, followed by the solid slam of a door. He was on his feet and on the porch in a matter of seconds. A smile curved the corners of his mouth when he spied the petite figure in a tank top, jeans and running shoes.

  He’d waited patiently for Alex to come. Whenever they talked he’d wanted to ask her when, but couldn’t bring himself to tell her how much he missed and wanted to see her. The three weeks had given him the space he needed to assess his feelings for the only woman to whom he’d given his heart. He loved Alexandra Cole, loved her enough to give up his life for her.

  Merrick realized in introspect that he’d made a gross error in judgment when he’d attempted to monitor her whereabouts. How had he forgotten that she was an independent woman who’d traveled and lived abroad, a woman who didn’t need him or any man for her day-to-day existence? Alex was educated, independently wealthy and had focused her energies on beginning her career, and for that he was forced to respect her.

  He came down off the porch to meet her. The first thing he noticed was that she was thinner, her face and body. Her hair was styled differently. Her ubiquitous tousled, mussed look had been replaced by a chic cut that framed her tiny face.

  Extending his arms, he closed the distance between them. It wasn’t until he felt the soft crush of her breasts against his chest, inhaled the familiar scent of her perfume and felt the softness of her mouth when he kissed her that he knew she wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

  His mouth caressed hers as if it were fragile porcelain. Her lips parted and he deepened the kiss; there was a dreamy intimacy that hadn’t been in any of their kisses; his lips parted in a soul-searching journey to taste every inch of her mouth.

  Alex wound her arms under Merrick’s shoulders, holding him fast. Her knees shook, her heart pounded a runaway rhythm as she struggled to catch her breath. His mouth revived her troubled spirit like rain soaking the parched earth. She’d missed him—oh how she’d missed everything about him!

  “Take me inside,” she whispered as pleasure radiated from the core of her body outward. Heat rippled under her skin, increasing with each second until she felt as if her entire body was on fire.

  Her thoughts spun ou
t of control, her emotions whirled, skidded and raced headlong into a whorl of sensual delight from which she never wanted to escape.

  She loved Merrick, loved him more than she could’ve imagined loving a man. She wanted and needed him to remind her why she’d been born female.

  “I love you so much,” Merrick whispered against her lips. Tears filled her eyes with his passionate confession.

  “Take me to bed and I’ll show you how much I love you,” Alex promised.

  Merrick needed no further urging. He climbed the steps and walked into the house, closing the door with his foot. The entire house was ablaze with light to offset the eerie darkness that had settled on the region. It wasn’t noon, yet the sky was black as pitch.

  Cradling Alex’s slight weight, he took the stairs, two at a time, and walked into his bedroom. Gently, he eased her down onto the bed, his body covering hers. He wanted to go slow, but his body refused to reason with his brain.

  A roll of thunder shook the earth, followed by a crack of lightning that rent the air. The approaching storm was no match for the one racing through the bedroom. Buttons were ripped from their fastenings as pieces of discarded clothing littered the large bed.

  Merrick reached over and swept everything off the mattress with the flick of his hand. Wrapping an arm around Alex’s waist, he tucked her beneath him, parted her legs with a knee and entered her body in one sure upward thrust.

  They gasped in unison with the joining of flesh akin to smoldering metals. There was no time for exploration, as Alex’s urgency matched Merrick’s long-denied needs.

  She couldn’t control the moans slipping from her parted lips, her hips writhing in a dance of desire, her breath coming in long, surrendering gasps. She rose to meet Merrick’s powerful thrusts in a moment of unrestrained passion that exploded, then freed them in a firestorm of uncontrollable ecstasy. They lay together, waves of lingering passion flowing between them and making them one.

  Alex woke hours later, alone in bed, ravenous. Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. She hadn’t taken a step when she felt the evidence of her passion session with Merrick trickle down her inner thigh. Her heart lurched. They’d made love without using protection. They’d gambled before, rolled the dice and had come up winners; however, this time the odds were against them.