The Last Rule of Makeups

by Nina Crespo

  Two days later, her unease had unfolded into reality.

  “You want to run off with some boy who doesn’t even have a reliable job or a stable life? Do you want to put your father back in the hospital? Because that’s exactly where he’ll end up if you do this. He’ll worry about you. His heart can’t take it…”

  Long hours and stress as a construction foreman had led to her father having a heart attack when she was sixteen. Seeing her father, who’d been so strong and dependable, at his weakest had been scary for her and her mother. He’d since lost weight and made other healthy adjustments, and he was planning on retiring early. Last she’d heard, he’d been doing well. But her mother’s concerns had been valid. As much as she’d wanted to move with Grey to Austin, she wouldn’t do it if it resulted in making her father sick or possibly losing him. She’d owed her parents, especially her father, so much.

  As an only child, her parents had given her the best they could afford, and her father had worked overtime to give her experiences like the one she’d had in Costa Rica, as well as a debt-free college education. Grey had wanted her with him, but her dad had needed her more. She’d done what was necessary and best for everyone, and because of that, her dad had remained healthy. And Grey…he’d reached success. Hadn’t he?

  Cori glanced over at him. “Tell me about Austin.”

  Chapter Seven

  Six years of memories flashed through Grey’s mind. “What do you want to know?”

  Cori shrugged and laughed. “Everything. What happened when you moved there? What are you doing now?”

  Grey sifted through what to say as he released a pent-up exhale. “The move wasn’t as smooth as I’d expected. The job and the apartment fell through.”

  Her brows shot up. “What? I thought it was all set up.”

  “I did, too, but the club gave the job to someone else before I got there. Same thing happened with renting the apartment.”

  She sank back in the seat. “I’m so sorry that happened.”

  “You have nothing to feel sorry for. You didn’t cause it. I’m just glad you decided not to go with me.”

  A confused, slightly hurt expression covered her face. “You are?”

  “Yes. It was tough until I found a job. I couch-surfed and lived off fast food to conserve cash.” Once the money had started running low, he’d even pawned some of his things to pay for gas and food. A couple of nights, between couches, he’d slept in his car.

  “You think I wouldn’t have been able to handle it?”

  “No. That’s not what I meant.” He reached over and briefly squeezed her hand. “I just wouldn’t have wanted that for you.” If she’d been with him then, he probably would have called his family and asked for money. Or he might have given up and driven back to Maryland.

  “But despite all of that, everything worked out for you, didn’t it?”

  “Yes, but not right away. In time, I did find a job and an apartment. Once that was in place, I started building up my reputation as a DJ and eventually landed where I wanted.”

  “So you finally got a club residency?”

  “Actually, I have three of them. I’m at Breakers nightclub in Austin, and I also have a residency at a club in Dallas and another in Atlanta.”

  The look of pride on her face prompted him to say more. He told her about where he’d traveled to play, the music festivals he’d participated in, and the music artists he’d been a warmup DJ for or played with during their performances on stage. He dropped a couple of well-known performer’s names, and her mouth fell open with a look of admiration.

  “I knew you’d do it.” She smiled. “Just remember to send backstage passes for me and my friends when you make the next jump to headlining in Ibiza with Idris Elba.” Her tone reflected the same unshakable belief she’d had in him years ago.

  But there wouldn’t be a next gig. His last set had been at Breakers a month ago, and he’d bombed so badly, the crowd had booed him. That’s when he’d realized he wasn’t just in a slump, but at the end of what had been a four-month downhill slide. Maybe it was stage fright, something he’d never experienced before in his life, but the freezing-up part wasn’t what had really bothered him. It was that he hadn’t cared that it happened. He’d already cancelled his schedule for the rest of the year and was planning to give up his residencies. He’d just reached the place of trying to decide what to do next when his parents’ attorney had called.

  Now that he’d turned thirty-one, the second installment on his trust fund was due, and the attorney had wanted to verify the address to send the papers for him to sign away his rights to the money like he had before.

  Ten years ago, he hadn’t been willing to give up control of his life and music to work for his father at Latham Reeves. But now, he was. The money from the trust fund was a bonus and not a motivation for him. Especially not the way his father had intended it to be.

  His father along with his father’s brothers and sisters had tied their children’s trust funds to a condition—that they join the family enterprise as a deterrent against laziness. And they’d also wanted to encourage the survival of their legacy. Latham Reeves was one of the few African American enterprises wholly owned and maintained by a family. But committing to the legacy came with strings: complete dedication above everything else.

  He was supposed to meet with his father when his parents returned from London. They didn’t have a firm date yet, but it was supposed to be sometime around the weekend after next in New York.

  Grey glanced over at Cori’s profile. What would she say if he told her that he’d decided to walk away from music altogether and work for his family? Would she understand?

  The urge to tell her everything, the way he used to when they were together, almost won out. But this wasn’t six years ago, and they weren’t in that place anymore where they confided in each other.

  The automated voice on the GPS system announced they were close to the exit.

  A few minutes later, they drove off the interstate and down the streets leading to her subdivision in an upper-middle-class neighborhood. Nearly identical tan and red brick single family homes and townhouses with manicured lawns lined every block.

  This was definitely a change and a step up from the tiny apartment she used to rent near the university. It had been a cozy place with sunny yellow and tangerine accent walls and abstract paintings. Potted plants had been everywhere, and she’d filled the only two rooms—the bedroom and living room with a galley kitchen tucked off to the side—with eclectic second-hand furnishings he’d helped her repair, paint, and polish.

  She pointed to the left. “It’s the second to last townhouse from the corner.”

  A red compact sat parked in front of the pristine white single-car garage.

  Grey parked on the street, and they got out of the car. He followed her from the sidewalk and down the cement path to the front door.

  “Thank you.” Cori dug her keys out of her purse. “I enjoyed last night.”

  She looked up at him, and the same invisible bond that had pulled him closer to her on the dance floor grabbed hold of him now.

  Grey skimmed his palms up and down her arms, and she rested her hands on his waist. There were things that he wanted to say. He’d planned on being in town for two to three weeks, at least. They could continue to see each other until he left. But how could he say that without sounding like a horny ass?

  “I did, too.” Just as he leaned in to kiss her, his stomach growled.

  Cori raised her brow. “Are you trying to make me feel guilty about not taking you up on breakfast?”

  His stomach sounded off again. She laughed, and it was impossible not to join in. “Hey. Give me a break. I had a busy night.”

  “Did you, now?”

  “Damn right. You’re demanding. You took everything out of me.”

  “Everyt
hing, huh?” She glanced at his crotch and then looked coyly up at him. “That’s a shame.”

  “But I’m resilient.”

  The way she darted her tongue over her lower lip just before she sank her teeth into its fullness made him want to back her up against the wall and thoroughly kiss her. But from the looks of the neighborhood, that might draw more than a little attention.

  She smoothed his steel blue crewneck sweater over his stomach. “I can make scrambled eggs. I mean, after all the work you put in, you shouldn’t go hungry.”

  “I love scrambled eggs.” He couldn’t stop a grin. Score two for him. He’d get breakfast and a chance to spend more time with her.

  Cori glanced across the street, and a slightly exasperated expression came over her face.

  He followed her gaze to a blonde woman poking around the bushes near the front of the house directly across the street. “Who’s that?”

  “Vera.” Cori turned to punch in the keycode to open her door. “She’s always checking out what’s going on in the neighborhood. If we don’t go inside now, she’ll head over here to talk, and we’ll both die of starvation. Conversations with her last for-ev-er.”

  They quickly went inside, and Cori disarmed the home security system at the panel beside the door.

  He followed her into the wood-floored space, past the beige carpeted stairs on the left, the kitchen on the right, then straight into the living room.

  Cori dropped her purse next to a pink workout bag in a beige chair. It formed a seating area, along with the beige couch with coffee and cream pillows, around the glass-and-wood coffee table. Cream drapes were pulled back from a picture window overlooking a retention pond surrounded by trees and other homes.

  He set his phone and keys next to the lamp on the side table near the couch. The space was modern and tasteful, but something was missing. “What happened to those paintings of the rainforest we were just talking about?”

  “They didn’t go with the furnishings.”

  Funny. Cori had said they were the perfect for building any room around. She’d also said they spoke to her and that she’d keep them forever.

  But people changed. That was part of life, right? To grow past who you used to be.

  She walked into the kitchen with black and stainless-steel appliances.

  He went over to the breakfast bar that separated the living room from the kitchen. As he stood next to one of the two high-backed stools, he leaned forward on the counter. “How are your mom and dad?”

  “They’re doing great.” She grinned. “In a little over a month, they’ll be celebrating their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.”

  “So that’s the next big family blowout?”

  Joining Cori and her family for special occasions had always led to a good time. They laughed, shared stories, and teased each other. And they’d welcomed him. One of his biggest regrets was not telling her parents good-bye before he’d left. But at the time, he’d been too hurt by Cori’s decision.

  “Actually, my cousin Dana’s engagement party is first.” Cori removed a skillet from a bottom dark-wood cabinet and set it further down on the kitchen counter just under the bar. “Her engagement completely came out of nowhere. We didn’t even know she was seeing anyone. Ben, her fiancé, is a water and sanitation specialist for Doctors Without Borders. Someone introduced them a year ago, just before he was leaving for the Middle East. They kept in contact, fell in love, and when he asked her to marry him, she said yes.”

  “So how will that work with his job? Doesn’t he have to be away for extended periods of time?”

  “He took a position at their office in New York. He’ll still travel, but he won’t be away for months at a time. The two of them are so cute together. Everyone is happy for them.”

  And what about her? During the past six years, surely there had been someone in her life who’d mattered? Had she ever been engaged or even married?

  For some reason, he had to know. “I’m surprised that I got a chance to have you to myself last night.”

  “What do you mean?” She grabbed a small mixing bowl out of a tall corner cabinet.

  “I’m just surprised you didn’t connect with someone before we met up.”

  Her focus remained on the bowl she’d placed on the counter near the stove. She shrugged. “It just worked out that way.”

  He couldn’t see her face, but he could hear that thing in her voice. Something was bothering her and had been since he’d run into her last night. What?

  Grey walked into the kitchen. He came up behind Cori and rested his hands on her waist. “I know it’s been a long time, but you know you can still talk to me, right?” As she nodded and sank back against him, he wrapped his arms around her. “What’s wrong?”

  Chapter Eight

  Cori sank back into Grey’s embrace. He’d been her friend as well as her lover, but that was years ago, when he’d had a reason to care. But why not talk to him? He didn’t live in town. There was pretty much zero chance that she’d run into him months from now and feel embarrassed by anything she’d said.

  She turned in his arms and faced him. “I wasn’t in the mood to meet anyone new at the club because I recently broke up with my live-in boyfriend, Kevin. Or more accurately, he broke up with me. He told me that the excitement was gone in our relationship, and he’d felt that way for months but didn’t know how to tell me.”

  “He’s an ass.”

  “I know, but how can you say that? You never met him.”

  “I don’t have to. First of all, I know you wouldn’t have lived with the guy unless you really cared about him. Second, he really hurt you.”

  Did Grey have the ability to read her that well or were her feelings about what happened still so exposed that she couldn’t hide them?

  Cori took a deep breath. “Yes, he did, but I shouldn’t have settled for less. I should have noticed something was wrong sooner and done something about it.”

  “Noticed what?” Grey tipped up her chin with his finger. “That he was being a fraud all those months because he didn’t have the balls to talk to you?” His jawline angled with a frown. “Don’t give him a pass. He used your relationship to hide from something he should have been man enough to handle correctly. It wasn’t up to you to do anything. Fucking up is on him, not you.”

  “I’m not giving him a pass. He wasn’t the man I thought he was, and I’m glad the relationship is over. But I’m not a saint.” She conjured up a small smile. “I was at the club because of the Breakup Bash.” His quizzical look prompted her to explain. “It was a party held to encourage women to move on from their breakups. I used you for sex so I could take my mind off of everything and enjoy myself.”

  “There’s a huge difference between what Kevin did to you and what you did with me. I have no expectations, and I don’t mind being used for sex by you.” He brushed a kiss near her ear, and warmth radiated over her cheek. “In fact, I give you permission.” Grey cupped Cori’s ass and molded her to his front. “Enjoy me for as much and as long as you want.”

  “That sounds so wrong.” Still, Cori pressed herself against him.

  “But it feels right, doesn’t it?” He kissed her fully on the lips, and the right or wrong of it all dissolved as his tongue delved into her mouth.

  Cori tunneled her hands under the hem of his shirt and skimmed them over his back, his waist, his tightening abs. She’d love to enjoy all of him again right now, especially his mouth, his hands, and then there was her favorite part.

  She cupped him, and the heat of him seeped through his jeans as he swelled into her palm.

  A groan rumbled out of him. “We need a bed.”

  “Or we could start right here.” The desire to reveal his thick full length and stroke him until his cock wept to be inside of her drove Cori’s hand to his zipper.

  But just as she went
for it, Grey picked her straight up. “I vote for the couch.”

  Cori wrapped her legs around his waist. “That works, too.” As he carried her from the kitchen to the living room, she kissed near his ear then nipped the cord of his neck with her teeth.

  As she soothed the love bite with her tongue, he stumbled. “You’re going to pay for that.”

  “Ooh…I’m so worried.”

  “You should be.” His low, sexy tone raised anticipation.

  Grey paused near the couch, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she unfastened his jeans. As he swept his lips along her throat, she interrupted him from inching up the skirt of her dress by sitting on the couch. It was time to use him in all the wicked ways she wanted.

  Holding his gaze, she parted his jeans wider, leaned forward, and kissed his fabric-covered erection. He pulsed and grew harder under her lips as she teased him with more open-mouthed kisses.

  Grey’s breathing grew ragged as she tugged down his jeans and then his boxer briefs. Lust filled his eyes as she kissed and caressed his thighs and wrapped her hand around his hard length. Leaning in, she sucked him slowly into her mouth. His spicy male scent filled her nose.

  As she eased back up, he balled his hands at his sides. “Fuck, yes…Cori…shit.”

  Settling into a more comfortable position, she lavished her attention on the head of his cock, licking, sucking, and fluttering her tongue over him, fully immersed in her task of bringing him pleasure and enjoying him like a treat.

  As she took him deeper into her mouth, he laid his hand on her head. The grip and release of his fingers and slight bucking of his hips signaled just how hard he was fighting to keep control. Satisfaction spread through her as his legs shook. Drops of pre-cum floated over her tongue. The taste of him heightened her own arousal. Her breasts grew heavy, and the building ache between her thighs made her moan.