Jaleen was here. He came back to my hotel room with me. She also suspected he was responsible for the glass of water and aspirin on her nightstand because she didn’t recall getting it herself.
She got out of bed, grabbed a sundress and her toiletries and made her way to the bathroom. A shower would definitely wake her up and, hopefully, help her remember more details. Thirty minutes later she was showered, dressed and no closer to remembering all the details.
When she walked back into the bedroom, a pair of shoes in the corner of the room caught her eye. Those are Jaleen’s. Although she couldn’t recall if he was wearing them last night, she’d seen them on him before. Why exactly did I see Jaleen last night? They’d been celebrating Summer’s bachelorette party while the men had been out celebrating Aiden’s bachelor party. She didn’t know how they’d gotten together last night, but she vaguely recalled asking Jaleen if he would kiss her.
Oh, God. I did ask him to kiss me. She couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing...except if he was still in her suite somewhere. She opened the bedroom door and tiptoed around the corner to the living room area. As suspected, Jaleen was sprawled out on the couch with his long legs hanging over the side. She’d always found him attractive—although she’d never admit that to him—however, the sight before her nearly stole her breath.
He still had on his jeans, but he’d discarded his socks and unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his washboard abs and deep vee of his hip bone now causing her imagination to wander to places it never had before. That’s a lie. She’d definitely spent more time than she would ever admit wondering just how sexy Jaleen Walker would look naked. Of course, she’d never go there with a man like him... A man that seemed to trade out women as quickly as he changed underwear. However, there was no harm in admiring him while he slept.
Even in his sleep, his jawline was well-defined and she’d bet that he’d just gotten his goatee freshly cut and hair lined yesterday before the bachelor party. How many times had she wanted to run her tongue across his smooth, cinnamon-brown complexion? As cocky as he was, Danni was surprised there was anything about him she found attractive. He was not her usual type. But lately she’d been looking at him in a way that she knew she shouldn’t but couldn’t help.
She froze when he slightly adjusted himself on the couch, noticing for the first time just how close she actually was to him. She took a step back when his hand reached out and lightly grabbed her wrist.
“Not so fast,” Jaleen said groggily. “How do you feel?”
She momentarily couldn’t find the words to respond as she stared into his deep brown eyes. “I feel okay,” she finally said. “Thanks for taking care of me last night.”
“No problem,” he said, sitting up on the couch. “I only stayed to make sure you were okay.”
Her eyes briefly left his to stare at his lips. What has gotten into me? She was usually a lot better at getting a handle on her attraction to Jaleen. Maybe it was being with him all alone in her suite that had her feeling bold? Or maybe it was the fact that she’d had a long couple of months and giving in to temptation sounded like a good stress reliever.
“Did I ask you to kiss me last night?” she asked.
His eyes darkened. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he made his way to the bathroom.
She blinked her eyes in confusion at the sudden movement. Unsure of what to do with herself until he returned, she sat on the couch and tried not to breathe in his masculine scent that still lingered in the room.
When he returned, he looked a lot more put together than she felt. “So did I ask you to kiss me last night?” she repeated.
“Maybe a few times.” He sat next to her on the couch. “But I knew you were tipsy.”
She was almost afraid to ask, but had to. “Why didn’t you kiss me?”
His lips curled to the side in a smile. “Trust me, I wanted to. But under the circumstances, it didn’t feel right.”
“Because I was too tipsy.”
“Something like that,” he said with a laugh. “The first time we kiss, I want you to be completely alert about what’s going on.”
Her cheeks grew warm and her heartbeat quickened. She was sure she’d regret what she was about to say next. “What about now?” Her voice got slightly lower. “I’m completely alert now.”
Jaleen gave her a look of confusion as he studied her eyes. She knew why he was confused. Up until now she’d done everything she could to try to deny their obvious chemistry. But this was a new year and she was a new Danni. This year, she planned to face her fears unlike she had before. Even so, the longer they sat there staring at one another, the more she regretted her decision to say something in the first place.
“You know what? Never mind. I’m not sure what’s gotten into me...” Her voice trailed off as Jaleen’s face got closer to hers.
“There’s no chance I’m ignoring what you said.” Jaleen’s hand lightly grazed her cheek. “I’ve waited too long to see how soft your lips are.”
She held her breath as his lips inched closer to hers. The somersaults in her stomach only increased when she felt his breath mingle with hers.
“Now would be the time to stop me,” Jaleen said as a warning. Danni didn’t have any intention to stop Jaleen but unfortunately the loud knock on the door did.
“Danni, are you in there? We have to meet the ladies for breakfast.”
Jaleen dropped his hand and Danni sighed at the sound of her friend’s voice. Hearing Nicole was like a jolt to her senses.
“Maybe you should go,” she said, standing from the couch.
A hint of disappointment flashed across his face before he stood, as well. “I guess you’re right.”
They made their way to the door. “Do you want me to stay here until you leave with Nicole?”
“That would be great,” she said with a nod. “I’d really appreciate it.” She grabbed her clutch and quickly exited her hotel room before she dwelled on what had almost happened between her and Jaleen.
It wasn’t that she thought kissing him would be a bad thing. Her fear was that kissing Jaleen would be the best thing she’d experienced in a long time.
Chapter 1
“Sorry I’m late,” Danni said as she rushed into Bare Sophistication Boutique and Studio minutes before close. “I ran into some traffic on my drive from Tampa to Miami.”
“No worries. How is your mom?” Summer asked as she finished ringing up the last customer.
“She’s doing well! She’s looking forward to the day when she’ll have all three of her children in the same place at the same time.”
“Does that mean your brothers haven’t visited in a while?”
“They’ve visited, but I’ve told you stories about how random their visits are. Dominic is still overseas, but we’re hoping he’ll get a leave soon. And Aaron is off chasing whatever his next adventure is. I swear, between the two of them, I can barely keep track of their schedules.”
“I can’t wait to meet your mom,” Summer said as she locked the front door of the shop and flipped over the open sign. “She seems like the type of mom I always wanted to have.”
Danni didn’t miss the sadness in her voice. It was no secret that Summer’s mom, Sonia Dupree, was as far from a motherly figure as you could get. Danni could still recall the horrible stories she’d heard from Summer and her older sisters, Winter and Autumn, about their mother.
Sometimes, Danni still worried that Sonia Dupree had affected her daughters in irreversible ways. However, all three Dupree sisters were married to wonderful men. Winter was married to Taheim Reed. Autumn was married to Taheim’s brother, Ajay Reed. And Summer and Aiden had been doing wonderfully ever since they tied the knot. All three couples were proving that true love existed and could happen when you least expected it.
“She�
��s looking forward to meeting you, too,” Danni said. “I told her I’d bring you down for a mini vacation one day.”
“Speaking of vacations, have you talked to Jaleen lately?”
“Um, no. Why do you ask?”
Summer straightened a few lingerie pieces on the rack. “No reason. Just wondering if you finally returned his calls.”
Ever since they’d almost kissed in the hotel room before Summer and Aiden’s wedding, Danni had been making a conscious effort to avoid Jaleen at any mutual parties they attended. Avoiding him had been easy since he lived in Chicago and she now lived in Miami. However, for the past four months Jaleen had been handling some work in Europe for his family’s real-estate business overseas and, for some reason, he’d been hell-bent on emailing, texting or calling her any chance he got.
At first she’d enjoyed communicating with Jaleen since they had, indeed, been friends for years. Yet the closer it got for him to return to the States, the less she returned his calls, texts or emails. He probably assumed that he’d done something wrong, when, in actuality, she was the person pushing him away. She had a good reason, but she doubted he would understand. Honestly, she doubted any of her friends would understand.
“Okay, I’m all set,” Summer said as she turned off the lights. “Are you ready to head to dinner?”
Danni froze. “You mean we’re still on for dinner?”
“Of course we are! Tonight we’re celebrating the fact that you are almost done with your master’s in fashion merchandising. Going back to school and working full-time is a huge deal. Especially since our Bare Sophistication store in Miami has only been open a little over a year. So we definitely have to celebrate. Nicole, Aaliyah and Aiden should already be at the restaurant.”
At least she didn’t mention what I thought she would.
In two months she’d be finished with her degree, which meant she would have to officially accept the partnership Summer and her sisters had offered her during the grand opening of the Miami store.
When they’d initially asked her to be a partner of the Bare Sophistication chain, Danni had been overcome with emotion considering the Dupree sisters had always dreamed of being in business together and Danni had just joined the team as store manager for both the Chicago and Miami locations. She’d never dreamed they’d give her such a huge opportunity. Her celebration was short-lived when she’d realized that despite how wonderful the opportunity was, she still had a major dilemma standing in her way of officially accepting the offer.
“Yeah, I’ll trail you in my car since I don’t want to leave it here overnight,” Danni said. Her iPhone rang just as Summer was locking up the store. She shuffled through her purse to try to catch the call.
Definitely not answering that.
“Who was it?”
“No one,” she said as she stuffed the phone back in her purse.
“Hmm, are you sure it wasn’t a certain friend of ours who’s been contacting you for months?”
“I’m not sure who you mean.” She took out her car keys as they made their way to the parking lot.
“You know exactly who I’m talking about, even if you don’t want to tell me what happened during my wedding—”
“Nothing happened,” she interrupted.
“Well, regardless of what did or didn’t happen, I think you should call him back. I just spoke with him a couple of days ago and he said you’re avoiding him. I’ve never known Jaleen to even care if a woman avoids him.”
Danni hated to admit that she was equally curious as to why he’d been reaching out to her these past few months. Yeah, they’d had a special moment in her hotel suite the day before Summer and Aiden’s wedding, but she didn’t see how that equated to him contacting her so much.
“Okay, fine. I’ll call him back after dinner.”
“Or maybe you should call him before dinner,” Summer suggested before getting into her car.
“Or maybe I’ll just keep avoiding him unless I head to Chicago for the semiannual sale Winter and Autumn are having at the Bare Sophistication Chicago location,” Danni said under her breath as she got into her car, as well.
Danni had enough on her plate and that didn’t include worrying about a certain handsome friend who just so happened to be the only guy she’d been thinking about for the past six months. Or try the past few years. It didn’t matter if she thought about him a lot or a little. She shouldn’t be thinking about him at all.
Maybe I should call him since I’ll have an excuse to get off the phone once I arrive at the restaurant for dinner. That way, he couldn’t convince her to stay on the phone any longer than five minutes since the restaurant was so close to the shop. She clicked the audio recognition feature of her car and called Jaleen.
He answered on the third ring. “Hey, beautiful.”
She momentarily soaked in the warmth in his voice. He’d always called her beautiful, but lately she was starting to believe he really meant it.
“Hey, Jaleen. Just a heads up, I have to meet the gang for dinner so I only have five minutes.”
“Duly noted,” he said with a laugh.
“How are you?”
“Much better now that you’ve finally called me back. What’s the deal? Screening my calls and messages?”
“Um, something like that. Why? Not used to women being so dismissive of your charm?” she said with a laugh.
“Not women who threw themselves at me one day then avoided me the next.”
“I did not avoid you. I had merely been fulfilling my bridesmaid’s duties. Besides, you haven’t even been in the States for the past four months.”
“Exactly. And we’ve been talking a lot while I was away, then you suddenly go cold turkey.”
“Aw, did I hurt your little feelings?” she said with a laugh.
Jaleen was silent for about five seconds.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Danni. There is nothing on me that is little, small, tiny or any other word used to describe the men you’ve been with in the past.”
Her breath caught. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. I was referring to you, not your male anatomy.”
“Whether you meant to or not, you just offered me a challenge. And you know there isn’t anything I love more than a challenge.”
She didn’t like the direction their conversation was heading. “Anyway, I have to go. I just arrived at the restaurant, so I’ll have to call you later.”
“Will you actually call me later?” he asked. She thought about all the times she’d avoided his calls recently, knowing she had no reason to justify ignoring him. At least, no reason she wanted to explain to him.
“Yes, I’ll call you later.”
“Great. Then I’ll talk to you soon.”
She hung up the phone, parked her car and then leaned her head back on her headrest. What is it about that man that has me so intrigued?
She’d dated her fair share of men in the past... Even some that reminded her a little of Jaleen. Yet he got under her skin and the more she thought about it, the more she was unsure if that was a good or bad thing. By the time she stepped out of the car, she was already beginning to regret her decision.
“At least he lives in Chicago,” she said as she reached to open the door to the restaurant.
“Let me guess,” someone said, catching the door ahead of her and holding it open. “You’re talking about me.”
Danni dropped her arm instantly and her eyes widened in surprise. “Ja-Jaleen! What are you...how are you...what are you doing here?” Oh, my goodness, am I stuttering? I never falter over my words.
“It’s nice to see you, too, beautiful.” His eyes sparkled with amusement, but she was having a difficult time finding anything funny about the situation.
Man, he looks good. True, it had be
en a while since she’d seen him in person, but they’d FaceTimed a couple of times. Tonight he looked extra sexy in his dark gray jeans and collared blue shirt that was unbuttoned to reveal his white tee. His gray-and-blue Nikes only added to his look. She’d never understood why, even in his casual clothing, he looked as if he were headed to a photo shoot.
When she finally made her way back to his eyes, he was smiling too hard for her liking.
“What are you doing here?” she asked again, walking through the restaurant door.
“I think a better question would be why didn’t I mention I was in Miami when we were on the phone a few minutes ago,” he said, following her into the restaurant. When she gave her name to the hostess, it dawned on her that one of their mutual friends must have mentioned the dinner to him.
“Who told you? Summer? Aiden?”
He shrugged. “Does it really matter?”
“You know I hate surprises,” she whispered as they neared the table where their friends were waiting.
“And you know that had you answered my calls earlier, you would have known I was in Miami.”
“I had good reason.”
“And what reason would that be?”
She tried to ignore how close he was to her ear when he whispered. His scent was already filling her nostrils to a less than comfortable level. “It’s a reason I’d rather not share right now.”
“Fine. Have it your way.”
They arrived at the table and greeted their friends. She was well aware that Summer’s, Nicole’s and Aaliyah’s eyes were all on her as she sat, with Jaleen sitting right across from her.
“Are you okay?” Nicole whispered. Instead of responding right away, Danni took a large sip of water, hoping to cool off from the hot stares Jaleen was already shooting her way.
Danni, originally born in Miami, had attended two years of high school with Nicole before Danni’s family had moved to Tampa. The two had kept in contact and, when Summer had moved to Miami, Danni had reached out to Nicole to meet up with Summer. The two had hit it off immediately and later met Aaliyah, who was one of the lead photographers at a beauty trade show a couple weeks after.
Nights of Fantasy Page 2
