He grunted.
“Come on, let me feed you.”
He finally let me push back and stand, slowly releasing himself from me around a loudpop. I went to the bathroom to clean up, realizing we’d just had sex without a condom.
“Shit,” I cursed myself. We always used protection. I didn’t know what the hell happened. I made a mental note to pick up some Plan B pills the following day. I headed to my bedroom and changed my now-stained and ripped clothing to a pair of light pink silk pajama shorts and sleeveless top. By the time Xavier came out of the bathroom, he was down to his T-shirt and sweatpants he’d brought with him. I pulled his plate from the microwave and sat it at the counter in the center of my kitchen. Sitting in there was more intimate than the dining room. When I sat on the stool next to his, he pulled me closer, wrapping one hand around my waist and using the other to eat.
“She didn’t get enough recognition for this album. It was so good,” I commented on Tamia’sLove Lifealbum that played in the background. I’d been feeling the hell out of that album lately.
“What’s your favorite song on the album?”
“Mm, that’s tough, but ‘Stuck With Me’ is probably the winner.”
“Sing it to me.”
I stared at him.
“I’m serious. Sing it to me. I already know you can sing.”
“I cannot sing. I might be able to hold a note or two, but I’m not a singer.”
“So what? Sing for me.” His gaze penetrated mine. This man actually wanted me to sing.
“Xavier, I—”
“Don’t think; just sing.”
I hated the way his words warmed me all over. I took one last look at him and picked up my phone to change it to “Stuck With Me”.
“You asked for it,” I lamented as the opening chords began.
“I did,” he answered smugly.
I looked him in the eye, took a deep breath, and began to sing. My voice started off low to match the melody of the music. I closed my eyes and started snapping my fingers to the rhythm. When I felt Xavier’s hand tighten on my thigh, I opened my eyes, to stare at him.I continued to sing, completely entranced in Xavier’s gaze. His eyes never left mine and that only emboldened me. I sang the song with complete abandon, letting the words and feelings flow. I got into it when my favorite part of the song came up. “Baby, you're stuck with me…” I felt like I was revealing a piece of me that I’d never shown anyone. I loved singing, but never did it for anyone besides myself these days. I stopped performing as a child and had vowed I’d never sing for anyone again. Now, here I was singing my heart out to a man I was pretty sure I was doing the unthinkable with. I was falling for him.
By the time the last lyric spilled from my lips, my vision blurred from the tears that I refused to let spill over. But, I found myself in Xavier’s arms, chest to chest, as he pulled my legs up and around his waist and stood, walking both of us to my bedroom.
“Take the day off tomorrow,” he told me as he laid us both down on my queen-size bed.
I swallowed, still choked up from the emotions of singing for him.
“Call in. Spend the day with me,” he said again.
I nodded, silently agreeing, and his lips were on mine.
Chapter Eighteen
Chanel
I paused, my fingers around the door handle of the deli, inhaling, trying to calm my nerves. I’d been preparing myself all morning for this meeting. Hell, I’d been trying to prepare myself for a week.
Once I’d gotten the return email from Ethan saying he was free the following week, I’d agreed to meet him and see what he wanted. There I was, ready to talk to the man I’d once thought I was going to spend my life with, but now hadn’t seen in five years. A man for whom I’d waited until he’d left for work, then packed one suitcase and flew across the country to break free from.
I thought about all of that as my hand rested on the door handle to the deli. I started when a patron pushed the door open to exit. It brought me back to the present moment. I wasn’t the same woman I was five years ago; at least, that’s what I told myself as I entered the deli. Ironically, it was the same place where Xavier claimed we had our first date. And thinking of him somehow made me feel a little stronger, made me straighten my stance, and walk with just a little more confidence than I’d had just seconds before.
At first, I didn’t see Ethan, but as I looked toward the back, my breath caught. He didn’t immediately see me, allowing me to study him from afar for a moment. He appeared the same, his six-foot frame looking huge around the small table, his caramel skin clear, and he’d let the goatee he’d had when we were together grow into a full beard.
He looked up. His honey eyes locked on mine as he rose from his seat. He was dressed casually in a pair of dark jeans and a Polo top, the muscles of his arms bulging as he stood. He was still as imposing and handsome as the day I’d met him. I swallowed and made my feet move in his direction.
