“Yes, I am a good friend. Liz is my sister’s best friend. She was upset and I wanted to make sure she was okay. Would you rather I’d kicked her out, drunk and upset?”
“I’d rather not hear that your ex booty call was in your bed.”
Aaron flinched and shifted from foot to foot. Why did this stuff always happen to him?
He closed the space between them, and took Kacey’s rigid hands in his. He stared into her eyes. “I never lied about who I was or the things I’ve done. I could say she’s lying. Or tell you that I sent her home the second she arrived drunk trying to hook up.”
Kacey scoffed and tried to turn away. He tightened his grip. “But I won’t lie to you. I get it, hearing a woman say she left her panties at my place sounds bad.” Her scowl grew. “Really bad. But I promise you I wouldn’t lie about this.”
She glanced away, but not before he saw she was wavering. She shook her head. Aaron knew the argument that was coming next. The I can’t believe you or the why should I trust you accusations. He didn’t have good answers for why she should; he only knew he needed her to trust him. Needed her to know he only wanted her. He pulled her close and kissed her. For a second she relaxed, her body trembled, then she jerked away.
“You don’t just kiss me and think that makes everything okay.”
He grinned and lifted a shoulder. “It was worth a shot, and you liked it.” He hoped humor helped; that usually got them out of awkward situations.
She glared and crossed her arms. He grinned wider and raised a brow. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“I can’t believe I believe you.” Her voice shook.
Aaron stopped smiling and took a step closer. “I’m telling the truth. Nothing happened with Liz.”
She pressed a hand to her forehead and bit her lower lip. “Aaron, if you’re lying to me…”
“I’m not. I meant everything I said to you before. I only want you, Kacey.”
She massaged her temples. “You’re making me crazy.” She dropped her hands and glared at him. “I can’t do this again. I can’t be made a fool of.”
“I won’t make a fool out of you, Kacey.” He took her hands and stared into her eyes. “Trust me.”
Her brows drew together. He imagined all of the arguments going through her head. Then, by some miracle, she stiffly nodded. Relief flooded him, and the fear that he was losing her, not the deal, evaporated. Aaron relaxed and pulled Kacey into his arms, but when he kissed her, her body remained stiff.
Chapter 26
The blaring sound of a cell phone jerked Kacey awake the next morning. She blinked and glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings before remembering that she was in Aaron’s apartment, in his bed. Aaron groaned behind her. He lifted the arm around her waist, rolled to the opposite side of the bed, and lifted his phone.
Aaron looked at the screen. “Umpf.”
“Who is it?”
“Nothing,” he said.
Kacey rolled onto her back. “Nothing” was not an answer. She got a quick glimpse of the screen before he blacked it out. Denise. She quickly rolled back over, anger rising in her chest as swiftly as the sun. Closing her eyes, Kacey took a deep breath and suppressed the emotion. She’d chosen to believe him last night. Chosen to trust that nothing had happened between him and Liz. That he was only being a good friend.
Monique’s voice rang in her head. Girl, are you crazy?
Maybe she was, but Aaron had been nothing but honest with her. He made no apologies for his past lifestyle, but he’d said he was falling in love with her.
You’ve heard that before.
She pushed the thought aside. Aaron was not a predator looking to take advantage of a young girl. He wouldn’t lie. She hoped.
His lean arm wrapped around her waist, and he pulled her back against him. The length of his morning erection fit snugly in the crease of her backside. Kacey wanted to wiggle her hips and press backward, but she felt off. They’d come to his place, talked, laughed, eventually had sex, but in the back of her mind she wondered whether that’s how he’d been with Liz. Or someone else.
“Mmm, Kacey, I’m trying not to jump your bones first thing in the morning.”
“Why?”
“Because I feel like every time I’m near you, I can’t wait to sleep with you. I need to detox to make sure the voodoo you’ve put on me can fade from my system.”
Kacey smirked; if anyone was under a spell it was her. “Voodoo?”
“Yes, you’re wicked and addictive. And I’m not a guy who’s good at self-control.”
“Then let me help you.” She slipped out of his arms and out of the bed.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom, and then I’m taking a shower. Aren’t we supposed to have brunch with your parents at nine?” Kacey pointed to the clock. “It’s nearly eight.”
Aaron glanced at the clock. “Damn, I’d much rather stay in bed with you all day.”
Kacey gathered her hair at the back of her head, then used the band she’d taken out the night before to put it up into a messy ponytail. “Nope, you’re not blaming my voodoo on you missing brunch at the parents’. I’m showering.”
She walked across the room to his bathroom and felt his gaze on her naked body the entire time. Despite the off feeling, her nipples beaded and she wouldn’t turn him away if he joined her in the shower. The bathroom was a decent size but, like the rest of the house, it was undecorated. Aaron’s place reminded her a lot of the way Reggie had lived before he’d married Camila. Just the basics with no flare or personality. Maybe if she and Aaron stayed together, he’d let her add some touches to the place. It would be their second home when they were away from Resilient.
He doesn’t live in Resilient. Monique’s voice rang in her head again. You’d be decorating his apartment where he offers shelter for beautiful, intoxicated female friends of the family.
“Ugh.” Kacey jerked back the shower curtain and turned on the spray. She jumped in before the water had the chance to warm up. She needed the cold hit to clear her brain.
She had to squelch the doubts in her head. Otherwise they’d grow and fester. But she did need answers. She would see what, if anything, she could get out of Janiyah during the brunch today. If Aaron was sleeping with her best friend, she doubted Janiyah would be happy about him bringing another woman around the following weekend. If she was anything like Monique or Ashlei, she would only rat out her brother if he was in the wrong.
After her shower, Kacey got out and grabbed a towel out of the closet in the bathroom. She went into the bedroom to get her toothbrush out of her bag. Aaron wasn’t in the room.
She searched every pocket of her bag, but no toothbrush. “Damn. Aaron, do you have an extra toothbrush?” she called out.
He came back into the bedroom. He’d pulled on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. “Check the drawer on the right of the sink,” he said. “I have nothing to make coffee, but there’s a place right across the street. I’ll be right back, okay?”
“Sure.” She went into the bathroom and opened the drawer. There were several extra toothbrushes in the drawer. Along with combs, bands to pull back hair, women’s deodorant, perfume, even a pack of panty liners. She frowned. What the hell? Did he have that many women coming through that he had to provide a concierge drawer for their convenience?
Kacey grabbed one of the generic blue toothbrushes. With every second she brushed her teeth, the doubts she’d tried to push aside crept up. While deep down she wanted to believe Aaron, her mind wouldn’t let go of the way she’d easily believed every lie Dewayne had told her.
Kacey finished brushing her teeth and slammed down the brush. She jerked the bathroom door open and went to the bed. Lowering to her knees, Kacey scanned beneath it. She didn’t know what exactly she was looking for, but when her eyes landed on a pair of lacy pink panties, the tightness in her chest told her she’d found it.
I left my panties at your place. Liz’s words r
ang in her head.
I promise nothing happened. Aaron’s voice followed.
Kacey slid back from the bed. She took a deep breath and went over what she knew. He’d admitted Liz came over. Admitted that he let Liz sleep off her hangover in his bed. What he hadn’t admitted was how her panties got off and under his bed.
Aaron’s cell phone chimed on the nightstand, startling Kacey. She’d expected him to take the phone with him. Not caring that she was being the snooping girlfriend, she picked up his phone. Then clicked on the alert to read the text message from Denise.
GREAT! SEE YOU SOON.
Frowning, Kacey read the previous message from Aaron to her.
GOT YOUR VM. I’LL COME THROUGH.
That was where that particular conversation ended. There were no previous messages with Denise. She checked his other messages—mostly with his brothers and friend Fred. Nothing incriminating, until she saw a conversation with Tara. Flirty on Tara’s end, not really on Aaron’s, but why was he even answering? She went through his contact list. Mostly women with a range of area codes. Did he have a female in every state of the union?
She clicked on the voice-mail icon. He had visual voice message but she hit the Play button to hear the most recent message from Denise.
“Hi, Aaron, it’s Denise. I know this is out of the blue, but Rocky was on TV and it made me think of you. I hated that movie until we watched it together. Remember that night? Well, now I can’t stop thinking about it. Which isn’t good because I’m getting married in two months. I’ll stop rambling and say, I need to see you. Tell me when you’ll be in Texas again, okay? Call me.”
The door to Aaron’s apartment opened. Kacey dropped his phone back on the nightstand and jumped to her feet. Her heart raced and her mind whirled. She hurried over to her bag and searched through the contents for her clothes.
Aaron came into the room. “Hey, I got coffee and a few of those croissants. I know we’re eating in a few at my parents’, but I couldn’t resist.”
He crossed the room and wrapped his arm around her, coffee in one hand, a bag that had a delicious smell of pastries in the other. He kissed the side of her neck and she stiffened.
“What’s wrong?”
She wanted to yell, scream, push him down. But she didn’t do crazy outbursts. Honestly, she didn’t know what her next move would be. She’d confront him, but not right now when she was fuming with anger. That would only turn into a drama-filled screaming match that accomplished nothing.
“Nothing,” she said. “I’ll eat in a second. You need to hurry up and get dressed if we’re going to make it to your parents’ on time.”
Aaron slowly backed away from her. She felt his gaze boring into her back. She clutched her clothes against her chest. They stood there for what seemed like hours. She was too confused to face him. She was sure he wondered what had made her so stiff.
“Okay,” he said a second later. “I’ll get dressed.”
He put the coffee and the bag on the nightstand. Kacey glanced over her shoulder. Aaron frowned down at his cell phone. He glanced up at her and she turned back to her bag. Guilt and anger made her cheeks hot. He had to know she’d gone through it. She waited for him to ask, but a second later the bathroom door opened and closed.
• • •
Laughter and conversation greeted Kacey and Aaron’s arrival—a complete contrast to the tension that had hovered between her and Aaron on the ride over. He hadn’t said anything or asked her what was wrong while they’d silently gotten dressed and driven over. He’d played as if nothing was wrong by holding her hand and giving her his easygoing smile when they made eye contact. But she knew, deep down she knew, he knew she’d seen the texts.
Kacey sat outside by the pool with Janiyah and Sandra. Aaron and his brothers were huddled around the grill. Roger and Loretta sat with their feet in the pool, and Neecie had volunteered to change the baby’s diaper inside, giving Sandra a break.
“Kacey, I need to apologize again,” Janiyah blurted out.
“For what?”
Janiyah sighed. “For Liz. Well, more for her outburst. She’s mortified that everyone heard. She was in a really bad mood the other weekend, and I thought it would help if she and Aaron…you know.” Janiyah shrugged. “But nothing happened and she’s so embarrassed that now the entire family knows she tried to seduce Aaron in a drunken attempt to get back at her ex.”
Kacey took a deep breath. Still doesn’t explain the underwear. “Are you sure nothing happened?” Kacey asked. “She left her underwear under his bed.”
Sandra cleared her throat and shifted on the chair. Janiyah glanced between the two. “I know that sounds bad, but I trust Liz. And I know Aaron. He’s never been a straight-up dog. He wouldn’t sleep with her if you two are officially together.”
Kacey smiled at Janiyah, whose eyes were bright with sincerity. Kacey hoped Janiyah’s trust in her brother wasn’t misplaced. “Thank you, Janiyah.”
Sandra reached over and patted Kacey’s hand. “Aaron is a good guy, and he reminds me a lot of David when we first met back in college. I think he’s really into you, but he is still trying to figure out how to come to terms with that. You just trust your instincts and let him know when he steps out of line. Honesty is the easiest route.”
Kacey glanced at the guys, all in some deep discussion by the grill. The music playing in the background kept her from hearing what they said. Aaron glanced up her way, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. She smiled back. Trust her instincts. Right now her instincts said to hold on to her heart.
The guys finished grilling, and everyone sat around the long glass patio table by the pool to eat. Conversation flowed around baby preparations and wedding plans for Kareem and his fiancée, Neecie. They’d set a wedding date for the following year. The glow on Loretta’s face, along with the hopeful looks she threw Kacey and Aaron’s way, made Kacey uncomfortable. She and Aaron had barely made it a few weeks, no way could she guarantee a full year.
Loretta looked at Aaron. “Are you in town for a while, Aaron, or are you staying in Resilient after you take Kacey back?”
Aaron leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his iced tea. “I’ll stay in Resilient for a few days, but I’ve got to make a delivery to Texas.”
Kacey stopped chewing the grilled zucchini and her stomach knotted.
Roger leaned his head to the side. “Why do you have to deliver? Now that you and Reggie have consolidated, you’ve got plenty of drivers. It’s time to settle down and run the business instead of gallivanting across the country, son.”
Aaron’s answer to his dad’s scolding was his normal carefree grin. “It’s not gallivanting. I’ll still take deliveries every once in a while. But I’m going to check in on a friend in Texas who I haven’t seen in a while.”
Three sets of eyes zeroed in on her: David’s, Kareem’s, and Fred’s. Now she knew what they’d discussed around the grill. Instead of asking if she’d checked his cell phone, he’d gone to the guys in his family. Kacey swallowed the lump of zucchini, grabbed her glass of tea, and gulped the drink down. Fine, they wanted to see if she’d react, she’d give them a reaction.
“Is the friend Denise?” Kacey asked.
Aaron slowly twisted in his chair and stared into her eyes. “How do you know about Denise?” The false surprise in his voice made her grit her teeth.
“You know how I know. I listened to her voice message. I saw you reply that you were going to see her.”
“So you went through my phone?”
“Yes.”
He scoffed and shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”
“Don’t try to turn this on me. Why are you texting Tara?”
“Those texts don’t mean anything.”
“That’s what you keep saying, Aaron. The texts don’t mean anything. You just have friends who invite you to Hawaii for a week. Women come over when they’re upset and leave underwear at your place. Everything is no big deal.”
“I’m with you. They’re just friends. Friends I knew for a long time before we got together. I’m supposed to just ignore them?”
Sandra grunted. “Yes.”
Kacey looked to Sandra, who narrowed her eyes at Aaron. David placed a hand on her arm. “Let’s stay out of Aaron’s business.”
Sandra pointed to Aaron. “You should be giving him advice on how not to make mistakes with women.”
David closed his eyes and shook his head. “Sandra, let’s not go there.”
Janiyah sat up. “Well, I’m going there. I stood up for you over what happened with Liz, but I can’t if you’re going to Texas to see someone else.”
Aaron frowned at Janiyah. “Why are you butting in?”
Janiyah’s look said she had every right to butt in. “Because I thought you and Liz were becoming serious. Instead you’re seeing Kacey, and now you’re going off to see that girl you were crazy about a few years ago.”
Kacey turned to Aaron. “You were crazy about her?”
Aaron shook his head. “She’s just a friend.”
Kacey narrowed her eyes. “They’re all just friends.”
Kareem grunted. “Everyone quit giving Aaron a hard time. He’s not engaged to any of these women.” He looked at Kacey. “I mean no harm to you, but my brother doesn’t owe you anything. You’ve been together for what, a few weeks?”
Neecie hit Kareem’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you just said that.”
“It’s the truth,” Kareem said.
Janiyah sucked her teeth. “You guys are disgusting.” Fred tried to take her hand, but she shook him off. “You too. I bet you’re all cheering Aaron on to be a big ol’ player.”
The couples started their own arguments around the table. The baby started crying, adding to the various raised voices.
Roger stood. “That’s enough!”
Everyone fell silent. Even the baby stopped crying. He glared at each one of his kids. “Aaron’s fight with Kacey is not a reason to start problems in your own relationships. Janiyah, David, Kareem, you all had your own issues before you worked things out. Aaron’s doing the same now. Stay out of his business.”
From One Night to Forever Page 21
