Duke (13 page)

T
akiyah leaned
against the bedroom doorway as she watched Keen sleep. Her heart had been aching for the last few days. Every time he woke up or moved around, he was in such pain, it broke her heart. Sure, the meds helped, but they didn’t take away everything. Inch by inch, she noticed him getting better and stronger, and at last she could begin to let go of the breath she held for her baby.

Along with feeling more relaxed about Keen’s safety, Takiyah also started thinking about Duke. She had to admit to herself, if to no one else, she missed him. They separated on a bad note, when she treated him like trash. Sure, she was scared mindless over Keen, but the fact of the matter was Duke had been there by her side. He protected them both, and he could have had permanent nerve damage from that knife cut. Come to think of it, she didn’t know how he was doing. She hadn’t been back to work after the incident. Despite her realization that she had strong feelings for Duke, she wasn’t ready to talk to him or even see him at all.

A sound behind her made her turn in time to see Ed coming up the stairs. He smiled when he met her gaze, that gentle expression she was so familiar with. She waited for her heart to stir, but it did nothing more than acknowledge him, like recognizing a loyal dog.

Ouch, he’d be so insulted if he knew I thought like that.

Ed moved up behind her and hugged her. She shied away from him, and he frowned. “You’re still skittish around me.”

“I’m not a horse.” She had some nerve getting touchy over his words. “I’m just not sure, Ed.”

“I thought when you came here, we were going to try again.”

She turned from Keen’s room and shut the door quietly. “I never said that. If you think I owe you something, I’ll move to a motel. I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you either.”

“This is your home.”

“No, it’s
your
home. Thank you for letting us stay. I’m going to get another place soon. I just need to save the money.”

“You can live here forever.” A pleading note came into his tone that bugged her. “We can remarry and start over. I know I can be the man you need.”

Takiyah recalled Duke saying something like she didn’t know what she needed. Her irritation rose higher. Why did both of them assume they knew her better than she knew herself? Couldn’t she make her own decisions without someone else trying to tell her what was right and wrong?

An ache started in her temple, and she rubbed it. For a minute, she thought about admitting to Ed that she was thinking about marrying him again. Fear that he would run away with the idea and have a ring already picked out with a venue and everything kept her mouth shut. The last thing she wanted was pressure.

“I have to do what’s right for Keen,” she said.

Ed grasped her shoulders and turned her toward him. When he moved close, she tried to duck out of his hold. To her surprise, he tightened his grip. Ed was always meek for a man. “
I’m
what’s right—for both of you.”

She grinned because his attempt to be strong was kind of cute. Not that it appealed to her as a woman. She knew his personality, and this little stand was just that—little. Ed would roll back into his placid position. When they were married, he often asked her what she thought they should do with any given situation. She was the disciplinarian when it came to Keen. At the end of the day, it was Ed’s weakness that allowed Keen to go off unsupervised and get hurt. Because she hadn’t done all she could either, she didn’t hate him. This problem had been escalating for months, and if she had chosen their neighborhood better, maybe it wouldn’t have happened at all.

She started to respond to him when his head came down and he kissed her. Struggling against his hold, she yelped in alarm as he tried to part her lips and stick his tongue into her mouth. A sharp slap across his cheek was the only way to get free. He stumbled backward, clutching his red jaw, eyes wide in shock.

“What did you do that for, Takiyah?”

“Are you for real? Who the hell told you to kiss me?” She pointed a finger at him. “From now on, keep your hands off me, and you don’t have to worry because I’m finding a motel to go to in the morning.”

She spun on her heel and marched down the hall. At her bedroom, he tried to come after her, but she slammed the door in his face. He banged on it.

“Takiyah, wait. I’m sorry. Let’s talk about this.”

She jerked the door open again. “If you wake Keen up, I’m kicking you so hard you’ll be gargling your balls. That’s your only warning.”

His mouth fell open. “This isn’t like you. It’s that man, isn’t it? Duke?”

“Duke has nothing to do with the fact that you just tried to force yourself on me.”

“I didn’t. You’re my wife—”

“
Ex
-wife, get it through your head. I don’t want you, Ed!” At last, she knew it was true and that no matter what happened, she couldn’t go back. When he tried to tongue kiss her, she almost threw up in his mouth. No marriage could last like that. The only way she could go through with it was if they both vowed to be celibate. Over the last couple days, she saw how Ed watched her. He desired her, so that idea was out the window.

“You’re sure? I would devote my life to you and Keen, Takiyah. You only have to say the word.” He sounded defeated, and she felt sorry for him, but not sorry enough to accept him.

A lump formed in her throat. “I know you would, and I’m so sorry I can’t be the woman for you. Ed, you’re a good man in your own way, but I don’t love you anymore. Before you say anything, no, I can’t learn to love you either.”

He paced a few steps away, his head down so she couldn’t see his face. “Are you in love with him?”

“Whatever I feel about anyone else isn’t your business.” She said the words with firmness but not unkindly. “I’ve told you how it is with you and me.”

He looked up, and she saw tears reflected in his gaze. She gave him credit because in the past he always cried whenever he felt the need. “You don’t have to move out. I’ll keep my distance.”

“Thanks, but no. It’s the right thing to do. I have to stand on my own two feet. Mama has been invited to stay with Mrs. Jones for as long as she wants. She says her friend was pretty depressed and lonely after she lost her husband last year. I think the two of them will do fine. Keen and me will too.”

“You never want to lean on anyone. You’re too strong.”

“Meaning you wish I was weak so I could depend on you?”

He shrugged. “A little.”

“That kind of pisses me off. I like being strong. I might not want to be strong alone, but I like who I am.” She rubbed her eyes. “Listen, it’s late, and I’m tired. I’m going to bed. Good night.”

To her relief, he accepted, and she shut the door. After getting undressed and lying in bed, she pulled her cell phone from the nightstand and held it in her hand. Duke’s number was in her favorites. She had considered deleting it but changed her mind a thousand times. On impulse, she dialed and waited with her stomach in knots as it rang. Two, three, four rings, and it went to voicemail. Humiliation and embarrassment washed over her. He was angry, and he didn’t want to speak to her. She shouldn’t be surprised. She laid the phone down and clicked off the light. Well, she was still alone. Nothing new there. They would make it in life if she had to climb every mountain with Keen on her back.

S
unlight shone
in Takiyah’s eyes, and she moaned. Her head pounded, and her stupid phone was ringing. She recalled the conversation with Ed the night before and how she had called Duke. Maybe he was returning her call now. She picked up the phone to discover both a disappointment that it wasn’t him and relief that it was Adele.

“Hey,” Takiyah said. “You’re back among the living?”

“Oh, honey,” Adele gushed. “This trip with Juan was incredible. We did nothing but have sex in the mountains—outside, inside, on a rock, you name it.”

“Lovely.” Takiyah had no desire to hear those kinds of details. “No reception?”

“No, I told you I probably wouldn’t. But I’m back. What’s been happening down here? Any progress on the McHottie arena?”

Takiyah bit her lip. She didn’t want to discuss her problems either. Adele being back didn’t mean she could crash with her friend. Adele lived in a studio apartment when she wasn’t curled up in a lover’s place. “You were supposed to be gone another week.”

“I know, but I was getting desperate for the internet and a mocha latte.” She giggled in her high-pitched way. “Hold on, girlie. I hear something in your voice.”

“It’s early.”

“It’s seven. Shouldn’t you be up? Gosh, I left that stupid telemarketing job, and I’ve forgotten the schedule already. Ah, my mind is clear.”

Takiyah rolled her eyes. “It wasn’t telemarketing, and you say that like your ass didn’t get fired.”

“Details.”

Takiyah laughed. “Well, some interesting things have happened since you were gone.”

“Talk to me.”

Takiyah broke down and told her all the details, including about sleeping with Duke, running him off, Ed trying to get in her panties, and being homeless. Adele burst out crying, and Takiyah spent a few minutes trying to understand what the heck she was saying before her friend pulled herself together.

“I can’t believe I was gone when you needed me. Get your stuff together. I’m coming to get you.”

“I have a car, Adele. That first day, I was too shaken up to drive, but Ed went back to the house with me to grab it. I’m still too scared to go inside the place, but at least I can get around.”

“Okay, pack all your things, and you and Keen come to my apartment. We’re going to be roomies.”

“Adele, your apartment is like three rooms, and each one of them isn’t much more than a closet.”

“We’ll make it work.”

She shook her head. “Let me think about it, okay? We’re all right.”

“Don’t be stupid, Takiyah. You sashaying around Ed’s house in bootie shorts is only going to make him hungry. Men—even squishy ones like Ed—have one thing on their minds all day.”

Takiyah laughed. “Exactly when have I ever sashayed in bootie shorts?”

“You know what I mean. You black girls got more bootie than you know what to do with. It’s not fair, but I’m saying, that white boy is going to get ideas in his head.”

“You know you white, right?”

She giggled. “Come on over. We’ll figure it out together.”

Takiyah somehow managed to get off the phone and sat up on the side of the bed. She first checked on Keen and found him playing video games, and then she showered. When she was dressed, she had come to a decision. Keen would not be returning to his school, but she had to get back to work so she could make some money to live on.

“Ed.” She walked into the kitchen to find him standing at the stove.

He turned and grinned at her. “I’m making breakfast. You like your eggs over easy, right?”

“Don’t you have to get to work?”

“I took the morning off. I’ll work the afternoon and late shift.” He reddened. “I talked to Dad. I’m going to be doing some part time jobs with his company again.”

“Wow, are you sure that’s what you want to do?”

He shrugged. “I’m aware of my limitations, and it seems like Dad got the message that I’m a man, and I want to do things my way.”

“Good for you.”

He colored even more.

“Well, if you’re going to be here, do you mind keeping an eye on Keen? Please, Ed, don’t let him out of your sight.”

He raised a hand. “I won’t. I promise. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to try to secure us a place to live.”

“Takiyah…”

“Don’t say it. Hopefully, it won’t be so bad, but it will definitely be in a far better neighborhood than where we were. I can’t let Keen stay out of school long. I’ll see you later.”

She left his house and first drove to the call center. Her boss wasn’t there when she called in the family emergency, so she was hoping he accepted her excuse. Not like she had a “family emergency” official to sign a form, proving why she was out.

When she tried using her key card to get to her area, a chime dinged and the little light stayed red. She tried again and groaned. Backtracking through the lobby, she walked around the security desk and headed to Human Resources. Nerves tightened in her stomach, but she kept moving.

In the small office area with low walled cubicles in every available space, she spotted the woman who had processed all her information the day she was hired nine months ago. “Sharon,” she called.

The woman standing at the printer, which was busily churning away, raised her head and smiled. “Oh, Takiyah, I’m so glad you’re here. I have your exit interview all ready.”

Takiyah hated the way she pronounced her name. Sharon said it like Tacky-yah. She’d never made a big deal about it, but it still irked her. The words Sharon said broke through the annoyance. “Wait, exit interview?”

“Yes.” Sharon approached her with a bunch of papers in her hand. “Your supervisor sent down your information a few days ago saying you quit, but we still have to follow certain procedures to make sure your benefits are handled properly.”

A million thoughts passed through Takiyah’s head, chief of all, to give the asshole she used to work with an earful. Instead, she gritted her teeth. What was the point? This was coming for a long time. They didn’t get along, not since the beginning, and he had been looking for an excuse. Now he had one, and the fact that her entry card didn’t work proved his anal ass had made sure to cut her from the payroll the second after she called in.

“Yeah, okay,” she said. “Whatever.”

Depressed and nervous about the future, she signed wherever Sharon indicated and answered dumb questions in a monotone. The call center job had given her health benefits, but now she had nothing. The most important thing was that Keen was still covered with his father’s plan.

Well, no use crying. Get up. Move on.

She left that job and headed over to Marquette’s. If Creed had fired her, she was in real trouble, and she would either have to lean on Ed or squeeze into Adele’s place. She prayed all the way there and walked into the comfortable atmosphere of the restaurant almost shaking.

The place was a hive of activity since the lunchtime rush was on. Music played over the speakers, but no one sat at the piano. That wasn’t unusual, but she wondered if Stefan had left for good yet. Karey happened by, and Takiyah called to her. “Is Creed in?”

Karey flashed a smile but kept moving. “Yep, his office.”

Takiyah headed toward the back. She walked into the kitchen to find Shada overseeing her staff. The baby cooed in the corner with a nanny. Takiyah had heard Shada wouldn’t accept a nanny because she wanted to raise her baby herself. Maybe she changed her mind because the restaurant kept calling to her love of cooking.

At Creed’s office door, Takiyah raised her hand to knock. Someone walked out of another office behind her, and she turned to see who it was. Duke towered above her, staring so hard, she felt vulnerable before him.

“D-Duke.” She cleared her throat. “I wanted to ask if your injury is okay. I called last night.” She kicked herself for mentioning the call and looking pathetic because he didn’t call back.

His eyes widened. “How did you know about my—” He cut himself off and coughed as if he remembered something. “Oh, yeah, my arm. It’s fine. Thanks.”

She looked down. His right hand was bandaged, and she gasped. “What in the world happened?”

“An accident.”

“Don’t hand me that excuse!” She grabbed for his wrist and made small sounds of sympathy as she studied the bandage. He stood there stiff and silent as she fussed over him. After a few minutes, she realized what she was doing and let him go.

“Um, sorry, that’s your business,” she whispered.

She took a step back, but he moved a little closer. Her heart hammered, and she tried to swallow over and over. His deep, rumbling voice turned her insides to mush.

“I had to take care of something important last night. My phone was on vibrate so I didn’t hear it ring. By the time I looked, it was too late to call.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say.

His good hand came up, and he stroked her cheek. She shivered and looked at him. His thumb brushed her bottom lip. Desire kept her near him, wanting so much more than a gentle stroke.

“I’m going to kiss you.” He wasn’t asking, that was for sure.

She couldn’t help herself but teased, “Are telling me or asking?”

His gaze burned hot as it focused on her mouth, and his head came down slowly. “I’m telling you.”

A trail of red-hot pleasure danced along Takiyah’s veins, from the first tender touch to when he deepened the kiss and bombarded her mouth with his seeking tongue. She fell against him, and he encircled her in a strong embrace that had her head spinning.

Duke ravaged her mouth for a good five minutes. Takiyah couldn’t be sure if anyone happened along or if someone saw what they did. She didn’t give a damn. All she cared about was that Duke keep kissing her forever.

When he lifted his head at last, she was drunk with bliss. She told herself to straighten up, but the energy and the willpower wouldn’t materialize. Duke kept his arm about her anyway, making sure her body aligned with his. He had raised his head, but he didn’t go far. Staring down at her, he seemed prepared to look all day and night. She was okay with it.

“How dare you keep me wanting you this bad,” he whispered.

Her fingers spasmed, clutching his shirt. “I didn’t.”

“You
did
.” He touched her hair. She imagined it looked a hot mess. By his changing expression, she figured he struggled over saying something else. “Did you fuck him?”

She gasped. “No.”

His expression darkened further. “Are you telling me the truth?”

“Yes.”

He nodded and said no more, but she had never felt such a strong sense of possessiveness from a man. If her panties weren’t wet from the kiss, they were certainly soaked now. Deny Duke? Hell, no. She couldn’t. Everything inside her wanted him, but was it love? Could she love him after so short a time?

She dared to study his face as he was doing with her, and she knew it was true. Despite all the lectures she had given herself over the years like “stay on the path” and “keep your head down,” she had fallen in love with a man like Duke.

The realization made her duck her head just in case he could see it in her eyes. Duke went on holding her. Neither of them seemed able to find words to say. Takiyah felt like it was enough to be in his arms.

Curiosity washed over her. “What business did you have to take care of last night?”

“I’d rather not discuss it.” The finality in his tone kept her from pressing him. After some moments, voices from the dining room reached her, and she wiggled in his hold. With reluctance, he released her. She found the strength to step away from him and knock on Creed’s door. The command to enter came immediately. She glanced back to Duke to find him standing where she left him. He continued to watch her. Swallowing, she stepped into Creed’s office.

“Creed, I wanted to talk to you about my job,” she began right away before she lost her nerve. Everything inside willed him not to say there was no job to discuss.

Creed’s brows dropped low over his eyes. The same green, the same shape as Duke’s eyes reflected from Creed’s, but they didn’t draw her the way that Duke’s did. Even though she’d just left him in the hall, she longed to go out there and just be with him. Who knew how long they could remain together. Her mind refused to think past today, when she would have to make a responsible decision about her future.

To hell with responsibility
, she mentally whined. Years of doing what was right or safe didn’t allow her to let go completely, but she gave it a try. Then thoughts of her sweet Keen entered her head, and she almost let a groan of pain escape. The fact that she stood before Creed kept her pulled together with every last thread of willpower.

“Don’t tell me you’ve come in here to quit,” Creed growled. “I thought you were serious about helping to maintain the family that this company is.”

Her mouth fell open. He was actually trying to convince her to stay.

“If it’s Duke—” he began.

“No, no.” A grin broke out on her face. “I wasn’t thinking of quitting. I wanted to make sure you weren’t firing me after I took off without notice.”

“You said it was a family emergency. Was that a lie?”

Her shoulders drooped. “No, it wasn’t. I won’t go into details, but I’m still trying to work everything out. What I need more than anything is to get back to work.”

“When?”

“As soon as possible.” She bit her lip, hopeful.

“The temp I had to replace you today did a crappy job yesterday. I told the agency to find me someone else, but I haven’t received a call. If you’re prepared to get started now, that will work for me.”

She let out a small sound of gratitude. “Thank you so much. Um, is it okay if I pick my son up really fast and bring him in? I know it’s unprofessional to ask, but—”

He held up his hand. “It’s fine. Hurry. I don’t want to tax anyone else to cover your tables while you’re gone.” He picked up the phone as he spoke, and she assumed it was to phone the temp agency he used when they had unexpected gaps in help. Takiyah whisked from the office in a haze of relief only to be captured by Duke in the hall and dragged to his chest.

“Let go, Duke. I have to go get Keen.”

“After another kiss,” he demanded.