“Are you sure he’s going to be at the Boys and Girls Club?” Kenya asked Lucas’s assistant.
“Yes, it’s a standing appointment on his calendar. He goes there twice a month. Not to mention, he’s donated thousands of dollars to the organization.”
Kenya was surprised that Lucas was so giving with his time, but should she be? He’d indicated how hard it had been for him to get out of the community. Perhaps he wanted to show the youth that there was more to life than what they saw in their day-to-day world. Lucas was paying it forward, and Kenya smiled at the thought.
Her bodyguards, on the other hand, were not happy about driving to South Central Los Angeles and strongly advised her not to go. “I didn’t ask you for your opinion,” Kenya said. “You’re going to drive me there because that’s where I want to go.”
“It’s just not advisable, Ms. James. It’s a tough area.”
Kenya appreciated that they were just doing their jobs, and her tone softened. “That’s why I have you two,” she said, smiling at the football-player-size bodyguards.
“Alright, Ms. James.”
After nearly an hour of navigating through Los Angeles traffic, they made their way to the Boys and Girls Club of Carson’s main clubhouse. Kenya didn’t see why it was so scary, at least not during the day. One of her bodyguards came around to open her door, and he glanced around each way before escorting her inside the building.
An elderly African-American woman was sitting at the desk. She had salt and pepper hair in a coiffed bun, caramel-colored skin and wore a pleasant smile. “Hello, may I help you?” she asked, glancing up at Kenya. Then she paused for several minutes to stare at Kenya. “Has anyone ever told you that you bare a close resemblance to Chynna James?”
Kenya smiled broadly. “Yes, because I am Chynna James.”
“Oh, my Lord!” The woman clutched her chest and turned to the woman behind her. “Althea, come quick. Chynna James is here.”
“What is it, Martha?” The woman rose from her chair and rushed over to the counter. She stared open-mouthed at Kenya. “Well, I’ll be ...” She caught herself before using an expletive.
Before Kenya realized what was happening, she was surrounded by the office staff, who wanted pictures and autographs. “I promise I will come back,” Kenya said, scribbling Chynna’s name on several pieces of paper and taking pictures with patrons. “But first, I need your help.”
“What can we possibly do for you?” the woman named Althea asked.
“Well, I was hoping you could direct me to where Lucas Kingston is.” Kenya said.
“Oh, Mr. Kingston,” Althea answered. “He’s with the seven- to fourteen-year-olds, outside on the basketball courts. We try to encourage fitness by increasing the number of hours per day that our young people participate in physical activities. Mr. Kingston is a big part of that. He’s been a positive influence with these young boys.”
“If you could point me in his direction,” Kenya said, “I promise I’ll come back and maybe sing a song.” She knew just how much it would mean to this small office to say Chynna James had stopped by and given an impromptu concert.
“Oh, that would be wonderful, Ms. James. The kids just got out of school and would love it.”
Kenya reached across the counter and squeezed Althea’s hand. “Arrange it, and I’ll be back.”
Althea smiled. “Sure thing. Martha, can you show Ms. James to the basketball courts while I gather the children?”
Martha moved from behind the counter and came around to Kenya’s side.
“Follow me.”
Kenya turned to her bodyguards, who were intent on following her. “Gentlemen.”
They followed Martha outside into the blazing hot sun on the black top outside. Kenya shielded her eyes from the sun, and she saw Lucas outside showing a young boy who couldn’t be more than seven or eight years old how to dribble. Martha walked toward him, but Kenya remained frozen in place.
She was nervous. She hadn’t planned what she was going to say to Lucas. She only knew that she had to undo the damage she’d done earlier when he’d opened up about how much he’d enjoyed being with her. She’d been fearful of reciting the words back because she didn’t have anything to offer Lucas, except more lies. Yet somehow she couldn’t leave things as they were and have Lucas believe he meant nothing to her. And so, she’d gone to his office in the hopes of talking to him only to learn he’d left early for the day and come to the Boys and Girls Club.
Kenya could see Martha speaking to Lucas, and she saw him glance up to see her. Even from where she stood, his shock at seeing her was evident. He could have stayed where he was and ignored her, but instead he walked toward her.
Stunned is what Lucas felt when he saw “Chynna” standing on the basketball courts in the middle of South Central. The Chynna he knew would never be caught dead here, so yet again, she was surprising him.
“Chynna,” he said, inclining his head toward her bodyguards, who, at his presence, took several steps backward to give them some privacy. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to talk to you.”
“Here?”
Kenya shrugged. “Figured I owed it to you after this morning.”
Lucas turned away. “You don’t owe me anything, Chynna.”
Kenya reached out to touch his arm and an electric current went right through him at her touch. Why did she affect him so? “Perhaps ‘owe’ is the wrong word,” she said. “I didn’t know what to say this morning. You caught me off-guard.”
Lucas turned and stared at her. “Don’t you think you’ve done the same to me too, Chynna? You’re not the same person you were before. You’ve changed, and for the life of me I can’t figure you out. I mean, you do realize you’re in South Central, right?”
Kenya chuckled. “Yes, I do. And I came here for you.”
“Why is that?” he asked more sharply than he intended.
“To tell you I feel the same way,” Kenya said. “That I enjoy being with you too.”
“You do?” Lucas asked.
Kenya nodded.
Lucas wasted no time encircling her in his arms and covering her mouth hungrily. He moved his mouth over hers, devouring its softness, and he would have continued kissing her if not for the tiny hand tugging on his shirt.
Lucas glanced down to see the young boy he’d been teaching dribbling to. The child was staring up at him. “Are you going to help me with my dribble or are you going to play kissy-face with the pretty lady?”
Kenya laughed at the young boy’s audacity as Lucas pulled away from the embrace.
“We’ll have to finish this later,” he told Kenya.
“Sounds great.”
Later, as Kenya sang a gospel song he’d never heard to about two dozen children who’d congregated in the reading room, Lucas was amazed by how selfless and giving Chynna had become. He just never remembered her behaving this way before. That’s when he was reminded by something Eli had said—that Chynna had been different since she’d come back from Tucson. Perhaps Eli was onto something, because as much as he appreciated Chynna giving an impromptu concert at the boys and girls club, he just couldn’t picture the Chynna of old taking time out of her day to come visit him in the hood. She’d definitely changed. And for the first time, Lucas had a nagging suspicion that perhaps Eli’s instincts about Chynna were right.
Chapter 5
The ranch was a bustle of activity, getting back to everyday normalcy after the flash flood had forced everyone indoors for two days. While Isaac and Madelyn spoke to their guests, Chynna joined Noah on horseback to check on the cattle that’d been out in the pastures and had sought higher ground during the rains. They rode up to the further part of their five hundred acres, but before they’d departed, Noah had ensured that they’d brought plenty of provisions, from water to food to most importantly, swimsu
its. Noah had informed her there was an awesome lake in the mountains they could go swimming in after they’d checked on the cattle.
Noah checked on several cows that were pregnant and due to deliver soon and made sure the herd was accounted for before he suggested breaking for lunch. Chynna was all for it. The sun was high overhead and had been since noon. It seemed like the heat had come on with a vengeance after a couple of days reprieve. The great part was that it was still spring in the desert and would cool off in the evening.
“Ready for lunch?” Noah asked as he helped her down and tied her palomino next to his Egyptian Arabian.
“Starved,” Chynna said. Even though they’d eaten the breakfast casserole a few hours ago, she’d worked up an appetite, especially when she’d had to help him untangle a steer that’d gotten tangled in the fence. It had been heartbreaking to hear his cries, but eventually Noah had managed to wrangle him free, and he’d gone galloping out into the pasture.
“Good,” Noah said, “’cause cook packed us up a great lunch.” He grabbed a large duffle bag from his saddle and hers before taking her hand to lead her down a winding path.
“Where are we going?” she asked after they’d hiked several minutes down a rocky path.
Noah smiled back at her. “You’ll see.”
Several minutes later, they arrived at a small clearing with a great view of the mountain. In the center was a huge lake. Chynna could see tons of cacti surrounding it.
“This is beautiful, Noah. Why haven’t you taken me here before?”
“Hasn’t been time,” he said. “Plus I figured since we were coming this far out, we might as well enjoy it.”
“Do you come here often?”
“We used to when we were kids,” Noah answered, pulling out a blanket from his duffle and laying it out the ground. “We would come out here as a family to go camping, canoeing or kayaking. We had the best time.”
Chynna smiled as she sat beside him on the blanket. “Sounds like fun.” She’d never been much into the outdoors as she didn’t like bugs, but she could appreciate the beauty.
“It was,” Noah said, “Maya and I—” He cut his sentence short as soon as he said her name.
Chynna reached across the short distance between them to touch his arm. “You don’t have to stop talking about her, Noah,” she said quietly. “She was a big part of your life, and you can’t act like she didn’t exist, and I wouldn’t expect you to.”
A tentative smile spread on Noah’s lips, and he patted her hand back. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“So you and Maya used to do what?” Chynna asked.
“We would come up here to fish,” Noah answered, “but she was terrible at it.” He laughed as if seeing a memory. “So eventually we started coming less and less and when she passed ...” He paused, then picked up, “I stopped coming altogether.”
“Why’s that?”
Noah shrugged and looked over the mountainous landscape. “Guess the memories hurt too much.”
“And now?”
He glanced at her with an intent expression. “Now, I have a reason to.”
Chynna was speechless. She felt like he wanted to say more, but held back.
“Ready for that sandwich?”
“Yes, sir.”
Noah pulled out two hearty, thick-sliced ham and cheese sandwiches covered in Saran wrap and offered her one. Chynna greedily accepted and they ate in silence, both too afraid to say how they truly felt.
Chynna’s time was winding down at Golden Oaks, and she wasn’t sure what she could offer Noah after she left and whether he wanted to continue seeing her at all, so she chose to say nothing.
Afterward, Noah suggested they change into their swimsuits for a quick dip in the lake. Chynna didn’t have anything with her except the bikinis she’d brought with her for her stay at Canyon Ranch. Despite the fact that Noah had seen her naked and knew every part of her, Chynna changed behind a bush. When she emerged, Noah was bare-chested and wearing a pair of blue swim shorts. Chynna swallowed, and her loins tightened when she looked at the hair lightly dotting his chest.
Noah wasn’t faring much better. He seemed like he was ready to swallow her whole if the hungry look he was giving her in her leopard-print bikini was any indication. “C’mon,” he said, running toward the lake and jumping right in.
“Noah,” Chynna said, laughing when the water splashed her as she came toward the lake’s edge.
“Come in,” he said, wiping water from his eyes as he treaded water. “It feels great.”
Chynna made a more graceful entrance and eased her way into the lake and swam toward him.
Noah was waiting for her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “That’s more like it,” he said and lowered his head to kiss her. The caress of his lips on hers set her body aflame with longing. He spun her around in the water as she kissed him back with equal passion. His hands roamed down her side and hips to finally rest on her butt. He pressed her firmly to him, and through his shorts, Chynna could feel his erection. She rubbed herself against his hot center, and Noah groaned.
“Chynna,” he whispered, undoing the tie on her halter bikini top to release her breasts from their confines. His head bent so he could tongue and caress her already swollen nipples.
Chynna’s head went back of its own volition. She grasped his head to her breasts as he licked and teased the buds into hardened peaks. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and Noah took the hint. Soon he was lifting her out of the water and bringing her back to the blanket.
He gently eased her wet body down just as he showed the other breast equal attention. Chynna curled into his body, and Noah moved from her breasts down her silken belly to hook his fingers into her bikini bottoms and slide the wet material down her legs. He tossed them and his swim trunks aside in quick succession to rejoin her on the blanket. He rose on his haunches, spreading her legs, but then he paused above her.
“Christ, I forgot a condom,” Noah said.
“It’s okay,” Chynna moaned. “I’m on the pill.”
Noah paused as if milling the thought over.
“I’ve been tested if that’s what you’re concerned about.” Chynna glanced up into Noah’s eyes. They glowed with passion. “And I—I haven’t been with anyone in quite some time.” She knew the press reported she was the sort of woman that wasn’t particular about whom she took to bed, but she was and she always practiced safe sex. Even that drunken night with her dancer, she’d insisted on protection.
Noah brushed her hair back so he could stare deep into her eyes. “I don’t think I could resist you if I tried.” He kissed her with a hunger that showed her he cared more about her than he was willing to admit, just as he pressed forward and thrust inside her.
Chynna accepted him willingly, lovingly. She kissed his neck and his earlobe as he thrust further for a deeper connection. She cried out at the intense feeling of having him buried inside her. At that moment, it was just the two of them, out in the open, being one with not just nature, but with each other. She locked her ankles around his waist and circled her arms around his neck to match his thrust. Each rhythm and motion brought them closer to the peak, to the edge of ecstasy, but just as she neared it, Noah would slow the rhythm down.
It was exquisite torture, and Chynna wished the moment could last forever, before reality would tear them apart. Her urgent sighs pleaded with Noah, and he answered them. Her release hit her like a killer wave, and she tried swimming to the surface, but the current carried her away. When he reached his peak, Noah shuddered once, twice, three times. He trembled above her before he collapsed onto his side as he too lost his grip with reality.
Eventually, he and Chynna rose, rinsed off in the lake before dressing, and they began returning to the ranch. As he rode back, Noah couldn’t remember a time in which he’d been so free with his sexuality. He hate
d to compare the women, but he didn’t have a whole lot of experience to compare it to, seeing as how he’d only been with two women in his life: Maya and Chynna. And Maya, well he’d always wanted to make love outside, but Maya had been shy and hadn’t wanted to, in case they got caught.
But Chynna, she was so liberated and free that she’d embraced making love with him in the open. She was a breath of fresh air that Noah was fast becoming used to, which could be a problem. As much as he didn’t want to think about, he knew she couldn’t stay on at the ranch indefinitely, but as long as she was here, he intended on enjoying her. It was just that this fun, sexy, beautiful woman had touched his heart and gotten to him like no woman ever had. The thought of her leaving scared the living daylights out of him, but the thought of her staying and what would come next was equally as scary.
Later, after the family had eaten dinner and was sitting at the dining room table, Caleb announced, “I’m tired of this place.”
“Already, Caleb?” Madelyn asked. “You just got here.”
“And I was promptly sequestered for two days,” he responded. “It’s time for some fun. Who’s game?” He looked at Noah, then Rylee and Chynna. “Come on. Don’t tell me you enjoy long nights by the fire with the parental units.”
Rylee couldn’t resist a chuckle. “Well, now that you mention it, I could use a night out on the town.”
“Why don’t you take Jeremy?” their father suggested.
“No, thank you, Daddy,” Rylee huffed. “I actually want to have fun.”
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