by Reese Ryan
Playing video games and watching TV, his ass. Cory was trying to sneak Denise to his home. Isaiah shook his head and walked over to them both. “Tell your aunt not to worry. I’ll watch you until she gets off work.”
Startled, Cory jumped and quickly dropped Denise’s hand. “Oh, hey, Mr. Isaiah.”
“Did you hear what I said? I can watch you until your aunt is off work,” Isaiah repeated.
Cory’s eyes widened with excitement. He shot a quick glance at Denise. Isaiah could read the conflict on his face. “Really? You’ll let me hang with you?”
“I’ll look forward to it. I’d rather you hang out with me than have your aunt worry about you being home alone. We’ll do exactly what you said, watch television and play video games.”
“Cool! Auntie, Mr. Isaiah says I can hang with him.” The excitement in Cory’s voice was obvious. The grimace on Denise’s face, followed by her sucking her teeth, also obviously displayed her annoyance. Isaiah felt no guilt for interrupting their teenage dream.
Thank goodness Cory was still young enough to put hanging out and playing video games above alone time with his girlfriend. In a few years, that may not be the case.
Cory listened to his aunt on the phone. His exuberant smile dwindled to a disappointed frown. “I didn’t ask him. He offered…Why not? You were just worried about me being home alone…Come on! Don’t be like that.”
Isaiah held out his hand. “Give me the phone. Let me talk to her.” Cory handed over the phone. “Angela, hey, it’s Isaiah.”
He heard her quick inhalation. Had anger or something else made her do that? “I’m sorry if Cory asked you to hang out. Believe me I will tell him not to impose on you anymore. I’ll figure out someplace for him to go tonight.” Her tone was brisk. The lack of warmth made him want to squirm. He’d hurt her.
“It wasn’t Cory who asked. I overheard him talking to you, and I think it’s best if he spent time with me instead of being home alone.”
“Why, what’s wrong?” Her voice sharpened with worry.
Isaiah glanced at Cory and Denise; Cory excited, Denise glaring daggers at Cory. “Denise’s sister signed her out already. I’ll make sure she’s still here before Cory and I leave,” he said slowly, hoping she picked up on what he inferred. “That way Cory won’t have to wait with her alone.”
“Crap, was he planning to bring her back to my place?”
He was glad she’d caught on quickly. “I’m not sure, but I know he’ll have a good time with me and I’ll keep him out of trouble.”
Angela sighed. “What about your girlfriend? Will she have a problem with you spending time with Cory after camp?”
“Bridget and I haven’t officially been together for over a year. She just moved to the area yesterday. I’m still very free to hang with whomever I want on my own time.”
“Oh, really?” She sounded skeptical.
“Really. I’ll have Cory text you my address. Come over when you’re off work.”
“You’re taking him to your place?”
“Yes, it’s more secure than your place. I don’t want to cause a scene.”
“That’s right. I forgot you’re a famous basketball star.”
“Believe me, the famous part is more inconvenience than anything. I don’t want to make things difficult for you and Cory. Are you cool with him coming with me?”
She hesitated. He wished he could see her face. To see if she was worried about imposing on his time, or because she didn’t want to have to see him.
“I’m cool with that.”
He had to fight not to let out a heavy sigh. He hadn’t completely ruined her trust in him. “Great. We’ll see you when you get off.”
He liked the idea of being there to help her out. To provide a shoulder for her to lean on in a time of need. He liked that feeling a lot, but hadn’t that always been a problem for him? Jumping in to save the day without regard to consequences?
“Isaiah…thank you.”
The relief in her voice made him feel like he was a superhero who’d just saved her from harm. He pictured her angelic smile and bright eyes. Consequences be damned. “You’re welcome, Angel.” He used her nickname on purpose. “I’ll see you when you get off work.”
CHAPTER 11
“Let’s be real, you were trying to sneak Denise over to your aunt’s place tonight,” Isaiah said to Cory.
They stood in Isaiah’s upstairs media room, each holding electronic guns pointed at the television, where a virtual military unit carried out a rescue mission. They’d been playing the video game for the past half hour.
Cory glanced quickly at Isaiah before shooting a few villains in the game. “She mentioned coming over just to hang out.”
Isaiah smirked. “Uh-huh, just hang out. How did you get out of camp without your aunt signing you out?”
Cory looked sheepish. “Denise’s sister.”
“Not cool, Cory. If you get caught sneaking out, Keri may put you and Denise out of the program and get your aunt in a lot of trouble. Do you want that?” Isaiah made a mental note to tell Keri what happened anyway so she could handle it with the young people signing kids in and out at the end of the day.
Cory dropped his hands and turned to Isaiah with wide, worried eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that. It’s just… Denise really wanted to hang out with me.”
Cory’s character on screen was taken out while he processed Isaiah’s warning. Teenage hormones were a dangerous thing and could lead to bad decisions. Hopefully the threat of getting him or his aunt in trouble would curb future attempts to sneak out of camp.
“What were you going to do once you got Denise back to your place?” Isaiah focused back on not being the next causality on the game.
Cory shrugged in Isaiah’s periphery. “I don’t know. Just talk and chill.” Cory went back to playing the game.
“Talk and chill, sure. Look, man, don’t bring girls to your aunt’s place. Especially when she’s not home and doesn’t know someone is coming over. You don’t want her to have a reason not to trust you, do you?”
“No,” Cory said sullenly. “I got excited when Denise wanted to come over. I’ve never had a girl ask to come over before.”
“I understand, but are you really ready to be alone with a girl?” No sense in pretending he didn’t know what Cory was really interested in doing with a girl over.
“I don’t know. All the guys I know say I’d be crazy to not want to, you know…be alone with her. I don’t want to seem like I’m scared. Because I’m not,” Cory said in a rush.
Isaiah understood the false bravado. He’d been excited and scared about the idea of being alone with a girl, much less doing stuff with her. Thankfully, he’d had his dad and brother to talk to. Cory didn’t have either.
“It’s not about being scared, but it’s okay to be unsure about rushing into anything. You should always talk things out with someone you trust if you’re feeling pressured into anything”
“Who can I talk to? My dad is in jail. My mom skipped out on me. And I can’t bring any of this up with Auntie without it being weird.” Defeat filled Cory’s voice. He fired several virtual rounds and wiped out the remaining villains in the game. His shoulders sagged and he lowered the controller.
Isaiah put his own virtual gun on the mahogany coffee table and placed a hand on Cory’s shoulder. “Hey, you can always talk to me.”
Cory used his eye roll to say whatever. “Camp only lasts a few more weeks. After that, you’re back to being a famous basketball star. It’s been really cool hanging out here, but I know you won’t have time.”
He tried to pull away and Isaiah held on to the boy’s shoulder. “I don’t make promises I won’t keep. I’ll give you my number. If you ever need a man to talk to, don’t hesitate to reach out to me
. You’ve got a lot of promise, Cory. Don’t let your current circumstances bring you down. You hear me?”
Cory’s nod was hesitant, but a hopeful light came to his eyes. “You’re really going to give me your number?”
Isaiah tilted his head to the side. “I’m going to trust you with it. You aren’t going to pass it out to every kid you know or show it to girls like Denise to impress them?”
Cory stood straight and met Isaiah’s eye. “No, sir. I wouldn’t do you like that. Not after you’ve been so helpful to me.”
The doorbell rang. “Good. That must be the food.” He dropped his hand from Cory’s shoulder. “Play another game while I grab it, okay.”
“Can I wear your headset?” Cory pointed to a headset that would let him hear and communicate with online players.
“Sure, you’re better than me at this game anyway. Go ahead and hook up with an online team.”
Isaiah left Cory in the media room and ran downstairs to meet the pizza-delivery person. He didn’t regret his promise. His mom used to chastise him for playing the hero. Cory’s situation wasn’t his business, but he liked the teen. Saw in him the same awkward kid he’d once been, but where Isaiah had the support of his family, Cory just had Angela, who was more than capable, but he didn’t want Cory to feel as if he didn’t have a man he could reach out to.
He paid the delivery guy, then took the pizza, wings, bread sticks and sodas upstairs to the game room. Cory continued to battle bad guys in a virtual jungle, so Isaiah went back downstairs to grab plates, napkins and cups.
He had all the stuff in hand with one foot on the bottom stair when the doorbell rang again. Isaiah went to the door and checked the peephole. His heart dribbled in his chest. Angela.
He shifted the items in his hands and unlocked the door before opening it wide. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she wore a navy pencil skirt with a light blue short-sleeved blouse tucked into the waistband. The outfit emphasized her small waist, round hips and full breasts. Heels gave her height and turned her legs into weapons of male destruction.
His body melted like hot candle wax. The urge to pull her close and kiss those full lips ran over him like a defensive player.
“Hey, is Cory ready?” Her voice and expression were neutral.
He missed the warmth she’d shown before and her welcoming smile. “He’s upstairs playing a game. Our dinner just got here.” He nodded for her to come in and stepped back. ‘‘Come on up.”
“I really don’t want to intrude.”
“You’re not intruding. There’s plenty of food to go around. No need to waste it.”
She hesitated before stepping just inside the door. Her soft, sexy perfume tickled his senses, begged him to kiss along her neck and drown in the sweet scent. She glanced left and right, her eyes wary. “We can take some to go.”
“This isn’t a drive-through,” he teased. “You’ve worked a long day. Sit down and relax for a little.”
The argument formed in her eyes. He stepped forward and pushed the door closed with his foot. The movement brought him closer. They almost touched, which made him more aware of her than actually touching. He breathed in the scent of her perfume and fought not to lean farther into her space.
He stepped back, otherwise he might give in to the impulse. “Will you lock that for me?”
He turned and walked toward the stairs before she could give another reason for why she couldn’t stay. A few tense seconds passed, then the lock clicked. Isaiah released a breath. He glanced at her over his shoulder and waited for her to join him at the stairs.
“Is anyone else here?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Just me and Cory.” He met her gaze. “No one stays here but me.”
She glanced away quickly, but he saw the small lift of her full lips. His friends would say he didn’t owe her an explanation, but he wanted her to know Bridget didn’t live with him.
When they entered the game room, Cory was completely engrossed in the game. Angela walked over to him and waved her hand to get his attention. He smiled at her and fired a couple of shots at the screen.
“Are we leaving?” He still had the headset on so his voice was raised.
Angela pointed to her watch. “We’ve got to get back home.”
Cory slid the headset off one ear. “Just a few more minutes. I’m almost done with this mission. Please.”
Angela huffed and raised her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Fine. Five minutes.”
Cory grinned, nodded and slid the headset back before returning to the game. Isaiah set the paper plates and utensils on the table. He motioned for Angela to take a seat with him. She sat on the edge of the sofa, her arms and shoulders stiff.
“I want to talk to you about yesterday,” Isaiah said. Moreover, he needed to talk to her about yesterday. He wasn’t a player. He didn’t want her to think he was.
Angela glanced at Cory. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“Cory can’t hear us. He’s all into that game.” Isaiah pulled one leg onto the couch and faced Angela. “And I do owe you an explanation.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Look, I thought about everything and you really don’t owe me anything. I kissed you and I shouldn’t have. I didn’t know you were in a relationship.”
“I kissed you back.”
Her spine stiffened and her eyes hardened. “I don’t play the other woman.”
“I’m not asking you to be my other woman. I’m not a player. I leave that for the other guys on the team.”
“Then why did you kiss me back?”
“Because I like you,” he said honestly. “But, I’ve known Bridget since college. We dated then, and off and on after I was drafted. A little over a year ago, we took a break while she finished law school, but we still kept in touch.”
Angela smirked and flipped her hair. “Kept in touch? We’re adults—you two continued to hook up.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. I dated other women and I haven’t seen Bridget in months. I prefer to keep things simple without any drama. My relationship with Bridget has always been simple.” He waited for a response, but Angela didn’t say anything. “Before her graduation, I asked her to consider moving to Jacksonville so we could try having a relationship again. She agreed, got a job here and moved back this week.”
“Are you in love with her?” Angela asked.
Isaiah considered the words, but he already knew the answer. They’d been apart for a while. He had love for Bridget, and he’d figured her coming to town would give them both the chance to fall in love with each other again. “I care about her.”
Angela’s stare was skeptical. “But you asked her to move here. That must mean you feel a little more for her than care.”
“I trust Bridget. A guy in my position can’t be too careful when it comes to relationships. People are always trying to get a piece of you. I didn’t want to go through the trouble of figuring out if a woman was into me or what I can do for her. I don’t have to worry about that with Bridget.”
“What about love, passion, fire?” She toyed absently with the circular charm of her necklace. The movement drew his eye to her cleavage. He might have thought she was teasing him on purpose, except for the genuine confusion in her voice.
Isaiah forced his attention from the lush brown skin of her décolletage back to her face. “Just as important as mutual respect, stability and comfort.”
Angela brought the charm to her nose for a few seconds, then dropped it and shook her head. “If I ever get married, I plan to have all of that. I won’t settle for just being with a guy because it’s comfortable.”
As much as he didn’t want to think about her married to another man, her statement piqued his curiosity. “If? You don’t think you’ll get married one
day?”
“I’m not sure I want to get married.” She reached over to the pizza box and lifted the top. “I’m not into the idea of being dependent on someone. I like being able to take care of myself and doing what I want without answering to anyone else.”
“That’s not what marriage is about,” he said, slightly amused by her defiant tone. “Marriage is a mutual partnership.”
She gave him a whatever smirk. “Someone is always expected to give more in any partnership. You know I’m telling the truth because you’re smiling.”
“I’m smiling because I hope you’re joking. What you’re describing is called compromise. When you love someone you’re willing to give on things.”
She chuckled. “Okay, what would you be willing to compromise?” She put a slice of pizza on a paper plate and handed it to him.
Isaiah took the plate. He met her beautiful eyes, sparkling with amusement, and answered without thought. “Anything to make you happy.”
Her eyes widened. Then her amusement swirled to what he thought was longing before her brows drew together and she looked away. Embarrassment flooded his system.
“You know what I mean,” he said quickly. “I’d do whatever was necessary to make whomever I’m with happy.”
Angela put another slice of pizza on a plate. “I think staying away from me would make Bridget happy.”
“But it won’t make me happy.” Apparently, he was just going to say whatever came to his mind right now.
Angela put the plate in her lap. They were quiet while she pulled the pepperoni off the pizza. “Me, neither, but you asked her here,” she said in a resigned tone. “I can tell you’re not the type of guy to mess with me while you’re still involved with her.” She met his gaze. “And I’m not the type of woman who’ll come between you two.”
She was right. Everything good, and noble, and gentlemanly in him said to agree. But he didn’t want to be gentlemanly. He wanted to keep Angela in his life. Wanted Angela to be the woman in his life.
