“Yes, Mom, I do,” she answered cowering closer to the door of the car.
“I’m not going to hit you in front of people; how stupid do you think I am! But, when we get home, I want you to call him. Amira, you better get him to our house somehow or you will regret it.” Sandra’s eyes shrunk to narrow slits.
“Mom, I have a sleepover tonight, remember.”
“Dammit! Alright, I have to think of another plan. Not one word of our
conversation is to be said to your friend; do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Banging on the steering wheel Sandra threw the car into reverse and backed from the space driving recklessly.
*****
After dinner Gabrielle and Jonathan retreated to the living room to watch
television. Jonathan stroked Gabrielle’s shoulder as she lay across his lap. He’d managed to keep his composure lively when his mind often drifted to Amira. He remembered the sleepover and for a few minutes, was relieved to know the child was safe somewhere else until he could figure out what to do.
He checked his watch after realizing Gabrielle had fallen asleep; it was close to eleven. Taking his feet off the coffee table, he shook her shoulders. “Babe, wake up.
I’m getting ready to go home.”
Gabrielle stirred, turning over on his lap. “Why are you leaving?”
“So you can get to bed and I’m beat too. Those young boys put a hurting on me and Anthony playing basketball today.”
She sat up folding the afghan over the arm of the sofa. “We can go to bed, if you want.”
“Is that an invitation to stay the night?”
“Jonathan, are we going backwards and pretending we haven’t slept together already? We can actually go to bed and not have sex,” she said stretching the kinks from her back.
He stood up. “Okay, let’s retire for the night.”
A few minutes later Gabrielle appeared from the bathroom dressed in a soft orange silk nightie. She slid beside him fluffing her pillow to get comfortable. “This has been a long week. I was assigned Nick to my caseload. When he is able, I will be treating him.”
Jonathan folded his arms behind his head. “Has he come out of the coma?”
“Yes. He’s being kept medically sedated and still on a ventilator but he can respond to commands. Baby, he was at the hospital for you; why aren’t you or Anthony there for him?”
“Gabrielle, this whole thing with Nick is complicated. I swear I will try to explain it to you one day.”
“Okay, but what else is bothering you. You have been distant all evening. Have I done something?”
“You noticed. I thought I was doing a pretty good job keeping it from you.”
“You haven’t; so tell me what’s wrong.”
He turned on his side putting his arm around her. “How did you know orange was my favorite color?”
“I guess I’m psychic. Tell me what happened, Jonathan. I don’t want to start our relationship with secrets between us.”
“What’s on my mind doesn’t have to do with us. Anthony laid some
information on me today that took me by surprise.”
“Whatever it is it must be serious.”
“It is. He thinks Amira is being abused by her mother. I thought he was talking nonsense but he said he’s noticing a pattern in Amira that he used to have when he was abused by his dad.”
She sat up. “What kind of abuse? Is she beating her child?”
“He thinks its verbal abuse. He wants me to get Amira to talk about it.”
“Do it, Jonathan. If that child is being abused, maybe her father should know what is going on.”
“We’re not sure if the father is in the picture. Amira doesn’t mention him and Anthony said Sandra never talked about him either.”
“That little girl lights up every time she is around you. It’s obvious you are offering her a missing element in her life. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I want you to be patient with me. We’re just getting to know one another and already I’m asking you to let me spend time with another woman in order to help a child.”
The cringing nag in her head had gone dormant for nearly a day, suddenly sprung forward. “How can I say no when so much rides on Amira’s well-being; she is more important at the moment.”
“Don’t say it like I’m not gonna be around. Gabrielle, you come first and I will make time for you—for our relationship.”
“Um-hum,” she said turning over.
He kissed her shoulder caressing her arm with his hand; she moved away.
“Gabrielle, c’mon are you mad?”
Pulling the comforter over her shoulder she closed her eyes. “No, I’m just tired.
Goodnight, Jonathan.”
“Are you too tired for me to do this?” His hand cuddled around her waist to caress her belly moving upward to cup her breast tweaking the nipple until it hardened.
He could feel her body tremor through the fabric of her nightie but she made no effort to give into his seduction.
Gabrielle remained still not giving him the satisfaction of letting him know the arousal was getting the better of her. He pressed his nude body in close to her backside; rubbing his hardness against her behind. She moved over closer to the edge of the bed, only he moved with her not releasing his hold.
Turning her on her back, he slipped the thin straps of the nightie around her shoulders blades pushing it down to her waist. He trapped her upper body beneath him so she couldn’t move away from. He licked around her nipple, taking it in his mouth to suck gently before switching to the other to do the same.
Gabrielle refused to return his seduction. She wasn’t mad with him for wanting to help a child in need, but the thought of him spending time with Sandra Rhodes was unsettling her nerves. The woman could not be trusted and with their relationship being new she was liable to do anything she could to get her claws into Jonathan.
Jonathan continued to manipulate her nipples with his lips and tongue. Using his hands to wander beneath her panties, her attitude was not responding physically but her body was. He parted her clamped thighs enough to slip a finger inside her moist folds. A sharp breath escaped her lips allowing him to slide his tongue insider her mouth when he kissed her. Her body relaxed allowing him to slip another finger inside to join the first.
Gabrielle new it was pointless to fight and gave into his temptation. The man was a master at seduction and she wasn’t fooling herself into believing she wasn’t interested in making love to him.
Jonathan felt the current shift in his favor as she kissed him back. Moving on top of her, he entered her in on swift motion causing her to bite lightly on his shoulder. He growled as she closed tightly around him sucking him in deeper. He grinded his hips against her pelvis in a slow rhythm making love to the woman he already knew he would not be able to live without.
Gabrielle pushed at his shoulders. “Jonathan, you have to stop now,” she rasped.
“I can’t,” he grunted putting his hands under her hips pumping harder. “You feel so damn good.”
An orgasm blindsided her; rocking her body in unison with his. Resting on top of her, Jonathan closed his eyes then opened them wide. “Holy shit!” He exclaimed looking down at her.
“I tried to stop you.”
He rubbed his forehead with his fingers disgusted with himself. “How close are you?”
“I should be safe this time.”
“See what you do to me, woman! I lose control when I’m around you.”
“Is this all we will do, Jonathan?” She asked pulling her nightgown over her head. “I just want to make sure I have it correct so there won’t be any misconceptions.”
“Is this our first fight?”
“No this is not a fight but a clarification.”
“What do we need to clarify, Gabrielle; just tell me what I’ve done wrong so I can apologize and we can move past it?”
“A lot
of this is me talking. I know I wanted us to get to know each other and move slow but, all we’re doing is having sex when we’re together.”
“Before I put my foot in my mouth, is this a good or bad thing for you?”
“Jonathan, I’m saying I don’t know anything about you. Our time together is limited and if we spend all of it in bed, where will we find the time to see if we’re compatible outside of the bedroom?”
“Wait, our time is limited? Why is our time limited?”
She paced the bedroom. “You said you want to spend time with Sandra Rhodes in order to help Amira. How are you going to do that unless you use your time off work to spend with them?”
“First off I don’t want to spend my days off with Sandra. I’ll have to be around her in order to get close to Amira.”
She ran her hand through her short hair saying, “Same difference, Jonathan. She will be with you and Amira.”
“What happened to you looking forward to embracing our relationship?”
“I obviously spoke out of turn. Sandra is interested in you, and for my own piece of mind, I have to end this before my heart gets caught in the middle of a tug of war that I have no chance in winning.”
“Gabrielle, what the hell happened? I can help Amira and not have a damn thing to do with her mother. As far as the sex, yeah it does seem we hit the bedroom a lot, but I have every intention in getting to know you. I’ve already learned the intimate and fun sides of you and, now I’m seeing more of an insecure side you’ve never shown.”
“I’m learning more about you. You are very sincere when it comes to kids and I applaud you for that. You also stand your ground when you make a decision. I have to do the same.”
“Dammit! I also know what I want and Sandra ain’t it—you are. I’m okay if you want us to stop having sex until you’re more comfortable with me; I can do that. I will do whatever you want me to do, Gabrielle—but don’t end it. What we have is special.”
She rubbed the cold chill running down her arms. “I wanted what we were starting to be special, too.”
“Pulling on his boxers, he went over to her. “Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is I think we should stop with everything until you figure out what is going on with Amira.”
The deep scowl on his face darkened his color. “Are you freaking kidding me?”
She took a step back for space. “You lean a lot about a person after you’ve spent time with them. Sandra Rhodes might not be the woman we think she is, but very intriguing and with Amira already tugging at your heart strings, this ready-made family might be hard for you to walk away from. I’m going to take a bath.”
Jonathan felt the weight of her words crashing over him. What she said held truth, but not for him. Reaching for her arm, he stopped her from leave. “Gabrielle, that won’t happen. If you have a better way for me to handle this, by all means, tell me.”
“I don’t because without proof of the abuse, there is only speculation. I’m sure you will get to the bottom of what is going on with Amira and I pray she isn’t being abused—no child deserves that treatment.” She wiggled her arm from his grasp and took her robe from the chair saying, “You know, it is mighty funny how Anthony didn’t volunteer to stay with Sandra to help Amira. He is perfectly happy making sure his rekindled relationship with Melanie stays secure while letting you risk losing yours.”
Jonathan flopped down on the bed, covering his head with this hand. Gabrielle might have been young in age but wiser beyond her twenty-nine years. She was protecting herself from possibly being hurt and he couldn’t blame her.
*****
Jonathan opened the bedroom door. Gabrielle was sleeping peacefully and he hated to wake her. Sitting the tray on the dresser, he lit the single candle and placed the one yellow rose in the vase. He chose the yellow rose because of her tattoo and figured it held a symbolism for her.
Quietly he picked through the stack of CD’s sitting next to the small portable player on the dresser. According to the selection, she favored R&B singers like Toni Braxton, Beyoncé and other singers that sang the best of soulful love songs.
Choosing a Brian McKnight CD, he turned the music down to a soft level after Gabrielle stirred on the bed. Carrying the tray over to the bed, he leaned down to place a tender kiss on her forehead. “Wake up sleeping beauty.”
Gabrielle squeezed her eyes tighter together blocking the sunlight filtering the room. “What time is it?” She asked in a sleepy voice.
“Almost 10:00 in the morning. Sit up; I made breakfast for you.”
She pulled her body to rest against the headboard. “You made breakfast for me?”
“Yup; I intend to pamper my lady for the next two days. The weather is
supposed to be nice outside. How about we go for a walk in the park today?”
She sipped the weakly made coffee forcing it to go down her throat without gagging. “Jonathan—“
“Gabrielle, I’m not taking no for an answer. I have two days left to spend with you; can I at least enjoy them before you kick me out of your life again?”
“I’m not kicking you from my life. I’m sure I’ll run into you at the hospital or we can call to say hello; remember we are friends.”
His cellphone rang on the night table. “Who would be calling me this early?”
Gabrielle shrugged her shoulders. “Better answer it; it might be important.”
He picked up the phone, saying, “Hello, Lieutenant Murad.”
Gabrielle buttered her toast as Jonathan left the room to talk. The music playing caught her attention and brought forefront the events from the night before. They had stayed up most of the night talking and came to the conclusion that putting a halt to the budding relationship until further notice was a good idea. He’d told her about the chat with Sandra in the parking lot after career day, and how she might have been expressing events of her life using Gabrielle as an example.
Removing the tray table from her lap, she got out of bed and turned off the music. She wasn’t feeling very romantic and pretty much wanted Jonathan to leave so she could be alone to sulk. Looking in the mirror the puffy eyes staring back at her proved once and for all she was destined to be alone forever no matter what changes she made to her life.
Her two sisters were outgoing and popular and both married wealthy men and moved to other states. Her mother who’d married late in life was living abroad with her new husband in Africa. And, then there was her; stuck in Cleveland alone with a few relatives scattered around the area.
Opening the drawer of the dresser she removed a letter she needed to make a decision on soon. It was from a hospital in Chicago that had been pursuing her for months. She never really thought about moving out of state, but since the majority of her family was gone, she didn’t have a real reason to stay in Ohio.
She sighed tapping the letter on the edge of the dresser. The depression looming over her worsened. The moment she laid eyes on Sandra Rhodes, she wondered why the woman irked her nerves, and now she knew.
Jonathan entered the bedroom breaking her trance. “Sorry about that,” he said.
“My lieutenant got the report on the fire at Sandra’s house.”
She turned to face him. “Oh, what caused it?”
“The fire was deliberately set. He’s turning it over to the arson unit to investigate.”
“Wow. Jonathan, what kind of column does she write? Could she have ticked off someone bad enough to make them burn her house down?”
“I don’t know, but if there is a clue left in the ruble, the arson unit will find it.”
He noticed the paper in her hand. “Were you writing me a letter—a Dear John to be exact?”
She smiled. “You are silly. This is a letter from a hospital in Chicago for a job offer. I’ve been mulling it over a few weeks and have to make a decision soon.”
He placed his hands on his hips. “I guess I helped you make your decision.
When do you have t
o be in Chicago?”
“Jonathan, accepting the job offer has nothing to do with you. But, I have decided to accept their offer and they want me in Chicago the first of May. I’m a young woman with a promising career; starting over in a major city like Chicago, will be exciting.”
“I bet it will be exciting, and far enough away from me.” The sarcasm dripped heavily from his tone. “Do you know anyone in Chicago?”
She shook her head. “No I don’t, and mostly the reason why I hadn’t replied until now. My immediate family has moved on to bigger and better adventures, but I stayed behind when I can do my job in any city.”
“You never talk about your family. I wondered if you had family in the area.”
“That’s because we never talk, Jonathan.”
“I’m talking now.”
Gabrielle placed the letter in the drawer. “Yeah, but it’s a little late to start now. I should feed Midnight; I’m surprised she hasn’t come to remind me I haven’t fed her.”
“I fed her.”
“You will be her friend for life. Did she give you purrs and slither her tail around your leg?”
“Yeah, but I want her mother to give me purrs and slither around my legs.
Gabrielle,” he said walking over to her and embracing her. “Please reconsider that job offer.”
Having his arms around her made her wobbly. Sucking in his scent she closed her eyes to take it all in mentally and store it forever. “Jonathan, I’m going to miss you.
Promise me you will take care of yourself and not make so many heroic rescues.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this. I swear I am not the type to fall for phony seduction.”
She cupped his handsome face between her hands. “You’re too smart for that and I know you don’t want to be with Sandra. I guess you could say this is a preventive move, Jonathan. Being a fireman is stressful. Now you’re about to go digging around in a person’s life that could cause repercussions that you will be directly involved with.”
He gazed deeply into her eyes seeing the hidden pain. “What am I going to do without you?”
“A month ago you had no idea I existed. When the storm settles, you’ll dust off the bunker pants and carry on with your life, Mr. DeMinico.”
Smoke Page 13
