Follow Your Heart--A Novel

by Brenda Jackson

  “Same here. How have you been, Victoria?”

  “Fine. And you?” He definitely wasn’t as friendly as he’d been when they’d run in to each other at the bakery. But that was before he’d found out from Blade that he was her intended.

  “I’m doing okay. I decided to join this gym today and made a full day of it.”

  “I see.” Was that a coincidence or strategic planning on Mama Laverne’s part? But then how would her great-grandmother know of the proximity of the gym to the television station where she worked? But then everybody knew Mama Laverne had ways of finding out even minute details.

  “So that’s the station where you work?” he asked.

  “Yes.” It was a shame he hadn’t known that, which only meant he hadn’t bothered to watch any of her shows. Whereas Roman watched her daily. Even while on the water fishing.

  “How are things going with the renovation of the club?” she asked. He appeared a little nervous. Was he hoping she wouldn’t mention anything about their pending rain check?

  “Great. That’s keeping me pretty busy.”

  She nodded, wondering if that’s the reason he hadn’t called. She decided to test that theory to see what kind of reaction she would get from him. “I’m busy a lot, too. And I’m dating this wonderful guy.”

  The huge smile that suddenly broke out on his face was priceless...and basically told her everything. He didn’t give a royal flip that she was seeing someone else. In fact, he seemed happy about it. His next words proved that he was.

  “Why, that’s great, Victoria! Absolutely fantastic! I wish you the best.”

  He wished her the best? She tried to keep from frowning when she said, “Thanks. He’s a real nice guy.” What she said was the truth. Roman was a real nice guy. Her next words weren’t true, but Tanner didn’t have to know that. “It might be turning serious.”

  “Really? That’s good. I’m happy for you. Extremely happy.”

  Yes, she got that. And if that huge smile on his face was anything to go by, he truly was happy for himself, as well. “Thanks.”

  He glanced at his watch. “Well, I hate to run, but I have a date tonight.”

  “Oh, okay. Enjoy your date.”

  He gave her that bad-boy look when he said, “Trust me, I will.”

  “See you later, Tanner.”

  She turned to get in her car at the same time he got into his. She felt nothing at the thought he didn’t seem interested in her at all, and that he was obviously still out there sowing his wild oats. Shouldn’t she be feeling some kind of emotion, like annoyance or intense anger, jealousy, or...something? She figured the reason she didn’t care was because she was enjoying her time with Roman. At least she’d been honest with Tanner by telling him she was dating someone...although she and Roman weren’t actually dating. Still, there was no doubt in her mind that Tanner was pleased that she was seeing someone. How crazy was that? That only showed he still wasn’t ready for her in his life.

  That placed even more meaning on what she’d told Roman. She was free to do whatever she wanted until Tanner placed a ring on her finger. And even then, she wouldn’t accept his ring until she knew for certain he was the man she loved.

  * * *

  LATE THAT EVENING Tanner sat in front of the computer in his office at the club. “There you have it, Blade. Hank talked to your electrical team today and they feel confident they’ll have the club rewired in two weeks. Simultaneously, two more stalls will be added in that first women’s restroom.”

  “That will push things close, but at least we’ll be back on schedule. Why isn’t Wyatt on this call?” Blade asked.

  Tanner chuckled. “I called him, but he is somewhat indisposed at the moment.”

  “Indisposed?”

  “Yes. I guess when a woman shows up for a booty call, you take care of business. You’ve been married too long, Blade, if you’ve forgotten that.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Oh, by the way, I ran in to Victoria today,” Tanner said.

  “I thought you were keeping your distance.”

  “I am, and it was a coincidence we ran in to each other. There is no way your great-grandmother could have arranged this,” Tanner said.

  After Lyric had walked out on him, she’d sent someone else to give him a tour and a good workout. The woman was good, but she hadn’t been Lyric. If she thought she could dismiss him like that, she was wrong.

  “Tanner!”

  Hearing Blade almost holler into the phone made him jump. “Damn, man, do you have to yell like that?”

  “Well, you hadn’t answered my question and I asked you twice.”

  He had? His mind had definitely been elsewhere. “Sorry about that. I was looking over next week’s work order,” he lied. There was no way he was telling Blade anything about how a woman had him tied in knots.

  “I asked did you get a chance to talk to Victoria, and if so, how is she doing?”

  “Yes, we talked, and I was trying my best to keep it short. She seemed happy and she mentioned she’s dating someone.”

  “Dating someone?”

  “Yes, that’s what she said. And even said it might be serious.”

  “Serious?”

  “Yes.”

  “And how do you feel about that?”

  Tanner frowned. “And how am I supposed to feel about it? I told her I was happy for her. Wished her the best.”

  Blade didn’t say anything for a minute and then said, “Victoria has to be lying to you, Tanner. There’s no way for her to be seriously dating a guy when she knows you’re her intended.”

  “I am not her intended, Blade. And why would she be lying about it?”

  “To save face. You’re supposed to be her guy and she knows that. Since you’re not making an effort to do anything about it, like starting a relationship with her, she doesn’t want you to think she’s somewhere pining for you. A woman has her pride, you know.”

  Tanner rolled his eyes. “Let me say this again since there is undoubtedly something wrong with your hearing. I am not Victoria’s guy.”

  “Trust me, all my brothers and cousins wish like hell that you’re not. We know your reputation and we’re hoping Mama Laverne made a mistake.”

  “If she has selected me, then she undoubtedly made a mistake. A big one. But still, need I remind you that you and your cousins all were once womanizers like me, and that some of them still are?”

  “Hey, no need to get uptight. We’re just concerned,” Blade said, clearly enjoying Tanner’s discomfort. “You’re one of my best friends and I would hate to have to work you over if you broke Victoria’s heart.”

  “I don’t plan to fall in love with Victoria, Blade. It’s not in my makeup to fall in love with anyone when there are so many good-looking and accommodating women out there.”

  Blade chuckled. “We all thought the same thing at one time.”

  “And I’m still thinking that way. I won’t ever be ready to settle down with one woman, Blade. I like my freedom too much. Victoria is a nice girl, but there’s no way I will ever fall in love with her.”

  “Not according to Mama Laverne.”

  “Like I said, she’s made a mistake.” Tanner looked at his watch. “I spent practically all day at the gym and have a few items to catch up on before calling it a day. I’ll talk to you later.”

  After ending the call with Blade, Tanner leaned back in his chair. Little did Blade know, but Victoria wasn’t the woman who’d gotten under his skin. Lyric Evans was.

  * * *

  “I RAN INTO Tanner today.”

  Roman looked down at the woman by his side. They were standing on the deck of his boat. Like a number of others, they were waiting for the fireworks and laser show to begin. “And how did that go?” he asked, while wondering if this was where she would tell him that Tanner
had come to his senses and they’d decided to start seeing each other.

  “It went rather well. Almost too well. He’s a member of a gym that’s next door to the news station.”

  “That’s rather convenient.”

  “I thought so, too, at first. However, I honestly don’t think he knew where I worked. He was as surprised to see me as I was to see him.” After pausing a moment, she said, “It was quite obvious that he was trying to keep the conversation short between us.”

  Roman just didn’t get it. How could her great-grandmother fix her up with someone who sounded so uncaring where Victoria was concerned?

  “To see how he would handle the news, I lied and told him that I was dating someone. Even sort of led him to believe it was getting serious,” she added.

  “And what did he say about that?”

  She broke eye contact with him to gaze out at the water. “He said that he was happy for me and he wished me well.”

  Roman honestly didn’t know what to make of that. He wondered how she felt knowing the man she’d been told was supposed to be her soul mate was still fighting it. “Is that what’s bothering you tonight, Victoria? The fact that he hasn’t come around and isn’t even making an effort to do so?” He’d picked up on the fact that she wasn’t her usual bubbly self.

  She didn’t say anything for a moment and then returned her gaze to his. “What concerns me is that it should bother me, but it doesn’t. I’m okay with the way he’s acting because I am not ready for Tanner to be a part of my life. Maybe it’s because of the hurt and humiliation I went through with Karl, but I honestly think it’s something else.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “‘Something else,’ like what?”

  She licked her bottom lip and he got a feeling she was nervous about what she was about to say. “If Tanner was in my life now, then I wouldn’t be here with you, Roman. And I have truly enjoyed our time together. I’ve had more fun with you these last few days than I’ve had in a long time.”

  He was glad she felt that way because he honestly felt the same. He’d dated lots of women and none had felt comfortable enough to show him who they really were. They had all gone out of their way to impress him, to show him a side of themselves that he wasn’t certain was real or fake. With Victoria, everything felt real. She had a great personality, was warm, kind, friendly—all of that was evident with how she greeted and talked to people. She approached everyone equally; no one was beneath her. Like tonight, for instance, she’d chatted up the busboy who’d cleaned off their table, the waitress who’d served their food and the owner of the restaurant. Everyone was the recipient of her warm smile and pleasing personality.

  “In that case, I’m glad things turned out the way they did because I’m enjoying my time with you, too.” He reached out to caress the side of her face. “You want to know what I’m hoping, Victoria?”

  “What are you hoping?” He could hear the little catch in her voice when his hand moved to stroke her jaw with the tip of his finger.

  “That regardless of your great-grandmother’s past success in matchmaking, I’m hoping this time she is totally wrong where you and Tanner are concerned.”

  Their gazes held for the longest time and then she said, “I’m hoping that, too, Roman.”

  He dropped his hand and eased closer to her. At that moment, he needed to kiss her, taste her like he had last night, like he’d been yearning to do all day. The memories of their one kiss had tortured him through the night, invaded his dreams, made him wish they would kiss at least twice, maybe three more times, before they parted ways.

  Then this morning, at Witherspoon Café, that brush across her lips hadn’t been satisfying enough. He’d never kissed a woman before in a public place, but the moment he’d seen her walk into the café, he’d wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He’d held back then, but he wouldn’t hold back now. With that decision made, he lowered his head and slanted his mouth across hers.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  VICTORIA WAS HOPING Roman would kiss her again and now she was getting what she wanted. She loved the feel of his mouth connecting with hers. Last night he’d been thorough but gentle. Tonight, he was kissing her with passion and possession.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back with equal enthusiasm. This kiss was deep, it was hard and it was what she wanted and needed.

  Suddenly, the sound of fireworks infiltrated and they broke off the kiss, but neither moved from the other’s arms. They stared at each other while getting their breathing under control. She licked her lips, enjoying the taste of him there.

  “The fireworks have started,” she said, when neither seemed capable of speech.

  He nodded, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and brought her closer to his side, where they stood practically hip-to-hip. She liked being so close to him. It felt right.

  She looked up and saw the sky blossom into a bright yellow. The only thing missing was the sun. It was spectacular. The laser show displayed an array of all shades of yellow, then there were flashes across the sky of all things yellow—a yellow rose, a banana, a lemon, a canary, dandelions, a sunflower, a bouquet of daffodils, a stick of butter, corn on the cob and a yellow submarine. The latter brought quite a few chuckles. Then, last but not least, was the yellow cab, which brought out a number of cheers.

  Fireworks lit the sky again and music began playing, and those who recognized the song chimed in with the chorus of the ’60s song “Mellow Yellow.” Victoria laughed, loving it. When the yellow rose had appeared in the sky, both she and Roman had screamed at the top of their lungs, cheering for “The Yellow Rose of Texas.”

  Once she was sure the show had ended, she turned and said, “Tonight was such fun.”

  “Yes, it was. Come on and let me get you home.”

  It was close to midnight when Roman walked Victoria to her door. She glanced up at him as they took the steps to her porch. “Thanks again for picking me up and bringing me home.”

  “No problem. I enjoy your company.”

  When they reached her front door, she turned to him. “Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or something?”

  He smiled at her and pushed a lock of hair from her face. “Yes, ‘or something.’”

  Victoria smiled back at him as she opened the door. “Well, if coffee doesn’t suit your fancy, there’s beer left from when Corbin came to visit earlier this year.”

  When they entered her house and Roman closed the door behind them, he took her hand in his. “I’m really not interested in coffee or beer, Victoria. This is what I want.”

  The moment Roman lowered his mouth to Victoria’s, she felt her entire body tremble in pleasure. His tongue tangled so intensely with hers, taking possession of her mouth, that she experienced a degree of arousal the likes of which she’d never felt before. She needed this. She wanted this.

  Their other kisses had been off the charts, had left her over the moon, but this one was one for the pleasure books. Sensations began racing through all parts of her body and desire was taking over her senses. He deepened the kiss and she followed his lead, while yearnings and cravings were encouraging her to take as much as he was willing to give. It was if they were starved for each other. She felt the kiss in every bone of her body as his tongue continued to stroke every inch of her mouth in a way that had her moaning.

  The need to breathe had them ending the kiss and she leaned her face against his chest. Victoria was convinced that the air surrounding them was filled with sexual currents, and one move could set off another charge. She stood there, being held in his arms while trying to get her breathing under control.

  She finally lifted her head and met the dark, intense gaze staring down at her. Swallowing deeply, she gripped the front of his shirt as if she needed it for support and whispered, “What is happening to us, Roman?”

  He re
ached out and tenderly caressed the side of her face, then said in a low, husky voice, “We have two more weeks to figure things out, Victoria.”

  Then he leaned down and kissed her again.

  PART 2

  Only do what your heart tells you.

  —Princess Diana

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  WE HAVE TWO more weeks to figure things out, Victoria...

  Roman’s words kept floating through Victoria’s mind the next morning as she sat at her kitchen table sipping tea and gazing out the window at the apple grove. Those same words had kept her up most of the night. To her dismay, she wasn’t sure two more weeks would give them the answers they needed.

  She honestly wasn’t sure how to proceed at this point. One thing was certain—she could no longer categorize her and Roman’s relationship as nothing more than “family friends.” Things might have started out that way but somewhere along the line, things had shifted. Although they’d known of each other for years, she’d never been a part of Roman’s orbit and didn’t have the relationship that her brothers and cousins had shared with him over the years.

  Spending so much time with him was an eye-opener and she was seeing him in a whole new light. Appreciating Roman as a man had come naturally, especially with him being so easy on the eyes. She hadn’t expected so much sexual chemistry, such a deep attraction and a kiss that could stir up so much desire.

  As Victoria took another sip of tea, she wondered what he thought of the text she’d sent him moments ago canceling their breakfast date, but keeping plans to meet him later for fireworks. Hopefully, that would give her the time she needed to do some serious thinking.

  * * *

  ROMAN REREAD THE text he’d received earlier from Victoria.

  Bailing out on breakfast. Sorry. Doing household chores that need my attention. See you at five for dinner and fireworks.

  He couldn’t help wondering if she really had household chores that needed her attention or if their kiss last night had her putting space between them. At least he would be seeing her for dinner. If she felt that she really needed space then she could certainly take it. However, he couldn’t see the attraction between them lessening anytime soon. In fact, he had a feeling that things were just really heating up.