One Night: A BWWM Interracial Romance Page 17

  Finally he burst out, “I meant it you know,” he said, taking his eyes off the road to look right at her.

  She turned to him in astonishment, not knowing how to react. All she could do was stare at him while she worked out her response. After a few seconds she realized that he hadn’t shifted his eyes from her as he sped down the road.

  “The road!” she cried in a panic, even though, as she turned to look, she could see that the path ahead was free of any other vehicles. She saw a flash of disappointment in his eyes before he shifted his gaze back to the road.

  “Really?” she asked quietly looking at his profile. “You don’t have to say it to make me—”

  “I meant it,” he said curtly.

  She knew he was waiting for her to return the sentiment and just as she was about to, the car swerved to the side of the road, almost jostling her out of her seat.

  “What are you doing?” she cried in surprise.

  He parked the car in the leafy bank and turned to her. “I need to know how you feel,” he said. “Don’t spare my feelings, I can take it. I know we haven’t really been in each other’s company that long, but theses last few weeks of talking to you and...just seeing you every moment. I’m sure of how I feel. These things get said in the heat of the moment, I know, and if you want to take it ba—”

  She shut him up with a kiss.

  It was as long and sensual as their prior monumental kisses, but this one was far, far better. The wild burst of fireworks that were going off in her chest jettisoned through her body and went straight into the passion that she exerted to let him know: Yes, she loved him too.

  They stayed that way until they were both almost out of breath. Coming up for air, they stared at each other with adoration. Then they leaned their heads against one another’s and began laughing.

  Jake pulled away from Natalie and looked at her thoughtfully.

  “I want you to meet my sister.” he said.

  Once again, Natalie was thrown. She had seen so much of his life today, the most intimate parts, it made sense that he should want to take this step. Especially after what had just happened. Everything was just happening so fast!

  “If you think it’s okay,” she said hesitantly.

  “Of course,” he said looking at her with certainty. “She’s been dying to meet you anyway.”

  Again, Natalie was surprised. Then she remembered the book. Of course his sister had read it. She groaned inwardly. She certainly hoped that wasn’t his sister’s only impression of her.

  Jake read her expression and smiled. “Don’t worry,” he said, “she loved Naomi…and she’s going to love you even more.”

  “You forget I’ve read the book,” she groaned. “I’m like Naomi’s plain, clumsy, distant cousin.”

  “You are most definitely not plain,” he assured her, laughing as she gave him a glare for ignoring the other part of her comment. “I’m going to call her up now and we can make plans for this week sometime.”

  “Now?” she asked, startled. “While I’m here?”

  “Why not?” he said already pressing the bluetooth button in the car.

  Natalie cringed as she heard the ringing of the phone reverberate throughout the car.

  “Hello?” said a feminine voice on the other end. “Jake?”

  “Hey, sis,” he said, giving Natalie a reassuring smile. “Before you say anything, I’m in the car and you’re on speaker phone. I’ve got Natalie here with me.”

  Natalie held her breath as she waited to see how his sister responded. Would she be upset at Jake including her in the phone call? Would she make suggestive remarks about the nature of Natalie’s relationship with her brother? Did she even approve of him being with her?

  “You’re kidding!” she said gleefully. “Are you on your way here?” she asked.

  Natalie relaxed a little, even smiling at the excitement and eagerness in Janet’s voice.

  “Oh no!” he quickly assured her. “We don’t want to drop in unannounced. We were just thinking of making plans—”

  “Nonsense!” she said. “Where are you right now?”

  “We just left Green Vistas” he said.

  “And you were going to go all the way back to New York?” she chastised. “Just come over now. Have dinner with us. The boys are here and David will be home soon. I should warn you it’s just spaghetti and garlic bread, but I’m sure I can get David to get a bottle on the way home.”

  “Whoa, whoa,” Jake said, “if you’re inviting us unannounced then we are most definitely bringing the wine.”

  “Okay,” she said with exaggerated reluctance. “Wait! She’s there with you right now?”

  “Yeah,” he reminded her, laughing.

  “Oh, well…hi!” she piped.

  “Hello,” Natalie said and gave Jake a questioning shrug not knowing how to proceed.

  He gave her a reassuring smile.

  “You have no idea how worked up you’ve got my big bro—”

  “Okay, Janet” Jake interrupted, “We’re on our way. See you in a bit. Signing off now.”

  “Wait a second!” Natalie yelled, while Janet just laughed on the other end.

  Jake pushed the button to end the call.

  “So,” Natalie teased, giving Jake an amused smile. “Worked up, huh?”

  Jake just shook his head ruefully, probably realizing the treacherous situation he had just led himself into. Natalie just laughed.

  JAKE

  Jake put the car in gear and checked the road before pulling back onto the highway. He was a bit embarrassed but, even more, he was pleased at the ease with which Natalie and Janet seemed to interact with one another just from the short phone call.

  They stopped at a wine shop and picked up two bottles of Chianti. He could sense Natalie getting a bit nervous again as they pulled up into the circular driveway in front of his sister’s house. He grabbed her hand reassuringly and they exited the car.

  They could hear the screams of two little boys before they even rang the doorbell. Natalie smiled up at him, obviously enjoying the domestic ruckus going on inside. He heard one admonishing shout from his sister which quieted everyone as she opened the door. He watched her eagerly excited eyes look first at him then over to Natalie going up and down.

  “Wow,” she said, then turned to him. “Not too bad, big brother.”

  Natalie bit back a smile as Jake laughed and gave Janet a bear hug, the one bottle in his hand coming around her neck. Janet wriggled in his embrace and pulled herself free giving him a scornful glare as she fixed her hair.

  She turned to Natalie with a bright smile. “Forgive my brother’s rudeness,” she gave him another glare, “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Natalie.”

  “It’s really nice to meet you too,” Natalie said, holding out her hand.

  “Oh, I think we’re a bit past that,” Janet said and stepped over to hug Natalie, who gave a look of surprise then smiled over at him.

  At that moment his two nephews came bounding into the foyer, running up excitedly as they saw their uncle. They stopped short when they saw the stranger their mother had just finished hugging. Each one grabbed one of Janet’s legs to hide sheepishly behind it as they stared with hesitant curiosity.

  Jake bent down to them and they smiled happily at seeing one of their favorite people, sliding just a nudge from behind their mother.

  “Boys,” he said, “This is Natalie, she’s my…girlfriend,” he said. He turned to look up at her and saw her bite her lip with a pleased look, which pleased him.

  “Natalie, this is Sam and Kenny,” he placed a hand on top of each boy as he identified them, causing them to give a wrinkle-faced smile. At their uncle’s reassurance that she was trustworthy, each of them came forward and rather formally held out their hand to greet her like perfect little gentlemen.

  “It’s very nice to meet you Sam. Kenny.” She bent down to shake their hand with a smile.

  Apparently she had the same effect on them t
hat she had on most members of the opposite sex. Jake watched as their faces turned red and they immediately escaped back to the safe harbor behind Janet’s legs.

  David came up to join them all and the quick admiring glance he gave Natalie wasn’t lost on Jake. Jake had no issues with that. David was a good guy, he knew. Natalie couldn’t help it that she was a fox, he thought and smiled to himself.

  “Jake,” David said shaking his hand and bringing him in for a quick hug. “You must be Natalie,” he said, shaking her hand.

  “Well, dinner is almost ready,” Janet said. “We’ll get set up in the dinning room.”

  Everyone helped set the table. Natalie took the bread as Janet brought out the spaghetti. David got the wine glasses, thanking both of them for the wine that Jake brought to the table. Sam handled the salad bowl very carefully as Kenny set out the silverware beside the plates that were already on the table.

  David and Janet sat a the head of the table and Sam and Kenny sat on one side while Jake and Natalie sat next to each other on the other side. Janet made sure that Natalie sat right next to her despite Jake’s protests.

  “I have all sorts of dirt she needs to know before she takes her chances with you,” she teased.

  The wine and spaghetti was served and the adults engaged in conversation as the boys amused themselves with the long noodles in front of them.

  “So what have you guys been up to so far?” Janet asked. “Sightseeing in New York?”

  “Um,” Natalie said, sipping a glass of wine. Jake held back a smile as he saw her face take on a decidedly warm glow. “Jake showed me the cabin where he wrote his first novel.”

  “That horrid place?” Janet said, laughing. “That must have been fun,” she said sarcastically.

  Natalie coughed into her glass, then set it down to compose herself. Jake gave a smirk and and looked down at his own plate, recalling the day’s adventures as well.

  Janet, quick as ever, gave both of them a look. “Ooookay,” she said with an understanding smile. She chuckled into her glass, giving her big brother a conspiratorial look.

  “So what are your plans for the rest of the week?” she said, nodding in the direction of the two boys as a warning.

  “Oh, we’ll probably just do the tourist thing,” Jake said. “Then there’s the silly dinner.”

  “It’s not silly,” Janet protested. “They’re honoring you. Your books are awesome. It’s about time you were recognized for that. The least they can do is wine and dine you.”

  “I’m perfectly happy that people buy them,” he confessed.

  “Well, whatever they’re doing it’s working,” David chimed in. “The last one was your best.”

  Natalie gave a pleased smile as she took a bite of her spaghetti.

  “And now it’s going to be a movie!” Janet said excitedly. “Hmm…I’m thinking Kerry Washington for Naomi.”

  “I was just telling Jake that!” Natalie said looking up at her in surprise. “Heck, I’ll take it.” They both laughed.

  “And Nick Zane?” he asked.

  “Ryan Gossling!”

  “Chris Hemsworth!”

  They looked at each other then laughed again.

  After a while the boys alternated between restlessly playing with their food and yawning.

  “Okay, guys,” David said. “I think it’s time to say goodnight to Uncle Jake and his friend Natalie.”

  “Nooo!” they cried in unison, perking right back up as children often did in response to the dreaded bedtime announcement.

  “No complaining,” Janet warned them. “It’s past eight now. If you’re really good, maybe Uncle Jake will tuck you in,” she winked at Jake, whose eyes shot up in surprise.

  At that the boys changed their tune and ran around to their confused uncle.

  “Um, what exactly should I be doing here?” he asked.

  “It’s not rocket science,” his sister said, rolling her eyes. “They already had their baths. Just follow their lead, but don’t let them talk you into not going to bed.”

  Jake shrugged. Kenny immediately jumped into his arms and he picked the younger boy up as he stood from his chair. Sam took his other hand and Jake led them both upstairs. He was certain that Janet and Natalie would be having a more intimate pow wow in his absence.

  The boys were still at an age where they shared a bedroom and Jake helped each get into their Spiderman and Superman themed pajamas and conceded to reading them a short bedtime story if they got under the covers ASAP.

  He looked on the little shelf between their beds and grabbed Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat, a definite classic that even he could get behind. He sat on the impossibly tiny chair made for pint sized bodies and began reading.

  “The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play,” he read as they both looked up at him from their pillows.

  By the time he was done, they were fast asleep. He looked up to see Janet and Natalie, peeking in from the hallway stifling their laughter at the image of his long-limbed body, scrunched into the tiny chair.

  “See, you’re a natural,” Janet teased in a whisper as he closed the door behind him.

  “Yeah well, I don’t think my legs thought so,” he grimaced back as he worked the legs that had fallen asleep in the tiny chair.

  Natalie just stared at him with a look of admiration that made the whole experience worth it. She grabbed his arm as they made their way downstairs.

  Once everyone else—other than Jake who was driving—had finished off the wine and the conversation began to wane, Jake and Natalie stood up to make their exit. It had been a great night, Natalie and Janet seemed to get along well, as he knew they would.

  Natalie walked out first. Jake leaned in to hug Janet goodbye. She held him tighter and whispered in his ear, “don’t screw this one up. I like her.” Then she let go and gave him one last smile.

  Natalie fell into a wine induced sleep within minutes of hitting the highway. Jake looked at her sleeping form and smiled. He had no intention of screwing this up.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  NATALIE

  They had spent the week being total tourists. Hot dogs in Central Park. Going to the top of the Empire State building. Walking the length of the High Line. They had even taken a helicopter tour for a bird’s eye view of the city.

  Jake had spent every night with Natalie in her hotel room. They spent lazy mornings lying in bed and plotting their days over room service breakfast. It certainly reinforced the fact that they worked well in bed together.

  Natalie realized that she very much enjoyed being in his company all the time. It had been pretty much 24/7 so far and not once had she been tired of his presense. In fact, when he left for a few hours to take care of some things at his apartment and pack some clothes and toiletries to basically move into the hotel room with her, she found herself angsty and irritated.

  She supposed that was a good sign.

  Jake didn’t seem to be tired of having her around either, always grabbing her hand or pulling her closer to him in the taxi or when they were walking. They hadn’t broached any more serious topics since that first morning, and it had been a fun and enjoyable rest of the week. Now it was coming to a bittersweet end. It was her last night in New York, the Saturday of the Novel Writers of America Awards dinner.

  Natalie looked at herself once more in the mirror. That day Jake had made her feel like Cinderella. He had taken her to a boutique dress shop and she had come away with this glamorous number. It was was a mint green, strapless, floor-length dress with sweetheart neckline and a beaded front. She had pinned her hair up in a loose bun with curled strands falling down around her face. Two drop earrings fell on the sides to add a dash of sparkle. The make-up was minimal: eye liner and mascara for the eyes; beige lip gloss for the lips; and a touch of blush.

  Jake had sent her down to the spa earlier today to get a manicure and pedicure and her nails were a pale pink, which worked well against the pale green of the dress. Looking at herself, s
he thought she maybe bore a slight resemblance to a Disney princess. Then her eyes fell down to the stunning display of cleavage that was apparent above the top of her neckline. Make that a sexy Disney princess.

  She was twirling around in front of the full length mirror when Jake came out of the bathroom, freshly shaved. She saw him lean against the wall as he watched her, smiling.

  “You like?” she asked with a coy expression.

  “Very much,” he said. “Sexy, yet demure. That’s a nice color on you,” he added.

  She looked back in the mirror. It was a nice color on her. She wore cool colors well and the contrast of the pale mint against her brown skin only seemed to make her glow.

  She turned back to inspect Jake in his black Armani tuxedo. “You clean up nicely yourself,” she said walking over to straighten the bow-tie. She ran a hand along the smooth skin of his cheek, remembering fondly a time when it wasn’t so smooth. She gave a slight smile as her eyes fell to the floor.

  “Why be clean, when we can be dirty?” Jake grinned, pulling her in closer to him.

  “Jake,” she scolded, “if you mess up my hair and make-up I’ll never forgive you.”

  He sighed and rolled his eyes, letting her go.

  She patted his chest, and smiled up at him. “We still have one last night together,” she said, her tone thick with illicit promise.

  “Mmm,” he growled,”that sounds intriguing.”

  The dinner was, conveniently enough, located in a ballroom of the hotel they were in, so they made their way down in the elevators and joined the swelling crowd leading the way. Natalie looked around at the glamorously dressed women and men in tuxes.

  Inside, the lighting was mellow but dramatic and tables lined with tempting hors d’ vores were strategically located. Natalie admired the decor. It was elegant simplicity: white orchids floated in wide bowls full of water at the center of each table. Everything was white. White tablecloths and napkins. White padded seating. The only contrast was the gold silverware and decorative plates.