Before Marvin Gaye finished his last note, Michael whispered softly in her ear, “And I love you, Taye.”
Taye went still in his arms. She pulled back and looked up at him with disbelief in her eyes. She didn’t want to believe it. She couldn’t believe it.
“Yes, it’s true,” he said, smiling down at her, thinking her shocked expression was priceless, precious. “I came to terms with it last night after I went to bed. Now you have to come to terms with it, too. And when you do, we’ll come up with a plan to deal with our family together.”
Taking her hands, he walked her back over to their table as the Four Tops’ classic “I Can’t Help Myself” began playing.
Chapter 33
“She can’t get away with this, Quinn. She can’t!”
Quinn slid the papers into his briefcase before turning to Alexia. He watched as she paced the floor. To say she was mad as hell would be an understatement. As usual, Raisa Forbes was causing problems, but this time she had gone too far.
Court papers had been delivered to Alexia that morning that stated Raisa had filed a lawsuit against her. She was alleging that Alexia’s first solo album, which was due to be released in a few months, contained two songs that Raisa had written. Upon being served the documents, Alexia had called Quinn immediately and asked him to represent her.
Quinn closed his briefcase with a snap. “As your attorney, I’ll take whatever action is needed to get this matter resolved even if I have to file a countersuit for libel and slander.”
He then walked across the room and took Alexia’s hand in his and gently pulled her closer to him. “And as the man in your life, I’ll give you all the support you need in dealing with this. I don’t want you to worry about it, baby. I got your back.” A teasing smile tilted the corners of his lips. “But then I have your front as well, don’t I?” he whispered huskily.
Alexia frowned up at him. “I’m too mad for that right now, Quinn.”
He chuckled softly. “Are you? Let’s see.” He leaned down and captured her mouth with his and immediately ignited a ripple of desire within her. She tried to hold back and then conceded it would be a losing battle. No one kissed like Quinn Masters. And no one could make her become supple and yielding in his arms like Quinn could. Like now. In no time at all she could hear the sounds of her own whimpering and moans as his kiss drove her near the edge of insanity. He reluctantly released her mouth.
“Well, maybe I’m not that mad,” she said breathlessly, her eyes dazed.
Quinn smiled down at her. “Don’t waste your anger on Raisa Forbes. She isn’t worth it.”
“But what about the article that appeared in this morning’s paper? The things she said?”
“You know they aren’t true. What Raisa Forbes is trying to do is make any record company wary of doing business with you in the future. She figures if you can’t get work as a solo artist then you’ll be forced to return to Body and Soul with your tail between your legs.” He pulled her closer to him and whispered, “Little does she know that there’s something a lot more solid and sturdy that’s going between those legs.”
“Quinn!”
He laughed at her shocked expression. “What?”
“Behave.”
He lifted a brow. “Do you really want me to?”
She looked at his sensuous, provocative mouth before moving her gaze lower, to the fly of his pants, thinking of his body part tucked away behind it. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to meet his gaze as memories of how his mouth and that certain solid and sturdy part of him—the part she did enjoy having between her legs—had nearly driven her insane with passion a number of times over the past four weeks. She felt comfortable in being scandalous with him. Brazen. Naughty. She would even go so far as to say he encouraged that behavior when they were alone. “It wouldn’t do any good to ask you to behave. You wouldn’t do it anyway,” she finally said.
He pulled her to him and kissed her lips again quickly. “I would have surprised you today. Unfortunately, I have a number of appointments scheduled. How about dinner tonight at my place?”
“Your place?”
“Yes. Don’t you think it’s about time?”
Alexia only hesitated briefly before saying, “Yes, I suppose.”
Quinn smiled, perfectly satisfied with her answer. It had been a month since they had first become intimate and she had yet to come over to his place, although he had invited her there a number of times. He was still taking things slow with her. Once in a while she would try putting distance between them. It was during those times that he let her know, in no uncertain terms, that he was not like the other men she’d dated. He had no intentions of putting up with her fickle ways.
He was being patient with her because he understood she didn’t trust easily and that although she had agreed to trust him, it would take time. Having a man in her life who didn’t let her call all the shots was new to her, so he gave her space every once in a while. But he’d made sure she understood that he considered her his woman, just like he considered himself her man.
“Do you want me to come pick you up?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll drive.”
“All right.” He knew why she wanted to drive herself over to his place and he didn’t like it, although he decided not to push the issue. She had once explained to him that she preferred having her own wheels whenever she went out with someone just in case she felt the need to cut out unexpectedly.
He leaned down and kissed her lips once more before walking back across the room for his briefcase.
“Will you be meeting with Raisa’s attorney sometime today?” she asked him.
“Yes. I’ll call you later and let you know how it goes.” He paused a moment before asking, “Will you walk me to the door?”
She shook her head as she met his gaze. “No. I don’t want you to leave just yet.”
Quinn lifted a brow as Alexia began unbuttoning her skirt. He watched it slide to the floor, leaving her completely bare underneath. His pulse escalated. He knew exactly what she was doing and why. Calling him to come over had made her feel vulnerable, dependent. Those were emotions she detested, since she was used to being in control.
“Alexia,” he warned in a deep, husky voice. “I’m on my way to an appointment and have less than an hour to get there.”
She tossed aside her blouse, then walked completely naked to where he was standing. She reached out and began toying with the zipper on his pants. “Then I guess we’d better make this quick, huh?”
Sucking in a deep breath, Quinn decided to let her have her way with him, giving in to her need for control. Eventually she would see that in a solid relationship no one was in total control.
His mind suddenly lost all thought when he felt her hands, soft and warm, on him. He breathed in deeply when she began stroking him. “Alexia.” He released a tortured sigh as she continued to caress him.
“I want you, Quinn,” she whispered. Her voice, he noted, was deeper and sexier than he’d ever known it to be. He looked at her; their gazes locked. His heart stopped when he saw the look of uncertainty in her eyes. “What’s wrong, baby?”
She shook her head as she continued to look at him, stroke him. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just that each and every time we do this, I get a little thunderstruck when I’m reminded of what a beautiful man you are, both inside and out, and how unselfish you are in your giving to me. Maybe that’s why I…” She stopped herself from saying whatever she had intended to say.
“Maybe that’s why you what?” Quinn asked quietly as his heart resumed beating double-time. “What was it you were about to say, Alexia?”
She lowered her gaze from his. “Nothing.”
Quinn decided to let it go. He hadn’t yet told her how he felt about her, that he loved her. He wanted to give her time to adjust to his being a part of her life before hitting her with something that deep.
He lost all sense of thought again when she rubbed her body a
gainst his. “I want you, Quinn,” she repeated before lifting her hips and sitting on the table behind her and unashamedly spreading her legs wide. “I want you now.” She pulled him between her legs and guided the hardness of him into her moist core.
“Ah, Lex,” Quinn groaned as he penetrated her deep, finding her wet and ready for him. He sucked in another breath when she wriggled her body several times to get comfortable on the edge of the table. He leaned down and pressed a kiss against her lips when she wrapped her legs around him. “You feel so damn good, Lex.” He drew her closer and began to move inside of her. “So damn good.”
At that moment he forgot everything except the woman he was making love to on the table in her breakfast room. Everything about her was an aphrodisiac. Her voice, her body, her scent. Everything. He forced his eyes open to look at her and saw her looking at him with eyes glazed in passion of the richest kind.
“This is crazy, you know,” he said, pulling her closer, going deeper, faster.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “No, this isn’t crazy,” she whispered raggedly. “This is everything making love should be.” She moved with him, giving him all of herself and putting into her actions what Quinn knew she was not ready to say in words. But eventually the words would come. And when they did, he and Alexia would have a lifetime of loving, of mating, of being one.
“Quinn!”
It was only when he heard her harsh cry and felt her body shudder that he gave in to the hunger that was ravaging his body. He plunged one last time into her with an urgency that shook him. He felt his groin explode, shooting the essence of him into the depths of her. He hollered out his pleasure. He yelled out his satisfaction. He shouted out his release in a way that left him feeling drained and depleted. This woman whom he loved endlessly and intended to marry meant everything to him. She was his world, his heart, his soul, and a part of his body. And right now she held him at the pinnacle of mindless desire and fulfillment. She joined him there, pulling every single thing from out of him.
When he had completely emptied himself inside of her, with what little strength he had left he reached out and gently stroked her cheek. “You did that deliberately, didn’t you?” he asked her, feeling weak, dazed. His gaze traveled the full length of her naked body.
He hadn’t undressed. He hadn’t unfastened a single button on his shirt. He hadn’t even bothered to remove his pants. She hadn’t given him time. The only thing out of place was his zipper, which was down to accommodate the part extended from his body to hers. They were still connected.
She fell back on the table with her eyes closed, her breathing shallow. Moments later her eyes opened slowly and she looked at him and smiled. “Yes. I did that deliberately,” she said, her voice deep, even. “I wanted you to know how I feel whenever you take me spontaneously, unplanned and unconstrained. I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. Did I?”
He continued to stroke her cheek, loving her even more and wondering how that was possible. “Yes, you did.”
“And did I please you?”
“Most definitely.” He watch the satisfied look in her eyes and was touched to know that pleasing him meant so much to her. “You may have spoiled me.”
Her smile widened. “The way you’ve spoiled me?”
His hand moved from her cheek and down to her neck, stroking the column there. “Have I done that, Sexy Lexy?” he asked huskily, still holding his gaze to hers and using the pet name he’d given her.
She closed her eyes briefly and shivered. When she reopened them they were filled with both wonder and awe. “Yes, I think you have. You treat me special, Quinn. It’s as if you…”
He watched her. He saw the look of uncertainty in her eyes again. “It’s as if I what?”
She shook her head and answered softly, “Nothing.”
He continued to watch her. “You sure it’s nothing?”
Instead of answering him, she nodded her head.
He pulled her up to him and leaned down and kissed her. She would eventually tell him what had been in her thoughts and on her mind. Time and love would continue to heal her hurt and pain. She was still fighting him even now without fully realizing it. The hurt and pain her ex-husband had caused had gone deep, and the shield around her heart was thick. She saw no other recourse than to fight him to protect herself against ever getting hurt again.
But one day he knew she wouldn’t be able to fight him any longer. And when that time came, when she was ready to commit herself to him and she was ready to accept the love that he had for her and the belief in her heart that he would never hurt her, he would ask her to be his wife.
Alexia slowly opened her eyes. She was naked in bed alone. She glanced over at the clock on her nightstand that indicated the time was a little past two in the afternoon.
Shifting in bed, she remembered Quinn picking her up off the table and carrying her to the bedroom, placing her under the covers. He had kissed her one last time before he’d left, telling her that he would see her at his place tonight for dinner.
She lay still for a moment, willing her body to stop tingling when she thought of the way she had made love to Quinn. On a table, for heaven’s sake! But then, nothing she did with him surprised her anymore. Whenever they were together, he demanded the real Alexia Bennett and would not settle for anyone else.
She inhaled a deep breath. His parting kiss had been deep, sweet. The taste of him still lingered on her tongue. Her body missed his touch. What was there about Quinn that made her want him? Made her want to be a part of him? Made her want to love him?
She resolutely pushed that thought from her mind. Richmond had shown her the hard way what could happen if you left your heart open. But then a part of her knew Quinn was nothing like Richmond. Her ex-husband had used her for his benefit and would still be using her if she hadn’t had the sense to leave. The night she had left him she had decided she had been manipulated and used for the very last time.
Alexia levered herself up on her elbows and stared at the wall. She had been doing a pretty good job of protecting herself until Quinn came along. Quinn Masters, who had the strength of steel, the stubbornness of a bull, and more kindness than any man had a right to show, had slowly eased his way into her heart. And just to think she had thought he was arrogant. Quinn wasn’t arrogant, just confident. He had been confident in his ability to win her over by being a totally different type of man than she’d ever had to deal with before. He had also won her respect. There was something about him that demanded it. He had somehow found a way to conquer the heart of a woman who was afraid to let go of the past and love again.
But then, she conceded, he was making it easy for her to want to let go and love again by making her feel wanted, cherished, and loved.
Alexia shifted her gaze from the wall upward to the ceiling. There were different degrees of love. She believed that Quinn loved being with her and that he loved making love to her. But could she believe that he loved her? The way a man was supposed to love a woman, in the true essence of the word? Especially now that she knew she had fallen in love with him?
Her eyes went soft and moist. “I love him,” she whispered quietly to herself. “It’s not about good sex like I want to believe; it’s about more. I truly do love him.” And with that ardent confession her fear returned. But this fear went deeper than any she’d ever felt before. She feared the possibility of losing Quinn when he found out that she had set out to use him in the beginning to get a child, a child she was fairly certain she now carried in her womb. She was a week late and was too frightened to take a home pregnancy test to confirm what she suspected was true.
That she was carrying Quinn’s child.
Chapter 34
Even from a distance, Rae’jean could see that Ryan Garrison’s stance was a casual one as he leaned against her car and watched her walking toward him. For long moments she wondered how he’d known what time she got off work and why he was in the hospital’s parking lot waiting
for her when it had been decided that any report she was due to receive would be delivered by someone other than him. She had counted on not seeing him again for a while.
She didn’t want to worry about the strong sexual attraction between them or the fact that even now, when she was still over fifty feet away from where he stood, she could actually feel the air surrounding them hum with sensuous stimulation. She glanced down at her arms and saw goose bumps forming on them and noticed her breathing had deepened.
Seeing the only way to get out of her dilemma was to place her mind on something else, she thought about the hectic ten-hour shift she had just pulled and that the most important thing on her mind was getting home and going to bed. But moments later she found even thinking about that was impossible. Her mind was determined to remain on Ryan Garrison. Even from across the parking lot his gaze was burning into her.
With all the dignity she could muster, on unsteady legs she continued walking, determined not to let him know how much seeing him again was affecting her.
Ryan forced himself to break eye contact with Rae’jean and looked down and took a deep, shuddering breath. He needed to have his head examined. He had made a big mistake by coming here to deliver the report to her himself instead of sticking to the plan they had agreed upon. But he had wanted to see her again and this was the only excuse he could come up with to do so. Besides, for some reason he wanted to be there when she read the report about her father.
Without wanting to, Ryan lifted his head and let his gaze wander over Rae’jean once again. She was less than ten feet away now and was wearing her doctor’s scrubs. She looked tired, he mused silently. Evidently it had been a very busy night for her. But then he felt tired himself. He wasn’t getting much rest, either. Ever since he’d seen her that day in his office, she had dominated his dreams even more than before, making him wake up drenched in sweat during the wee hours of the night.
A Family Reunion Page 29
