by Sherie Keys
On Monday morning, the sun shone through the kitchen window and lit up the table where Delphine was working on publicity campaigns for the bee gardens, when there was a solid knock at the door. She stopped short in surprise and went to answer it, wondering who it could be.
Mike came in the moment she opened the door; a smile on his face and a bouquet of flowers in his hand. “There she is. I love the way you look in the morning, baby,” he said in a sultry tone as he handed the flowers to her and wrapped his arms around her. He tried to kiss her, but she turned her head away, and his lips brushed her cheek.
Pushing him back, she looked up at him with irritation on her face, and he reached behind him and closed the door. “Where were you all weekend? You said you were going to come help us on Saturday, and I looked for you all day. You never showed up, and you didn’t even bother to text or call! I got nothing from you the whole weekend! What’s going on?”
“Awe baby, don’t be mad about that. I’m so sorry. Something came up, and I couldn’t be there Saturday. My phone was dead most of the day because I forgot my charger. Seriously, I’d have been there if I could. You know that. Yesterday, I was helping one of my friends do some work on his car.” He reached for her and gave her a seductive smile. “Come on babe, let me make it up to you.”
He slid his arms around her and buried his face in the hollow of her neck, kissing her ravenously as his hands moved over her back and down to her hips. “Oh god baby, I miss this. You are one hot little lover, that’s for sure,” he mumbled on her skin as his fingers squeezed the curve of her hips. “I want you so much!”
She placed her hands on his chest and pushed, but he held her a little tighter. “Come on, Del. It’s been ages. You say you’ll marry me and be my wife, but you keep pushing me away. Open up, honey. Come on. Show me how much you love me. We make such sweet love.” He started to move his hand toward the front of her thighs, and she gave him a solid shove, sending him backward a few steps.
He stared at her. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to go too far. I just want you so much. I miss you. I want to be with you.” He sighed and gave her a disappointed look. “Don’t you want to be with me?”
She scowled at him. “If you wanted to be with me so much, then you should have been there on Saturday. You could have been with me all day.”
He frowned. “Yeah, I could have been with you around dozens of other people. I want you to myself. I want time alone with you. You’re my lover, you’re my fiancé, and you’re going to be my wife. I want some intimacy with you, just the two of us. That’s part of the package, isn’t it?”
“I want you around for more than just sex right now, Mike. I’m trying to get Oliver integrated into my life, and me into his. I’m trying to get my business off the ground and going, and some support from you in those things would be a huge help! You keep wanting time with me away from Oliver, and that’s not supporting me. You aren’t doing anything to help me get the bee gardens going, and that’s not supporting me either! You want to be a part of my life, then show some interest in the things that are important to me! I’m not a booty call, Mike, I’m a lifetime commitment!”
He sighed and pushed his hands down into his pockets. “Okay. I screwed up. I screwed up pretty big. How do I make it up to you?”
She looked hard at him. “Be there for the next volunteer clean-up day.”
Mike nodded. “Okay. I can do that. I’ll be there for you. I promise I won’t miss it. Will that make it right?”
Delphine gave her head a shake. “It’s going to help, but I feel like you have a lot to make up for. I have a lot of work I’m doing right now. I don’t have time to stand here and hash this out with you, so we’ll have to talk about it later.”
He gawked at her. “You want me to leave? Are you asking me to leave?”
She looked at him seriously. “I’m telling you it’s time to leave. We can talk later.”
Mike’s eyes narrowed bitterly. “I can’t believe you’re telling me to take a hike,” he grumbled and turned to the door, yanking it open and shutting it firmly behind him.
Delphine was back at her kitchen table for less than a minute when there was a knock at the door again. Groaning, she marched through the kitchen and the hallway to the front door, yanking it open. “Listen! I told you we’re not talking… anymore… today…” Her anger dissipated swiftly when she saw that it wasn’t Mike standing before her but Adrian.
He gave her a bemused smile and tilted his head a little to one side, kindness shining in his blue eyes. “Does that count if we haven’t talked yet today?” he teased a little. “Did I come at a bad time?”
Delphine’s shoulders slumped, and she stood back from the door holding it open. “No, you didn’t come at a bad time. Please come in.”
He stepped inside and eyed her curiously. “What’s going on? What’s wrong?”
Closing the door, she shook her head. “Nothing. Nothing is wrong.”
“You’re a terrible liar. Talk to me. We are more than lovers, dear one. We are very good friends. Tell me what’s got you upset.” He spoke so tenderly and earnestly that she sighed and surrendered.
“Let’s get coffee.” She walked into the kitchen, and he followed her. She talked to him as she pulled two mugs down from the cupboard and walked over to the coffee pot, pouring some of the brew for both of them.
She handed his cup to him, and he smiled, glancing down at it before raising his eyes to meet hers again. “You remembered how I like my coffee,” he said quietly.
She felt her cheeks warm, and she couldn’t stop a smile from forming on her face. “It wasn’t that long ago,” she said softly, daring to meet his deep gaze. Her heart skipped a few beats, and she felt a flood of emotion move through her.
Turning away, she took a sip of her own coffee and forced her thoughts back to the issue she was wrestling with. “It’s Mike. He was here just before you came.”
“What’s going on with him?” Adrian asked, watching her intently.
Her voice grew strong. “He said he was going to come and help us on Saturday, but he never showed up, and he never even texted or called. I sent him half a dozen messages and got nothing back. I’m so mad at him! It’s like he isn’t taking any part of my life seriously, at least not the important parts.” She turned to face Adrian again. “I mean, it’s like he just doesn’t care at all! You were there! You worked so hard!”
Adrian shook his head and looked at her with directness. “Everything about us aside, I’m going to tell you this. If he cared, he would have been there, and if there was no way for him to be there, he would have communicated with you about it. If he cared, he wouldn’t have no showed and blown it off.”
Delphine furrowed her brow and pursed her full lips. “You’re right. I know you’re right, and that’s why I’m so mad!” With a gush, she exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment, but then looked up at him again. “You were there. You cared. You did so much, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me. I really appreciate it.”
He smiled at her and touched her cheek softly with his fingertip. “What’s important to you is important to me. I’m glad to support you in this business of yours, more than you know.”
She smiled up at him and felt happiness fill her where anger and frustration had just been. “Thank you so much. It means a great deal to me.”
Adrian set his coffee mug on the counter. “Come have lunch with me.”
Delphine shook her head disappointedly. “I can’t. I’ve got so much to do here.” She looked over at the table and sighed as she took in all of her publicity campaign work.
“Yes, you can. You have to eat. I bet if you get out of here for even just a little while, take break, get some fresh air and sunshine and then come back to it, you’ll have a clearer mind, and you’ll be able to get more work and better-quality work done. Think about it, you can’t really do your best work while you’re sitting in her steaming about your frustrations with him. Come out and r
efresh yourself. Enjoy a good meal, and then come back to this anew.” He looked at her meaningfully, and she nodded slightly.
“You’re right. My mind is more focused on him than it should be, and I am frustrated. I guess I wouldn’t do my best work if I tried to do it right now.” She gave him a sort of coy smile. “Okay, charmer, you talked me into it.”
A wide smile broke over Adrian’s face, and he took her hand in his. “This doesn’t get you out of dinner with Oliver and me. That’s another visit altogether.”
She laughed at him and let him take her hand, walking with her out to the street. They strolled together to a nearby café and sat outside at a table, eating lunch and drinking champagne. They talked about her bee gardens and her plans for them, and he listened closely to her and offered her ideas. When they were partway through their meal, she tipped her head slightly and gazed at him with a happy smile.
“Being here with you like this, sitting here at this café, sharing a meal, drinking champagne, it feels like we’re back in Portugal somehow. Like there hasn’t been any time passing at all between then and now,” she mused over it. “It’s nice. It feels good. Thank you for talking me into coming out with you.” She gave him a smile.
“That’s what friends are for.” He winked at her, and she felt the butterflies flutter inside of her.
When they walked back to the house, he held her hand, his fingers entwined with hers. She felt his thumb brush lightly back and forth over her hand and it sent tendrils of electricity up her arm. When they reached her house, he went inside with her and they stood together near the door.
“Thank you, this was such a wonderful break. I really needed it, and I didn’t even realize it,” she admitted with a smile, looking up at him.
“You needed it. It has become a passion of mine to give you anything that you need.” His voice was soft. He lifted his hand and traced his fingertips down the side of her cheek to her chin, brushing his thumb over her lower lip.
She drew in a sharp breath, and her heart began to race as she found herself lost in his eyes. He stared back into hers, and the air between them grew charged with heat and electricity. He leaned close and barely touched his lips to hers, feeling them as if he was kissing her for the first time. A quiet gasp escaped her lips, and she turned her head to the side slightly.
Adrian kissed the side of her mouth, and then trailed his heated lips and the tip of his tongue down her jawline to her neck as he embraced her and drew her up against him. The scent of him filled her senses and her lungs and it felt like she was drowning in him, and she couldn’t surface from it, and then she felt like she didn’t want to surface from it.
His kisses on her neck grew stronger and he brought one of his hands from her hip up the side of her waist to the side of her breast. She ached for him to touch her, to feel him with her the way that they had been before.
“Adrian,” she managed to force out as everything inside of her reeled, “this can’t happen…” She trailed off, breathless and burning as she held fast to him, fighting her desire for him.
“It can if you want it to,” he murmured in her ear. “You know I want you. You know I love you. All it takes is one little word. Say yes. Say yes and I will take you to your bedroom right now and I won’t let you out of your bed until I’ve satisfied you completely. I will love you more than you have ever been loved. I know you need it. I know you need me. Just say yes. Choose me.”
He brought his lips back along her cheek to her mouth and kissed her long and deep, reaching his arms around behind her and holding her tightly. She kissed him back, melting into him for a moment, drawn in by a gravity she could not comprehend or define. Something tugged at the back of her mind and she broke her mouth from his.
“Adrian…” she breathed his name in a pained whisper as she gazed up into his hungry eyes.
“I’ll stop if you want me to,” he said quietly, his eyes moving over her face, his lips swollen slightly from their kisses. “Do you want me to?” He studied her intently.
She felt like her heart was breaking in half and the pressure and pain of it was tremendous. “I…” she hesitated, thinking of all that was at stake, knowing that she had to make the right choice, knowing that she couldn’t be selfish. She had Oliver to think of, and she had Mike to think of. She had a real future to think of. “I can’t,” she managed to choke out as she let go of him and forced herself to turn away from him.
His eyes were filled with passion and strength. “I’ll wait for you. I’m not giving up on you. You’re not married yet. I’m going to wait for you to want to kiss me, to want to make love with me again so much that you choose it, that you choose me, and you will.”
Tears spilled from her thick dark eyelashes and he reached for her hand, lifting it to his mouth and kissing the back of her fingertips. “Look at me,” he said simply.
She lifted her face and opened her wet eyes to meet his. He looked at her earnestly. “I’m not going to push you, but I’m not backing down. No matter what I am to you; if I am your lover, if I am your friend, however you want it, I will be here for you. There’s no way I’m leaving you. I’m here for you, no matter how you need me to be. I can see that this is too much pressure for you, so for the rest of today, we’ll be friends. We have a visit with Oliver planned. Let’s go get him from school and have a great time. We leave this moment here, behind this door, and we focus on having a good time together. We can do that. Come with me. Let’s go get him, and you can catch your breath. We’ll just be friends the rest of the day.”
A smile spread over her face as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “You’re amazing. Do you know that? You really are,” she told him gratefully. “I do want to spend time with you. I just… can’t do it as a lover.”
“Then we’ll be friends today,” he told her kindly, giving her a smile as he gently squeezed her hand.
“Let’s go get Oliver,” she replied, reaching for her purse and following Adrian out of the door.
Chapter12
Adrian drove, and they picked Oscar up from school together, both of them walking to the sidewalk before the front doors to meet him. He came out as he did every afternoon with his two friends, Josh and Brad, and he was ecstatic when he saw Adrian.
“Adrian!” he exclaimed, turning to Josh and Brad. “That’s my friend, Adrian! We’re working on the bee gardens together!” Josh and Brad both waved at Adrian and looked up at him admiringly.
Adrian reached his hand up to them. “High five, guys.” Oliver gave him a solid high five, and his two friends followed suit, laughing and loving it. They said goodbye and Oliver walked to the car with Delphine and Adrian, holding both of their hands.
“So, what are doing? Are we going somewhere?” he asked excitedly.
“We are going somewhere! I haven’t seen the Museum of Nature and Science here in Manhattan yet, so we’re going to go have a look at that. Then, we’re going to a little restaurant in Brooklyn that I heard all about. Remember that volunteer last Saturday? Jen? She was telling us about that cool old-fashioned restaurant?” Adrian looked at Oliver as he opened the back door of the car for him.
“Yeah, I remember! She said it was a really fun place to go!” Oliver piped up with a grin.
“Well, she made it sound so good that I thought we’d go check it out.” Adrian climbed into the driver’s seat and Oliver quivered with happiness and anticipation. Delphine snapped her seatbelt and watched them, liking that the two of them were building such a good rapport.
They explored the Museum of Nature and Science, and when they had seen nearly all of it, taking selfies with some of the animals and skeletons behind them, they headed out across water to Brooklyn. The restaurant that their new friend Jen had told them all about was called the Brooklyn Farmacy and Soda Fountain.
They loved the nostalgic décor and family friendly feel of it, talking and laughing about everything, and making plans for their bee gardens as they ate. When the meal was done, they headed back to De
lphine’s house, and Adrian dropped them off, giving them both a big hug.
Oliver and Delphine worked on his homework together, and she was deeply pleased to see that he was improving by leaps and bounds not only in his schoolwork, which he was catching up on very well, but also on his self-confidence and inner happiness. He was a totally different kid than the one she picked up in Beth Downey’s office weeks before, and it filled her heart to overflowing with real joy to see the difference in him.
As they readied for bed, he talked to her about his day and how much fun he had. They settled in and read a storybook for bedtime, and when she was walking out of his room, he looked up at her with sleepy eyes from his bed. “I really had a great time with Adrian today. I like him and Uncle Justin the most out of all your friends.” He fell asleep with a smile on his face, and she turned the light off and walked out of his room, going to her own.
