Open Your Heart

by Cheris Hodges

  “Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?” he asked. “I just knew you were going to tell me the history of silk and why it’s not good to make boxers out of them.”

  “Funny,” she replied as they walked over to a farmer’s stand. They spoke to the young woman running the stand and she smiled at them as they looked at the fruits and vegetables.

  “Are you two looking for anything in particular?” she asked.

  “I’m making fried green tomatoes and I need the perfect tomatoes,” Yolanda said, then nodded toward Chuck. “He told me that I can’t make them as well as his mom did.”

  “My husband used to say the same thing to me. How long have you two been married?”

  “Um, uh, we’re not married,” Yolanda stammered. “This is just . . .”

  “I cooked breakfast for her and she’s returning the favor with dinner. We’re really good friends,” Chuck said.

  “Really? I see something special here,” the woman said. “My grandma said I was born with a veil over my face. I can see things that other people can’t. I see a wedding here.”

  Yolanda stroked her throat. “Um, only because my sister is getting married soon. Like he said, we’re just friends.”

  The woman shrugged and picked out some tomatoes for Yolanda. “You need onions too?”

  “Yes, and celery.”

  Chuck nodded. “I see that you might know what you’re doing.”

  “Excuse me?” Yolanda said with a hip bump. “I thought you already knew.”

  The woman put the vegetables in a brown bag and offered Chuck and Yolanda a huge smile. “Let me give you two a bit of advice. If you follow your heart, nothing can stop you. And the danger isn’t as big as you think it is.”

  Yolanda froze in place. Maybe there was something to this woman’s claim that she saw things that other people didn’t see. Or maybe she was a part of Danny’s attack? It isn’t as if he knew you were coming to Mount Pleasant.

  “Trust me,” she said. “And enjoy the meal.”

  “Thanks,” Chuck said as he placed his hand on the small of Yolanda’s back. Once they were out of earshot of the woman, he turned toward her. “You seemed a little shook.”

  “It seemed like she knew that we were—that was a weird interaction.”

  “You know how some Gullah women are. They see a man and woman smiling together and they think it’s something magical.”

  “That’s not what I’m talking about, Charles.”

  “Ooh, I get to be Charles again. What did I do to deserve that?”

  Yolanda rolled her eyes. “Can we go to the seafood market please?”

  Chapter 22

  After they had picked up the food and arrived back at Chuck’s place, Yolanda was ready to get cooking. Chuck grabbed the groceries and Yolanda took her material into the sunroom. She knew she wanted to make a dress and possibly a pair of pants with the material that she’d gotten. Now she wished that she had gotten more. She made a mental note to order another few yards from the shop’s website.

  But before she got started on anything, she headed to the kitchen to start the dinner she’d promised Chuck. He was sitting at the counter working on his computer and seemed engrossed in what he was doing.

  “Hey, where are your sharpest knives?” she asked.

  “That’s actually a scary question,” Chuck said with a smile. “The ones in the knife block are the best ones.”

  “I’m not going to disturb you with my cooking, am I?” she asked.

  “No. I’m done anyway. What can I do to help?”

  Yolanda shrugged. “Stay out of my way but point out where I can find all the things that I need to cook this meal with.”

  He shook his head. “Got it.”

  About an hour later, Yolanda and Chuck were gathered around the dining room table about to sit down to dinner.

  “This looks good,” he said.

  “Thanks. I hope you like it, but if you don’t keep it to yourself.”

  Chuck laughed, then cut into the fried green tomato. He moaned and Yolanda’s stomach clinched. That was the same sound he made when . . . Let the man eat, she thought.

  “I need to know your secret because this is the one dish I can’t get right,” he said after he swallowed.

  “I’ll never tell you,” she said with a wink. They ate in a comfortable silence. She stole glances at him and wondered if he knew how sexy he was when he enjoyed a dish. Hell, he was sexy all the time. Especially in his glasses. And she hadn’t seen him wear them in a minute.

  “Why have you stopped wearing your glasses?” she asked.

  He chuckled. “I only wear them when I’m in a new place and need to know where I’m going without looking like a tourist.”

  “I knew it! Those were Google glasses, right?”

  “Something different, but similar.”

  She cut into her food. “They look good on you, though. Very Clark Kent–like. I’ve always liked him better than Superman.”

  “What?”

  “Clark got to change his clothes. Superman flew around in his Underoos. It’s not as if the suit gave him powers.”

  “You’ve really put some thought into this.”

  She shrugged then laughed.

  Chuck took his empty plate to the sink and Yolanda was glad that she’d already washed the pots and pans that she’d cooked dinner in. One thing she could tell about him was that he liked order and cleanliness.

  “Do you mind if I go sit in your rose garden?” she asked as she walked over to the sink.

  “No, not at all. There’s a security light out there if you want to take your sketch pad.”

  She looked at him and smiled. “I’d like to take you,” she said.

  “Yolanda . . .”

  “Just to talk and maybe I want to draw you, too,” she replied.

  “Fine. Give me about fifteen minutes to check my e-mails and I’ll be right out.”

  Richmond, Virginia

  Danny was surprised to see two police officers at his door. Had that bitch gotten the balls to talk? He was going to kill Chase with his bare hands if she had. “Gentlemen,” he said as he opened the door to his quarter-million-dollar penthouse in downtown.

  “Mr. Branch, I’m Detective Tabor and this is Officer Edwards. May we come in?”

  Danny stepped aside. “What brings you two by?”

  “My boss wanted me to talk to you. Actually, alert you to a problem.”

  Relief flooded Danny. It was good to have the right friends in the right places. Richmond PD was a good place for him. It also helped that a bunch of officials at the department liked to gamble.

  “And your boss is?”

  “Deputy Chief Paul Putney,” Tabor said. “It seems that some questions have come up about the disappearance of your ex-wife, Simone Branch.”

  “I have no clue where she is, and if I can be blunt here, I really don’t care. We had a very ugly divorce and she left with a substantial amount of my money.”

  Edwards cleared his throat and said, “Mr. Branch, I work with some of the police youth groups you fund and that’s why I’m here. We don’t have any reason to believe that you did something to your wife, but we’re worried about the optics. So, we need to get an official statement from you that we could share with the press about your concern for your ex.”

  Danny shook his head. “I’d rather not. I mean, we had an acrimonious divorce that played out in the media and is probably why I keep fielding questions about where she may or may not be.”

  “What if,” Tabor interjected, “we just say that you’re giving us your full cooperation and keep your statement on file just in case the PI who’s digging around files a public information request?”

  “That’s fine, I guess.” Danny walked over to his wet bar and pulled out a bottle of scotch. “Care for a drink?”

  Edwards nodded, but Tabor stopped him. “We’re still on duty,” Tabor said. “But thanks for the offer.”

  “When do you want me to
make the statement?” Danny asked.

  “Let’s set up some time to meet in the morning,” Tabor said. “And you can bring that bottle of scotch as a thank-you.”

  Danny gave him a mock salute. “Will do.” He walked the officers to the door and thanked them for their visit. Once they were gone, Danny groaned. This was a wrinkle he couldn’t afford. Why would anyone be looking for that Simone? He’d thought that part of his life was dead and buried. And he knew she’d been taken out. Now a private investigator was on the case? Why? The way his life was unraveling was giving him pause. Too many problems were popping that could bring him down.

  At least that Richardson bitch had sense enough to keep her mouth shut, but for how long?

  She was probably thinking about turning him in now. Wherever she was. Chase had failed him, and he was going to pay for it. That woman should be dead. Fucking Bobby G.

  Even in the ground he was causing him more problems than he was worth. Danny walked over to his bar and downed the scotch he’d poured. Then he headed to his bedroom, where she was. Some random chick who was there for his pleasure. Danny hoped she liked pain, because he was going to pound his anger out inside her.

  Charleston, South Carolina

  Charles didn’t know what was more uncomfortable, sitting still while Yolanda drew or trying to hide his erection. It was clear—both were hard. How could she be this sexy while doing something as simple as putting a pencil between her lips? Lips that he’d tasted. Lips that had tasted him. He was coming undone as she looked at him.

  “Can you hold your head up a little?” she asked.

  Charles jerked his head up. “How much longer?”

  “Just sit there, how hard can it be?”

  Oh, she had no clue. Ten minutes later, she was finished, and Charles stood up and stretched. “Why did you want me to model for you in the rose garden?”

  “Because I think it’s sweet that you have this place for your mom and I just wanted to capture you in it.” Yolanda closed her sketchbook.

  “You’re not going to let me see it?” Charles asked as she stood up.

  “Not until it’s ready.”

  “And when will that be?”

  She shrugged as she turned to sniff one of the yellow roses beside her. “Nina would love it out here. I don’t think anyone loves roses as much as she does.”

  “And you don’t like roses?”

  He could’ve sworn he saw her shudder. “Let’s just say I never want to pick up a bouquet of roses that has been delivered to me ever again. This is nice, the garden setting. Don’t have to worry about threatening notes.”

  Charles didn’t understand where the anger came from, but for a woman’s love of roses to be ruined, that was foul. “Whoever did that to you deserves to have their ass kicked.”

  “And thrown into a prison cell,” she muttered. “That’s how I knew they were watching me. It came in a nice bouquet.”

  Charles drew her into his arms and gave her a tight hug. When she leaned her head against his chest, Charles felt her tears and his heart ached for her. He brushed his lips across her forehead. “You’ve been through a lot,” he whispered.

  “And it’s still not over,” she said.

  “It will be soon.” Charles knew he should’ve let her go and taken a step back from her. But her heat kept him holding on. He needed to comfort her as much as she needed to be comforted. The way she held him let him know that the feeling was mutual. Charles knew the next move he was about to make would blur the lines between them even more. But he couldn’t help it. He leaned in and kissed her. It was a slow and tender kiss—at first. Then she coaxed his tongue into her mouth. Fire exploded between them and Charles decided at that moment that he wasn’t going to play by the rules. He wasn’t going to live in the past; he was going to get what he needed. And that was Yolanda Richardson.

  He scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside. “Yolanda,” he intoned when they broke the kiss.

  “I thought we weren’t going to . . .”

  “Do you want to stop?”

  She shook her head. “I want you.”

  “I need you,” he replied as he took her into his bedroom. He laid her in the center of his king-sized bed and smiled. She looked as if she belonged right there. Yolanda wiggled out of her leggings and Charles dove between her legs face-first. He sucked and licked her as if she were a delicious piece of chocolate. Yolanda pressed her hips against his face as he made circles inside her with his tongue.

  “Yesss!” she cried. “Don’t stop.”

  And he didn’t. He deepened his kiss, sucking her clitoris until she came, drenching him like a summer rain. Charles looked into her hooded eyes and smiled. He loved seeing her satisfied, happy, and safe.

  He needed to make sure that he kept her safe no matter how much he wanted her. He needed to make sure he didn’t fall down on the job again. But in this moment, he wanted to make sure that Yolanda was satisfied. Charles rose from the bed and stripped off his clothes. There was something about the way that she looked at his naked body that made him want to do nothing but live up to her salacious thoughts.

  Yolanda pulled her T-shirt above her head and tossed it toward the end of the bed. Charles loved her taste in underwear. She was a silk and lace girl. And as much as he wanted to nibble on her nipples, he wanted to make love to her while she kept that bra on. Black looked amazing against her skin.

  “I’ve got to protect us,” he said as he scanned her body. As hard as his dick was, he was tempted to throw caution to the wind.

  Yolanda nodded. “Okay.”

  He grabbed a condom from his dresser drawer and crossed over to the bed just as Yolanda was about to unhook her bra. “Wait,” he said. “Don’t take it off yet.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you look beautiful in it,” he said as he rolled the condom into place. Charles joined her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her. She was about to mount him, but he pressed his hand against her chest. “Let me please you,” he said as he brought her leg around his waist. Charles dove into her wetness and nearly lost his mind as she tightened herself around him. Their bodies danced to the beats of their hearts, slow and tender. Their eyes locked and Charles ran his tongue across her full bottom lip as his climax attacked his senses. Yolanda screamed his name and clutched his back as she came. Seconds later, they held each other in a sweet silence. It was as if they were sharing the same breath.

  “I-I thought we weren’t going to do this again,” Yolanda said after a beat.

  “You and I know that we were going to end up right here, again.”

  “And what does this mean?”

  Charles shrugged. “It means that we need to be a lot more careful.”

  Yolanda narrowed her eyes at him. “Is there a remorse switch stuck up your ass?” she snapped.

  “Yolanda.”

  “Don’t Yolanda me! Be real with me. Why do you do this?”

  Charles sighed. “Because I’ve been here before and I don’t want to lose you.”

  “Lose me?” She raised her eyebrow at him. “What are you talking about?”

  “A few years ago, I fell in love with a woman and I feel as if my love for her got her killed. I refuse to let that happen again.”

  Her silence seemed to speak volumes. Charles wished he’d kept his mouth shut.

  Chapter 23

  Yolanda tried to find the right words to say. She brought her hand to his cheek and sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “Losing Hillary made me change my life and . . .”

  “You really loved her.”

  Chuck nodded. “Haven’t loved anyone else since.”

  Yolanda nearly bristled when he said that. Would he ever love anyone else? Was she just a placeholder for a dead woman? Stop it, she thought as she stared at him.

  “I didn’t want to tell you about this. I just . . .”

  “No, I’m glad you told me,” Yolanda said as she eased out of his embrace. “It makes thing
s clearer.”

  “Yolanda, I don’t want you to think that things are different now because . . .”

  “I understand more about you,” she said.

  “I’m still going to protect you.”

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I don’t doubt it. I’m going to take a shower.”

  “Let me join you,” he said.

  Yolanda rose to her feet and smiled at him. “I just need a few moments alone, if you’re okay with that. Five minutes?”

  “Sure.”

  Yolanda walked across the hall and started the shower. She took a seat on the toilet and cried. She wanted to believe that there was a future with her and Chuck, that after her nightmare ended she could really give him her heart.

  Not now. Not when her competition was a ghost. She unhooked her bra and stepped in the shower. Sure, she had been crying for over five minutes, but as the water beat down on her, she wondered if Chuck had changed his mind about joining her.

  * * *

  Charles knew he’d made a mistake telling her about Hillary. Did that mean they weren’t going to be able to move forward? And he wondered if he actually wanted to walk down those shaky halls again. He loved and lost Hillary. Would falling for Yolanda be another heartbreak?

  He headed for the bathroom, not sure how much time had passed. The steam covering the mirror and coming from behind the curtain let him know that more than five minutes had passed.

  “Yolanda,” he called out. “How hot do you have the water?”

  “It’s just an illusion because you have it so cold in here.” She pulled the curtain back. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”

  Charles smiled at her before he stepped in. Her wet body made his dick hard. Made him want to spend another twenty years with her in bed. Made him want to tell her that he was falling for her like a bag of bricks.