“Mommy, Mommy, can we go, pretty please?” Andre inquired.
“Are you sure you want me to go?” Shari asked Andre, but looked at Grant as she asked the question. “I mean, I don’t want to intrude on your bonding time.”
“And you’re not. We want you to come,” Grant said, his green eyes never leaving her face. “It’s why I bought three tickets.”
“You have to come,” Andre said. He grabbed her hand first and then Grant’s. “We can go to the game as a family with a mommy and a daddy.”
Tears welled in Shari’s eyes. Grant had been right. Marrying him was the right thing to do for Andre. She swallowed. “All right.” Her mouth spread into a smile. “I’d like that very much.”
* * *
If anyone had told Shari a week ago that she would be sharing hot dogs, popcorn and soda with Andre and Grant, her soon-to-be husband, she would have called them a liar. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that one day they would spend time together as a family, but that was exactly what they did. They watched the game and Grant clapped when he liked a play or shouted at the umpire when he didn’t. Andre mimicked everything that Grant did and Shari couldn’t help laughing at just how much the two resembled each other, especially when Grant bought himself and Andre matching Cubs jerseys.
When the game was over, Andre grasped Shari’s hand in one hand and Grant’s in the other as they walked down the breezeway to leave. Shari looked at Grant and gave him a wink and they swung Andre up in the air. Andre laughed and hooted and hollered. It was the happiest Shari had ever seen him and she was delighted.
Once they made it back to her house, Andre was exhausted and the poor thing went down for a nap leaving Grant and Shari alone. Now what? she wondered.
“Today was really great,” Shari said, attempting to make light conversation as they stood awkwardly outside Andre’s bedroom door in the hall.
Grant smiled and it reached his eyes. “Yeah, it was. Andre’s a great kid. You’ve done a fantastic job raising him, Shari.”
“Thank you. That means a lot coming from you,” Shari replied.
“So...you see how good it could be?”
Shari glanced up at him and she got the distinct impression that Grant was not merely talking about his relationship with Andre, but about their becoming a family. “Yes” was all she could mutter before Grant’s large hands reached for her and his body backed her up against the wall.
He sealed his mouth on hers before she had a chance to object and then he teased the seam of her closed lips until she parted them, allowing him to thrust his tongue in her mouth. His kiss was soft, then urgent and reckless, eroding the delicate balance she was holding on to. It reminded Shari of a passion she’d long since forgotten and hadn’t had with a man since...well, since Grant. A ribbon of desire coiled inside her and Shari knew she wanted him, and the knowledge that she needed to be with him both excited and scared her.
As the lip-lock went on, Shari moved against his unyielding weight, letting out a low moan of appreciation when his hips settled between her thighs. When his body pressed against hers, she felt his hard erection throbbing against her soft body and it sent heat jolting through her. Grant was hard everywhere.
“Where’s your bedroom?” he barked out.
Shari inclined her head, and Grant backed her down the hall and pushed the door to her bedroom open with his foot. Next thing Shari knew he was pushing her down onto her queen-size bed and sliding on top of her. He thrust his hands into her hair and seconds later brought his lips down on hers. Deepening the kiss, he thrust his slippery-as-silk tongue in and out of her mouth again mimicking lovemaking. It was a long and indecent kiss, but Shari reveled in his insistent exploration, tasting him and drinking him in.
Grant wasn’t just kissing her; his hands were roaming over her entire body. He stopped at her breasts, molding and shaping the rounded mounds of flesh with his hands. Her nipples puckered tightly underneath the cotton shirt she wore when the pads of Grant’s thumbs teased the buds. She so desperately wanted him to remove the confinement of her bra and take them in his mouth.
Her breath hitched when he wound his hips in circles against her. She arched her body toward him and shamelessly grinded against him. And Grant, as if understanding her reflexive response, gave it to her. Harder, then faster. Shari moaned and that only seemed to make Grant move quicker. He pumped his hips into hers. Harder. Faster. Shari trembled, twitched and let out a scream. Grant covered her mouth with his, absorbing her moans so as to not wake up Andre.
When the tremors subsided, Shari was embarrassed at how loud she’d been, but apparently not nearly as embarrassed as Grant because he suddenly tore away from her and sat on the edge of her bed.
* * *
Grant hadn’t meant for things to get out of control so quickly, but when she began moaning, he’d wanted to give her the pleasure and orgasm she so desperately needed. And now? He wanted more than anything to strip her naked and make love to her until she couldn’t remember her name. He wanted every part of her body and there was no mistaking that she wanted him. But they had a lot of history between them, a lot of hurt and anger that, although he desired her, he wasn’t sure they could overcome.
He hoped in the future he would be able to look at Shari and not remember that she’d kept his son away from him, but instead look back at what a happy life they shared together. Unfortunately, today was not that day.
“This isn’t going to happen,” Grant said, backpedaling out of an awkward situation. He’d gotten Shari all worked up and he knew she had to be wet for him, ready for him, but he just couldn’t go there.
“Clearly,” she responded, grasping a nearby pillow and holding it tightly against her chest. “Do you get a kick out of tripping me up, Grant, and playing this cat-and-mouse game? You want me, but then you don’t? Is this your way of making me pay for keeping Andre away from you?”
“Of course not,” Grant replied as if offended by her words. “I never meant for that to happen.”
“No?” Shari said, her anger starting to rise. She jumped to her feet. “Fine, then just go.” She was humiliated by her wanton body’s reaction to him.
“Shari...” Grant stood up.
“I said go,” Shari replied. “I want to be alone.”
Grant hated to leave on these terms, especially after they’d enjoyed such a great day. “Okay, I’ll go, but I’ll call you later.”
Once he got in his Mercedes Benz, Grant sighed heavily. Shari was sexy as hell and he was attracted to the beautiful baker who was going to be his wife in a few short days. But he was imposing celibacy on himself to keep the minx from capturing his heart.
What the hell was he going to do?
* * *
“You look stunning, baby girl,” Dwight Drayson told Shari at the end of the week as they stood in the vestibule of the family church in Glendale Heights waiting for their cue. Her wedding party—Drake and Monica, Belinda and Malik, Carter and his fiancée, Lorraine—had already walked down the aisle.
“Thank you, Daddy,” Shari said as she looked down the aisle and saw Grant waiting with the minister at the end.
When Shari had asked Grant about his parents or inviting other family members, he’d adamantly refused. He’d told her his parents were on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera, but he’d indicated he would tell them afterward. Shari wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that Grant wasn’t introducing her and Andre to his family, but it was his decision.
The “Wedding March” sounded and her father turned to her. “You ready to go?”
After taking several deep breaths to compose herself, Shari nodded. She walked down the aisle toward Grant in a daze. She was about to say her vows to her first love, the man with whom she shared an adoring son, who was smiling at her from his father’s side, wearing a miniature tuxedo
and holding the ring pillow.
Shari was scared to death.
Was she making a mistake by aligning herself to Grant for the rest of her life? Of course, there was always divorce, but she didn’t believe in divorce. Marriage was for keeps. And so as she walked down the aisle, Shari vowed to do everything in her power to make the marriage work. Please God, please make Grant fall in love with me, she prayed. Let this marriage work. Make us become a real family.
Their honeymoon would be the start. Grant was attracted to her; that much she knew. He’d had a raging hard-on the last time they were together at her house, something he was trying to keep in check, but for how long? He wouldn’t be able to deny his body’s needs for too long. He would have to give in.
Shari and her father made it to the end of the aisle. Her father extended her hand to Grant and whispered, “Take care of my daughter.”
“I will, sir,” Grant said.
Shari and Grant exchanged vows with her entire family in attendance. The wedding, although small, was exquisite. Grant had thought of everything, from the beautiful flowers that adorned the pews to the white rose and oriental lily bouquet in her hand to the fitted white trumpet gown with floral appliqué and lace that she wore. The Drayson women had gushed when they saw Shari in the fitted dress, and so had Shari. After wearing nothing but jeans and T-shirts for years, she felt beautiful in the exquisite gown.
When it was time to kiss the bride, Shari wasn’t sure what Grant was going to do, but he didn’t disappoint. He kissed her as he’d done that day in his penthouse, except a bit more chastely because her family was around.
They jumped the broom and the minister announced they were husband and wife. “I introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Grant Robinson,” he said, amongst cheers and applause from her family in the pews.
* * *
“It’s time to cut the cake,” Shari’s mother said after dinner had been served and several speeches had been made. Shari was touched when her father and Carter got up to wish them the best.
It made Shari feel terrible that she was deceiving them and letting them believe she and Grant had a real marriage when in reality it was a farce.
But Shari put on a happy face, anyway, because her family was so proud of the wedding cake they’d created for her special day. It was a three-tier chocolate cake with strawberry filling, complete with a cascade of fresh flowers that matched her bouquet.
Shari joined Grant in the center of the room as a waiter wheeled the decadent cake in front of them. She reached for the spatula and then turned to Grant. “Do not smush cake in my face,” she warned.
“Who, me?” He winked at her devilishly as he set his large hand over hers so they could cut a slice of cake together. Once cut, Shari placed a sliver of cake on a plate and as was custom, they both fingered a piece off and fed each other. When Grant licked the icing off her fingers, a shot of electricity went right through Shari.
Grant looked like he wanted to devour her, but just as quickly, the look was gone.
Her mother stepped in and began cutting cake for the rest of the wedding party, while Shari went to find her son. She needed a breather from the sexual tension sizzling between her and Grant, otherwise she would combust.
* * *
Grant watched Shari voraciously from across the room as she danced with their son. She’d lifted Andre in her arms and was circling the floor with him. She’d been the most beautiful bride as she’d walked down the aisle toward him. The dress he’d chosen for her fit her curvy figure like a glove. In that moment, his heart welled with a foreign emotion. He wasn’t sure it was love, but maybe affection?
The weeks before the wedding, they’d been pretty much attached at the hip except during the day when she was working in the bakery and he was checking in on his restaurants. Thanks to Andre and Shari, his whole life was about to change.
Although he had a new restaurant in Chicago and owned a penthouse here, he’d been based primarily in New York because he’d loved the bustling lights of the city, but his son’s life was here. He couldn’t uproot Andre and take him away from his family when he was already getting a father he’d never met. Not to mention, he doubted Shari would leave Lillian’s. She’d confided in him that her grandmother was soon to retire and would leave the running of Lillian’s most likely to one of her grandchildren. And it could be Shari.
Grant knew Shari was quite capable of running Lillian’s. She was not only beautiful, but smart. She had a knack for figures and business. He’d seen it when he’d taken graduate-level classes with her at Ledgeman.
He was surprised how in a short amount of time, Shari had gotten under his skin. After their night together five years ago, he’d always wondered if there could have been more between the two of them if Dina hadn’t come into the picture. He’d been blinded by Dina’s charm and her aggressiveness. Dina was a real go-getter and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She’d hounded him relentlessly until he’d finally agreed to date her, even though he’d held a torch for her roommate.
Why hadn’t Shari shared with him that she was carrying his child? Who knows what life they could have had together if only she’d told him she was pregnant. Now he’d lost precious years with Andre that he could never get back, and clearly Andre had yearned for a father. The way he’d hugged Grant when they’d told him the truth had struck a chord with him that would never be broken. He vowed at that moment to spend the rest of his life making it up to his son. But his anger at Shari was also why even though he desired her and wanted her in his bed tonight, he wouldn’t come to her. He didn’t trust her.
“You all right?” Carter asked when he came to stand beside Grant.
Grant glanced at Carter. “Yeah, man. I’m okay.”
“She looks beautiful, doesn’t she?” Carter said, watching Shari and Andre on the dance floor.
Grant smiled. “She’s wearing the hell out of that dress.” He’d known she would look good in it when he’d selected it.
“I hear you,” Carter said. “I know Lorraine will look equally as good at our wedding. Of course, unlike you, we are not rushing to the altar. Lorraine and her family want a big, traditional wedding.”
“We didn’t rush,” Grant said, looking at Shari intently. “This marriage was inevitable.”
“After one fateful night?” Carter surmised, looking at his little cousin Andre.
Grant laughed and looked up at Carter who was an inch or so taller than him. “You could say that.”
“I do, because you sure surprised the heck out of all of us with your announcement,” Carter replied. “I mean, when you’d asked about Shari in New York, I had no idea that...well, things were that serious between you.”
“It didn’t take long for those old feelings to resurface,” Grant responded. He wasn’t eager to discuss his and Shari’s relationship, not even with Carter, whom he greatly respected. “If you’ll excuse me...” He went out on the dance floor to Shari who’d suddenly become free when her mother had come to take Andre.
“May I have this dance?” Grant asked, holding out his hand to his wife.
Shari’s gaze locked in on him. “Of course.”
Grant clasped one hand around Shari’s small one while the other arm circled her trim waist and landed just above her backside. Slowly, he moved them across the floor in unison.
* * *
Shari was a nervous wreck on the dance floor and her heart was like a horse galloping at full speed. She was a bit giddy after drinking so much champagne and only nibbling on her food. She hadn’t had an appetite before the wedding or after playing the dewy-eyed adoring bride for the past few hours. Grant hadn’t seemed to mind that she rarely left his side. If she hadn’t been mistaken, he’d actually seemed to enjoy her company.
And now she was dancing with her handsome husband. He’d never looked better than he did now i
n his black, two-button tuxedo with tapestry tuxedo vest. His hair was trimmed low and those sexy dimples were irresistible.
Grant was holding her so closely that she could feel his heartbeat. It was beating as fast as hers. What did he have to be excited about? He’d gotten his way. She was his wife now and all that would entail. Speaking of, she had no idea what to expect tonight after the reception. Would Grant want to consummate their marriage? Would she be a convenient body for him to relieve his sexual frustration? Because at this moment, she knew he cared nothing for her. He cared only about Andre.
“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Grant commented after several long excruciatingly painful moments.
“Aren’t I supposed to?” she queried, glancing up at him. “I mean, it is our wedding. We’re supposed to be happy.”
“Yes, we are,” Grant said, looking down at her before taking her lips. He used mastery, precision and his tongue to create a soul-shattering kiss that left Shari drained of all thought.
When he raised his head, Shari heard clapping. She blinked several times and noticed her family was watching them. They were lovebirds after all, so Grant planting a kiss on her in the middle of the dance floor was not shocking.
“I think it’s time we go,” Grant said, whispering in her ear.
“Go?” Shari was perplexed.
“Newlyweds should have a honeymoon.”
“Did you forget that You Take the Cake is coming to town for a couple of days to follow us around and collect background footage for the show?”
“Ah, yes,” Grant said as he rubbed his jaw introspectively, “I had forgotten that. No matter. We’ll spend the night at the Drake as I’d planned and I will just postpone our weeklong honeymoon in Hawaii.”
“Hawaii?” Shari asked. She hadn’t known where he’d planned on taking her for their honeymoon because she’d left all the planning up to him.
“Yes, Hawaii,” Grant said, smiling. “If you recall, we’re supposed to be madly in love and couldn’t wait for a big ceremony and now after such a public display of affection, your family will be thinking we can’t wait to be alone in someplace romantic.”
Delicious Destiny Page 7
