“Yes,” she replied.
“Well,” he began smoothly, “would you let me take you out to a friendly dinner on Saturday?”
Slightly intrigued and more than a little tempted, she could feel the acceptance bubbling up her throat. She was about to let it slip across her lips when she heard, “Hey, Ma, I’m home,” coming from the other side of her kitchen door.
The sound of James’ voice was sobering to her, pulling her out of whatever haze Adam’s velvety tone had wrapped her in, reminding her the only person she had time for was the boy she was raising.
Life had taught her that the one constant joy in her life was her son. That was the only happiness she could trust. Her husband, her mother, they’d both been never-ending sources of pain and loneliness. Janae had fought so hard to make her soul impenetrable to the outside world. As benign as dinner with an acquaintance was, that wasn’t what scared her about Adam.
It was her reaction to him. Whether it was in Vanessa’s office, orchatting with him in passing at the school, or sitting on the phone for a few minutes, he made her want to say yes to him. Saying yes had opened her up to a world of hurt that she’d nearly drowned beneath. Risking that again because she found Adam attractive was foolish in her book.
So, she wouldn’t entertain connecting with him. The answer was no.
Since Janae was known for her stubbornness, it shouldn’t be hard for her to stick to her guns on this matter either. She’d done it before without batting an eye. Like the time her mother had threatened her with the loss of all her privileges if she didn’t go on a diet and lose weight when she was a junior in high school.
Janae had gladly come straight home and gone upstairs to her room, forgoing any of the fun things the rest of the kids in town were doing, because she refused to break under her mother’s tyranny.
Janae wasn’t meant to be skinny. She’d known that from a very young age. But her mother, a former beauty queen, couldn’t accept that her pudgy daughter was perfectly happy in all her fluffiness.
Her mother had learned then if Janae didn’t want to do something, there wasn’t a devil in hell that could make her.
Still, Adam’s smooth voice, his lazy smile, and his intense stare made her want to say yes. And just as immune as she was to peer pressure and parental coercion, she was doubly determined to embrace everything she wanted in life.
That was the problem.
Her mind kept wondering what kinds of joy that man with his thick lips and alluring locs could bring her.
Lord knew it had been a good while since she’d enjoyed orgasms that didn’t come from her own hand or one of her battery-operated toys. Not that she had a problem with self-pleasure, she was all for a woman getting hers anyway she wanted. Nevertheless, she would be lying if she said she didn’t miss the solid weight of a man between her thighs or rough stubble against some of her softest places.
Adam couldn’t be the man for that. He was too intense, capturing too much of her attention in the few moments they’d spent together since his return. Janae had always been an all or nothing kind of girl. Right now, getting the arts program reinstated had to be her focus. Adam would be a heavy distraction for her in this moment.
Nope, she avoided things that were gonna cause her problems like the plague, and Adam Henderson should be right at the top of her “ain’t no way in hell” list.
“Adam, I’m sorry, I don’t think that’s a good idea. My schedule’s impossible right now. Thanks so much for asking, though.”
“Janae—”
She didn’t give him the chance to finish; she simply said, “I’ve gotta go, Adam. Welcome back home.”
She disconnected the call just as her son walked through the kitchen door smiling and asking, “Is there anything to eat?”
Warmth flowed through her as she watched her son’s familiar smile bloom across his lips. Yeah, this was the only thing she needed to focus on. Focusing on anything or anyone else had always come back to burn her. Case in point, her ex-husband. Marq’s possessiveness had nearly driven her over the edge. When she’d finally found the strength to break free of him, he’d punished her, dragging her through an ugly divorce that had practically broken her.
She would never willingly open herself up to hurt like that again. Nope. She was fine just the way she was, alone. Now she needed to keep her heart and focus where it belonged, on her son-shine and work. That was it, that was all.
Adam smiled as he sat in his car, looking at the phone in his hand. Yes, Janae had turned him down, but he could hear the interest in her voice. He hoped she felt whatever this thing was that was bubbling up between them. Maybe he wasn’t in this alone, and thatwas a huge change from when they were kids. Then, he was only able to indulge in his attraction to her from a distance. It appeared the tide was changing, however. Now… now he felt like he had a fighting chance.
He remained that way, grinning from ear to ear, until a tap on his window pulled him from his amusing thoughts.
He looked up to see Michael and Derrick standing next to his car.
“You staying in there forever or you coming out so I can get my strawberry pancakes?”
Slightly annoyed at Michael for interrupting his thoughts of Janae, Adam left his car and slapped a hand on Michael’s gut. “You keep eatin’ them and you’re gonna turn into a strawberry pancake. You know your metabolism slows down as you age. You can’t eat like you’re twelve and expect to burn it off like you used to.”
Michael pushed Adam’s hand off his stomach and nearly growled at him.
“My waistline is exactly the same as it was when I left college. I’m the only one among us that’s always doing some kind of exercise drill. It’s kinda necessary for me to do my job and keep y’all safe in this town. I am in the best shape of my life.”
