down, until she felt herself grip him with such force thathe paused as if glued to her. And then the all-powerful release.
At that moment, he shouted, “You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go.” His tremors shook her, and he collapsed, letting his elbows take his weight.
Neither of them spoke, and she knew that, like her, Mike was absorbing the impact of what they’d just done and what it meant. To her, at least, it meant forever, and she prayed that she hadn’t made a mistake, because an error of such gargantuan proportions would surely ruin her life. She hadn’t experienced true love in the past, and she couldn’t swear that that was what she was feeling right then, but she knew that whatever it was, it had a powerful hold on her.
“How do you feel?”
She told him the truth. “I don’t know. This goes far beyond what I felt with you in Memphis. It was…I guess it was natural, and it…it was as if I didn’t exist anymore. I was you. Oh, I don’t know what I’m saying. It was incredible, but at times I thought I was about to die.”
He kissed her nose and held her closer. “The better we know and understand each other’s needs, the better it should get.”
Her eyes widened. “You mean you’re planning to make a sex fiend out of me?”
His eyes sparkled, and a grin crawled over his face. “I’m damned well going to do my best.”
She whacked his butt, raised her right knee and winked. “Two can play that game.”
“Right, but I’ve been playing it longer than you have.”Her eyebrows shot up. He was hard and moving. She wrapped her arms around him and prepared herself for another trip to paradise.
Shortly after noon the next day, Sunday, she stood at the front door preparing to drive Mike to BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport. Maggie joined them and handed Mike a package.
“Put this in your bag,” she said to Mike. “It’ll keep nice and fresh till you get home. When you coming back?”
“Next weekend.”
Maggie nodded her head as she gazed at him. “Good. Very good. You didn’t say so, but I can see that you straightened things out. Never throw God’s blessings back at him. It’s not a smart thing to do. Bless you.” She kissed his cheek and left them.
“If she likes you, she shouldn’t make it so obvious,” Darlene grumbled. “Anybody’d think she wants to get rid of me.”
“Look at it this way,” Mike said as they headed for the airport in her car. “She knows that sooner or later some guy is going to get you, and she’d rather I was that guy. Don’t park,” he said when they arrived at the airport. “Kiss me right here. I’ll see you next Friday afternoon, and in the meantime see that no man stops within thirty feet of you.”
“What?”
“Well, ten feet.” He pressed a hard kiss to her lips,reached for his bag, jumped out of the car and didn’t look back.
In a moment of inspiration, she realized that he was vulnerable and hadn’t had much experience with vulnerability. Well, neither have I, honey, and I’m learning to deal with it .
Back in Memphis, Mike returned to his daily routine, although some of the spice had gone out of it, and he knew why. Minutes seemed like hours and hours like days as the week crawled by. He satisfied himself that Darlene’s client was connected to the Pickney woman in the sense that they had stumbled onto a family of polished thieves. Darlene’s client and her witness were unaware that one of their relatives was in a Memphis jail, or Darlene would not have been told to get in touch with her as a corroborative witness. Who knew what else this family of grifters was involved in?
Boyd Farmer was the lone witness who could bring the thieves to justice and Mike was determined that he make to trial. That evening. Mike drove out to Boyd’s house carrying two roast-beef dinners and a quart of butter-pecan ice cream.
“Come in. Haven’t seen you in ages,” Boyd said.
“I know,” Mike answered,
At that moment, he shouted, “You’re mine, and I’m not letting you go.” His tremors shook her, and he collapsed, letting his elbows take his weight.
Neither of them spoke, and she knew that, like her, Mike was absorbing the impact of what they’d just done and what it meant. To her, at least, it meant forever, and she prayed that she hadn’t made a mistake, because an error of such gargantuan proportions would surely ruin her life. She hadn’t experienced true love in the past, and she couldn’t swear that that was what she was feeling right then, but she knew that whatever it was, it had a powerful hold on her.
“How do you feel?”
She told him the truth. “I don’t know. This goes far beyond what I felt with you in Memphis. It was…I guess it was natural, and it…it was as if I didn’t exist anymore. I was you. Oh, I don’t know what I’m saying. It was incredible, but at times I thought I was about to die.”
He kissed her nose and held her closer. “The better we know and understand each other’s needs, the better it should get.”
Her eyes widened. “You mean you’re planning to make a sex fiend out of me?”
His eyes sparkled, and a grin crawled over his face. “I’m damned well going to do my best.”
She whacked his butt, raised her right knee and winked. “Two can play that game.”
“Right, but I’ve been playing it longer than you have.”Her eyebrows shot up. He was hard and moving. She wrapped her arms around him and prepared herself for another trip to paradise.
Shortly after noon the next day, Sunday, she stood at the front door preparing to drive Mike to BWI Thurgood Marshall International Airport. Maggie joined them and handed Mike a package.
“Put this in your bag,” she said to Mike. “It’ll keep nice and fresh till you get home. When you coming back?”
“Next weekend.”
Maggie nodded her head as she gazed at him. “Good. Very good. You didn’t say so, but I can see that you straightened things out. Never throw God’s blessings back at him. It’s not a smart thing to do. Bless you.” She kissed his cheek and left them.
“If she likes you, she shouldn’t make it so obvious,” Darlene grumbled. “Anybody’d think she wants to get rid of me.”
“Look at it this way,” Mike said as they headed for the airport in her car. “She knows that sooner or later some guy is going to get you, and she’d rather I was that guy. Don’t park,” he said when they arrived at the airport. “Kiss me right here. I’ll see you next Friday afternoon, and in the meantime see that no man stops within thirty feet of you.”
“What?”
“Well, ten feet.” He pressed a hard kiss to her lips,reached for his bag, jumped out of the car and didn’t look back.
In a moment of inspiration, she realized that he was vulnerable and hadn’t had much experience with vulnerability. Well, neither have I, honey, and I’m learning to deal with it .
Back in Memphis, Mike returned to his daily routine, although some of the spice had gone out of it, and he knew why. Minutes seemed like hours and hours like days as the week crawled by. He satisfied himself that Darlene’s client was connected to the Pickney woman in the sense that they had stumbled onto a family of polished thieves. Darlene’s client and her witness were unaware that one of their relatives was in a Memphis jail, or Darlene would not have been told to get in touch with her as a corroborative witness. Who knew what else this family of grifters was involved in?
Boyd Farmer was the lone witness who could bring the thieves to justice and Mike was determined that he make to trial. That evening. Mike drove out to Boyd’s house carrying two roast-beef dinners and a quart of butter-pecan ice cream.
“Come in. Haven’t seen you in ages,” Boyd said.
“I know,” Mike answered,
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