Who's That Lady? (23 page)

“I don’t know,” Key said, his voice low. “I mean, there’s no baby to worry about now. You have your life back. It would be easy to just tell you to forget about it.”

Marcus looked at him wide-eyed, a silent plea for help in his eyes….

“But there’s always going to be this connection between you and her, isn’t there? You created something together—and you lost it.”

Marcus seemed to shrivel deeper into the chair. His mouth trembled with agony. “I know,” he whispered. “That’s it. I know it seems like this is for the best. Lord knows, I didn’t want no kid now. But I really love Jalessa. And to see her like this—”

Key stood up and touched the young man’s shoulder gently. “You feel responsible for her. I respect that. That’s what men are supposed to feel for their women. Just be there for her, okay.”

Marcus departed a little later, leaving Key feeling drained and troubled. Geez, who was he to give a speech like that to the kid? He remembered Monica, his first love. What if she had gotten pregnant? Trapped with her in that irrevocable bond…The thought scared him. But Crystal—He could see now that what he’d felt for Monica was nothing compared to the powerful bond between him and Crystal. What would he do if he were in Marcus’s position? The thought of Crystal being alone and hurting had his gut twisting with fear. Crystal was his love, his woman. Now and forever. Maybe it was time for him to step up and make a real commitment.

Take care of your woman.

His Pop had tried to tell him that when they drove out back from Aunt Ida’s place. He’d asked if he was afraid of making a commitment. Key now admitted to himself that he had been afraid of being responsible for someone this way. But Crystal….His sweet, sweet Crystal…

His thoughts were still jumbled when he got back to Crystal’s condo that night. She was asleep when he slipped into bed with her, careful not to disturb her. He trailed his lips down her shoulder lightly and spooned his body against her back.

My woman
. That was his last thought before he sank into exhausted sleep. If it was the last thing he did, he’d marry this woman and protect her all his life.

* * *

The next morning Shonté dragged into the kitchen as Crystal was taking a cup of steaming water out of the microwave. Crystal swallowed a gasp of alarm when she saw her friend still in pajamas, her face haggard and puffy-eyed.

“Don’t you feel well, sweetie? Stay home today, take some sick leave.”

Shonté sank onto a stool at the kitchen counter and lowered her head onto her outflung arms. “I hate that job, Crystal.”

“Here, have some tea,” Crystal said, pushing a cup of hot water toward her. “I know you feel bad about Jalessa right now, but everything will work out.”

Shonté sat upright. “No, it won’t!”

The sharpness of her tone brought Crystal to a standstill.

Shonté shook her head, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. “No, it won’t, Crystal. Don’t you see? All my life I’ve been trying to do the right thing, erase the stupid mistake I made when I was fifteen. I went to college, I got a safe job. Even dating Graham was the ‘good’ choice. But nothing is ever good enough. I can only go so far, then I turn around and do something stupid, like dating a dog like Trevor. I want it to
stop
.”

“Okay, honey,” Crystal said. “What can I do to help you?”

Shonté pressed the balls of her fingers into her closed eyelids. “Nothing. I have to stop depending on you, Crystal, stop blaming you. I want to feel this. Do you know that the only time I felt good lately was when I was with Jalessa at that girls’ shelter?”

“That’s wonderful,” Crystal said with a trace of hesitation. She wasn’t sure what Shonté was driving at.

“You know, I talked to some of those girls and I kept thinking, ‘I’ve been there, I’ve done that.’ I could talk to them. If—” she caught the corner of her lower lip in her teeth and peeped at Crystal through her lashes. “If I was honest with them.”

“I see.” Crystal plopped on the other stool. She didn’t really, and she had a feeling of impending doom.
What was Shonté going to do this time?

Shonté lifted her eyes to Crystal, her lashes fluttering. “That means I have to be honest with…my family, too.”

Crystal inhaled a slow, shallow breath. “Your mom and dad?” she asked in a small voice.

Shonté
pressed her lips into a grim line and nodded.

Silence filled the small dining area for a long moment.

When Shonté spoke again, there was a slight tremor in her voice. “I’m going home this weekend and tell them. I—I won’t mention you, of course. You didn’t do anything but help me. I wouldn’t want them to think you were hiding this from them all these years.”

Crystal sprang to her feet, making her stool scrape the linoleum. She rushed around the counter to hug Shonté. “Oh no, you don’t! Of course I’m going with you. We’ve been in this together from the beginning. Maybe if I hadn’t discouraged you from talking about it, you might have told your parents by now.”

“Crystal, no. No, it was my decision. I need to finally take responsibility for what I do. You didn’t tape my mouth or threaten me. I could have told them anytime. But I didn’t.” Her face and shoulders both seemed to sink with bleakness. For a moment, Crystal saw something more than the beautiful, carefree girl. Shonté could be hurt. And she could be strong.

Crystal tentatively reached out to embrace her again. Shonté allowed herself to be embraced for only a minute. Then she straightened with a sigh.

“What will you do after you tell your parents?” Crystal asked.

“I don’t know. I’d like to work with girls. And maybe I’ll get more serious about my acting. It would mean I’d have to move—” She flashed a quick, guilty look at Crystal. “But that’s not something to worry about now,” she ended with an air of dismissal.

Crystal watched her friend open the refrigerator for a cup of yogurt, knowing she wasn’t asking for her advice. Not rejecting, just taking responsibility for her own life. Crystal’s trepidation was shaded by pride in her friend. Shonté would be all right.

CHAPTER 21

When Key came over that evening, Shonté told him that she was going to tell her parents about her abortion.

Key listened to her intently, leaning forward in the striped arm chair. He nodded. “I’m glad, princess. They’ll support you, I know. Do you want me to go with you?”

“Thanks. Crystal’s already offered. I’ll think about it, okay? I’ll let you both know.” She looked up as Crystal came down the stairs, then flashed Key a quick grin. “You two had better get going if you’re going out to dinner.”

“Why don’t you come with us?” Crystal said impulsively.

Shonté stood up, puckering her mouth in a teasing expression. “I’m tempted, just to watch you two on an actual date!” She bubbled with a laugh. “But no, I’ll let you have a little privacy.”

She waved to them from the door as Crystal walked with Key out to his car. When they were inside, he asked, “Are you all right?”

“About Shonté? Yeah. I think she’ll be just fine.”

“She tells me you offered to go with her to see Mom and Pop.”

“Yeah.” She glanced at him. “I’d really like to go.”

“To protect her again?”

“No. I realize I can’t. I just want to be there, as her friend. Shonté is a part of who I am, and I’m a part of her. It doesn’t matter that our paths diverge now. We have a past together. I’m not going to let go of that easily.”

After a thoughtful moment, he nodded.

When they finished dinner, they discussed going someplace else. Finally they decided to rent a video and go to his place to watch it. As he picked up video cases from the store shelves to read the back, Crystal took the opportunity to observe him quietly.

A smile pulled at her mouth, brought on by an irrepressible love for this man. She loved every inch of him, from his patterned braids to his immaculate white athletic shoes. She loved his dedicated mentoring of his athletes. She loved his skill in the bedroom, and the way he made her feel like the sexiest woman on earth. She loved the playful side of him, the serious side, the passionate side, the side devoted to his parents, the side that faced his past, confident in his strengths, the side that was capable of deep abiding love without expectation of return.

Crystal’s smiling satisfaction faltered as she thought how he doubted her feelings. God, she was crazy in love with this man. How could she have ever doubted it herself? She vowed in her heart that she would make him believe it, no matter how long it took.

“What do you think of this one?” He turned to her with a case extended.

Crystal moved to take it from him, scooting close enough to touch him lightly with her body. They settled on a couple of videos, paid and drove to the apartment.

“I think we should both go with Shonté when she goes to see the folks,” he said once they were inside.

“Sure,” she said, absorbed in making herself comfortable on the cushiony couch.

“We have news of our own for Mom and Pop, don’t we?” Key slid in beside her, curving one arm around her shoulders.

Crystal looked up with a small jerk. “I hope they’ll see it as good news.”

He looked surprised. “Why wouldn’t they?”

“It’s kind of sudden…”

He brushed his lips along her cheek. “They love you, Crystal. They’ll be happy. Anyway, it doesn’t matter whether they approve or not. You are my heart, Crystal Taylor.”

She melted, wanting to sink into him.

“Now watch the movie,” he whispered in her ear, then laughed at her peeved reaction.

She lay against him, her body humming with the wonder of her love for this man, knowing it didn’t mean she had lost her friend. She wanted everything from him: this easy camaraderie as well as his passion. In a short while, she was absorbed in the movie. When the credits came up, she unfolded herself from Key’s side and headed to the bathroom.

“Wanna watch the other one now or in the morning?” Key called after her.

“Tomorrow,” she threw over her shoulder. “Right now I’m going to screw you until you can’t stand up.”

She heard his startled guffaw as she closed the bathroom door.

She changed her clothing in the bathroom, running a critical eye over her reflection when she was done. Her outfit was designed to suggest the look of an Old West saloon girl. The abbreviated bustier had narrow blue and white stripes in the lower portion, but the top was made of sheer chiffon, skimming her breasts and almost exposing her nipples. The wide straps were decorated with silky pink bows. Her skimpy matching panties had a lacy ruffle hugging her hips and that was about the all the covering she had. Crystal adjusted the straps and elastic with slow fingers.

Six months ago she would not have considered wearing an outfit like this in front of any man. Her stomach was too rounded and her thighs were too full and her breasts were too big. And yet—Key
loved
her body. It still amazed her when she looked into Key’s eyes and saw a reflection of herself that was sexy and beautiful.

Smiling, she left the bathroom to begin her seduction of her lover. The TV and living room lights were off. She found him waiting naked in his bed. He’d dimmed the recessed lighting in the ceiling so that the edges of the room were shadowed, leaving the bed in a golden glow. The comforter on the bed was a black, white and tan geometric pattern. His long, sculpted body sprawled in the center like a gift.

She paused to pose seductively against the door jamb. Crystal licked her lips. “So, lover boy. What did you have in mind?”

“You’re the one running this show.” His voice was husky, his gaze appreciative.

She took her time walking across the room, stopping just out of his reach, prowling around the bed, eyeing him with keen interest. The man was a work of art with his rippling muscles and tight chocolate skin. She began to pant, needing more air in her lungs.

Key’s hooded eyes drifted to her breasts pushing up out of the confining fabric. “Are you coming over here or do I have to come get you?” he growled.

Titillated by his obvious arousal, she grinned and bent over with her hands on her knees to give him a full view of her breasts, wiggling her rear end. “If you think you can catch me, lover boy.”

He moved with blinding speed, launching himself across the bed with an outstretched hand. Crystal squealed and jumped back, barely avoiding being grabbed on her thigh.

“Good try,” she breathed. “But you’re going to have to do better than that. If you want it.”

She turned her back and gyrated her hips. Key made a strangling noise behind her. Crystal looked over her shoulder, smiling. “I don’t think you really want it.”

“Look at me! Do I look like I don’t want it? Woman, you’re tormenting me.” His soft laugh had a pained undertone to it.

Crystal turned around and slid her bra straps an inch or two down her arms.

“Do you call that wanting? I want you to show me that you
really
want it.”

“You’re playing with fire, woman.”

“But I like to be burned.” She put a finger in her mouth and sucked it. Slowly.

Key whimpered. “Now!” he grunted in the voice of a desperate man.

She shook her head. “No. You have to prove to me that you want it really bad.” She sank to the floor in another pose designed to drive him out of his senses.

She had the satisfaction of seeing him rise to his knees, almost drooling. But she couldn’t maintain the temptress role. She rolled over on her back on the floor, laughing crazily. “Key, you’re so damn easy!” she complained.

“Easy?” He leapt off the bed to land on top of her, pinning her under his body with his erection poking against her thighs. “Does this feel easy, honey?” His voice rumbled in her ear.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Crystal tugged on his head, pulling him closer. She wanted more of what he was giving. His teeth bit at her bottom lip, and the tip of his tongue followed. Crystal heard a whimper, was startled to realize it came from her.

“Oh yessss,” he breathed, stroking his mouth and nose across her face. Crystal savored the delicious sensation.

“By the way,” she whispered, her breath pitchy, “I love you.”

Key pulled his head back, closed his eyes. “I know, sweetheart, I know.” He hoisted himself to his feet, pulling her upright. “Let’s get on the bed. My knees will make me sorry if I do this on the floor.”

“Are you just humoring me?” she demanded, not liking the tone of his voice.

He grinned crookedly at her. “Never, my love. But you don’t need to say it.”

“But I want to.” She snuggled up close to him on the bed, wrapping her legs around him, looking directly into his eyes while she held his hand.

“I want to be with you, Key. And not because I think you need me. My God, I’m so in love with you it makes me dizzy. I know I can survive on my own and so can you. But I want to be with you, my darling. You are the sweetest, brightest, best thing in my life. Loving you is an honor. Being loved by you is a bonus.”

As she talked she saw acceptance dawn in his eyes, relax his facial muscles. He stared at her with a shaky laugh trembling on his lips. He caressed her jaw with one gentle hand. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Even when I didn’t trust myself, didn’t know who I was, you still loved me, Key. I feel like I can be anybody when I’m with you.”

He gave a quick nod. “No matter who you are, you’ll always be my lady.”

“And that’s all I want. Now and always,” she assured him.

He ran his hands down her back and grasped her buttocks, pulling her even closer to him. “You’ve got it, sweetheart. Now and always.” His words rang with the sincerity of a vow.

Crystal put her hands on both sides of his face and drew him to her for another kiss. His mouth closed over hers roughly, his tongue brushing against her lips, begging for admittance. He plundered the softness of her mouth while his hands kneaded her bottom, squeezing hard. She forgot everything else. The kiss was sweet but erotic. His tongue moved in a slow exploration that sent thrills all down her body. His body was hard against hers, demanding but held in check. He was all male strength, real and solid, her rock to depend on.

They panted and groped and tasted, prolonging the spiraling desire. Almost fusing their bodies together, they tumbled over on their sides on the bed. Crystal’s eyes popped open, hardly recognizing anything around her. Key was the center of her universe, the only thing that mattered.

He lowered his face to hers once more. Before he joined his mouth with hers, he whispered, “This is going to be good.”