“She’ll stick around when she comes back and sees the car in the yard,” he decided while closing the front door behind him.
“I can’t believe she’s able to squeeze through those doggy doors.” Capri headed for her kitchen. “Are they in all the houses you own?”
“Every one.”
“Hmph, a serious dog lover.” She chose a hazelnut blend and held it up for Tiberius’s approval. When he waved his hand, she began to prepare the coffeepot. “Well I love ’em even though my little Lewey hasn’t been all that little in ages.”
“So how’d you get him?” He leaned back in the cream-cushioned, high-backed chair and watched her at the S-shaped counter.
“Lewey? Some kids were selling puppies on the street.” She shrugged and smiled at the memory. “I looked at him and we chose each other. He was so tiny. The kids tried to get me to choose another, but I wanted Lewey. I knew he was a mixed breed but I didn’t care about his pedigree until he gained fifteen pounds in two weeks.”
Tiberius whistled.
Capri chose matching metallic-blue ceramic mugs from a small cabinet above the coffeepot. “I took him to a vet who was able to decipher the breeds. When he asked how big my house was, I knew I was in trouble.”
Laughter filled the kitchen.
“So how’d you come by Droopey?” she asked while loading a wooden tray with cream and sugar.
Tiberius grinned, pulling the black suspenders from his shoulders as he remembered. “She was in one of the houses my grandmother left me. People just left her behind.” A flash of anger tinged his words and face before he shook his head. “I saw her trying to hide in a corner. Small, terrified, and sad. So sad…droopy. I guess you could say she took my heart before I knew what hit me.”
Capri didn’t realize she was staring until Tiberius cleared his throat. “Sorry for keeping you in the kitchen,” she said glancing across her shoulder. “This’ll be done in a sec, but we can wait out front.”
Silently, they headed out and were barely past the archway of the living room when Capri found herself in his arms.
“I thought you said—”
“Forget what I said.”
Capri whimpered when his tongue thrust deeply and repeatedly inside her mouth. She let herself surrender to what had methodically invaded her thoughts over the last several weeks. Tiberius kept her there against the wall for what felt like hours. A brush of his hand sent the wispy straps of her dress falling past her shoulders and beckoned his attention to the bodice.
In one fluid motion, he lifted her and settled them both in the nearest armchair. Keeping her straddled across his massive frame, he buried his handsome face in the valley between her breasts and breathed in her scent.
Capri threw back her head when Tiberius tugged at the front of her gown and bared her to his gaze. His suckling on her nipples forced gasps and weak cries from her lips.
Tiberius relished the feel of the buds growing rigid against his tongue. His big hands roamed up her dress, pushing it higher to bare her legs and thighs. His fingers found their way to her panties. When Capri felt them curving into her, she gasped his name and fought against riding his nimble index and middle fingers.
“Tibe…Tibe, wait…Tibe…”
“I can’t.”
“Tibe, wait.”
“Capri…” His forehead fell to her shoulder. “You’re killing me.”
“I want this, I swear I do,” she admitted, her voice ragged with breathlessness.
A small furrow formed between Tiberius’s sleek brows. “Then why—”
“I’m a virgin.”
Tiberius pulled back as though he’d been burned.
“I thought you should know before…” She watched him blink incessantly. “It’s not contagious.”
Capri’s attempt to lighten the mood didn’t work. Tiberius was a picture of disbelief as his stare raked her face and body.
“You know, you are a doctor. You could see for yourself.” Capri tried again to dispel the sudden tension between them.
Tiberius rolled his eyes. “Not funny.”
Slowly, she pulled the bodice of her dress up. “I just thought you should know before we…”
He stood then with her in his arms and waited for her to slide down the length of his body. Capri watched as he awkwardly began to pat his pockets before extracting his keys.
“You’re leaving?” she blurted.
“I…um…I should go find Droop.” He gave her arm a quick squeeze, followed by an even quicker peck on the cheek and then he was gone.
Capri was greeted by a sloppy kiss when she opened her front door to get the paper the next morning.
“Where were you? Out all night without even a phone call,” she admonished in a playful voice as Lewey simply nuzzled his massive head beneath her chin. She couldn’t help but laugh, though her ease faded when she noticed Tiberius in his driveway. Her heart lifted when she saw him cross into her yard.
“Good morning.”
“Hey.” She stood watching Lewey race over to greet Tiberius.
“Capri, um, about last night. I’m sorry—”
“I shouldn’t have told you.”
“No, you should have.” He weighed a set of keys against his palm and then slipped them into his trouser pocket. He shifted awkwardly.
“You’re thinking differently about me now.”
“It was just a surprise, Capri, that’s all.”
She tugged at the flowing cuffs of her gold chiffon robe. “You’re having second thoughts now, though…about us being friends.”
“Why would you think that?” His heart melted and inwardly he was wondering if he’d ever really wanted to be her friend. Still, he regretted that he’d given her that impression because of his own hang-ups.
Capri pressed her lips together and looked everywhere except his face. Tiberius had closed the distance between them and was cupping her chin. He kissed her forehead and then brushed his lips across her temple.
“How about we take the dogs somewhere this weekend?” he suggested, in hopes of putting a smile on her face. “We can make a real day out of it. Do you like to fish?”
The light reappeared in Capri’s dark eyes. “I love it.”
Tiberius shook his head. “Why am I not surprised? Saturday then? I’ll pick you up at seven and we’ll have breakfast somewhere first.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Satisfied, Tiberius turned to snap his fingers at Lewey. “All right, playa!” he called and urged the dog inside the house with Capri before he left for work.
Chapter 9
Arriving at her office late the following Monday morning, Capri found a small white envelope lying on her desk. It was an invitation from Rod to attend the engagement party for him and Kiva. Of course, it came with specific instructions not to inform Kiva of the event.
“Oh well, at least someone’s living the fantasy.” Capri sighed, reading the invitation again. Gradually, her thoughts returned to the weekend spent with Tiberius and the dogs. Though they’d originally planned it as a one-day event, they had decided to make it a big production, and it had been fantastic.
Tiberius had arranged the weekend at a resort owned by a former patient. The place was a dazzling oasis hidden on a quiet stretch of beach far away from the energy of the city, and it seemed perfectly hidden from all outsiders. In spite of the clear attraction between Capri and Tiberius, they’d managed to enjoy a very platonic time, most of it spent enjoying the serene ocean views, food that was to die for, and walks along the remote beach. Conversation was plentiful and consisted of thoughts on careers and friends. Then there was the fishing. Marvelous fishing.
Clearly they’d both made silent decisions to keep the conversation and the mood free of anything erotic. Of course Droopey and Lewey helped with that greatly. The playful dogs kept their owners on their feet. By the time they returned home to prepare for another week of work, Capri actually believed a friendship between she and Tiberius might just
be a possibility.
The soft yet insistent ringing of the phone interrupted her thoughts. Lifting the receiver, she leaned back in her brown suede office chair. “This is Capri.”
“Hi, it’s Tiberius. Do you have a minute to talk?”
A quick shiver raced up Capri’s spine when she heard Tiberius’s soothing deep voice on the line. At the moment, however, she was more curious than aroused. “Yeah I have a few minutes.”
“Did Rod send you an invitation to the engagement party yet?”
Frowning just slightly, Capri glanced at the card in her hand. “I’m looking at it right now, actually.”
“Well, he sent me one, too, and I was wondering if you’d like to go together?”
Capri closed her eyes briefly and ordered herself to stay in control. It was only a party, she reminded herself. She and Tiberius had certainly enjoyed a party together before. It wasn’t until the after party that things seemed to become a little too hot to handle.
“Capri?”
“Oh, I’m sorry Tiberius. Yes, I’d love to go with you.”
Tiberius studied the phone after ending the call with Capri. Even as his mind screamed that attending an engagement party together was a beyond-stupid idea, he had continued the call and extended the invitation. Staying away from Capri was something he couldn’t seem to do in spite of his best intentions.
At any rate, he needed something to brighten his day following yet another disappointing committee meeting regarding Alan Thomas’s retirement trip down memory lane. He’d remained behind when the rest of the committee members had shuffled off and was beginning to work on his third drink when he noticed Rod shaking hands with his fellow lunch members. He was waving off the last two when he caught sight of Tiberius across the crowded dining room.
“You’re looking happy,” Tiberius noted once his friend had approached the table.
Rod’s grin only broadened. “And you’re looking just the opposite.” He took the nearest empty seat.
Tiberius braced his elbows on the table and raked his fingers through his hair. “It’s this retirement mess.”
“Uh-huh. Well it sounds like you need somethin’ to jazz it up,” Rod noted once Tiberius explained what they had on tap. “It sounds stale.”
“I know that much.” Tiberius drained the rest of his beer.
Rod was tapping his fingers to his chin. “You’ve got a good start here, but it needs something to bring it home, give it zing.”
“And what is that?”
“Well,” Rod helped himself to one of Tiberius’s untouched fries, “when you feel more excited about this thing than you do now, you’ll know you’ve hit on it.”
“Hmph. Thanks.”
“So…what’s really up?”
“Well, nothing to do with this, that’s for damn sure.” Tiberius didn’t pretend to misunderstand his friend.
“Are you gonna make me guess?”
“Capri.”
“Ah.”
“Did you know she was a virgin?”
Rod smiled.
Tiberius seemed to deflate in his chair. “You knew and you didn’t tell me?”
“Hell, man, why? Didn’t you yourself say that messing around with your tenants was a bad idea?”
Pressing his forehead to his palm, Tiberius muttered something resembling a curse. “I wasn’t expecting her,” he confessed. “I thought I’d seen it all. I wasn’t expecting her to surprise me.”
Rod took another fry. “Yeah, isn’t it funny how the good ones have a way of doing that?”
Tiberius sat tapping his fingers to the worn wooden dining table. “So, how’d you know she was…?”
“Kiva told me. She had to when she realized that every man I knew was asking me to set him up with Capri.”
Tiberius didn’t care for the sound of that, but he offered no argument. He buried his face in his hands and groaned. “This shouldn’t have happened. I should’ve just rented her the damn house and kept my distance.” He tugged on the sleeve of his navy blue suit coat and grimaced. “Now we’re spending all this time together. Doing things with our dogs…” Still, he couldn’t help but smile as thoughts from the weekend spent fishing replayed in his mind. The time had been easy and platonic, and he’d give anything to enjoy it again.
Rod was intrigued as he watched his oldest friend. He would never have expected to see a true ladies’ man like Tiberius Montrae Evans so turned around by one woman.
“So what are you gonna do now? Ignore her?”
“No…I just asked her to come with me to your engagement party.”
The resulting laughter turned many heads.
Pantsuits, evening gowns, shoes, wraps and other forms of clothing lay strewn all over Capri’s large bedroom. She had rushed home right after work and headed straight to her closet to find something to wear for the engagement party. Amidst the motley crew of clothes lying against the azure satin comforter, Capri had narrowed her choice to seven outfits. She was trying to choose one, when the phone rang.
“Yeah?”
“So you’re home already. I tried your cell but it went right to voice mail.”
Capri pushed her hair behind her ear and dropped to her bed. “Hey, Pep. Yeah, I think it’s still deep down in my bag. We wrapped up the last session today, so I left early.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Trying to choose an outfit to wear to Rod and Kiva’s engagement party.” Capri sighed.
Pepper sucked her teeth on the other end of the line. “I don’t know why you sound so stressed, with all the outfits you have.”
Capri ran her fingers over a short linen frock. “Well, I do have a date and—”
“Hold it. A date? You?”
“Yes, don’t sound so surprised.”
“But I am, dammit! Who is it? The good doctor again?”
“The good doctor,” Capri confirmed.
“Well, I’ll be damned. I’m glad to see you’re finally coming out of your hermit stage, love.”
Capri lay back on her bed and glared up at the ceiling. “I just hope I’m not making a mistake.”
“Cappy, don’t sell yourself so short. Maybe there’s more to all this than you realize. Don’t turn your back on it until you have all the facts.”
“Well I might’ve talked to someone who does have the facts. A good number of them anyway.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. I guess she was someone he used to see,” she said, thinking of Clarissa.
“Mmm-hmm…she’s probably a woman scorned and I suggest you not take what she said too seriously.”
“You’re right. I can’t help but wonder though.”
“Maybe she would have some facts based on her own experiences with Tiberius, but I don’t think you can fairly compare what’s going on between the two of you with whatever may have gone on between them. Maybe it’s my own hormones talking but I suggest that you go out with him again and see if he’s the jerk she claims he is or if she’s trying to hold on to a dead relationship.”
Capri still wasn’t sure what to do. She did know that she loved Tiberius’s company and really wanted to spend the evening with him. It was as simple as that. Or it could be. If only she knew.
Kiva sighed and tried to push away the braid that had escaped her high ponytail. Both her arms were filled with bags of groceries and she prayed she could make it to the kitchen counter.
“Where the hell have you been, girl?” Rod demanded to know as soon as he saw her walk through the door.
Kiva rolled her eyes and pushed one of the bags onto the counter using her hip. “Hmm…let’s see—brown paper bags with food in them. You figure it out.”
“Don’t get smart,” Rod ordered, coming up behind her to nuzzle her neck.
Kiva giggled and tilted her head to the side, allowing Rod’s lips more room to roam along her smooth skin. “I went shopping and picked up a few movies we haven’t seen.”
“Mmm-hmm…”
&n
bsp; “You don’t sound too excited about spending a night at home with your girl,” Kiva accused, pinning Rod with a hard stare.
Rod slid his hands around Kiva’s tiny waist and pulled her close. “Maybe I’m tired of spending nights at home alone with my girl,” he whispered with his mouth next to her ear.
Kiva pushed Rod away. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Instead of answering, Rod lifted Kiva into his arms and carried her out to the deck. He placed her on one of the lawn chairs and knelt before her. “Kiva…”
“What?” she quickly asked, unnerved by the serious expression she saw on his face.
Rod pressed a soft kiss against Kiva’s bare thigh. “Marry me,” he whispered.
Kiva’s gasp sounded exceptionally loud in the peacefulness of the back yard. Closing her eyes briefly, she willed herself not to faint. “Rod…are you serious?”
Rod flashed a fantastic smile and shook his head slightly. “Baby, after four years, yeah I’m serious.”
Screaming her joy, Kiva knelt beside Rod and threw her arms around his neck. “Yes, yes, yes…” she whispered, pressing dozens of kisses to his face. Laughing, the two of them collapsed to the deck and kissed deeply. Rod’s hands disappeared beneath the fitted T-shirt Kiva wore, and caressed her back. Beneath the sun setting against the colorful late-evening skies, they were completely absorbed with one another.
“Kiva?”
“Hmm?”
“Baby, as much as I’m enjoying this,” Rod began, closing his eyes again as Kiva tugged on his earlobe with her teeth, “and I am enjoying it, we don’t have time.”
“Why not?”
“We’ve got a party to go to.”
“Oh really?” Kiva whispered, trailing kisses down Rod’s chest as she unbuttoned the gray short-sleeved shirt he wore. When the tip of her tongue touched his navel, Rod’s dark eyes fluttered closed.
“I guess this means we’re gonna be late,” he groaned.
At the same time, Capri was rushing to get home. She almost broke the speed limit trying to get there and cursed herself for
The Doctor's Private Visit Page 9
