A Heart Not Easily Broken (The Butterfly Memoirs)

by M. J. Kane

  That had been a week ago.

  The start of the week found us both busy. Ebony’s schedule at the zoo changed to longer work hours and interfered with her part-time job.

  After being unable to work for two days and getting behind on my customers, my phone rang off the hook. On top of that, I had practice. Diverse Nation played three nights a week, and every show was different.

  The minute traffic stopped again, I grabbed my phone. We were playing phone tag, leaving voicemails or sending text messages when we found the time. I listened to the last message she’d left again. Her sexiness even came through the phone.

  She said she’d call after seven. Come hell or high water I would be available.

  My phone rang. A check of the caller ID made me smile.

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Are you home yet?”

  “No, and before you ask, I haven’t eaten dinner yet, but…” I glanced at the restaurants on the strip. “I’m pulling in for some barbeque now.” No matter how old I got, she would always view me as her little boy. Then again, out of five kids, I was the youngest and the only boy.

  “That’s better than eating a hamburger. What you need to do is find a young woman to take care of you. When do you plan on settling down? I want more grandkids running around my house.”

  “Whoa.” I laughed. “First of all, I’ve got some things to accomplish before I’m ready for commitment. Second, you’ve already got five grandkids.”

  “And I love all of them. But you and Bridget owe me. I don’t know what your sister’s problem is. But you, my son, need a wife. You should come home from a hard day at work and have dinner on the table, not driving through a fast-food restaurant.”

  “Mom, I’m capable of taking care of myself. Besides,” I put the truck in park and climbed out. “I can’t afford a wife or kids right now. That’s a long way off.”

  She sighed, her disappointment obvious through the phone. “Well, at least you need someone to keep you happy. I hate it things didn’t work out with you and the last young lady you were seeing.”

  “Yeah, well…life goes on.”

  “Are you seeing someone now?”

  Damn, she was in full nosey-mom mode.

  “I’m working on it,” I mumbled, while studying the restaurant menu. “Look, Mom, I’ve got to go, it’s almost my turn to place my order.”

  “Okay. Don’t forget about the Fourth of July barbecue at the house. What can you bring?”

  “Beer as always.” She knew not to ask me to cook.

  “Don’t forget, soda, juice boxes for the kids”

  “And ice,” we said in unison.

  “I got it, Mom. Gotta go.”

  “Okay. Why don’t you bring the young lady you’re seeing?”

  “Who said I was seeing anybody?”

  “I know my son. You’re too handsome to be sitting around all alone. If she’s important, you will. Don’t forget, next Saturday. Your dad’s firing up the grill at twelve. Everyone should start arriving no later than two.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  My mother always seemed to know what went on in my life. Sometimes I wondered if she were psychic.

  I placed my order and then sat at a vacant table to wait. Inviting Ebony to go with me to meet my family wasn’t such a bad idea. My family would welcome her with open arms. Race had never been an issue in the Young household. Besides, Ebony wouldn’t be the first black woman to come home with me.

  Soon, I was back in my truck and heading for my house. The delicious aroma of my meal made my mouth water. I’d reached my driveway when my phone rang. It was seven o’clock on the dot.

  “Hey, beautiful.”

  “Brian, I was beginning to believe we’d never talk again,” Ebony said.

  “Me, too. I’m all yours.” I climbed out of the truck, dinner in hand.

  “And you’ve got me.”

  Hearing her voice made me want to kiss her again. “How was your day?”

  “Same old thing, sick dogs and picky cats. Personally, I prefer the zoo. The animals there are more interesting.”

  “I bet.” I pictured her scraping goat dung with a shovel.

  “How was yours?” she asked.

  “Long, hot” Her laugh made me pause. “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing, just…never mind. Go ahead. Long and…” She continued to giggle.

  “Tiring.” Then it dawned on me. “Where is your head at?”

  Another round of sexy laughter bubbled through the phone. After putting my key in the front door, I paused. The urge to see her again made me consider climbing back in my truck with my plate and going over to her place.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  It was too late. It’s amazing how a few kisses could push your thoughts, wants, and desires to a whole new level.

  “All right, change of subject. What are you doing right now?” She stopped laughing, but I could hear the smile in her voice.

  “I just got home with a steaming plate of ribs.”

  “Ribs?”

  “Yeah, collard greens and mac-n-cheese, too.”

  “Soul food? You’re eating soul food?” She laughed her disbelief.

  “The minute I get inside I am. Why?”

  “That’s like me saying I’m eating a big bowl of mac-n-cheese for dinner. The only people I know who do are white.”

  I shook my head. “There you go with the race thing again.”

  “Come on, Brian, you know I’m right. Do you see black people in Kraft commercials eating bowls of mac-n-cheese as the main course? Of course not, because we eat it as a side dish with ribs.”

  Her laugh was contagious. She had a point.

  All too soon, the laughter slowed. “I miss you, Brian.”

  “What?”

  Ebony hesitated. “I miss you.” The words were no longer a whisper.

  I stopped in the foyer of my house. If I drove fast enough, I could be at her place in twenty minutes.

  “I miss you, too.”

  “Are you busy Friday? I mean, do you have plans? I don’t have to work either job, so I figured, you know if you’re free, maybe we could…” She paused. “I know you’ve got to go to the club Friday night. I would love to come see you play, but I’ve got to report to the zoo early in the morning, so I can’t stay out late. What I’m saying is I want to see you.”

  She’d finally stopped rambling.

  “Did you just ask me out on an actual date?”

  Nervous laughter came through the phone. “Yes.”

  “Friday’s good, although I have mandatory practice from three to six”

  “Oh.”

  “We don’t go on until eleven. Why don’t I pick you up around two? You can go with me. Afterward we could grab something to eat and do whatever you want. I’ll be yours until ten.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Chapter 12

  It was one o’clock, and I didn’t know what to wear. Brian would be here in an hour. I hadn’t done my hair and make-up yet. The only thing I’d done was shower.

  “Yasmine!”

  “Oh no, who died?” She rushed across the hall and took one glance at the clothes strewn across my bed. Her hands went to her hips. “Fashion emergency?”

  I nodded, biting my lip.

  “Is this a date?”

  “Yes.”

  Her eyebrows went up in surprise. “Okay, hmm, what kind? First date? Meeting for drinks?”

  My eyebrows furrowed. “Not exactly. I’m meeting band members, and then we’re going on a date.”

  “Hold up, band members? Are you seeing the guitar player, Javan’s roommate?”

  I could feel my cheeks heating. “I guess I am.”

  “Holy shit! And you haven’t said anything? I thought we were friends.” She feigned disappointment.

  “Yaz, you know you’re my girl. I didn’t say anything because it just sort of happened.” I plopped down on the piles of clothes on my bed. “I met him Sunday,
and we had fun. And by the end of the evening, we kissed.”

  Yasmine stood wide-eyed, her mouth hanging open.

  “And it was…” I didn’t know how to describe it. Warm and sweet sounded like kissing a childhood boyfriend. Hot and passionate didn’t cut it either, though I’m sure if we’d kissed long enough, we’d have ended up there. “Perfect,” I decided.

  Yasmine laughed while she sorted through my mountain of clothes. “Different is what you mean. Not saying white men can’t kiss, it’s just with a brother, there’s more lips to suck on, you know?”

  “Yasmine!”

  “What? You know I’m right. But it’s all about technique. I’ve kissed some guys whose lips were the size of tires. I felt like I was being licked by a dog.” Yasmine shivered in mock disgust.

  I cracked up. “That is so wrong.”

  “I’ve also kissed guys whose lips were smaller than mine, but man, did they have technique.” Her eyes closed as if having a flashback. “David could suck the hell out of”

  “Enough!” I laughed, throwing my hands up. “I get the point. Besides, I like Brian’s…technique and plan to explore it some more tonight. First, I need the perfect outfit.”

  “You called the right one. So, what does he like?”

  “Huh?”

  She sighed. “What does he like? You know, what has he commented on? What has his roving eye looked at when he’s not staring at you?”

  “Um, his attention is always on me. Plus, he says I look good in anything, even my work clothes.”

  “What the hell?” She rubbed her eyes. “Okay, he’s one of those.”

  “One of what?”

  “A man who’s always giving compliments to suck up.”

  I loved Brian’s compliments. He never gave the impression of trying to get something in return. His facial expressions made it obvious that what he said came from the heart.

  “Alright, what has he seen you in?” She eyed the clothes pile. “Jeans?”

  “Not exactly, Capri’s, yes.”

  “Dress?”

  “That skin tight number the night we met.”

  “Told you it would work.” She gave me a smug smile. “Shorts?”

  “Yes, on Sunday, the day we kissed.”

  “Hmm, how about this?”

  I turned to see what she held. “Perfect.”

  “Now for hair and make-up.”

  At exactly two o’clock, the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it,” Yasmine yelled from downstairs.

  I finished tying the strings of my wedge heels around my legs and made sure I sprayed perfume in all the right places. I took a deep breath and stood in front of the mirror. Yasmine had a hidden talent for dressing people.

  “Well hello, Brian, right? I’m Yasmine It’s nice to meet you.”

  I could hear Yasmine’s voice floating up the steps.

  “Hi, Yasmine. I’m here to pick up Ebony,” he replied.

  God, I loved to hear him say my name.

  “Sure, come in. She’ll be down in a minute.” The door closed. “Take care of my girl.”

  “I will.”

  When I heard her coming up the steps, I counted to ten and composed myself.

  She stopped at my doorway and winked. “He’s a keeper. Nice lips.” She laughed and disappeared into her room.

  Brian’s back was to me when I walked down the stairs. He appeared relaxed with his thumbs hooked in the pockets of his jeans. He had the same black sneakers and a deep blue shirt that was the same shade as his eyes. Blue was fast becoming my favorite color. His blond curls with dark undertones were shorter than when I last saw him.

  “Hi,” I said upon reaching the bottom step.

  He turned around and his eyes traveled over my outfit. “Damn.”

  I wore a floral print halter-top accented with red lace trim that molded to my waist and breasts perfectly. The tan background complimented my skin and the floor-length skirt fit like a glove. A long, sexy slit ran from the hem to the middle of my thigh and gave him an eyeful every time I moved my leg.

  “You look,” he cleared his throat, “amazing.”

  So did he. Besides cutting his hair, he’d grown a sexy five o’clock shadow. I couldn’t decide whether to stare at his mouth or his eyes.

  I closed the distance between us without saying a word. My heels didn’t bring us eye-to-eye, but I was close enough. I took his face between my hands, slid my fingertips into his hair, and drew his head down until his lips met mine. After talking about the kiss we’d shared, I was anxious to do it again.

  Without hesitation, Brian’s mouth opened. Enjoying the firmness of his lips, I slipped my tongue in-between. His hands came out of his pockets, around my waist, and pulled me close.

  My breath caught. I pressed against him, willing myself to mold to the shape of his body. There was no denying the attraction either of us felt. After days of not seeing each other, we definitely had the same thing in mind.

  “Um, excuse me. I kinda need to get through here. It’s the only way to the kitchen.”

  We stopped kissing, but neither of us released our hold. I couldn’t believe I was in the living room with Brian, damn near ready to make out. I slipped my hands out of his hair and satisfied my need to touch him by running a hand over his chest. “Sorry,” I told Kaitlyn. “Brian, this is my other roommate, Kaitlyn.”

  She glanced from me and over at Brian. Her arms were loaded down with grocery bags.

  “Hi. I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve been standin’ here for forever waitin’ for ya’ll lovebirds to come up for air. This stuff is heavy.”

  “Let me help you,” Brian let go of me and reached for the bags.

  “No, I’ve got this. Do ya mind grabbin’ the box out of the trunk?”

  “Sure.”

  We watched him disappear out the front door.

  “Holy crap!” she whispered. “That’s the guy from the club?”

  I grinned, slipped a few bags from her hands, and headed for the kitchen.

  “He’s hot! Does he have a brother?”

  I laughed. “Kaity, didn’t you just find a man?”

  “Yeah, so?” She put the remaining bags down before punching my shoulder. “And you’ve been holdin’ out.”

  “I know, I know. Yasmine already fussed. I’ll fill you guys in with the details when I get home.”

  “After a kiss like that you’re plannin’ on comin’ home?” She shook her head. “You show up tonight, and I’m calling the crazy police to turn you in.”

  ***

  The band practiced at one of the members’ houses. Fortunately, the garage had an air conditioning unit installed, so it was quite comfortable.

  To my surprise, I wasn’t the only female there. I sat against a wall on an old bench seat, which appeared to have come from a truck. Jessica, the fiancée of the band’s drummer, sat beside me. Brian and I shared a private laugh when he introduced me. Besides knowing Derrick was engaged, looking back at him now, I was glad Brian ended up being the one I met.

  Just like the night at the retirement home, watching Brian play was erotic. Since we’d kissed, I found myself paying more attention to the way he held his mouth and the seductive slide of his fingers up and down the neck of his guitar. My imagination ran wild, causing the lingering heat from our kiss to build. It was impossible to keep from squirming in my seat.

  “Here, one of these helps.” Jessica handed me a bottle of ice-cold water. She laughed at my confused expression and pointed to the row of ladies sitting near us. All toasted me with their bottles. “We all get turned on while watching them play. It’s always a good night whenever we leave a rehearsal or performance.”

  “Thanks.” I’m sure my cheeks flushed pink.

  I turned my attention back to the action, watching Brian study the sheet music and interact with the group. He was in full music mode, intent on what he was doing. What was left of his curly locks lay plastered to his damp forehead. He’d told me it was a
mental and physical workout every time he played. I truly admired him.

  He also claimed to get the best sleep on the nights they performed at the club. Of course it wasn’t clear whether he’d expended energy any other way before going to sleep. But after watching him play, I couldn’t imagine him going to bed alone.

  I suddenly hated the idea of going to work in the morning. Being with him tonight would have been the perfect opportunity to sleep with him.

  Oh man, what was I thinking? Our friendship had changed the moment we kissed. That didn’t mean we had to jump straight into cut-buddy status, did it? Oh, hell, who was I kidding? I was horny and being anywhere in the vicinity of Brian made me want to jump him.

  This stupid bottle of water did nothing to cool down the fire that simmered inside me for the past few months. Not even a trip to Antarctica would work. At this rate, I’d probably melt the polar icecap.

  “You know, I’ve never seen Brian this focused before. I mean, he’s always prepared, but tonight is different,” Jessica said, drawing my attention away from my thoughts of sex. “It’s because you’re here.”

  I laughed. “I’m sure he’s showed off for plenty of girls before.” I took another swig of water. Nope, this definitely wasn’t working.

  She shook her head. “No, I’m sure it’s you. He’s never brought anyone here before.”

  ***

  Dinner went by fast and neither of us wanted the night to end. At least, I didn’t want it to end like this.

  We sat in his truck in my driveway. I was grateful he’d taken the time to clean it. There was no trash or funky odors coming from the seats. Not that I would have cared. I was more interested in the action going on between us than what it smelled like. The console sitting between us made it impossible for me to feel his body as we kissed. I made due with the gentle grip of his hand while he tilted my mouth to meet his.

  “What’s on your mind?” Brian pulled back and watched me.

  I sighed, resting my head on the seats headrest. “For the first time in my life, I’m not looking forward to work in the morning.”

  “Why, is there something wrong?”