Ebony Angel Page 5

  Ebony stared out the passenger-side window. “I’ll understand if you don’t contact me…honestly…no bad feelings.”

  “Are you involved in the drug trade? What did you sign back there?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him barely long enough for him to see a sad smile tip her lips and her eyes filled with unshed tears. “A parent consent form for Crystal to go with her class to the Museum of Science and Industry. She’d left it in his car when he picked her up from school Friday.” Now he felt like a complete heel.

  “And, no, I don’t know anything about the drug trade except the destruction I see when I walk down the street,” she said, now facing the passenger window. “I try to help where I can, but it hurts knowing Trae’s partly responsible, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”

  “The father of your child.” He stopped at a red light. The sub-zero temperatures didn’t keep customers away from the corner liquor store. Hearing about Trae had him wanting a drink. He thought back to how she’d given her gloves away, mentioned trying to convince Meechie to enter rehab, found employment for Stam and even how she’d rescued him. And this was all in the course of a day. Dan had a point; she tried to be everyone’s angel, including Trae’s.

  “Yes,” she answered. “I’d love to shut him out, but I can’t.”

  He continued watching her. She had a kind heart, was smart and responsible, but her actions didn’t add up in his mind. It was as if she had taken her angel role too far.

  The light turned green. He continued down the road. “I know Trae is Crystal’s father, but he’s a drug dealer. How can you allow him access to her?”

  She leaned against the headrest with her eyes closed. “Dan has always been my real father figure. He tucked me in at night, read me stories, played with me.” She laughed lightly. “Punished me when I was bad. Helped me with my homework. I love him in my heart as my father.”

  “What about your real father?” He waited at a stop sign, then glanced over at her. Their gazes locked. He fought the urge to pull her into his arms and make promises he had no clue how to keep.

  “Mom loved him to death, but he was more interested in the drugs than me. I wanted a relationship with him so bad…”

  He turned on his street and continued toward his condo. “So Dan took over.”

  “I can’t articulate how devastated I was when Mom cut Dan out of our lives. I know she was trying to protect me from the drug trade, but at the time I felt like she was punishing me and she was a hypocrite. Here she was getting high, yet telling me Dan couldn’t be a part of our lives anymore because he sold drugs.”

  “But your mom eventually quit.”

  “Not before my faith and security were shattered. In all honesty, I don’t think they can ever be repaired. All I knew was I had a loving father figure who protected me, then the next day I was in an empty apartment hungry, cold, scared and lonely.”

  Inside the truck was warm and toasty. He saw her shiver, fighting to control her emotions. Her wounds were deep. Her fears and pain were what kept Trae in Crystal’s life. Her emotions had won over logic. He thought about his own childhood wounds. How they affected his decisions. In this case he saw the angel was the one who needed saving.

  “We’ve kept Crystal in ignorant bliss. To her Trae and Skeet are her loving cousins.” She released a drawn-out sigh. “Don’t get me wrong. I hate what Trae does. I’m sickened by it. I’ve been begging him to change for years. He’s an excellent father, just as Dan was. This shows me he has some goodness in him. He will change, just as Dan did.” She peered out the window.

  “I’m a legitimate businessman. I can’t…” But, his heart never led him wrong before. He chose Ebony.

  “I understand.” She patted his thigh. “I truly understand.”

  He continued down the road. “Sometimes I think Nonno can tell the future.” He expected her to comment, but she remained silent. “Ebony, please face me.”

  She looked over her shoulder at him. His heart stopped. Tears were streaming down her face. He instantly knew why Trae changed his mind. Richard would do anything to keep from seeing her so broken.

  He parked on the side of the road and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Ebony.”

  “It’s not you. I’m just tired and hungry.”

  He didn’t believe her. “Nonno instructed me to stir up the family. He’s a troublemaker.” He lifted her chin with his fingertip and peered into her eyes. “I’m just like him.” He bent, brushing his lips over hers. “I’ve wanted to do this all day.” The faint scent of sweet pea warmed him, the softness of her full lips teased him, her proximity aroused him.

  He kissed her lightly. “You are tempting me to do things I shouldn’t do.” He felt one corner of his mouth tip up higher than the other. “At least not outside. Make that outside in the winter.”

  He continued driving down the road, happy he had brought a smile to her face.

  * * *

  Ebony stood in the foyer of Richard’s condo, thinking antiseptic. The polished hardwood floors did nothing to warm the large open space he called the living, dining and kitchen areas. The bare white walls begged for decorative covering.

  “Nice couch,” Ebony commented, as she took the two steps down into the living room. She ran her hand along the black leather sofa, searching for something else to compliment. Finding nothing, she said, “I think Dan has one like this in his office.”

  “I’ll fix us something to eat after I change. Make yourself at home.” He went off to his bedroom. “Two minutes.”

  She walked around the practically bare condo. Its aura was lonely, cold. The kitchen surprised her. Expecting to find the room without cooking equipment and a garbage can filled with take out bags, she found, instead, a fully stocked, obviously used gourmet kitchen.

  She returned to the living area. She would have turned on the television or radio, but saw none. She sorted through the books on the end table, all Isaac Asimov and Octavia Butler. She loved science fiction, too.

  Crystal would love to have a sliding contest on the polished hardwood floor. She closed her eyes, wondering how she could explain her arrangement with Trae. She swore she would never tell anyone, and Trae held all the cards. Even though Trae and Skeet never showed their darker sides in front of Crystal, she didn’t want to raise her child anywhere near their world.

  She looked toward Richard’s room. She had told him everything she could. Surely, he could see she wanted what was best for her child.

  Once she graduated and got some money together, she could at least move out of the neighborhood. That would be a step in the right direction.

  The evening’s events had aroused an uneasy stirring in Ebony. In her heart of hearts, she had known Trae would give her more trouble about dating Richard. His backing off didn’t compute. Shame quickly washed over her.

  She recognized her growing unease as ego and pride. It was hard to admit, but knowing Trae would fight for her had given her a rush. She wasn’t in love with him, and had no desire to pursue a relationship with him, yet she felt power in knowing he cared so much for her. She bit her lip, convincing herself that had to be the reason he backed off.

  She lightly laughed at herself for being so arrogant. Trae bursting her bubble was just the kick she needed. Yes, he’d given Richard a hard time, but his backing off so easily showed he wasn’t fighting for her affection, but control.

  She prided herself for moving on and looked down on Trae for being stuck in the past. She now realized she was the one who had not truly moved on.

  Richard stepped out of the bedroom wearing a Bulls T-shirt and black shorts. Her eyes traveled over his athletic build, eating him up. Like Trae, he was only an inch taller than her.

  “Do you play basketball?” she asked.

  He knelt before her, sending her heart racing. “I haven’t since I left Texas last month.” He stroked the outside of her legs, gently kissed her lips. “I hear your stomach growling. Let me show you the ki
tchen.” He stood, pulling her along. “I’m the master of stir-fry.”

  “You’d better stop teasing me.”

  “What?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “That little brush of the lips thing you do. You’re a tease.”

  He took the cutting board out and set it on the kitchen island. “You’ve been teasing me since you took off your scarf this morning. I know my limits. You only get a brush of the lips.” He pointed to the glass containers on the counter. “Do you want rice or noodles with your stir-fry?”

  She laughed at his change of subject. “Can I do something to help?” She reached for the jar of linguine. “I know how to boil water. Give me a touch of olive oil. I make a mean pasta.”

  He pulled a saucepan out of one of the lower cabinets. “Let me feed you, then I’ll ravage you. I promise.” He set the pan in the sink, took the pasta from her, then brought a stool around. “Sit here and look pretty.”

  Images of ways he could fulfill his promise to ravage had her hotter than the fire on the stove. Embarrassed by her thoughts, she forced herself to focus on something else.

  She watched him work his magic in the kitchen. He maneuvered the knives like a pro, glancing up occasionally from the chopping and flashing a quick half-grin that sent her heart racing.

  “You love cooking, don’t you?”

  “Nonno was a chef. I grew up running around the kitchen. I guess I picked up his love of cooking.” He rubbed his washboard stomach. “And eating.”

  He tried to cover the pain behind his words, but she caught it. She watched him fill several small bowls with carrot shavings, pea pods, bean sprouts, peas, spinach, mushrooms, cabbage, onions and a mound of minced garlic.

  He set the garlic and onions aside. “I think we’ll skip these.”

  “Your closeness with your grandfather is beautiful. That’s rare to see these days.”

  He took the marinated chicken strips out of the refrigerator. “Nonno understands me. I think he felt sorry for me, so he took me under his wings.”

  “Both of your parents are alive, right?”

  He washed and dried his hands, then stood between her legs, resting his hands on her lap. “What do you want to know, Ebony?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m prying.”

  He pulled around a second stool and sat knee to knee with her. “You’re not prying. Nonno took me to live with him when I was five. I lived with him until he had a stroke when I was eight. Then I went to boarding school while Nonno recovered. I still call him every day.”

  “Why did you move in with him?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s one of many buried secrets in our family. All I know is Mother wanted daughters. My sisters were…are the world to her. I think Nonno felt sorry for me, so picked up the slack.”

  She caressed his face. “That’s so sad. What about your dad?”

  “He was working his way up the corporate ladder at the time. Now he’s CEO of Tex Federal,” he boasted. She bit her bottom lip. “What do you want to know? We already have enough working against us. I won’t lie. My family dynamics are a mess, but I’m trying to be open.”

  “I don’t understand why they gave you up so easily.”

  “I’m sure it wasn’t easily. Nonno is extremely hard headed if he wants something. He told me he battled my mother for years before she let him keep me.” He took her hands into his. “I guess we both grew up without our parents.”

  “But you were only a baby,” she said softly, afraid to ask if he felt unwanted by his parents. The pain on his face said yes, the same yes she felt about her father. She was thankful Crystal would never have to feel this type of rejection.

  He returned to the stove. “Your stomach’s growling again. I’ll be done in ten minutes.”

  She didn’t hear or feel her stomach growl, this time. “If you ever want to talk about your relationship with your family, I’m here for you.” It was too late for her to heal the relationship with her father, but he still had a chance with his family.

  “Thanks, but I’m fine with how things are.”

  He continued cooking their dinner. Ebony saw him battling demons with every sprinkle of seasoning, touch of oil and flip of the wrist. For someone who liked to speak his mind, he wasn’t ready to speak about or fight his own demons. She knew everyone had his limit, and she had found his.

  She watched him toss the stir-fry about the wok. Instead of forcing the issue, she would wait until he was ready.

  “Time to eat,” he announced a short time later.

  CHAPTER SIX

  His bedroom surprised Ebony. Unlike the rest of the condo, it felt inviting. She could smell the light scent of vanilla candles burning. The king sized bamboo bed and chest of drawers fit perfectly into the nook built into the wall. The wood floors, forest green walls and burgundy ceiling had a warm, cozy atmosphere. “This is great.”

  He set their plates on the oak desk beside his door. “Your reaction when you saw the front was priceless.” He chuckled. “You were trying to be so polite.” He handed her the remote control and pointed to the chaise lounge. “Have a seat. The bedroom and kitchen were easy to fix up. I ran out of creativity by the time I finished them.”

  “You’ve done a great job in here.”

  “I liked your place. Maybe you can help me out.”

  “Maybe.” Dark rooms can produce a boxed-in feeling; however, this room was spacious enough to offset that feeling. A built-in bookshelf and combo entertainment unit took up the wall opposite the bed. “Huge television.”

  “Wait until you hear the surround sound.” He searched through his DVD collection for something she might like.

  “I can help.”

  “No, no. I’ll take care of everything. Just sit and look pretty. You’ll get the full effect of the speakers if you sit against the headboard of the bed.”

  Her brows rose.

  “I’m not trying to seduce you—yet.” A half grin slipped out along with bouncing eyebrows. “Surround sound is something you need to experience.”

  She kicked off her shoes and moved to the bed, curious to see what he meant by yet. He brought a her plate of food and a glass of wine on a serving tray. “Thank you, kind sir.”

  “The pleasure is all mine.” He kissed her lightly.

  “Tease.”

  They ate while enjoying the large-screen television and surround sound. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a relaxing evening. It was as if the stress of the world was on the opposite side of Richard’s front door. She found a comforting sense of security being with him.

  She followed him to the kitchen with the empty plates and helped him clean up. The sight of him at the kitchen sink busting suds actually turned her on. It had been too long since her last sexual encounter, but she repressed an urge to approach Richard from behind and slip her hands under his shirt.

  Dishes dried and put away, they returned to the bedroom. “Would you like more to eat, dessert perhaps?” he asked.

  “No, thank you.” The only dessert she wanted was Richard. Wanting to leave before she embarrassed herself, she looked for her shoes.

  He came up from behind and began massaging her shoulders. “Are you relaxed from the long day?”

  She dropped her head to the side, exposing her neck to his feather kisses. She wanted to give in, but they had just met. It was too soon.

  He turned her around to face him. “Did you enjoy the entertainment?” He gestured toward the Loony Toons playing on the television and returned to her neck.

  “Excellent entertainment and food.” This was a dangerous game, but she wasn’t ready to quit—not yet.

  He held her close. “Have I met all of your needs thus far?”

  His acceptance of her, his warm whisper, his loving caress, his masculine scent all weakened her self-control. “You have been a most gracious host.”

  He lightly kissed her nose, then rested his forehead on hers. “Can I continue meeting your needs?” His mouth lower
ed to hers.

  Ebony always strived for as much control as she could have over a situation, but kiss after succulent kiss forced her to face reality. She combed her fingers through his hair. She had lost all control and fallen in love with Richard. This is impossible. She turned away from him and the truth.

  “Is something wrong?” He held her from behind, grinding gently.

  “No,” she whispered, rotating in his arms.

  They delved into each other’s eyes with an unspoken understanding. He moved his hands up from her hips, tracing her torso and lifting her sweater along the way. She kissed the edge of his grin. No holding back, no fear. She would give their relationship an honest try.

  He tossed her sweater to the side, then took off his T-shirt and threw it. Their lips met and tongues probed, claiming the passion they felt for each other. She had never felt like this before. He was meant for her, perfect in every way.

  He turned her, closely fitting his arousal into her rear. He held her around the waist as they ground to their own music. Lightly brushing her neck as he moved her microbraids from around her ear, he nibbled, licked, tasted.

  Ebony loved the feel of his teasing on her neck. She pushed her body into him harder, wanting to be closer, wanting to be one.

  His hands traveled lower to her thighs, rubbing them, causing him to deepen the grind. They both moaned as passion’s storm continued to surge.

  She didn’t know how he did it, but one second she was riding the storm, the next they were completely undressed. The subdued lighting did not hide his powerful physique.

  Once in bed, he ran his hands along her luscious body. “You are the most beautiful woman in the world.” He kissed her, and she knew he meant it. She had never considered herself beautiful, but that was how Richard made her feel.

  He cupped one of her breasts in his hand, kissing, kneading and teasing until she begged for relief. He relieved her sweet agony by slipping his fingers into her, slowly fondling and exploring while showing her other breast due consideration.