A Kiss of Color: The Complete 3 Book Collection (42 page)

She came once, quickly, but once was never enough. Xavier curled his hands into the divine curve of her behind and continued to move into her until she was gasping, begging him to stay inside her for as long as they existed. Brushing hair from her forehead, Xavier watched her, memorizing every detail of her expression as she undulated in pleasure. When she came again, this time clamping down like a vice upon him, Xavier let himself go, his hips jerking against hers as he found his own completion.

For a long while afterward, they lie intertwined, their breaths mingling. Though Xavier knew he must be heavy, Helena didn’t ask him to move. He lay his forehead against hers, willing the moment to last forever.

It was broken, however, when Isaiah began to fuss softly. He’d been asleep almost six hours and was almost certainly hungry.

Far be it from Xavier to deny his son a meal.

Reluctantly, he rose from his lover, a soft sound of regret escaping him as he slid from her warmth. Helena kissed him indulgently, yet briefly, before slipping from the bed to retrieve Isaiah from his crib.

She shushed him, cradling him in her arms before offering him her breast, which he latched onto almost immediately, staring up at his mother in wide-eyed wonder.

The image was burned into Xavier’s mind.

He watched, wordless, for several minutes before rising to pull on his robe and stride down the hall to his study, retrieving something he’d hidden in the bookcase. By the time he returned, Helena had settled back in bed, the sheets around her waist, as she fed her son with a serene expression.

Not wanting to disturb them, Xavier slid onto the mattress beside Helena, transfixed by her expression. Slowly, he pulled the red velvet box from the pocket of his robe and held it up before her line of vision. “Helena.” Her name escaped him softly, drawing her attention. At the sight of the box, the young woman’s eyes widened. Before she could say anything, Xavier opened it, revealing the glistening gem inside. “I’d planned on giving you this before…but I never got a chance to. Now, I want to ask, just in case…” He took a deep breath. “Will you be my wife?”

The young woman’s eyes filled with tears as she looked from him to the ring. “Damn you, Xavier.” She managed, her voice unsteady. “I’ve been crying all damn day and now you do this to me?”

He couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped him. “I can’t apologize, honestly.” He leaned over to brush his lips softly across her ear before murmuring lowly. “Is that a yes?”

Helena’s breath hitched as she tried to gain her composure. “Yes.” She shifted Isaiah to one arm, holding out her hand as best she could. “You’re going to have to put it on me, though.”

“It would be my pleasure.” Xavier slid the ring onto her slender finger – where it fit perfectly. Helena gazed at it for a moment, before her gaze met his.

“I love you, Xavier.” Her words were soft and brimming with affection. “You’re my everything.”

He wrapped his arms around her, praying to whatever deity that existed that he wouldn’t have all this taken from him. “And you’re mine.”

The week seemed to pass at a snail’s pace.

There wasn’t much that they could do. All other attempts by Horace to come up with additional evidence proved fruitless, and Brandy admitted that she’d prepared about as much as she was going to be able to. The odds were incredibly stacked against them, but they could still hold out hope that the truth would triumph.

What little hope that might be.

Xavier spent his every waking moment with Helena and Isaiah. Though the babe had only been in the world for a few months, Xavier could see the intelligence shining from his eyes. He was going to be another prodigy. He could feel it. Helena told him that their son was going to be a doctor and Xavier politely corrected her. Isaiah would be a brilliant computer tech.

They did their best to ignore the dark cloud of the impending trial lingering over them. Xavier steadfastly pushed aside the idea that he might not see his son or fiancé until the child was too old to remember him. That he would be caged until it was too late for them to have any more children.

He tried to enjoy the time that he had.

He helped Brandy go over case notes, talked to her about the development of his niece or nephew, and asked her how Hank was doing. Anything to keep his mind off Daniel and his plans.

Then, the night before the trial, he received a call on his phone from an unlisted number. Frowning, he hesitated only a moment before rising from bed, leaving Helena and Isaiah peacefully sleeping to answer it. “Hello?”

“You know it’s not too late, Xavier.”

At the sound of Daniel’s voice, the CEO’s face contorted in rage. “Just sign the papers. I’ll bring them over tonight. We can do this peacefully.” Daniel made it sound as if he was offering a truce. “You’ll only have a couple of months before you have to give up the house, and perhaps they’ll give you a short grace period before incarceration. You’re a first time offender, after all.”

“Fuck you, Daniel.” Xavier returned, with a surprising amount of calm, given the fury coursing through his veins. “You’re not getting anything other than what’s coming to you.”

A low, smug chuckle ensued. “I seriously doubt that, Thompson. But, have it your way.” Daniel paused at a low voice in the background, which Xavier instantly strained to hear. Who was he with? What were they talking about? The tone sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it. Something about waiting and money. Then, Daniel must have covered the receiver with his hand to answer because he heard nothing for a few seconds. When the accountant returned, he sounded slightly less composed. “Pack your bags for tomorrow, Xavier. You won’t see the light of day for a long fucking time.”

The line clicked, going dead.

Trying to stifle the raising nausea in his gut, Xavier slowly returned to bed, fitting his body against Helena’s to share her heat. The ring he’d given her sparkled on her left hand. If this was his last night…

It might very well be. And he’d have to accept that Helena would wait for him, and Brandy would keep them safe, as painful as the notion was.

It was better than losing them entirely.

As he drifted into an uneasy sleep, an impulse in the back of his mind tugged at his consciousness.

That voice was familiar. He knew it from
somewhere
.

**

Helena woke early, jittery. The clock on the nightstand read only five am and the trial wasn’t until eleven, but she couldn’t go back to sleep. As if sensing her restlessness, Isaiah stirred and Helena whisked him out of the bedroom to avoid waking Xavier. He needed all the rest he could get.

As she hushed the baby softly, stroking up and down his back, there came a soft knock on the door. Helena stiffened almost instantly. It was far too early for any of the media to come calling, and the DFCS office was closed. Taking a deep breath, she ignored the knock.

Until it came again.

Isaiah began to whimper and Helena wrapped him in her robe, holding him tight against her as she reluctantly made her way to the door. It was hard for her to reach the peephole holding Isaiah the way she was, and so, she unlocked the door before cracking it the minutest amount.

The door was immediately forced wide, and Helena turned just in time for it to catch her shoulder instead of hurting Isaiah, stumbling backward at the impact as a searing pain shot up her arm. She gasped sharply in agony as Isaiah started to cry, taking a moment to collect herself before turning her attention back to the door to see who was trying to barrel their way into her house.

At the sight that greeted her, she froze, her entire body beginning to tremble in horror.

Janette Freeman stood in the doorway. And she was holding a gun.

Slowly, her mother advanced into the house, her smile slow and satisfied. “Hey, baby.” She gushed, almost lovingly. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Momma.” The word left Helena on a frightened gasp. “What are you doing here?” The barrel of the weapon gleamed in the low light.

Behind Janette, Daniel Hayes appeared, looking decidedly nervous.

Helena didn’t think that she could be any more shocked, but she was. As the thin man hurried to shut the door, he spoke lowly. “Baby, we shouldn’t be doing this. I told you to wait for the
trial
.”

Baby!?

“Danny, honey, I love you, but
fuck
your trial.” Janette’s voice changed from honey to pure steel, her eyes flaring in manic fury. “They took
everything
from me. I deserve this.” Helena had been thinking of lunging for the kitchen with Isaiah when her mother’s attention turned back to her. “
You deserve this
.”

Jesus Christ.

Her own mother was going to kill her.

Helena swallowed thickly. She had to protect her son at all costs. By now, Isaiah was squalling at the top of his lungs and Janette didn’t seem to be too happy about it. “Momma…” Helena started carefully. “If you want to do this, we can. But let me put Isaiah in his crib. He’s not a part of it.”

Janette’s smile was amused. “You’re not going anywhere honey. You’re going to stay right here.” She gestured upward with her gun. “Stand.”

At that moment, Helena wasn’t too sure that she actually could. When Janette’s expression became thunderous, however, she forced herself to her feet, holding Isaiah protectively against her breast. “Sit over there, on the couch.” Janette waved her into the living room and Helena quickly complied. Her mother followed her, the gun never wavering. “I know your damn white boy is in the house, but who else?” She demanded.

Helena hesitated only a second, but a second was all Janette needed to shove the gun in her face “
Who
?”

“His sister!” Helena exclaimed, shaking like a leaf. “His sister is here too.”

“Fine.” Waving over a wide-eyed Daniel from the doorway, she placed the gun in his hand. “Watch her,” Janette commanded. “If she moves, shoot the baby.” Helena’s heart clenched in horror as her mother removed another pistol from the bag slung over her shoulder. With that, she disappeared down the hall.

Helena could only wait, every nerve in her body on edge, to hear gunshots. When Daniel shifted, knocking a vase off of the coffee table to crash to the floor, he drew her attention back to him. Where Janette seemed calm and self-assured, Daniel was twitchy – obviously nervous. His gun hand trembled.

“Why?” Helena managed softly, her child’s cries ringing in her ears. “
Why
are you doing this?”

“Shut up.” Daniel insisted, sweat beading on his brow. “Don’t say a word.”

Within a few minutes, Janette reappeared, this time walking behind a half-dressed Xavier and Brandy, clad only in her t-shirt and underwear. The swell of her stomach was obvious under the thin material and Helena’s stomach lurched.

“You, sit over there next to Helena.” She shoved Brandy in the direction of the couch and the blonde woman cast her a furious glance before quickly complying. “You,” Janette’s voice caressed the word with smug intimacy. “You kneel, right there.” She pointed to a spot between the coffee table and the TV, and a soft sob escaped Helena as Xavier kneeled there, his eyes empty, hands on his head.

Janette’s gun immediately pressed against the back of his head. “This is a nice house.” She spoke almost carelessly, glancing around the living and dining area. “A
really
nice house. I should have lived in a house like this. But, naw. Ya’ll didn’t want me to make
my
own way.” She bared her teeth in a grimace of displeasure and beside Helena, Brandy shifted slightly in discomfort. “
Don’t
you move, blonde bitch.” Janette warned scathingly, and Brandy froze.

Once she figured she had scared Brandy enough, Janette continued, more softly. “Put me away for dealing with
my
own daughter, the way
I
saw fit. She’s mine.” The older woman pressed the gun even harder into Xavier’s neck purposefully. “She came from
me
. I can do whatever the hell I want with her. If I want one thousand fucking Johns to pay for her, I can do it.”

Helena shuddered in revulsion. “But you showed up.” She glared down at Xavier before sucking her teeth loudly. “And you had to ruin
every
fucking thing.”

At this point, Daniel glanced nervously back at Janette, swallowing visibly. “Baby, can we hurry this up?”

“No!” Janette snapped viciously at the man, making him cower. “I’ve waited five
fucking
years for this, Danny. You’ll get your money and your damn company, just as soon as I get what
I want.
”

The gun cocked, pulling a bullet into the chamber and Helena let out a low whimper of dismay. “You fucking thought you
had
me, you rich little cocksucker.” Her mother was gloating now, clearly enjoying this. “Turning my own daughter against me. Taking what’s rightfully mine. Well, how does it feel to have everything taken from you?”

Helena could hardly breathe. All she could see was the gun against Xavier’s neck and Janette’s finger on the trigger. “My man is better than you will
ever
be. He pulled the wool over your eyes like it was fucking
nothing
. And now, you little piece of shit, I’ll get what’s coming to me. I’m going to take
your
life. And I’m going to take my damn daughter back.”

“Momma please.” Helena blurted the words in desperation. “I’ll go with you, just please don’t hurt him.”

“Don’t, Helena.” Xavier’s voice was curt – strained. “Don’t you
dare
.” The young woman opened her mouth to protest but her fiancé merely shook his head, his gaze hard.

Helena’s breath left her on a hitching sob.

“That’s
sweet
.” Janette jibed. “Really sweet, but it don’t matter, white boy. I’ma kill you, and I’ma take Helena right back to New York where we can be a happy little family again.” When she paused, Isaiah’s wailing filled in the silence and her expression turned ugly. “We’ll have to get rid of that thing though. I ain’t got room for no more babies.”

Holding Isaiah even tighter against her, Helena shook her head frantically. “No, Momma. Please, don’t do this.”