A Heart Not Easily Broken (The Butterfly Memoirs) (9 page)

“Did you have a lot of boyfriends in school?”

“A few, but not like my sister. Every guy in school wanted her. She’s prettier than me.”

“That’s not possible.”

Ebony’s gaze turned to me. “You’re kidding, right?”

Was she serious? “Ebony, you are a beautiful woman. It doesn’t matter what you wear by the way, because I’ve seen you as sexy as you want to be and in your work clothes.”

“Brian, you have a great sense of humor.”

To my surprise, she wasn’t sarcastic. Was it possible she was actually insecure? With a body built for sin, how could she not know how attractive she was?

“Did you look into the mirror before you left home?”

She squirmed. “Of course I did.”

“Then you should know why men look at you the way they do.” I hoped she knew my words were coming from my heart.

Ebony broke the connection.

“You’re the first guy who hasn’t asked to see a picture of my sister.” A half-laugh followed.

What kind of man would ask to see a picture of her sister? “They were assholes.”

A bashful smile spread across her lovely face.

“How many assholes have you dated?”

“I broke up with the last one six months ago.”

“Why?” I prompted.

“Both of us had hectic schedules. We rarely saw each other except for…” she laughed. “You know.”

Man, did I. If I had the chance, I’d spend every waking moment naked with her body wrapped around me.

“After a few months, we realized we didn’t want the same things. He ended up wanting something I couldn’t give him. The last I heard, he had gotten engaged.”

“Wow.” Lucky me.

“The messed up part was, my mom found out I dated a doctor and damn near started planning the wedding.”

“How long did you date?”

“Eight months. If you count time spent getting to know each other and didn’t involve sex…four months.” She sighed. “In my mom’s eyes, he made the perfect match. Smart, handsome, career oriented, educated…black.”

I sat the remnants of my funnel cake aside and wiped my hands on a napkin. “What do you want, Ebony?”

Her eyebrows furrowed as her attention went back to her plate.  “What do you mean?”

“What do you want? Good looking, intelligent, educated. Easy. But does he have to be black?”

Shocked, her eyes widened as her attention came back to me. She studied me for a moment, obviously processing the question before looking away. “When my family says ‘a young black man is what you need’…”

“Ebony.” I waited to get her full attention. “Is that what you want?  Can’t you have those things regardless of what package it comes in?”

Could you find it with me?

The words burned in the back of my throat. I did my best to communicate it with my eyes.

“I don’t know,” she said softly, but her gaze didn’t falter.

Okay. She didn’t say ‘no’. ‘I don’t know’ was more like saying, ‘I’m open to trying something new.’ I could work with that.

We sat in silence while she finished her funnel cake. When she was done, I decided to lighten the mood.

“Have you ever been rollerblading?”

She laughed. “Not since high school.”

I stood up and extended my hand. “Come on, let’s give it a try.”

She hesitated. “Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

“I will probably fall flat on my ass,” she warned as she stood.

I made a show of looking at her lovely ass. “I think you’ll be okay. Besides, I’ll catch you.”

Ebony choked out a laugh.

“Come on, we’ll wear knee pads and helmets. It’ll be fun.”

Twenty minutes later, we found a skate rental shop, padded up, and were ready to go. She asked the cashier to take a picture of us on her cell phone. She called it the ‘before’ picture. For some reason, she felt we’d end up covered in grass stains and bloodied knees.

I had my fair share of sports related injuries over the years. I’d done everything from rollerblading to trick bicycle riding. My true passion was surfing.

Staring out into the distance, I wondered if she would be willing to give it a try. Maybe not, but the idea of her in a bikini sent my imagination running wild.

We reached the boardwalk and struggled to find an area where skaters and bicycle riders weren’t clogging up the space. It took a few minutes for Ebony to gain her balance. After many attempts, she laughed, a look of pure happiness on her face.

“Let me help.” I slipped a hand around her bare waist. Her skin was unbelievably soft. The scent of strawberries and whipped cream from her funnel cake mixed with her perfume made it hard to keep my focus.

“Don’t let me fall, Brian.”

“If you fall down, I’ll protect you.”

She didn’t seem reassured, but she took my hand and held on tight. “Believe me; if I go down, I’m taking you with me.”

“Deal.”

Once she found her balance, I moved in front of her. Ebony kept her knees bent and skates pointed straight while I pulled her along, skating backward doing all the work until she got comfortable.

We started slow, navigating our way down the boardwalk staying out of the way of the more experienced skaters, bike riders, and skate boarders. I continued to glance over my shoulder, keeping our path clear.

The happiness on Ebony’s face was a memory I would never forget. Her eyes were full of laughter. She smiled the entire time, and never once did she loosen the grip on my hands. No matter how hard her grip, the connection was what I savored.

We traveled a good distance away from the skate shop. I mentioned it to Ebony, and she looked over her shoulder.

A dog ran by chasing a Frisbee. The dog’s sudden appearance surprised Ebony who instantly moved her feet. Our skates tangled. Everything moved in slow motion as I started to fall, allowing me to live up to my promise to protect her body.

“Oh, no, Brian, are you okay?”

I lay on my back, closed my eyes, and took a moment to evaluate the situation. I could still feel my toes and fingers. My head was okay, thanks to the helmet.

My butt on the other hand was a problem.

An unexpected weight rested on my chest. I opened my eyes to the most beautiful sight: Ebony on top of me, staring into my eyes. Strange, I hadn’t noticed the light flecks of gold in her brown irises. Her lips were inches away from mine. My first thought was to feign unconsciousness so she’d perform CPR.

“I’m sorry!” She fiddled with the straps of my helmet while I groaned. “That dog ran by…oh, man. Where does it hurt?”

She sat up, straddled me, felt the back of my head, and then ran her fingers over my chest. Since her hand came away free of blood, I assumed I wouldn’t die today. She shifted her weight and ran her hands down my legs. The pain was worth having her hands on me. The feeling ignited my body. It wouldn’t be long before the growing bulge in my pants became visible.

“Why don’t they make butt pads?” I struggled to sit up. “I’m okay.”

Ebony aided me in the movement, genuine worry in her eyes. In the end, we were sitting facing each other.

“Are you sure nothing’s broken?”

“Yeah.” I massaged my neck and rolled my shoulders. I would pay for this in the morning.

Ebony removed her helmet. Her hair was a mess, but it looked good. She reached to release the curly locks from the ponytail holder, allowing them to settle on her shoulders.

Once our eyes met, she bit her lip. Her eyebrows shot up as she stifled a laugh. I smirked, which caused her laughter to burst out and me to join in. We looked like idiots.

Ebony wiped tears from the corners of her eyes. She was beautiful. Unable to resist, I ran my fingers through the free strands of her hair. She didn’t pull away. I indulged, brushing my fingers along her cheek, and tucked the hair behind her ear.

It felt like silk. As my fingers grazed her cheek again, her laughter slowed. Her eyes focused on me with just a hint of a question. Her lips parted, sending what I hoped was a silent invitation.

I was aware of the people veering around us as they rushed by. The sound of the ocean, laughter, and dogs barking were no longer the focus of my attention though. Nothing else mattered. No longer thinking, I did what came naturally. My finger rested beneath her jaw as I leaned in to kiss her.

I pressed my lips lightly against hers, inviting her to return the kiss, silently praying for permission for more. Her body tensed beneath my fingertips, so I stopped my lips from taking what they wanted. But, it was too late; I’d crossed the line.

After a day spent talking, laughing, and getting to know each other, it all came down to this kiss. Ebony didn’t pull away, so I kissed her again.

I was about to give up hope and deal with the consequences when her lips came to life.

For a moment, I thought I imagined it. But then she did it again. The warm slide as her lips pressed harder against mine.

I didn’t hesitate. I opened my mouth wider, slipping the tip of my tongue in and tasted…strawberries. Her hand came up and slid into the hair at the nape of my neck. If it were up to me, the kiss would never end. But this was neither the time nor place to explore the softness of her lips.

Ebony moaned when I pulled away.

“We’d better get up before we get run over,” I whispered, my voice thick with longing.

She said nothing, only nodded. I stood first and pulled her back to her feet. We rolled over to the nearest bench and removed our skates.

After wanting to kiss Ebony hours earlier, I had no idea I would be able to do it. She hadn’t said a word, and I didn’t know what to expect next. So I stood, holding my skates, and extended a hand. She took it willingly, and a smile played over her lips. Curiosity and something else I couldn’t identify filled her eyes.

We strolled back to the skate shop hand in hand.

Chapter 11

Today had been a long day. With thirty minutes until Ebony was supposed to call, I checked the volume of the ringer on my cell phone for the tenth time. A driver’s blaring horn alerted me that the traffic light had turned green. I grimaced and sat my cell phone in the cup holder.

Dealing with Peter and Dylan put me behind schedule. I’d promised Aunt Gina I’d mentor them as much as possible. They were nineteen and seventeen; the age where impressing girls was their number one priority.

My cousins worked for me during the summer in order to earn money for school. Peter started college in the fall. I knew from experience how hard it would be for him to make ends meet. Scholarships didn’t pay for everything. He planned to work during the summer and save his money. When school started, he’d join me on the weekends to keep money in his pocket.

Dylan was a senior in high school. Varsity baseball expenses were draining his mother. Aunt Gina became a single parent when Uncle Wyatt left her five years ago. The child support checks she received never came on time.

Now they were anxious to impress some girls they’d just met. Not wanting to disrupt their savings, they hit me up for money. I didn’t have a problem helping out if there were a dire need. However, after hearing their plans, I refused to give in. Both wanted fifty dollars. They were crazy.

When the dust settled, I’d given them twenty-five dollars apiece along with suggestions on how to go out without spending a lot of cash and still have fun. ‘Be creative,’ I’d said. ‘Do something most guys wouldn’t do. If they really like you, it won’t matter how much money you spend. If not, chalk it up to a lesson learned.’ They didn’t like hearing it, but I knew from experience.

On the highway heading home, I winced while rolling my shoulders. My back still ached from the tumble onto the concrete with Ebony. The memory of our afternoon at the beach and the kiss we shared put a smile on my face. That opportunity was worth falling on my ass. When the evening ended, we walked to her car and kissed again. She’d been a willing participant, exploring my mouth as eagerly as I’d explored hers. We promised to talk the next day.

That had been a week ago.

The start of the week found us both busy. Ebony’s schedule at the zoo changed to longer work hours and interfered with her part-time job.

After being unable to work for two days and getting behind on my customers, my phone rang off the hook. On top of that, I had practice.
Diverse Nation
played three nights a week, and every show was different.

The minute traffic stopped again, I grabbed my phone. We were playing phone tag, leaving voicemails or sending text messages when we found the time. I listened to the last message she’d left again. Her sexiness even came through the phone.

She said she’d call after seven. Come hell or high water I would be available.

My phone rang. A check of the caller ID made me smile.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Are you home yet?”

“No, and before you ask, I haven’t eaten dinner yet, but…” I glanced at the restaurants on the strip. “I’m pulling in for some barbeque now.” No matter how old I got, she would always view me as her little boy. Then again, out of five kids, I was the youngest and the only boy.

“That’s better than eating a hamburger. What you need to do is find a young woman to take care of you. When do you plan on settling down? I want more grandkids running around my house.”

“Whoa.” I laughed. “First of all, I’ve got some things to accomplish before I’m ready for commitment. Second, you’ve already got five grandkids.”

“And I love all of them. But you and Bridget owe me. I don’t know what your sister’s problem is. But you, my son, need a wife. You should come home from a hard day at work and have dinner on the table, not driving through a fast-food restaurant.”

“Mom, I’m capable of taking care of myself. Besides,” I put the truck in park and climbed out. “I can’t afford a wife or kids right now. That’s a long way off.”

She sighed, her disappointment obvious through the phone. “Well, at least you need someone to keep you happy. I hate it things didn’t work out with you and the last young lady you were seeing.”

“Yeah, well…life goes on.”

“Are you seeing someone now?”

Damn, she was in full nosey-mom mode.

“I’m working on it,” I mumbled, while studying the restaurant menu. “Look, Mom, I’ve got to go, it’s almost my turn to place my order.”