by Naomi Chase
After hanging up on him, she remembered that he’d bled on her dress the night of the fundraiser gala. To her everlasting relief, the paternity testing company assured her that their lab specialists could extract Dominic’s DNA from the bloodstained fabric.
So she’d carefully packaged up the gown, and now all she had to do was wait three more weeks before she could be tested.
It would be the longest three weeks of her life, but she was determined to remain optimistic about the outcome of the paternity test. Too many things had conspired against her and Brandon to keep them apart. After everything she’d already been through, Tamia refused to believe that fate could be so cruel to deny her a happy ending with Brandon.
So she pushed all thoughts of Dominic out of her mind and focused on Brandon, because he was all that mattered.
After dinner they headed to his parents’ house in River Oaks to pick up the morning-sickness remedy Mrs. Jessup had left for Tamia. Brandon had sworn the excited woman to secrecy because he wanted to be the one to tell his parents that he and Tamia were engaged and expecting a baby—an announcement he’d had to postpone since Bernard and Gwen had been traveling this week, hitting the campaign trail hard to minimize the fallout from Bishop Yarbrough’s scandal.
As Brandon parked in the family’s ten-car garage and came around to open Tamia’s door, she couldn’t help remembering the last time she’d been there for his father’s campaign launch party. It had been a disastrous evening that had haunted her for months.
But things were different now. Tonight she was returning to the house as Brandon’s fiancée and the soon-to-be mother of his child. Even if his parents still perceived her as a leper, she would be joining their family whether they liked it or not.
She smiled as Brandon helped her from the Maybach and held on to her hand. As they made their way up the flagstone driveway toward the palatial Mediterranean-style villa, Tamia couldn’t help feeling the same sense of awe she’d felt the first time she was here. She couldn’t believe she was engaged to a man who’d grown up in a place like this. It was surreal.
When no butler greeted them at the front door, Tamia teased, “Where’s Benson?”
Brandon laughed. “Oh, you got jokes?”
She grinned. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”
“Uh-huh. Keep playin’ and I’ma leave your pretty ass standing out here in the cold.”
“You’d better not!”
Brandon chuckled as he unlocked the door and gestured her inside.
Tamia entered the mansion and cast an admiring look around the grand marble foyer, noting the humongous crystal chandelier and butterfly staircases that swept to the upper level.
Yup. Just as impressive as she remembered.
Brandon closed the door. “Since my parents will be out of town until Sunday, they gave everyone the weekend off to spend time with their families.”
Tamia glanced at him. “You mean there’s no one here?”
“Nope. Just you and me.”
Tamia grinned, then cupped her hands around her mouth and called out, “Yo, Tamia Luke up in da hizzy!”
As her voice echoed and bounced off the cathedral ceilings, she burst into giggles.
Brandon laughed, hauling her close and kissing her temple. “Silly ass.”
She grinned unabashedly. “You can take the girl out the hood, but you can’t take the hood out the girl.”
“Nor would I want to.” Brandon winked, capturing her hand. “Come on. Let me give you the tour I promised last time.”
As they started from the foyer, Tamia’s heels clicked sharply against the marble floor, the sound magnified in the cavernous house. When she paused to step out of the stilettos, Brandon grinned at her.
“I bet you’re gonna wear high heels up to the day you go into labor.”
“Of course. You know I gotta keep my sexy on.”
They both laughed.
During her previous visit, Tamia had only seen the ballroom and the sewing room before Dre had busted her for being Mystique. She shoved that memory aside as Brandon gave her the grand tour of the rest of the house, leading her through an opulently appointed living room, an enormous gourmet kitchen, a wine cellar, a stately wood-paneled library, a media room, a home theater, a solarium, and a billiard room with a full bar. On the second floor, each beautifully furnished bedroom had a private bath and a fireplace. Out of respect to his absent parents, Brandon and Tamia didn’t venture to the master suite at the opposite end of the wing.
When they reached Brandon’s old room, Tamia gazed around trying to imagine him dwelling there as a child. But the space had long been redecorated, removing all traces of the teenager who’d last occupied it. Tamia lingered nonetheless, savoring this connection to Brandon’s past.
“Wanna spend the night?”
Tamia glanced around, meeting his amused gaze. “What?”
“You seem like you don’t wanna leave, so maybe we should spend the night.”
She smiled demurely. “Why, Brandon Chambers, are you inviting me for a sleepover while your parents are away?”
His eyes glinted wickedly. “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“What kind of girl do you think I am?”
“I already know,” he teased, wiggling his brows suggestively, “which is why I’m inviting you.”
Tamia feigned indignation. “Well, I never!”
“You have”—he winked—“and you will again tonight.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well . . . you’re gonna have to catch me first!” Dropping her shoes, Tamia turned and raced out of the room.
Laughing uproariously, Brandon chased her through the long corridor and down the sweeping staircase, her squeals ringing through the house. As he caught her and swung her up into his arms, she howled with laughter.
“Thought you were gonna get away from me?” Brandon taunted her playfully. “Weren’t you just oohing and aahing over my trophies in the media room? Did you forget that quickly that I ran track in high school?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Tamia grumbled, looping her arms around his neck and nipping his jaw. “Let’s finish the tour.”
Brandon carried her out to the backyard, which was unlike any other backyard she’d ever seen. Her eyes bulged as they swept over the sprawling lawn that boasted a koi pond, a tennis court, and an Olympic-size swimming pool complemented by an infinity pool and a cabana.
“Wow . . . ,” Tamia breathed.
Brandon put her down and took her hand, and together they set off to roam the moonlit grounds, talking and laughing companionably as they strolled along.
Soon they came upon the pool area, which was aglow with torchlights and bordered by manicured hedges and palm trees that provided privacy from the neighboring estate. Gleaming black marble framed the shimmering infinity pool, which featured a cascading rock waterfall. It looked like something that belonged at an exotic luxury resort.
Tamia was so busy admiring her surroundings that she didn’t immediately notice Brandon toeing off his shoes and socks. When he bent and picked her up, she let out a startled squeak.
As he began carrying her toward the infinity pool, she eyed him suspiciously. “What are you doing?”
A wicked gleam filled his eyes.
Realizing his intent, she warned, “Oh, no, don’t even think about it.”
He grinned. “Why not?”
“Negro, are you crazy? It’s barely seventy degrees out here!”
“Warm enough for you to be walking around with no shoes on,” he pointed out. “And, anyway, the pool is heated.”
“I don’t care! Put me down!”
“Come on, baby,” he cajoled. “I think a nice evening dip sounds good.”
“Not fully clothed!” Tamia wiggled in his arms but he held fast, moving unerringly closer to the pool. “I’m serious, Brandon! And we don’t even have anything to change into!”
“I’ve got a closet full of cloth
es here. And you can borrow something of Brooke’s since you’re about the same size.”
“Brandon, I swear—”
But he was already descending the steps and wading into the pool as if he were carrying her into a lake to be baptized. Tamia squealed and clung to his neck as they sank into the warm water.
“You have lost your mind!”
Brandon threw back his head, unleashing one of those diabolical movie villain laughs. “I got you now!”
Tamia couldn’t help laughing. “You play too damn much!”
He grinned at her, and she grinned back.
As the heated water lapped gently around them, he drawled, “See? Doesn’t this feel good?”
“It does,” Tamia grudgingly admitted.
“Told you.”
As he shifted her in his arms, she warned, “Don’t you dare get my hair wet.”
“I won’t.” He chuckled. “You sistas and your hair.”
“That’s right. We don’t play that.” As Brandon nuzzled her ear, Tamia smiled and gazed around the glistening pool, marveling at how one edge seemed to drop off into . . . well, infinity. “This is amazing.”
“Umm-hmm,” Brandon agreed. But when she looked at him, he was staring at her big breasts outlined against the sheer fabric of her dress. He licked his lips. “Um-mmm-umph. My own personal wet T-shirt contest.”
Tamia grinned. “I was just thinking the same thing,” she purred, admiring the way his soaked dress shirt clung to the chiseled muscles of his chest.
He lowered his head and wrapped his lips around one of her erect nipples. She moaned as he sucked her, the wet heat of his mouth swelling the folds of her pussy.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she breathed.
“Why not?”
She shivered as his mouth closed over her other nipple. “Someone could catch us.”
“No one’s home, remember?” Lifting his head, he silenced her protests with a deep, toe-curling kiss.
Tamia wound her arms around his neck as his hands slid under her dress and cupped her ass, caressing and squeezing her juicy cheeks. She didn’t resist as he peeled off her silk panties and let them float away, then unzipped his pants and fisted his hard shaft.
As she wrapped her legs around him, her dress bunched around her hips. She shivered at the feel of his cock, hot and thick, throbbing against her plump folds. He pulled her onto his strong thighs so that she was half sitting on him.
Their stares locked as he slid inside her, both of them groaning with pleasure.
“Damn, baby,” Brandon whispered. “I can’t get enough of you.”
Tamia licked at his lips. “I hope you never do.”
They kissed deep and slow, mouths meshing and parting, tongues tasting and swirling. Tamia clamped her thighs around Brandon’s waist, gliding up and down the granite length of his dick as the heated water sloshed against them.
They stared into each other’s eyes as he gradually increased the tempo. Tamia gasped with pleasure, her toes curling tightly behind his back as he thrust in and out of her pussy. When he reached between their joined bodies and thumbed her hard clit, she flung back her head and wailed with ecstasy.
Kissing the curve of her neck, Brandon grasped her hips and drove his dick deeper and harder inside her. She sobbed his name, her body arching backward as she exploded in orgasm. He followed seconds later, groaning hoarsely as his hot come flooded her insides.
They clung to each other, shuddering and panting for breath.
They didn’t hear the approaching footsteps until it was too late.
“What on earth is going on here?”
Tamia and Brandon whipped their heads toward the scandalized voice.
His parents stood at the edge of the pool staring thunderously at them.
Tamia gasped, slapping her arms over her chest as her face flushed with embarrassment.
Brandon was remarkably unfazed.
“Oh, hey, Mom and Dad,” he murmured, slowly easing out of Tamia. “Didn’t expect you back this early.”
“Clearly not,” Gwen spat indignantly. “We saw your car and came looking for you. What is she doing here?”
“If by ‘she’ you mean Tamia, she’s enjoying a relaxing dip in the pool with me.”
Gwen raked them with a look of disgust. “Looks like you were enjoying more than a dip.”
Brandon chuckled, zipping up his pants. “A gentleman should never kiss and tell. Right, Dad?”
Bernard frowned, his eyes narrowing on a scrap of pink silk floating around the pool. When Tamia realized it was her panties, her face flamed with mortification.
Still holding her, Brandon waded through the water to reach the steps, letting Tamia climb out ahead of him. She felt self-conscious as her sodden dress clung to her hourglass body like a second skin.
Brandon’s father looked her over, then quickly averted his gaze as if he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.
“I cannot believe you brought that girl to this house,” Gwen hissed at Brandon.
He smiled languidly. “Well, I figured she should have a tour of the property she’ll eventually call home.”
Bernard and Gwen exchanged confused looks, then demanded, “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Tamia and I are getting married.”
“WHAT?” Bernard and Gwen exclaimed in shock.
“We’re engaged,” Brandon calmly explained. “I love Tamia, and I was tired of living without her. So I asked her to marry me, and she took pity on me and said yes.”
Tamia laughed softly. “I didn’t take pity on you.”
Brandon smiled, raising her hand to his mouth and kissing it.
“Are you out of your damn mind?” Gwen demanded furiously. “You can’t marry this girl!”
“I can, and I will.”
“Over my dead body!”
Brandon chuckled. “That would be unfortunate. But maybe you could stick around long enough to meet your grandchild.”
Bernard and Gwen exchanged astonished glances, then stared at Brandon and Tamia. “Grandchild . . . ?”
“That’s right,” Brandon confirmed, gently drawing Tamia closer. “We’re having a baby in September. And before you even think about accusing Tamia of getting pregnant to trap me, you should know it was the other way around. I got her pregnant because I need her in my life, and she’s the only woman I’ve ever wanted to be the mother of my children.”
As Bernard and Gwen stared at Tamia, she saw something soft in their eyes. Something like acceptance. But she must have only imagined it, for the very next moment their expressions hardened, and she felt the chill of their rejection.
“You’re not thinking rationally, son,” Bernard scolded.
“And you’re insane if you think you’re bringing her to live in this house,” Gwen hissed.
The words hurt, but Tamia had already resigned herself to the reality that Bernard and Gwen Chambers might never accept her, and that was okay. Having Brandon’s love was all that mattered.
But it was with great pride and satisfaction that she watched Brandon dismantle his parents, all without ever raising his voice above a lazy drawl.
“I assure both of you that I was of sound mind when I asked Tamia to marry me. Being apart from her is what tested my sanity. As for where she can or can’t live, I’ll kindly refer you to my great-grandparents’ will, which grants me full ownership of this estate upon my thirty-seventh birthday as long as I have a wife and children.” Brandon glanced at Tamia. “When’s my birthday, baby?”
“June seventeenth,” she supplied.
“June seventeenth,” he repeated. “Let’s see. I turn thirty-four this year. So that means in approximately three years I’ll inherit this fine property, at which time I can allow my parents to stay here with us—or I can send them packing to the family’s country estate.”
Gwen gave an affronted gasp. “You wouldn’t dare put us out!”
Brandon smiled narrowly at
her. “Treat Tamia with the love and respect she deserves, and maybe I won’t. But I can’t have my wife and the mother of my children feeling like an outcast in her own home. No, ma’am, that ain’t happening.”
Mother and son stared each other down.
Gwen was the first to look away, silently imploring her husband to intervene.
“You need to think about your political future, son,” Bernard warned sternly. “Every decision you make will have an impact on your viability as a candidate.”
“I’m well aware of that, Dad,” Brandon said coolly. “But your concern is duly noted.”
Bernard pressed his lips together, a muscle clenching in his jaw.
“Now if you folks don’t mind,” Brandon drawled, possessively curving an arm around Tamia’s waist, “my fiancée and I are gonna head up to my room and take a nice hot shower, then curl up in front of a cozy fire. If you’d like to join us for breakfast tomorrow morning, we should be up around, say, ten o’clock”—he winked at Tamia—“unless we keep each other up too late.”
Tamia gave him a coy smile.
“You’re making a terrible mistake,” Gwen burst out shrilly. “She’s not right for you, Brandon!”
Brandon raised a brow. “Need I remind you what happened with the last woman you and Dad swore was perfect for me?”
Bernard and Gwen’s faces tightened.
Brandon smirked. “Don’t trouble yourselves trying to find any more ‘suitable’ wives for me. I got this.” He brushed his lips across the diamond ring on Tamia’s hand and smiled at her. “Ready, sweetheart?”
She smiled softly. “Yes, my dark knight.”
Brandon grinned and winked at her.
As they turned and started toward the house, Bernard let out a panicked, “Gwen!”
Tamia didn’t have to look back to know that Brandon’s mother had fainted.
