“Surprisingly enough, they want to thank you. They came in to see me for the same reason. I told them that it was all you.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My head heard what he said, but my stomach was still protesting. It felt like it was tied in knots. “They’re here now?”
“Yes, they’re still in my office. I had Liz bring them some coffee while I spoke with you. They said they would wait.”
Damn it! I didn’t want to meet these people just now and it honestly had nothing to do with the trial. My head was so messed up since I’d been with Shane.
The last thing I was interested in or looking for right now was a relationship. I told myself walking in there that night I would satisfy two goals and then I would leave. First and most importantly I would get his testimony. It was a testimony he had already promised to before the trial and I felt I had a right to get it.
Secondly, I’d satisfy a curiosity I’d had for a while…What would it be like to be fucked by a white man?Pretty good.Check and check. Yet every waking hour since then had been filled with thoughts of Shane.
I remembered how sweet and romantic he’d been, and how once he had me in his apartment to do with as he liked, he still gave me an out. The men that I’ve experienced in my life have been a lot of things…sweet and romantic weren’t either of them. I probably should have walked out then. Now I can’t get his beautiful face out of my head.
I can’t stop remembering the way his hands felt on my body. I can’t help but shiver when I think about his lips and his tongue, and my body reacts almost violently when I finally close my eyes at night and allow myself to remember what he felt like inside of me.
Snapping back to the present, and the fact that my boss was waiting for my answer I said, “Of course I’ll see them.”
My voice sounded steady and self-assured but inside my stomach turned. I stood up and smiled once more at Michael before leaving the room and heading down the long hall towards his office.
I reached for the door and saw Michael’s name etched into the glass. I’d meant what I told him…someday my name would be on this door. I pushed it open and a pretty older woman with short graying hair that framed her delicate face and two large men that looked a lot like the object of my affections were waiting for me. I forced another smile.
“Hello, I’m Kenya Duncan. Michael said you folks wanted to see me?”
The men got to their feet and the oldest one put out his hand. “We met once briefly in court. I’m Patrick. This is my mother Rose and my brother Colin.” I shook Patrick’s hand and then Colin’s.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” Both men towered over me and I couldn’t help but see glimpses of Shane in each of them. They were both absolutely gorgeous. Damn, those genes.
I looked at Rose McShannon then. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you too Mrs. McShannon.”
The older woman stood up. She was probably on five foot two or three and tiny all over. It was hard to believe that she gave birth to and raise three huge men. “No Miss Duncan, the pleasure is ours.”
She shook my hand. “My husband is not a good man. I’m not here to make excuses for him, but in my own defense, I hope that you’ll believe me when I tell you that at one time he was. Life jaded him and his cynicism only grew with time. I am lucky though because I still have the best of him in my boys. I was so proud of Shane for doing the right thing, and we are all so grateful to you for not giving up. We are all well aware of how difficult your task was and we just wanted you to know how grateful we are that you’ve helped us to put that life behind us at last.”
I was so touched by her words that I felt tears burning at the corners of my eyes. It seemed that everyone had their own demons to fight.
“Thank you, Mrs. McShannon…Patrick, Colin. It’s gratifying when the community appreciates the job we do. It’s never an easy one, and usually the most difficult part is facing the loved ones of the one you put away. It was very gracious of you all to come here and let me know how you feel.”
Rose McShannon surprised me further. As they were leaving , she reached out her arms and hugged me. She seemed to be a genuinely warm person and once again my mind was on her son and how badly I wanted to see him again.
When Rose and her boys were gone, I headed back to the conference room. As I passed my own office, the receptionist Kellie broke my thoughts.
“Oh there you are, Kenya! You have some things waiting in your office.”
“Some things?”
“Yes, I sat them on your desk.” She grinned.
Curious I opened my door and the first thing I noticed was the scent. It was like walking into a garden. Then I saw them sitting to the right of my desk. There was an orange vase that stood at least four feet tall and that vase was filled with orange and white roses. There must have been three or four dozen of them.
I was smiling so wide that my face began to throb. I heard Kellie’s voice behind me. “ Oh Kenya, aren’t they beautiful?”
“Yes, they are,” I said, going over to lower my face into them.
“There’s an envelope on your desk that came with them.”
“Thanks, Kellie.” The door clicked behind her. I picked up the orange envelope and opened it up. I laughed. It was a card and on the front of it was a picture of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
I opened it up and inside was the little candelabra from the movie, Lumiere. He was talking to the Beast. In a very pretty golden script it said, “Don’t you see? She’s the one! The girl we have been waiting for! She’s come to break the spell.”
I felt one of those tears I’d been holding back reach the corner of my eye.Damn it man. He made me cry. I wiped it away as there was a knock on my door.
“Yes?”
The door opened and in walked Shane looking every bit the prince that he is. I think Lumiere is right, the spell is broken.
“Hi.” Even his voice made my skin flush.
I brushed aside another tear. “Hi. They’re beautiful.”
Shane closed the door behind him and came towards me. His dark navy suit fit him perfectly and complicated his beautiful eyes.
Taking my hands in his he said, “Like I told you before, they don’t hold a candle to you.”
I motion to the card. “Candle.”
He chuckles at my joke. “I’ve spent so much of my life running and chasing after women who couldn’t be right for me. But I’ve never wanted to keep one, until now.”
“You want to keep me? Like, for us to betogether, together?” My heart stilled. Oh God.
His eyes were warm. “Together,together. I know it’s too soon to be talking about the future, but I’d like to talk about spending more time together so that if there is a chance on a future, we won’t miss out on it.”
I had so many things going on in my head, so many questions that needed to be answered. I finally looked up at him.
The sincerity of what he was saying shone in his eyes. My head was trying to convince me that he would be just like all of the others…this passion we feel for each other will fizzle out as soon as the drudgery of day to day life sets in…But his eyes told me different.
“I put your father in prison…for life. How is that going to affect things, Shane?”
“I was just as responsible for putting him there as you were. It was where he needed to be Kenya and everyone who knows him knows that.”
“Do you honestly think they’re going to just sit back and wish us well?”
He brought one of my hands to his lips. He held it there for several seconds and then he said, “I know that people say a lot of things they don’t mean…but trust me when I tell you, I am not one of those people. I truly do not care what anyone thinks. I’ve never met a woman that sets my world right the way you do. I am not going to punish myself by walking away because of what someone else may think.”
“What about the race thing?”
“You have a problem with me being Irish?”
I laughed and p
atted his chest. “You know what I mean.”
“Hmm, I think your skin color is the sexiest I’ve ever seen. I think we contrast perfectly and I honestly believe that is as far as this 'race' thing goes. You’re a woman and I’m a man and I want you…I hope… that you want me too.”
He pulled back and his eyes searched my face. “Are all of these questions because you want a reason to tell me no without hurting my feelings?”
“No, I know it doesn’t seem like it but I really want to say yes.”
He visibly relaxed. “What are you afraid of Kenya?”
“I’m afraid that it won’t work out…” I shake my head feeling more vulnerable than I’ve ever been. But I had to speak my truth.
His hazel eyes sparked as he brought his thumb up to stroke my cheek.
“That’s a valid fear,” he said. “But I don’t want to give up before we’ve even started baby. I have so much more I want to give you. Give me a chance.”
“You’re too good to be true.” I shake my head.
He laughed and said, “Not even close. I’ll make you a list before you agree to see me if you like.”
It suddenly occurred to me that I wouldn’t want a list. I want to discover them along the way, as it should be.
“Hold onto that list. You can give it to me on one of our anniversaries and we’ll mark off the ones I’ve already discovered.”
His eyes light up as he laughed. He closed the small space between us and wrapped his arms around my waist. He placed his hands on my bottom and pulled me into his hip.
His touch instantly ignites my blood. He lowered his head and brought his lips down so they were just a fraction of an inch from mine.
“You are incredible….. So this is what it feels like to fall?”
And just like that my walls came down. They never stood a chance.
THE END
His Love
Copyright © 2016 All rights reserved.
CAMILLA
Kenya was like a sister to me. I love her. Sitting here at this table with all of these people that I don’t know kind of proves it…sitting here with Colin’s beautiful eyes locked into minereallyproves it. To say his eyes are blue doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of describing them.
They’re not an ordinary blue like the noon sky or the sea… His eyes are the blue of the sky just before the sun disappears for the night. They’re a dark, rich indigo with specks of lighter and darker blues scattered throughout. They’re warm, and like that favorite warm sweater that you put on to block out the chill…they’re comfortable and familiar. They’re the kind of eyes that once they’re focused on you, you can’t look away from and you never forget.
I knew before I came here that there was no way I’d be able to do this without running into him. I was well aware of whom Kenya was marrying, everyone was. The press has had a field day with the love story between a determined, hard-nosed prosecutor and the son of the biggest mobster ever brought down in Boston…by her no less.
Kenya and I have talked several times since she and Shane got engaged. She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her and that’s why I couldn’t say no to being a part of the celebration of the beginning of their life together.
I brought a date in the hopes that Colin will take the hint and just leave the past alone…maybe I’m the one who can’t leave the past alone. Anyways, if Colin still has anything to say to me, he won’t let me bringing a date stop him.
Part of the reason I fell so hard for him when we were teenagers was that steely determination of his. Even back then, he knew what he wanted and he went after it. No matter how annoyed I might get at that part of his personality when it’s focused on me…I have to admit that it’s really sexy. I think it comes partly from just being a McShannon. That is how they all approach life.
One of the things Braden McShannon taught his boys was to not let anything stop them when going after what they desired in life. I also think Colin always felt he had something to prove, being the youngest of the McShannon boys. Colin had been more indulged than his brothers as is the case with the baby in most families. I’m pretty sure he grew up never really knowing the true meaning of the word “No.”
My date had wondered off somewhere, just in time for Colin to spot me. At the church I got lucky, he was in the wedding party so he didn’t have the time or opportunity to peruse the guests. Unfortunately, it gave me plenty of opportunity to check him out too.
Looking at him stirred up memories that I’ve fought to lock away after the breakup. I never really stopped wanting him…I just stopped allowing myself to think about it.
Colin is one of those men designed to adorn the cover of a romance novel. His rich chocolate colored hair has that sexy, always tousled look that makes a woman’s fingers itch to touch it. The eyelashes that frame those sexy blue eyes are as thick and dark as his hair. They are so long that when he closes his eyes they rest atop his high cheekbones. I broke my curfew and suffered the wrath of my father more than once…just to watch him sleep.
His dark hair and lashes are offset by bronzed skin that nowadays is ornamented with a closely cropped mustache and beard. When we were together we were just kids. Colin’s facial hair was barely a consideration. Now? Damn, he was something else. Ripe.
“I’m just saying they seem like an odd pair,” an elderly man at my table was saying. I looked in his direction and he suddenly looked worried. “It has nothing to do with their ethnic differences…” I smiled.
“I should think not,” the man seated next to him said in an effeminate voice. “Look at them. They’re like Barbie and Ken…only better looking.” I had the feeling he was more team Ken than Barbie.
“I’m just saying that she is a high-powered attorney that will someday be at the helm of Boston’s State’s Attorney’s office. She prosecuted his father for land’s sake,” he lowered his voice to an almost whisper when he said that as if perhaps the entire room wasn’t aware of it.
“He’s a McShannon and their history in this city runs deep…”
“Shane is not his father,” the other man said. “I’ve known him for years. Besides being absolutely yummy he’s intelligent and driven…and he also has more integrity in his pinky finger than Braden has in his entire body.”
“I think they’re perfect together,” I said. The effeminate man smiled at me.
“So do I sweetheart! There is nothing at all wrong with embracing our differences. Just think how boring this world would be if we were all the same.”
The old man wasn’t ready to give it up. “So you think that someone who has dedicated their life to putting away criminals and making our streets safe can relate to someone who has lived his life as part of the problem?”
“Are you calling Shane a criminal?” the other man asked. It was obvious that he was offended.
“No. Of course not. I have a lot of respect for Shane and what he did to help put Braden away. He could have very well sat back and continued to live that life until Braden was gone and he was the number one.”
“Then what are you getting at old man?”
“Oh never mind…you’re all probably right. I’m old fashioned, that’s all. In my day, like married like.” He glanced at me again…the only dark-skinned person at the table and he said, “Again, I’m not talking about ethnicity here…”
“Pete, why don’t we just leave it alone?” the other man said. I think he finally figured out that Pete’s problem with the union was exactly what he was professing that it wasn’t. “They’re a beautiful couple.”
“Yes,” Pete admitted with a sideways glance at me, “They are.”
I smiled again. I really don’t care what people like “Pete” think of my friends…or me. I glanced back in the direction of the wedding party. Colin was engaged in conversation with his older brother Pat. Patrick is the most serious minded of the three.
I was a teenager the last time I saw any of them, but I remember Colin being the fun one of course, Patrick t
he serious older brother and Shane was somewhere in between.
I glanced around looking for my date. Where had he gone off to? When I turned back around, I was face to face with Colin. He was grinning and my insides suddenly liquefied.
“Hey beautiful, when did you get back into town?”
His blue eyes sparked with delight and he acted like I’d been gone for the weekend. It annoyed me although I wasn’t sure I could catch my breath enough to speak. Finally I managed.
“Hi Colin. I just moved back recently. How are you?” I was proud of my voice for staying so steady regardless of what my chest was doing.
“I’m better now,” he said. I saw sincerity in his eyes. “Wow, Cami… It’s… good to see you. When I first spotted you I thought it was a mirage or something. What are you doing these days?”
I smiled. “It’s good to see you too. I’m in school - law school and I’m doing an internship for a law firm here in town. How about you?”
“My brothers and I started our own business. Something outside of Pop. I’m sure you heard all about our family drama.” He looked… embarrassed? It was kind of cute.
I nodded with a sad smile. I wasn’t sure what to say other than I was happy that he was out from under his father. He wasn’t cut out for that life…Shit, I was acting like he was my boyfriend again.
“Yes, I heard. I’m sorry.”
He grinned. He’s so beautiful. Men have no right to be that pretty. “Don’t be sorry. What are you doing here at the wedding?”
“Kenya invited me. She and I went to school together and we’ve kept in touch.”
“Small fucking world, isn’t it?” Amusement danced in his eyes and I stifled a nervous laugh.
“Yeah, I suppose it is.”
“You just disappeared on me…”
Really? He wanted to go there? I really didn’t want to go there, but now I had to. The nerve. “I disappeared onyou,Colin?”
He at least had the decency to look ashamed. “Okay, I wasn’t around as much as I should have been but you didn’t even tell me your family was leaving.”
BWWM: BEFORE I WAKE: A Bad Boy Billionaire Book Collection (African American Interracial Series) Page 295
