Falling for Autumn (17 page)

Her eyes searched his, and he let her search them openly. “Autumn, there isn't anyone else but you. Never was and never will be. When you're in the room, I barely even notice anyone else is around, and when we're not together, I'm counting the seconds until I can be with you again. Simply put, I've fallen madly and deeply in love with you, Autumn Dupree, and I've been free-falling from the very start. I don't want my time with you to ever end. If I have my way...it never will.”

* * *

So this is what free-falling feels like...
Her breath caught in her throat.
He loves me... He. Loves. Me...
And the realization that he'd actually voiced the words she felt in her heart brought tears to her eyes. She shivered in excitement as strong emotions raced through her body.

“I've fallen in love with you, too, Ajay Reed. And not just the Ajay you are now, but the Ajay you were as a boy. The Ajay that had to grow up too fast and deal with more heartache than most.”

She gazed into the uninhibited eyes of a man who'd completely stolen her heart with no plans of giving it back. “I don't think anyone in my life has ever understood me like you do. I'm the type of person who would rather do research on issues that are important to me than watch television. Libraries are often my favorite place to escape. I prefer wearing dresses and skirts to work because they make me feel sexy, although the occasional jeans and shorts are my clothing of choice. If I had a dog, there's no doubt that I would name her Genevieve after my grandmother whom I never got a chance to meet. My favorite color is yellow, but I don't wear a lot of it. Family means everything to me, but I've always been unsure if I will find a man who would truly love me. And not just surface love, but the deep kind of love that makes your toes curl just thinking about the way he feels about you.”

She scooted closer to him as much as the hammock would allow. “You give me more than the toe-curling kind of love. With you, I feel as though I can truly be myself and I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not. At times, it may be hard for me to open up, but when I'm with you, I find it hard to keep all my feelings bottled inside. Deep down, I knew the moment I met you that you were different. That you'd somehow impact my life in ways I didn't see coming.”

Without warning, his lips found hers in a kiss that started off innocently, but transformed to a much deeper one. A kiss that held more promise and meaning than any kiss they'd ever shared. When he pulled back, she immediately missed having his lips on hers.

“That's not all.” She read the vulnerability in his eyes. “I don't want to spend another moment apart. When we get back to Chicago, I would love for us to move in together. I don't care if it's my home or your town house. Or someplace else entirely. I just want us to be together so that we can continue to build on our relationship.”

His eyes grew more serious. “I don't know how you feel about marriage and kids in the near future, but I want more than a relationship. I want a future with you. Someday soon, I want to get married and start a family of my own. I know we both still have issues from our pasts that we need to work out, but I can't imagine doing so without you by my side. Without you, nothing else matters.”

Her heart swelled. This was it. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. The moment when she could vividly imagine a future with the man she loved. The feeling was so exhilarating, she had to briefly close her eyes before meeting his gaze again. “Then, you're in luck, because I can't imagine living the rest of my life without you by my side, either, and I want nothing more than to take the next step and start building our future together.” She meant
every
last word.

Epilogue

Two months later...

“A
re you finished with your letter?” she asked Ajay as they sat at the kitchen table of his home. After Winter and Taheim's wedding, the pair had decided that moving into Ajay's home was the best option and they would lease out Autumn's town house.

Although it had been only a couple of months, living with Ajay had been nothing short of amazing. Within weeks, they'd fallen into a comfortable pattern and every day they were discovering something new they had in common.

“Almost,” he replied with a deep sigh. One month ago, Ajay had kept his promise and had spoken at the women's-aid program for women who were released from prison and were trying to get their lives back on track. She'd gone with him that day, and even though she knew his story, hearing him rehash the details to the audience had been an emotional experience. After his speech, several members of different families had gone up to Ajay and expressed their gratitude for having him share his story. The entire time they were at the program meeting, Mrs. Reed had looked at her son as if she were the proudest mom in the world.

After that day, Autumn had heard about a new organization in Chicago called Born Again that held monthly inspirational meetings to teach people how to overcome obstacles and circumstances they may have been faced with. She'd asked Ajay to attend a meeting with her, and both of them were truly impressed by the organization. After speaking with the director, they learned that the members were people from all different walks of life who had gone through a tragic or trying period in their lives and ultimately wanted to start over. There were so many circumstances that caused people to join the organization, and the support that they were given was priceless.

Autumn and Ajay were slotted to speak at the next meeting and share their stories in hopes that it would help others who may have had to overcome similar obstacles. To prepare for the meeting, Autumn had suggested that Ajay write a letter to his birth mom about everything he would have said to her had she not passed away. At first, he wasn't receptive to the idea, since it was a letter she would never get the chance to read. So Autumn had decided that even though she wouldn't send her letter, either, she would write one to her ex in response to the letter he wrote her all those years ago. In her letter, she would mention all the reasons why she would no longer let that time in her life define her future.

Glancing over at Ajay, she knew he was the reason why she no longer carried around that burden. There were so many remarkable things about him, it was impossible to choose only a few things she loved. When he finished his letter, she took both of them and sealed them in an envelope together.

“What do we do next?” he asked when she placed the envelope in a small box.

“When the time is right, we will find a place to bury the letters. What we've gone through in our pasts isn't something we'll ever forget, and we shouldn't because it made us who we are today...and we connect on a certain level because of it. But we don't need to harbor burdens such as these, so by burying this box, we are saying that we are healing and moving on with our lives. No looking back. Only moving forward.”

Ajay stood from the table and pulled her into his arms. “When did you get so smart?”

“You didn't know?” she said playfully. “Well, someone should have told you before you fell in love with me.”

His eyes glinted with amusement. “Something tells me I would have fallen in love with you regardless. You're pretty damn incredible.”

Her gaze bounced between his eyes and his lips. “And you're absolutely amazing.” Just then, the newest addition to the household squeezed her way in between them and started barking.

“I think Genevieve agrees,” she said as she glanced at the eight-month-old puppy holding her red leash in her mouth. When they'd found her at a nearby animal shelter, both Ajay and Autumn had immediately fallen in love with the dark brown Labrador.

“I better take her for a walk,” Ajay said before placing a sweet kiss on Autumn's lips that she felt deep in her soul.

“Okay, I have to meet the girls for yoga, so I will probably be gone by the time you get back.”

As Ajay placed the leash on Genevieve, Autumn went to the front closet to grab her gym bag and put on her shoes. Ajay was almost out the door when he glanced back to Autumn, who was still at the closet.

“Is that new?” he asked as he pointed to one of the items she had in her hand, but she wasn't sure what he was pointing to.

“Is what new?”

“The yoga mat.”

“Oh, yeah,” she said, using the attached strap to sling it over her shoulder. “I saw it in the store the other day and fell in love with the motivating words written on it.”

“Hmm... It's nice, but I like your purple-and-black one more. You look so sexy when you work out on it.”

Autumn froze. She hadn't used that mat in front of Ajay yet. When she did yoga at home, she used her simple black mat that never left the house.

“When did you see me use my purple-and-black mat?” His sly smile told her all she needed to know. “Did you see me working out that day on the beach?”

“If you're referring to the time when you were spying on me in Bora Bora, then yes, I saw you working out that day.”

“Then, clearly you had been spying on me first.” She placed one hand on her hip.

“I was running and spotted you doing yoga,” he admitted. “When I noticed you were wrapping up, I decided to leave before you noticed.”

“So you pretended that you were still running by the time I saw you?”

“Pretty much,” he said with a laugh. “I was hoping you followed me.”

“So that you could strip in front of me? Why didn't you say anything? I was crouched down in the plants like a stalker.”

“At first, I thought about saying something. But it was way too funny watching you try to spy on me. By the way, you're no Sherlock Holmes. I heard every branch you stepped on, and if that wasn't loud enough, I heard your moans of appreciation, too.”

“I did not moan!”

“Oh, yes, you did. I liked it, though. Gave me an opportunity to see how far you would go when you thought I wasn't paying attention.”

She smiled as she began shaking her head in disbelief. “I can't believe I thought you couldn't see me that day. That's so humiliating.”

“No, it isn't,” he said, pulling her to him while still holding the leash in his hand. “You were adorable that day. I tried to prolong removing my clothes as much as possible just so that you wouldn't leave.”

She squinted her eyes. “You know I'm getting you back, right? And you shouldn't bother preparing yourself because it will be when you least expect it.”

His eyes went from playful to serious in a matter of seconds. “With you, I'm learning that I should always expect the unexpected. And if I'm not mistaken, you're learning the same thing.” A cunning smile slowly spread across his face. She knew that look. She'd fallen in love with that look. Ajay Reed had something planned, and she had a feeling that she knew what it was. She didn't know when. She didn't know how. But she knew in her heart that they would be taking another step in their relationship very soon...and she couldn't wait to see what happened after that.

* * * * *

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!
Click
here
to Join Harlequin My Rewards
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010003

Get rewarded every time you buy a Harlequin ebook!

Do you want to earn
Free Books
and More?
Join
Harlequin My Rewards
points program and earn points every time you shop.

You can redeem your points to get more of what you love:

Free books
Exclusive gifts and contests
Book recommendations tailored to your reading preferences

Earn
2000 points
instantly when you join—getting you closer to redeeming your first free book.

Don't miss out. Reward the book lover in you!

Click
here
to sign up
Or visit us online to sign up at

http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Kimani Romance.

You dream in vibrant hues!
Harlequin Kimani Romance
stories feature sophisticated, soulful and sensual African-American and multicultural heroes and heroines who develop fulfilling relationships as they lead lives full of drama, glamour and passion.

Enjoy four new stories from Harlequin Kimani Romance every month!

Connect with us on
Harlequin.com
for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

Other ways to keep in touch:

Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com