Authors: Angie Daniels

When It Rains... (27 page)

BOOK: When It Rains...

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But how?

Thirteen

H
oney woke the next morning to find herself on the couch with a pillow beneath her head and a blanket covering her. The aroma of fresh coffee led her to the kitchen, where she found Jay standing at the stove.

When he heard her house shoes slide across the linoleum,Jay glanced over his shoulder. “Good mornin', sleepyhead. Breakfast will be ready in a minute.”

Lips curved into a sleepy smile, Honey lowered herselfinto a chair and felt a rush of delight. Jay didn't know the first thing about cooking, yet she was flatteredhe was making an effort for her.

Cupping her face with her hands, she leaned against the table and watched him with admiration. He had taken a shower; his hair was damp, and he was bare from the waist up. The muscles in his back flexed when he moved to the refrigerator on bare feet, looking right at home.

“You need some help?” she offered.

“No. I have everything under control,” he answered with a quick smile, then resumed chopping onions and peppers on a cutting board.

Honey grinned as a warm feeling flowed through her body and down between her thighs. Last night she had awakened briefly to find herself tucked snugly in his arms. Though startled, she couldn't will herself to move. For the rest of the night, she'd lain there, tingling with excitement. When she had arisen this morning alone, she felt a sense of loss.

“For you, madam.” Jay padded to her, and with a spatula, lowered a beautifully browned ham and cheese omelet onto a plate.

Honey sucked in her breath as her eyes drifted down the length of his chest. Staring at his bare, taut skin, she licked her lips. Her awed gaze followed the trail of silky hair that spread over his sculptured pecs, then narrowed and plunged down a muscular abdomen, only to disappear below his belt.
Damn, that mothafuckalooks good.

Dropping her eyes to the plate, she pretended not to be affected. “It looks great.”

Jay took a seat opposite her and reached for his own plate.

Honey raised the fork to her mouth and was delightedby the savory taste. “Mmm, this is good. When did you learn to cook? The Jay I remember couldn't even boil water.” He had always been too busy to worry about something as time-consuming as cooking.

He chuckled. “I took cooking lessons while doing surveillance on a thief who owned a restaurant.”

Shaking her head, she mumbled, “Forget I asked.”

They ate in silence for several minutes until Honey found Jay watching her. “What?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “How you feelin' this morning?”

She couldn't resist a grin. “Much better.” She reached for the pitcher of orange juice and poured some into her glass. “I believe my fever has broken.”

He laid his hand across her forehead. Her skin felt cooler to the touch. “Good. You look better, but no point in rushing it.”

“Rushin' what? The salon is closed until Tuesday. I have two days to lie around and maybe read a couple of magazines I've never gotten around to finishing.”

“How about after you get back in bed, we play a game of Scrabble before I leave?”

“Sure.” She managed to keep her disappointment from showing; however, it churned through her mind. She didn't want him to leave.

Jay gave her a sidelong glance. He didn't want to leave either, but he also didn't want to wear out his welcome. He wanted a repeat of last night. But the ball was now in her court. If Honey wanted him to stay, she would have to ask him herself. However, if she did she had better be prepared for a little extra TLC.

After breakfast, Honey excused herself and went upstairs to take a shower. Jay volunteered to clean up the kitchen. He had just loaded the dishwasher when the doorbell rang. He went to answer it and was greeted by Rashad.

Rashad looked at Jay for several seconds, not the least bit surprised to find him there. While the two had interactedat the salon, Rashad had had a strong suspicion something was going on between Jay and his sister. What he couldn't understand was, if she was fucking this cat why did she have him hook her up with his boy?

“Hey, what's up?”

Jay moved aside. “We just finished breakfast.”

Rashad stepped into the room and looked toward the top of the staircase.

“She's in the shower,” Jay answered, reading his thoughts.

At that moment, Honey came downstairs in a blue sweat suit. “Rashad, what are you doing here?” she asked, surprised to see her brother.

“Mom wanted to check on you.” He gave her a long look. His sister couldn't be too sick if she had this pretty-ass nigga over. “She's in the car talkin' to Tequila on the phone.”

Honey ran a hand through her damp hair and smiled. “Y'all didn't have to come over. I'm fine.”

Jay stepped in and draped an arm around her waist. “No, she's not fine. Your sister still has a low-grade fever and refuses to get back in bed.”

Rashad nodded. “She's always been stubborn.”

“I know.”

“I see.” Rashad chuckled inwardly. Maybe this cat was just what his sister needed.

Jay's cell phone rang, and he excused himself and moved into the kitchen.

“Chad, what's up?”

“Breakthrough, man. We found a Dr. J.W. Price practicing right outside of Leavenworth, Kansas.”

“Are you sure it's Jhamil?”

“Positive. I called and checked myself. It's also the same address the insurance company is scheduled to mail the check to.”

Jay was silent.

“Who you want to send?”

If their suspicions were correct, things could turn ugly when they confronted the dead man's brother. Jay knew that, as the head of the agency, he had to let the physical risk fall on him. With a silent curse, Jay answered,“Have Dory book me on a flight leaving tomorrow.”

Jay returned to the living room to find Rashad missing;however, a lovely silver-haired woman was sitting on the couch. Aside from the tiny lines around her eyes, her face was virtually wrinkle-free.

Honey did the introductions. “Mom, this is my friend Jay.”

Jay moved toward her. “We spoke on the phone. It's so nice to meet you.”

“You too.” Helen rose, extended her arms, and hugged him tight. Jay returned the embrace. When they pulled apart, she grasped his hand. “Thanks for taking care of my baby.” Her eyes moved leisurely across his face.

“Your baby is hardheaded.”

Helen squeezed his hand with affection while assessingthe tall man before her. His voice hadn't lied. He was as handsome and kind as he had sounded over the phone. She gave an amused chuckle. “Yes, she alwayswas.” Still holding his hand, she returned to her seat on the couch. Jay sat beside her.

“So tell me, how'd you meet my daughter?”

Honey jumped in. “Terraine is Jay's brother.”

Helen's eyes grew large. “Oh, your brother is a wonderfulyoung man. Sasha's like a daughter to me. Are you anything like your brother?”

Honey's throat became dry. She knew where this conversation was going.

Jay looked down at the petite smiling woman. “I'd like to think we're a lot alike.”

“Good,” she said, her eyes mirroring approval, and they shared a knowing smile. What Honey didn't know was that they had shared a conversation the night before. Jay had instantly felt comfortable talking to Helen, as if she were his own mother.

Rashad came through the door carrying a large basket,tracking snow on the carpet. From the look on his sister's face, he realized his mistake. “My bad.” He went back to wipe his feet on the mat.

Helen rose and took the basket from him. “I decided to cancel Sunday dinner since Shaquil's in Kansas City this weekend and you're sick. So I brought over some leftovers I froze.”

“You didn't have to do that, Mom.”

“Yes, I did. You have this handsome man over here taking care of you. We can't let him starve.”

This is exactly why I have never invited him to dinner.
She had known her family would take an instant liking to him.

The four sat in the living room and talked until it was close to lunchtime. Then Helen went into the kitchen to warm up the food. Honey didn't have much of an appetite, but she sat at the table while the others ate. She found herself watching Jay as he interacted with her family. Her coochie hot and moist, she had to squeeze her legs tightly together.

Jay looked at her in time to see her grace him with a dreamy, trusting smile. The glazed look in her eyes caused his mouth to drop open.
Is she thinkin' what I think she's fuckin' thinkin'?

Helen watched them, her eyes shimmering with happiness. Jay had eyes for no one but her daughter. He was sitting close to her with his hand possessively resting over hers; she had also seen the look in Honey's eyes, and knew Jay was indeed the one. “Rashad, I think it's time for us to go.” She rose and looked to her left. “Jay, I hope to see you at dinner next Sunday.”

Jay also rose. “I'll be there.” Taking her hands in his, he leaned over to kiss her smooth cheek. As he looked over his shoulder, his gaze collided with Honey's, and he saw that soft, familiar look in her eyes again. As soon as the two left, it was on and poppin'!

Together they stood at the window and watched them pull away. Jay clasped her hand moving her back to the couch. “I hope you don't feel pressured to invite me.”

She shook her head, a smile on her lips. “I'd love to have you join us for dinner.”

“Good. Now back to bed.” He swept her up into his arms and carried her up to her room, their mouths only inches apart.

He didn't have to wait long for her to make the first move. Honey's hand came up and curled around the back of his neck, tugging him closer. Lowering her onto the bed, he leaned down beside her with her hot breath stroking his chin. She tilted her head back against the pillow and raised her lips to meet his in a fierce kiss. He used his tongue to open her mouth farther.Oh, it felt so good kissing her! He moved to kiss her neck and a moan escaped her lips. However, when his long fingers slid underneath her sweatshirt, she pushed against him and ended the kiss.

“Wait a damn minute!” she whispered, her breath coming out in short gasps. With her eyes closed, she had seen Walter lying on top of her with a devilish grin on his face. The image had scared the shit out of her. “N-not yet.”

“Aw'ight,” Jay whispered, his voice hoarse. Taking a moment to catch his breath, he nodded, then held her close to him. “I would never force you to do anything you don't want to do.”

And she knew he meant it.

After a long silence, she removed her arms from his neck and gazed up at him. She saw desire mirroring her own in his eyes. Jay was different. He would understand.Something told her he would be gentle and patientand anything else she needed to help overcome her fear of sexual intercourse. Fuckin' a vibrator she could deal with, fuckin' a man she wasn't sure if she was ready to explore.

She sat up in the bed beside him. “You want to know why I froze up that night and asked you to leave?” she finally managed to say.

“Only if you're ready to tell me.”

“I'm not a virgin.” Honey paused, then said, “I was raped.”

“What?” Disbelief filled his face. He witnessed her pained expression. “How ... When ...” He broke off, unsure what to say, and pulled her close to him, resting her head on his chest.

Despite her best intentions, her eyes grew shiny with tears, and she reached up to wipe them away. “It happened during high school. I was on a date with this fool I really thought liked me... .”

As she poured out her story to him, Jay listened without interruption except for an occasional exasperatedsigh. Someone had violated his boo. If he could have found Walter, he would have capped a bullet in his ass. He felt some consolation that Shaquil had beat his ass. God! All this time he'd been thinking about his own ego, how she kept rejecting a nigga and how hard his dick was, while all along she was hurting and needed someone to listen. To understand. He had been a selfish bastard. Her wounds were far deeper than he had fuckin' imagined.

When she finished, Jay pushed slightly away and gazed into her eyes. “Honey, baby, I'm so sorry.”

She heard the sympathy in his voice. What she didn't want was his pity ... which was why she'd decided not to tell him she was unable to have children. That might be more than either of them could bear.

Taking her hand, he said gently, “I'm glad you finallytold me.”

“Thanks for listenin'.” She flashed him a smile designedto eliminate any pity he might feel.

BOOK: When It Rains...

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