Marcel’s tone was icy. “Aimee, stop being a brat. I’m with A.J. on this one. It was more than generous of Caitlyn to even make the suggestion in the first place. We’ll be there bright and early Saturday morning with our kids. You just be ready.”
Aimee lowered her head and a few seconds later said, “Caitlyn, I apologize if I was rude. I didn’t mean to imply anything negative about the kids.”
Caitlyn nodded. “No need to apologize.”
Brie snorted and looked down her side of the table again. “Marcel, see there. I told you, you should’ve—”
“People, we have a guest here tonight, all right?” Pinching his nose, Marcel glanced around the table and tried to keep his temper in check. His family’s wacky behavior was exactly what he’d been afraid of.
Alcee spoke in a stern voice. “Marcel’s right. There’s a guest in my home and at my table.” He glanced around the table. “Unfortunately, none of the people I claim as children—” he paused and narrowed his eyes at each of them, “have shown good manners this evening.”
Brie glared at Aimee across the table. “Well, it’s all Aimee’s fault, Daddy.”
Aimee shouted back. “Me?” She pointed at Marcel. “He’s the one that started all of this.”
The napkin in Marcel’s lap landed on the floor when he tried to stand but was stopped by Caitlyn’s hand on his arm. “What? Look, you started this mess with your pouting and whining.”
A.J. defended Marcel, too. “Look, Marcel didn’t start anything. If Moni hadn’t been asking a zillion questions, none of this would have gotten started.”
Zach stopped eating his third helping of red beans and rice and turn to face A.J. “Now wait just a minute there, brother-in-law. My baby just asked a couple of questions, that’s all.” He glanced at Moni. “Ain’t that right, baby?”
Moni tilted her head high. “That’s right. All of this is Caitlyn and Marcel’s fault.”
Caitlyn turned to stare at Marcel with her mouth wide open, then turned back to Moni. “What?”
Marcel shook his head in disbelief. “For the love of God, how?”
Mama Z’s eyes narrowed and she issued a stern warning. “Marcel Xavier, watch ya mouth. Ya knows better than to use God’s name in vain.”
Marcel nodded. “Sorry, Mama Z.” He looked at Moni again. “How, Moni?”
Moni waved her hands in a circle. “This whole fiasco started when the two of you agreed to help Aimee move Saturday.”
Caitlyn turned back to Moni with her hands planted at her hips. “Now listen here, Moni. He said he didn’t tell her that. I’m not going to sit around and let somebody say he said something when he said he didn’t.”
Mama Z chuckled. “I likes that.”
Everyone stopped talking and turned toward Mama Z.
“Like what, Mama Z?” Marcel finally asked.
Mama Z smiled and nodded at Caitlyn. “A woman who takes up for her man.” She winked at Caitlyn. “That’s a good thang, child.” After a moment of complete silence, everyone burst into laughter.
Taylor held her hand high in the air and waited.
A.J. turned to acknowledge her. “What is it, pumpkin?”
“Daddy, what’s a brat?”
A.J. stammered. “Well…uh—”
“You know, it’s what Unca Marcel calls us sometimes.” Tyler lifted her gaze to the ceiling and placed a chubby finger against her head. “So it’s good. Right, Unca Marcel?”
The only thing Marcel could do was smile. His nieces never ceased to amaze him. From the moment A.J. adopted them two years ago, he’d fallen in love with the dynamic duo, and it didn’t take long for the family to figure out the mischievous mirror images would make them voluntarily commit themselves to the nearest mental institution.
Caitlyn placed her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.
Marcel chuckled at Tyler. “Listen, sweetheart, I’ll explain it to you later.
Alcee looked over at Caitlyn. “Marcel tells me you have an investment program at your center.”
Caitlyn nodded. “That’s correct.”
Alcee cupped his chin in his right hand. “Listen, I dabble a little with stocks and I’ve got a little free time on my hands these days. If you’d like, perhaps I could come over and work with that program.”
“Oh, Alcee, that would be wonderful,” Caitlyn exclaimed. “Thank you so much.”
Moni reached out and touched Caitlyn’s arm. “You know, I taught high school before Zach and I got married. I could help out with tutoring, if that’s all right.”
Caitlyn beamed. “Moni, it would help. Thank you so much. I’ll give you a number where you can reach me before I leave. We can talk tomorrow about the details.”
Aimee cleared her throat. “Caitlyn, I could help tutor them in math, if you’d like.” Then she glared at Moni. “On the opposite days she’s there, of course.”
Caitlyn chuckled. “I’ll make sure the schedule doesn’t present a conflict for you and Moni.”
“Listen, since my beauty shop is closed on Mondays,” Brie offered, “maybe we could arrange to get the girls over to get their hair and nails done. I’ll even bring some barbers for the boys. What do you say?”
Caitlyn’s eyes glossed with tears at the generous offers. “Thank you. Thank you all so much.”
* * *
After dinner, Marcel drove Caitlyn back to her apartment. Standing in the middle of her tiny living room, he ran his hand across his face. “Kitten, I hope you weren’t embarrassed by that crazy clan I claim as family.”
Walking over, she stood in front of him and looped her arms around his neck. “Thank you for inviting me. And no, I wasn’t embarrassed at all. In fact, they made me feel very welcome.” She laughed out loud. “And Mama Z is something else.”
“Yeah, she’s a feisty one.” Marcel chuckled. “I hope I’m that spry when I hit seventy-five.”
“Seventy-five?” She gasped amazed. “Well, she certainly looks good for her age.”
He chuckled when he saw the look in her eyes, as if a calculator were going off in her head. He knew what her next question would be, so he beat her to the punch. “She was fifteen when she had my mother.”
She stroked the right side of his face. “You’re blessed to have a wonderful family. You know that, don’t you?”
“I know.”
The lamp on the nearby table highlighted her features, which appeared more exotic than he remembered. Feasting on her beauty, the same jolt of awareness Marcel felt the moment he first saw her hit him with such intensity he found it difficult to breathe. He loved this woman more than he ever thought possible.
His confession of love hung on the tip of his tongue. He knew Caitlyn cared for him, but caring wasn’t good enough. He wanted her unconditional love, and until she was ready to make that same confession, discipline intervened and eradicated the words. The woman had him at a breaking point, and more than anything in the world, he wanted to be buried so deep within her she couldn’t imagine him not being a part of her. But he had to be absolutely certain she was with him every step of the way. Once words of love were exchanged between them, there would be no turning back.
He wrapped his arms around her, reminding himself of his promise to earn her trust, and until she was ready to accept his love and place her confidence in him, he would take things slow and easy. If he had to wait until eternity, he would. She was worth the wait.
He meant for the kiss to be gentle and tender, but when her tongue sought his and she opened completely, his control snapped. His hands fused to the back of her head as he deepened the kiss and pressed her petite body closer. Without reservation, he allowed her to feel what she did to him.
A ragged moan surfaced, and he was barely able to catch his breath. “Sweet dreams, kitten.”
Outside, he rested his taut body against the door, and the coolness of the night’s air washed over him. Fumbling with his keys, he raced to his car. He needed a cold shower in the worst way.
Chapter 11
Marcel stopped by the youth center a little after six the next evening and knocked lightly on Caitlyn’s office door.
“Hi, baby.”
“Hi yourself, handsome.” Caitlyn came around the desk and planted a kiss on his cheek. “What are you doing here?” She glanced at her watch. “I thought we agreed I’d come over to your place around eight.”
“I know, but I have a surprise for you.” He motioned for her to sit down. “Close your eyes—and no peeking, all right?”
“Yes, sir.” She giggled and obeyed his order with a salute.
Marcel returned moments later with a huge box and took out the contents. “Okay, kitten, you can look now.”
Caitlyn opened her eyes to see two white Bichon Frise puppies racing toward her and covered her open mouth with both hands. “Oh my God, Marcel. They’re beautiful!”
“I saw them and truth be told, I fell in love with them myself.”
Reaching down, she lifted them onto her lap. “But where am I going to keep them? There’s a no-pet policy where I stay.”
“I’ve got that covered. They can stay with me.”
She hitched her brow. “And who’s going to take care of them?”
He beamed. “We are.”
“We are?”
“Yeah. I figure since we’ll be spending a lot of time working on the foundation, you can come over and check on them in the evenings. I’ve got the morning shift covered.” He grinned.
Caitlyn offered him a chagrined smile. “I get the feeling there’s an ulterior motive somewhere.”
He’d chided her before about accusing him of a hidden agenda. However, in this instance, she was dead on the money. He couldn’t lie to her. “You, kitten,” he kissed one cheek, “are a very smart woman.” He repeated the gesture on the other cheek.
By that time, both puppies were trying to steady themselves on Caitlyn’s lap as they licked her face. “Okay, so what are their names?”
Marcel plucked the female, who had a pink bow around her neck, off Caitlyn’s lap. “This one is Kenji, and I figured she needed some company. You’ve got Max.” Max had a matching blue bow.
“Male and female in close quarters? Marcel, I don’t know. They might—”
“No, they won’t. I took care of it.” Marcel looked between the two dogs. “Didn’t I, gang?” They barked in unison.
Caitlyn threw her head back and laughed. “Okay, I see whose side you guys are on.”
“I’ve got something else for you.”
“What?”
Marcel walked out the room with Kenji trailing behind. They returned a few seconds later and he handed Caitlyn a smaller box.
Opening it, Caitlyn carefully lifted out each item and laid them on her desk. “Hmmm…let’s see. A cell phone, company credit cards with my name on them.” She took out one other thing. “Oh, my…your ATM card.” With a soft smile, she looked up at him. “Anything else?”
“Baby, I just don’t like you running around carrying a purse full of cash. It’s not safe.” Shuffling his feet, he stuffed his sweaty hands inside his pockets. “And you need a way to communicate with someone—you know, me.” Taking in a deep breath, he rushed to add, “And everything there is safe. Cole will never be able to trace anything back to you.”
Caitlyn blinked back tears and didn’t say a word as she placed everything back inside the box.
“And…uh…well, we can settle up the bill however you want.” He ran his hand across his bearded face. “Kitten, tell me something here.”
She handed Max to Marcel, then she stood on tiptoe and kissed his left cheek. “Thank you so much.”
He felt the tension seep out of him. “You’re not upset?”
She smiled and shook her head. “Nope.”
He released a long sigh of relief and placed Max on the floor next to Kenji. “I just didn’t want you to feel…”
“Feel what?”
“Feel like I don’t respect your need to be independent. And I’m not trying to be controlling or obsessive, nothing like that.”
“I don’t feel like that.” She grabbed her clutch purse and walked out of her office.
Marcel took off behind her and skidded up to the door. He called out from behind. “What do you feel?”
She turned and winked at him “Je t’aime.” She motioned for Max and Kenji. “Come on, guys so I can get you home and settled in.” She tossed Marcel a sultry look. “Once I get my little babies settled, then I’ll work on settling my big baby.” She walked out the building.
I love you. Marcel pumped his fist in the air. “Houston, we have landed!”
* * *
Marcel loved watching the joyful expression on Caitlyn’s face as she fussed over and pampered Kenji and Max. After dinner, she’d taken them for a walk while he cleared the dishes. It wasn’t until he had finished cleaning the kitchen and entered the family room he discovered she’d curled up on one end of the couch with her hand tucked under her head snoring, as Kenji and Max snuggled on the floor in front of her. Stepping around them, Marcel effortlessly lifted his precious bundle from the couch and headed to his bedroom in the east wing with both puppies in hot pursuit.
His bedroom was decorated in crisp, cool white. The two custom bedside tables, plush area rug and silky sheers at the windows made the space seem like a billowing sea of white clouds. The most spectacular feature was the bed with its semicircular headboard in the middle of the room. A white mosquito netting suspended from a circle of wire wrapped the entire custom king-size bed in a cozy cocoon of privacy.
Caitlyn stirred once when Marcel placed her in the middle of his bed, but didn’t awaken. He slipped off her sandals and stepped away. For the life of him, though, he couldn’t leave. He stood motionless, watching her breasts rise and fall beneath a semi-sheer white top. Then his gaze shifted to her hair, which was cascading across the pillow like a blanket of black velvet. The look of complete contentment on her face when she rolled onto her back, throwing her arms over her head, caused a shudder to race through him. Her lush, slightly parted lips breathed out a steady stream of air he swore he could feel from where he stood.
The sight of her lying there in his bed, less than an arm’s length away, made goose bumps appear on his arms. He had to get out of there. Watching Caitlyn had reduced him to the unthinkable—begging.
* * *
A couple of hours later, Caitlyn awoke to find Kenji and Max lying at the foot of the bed.
“How are my babies?” Scooping them to her chest, she glanced around at her surroundings. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she climbed in the middle of the bed with her legs drawn beneath her. Snuggling her nose into the pillow that held Marcel’s scent, she whispered to herself. “I love him.”
Caitlyn’s heart pounded at what felt like a thousand beats per minute as the reality of her confession set in. Three months ago, no one could have made her believe not only would she learn to trust another man again, but that she’d fall in love. As stubborn, arrogant and possessive as Marcel was, she loved him. She loved him for his gentleness and for his willingness to share whatever he had. He could be down to his last fifty cents, but she knew he’d always make sure she had a quarter. Although he could have, he hadn’t wooed her with material things, but with the desires of her heart. Even when she didn’t think so, he’d listened to her during the long hours they’d sat and talked, something no man had ever done. She was bound and determined before the break of dawn to not only tell him she loved him, but to show him.
“Where’s Marcel?” Her laughter filled the room when Kenji and Max jumped off the bed and raced toward the closed bedroom door, tails wagging as they barked in unison. Scooting to the edge of the bed, she peeled off everything except her underwear and slipped into Marcel’s black silk robe lying at the foot of the bed.
Since it was the first time Caitlyn had been in the upper level of Marcel’s estate, it took her a while to get her sense of direction. She finally made her
way downstairs and found him in his study looking over a stack of inventory reports at his desk.
“Marcel.”
He lifted his head and beckoned her to come. “Have a good nap?” He patted his lap for her to sit, and when she complied, he placed a kiss at her temple.
She looped her arms around his neck. “Very good. But I didn’t mean to crash on you. Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“Figured you needed the rest.” He fingered the collar of his robe and smiled.
She looked down and asked in a silky tone, “You don’t mind, do you?”
“Uh-uh. You look good in it.” He looked around the floor. “Where’re Kenji and Max?”
“In their room.”
Marcel had redecorated one of the guest bedrooms down the hall from his. He’d purchased beds, gold-plated, engraved feeding dishes and everything in between, along with a double doggie stroller.
“You’re spoiling them, you know. Especially Max.”
She chuckled. “No, I’m not. I’m not doing any more for them than what you do for me. Besides, Kenji feels she owns you.”
“Max doesn’t want me within a foot of you, I’ll have you know. He needs to learn how to share.”
She tightened her arms around his neck. “There’s no need for you to be concerned about Max.” She shifted in his lap. Gently palming his face, her fingers stroked his beard. “Marcel Xavier Baptiste, you are the man in my life.”
“Thank you.” He gave her a warm smile. “Now that we’ve got that settled, tell me what it is you’d like your man to do for you now.”
The huskiness and desire in his voice coupled with the hardness of his arousal prompted her next words. “Discuss us.”
Now that she’d confessed her love to him, the only thing he wanted to know was how fast they could make it to his bed. But the decision needed to be hers, though. He hung on to his promise not to rush, barely. He trailed his finger down the side of her cheek until he reached the opening of his robe. “What do you want to discuss?”
“Where we go from here.”
When I’m With You (Indigo) Page 11
