Still Loving You

by Sheryl Lister

  She backed out of his hold. “I’m going to have to ban you from my office.”

  With the erotic fantasies running through his mind at the moment, Malcolm was inclined to agree. Omar’s words came back. With his schedule, he wouldn’t have time to take a trip up to the cabin, but he needed to figure out a way to get her alone. He didn’t have a day off until Sunday. It wasn’t soon enough for his tastes, but it would have to do. “What are you doing Sunday afternoon?”

  “My friend will be visiting from Phoenix this weekend, but she leaves on Sunday around noon. Why?”

  “Just want to spend some time with you. If I pick you up at four, will that give you enough time to do what you need to do for the day?”

  Lauren nodded. “It should.”

  “Good.” He leaned down and kissed her softly, being careful not to touch her. It wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge. “I’ll see you on Sunday.”

  She reached up and cupped his cheek. “Okay.”

  The smile she gave him had his heart beating double time. He didn’t understand why this one woman affected him so, but his brother-in-law was right about one thing. Malcolm and Lauren couldn’t go back, but they could start again, and he knew the perfect way.

  Chapter 9

  Friday evening, Lauren greeted her parents with strong hugs. “Sorry I’m late. My last appointment ran longer than expected.” Christopher Long, the rookie she’d seen with Malcolm, had asked her every question under the sun related to diet, nutrition and the best foods to keep him in peak condition. She appreciated his zeal but thought he could relax a bit.

  Her mother waved her off. “Don’t worry about it, honey. Come on and get washed up. Dinner is ready.”

  She hurriedly washed her hands then joined her parents at the table. The aroma from the food made her stomach growl. Lauren tried to practice what she preached when it came to diet and nutrition, but she hadn’t eaten her mother’s cooking in almost a year and tonight she planned to go all out.

  “By the sound of your belly, I guess you’re hungry.” Her father’s deep rumble made her smile.

  “Dad, you have no idea. Mom, this smells so good. I’m going to try not to hurt myself.”

  Delores smiled. “I fixed all your favorites, so eat up.”

  After her father said the blessing, Lauren helped herself to the barbecued chicken, sautéed corn, broccoli with cheese sauce and roasted potatoes. She groaned with every bite. “You outdid yourself, Mom.”

  “She sure did,” Walter said around a mouthful of chicken. They ate in silence for a few minutes. “How are you liking the new job?”

  “I love it. Everyone has been so nice, and even though a few of the players complain, I haven’t had much trouble. Now that training camp has started, I’m a lot busier.”

  Her mother reached over and patted her hand. “That’s wonderful, sweetheart.” She paused. “And Malcolm? I’m sure you’ve seen him by now.”

  Lauren had known that would be among the first questions they asked. They understood better than anyone else how devastated she had been over the breakup, particularly since she’d been to blame. Instead of her listening to his explanation and trying to make things right—and Malcolm had made several attempts to talk to her—she’d allowed fear and other people to mess up a beautiful relationship. She speared a piece of broccoli and popped it into her mouth. “Yes, I’ve seen him.”

  “And?” her father prompted with his fork. When Lauren didn’t answer, he frowned. “Did something happen between you two already?”

  Happen? She couldn’t begin to describe what was happening with her and Malcolm. She had never been so out of control with a man before in her life. Yes, you have, that annoying inner voice corrected her. Okay, so she had. Only once. And it was the same man. But she had never done anything so reckless as coming close to having sex at her office. She didn’t think it was a good time to share that piece of information.

  “No, Daddy. We actually went to dinner the night my car broke down—he was the one who found me on the road—and we talked. Both of us have grown up, and we’re leaving all the rest in the past.”

  “I’m glad to hear it. You and Malcolm were like two peas in a pod. It’s good to see him doing so well in his football career, but the thing that impressed me about him most was that no matter how much sports demanded of him, he never hesitated to leave football on the field and give time to the things that mattered most.”

  Lauren gave a little laugh. “Wow, Mom. I didn’t realize you paid that much attention when he and I were dating.”

  She smiled knowingly. “I realize more than you’re letting on.” She lifted her glass of lemonade and took a sip.

  What the heck does that mean?

  “Finish your food. Didn’t you say you had to pick up Valencia from the airport later?”

  “Yes.” Had Lauren given something away? Mothers always seemed to discern the truth beneath a story, and Delores Emerson was no exception. Lauren went back to eating but pondered her mother’s statement for the rest of the visit.

  When it came time to leave, her father engulfed her in a comforting hug that let her know he’d be there if and when she needed him. No one gave out hugs like Walter Emerson, and she counted herself blessed to have him in her life. “I love you, Daddy.”

  “I love you, too. Is the car working out okay?”

  She nodded. “It rides like a dream.” Despite her protests, he and her mother had gifted her with a new black Acura and told her to think of it as a belated graduation gift to celebrate her master’s degree and a congratulations on the new job. Lauren hugged her mom. “Love you, Mom.”

  “Ditto, baby. And tell Valencia I said hello. If you two aren’t too busy tomorrow, I’d love to see her.”

  “We’ll try to stop by after I take her on a tour of the Cobras’ practice facility tomorrow.”

  “All right. You be careful.”

  “I will.” Lauren waved as she got into the car. Before driving off, she checked to make sure Lyn’s plane was on schedule.

  She’d forgotten how crazy LAX could be, and all the construction made it worse. She circled twice, had one driver yell and accuse her of driving slowly and another one cut her off and nearly take off the front end of her new car. She finally spotted her friend on the fourth go-around and sent up a silent thank-you. She signaled and eased to the curb.

  Valencia threw her bag in the back and got in the front seat. They shared a quick hug. “Hey, girl. It’s so good to see you. Nice car.”

  “You, too, and thanks. The transmission went out on the Maxima and it was cheaper to buy a new one.” Lauren checked the traffic before merging. “How was the flight?”

  “It was fine. Oh, guess who asked about you today as I was leaving?”

  “Who?”

  “Jeffrey.”

  Lauren gave a quick roll of her eyes at the mention of her ex. “Why is he asking about me? He didn’t say two words to me the last three months I was there.”

  “I have no idea. He said he hadn’t seen you around and wanted to know if you were okay. I think he was fishing for information. Information I didn’t give him,” she added with a laugh. “All he knows is that you don’t work there anymore.”

  “And that’s all he needs to know.” Aside from her supervisor and Lyn, Lauren hadn’t told anyone else where she would be working—just that she had a dream opportunity. She wasn’t naive enough to believe people wouldn’t find out sooner or later. A woman entering a male-dominated field most always made the news. She just wanted to fly under the radar for as long as possible, especially now that she had agreed to date Malcolm. The media would have a field day with that piece of news.

  “You’re still taking me to tour the Cobras’ practice facility tomorrow, right?”

  Lauren chuckled. “It’s either that or you’ll bug me to death.”

>   “Please, please tell me the team will be practicing.”

  She slanted her friend an amused glance. “Yeah, they’ll be practicing.”

  Valencia pumped her fists in the air. “Yes, baby! I have to make sure my phone is fully charged. I don’t want to miss one photo op.” She bounced in her seat. “Wait. Do you think any of them will pose for pictures?”

  “I have no idea, but you can ask.”

  “I think it’ll be better coming from you,” she said sweetly.

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  After they got to Lauren’s condo, the two spent the rest of the evening laughing, eating their favorite cookies-and-cream ice cream, and catching up.

  Valencia yawned. “I am so tired. I worked ten hours today and went straight to the airport from the hospital.”

  “Were you covering for someone?”

  “Yep. The new dietitian was out sick, so I saw three of her patients after I finished with mine.”

  Lauren stood. “Well, let me show you where everything is so you can go to bed.”

  Valencia slowly got to her feet and trudged down the hallway behind Lauren. “I really like your place.”

  “Thanks.” Lauren pointed out the cabinet holding the towels. “If you need anything else, I’ll be in my room. Otherwise, I’ll see you in the morning.” They shared another hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too. You get a pass for the night on Malcolm, because I’m too tired and I need to be fully alert for this update. But I expect all the details tomorrow.”

  Lauren smiled and shook her head. “Figured as much. Good night.”

  “’Night.”

  Lauren had planned to sleep in until at least ten, but Valencia was up at nine the next morning, standing in Lauren’s bedroom door asking when they’d be leaving. They got to the facility at ten, instead of at eleven thirty, like she had intended.

  They stopped at the security desk to get a visitor’s badge before beginning the tour, and Valencia’s eyes were wide as she followed Lauren around the facility.

  “This is fantastic! I see why you got lost. You’ve turned down so many hallways, I have no idea which way is which.”

  “I told you.” She stopped at her office, unlocked the door and gestured her in with a flourish. “My office.”

  “Wow. You have moved up, girlfriend. Don’t you need help? I’m more than willing to relocate.” She walked over to the large window. “And look at this view. Those gardens are beautiful.”

  Lauren came to stand next to Valencia. “They are. I try to go walking on the path as often as I can, which hasn’t been much since training camp started.”

  “Speaking of...”

  “Yeah, I know. You want to go watch practice. You are way too excited.”

  “You got that right. Who wouldn’t be excited about seeing a bunch of sexy guys in those tight-fitting athletic outfits with muscles flexing and all glistening from sweat...?”

  “You are truly crazy, girl. Come on. I want to introduce you to Nigel, who’s the chef, and then we’ll head out to the practice field.”

  Valencia did a little shimmy and rubbed her hands together with glee.

  They found Nigel in the kitchen with his team, deep into the lunch prep. The fruit and salad stations had been filled and the warmers turned on and awaiting whatever selections were on the day’s menu. Two of the kitchen staff had blenders going, making the recovery smoothies for players to have when practice ended in half an hour. They’d have about an hour to consume the drink and shower before heading to their respective team meetings.

  “Hey, Lauren,” Nigel said, his eyes widening in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hi, Nigel. My friend Valencia is visiting from Phoenix, and I’m showing her around.”

  “Nice to meet you, Valencia. I’d shake your hand, but as you can see, mine are a little messy right now.” He had on a pair of gloves and was seasoning a tub of chicken breasts.

  Valencia laughed. “It’s no problem, and it’s nice to meet you, as well.”

  Not wanting to interrupt his flow, Lauren said, “We’ll get out of your hair. See you on Monday.”

  “Enjoy your weekend, ladies. Wish I could be enjoying it with you,” he added with a smile.

  They both laughed and left him to his work. Lauren led Valencia down two hallways and out a back door and tunnel that led to the field.

  Valencia stood as if starstruck. “Lord, have mercy. Have you ever seen such a glorious sight?” she whispered in awe.

  Lauren had to agree. The men were impressive. There were several drills going on in various areas, but she only had eyes for one player. She observed Malcolm practicing taking handoffs from the quarterback and running various patterns.

  “You are in so much trouble, Lauren.”

  She shifted her gaze to Lyn. “What do you mean?”

  “Malcolm is even finer than he was in college, and his body...my, my, my.”

  Yeah, she was in trouble. Big trouble.

  “I think I’m ready for the 411 now. And by the look on your face, a whole lot more has happened.”

  “You don’t know the half of it.” Lauren told her about Malcolm coming to her rescue the day her car broke down, the dinner where they cleared the air and the subsequent kisses. “The other day, he came to my office, and I was this close to having sex with him right there.” She held her thumb and index finger together.

  Valencia’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious?” she squealed, then slapped a hand over her mouth. She repeated the question, but this time quieter.

  Lauren ran a hand over her forehead. “There’s more. He wants us to see each other again.”

  “And you said?”

  “Definitely not what I should have.” She’d been wrestling with her decision for the past few days but couldn’t force herself to walk away.

  “Which means yes.”

  Lauren nodded. “And he asked me to spend the day with him tomorrow after you leave.” A wide smile spread across Valencia’s face, and warning bells sounded in Lauren’s head. “What are you thinking?”

  “That after I get my pictures, we’re going shopping to get you something cute to wear tomorrow.” Valencia winked and turned her attention back to the field. “Who are those two brothers that just ran by?”

  “They’re the wide receivers. Marcus Dupree, and the one with the locs is Omar Drummond. And he’s married...to Malcolm’s twin sister.”

  “I’m guessing they hooked up because of her brother?”

  “Nope. From what I understand, their relationship started after he asked her to be his agent. She worked as an attorney for the Gray family’s company, initially.”

  “I am so in the wrong field. Maybe I need to check out the requirements to be an agent.”

  Lauren burst out laughing. A few minutes later, practice ended. Several of the guys called out greetings to Lauren and were more than willing to pose for photos.

  “Hey, Lauren,” Malcolm said, stopping in front of them.

  His eyes held hers for the briefest moment, but long enough to send heat flowing through her body. “Hey. I don’t know if you remember my friend from school.”

  “I do. Good to see you, Valencia.”

  “Same here.” She held up her phone. “You mind?”

  “Not at all.” He stood next to Valencia and smiled as she snapped the photo.

  “Thanks, Malcolm.”

  “You’re welcome. I’ll see you later.” He spoke to Valencia, but his gaze was focused on Lauren.

  As soon as he was out of earshot, Valencia said, “I predict that the two of you will be engaged before the football season is over.” She pointed a finger Lauren’s way. “And this time, neither one of you better mess it up.”

  Lauren whipped her head around, praying no one else had heard. “
Let’s go, Miss Trouble.”

  “Yes, let’s. We have some shopping to do. A lovely sundress that shows off your curves and a little leg will be perfect.” She grabbed Lauren’s arm and ushered her back the way they’d come.

  She tried to ignore her friend’s outrageous prediction, but the words stayed with Lauren for the rest of the day. And as crazy as it sounded, secretly the thought thrilled her.

  * * *

  Saturday evening, Malcolm lay on the floor in Siobhan and Justin’s family room tossing his niece into the air and listening to her delighted squeals. He had been worried about his sister since the episode at their parents’ house the previous week. Although he had called to check on her, he needed to see for himself how she was doing.

  “How’s work?” Siobhan worked as the PR director for their family’s company.

  Siobhan chuckled. “It’s work. I’ve had to stay late a couple of days because we’re getting ready to launch Justin’s in-home alert system, and you know I have to make sure my baby gets maximum exposure.” Justin had partnered with the company to manufacture his new product. With the use of sensors placed around the home, real-time data could be sent directly to a smartphone from a wireless hub—whether a door had been left open, a stove left on, or if a person hadn’t moved in hours—that allowed elderly relatives to remain at home and gave caregivers peace of mind.

  Malcolm glanced over at her. “Yeah, I bet.” He hesitated asking, but he wanted to know. “Any word on when Christian can come to stay permanently?”

  She brightened. “The social worker called yesterday and said we could bring him home in two weeks, tops. Justin and I are going to take off that first week so we can get him enrolled in preschool and generally try to make the transition easy for him. He’s been bounced around so much since his parents died two years ago it makes my heart hurt.”

  He sat up, cradled Nyla in his arms and handed her a book. “What happened to them?”

  “From what we were told, they died when the party yacht they were on was struck by another boat,” Justin said. “The guys on the other boat had been drinking and lost control.”