“Why do you think she doesn’t want you?” Belinda asked because the thought of a parent not wanting their child was mind-boggling to her. Even Daisy wanted Belinda, in her own crazy way.
“Because I’m a girl. Only the boys have potential, because they can play for the NBA and make a lot of money for her to live like she wants. I’m good at cheerleading and I’m cute but that’s only going to get me into a good high school then I’ll have to survive on my back. That’s what she said.”
That bitch! Belinda had to clench her teeth to keep from saying that aloud.
“That’s not true,” Malik interjected. “They have college scholarships for cheerleading, too.”
Kayla shook her head. “But I don’t want to be a cheerleader all my life. I want to be a teacher.”
Belinda now knew how it felt to be loved. When she looked over at Malik and he gave her an understanding glance, her heart was so full. Unfortunately, at the same time she also knew how it felt for one’s heart to break with sadness. Kayla was her, in a different setting, in different circumstances. She was the little girl who wanted to be herself but was constrained by her mother’s hand. Belinda struggled to fight back tears.
The police arrived in the next few minutes and Malik went to talk with them while Belinda held a quietly crying Kayla in her arms.
At a little after midnight Malik and Belinda were leaving the police department for the second time in a twenty-four-hour time span. Mrs. Martin had been called to come pick up Kayla, but by Belinda’s insistence and her threat to sue the whole police department for her false arrest, she had them contact the Department of Social Services, as well. If she couldn’t take Kayla home with her, she wanted to know the little girl was at least going to have someone she could talk to about what she was going through.
“You stay the hell away from my child!” Mrs. Martin screamed as she saw Belinda leaving the room where they were holding Kayla. “And I’m taking my son off your team. Coach Sanders has other plans for him. Bigger plans than you could ever imagine,” she spat at Malik.
“Come on, baby,” he said, putting his arm around Belinda’s shoulders and escorting her away. “You can’t save everybody.”
Belinda walked beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. “Not everybody, Malik. Just her. I just want to save Kayla.”
* * *
An hour later they were back at Malik’s apartment, his whirlpool tub full of hot water as they both sank their tired bodies into the waiting bliss.
This was another first for her but Belinda was loving the feel of sitting between Malik’s legs, laying her naked body back against his. He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
“It’s been a long night.”
“A very long night,” she agreed.
“You were good, though. Strong and composed. I was very proud of you.”
“I was scared to death. I’ve never been handcuffed and taken to a police station before,” she admitted.
“I was scared to death.” He echoed her sentiments. “I’ve never had to watch someone I love be handcuffed and taken to a police station before.”
“You were my hero. You came to get me,” she said, rubbing her hands along his now wet arms. She loved the strength of his arms, the safety she felt there. Malik would protect her no matter what. He would stand up to idiots like Patrick Masterson as well as the loving ignorance of her mother. He didn’t care that she was a little on the obsessive side—she could admit that without thinking herself crazy. And he didn’t care that she would sometimes be unyielding. He loved her just as she was.
“I would go to the ends of this earth for you, baby.”
And he meant that. Belinda knew without a doubt he meant every word.
“I’m so glad I decided to change and that you were there to help me. I’m so happy to be with you and to know you love me, because I love you right back,” she told him honestly, her heart overflowing with love.
She looked back at him to see him smiling down at her. Then his eyes darkened and he lowered his head to kiss her lips. His tongue moved languidly over hers, their arousal growing as hot as the water they sat in.
“I have a very important question for you, Belinda Drayson-Jones,” he said as he pulled back slightly, rubbing his nose along hers.
Belinda held her breath then thought she’d better let it out. It wouldn’t do for her to receive her first wedding proposal then pass out from lack of oxygen seconds later.
“Yes,” she replied in a breathy whisper.
“You ever made love in a whirlpool before?”
“No,” was her answer, followed by a sigh when his lips touched hers again. She should probably feel disappointed because that wasn’t the question she was expecting to hear, but as Malik’s hands moved lower, her breathing spiked along with her body temperature. By then the question didn’t matter, only the sensations, the emotions, the feel of his love as he turned her to face him and sank deep inside her. It was truly decadent, this feeling of complete love and satisfaction, and better than any dream she’d ever had.
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781460310243
DECADENT DREAMS
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Decadent Dreams (The Draysons: Sprinkled with Love) Page 18
