“We got plans for Dr. Jones.” Linda said.
“Momma!” Kia burst out. Her eyes were wide and pleading as she looked across the table. “He doesn’t even look at me like that.”
“But he will,” Linda said. “That man’s been alone for too long, and does so much good for the community. He needs a wife to keep him warm and give him a bunch of babies. It might as well be you.”
Marcella nodded and walked back over to the stove. Kia gave a flippant wave of the hand. “You’re so old fashioned.”
Linda laughed. “Don’t act as if you don’t want him. I’ve seen the way you look at that man. Not that I blame you. He looks just like his daddy back in the day. And I’ll tell you what, Roscoe Jones knew his way around a bedroom.”
Marcella swung around. “You didn’t!”
Linda cackled. “Hell yeah, before he married Delores. Best damn night of my life,” she looked at Kia, “Counting your daddy.”
Jealousy hit Shayla so hard she felt it like a punch. Devin and Kia? There was more than a ten year age difference, but that didn’t mean anything. They both worked in the medical field. Kia was young and beautiful. Devin was handsome and successful. That was enough of a combination to make any power couple in Atlanta.
It shouldn’t matter if he was interested in Kia. He’d given no implication that he was interested in her the day before. In fact, he’d been disappointed in her once again. Combine that with the way she’d betrayed his trust in high school, she had no claim on his heart.
“Momma, can you fix me a plate and I’ll take it home,” Shayla said. “I need to finish unpacking and re-work my resume for some of the jobs I found.”
“I’ll wrap up something,” her mom said. With speed that belied her age and weight, she’d put together a plate, wrapped it in foil and dropped it in front of Shayla. The subtle reminder of her mom’s dislike of her company hurt, but she smiled brightly and stood.
“It was good seeing you, Kia. Come by another day and we’ll catch up. See you later, Aunt Linda.” She looked at her mom as she placed dirty dishes in soapy water in the sink. “Thanks for the plate.” Her mom waved a hand, but didn’t turn around.
“Bye, Shayla.” Linda said. “Remember what I said.”
With a nod she quickly left the kitchen and walked out the door. She heard footsteps behind her and turned as Kia ran up and followed her out. Kia motioned for her to go down the porch. They walked in silence to her car where Shayla placed the plate on the passenger seat.
“What’s up?”
Kia looked back at the house before looking at Shayla. She had concern in her eyes. “Are you really not going after Devin Jones?”
Shayla’s heart rate picked up. She took a calming breath before answering. “I’m not going after anybody right now.”
Kia sighed and placed a hand over her heart. “Good. Don’t tell my momma, but I am trying to win him over. If she knew, she’d think it was her idea.”
Shayla swallowed before asking. “Was it her idea?”
Kia smiled. “No. Don’t you remember the crush I had on him when I was little? It never went away. I told you before you graduated that I was gonna marry him. Well, I am.”
A dim memory of Kia saying that flashed through Shayla’s mind. It was one of those things that older people hear kids say. It goes in one ear and out the other without a second thought. “Does he feel . . . ” she couldn’t finish.
Kia nodded. “I think so. I mean, he’s nice to me and smiles at me. He remembered me when I applied for the job. It may not happen overnight, but one day he might come around. I just wanted to let you know how I felt . . . in case you got any ideas.”
Kia’s jaw firmed and a brief warning flashed in her eyes. Shayla knew that look. She’d seen it in the eyes of other women all her adult life. The challenge, the warning to back off. The instinct to fight back was fierce. She’d wanted Devin all her life too, but did that matter? Did she really have any chance of winning his love? Hell, she didn’t deserve his love. So she pushed her instincts aside and nodded.
“Good,” Kia said. “I’ll talk to you later.”
Shayla watched as her cousin turned and flitted back to the house. Annoyance tickled her spine and she slapped her hand against her leg as she got in the car. If Kia wanted Devin, she could have him. She had no prior claim on him. It wasn’t as if Devin would give her the time of day anyway. Her heart twisted as she pulled out of her mother’s driveway and drove the short distance to her house.
Kia was better for him. She was young, smart, interested in medicine and probably happy to stay in Helena and give him half a dozen babies. Besides, she had no plans to go after Devin. He’d made it perfectly clear how he felt about her. And after Kia’s declaration, her unwarranted reputation as a whore would be cemented in Monroe family history if she did go after him. It was bad enough to be branded a home wrecker and husband stealer; she didn’t need the added censure that came with taking the man her younger cousin was in love with.
Unsatisfied with her decision, Shayla slammed the door as she got out of her car and went inside. The silence annoyed her and she sucked her teeth in frustration that she hadn’t spent the day calling to hook up cable or internet. Cable and internet came with news and potential stories about what happened in Atlanta. It could wait until next week.
She stormed into the kitchen, dropped the plate of food her mom made on the table and turned on the radio lodged in the kitchen window. There wasn’t a great selection of radio stations in Helena, but with the radio on the window sill and the antennae tilted against the screen, she was able to get decent reception of a hip hop station out of Columbia. She didn’t pay attention to the words Lil Wayne rapped as she spooned half of the food from the plate her mom made onto on a smaller plate.
She sat at the table but didn’t eat. Her appetite had disappeared with Kia’s warning. Tapping her toe repeatedly, she drummed the fingers of her left hand on the table while twirling her fork in her right.
There’d never been a good time for her and Devin. For all the years of friendship they shared in high school, they never caught each other between break ups. Never found the nerve to reveal their feelings. Back then she’d been so optimistic that their opportunity would arise one day. It finally did at Homecoming their senior year.
It was the first night he kissed her, and the first time he’d looked at her with disgust.
Shayla threw down her fork and dropped her head in her hands. “Stop it, stop it, stop it,” she said. She rubbed her eyes, hoping the movement would prevent the memory of that night from coming. The drinking. The shadows. Tony’s body. Devin’s anger. She slapped her hand on the table.
“No!”
It was time to get out of the house.
She jumped up and looked for her keys. It was nearing dusk. No Hangman’s Woods, thanks to her promise to Devin. Her options were limited. The one good thing about being home was that there were plenty of country roads she could drive fast on, with the windows down and the music blaring loud enough to drown out stupid old memories. On the way home she’d stop by a convenience store and pick up a bottle of wine. It wasn’t as if she had a job to go too. She could spend the night drinking away the memories.
She snatched her keys of the counter, before nearly running to the front door. When she wrenched it open she gasped. Devin stood on the other end with his hand raised to knock. She stepped back and placed a hand over her pounding heart.
Concern replaced the startled look in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yes, I was just about to leave. I need to get out of here.” She tapped her hand on her leg, her eyes looking everywhere but at him.
He looked over her shoulder. “Did someone hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No.” A caustic laugh escaped her. “Yes. Just not today.”
He stepped into the house and placed his hands on her shoulders. They were large and warm, and just like in high school, sent shivers down her spine whene
ver they touched her.
He kicked the door shut and leaned down to look into her face. “What’s wrong? I’m sorry about yesterday. I shouldn’t have dug into you like that. But I’m still your friend. You can talk to me.”
She lifted her gaze to his and stopped breathing. Whisky brown eyes stared back at her. The dappled sunlight through her window caught the gold in their depths and the woodsy scent of his cologne washed over her. Then it happened. The concern in his eyes switched to desire. Her nerve endings sizzled, her skin heated. His gaze lowered to her mouth and despite herself, she drew her bottom lip between her teeth.
He groaned.
She gasped.
Kia was forgotten as he slowly brought his head down. Her skin tightened when his lips pressed against hers and without a thought she sank into him. His right hand gently grasped the back of her head while his left clasped her hip and pulled her against him. A whimper of longing swept through her when the hardness of his arousal pressed against her stomach. She was drowning, losing herself in this kiss and damn if she didn’t want to.
The thought was enough to jolt her back to reality. She was taking a break from men. She was focusing on her. Her cousin was in love with him. He didn’t like her. One kiss and she was forgetting everything she was supposed to do. She tried to pull away, break contact, but his hand stiffened against her neck before turning her head and pulling her back against him. When his tongue touched her lips, desire won over reason and she opened her mouth. Letting him inside, letting him into her.
Chapter 6
Devin knew he was going down the wrong path. He was supposed to come over, apologize, and shake hands. He was supposed to tell her they could still be friends, but avoid her like the damn plague. Instead he’d recognized the signs she was upset and lost his reason. As if years hadn’t passed, he wanted to find out what upset her and make things better. But in high school he knew enough not to kiss her, otherwise things would go too far. He was supposed to be smarter as an adult, but apparently he wasn’t.
He couldn’t even blame it on an overwhelming rush of desire. It was a slow burn which started the day before. He’d given her plenty of time to pull away, and she hadn’t. Then she’d made that sound, half whimper, half moan, and his dick became rock solid. He knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted Shayla Monroe, had wanted her for years, and right now he couldn’t resist her.
She tried to pull away, but he wasn’t finished. His grip tightened and he turned her head to plant his lips firmly against hers. His tongue slid over her lower lip, anticipating getting inside her mouth. When her soft lips parted, he wrapped his arm around her small waist and pulled her closer. He lifted her a few inches off the ground so her full breasts pressed against the center of his chest. Her arms shot around his neck, her right hand running across the tight coils of his hair, causing a tremor to go through his body. Her hand slowly slid from the back to the side of his head. Her small fingers curled around his earlobe, sending currents of desire through him.
His grip tightened. If he didn’t stop he was going to fuck her. There was no denying it. There was enough common sense left in him to know that didn’t need to happen. Having sex with Shayla would only complicate matters. He’d tried casual affairs, and they didn’t work. She planned to move on, live an exciting life somewhere else. He wanted to stay in Helena, run his practice, and grow old here. Just like before, he’d want more from her than she’d be willing to give, and he wasn’t horny enough to risk it.
He slowly broke the kiss. Her eyes were out of focus, her hand still curled around his ear. She blinked a few times before meeting his gaze. Damn, he loved her eyes. Tipped exotically at the corners, large and dark, just one look from beneath her lashes always sent his heart into overdrive. Now they were filled with desire, longing, and uncertainty.
He licked his lips before speaking. “I came to apologize for last night.”
“You’re forgiven.” She whispered. She rubbed his ear with one hand while the other stroked his hair.
His dick leaped in his pants. “We can’t do this.”
For a second he thought she would argue, before resignation settled over her features. With a bland smile she said, “You’re right.”
Slightly disappointed she didn’t argue, he gently pushed her away. He cleared his throat and straightened the front of his khakis, but the bulge in his pants was prominent. Her eyes focused on it before she blinked and turned to sit on the small leather sofa.
“So, let’s skip the whole we’ll pretend this didn’t happen conversation, and you can get right to telling me why you decided to apologize for yesterday,” she said.
Gratitude fought with annoyance at the way she easily changed the subject. It was best to take gratitude’s side. He sat on the edge of the couch making sure to keep as much space as possible between them. He would have preferred to sit somewhere else, but there were no other chairs in the small living room.
He rested his arms on his thighs and rubbed his hands together. “I didn’t like it today when everyone dumped the blame on you for the affair. They didn’t know, or care, about what really happened. I wasn’t any better. Worse even, because you told me what happened when you didn’t have to.” He turned his head and looked at her. “I shouldn’t have done that, and I’m sorry.”
She took a deep breath before shaking her head. “You don’t need to be sorry. You only did what you’ve always done and held me accountable for my mistakes. At the time, I thought he cared and I let that justify what I did. Even when I suspected he may not go through with the divorce.”
“He lied to you.”
She shrugged. “He wasn’t the first, and he won’t be the last. Next time I won’t be dumb enough to fall for a married man’s game.” She fingered the small, gold heart resting at the base of her throat.
“You deserve more.” He sat back and brought his leg on the couch as he faced her.
She lowered her head before glancing at him through her lashes. “You’ve always said that. That’s one of the reasons I love y . . . ” she cleared her throat and sat up. “Loved being your friend.” She glanced around the room then asked. “So how’s your dad?”
It took a second for her question to register. Had she really almost confessed to . . . he didn’t complete the thought. Shayla claimed to love him once before and broke his heart hours later.
“Other than ignoring his high blood pressure and diabetes, he’s good.” He said.
Concern crinkled her brow. “Is he really sick?”
He shook his head. “No, just stubborn. This morning he said he didn’t need to eat right because that’s what the pills were for.”
Shayla laughed; it was a deep and throaty laugh that sent chills across his skin. He watched her throat vibrate with the movement and wanted to run his lips across the smooth column. He twisted in his seat as his dick went back to half swollen.
“That sounds like your dad.” A wistful smile brushed across her lips. “Some of my best memories of this town are sitting around the dinner table with you and him. Maybe I’ll go see him.”
The memories filtered through his mind and he smiled. “He would like that, but he’s not in the old house. After Delores died, he moved out in the county.”
The happiness on her face was replaced with sadness. “I was sorry when I heard about her passing. I sent flowers with my condolences.”
“I didn’t know that.”
She glanced at him. “He didn’t tell you? I’ve kept in touch with him every year, mostly through Christmas cards, but I called when Delores died.”
He floundered in the silence. On one hand he was touched she’d kept in touch with his dad. On the other he was angry she never reached out to him, and that his dad never told him about it.
“You reached out to him, but not me.” His words were solemn.
Her eyes met his. “I reached out to you once, and you didn’t want to talk to me.”
He couldn’t deny that. She’d called him during
her freshman year of college, and he hadn’t wanted to talk to her. It was right after Tony and Peaches visited her, and Tony had called him, bragging about how he still had control over Shayla before giving a play by play of their most recent sexual encounter. He’d foolishly hoped they could try and reconnect after graduation. That once she was away from Tony, she’d come back to him, but that hope was dashed with one phone call.
“I didn’t feel like talking . . . after Tony updated me on his visit.”
She frowned. “What visit?”
“When he came to Spelman with Peaches.”
“He didn’t come with Peaches. He wanted to. She called to tell me he was coming. I told her to stay home if that was the case.”
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. I went to Atlanta to get away from him, why would I want him to visit?”
Devin frowned as he looked at her. “He told me you two had sex.”
She winced. “I never willingly slept with Tony.”
A vision of Shayla and Tony in bed together flashed through his brain. He shook his head to clear them away. “We both know that’s not true.”
She scowled. “Do we?”
Before he could respond there was a knock at the door. Shayla groaned and rolled her eyes. He watched as she went to the door, his mind whirling over what she’d said. Tony lying about sleeping with her wasn’t surprising. His friendship with Tony died after high school, but when he saw Tony around town he still had a story about the latest woman whose back he’d blown out. But her saying she’d never willingly slept with Tony was like a slap in the face. He knew what he’d seen, and it wasn’t Shayla fighting Tony off. If that was the case, he’d have killed Tony that night.
Two voices shrieked, “Shayla!” when she opened the door. With his own suppressed groan he recognized Roxanne’s and Peaches’s voices.
“What’s up, ladies,” Shayla said. Her voice was full of false cheerfulness and a small smile played on his lips. Just like old times.
Hearts Are Wild Page 5
