He grinned, reaching for a file folder on his desk and shuffling through its contents. Roshawn continued to eye him with reservations, sensing he’d swallowed a secret she was not privy to.
He looked up, his eyebrows raised. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“You sure?”
“Positive.” Roshawn came to her feet and moved toward the door. She turned back to face him. “Oh, I found Angel and his father a home. They’ll be meeting with the agent this morning to formalize his offer.”
Chen nodded. “That’s great. How soon do you think they’ll be able to move in?”
“Probably by the middle of next month if all goes well. And I guess I should tell you that I won’t be going back to Seattle.”
Chen smiled, his expression unchanging. “That’s good news. That’s very good news.”
Roshawn smiled back, making note that he wasn’t the least bit surprised. “Don’t you want to know how long I’ll be staying in your house?”
He shrugged. “No. I figured at least until the middle of next month, but I wasn’t worried.”
Roshawn laughed. “I know that was Angel on the phone. And I know you’re in on whatever he’s up to.”
Chen’s gaze fell back to the folder. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have a meeting in a few minutes. I need to review these papers before I leave.”
Roshawn stood staring at him as he tried to avoid her gaze. She could almost see the rise of anxious perspiration that was beading against his skin.
“Go away, Roshawn.”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t know anything to tell.”
“Liar.”
“Yes, I am. Now get out of my office before I fire you.”
Roshawn laughed. “You tell him that I will find out. Sooner or later one of you is going to slip and I’m going to know what you’re up to.”
“Let it go, Roshawn. I swear, it’s all good but you need to just let it go.”
“Now, John Chen, I know that you know me better than that. I’m just getting started. You and Israel and Angel better watch yourselves. I think you guys forgot who you’re messing with.”
Chen laughed, his head waving from side to side. “Now I’m really scared.”
Chapter 22
Almost a month and a half had passed and Roshawn didn’t have a clue what Angel had been planning, if anything at all. In fact, with all that had been going on she’d barely had time to even give the prospect of his plotting a second thought.
The purchase of their new home had gone smoothly, the two of them able to close on the house faster than they’d anticipated. A quick trip to the state of Washington had reunited her with her best friends, both offering unlimited support as Roshawn had packed what remained of her life in Seattle and had put her own home on the market.
There had been no opportunity to introduce them to Angel. His baseball schedule had him playing back-to-back games with few days left to do anything but rest. Wherein Roshawn should have known something was amiss when neither of her gal pals seemed concerned about not meeting him, her mind had been too preoccupied with too many other thoughts to give it any reflection at all.
Between them, Roshawn and Israel, with the help of an interior designer Angel had insisted on hiring, had navigated furnishing their new space, both amused and relieved that their tastes were so similar. Although Roshawn still had not officially taken up residence in the new house, she was only days away from doing so and her excitement about such ran in tandem with her anxiety over the ramifications.
Ming stood watching her mother as Roshawn toyed with fabric and paint samples, unable to make up her mind about which colors would and would not fill the space that would be Ming’s room whenever she came to stay. She shook her head as Roshawn muttered under her breath.
“Mom, why are you having such a time with this? I already told you what I wanted.”
“But are you sure, Ming? We didn’t even consider the blue-and-green combination.”
“I’m sure. Why are you so out of sorts?”
Roshawn tossed her child a look, the question knocking her off sides for just a brief minute. She dropped down to the new mattress that had been rested against the new bed that Ming had selected. “I am starting to obsess a bit, aren’t I?”
“A bit? I’ve never seen you like this.” Ming took the seat beside her, pulling the samples from her mother’s hands and tossing them behind her.
“I guess I’m just worried that things won’t be perfect for Angel.”
“Angel doesn’t care. He only wants you and Abuelo happy. And why haven’t you moved in yet? I think he and Daddy are starting to wonder what the problem is.”
“There is no problem. I just wanted to wait until things were more settled here. I’ll move in a week or so.”
“More like a few days or so. Daddy and Allison have rented the house to some flight attendant friend of Allison’s.”
“He what?”
“He told me to tell you and to ask when he can arrange to give them the keys. He didn’t think it would be an issue since you do have a home to move into.”
Roshawn said nothing, mulling over her daughter’s comments. She and Chen worked side by side daily and the man hadn’t wanted to confront her about her living arrangements. Just wait until she got her hands around his neck, she thought to herself. Ming reached for her hand and held it.
“What’s the matter, Mommy?”
“Sharing your life with a man is a big commitment, Ming. This thing with Angel just happened so fast and even though it seems perfect, we both know that nothing ever is. I’m just looking for the pitfalls and trying to make sure that nothing can get screwed up without my knowing it.”
“Don’t you love him? Because I know he loves you. Angel loves you a lot.”
She nodded, a rich smile filling her face. “I love Angel very much. But I loved your father once too and it was great right up until the moment we both took those vows, made it official and moved in together. Then things fell apart. Angel and your father both have that same conservative, controlling nature. I just don’t want what happened with me and Chen to happen to Angel and me. I’m guess I’m just scared that I won’t be able to handle it as well the second time around.”
Ming nodded, wrapping her arms around her mother’s shoulders. “Get over it. Angel’s not Daddy and you are not that same young girl. You know better now and you’ve learned from your experiences. You’ll do just fine.”
Roshawn gave her child an incredulous look. “Aren’t you something with the advice!”
Ming grinned, her face beaming. “I learned from the best.”
Taking a deep breath, Roshawn stood back on her feet. She reached for Ming’s hand and pulled her up beside her. “Why don’t you and I go get our nails done?”
“Sounds like a good idea to me. Besides, I want to talk to you about Dixon. I don’t know if I can make tomorrow’s game. Dix and I want to go away for the weekend.”
“Away? Away where?”
“The Grand Canyon. We plan on driving from Phoenix to Sedona to see the red rocks. From there we’ll drive to Flagstaff and then the town of Williams. And then on Saturday we’ll pick up the train into the Grand Canyon, spend the night and come back on Sunday.”
“Have you told your father yet?”
Ming nodded. “He said it would be okay.”
“He said okay? We’re talking about John Chen, aren’t we?”
Ming shrugged. “He just said that we needed to show some responsibility and then he gave Dix a long lecture.”
“Well, wonders never cease to amaze me.”
“You don’t mind, do you? I know this will be Angel’s first home game in two weeks and you were hoping we could all be here, but this is the only chance Dix and I will have before classes start.”
Roshawn sighed. “Of course I don’t mind. There will be plenty of other home games. And just because I was planning a family dinner doesn’t mea
n you have to be there,” she said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and then laughed, Ming laughing with her.
“Besides,” Ming added as the two women made their way out of the room. “It’ll be Angel’s first night back. I doubt you two will miss me being around anyway.”
The quick jaunt to the nail salon had been exactly what Roshawn had needed. She and Ming had laughed and giggled about everything and about nothing, both enjoying their mother-daughter moment. After a quick lunch, Roshawn had dropped off Ming back at her father’s home. After checking in with Chen to see if she was needed for anything in the office she had the afternoon free and she was actually looking forward to having some time to herself to do absolutely nothing.
As she puttered around the house, shifting furniture and knickknacks, Roshawn couldn’t help but think about why she was delaying packing and moving the two suitcases she’d arrived in Phoenix with from one side of town to the other. She was scared, and although she loved Angel with everything in her and enjoyed every minute they’d spent together, she didn’t want to risk seeing the relationship end if things weren’t what they seemed once the doors were closed behind them. She chuckled, knowing that she was also being ridiculous. Angel had promised her a lifetime of love and she had no doubts that he would do whatever it took to ensure he kept that promise.
Picking up the telephone she dialed Chen to discuss her move, letting him know that she would be out and in her own home by the weekend. She also let him know she didn’t appreciate him sending the news of her eviction through their daughter.
Chen laughed. “I would have told you myself, but your moods have been all over the place lately.”
“So, you were just scared.”
“Yes, and I’m not ashamed to admit it,” he said with a deep chuckle.
As she hung up the line, looking around the space that she would share with Angel, she knew that it was well past time for her to make that move. Taking a deep inhale of breath and blowing it out slowly, she released all her anxiety and fear, tossing caution to the wind that she would truly be happy as long as she and Angel were standing side by side.
Taking a quick glance at her watch, Roshawn picked the receiver back up and dialed. She tried with little luck to reach Nina. The woman wasn’t picking up on any of her phone lines and it had been three days since the two had last spoken. As the line rang on the other end, Roshawn wasn’t sure if she should worry or not, and then Patrick answered the call, his breathing heavy as if he’d had to race to pick up the line.
“Hello?”
“Patrick? Hi, it’s me, Roshawn.”
“Hey, Roshawn. How are you, darlin’?”
“I’m great. When did you get back?”
“Just this second. They got us out on an earlier flight. I’m sure Angel will be walking through the door in a minute himself.”
“Great games you guys played. That was a nice hit you got against Los Angeles.”
“Thanks, darlin’. You lookin’ for Nina?”
“Is she home?”
The man shook his head into the receiver. “No. I’m tryin’ to track her down myself. She’s got some friends visitin’ here with her for a few days so they’ve been running all over Phoenix trying to get into trouble.”
“Oh. I guess that’s why I haven’t heard from her. Well, just tell her to call me when she gets some time.”
“I will. You take care now.”
“Bye, Patrick.” As Roshawn hung up the line she found it odd that Nina hadn’t said anything to her about entertaining company. The two had become close and each was usually privy to the other’s plans. As she thought about it, she realized that she’d missed Nina’s last call earlier in the week. The two had been playing phone tag ever since. Roshawn imagined that Nina just hadn’t had an opportunity yet to catch her up on what was going on in her life.
She picked up the receiver and dialed Seattle. Minutes later she was even more dejected as both Jeneva and Bridget hadn’t been around to pick up her call. Before she had time to bemoan the fact, Angel’s voice rang out from the front foyer.
“Roshawn? Are you here?”
She raced down the hallway in his direction, her excitement at his arrival pushing everything else out of her thoughts.
“Angel! Patrick said you guys had just gotten back. I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.”
“I thought I could surprise you,” he said, kissing her warmly. “Patrick spoiled it.”
“I missed you,” Roshawn muttered, her mouth dancing against his. “I missed you very much.”
He grinned. “I missed you, too. Where’s Papí? Is he here?”
Roshawn shook her head. “He and your interior designer have gone furniture shopping.”
“Does that mean you and I are alone?” Angel asked, his voice dropping to a seductive whisper.
Roshawn nodded, a rush of wanting inciting her to breathe heavily. “Very alone.”
Angel kissed her again, spreading her lips with his tongue. As he entered the sweet, lush cavity, he could feel her tremble with anticipation, her excitement fueling his. Angel lifted her up into his arms, carrying her easily toward their master bedroom. Roshawn grinned, kicking her feet in the air as he rushed through the entrance and dropped her heavily against the padded mattress.
Kicking off his shoes, Angel pulled at the buckle to his pants, pushing them past his hips to the floor. Roshawn suddenly burst into laughter as he posed superhero-style, his hands on his hips and his chest protruding forward. A pair of white briefs with red hearts hugged his pelvis. He spun around, leaning over to show the wording across his buttocks, Roshawn’s Honey, printed in bright red ink across the fabric that covered his butt cheeks.
Roshawn couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so hard. Tears spilled from the corners of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Her stomach hurt from trying to catch her breath and the entire time Angel stood alternating his poses as he winked and blew kisses at her.
“You’re a fool!” she finally managed to gush, reaching out her arms to pull him against her.
“I’m a fool in love,” he answered as he kissed her, painting wet, mushy kisses against her forehead, eyelids, cheeks, nose and mouth.
“Where did you get that thing?”
“That’s my secret,” he said. “And I bought you a pair, too. They say, Angel’s Chica. We can wear them together. You can put yours on now if you’d like.”
Roshawn shook her head. She pushed her hands past the elastic of his briefs, easing them down over his hips. “What I would like,” she said coyly, “is to get you out of yours. We can wear them together another time.”
“I think we can do that,” the man said with a wide grin, and then he gasped, loudly, as Roshawn stroked his manhood. “Oh, yes,” he said, his voice dropping to a loud whisper, “I think this is much better for us to do.”
* * *
The couple lay side by side, Angel’s nude body curved around Roshawn’s like a warm blanket. The sun was still shining brightly through the wall of windows into their bedroom. Although they both knew Israel had returned an hour or so earlier, neither had made any effort to move from the warmth and security they’d wrapped around themselves.
Roshawn pulled Angel’s arm tighter around her waist, clasping his fingers between her own. She purred softly, arching her body like a lazy cat as she caressed him with her backside, her buttocks grinding gently against his crotch. She hummed in pleasure as Angel rested his palm over one breast gently caressing and teasing the orange-size mound of tissue.
He leaned to kiss her ear, gently brushing his lips along the line of her profile. Her body was so sensitive to his touch that with each stroke and every touch, she could feel herself wanting to scream out in pleasure, to succumb to the rise of heat growing within her. Angel could sense the depth of her desire, the wealth of it as large as his and so he continued to tease and play with her body, wanting her to feel as intensely as he did.
“Every time I make love to
you I think it couldn’t get any better and then we make love again and it is just so incredible,” he said as he hugged her tightly, trying to meld every inch of his flesh to hers.
Roshawn smiled, her eyes closed as she allowed her breathing to fall into sync with his, the rise and fall of his broad chest brushing against her back. In that very moment she wouldn’t remember ever feeling as complete, as whole, as satisfied, or as content as she did right then wrapped in Angel’s arms.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you, Angel?” The man smiled. “How much?”
“More than I could even begin to put into words.”
“For always?”
“For ever and ever.”
“We have so many things to plan, Roshawn.”
“Like what?”
“Our wedding, the honeymoon, our babies…”
Roshawn chuckled. “You haven’t even asked me to marry you yet and you’re talking about a honeymoon.” She laughed again, brushing the bottoms of her feet against the front of his legs.
“You’re right. I haven’t done that yet, have I?”
“No, you haven’t. All you have asked of me is if I would have your son.”
“But that was very important for a man to know.”
“I’m sure it was.”
“And I asked you to move in with me.”
“No, you didn’t. I just told you that I would be moving in with you whether you liked it or not. I mean, if I’m planning on giving birth to your son it seemed only right.”
Angel nodded, kissing her cheek. “That’s a good point.”
“I usually make very good points.”
“And I like that about you. I like that very much.” He paused as if in deep reflection, drumming his fingers against her arm.
“Something you want to say,” Roshawn asked, her tone teasing.
“I was just thinking that we really should talk about that marriage thing, huh? We really can’t have a honeymoon if we don’t have a wedding first,” he said with a smug grin across his face.
“We won’t be having that baby until then, either.”
“No?”
“No!”
“So, maybe you should ask me to marry you, Roshawn?”
Love in the Lineup Page 25
