Betting On Love (28 page)

Authors: Cheris Hodges

BOOK: Betting On Love

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After dinner Jade gave James the tour of her home. He was struck by the way she'd decorated the place in rich colors, like reds, browns, and yellows. But it was her bedroom that reflected her personality the most. The walls were the color of green jade and trimmed in silver. A queen-size bed with oak posts sat in the middle of the room. The bedding was gold and trimmed in jade. It looked like a room fit for a queen.

James smiled as he took a seat on the edge of the bed. “You sure you didn't miss your calling as an interior decorator?”

“I wish I could take credit for this place, but the walls were already painted when I moved in. There was a fire in the building on New Year's Eve a few years back, and the prices dropped.”

“Who owns this place?”

“Jill Alexander. She's some computer guru or something, with money, like Oprah. I read about her in
Essence
once. I was hoping some of her good fortune would rub off on me.”

“Has it?”

Jade sauntered over to James and wrapped her arms around his neck. “What do you think? I got you. Who cares about anything else?”

He pulled her into his lap. “I hope you remember that when you're getting up at three in the morning to feed James Jr.”

“Our son is not going to be little J.J.,” she quipped. “Maybe we can name him Braxton. And if it's a girl, we can name her something pretty, like Aisha.”

“Well, if we do have a daughter, I hope she's just as beautiful as her mother,” James said.

Smiling, she leaned into him and planted a kiss on his lips. “I hope you're not going to be one of those overprotective fathers, grilling all the guys our little girl dates.”

“Of course not, because she's not dating until she's forty.” James lifted Jade from his lap and laid her on her back on the bed. “And I'm sure you're going to be one of those mothers who cuts the girls our son dates a lot of slack.”

“As long as they meet the standards that I think women who want to date my son should meet, then they won't have a problem with me,” she said as she wrapped her leg around James's waist.

“I can see it now,” James joked. Then he leaned in and kissed Jade's slender neck. “This bed has to come to Charlotte.”

“Why?”

“It's so comfortable,” he said. “And it's you. I want my house to be as much your home as it is mine.”

“It already feels like home there,” she said, with a wistful tone to her voice.

“What's wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said. “I just haven't had a place that feels like home in my life, and with everything that's going on, I don't want to lose you and what we have.”

“You won't,” he said. “I love you, love being with you, and I can't wait to make you my wife.”

“James,” she whispered as he leaned in to her and kissed her lips gently.

The kiss quickly became deeper and more passionate. It was as if they were becoming one in the embrace. With quick hands, James slipped Jade's blouse from her shoulders, kissing each smooth section of skin he exposed. Jade unzipped his slacks as he moved up and down her body, tasting and teasing her with every kiss.

She had some teasing of her own to do as she slipped her hands inside his open fly and stroked his manhood. James moaned as he continued to kiss her neck. Deciding to play her game, he slipped his hand between her legs and stroked her inner thighs softly before entering her with his index finger. He parted her wet folds of flesh, seeking her hot bud of sensuality. It was Jade's turn to moan as he found her pleasure spot.

“James,” she breathed as he inched down her body, his erection slipping from her hand.

He replaced his finger inside her with his tongue. Jade gripped his head, urging him to give her more as he lapped at her juices. He wrapped his tongue around her throbbing bud and began to suck gently. Jade screamed his name in pleasure as she felt the edges of an orgasm attacking her senses. James didn't stop. He wanted to taste her desire, and when she came, it was as if he'd been caught in a rainstorm. Pulling back, he looked up at her, his heart full of love, yearning, and passion for her. He needed her as much as she needed his love. Jade was his home, his love, and his life.

He quickly kicked out of his slacks as Jade lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head. “I need you,” he said breathlessly.

She parted her legs, granting him full access to her valley of desire. He plunged into her wetness, enjoyed the heat building there. She pressed her hips into his, crying out in joy. They ground against each other, sweat beading on their bodies as they danced their intimate dance. James held her close, brushing his lips against her forehead. Jade shivered and tightened her grip on him. He shuddered as the waves of an orgasm attacked his senses.

“I love you,” she moaned over and over again.

“My love, my love,” he repeated in her ear as he spent himself inside her.

They lay in each other's arms, gently kissing one another.

“Yes, this bed is coming to Charlotte with us,” he said. “We're going to make a lot of memories in it.”

Jade smiled and stretched against him. “We just made one. I can't wait to see what we do next.”

Their next act was to go to sleep.

CHAPTER 30

The next morning James's cell phone woke the sleeping couple. “Yeah,” he said after finding the phone on the floor.

“It's Stephen.”

“What the hell do you want?”

“The bank called me this morning, and it seems that someone purchased my loan.”

James sat up in the bed.
Maurice, boy, you work fast.
“And this sounds like a personal problem.”

“There's no way I can buy your mother another building. My money is tied up in other things.”

“I told you that you had twenty-four hours to make things right. But I'm in a good mood today,” James said. “And you have another choice.”

“What's that?”

“Drop this thing with Jade, and go back to the paper and admit that you used her,” James said.

“She sued me. She started this!”

“And it's time for you to be a man and end it,” James said hostilely. “I'll make your life a living hell if you don't. The whole loan thing is just the beginning.”

“You and your piece of trash brother did this to me all for thatâ”

“Stephen, you better choose your words carefully,” James said, cutting him off. “Jade is going to be my wife, and I'm not going to let scum like you take advantage of her.”

“That bitch took advantage of me! That restaurant in Charlotte should be mine,” Stephen spat. “I'm not dropping a damned thing.”

“You sure about that? I hear your restaurant is mortgaged to the hilt. Wouldn't it be something if Jade opened a restaurant in Charlotte and Atlanta?”

“You can't do that,” Stephen growled.

“Stephen, you're one bill away from being bankrupt. I can make that happen sooner than you think.”

“This is blackmail.”

“No, it's not. It's a fact. Jade is willing to drop her lawsuit, provided that you give her what you owe. There's no way a loser like you could've operated a restaurant without her help and money.”

“You and Jade can go to hell!”

“By the time I'm finished with you, you're going to think you're there. I'll expect a decision by noon. Once we head back to Charlotte, all bets are off.”

“I don't have to take this shit,” Stephen said.

“No, you don't. You can keep trying to fight it. But Maurice and I have more than enough money to slowly buy everything you hold dear. Especially that shitty restaurant.”

Stephen sighed into the phone. “Fine. I've devoted enough of my time to this mess,” he said. “You and that tramp win. But know this. If you're filled with steam and you're thinking about coming back to my restaurant to cause more problems, I will have you locked up.”

“One more thing. If I go to jail, you're going to lose everything. But as a show of good faith, I'll never set foot in your damned restaurant again.” James ended the call and rose from the bed.

“I guess that was Stephen,” Jade said sleepily.

“So you heard that?”

“Most of it,” she replied, sitting up in the bed. “Do you really think it's over?”

“It's in Stephen's best interest to let this stuff go,” James said as he took a seat on the bed, beside Jade. “We've got enough going on without having that bastard causing problems for you and your business venture.”

“But what about your mother?” she asked.

James pulled Jade into his arms. “Don't worry about any of that. As a matter of fact, let's get dressed and go have breakfast with her. Then we need to go shopping.”

“Shopping?” she asked, with a gleam in her eyes. “You're speaking my language.”

“Great.”

“But,” she said, snuggling closer to him, “before we go anywhere ...” Jade slipped her hand between his legs, and James was instantly aroused.

It was nearly noon before Jade and James emerged from the bed, showered, dressed, and headed to Maryann's bakery. When they arrived at the building, it was crowded with people, as if today were the last day the Sweet Auburn Bakery would be open. Jade and James pushed through the crowd and searched for an empty table. When they found one, close to the bathroom, James deposited Jade in a seat and headed to the counter to talk to his mother.

“It's pretty busy in here, isn't it?” James said as he slipped beside her.

“Once the word got out that I was closing this place, people just started coming and haven't stopped. There was a line of about fifty folks when I got here this morning,” she said excitedly.

“Are you sure you want to give this up?” James asked as he began to fill the orders his mother was passing his way.

“What choice do I have? If I stay here, I can imagine what you're going to do to Stephen. Besides, both of my sons are having babies. Do you really think I'm going to miss the chance to spoil two little ones?” Maryann slid some cash in the register as the last person in line placed their order for a slice of pecan pie and a half dozen cinnamon buns.

As James fixed the order, he put a few buns aside for himself and Jade, since that was one of the reasons why they'd got out of bed. Maryann shook her head as she watched her son pilfer the sweets.

“I could've made some more,” she said.

“It's all right,” he replied, then gave his mother a quick kiss on the cheek. “You need to get off your feet. Maybe you moving to Charlotte will be a good thing. You work way too hard, when you don't have to.”

“James, you and your brother have been trying to protect me since you were little boys. When are you both going to learn that Mama can take care of herself? Those wives of y'alls don't know what they've gotten themselves into,” she said, with a chuckle. Maryann looked at Jade, who was sending a text message on her cell phone. “I really like her, so don't take this the wrong way, but are you sure you want to marry her?”

“More than anything else in my life,” he said. “I know we don't have the history that Mo and Kenya have, but I love Jade more than I ever thought I'd love anyone.”

“So, if she wasn't pregnant, would you still marry her?” Maryann asked.

James paused and pondered the question as he looked at Jade. In the few months that he'd known her, his life had been fuller, richer, and vibrant. He couldn't imagine not having her at his side, not being able to touch her and feel her arms around him as they went to sleep together.

Unlike so many other women he'd met since Maurice was drafted in the NFL, Jade didn't want anything from him other than his love, and she had it today and forever.

Turning to his mother, he smiled and said, “I would still marry her, Ma. She has brought more than just a child into my life. She reminds me a lot of you.”

Maryann's right eyebrow shot up. “Really?”

“Yes,” James said, pinching off a piece of one of the cinnamon buns and popping it in his mouth. “She has that same stubborn, independent streak that you have.”

“Boy, don't think you're too big for me to take you over my knee! I'm not that Carter boy. I'll knock you out. Why don't you go feed that woman?”

James gave his mother another peck on the cheek before taking the rolls over to Jade.

“I thought you forgot about me,” Jade said when he set the plate in front of her.

“That I could never do,” he said.

She leaned across the table and stroked his cheek. “Me either,” she said before planting a light kiss on his lips.

“All right, you two,” Maryann said as she walked over to the table, with a cup of coffee for James and a glass of milk for Jade. “People are going to think you two are in love if you don't stop.”

“Thank you for the milk,” Jade said as she looked enviously at James's steaming cup of coffee.

“I've got to take care of my grandbaby and his or her mother.” Maryann was about to sit down with Jade and James, but just then another crush of customers entered the bakery.

“People really love your mom and her treats,” Jade said. “She can always use our kitchen if she does want to do the Web-based business.”

“
Our
kitchen? As in that small room in my house with a stove that I rarely use?”

“No, silly, the kitchen at the restaurant. From the looks of things, she's going to be filling a lot of orders.”

“Well,” he said after taking a huge bite of his cinnamon bun, “we'd better get out of here before she puts us to work.”

Jade took another bite of her cinnamon bun and didn't make an effort to move. “Do you think I'm going to rush through this piece of heaven because you're lazy?” She rolled her eyes and continued eating.

James sipped his coffee, chuckling at her. Jade was his match in every way. He couldn't wait to spend forever with her. “All right. When you're finished eating, we're going shopping.”

“That's not going to make me speed up,” she said as she took another leisurely bite.

James smiled and took the last bite of his cinnamon bun.

Jade smiled at James and finished her bun. “Let's go,” she said as she wiped her mouth with the edge of her napkin.

Jade and James rose to their feet and headed to the register to tell Maryann good-bye.

“You two be good,” Maryann said as she waved good-bye to the couple.

“I'll try to keep him in line,” Jade quipped. Then they walked out the door. Once they were outside, Jade suggested that they take the train.

“All right,” James said. “Do you think you're going to miss all this?”

“No,” she said. “I'm leaving Atlanta but gaining something even better.”

“And what would that be?” he asked.

“A life with you. And no more two-eighty-five congestion.”

James wrapped his arms around Jade's waist and lifted her in the air. “I'm glad you feel that way,” he said before putting her down. “I'm sure your friends are going to miss you.”

“They're going to be just fine,” she said. “Besides, they're going to be spending a lot of time in Charlotte.”

“From the looks of things, Serena might be joining you there,” James said. “Since she's messing with that guy.”

“Our contractor, and I'm hoping she doesn't mess up our business relationship with him. Or if she's going to break his heart, I hope she'll do it after the restaurant is renovated.”

“You never know. This contractor might tame your friend.”

“You talk about her as if she's a horse or something,” Jade said as they walked to the MARTA station.

James shrugged his shoulders, not really knowing what to think of Serena.

The train arrived at the Lenox station, and Jade and James headed for the mall. She shook her head as they pushed through the crowd of workers heading back to their offices following their lunch hour. Holding James's hand, she smiled.

“I've always wanted to be one of these people,” she confessed.

“One of what people?” he asked.

“The kind who shop during office hours.”

“Oh,” he said, pulling her closer as they headed for the Cartier store.

Jade raised her eyebrows as they walked into the high-end jewelry store. “You know, this is going to sound strange, but I'm not big on diamonds.”

“Really?”

She nodded.

“I thought it would be corny to get you a jade ring,” he said, with a laugh. “Besides, your girls made it seem as if nothing but two carats would do.”

She bumped her hip against his. “You know me better than that.”

James reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box. “I sure do,” he said as he opened the box, revealing a red jade, white sapphire, and chocolate diamond ring. It had a white gold setting.

Jade was stunned at the beauty and uniqueness of the ring. She ran her finger across the pear-shaped red stone. “Where? When did you get this?”

“The day after I asked you to be my wife.” James slipped the ring on her finger, and it fit perfectly.

“It's beautiful,” she said, with tears pooling in her eyes. “James, if you had the ring already, then why are we here?”

He waved for the clerk.

“Good afternoon,” the woman said. “How may I help you today?”

“You have a custom order for James Goings that I need to pick up.”