unconvincing.
He leaned over and planted a long kiss on my lips, then whispered in my ear, “God knows I want to, but I respect you, Marli. I think we’re working toward something more than just sex.”
Can this man get any better? I reached up and returned his kiss with one of my own. After a few seconds, our lips parted, and as I stepped back, Chris grabbed me and held me close as he kissed me deeply. I thought I’d melt right then and there. With his kiss, he’d rocked me right to my core, and the only thought in my head was that I didn’t want him to stop.
When the elevator doors opened, he finally released me and we squeezed past a young white couple who was standing outside the doors. I could see them giving us odd looks, but Chris didn’t seem to notice as he grabbed my hand and guided me down the hall.
He unlocked the door to apartment 5E. “Welcome to my humble abode, Ms. Meadows.”
I smiled and followed him inside. As I looked around the place, my eyes widened. “Humble” was definitely not how I’d describe it. “Gorgeous” would be more appropriate. I followed Chris through the foyer into the living room and felt as if I’d walked into an interior designer’s lab. The walls were painted a deep, creamy shade of beige. Modern, expensive-looking furniture decorated the room in shades of bronze, rust, and camel. On the walls hung poster-sized black and white photos of the city.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing toward a comfortable-looking leather sofa.
“Okay. Chris, your place is beautiful . Did you decorate it yourself?”
Chris shook his head. “Nah, paid a decorator to do it.”
“Well, it was money well spent. This place is gorgeous.”
“Thanks. So feel free to look around. I’ma go and get started on dinner.”
“Wait, are you cooking for us?” I asked.
“I sure am,” he replied and then turned and glided off to the kitchen.
I sat there for a moment, took in my surroundings, and noticed some photos lining a bookshelf across the room. I walked over to get a closer look and smiled at the row of pictures that gave me a glimpse into Chris’s past. Some were copies of the ones at his parents’ home, others I’d never seen before—one of which was a really nice photo of Chris in his graduation cap and gown, surrounded by his sisters. I picked it up to get a closer look.
“Graduation day at Grambling,” he said. I hadn’t noticed him standing behind me.
He pointed to the faces. “That’s Jayne. I know you haven’t met her yet, and of course you know Ava and Lana.”
I nodded. “Ava, Lana, and Jayne. Beautiful names for beautiful women.”
“Yeah, my mom’s an old movie fanatic, in case you haven’t figured that out. She once told me that if I hadn’t already been named Christopher, she would’ve named me Humphrey.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Like Humphrey Bogart? Well, thank God she didn’t get a chance to.”
He nodded. “Amen.”
I continued to peruse the pictures and came to one in particular that caught my eye. It was of a little boy who was obviously of mixed race. He had fair, brown skin and curly, black hair. His striking blue eyes told me that he was Chris’s son, Russell.
I picked the picture up for a closer look. “Is this—”
“Yeah, that’s Russ,” he said, softly.
“He’s a beautiful child. He has your eyes.”
He nodded, his eyes full of sadness. “Yeah, he does. Thank you.”
“I didn’t notice any photos of him at your parents’ house.”
He shook his head. “No, Mama took them down. It was just too painful for her to see him all the time. She worries about him a lot. He was her first grandchild.”
“You’ll get him back, Chris. I’m sure of it.”
“Thanks, Marli.”
I moved on to a photo of a white couple. The man looked to be older than the woman. He was tall with dark hair and eyes. The woman
He leaned over and planted a long kiss on my lips, then whispered in my ear, “God knows I want to, but I respect you, Marli. I think we’re working toward something more than just sex.”
Can this man get any better? I reached up and returned his kiss with one of my own. After a few seconds, our lips parted, and as I stepped back, Chris grabbed me and held me close as he kissed me deeply. I thought I’d melt right then and there. With his kiss, he’d rocked me right to my core, and the only thought in my head was that I didn’t want him to stop.
When the elevator doors opened, he finally released me and we squeezed past a young white couple who was standing outside the doors. I could see them giving us odd looks, but Chris didn’t seem to notice as he grabbed my hand and guided me down the hall.
He unlocked the door to apartment 5E. “Welcome to my humble abode, Ms. Meadows.”
I smiled and followed him inside. As I looked around the place, my eyes widened. “Humble” was definitely not how I’d describe it. “Gorgeous” would be more appropriate. I followed Chris through the foyer into the living room and felt as if I’d walked into an interior designer’s lab. The walls were painted a deep, creamy shade of beige. Modern, expensive-looking furniture decorated the room in shades of bronze, rust, and camel. On the walls hung poster-sized black and white photos of the city.
“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing toward a comfortable-looking leather sofa.
“Okay. Chris, your place is beautiful . Did you decorate it yourself?”
Chris shook his head. “Nah, paid a decorator to do it.”
“Well, it was money well spent. This place is gorgeous.”
“Thanks. So feel free to look around. I’ma go and get started on dinner.”
“Wait, are you cooking for us?” I asked.
“I sure am,” he replied and then turned and glided off to the kitchen.
I sat there for a moment, took in my surroundings, and noticed some photos lining a bookshelf across the room. I walked over to get a closer look and smiled at the row of pictures that gave me a glimpse into Chris’s past. Some were copies of the ones at his parents’ home, others I’d never seen before—one of which was a really nice photo of Chris in his graduation cap and gown, surrounded by his sisters. I picked it up to get a closer look.
“Graduation day at Grambling,” he said. I hadn’t noticed him standing behind me.
He pointed to the faces. “That’s Jayne. I know you haven’t met her yet, and of course you know Ava and Lana.”
I nodded. “Ava, Lana, and Jayne. Beautiful names for beautiful women.”
“Yeah, my mom’s an old movie fanatic, in case you haven’t figured that out. She once told me that if I hadn’t already been named Christopher, she would’ve named me Humphrey.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Like Humphrey Bogart? Well, thank God she didn’t get a chance to.”
He nodded. “Amen.”
I continued to peruse the pictures and came to one in particular that caught my eye. It was of a little boy who was obviously of mixed race. He had fair, brown skin and curly, black hair. His striking blue eyes told me that he was Chris’s son, Russell.
I picked the picture up for a closer look. “Is this—”
“Yeah, that’s Russ,” he said, softly.
“He’s a beautiful child. He has your eyes.”
He nodded, his eyes full of sadness. “Yeah, he does. Thank you.”
“I didn’t notice any photos of him at your parents’ house.”
He shook his head. “No, Mama took them down. It was just too painful for her to see him all the time. She worries about him a lot. He was her first grandchild.”
“You’ll get him back, Chris. I’m sure of it.”
“Thanks, Marli.”
I moved on to a photo of a white couple. The man looked to be older than the woman. He was tall with dark hair and eyes. The woman
Similar Books
