Make You Mine (7 page)

Miss Independence
, he thought.

Julius wasn't one of the let-me-take-a-look-under-the-hood kind of men. Nor was he interested in being in twenty-degree weather trying to figure out what was wrong with her ancient car. What he was was a gentleman. A gentleman who believed in paying those who enjoyed doing certain things in life…like fixing cars.

“What time is your appointment?” he asked, walking down the slanted drive to stand beside her in front of the car.

“In thirty minutes,” she answered, pulling the stick to check the oil.

Julius shook his head. “No, no, no,” he told her in a stern and deep voice that invited no argument—or so he hoped. He gently removed the stick, stuck it back where it belonged, and then closed the hood. “Give me five minutes to dress and call a mechanic. I'll take you to the doctor.”

Caress instantly shook her head. “I can't afford a mechanic—”

Julius felt like rolling his eyes but he didn't because maybe he was hanging around Dwayne too much. “Caress, let me do this for you,” he requested in a serious tone as he looked down into her bright eyes that were filled with water from the January cold winds beating around them.

Caress's gaze was one of refusal.

Julius nodded in persistence.

“I'll pay you back for the car,” she told him with determination that made him want to smile.

Julius wanted to take her to the doctor anyway. Maybe hearing from the doctor's mouth what her due date was would help ease the questions that still remained with him as to his true role in Caress' unexpected pregnancy.

 

Caress settled deep onto the sand leather-heated seats of Julius's Range Rover. She couldn't lie—it was a far better ride than her chilly, in-need-of-shocks-real-bad hooptie. Still, she hated to think that Julius thought she was pushing herself or her baby onto him. Of course she'd be happy if he would get happy about the baby at least, but nothing else was foremost on her mind…during her working hours at least.

She shivered at the heated memory of her erotic dreams of him at night. Pregnancy obviously didn't cool her desires any because one thing she couldn't deny was that Julius Jones, debonair urban man of the new millennium, turned her the hell on without even trying. And Lord knows he wasn't trying worth a damn.

“Thanks again,” she said, glancing over at him as he drove with ease and confidence. “I wish I didn't have to bother you.”

Julius glanced over at her as well and their eyes met briefly before she looked away. “It's not a bother, Caress.”

They fell silent and the soft strains of some instrumental jazz filled the interior of the luxury vehicle again.

“I guess if your car hadn't broken down this morning you wouldn't have told me about this appointment either?” he asked, adjusting his position in the driver's seat.

“Of course not,” she answered. “I clearly see our situation for what it is and nothing more. So the whole happy picture of us going to doctors' appointments and shopping for the nursery…and…picking names together is not what I'm looking for. And I ain't trying to push it on you either.”

She felt Julius's intense eyes on her and it made her feel electrified, but she ignored looking in his direction again.

“This is a hard situation for us both, Caress,” he told her.

“I agree, Julius,” she answered.

They fell silent again.

“You still not sure it's your baby?” she asked, finally voicing a question that had been haunting her since his return. She chanced a look at him out of the corner of her ebony eyes.

“Honestly?” he asked, as he turned the weighty vehicle right on Springfield Avenue.

A pang echoed in her chest. “Yes. We're both grown.”

“I hardly know you so I can't lie and say I don't have doubts,” he admitted in a low voice that let her know he wished he hadn't had to say that. “I'm sorry.”

Caress nodded. “I understand your position. I watch Maury and all those talk shows. There are plenty of men being fooled…but please know that my last relationship ended months before our date that night. I hadn't been intimate with anyone for months before that night, and for the life of me I'm trying to figure out why the hell I lost my mind that night.”

“
We
lost our minds, Caress,” Julius insisted in soft and husky tones. “We lost our minds together.”

Caress closed her eyes as a wave of awareness shimmied over her body. She nervously licked her lips as her heart fluttered. Everything in his tone let her know that he hadn't forgotten what they shared that night either…and that was dangerous. “There's my doctor's office on the right. You can just let me out and I'll catch the bus back,” she told him, struggling to bring all of her senses and those physical cues of desire under control.

Instead of pulling in front of the brick building, Julius turned into the fenced parking lot on the side. “Actually, I wanted to come in, if that's all right,” he said, turning the car off like the decision was already made.

Caress hid her surprise well. “Okay,” she agreed, picking her purse up from the floor to leave the SUV.

 

“Howdy!”

Startled, Julius whirled around and eyed the short woman who walked into the examining room like a mini whirlwind. He hated to be rude, but a piece of him wanted to tell her to bring it down a notch.

“And who is this?” Dr. Dillinger asked as she washed her hands, her short dreadlocks framing a pretty, round face and wide, bright eyes behind frameless glasses.

From on the examining table, Caress glanced over at Julius standing by the window. He looked over at her too.

Neither knew what to say.

“He's a friend,” Caress answered, turning to look away.

Julius tucked away the bit of annoyance he felt that Caress had just disclaimed him as the father. But what other choice did he give her when he wasn't prepared to claim it himself…yet?

“Well, welcome friend. I'm Doc Dillinger,” she said enthusiastically with a big grin that was hard for anyone to resist.

“Nice to meet you,” he told her in pleasant tones as he crossed his strong, chiseled arms over his chest in the suede blazer he wore well.

“You've had your labs drawn and so far everything appears within normal levels.” The doctor slid on a pair of gloves and sat down on a stool positioned at the foot of the table.

Julius wondered if he should leave.

“I'm going to examine you and then it's…dah-da-dunda-da-dun…ultrasound time, Mommy-to-be.”

His eyes shifted up to Caress's face, and he didn't miss the twinkle of excitement in her eyes. He bit his lips, feeling like he was missing out on something big.

Since Caress didn't ask him to leave and he didn't necessarily want to, Julius remained by the window as the doctor examined her. Thankfully all of her private business was pointed in the opposite direction. Not that he hadn't seen it, touched it, tasted it…dreamt of it for the last three and a half months.

We both lost our minds, Caress.

That moment in the car came drifting back to him. He'd have to be deaf and mute to miss the electricity that surrounded them. In that heated moment he knew they could have easily lost their minds again.

He had hardly had enough Caress.
Nowhere near enough
, he thought.

Still it was a line he would not cross. Things were way too complicated now…but that didn't curb the desire he had for her. One sexy night was all he had to hold onto after all these months and he could remember every moment, which was more than he could say about women he'd bedded dozens of times.

Julius shook himself to push away thoughts of how much fun it would be to bury himself deep inside of Caress. He looked over as the Doc lifted Caress's printed hospital gown.

Her stomach was exposed and perfectly round though small. She was just starting to show. He wanted to know if it was his child. The last thing he wanted was to stick around like some naive fool buying up a bunch of baby stuff and proclaiming his fatherhood all during the pregnancy…only to have the baby born and the blood tests done proving it wasn't his. Hell, men had feelings too, and there were plenty of brothers hurt because of some woman lying about paternity.

It was bad enough the woman—no matter how fine—was living with him rent-free. Hell, he already felt like he had a sucker sticker on his damn forehead.

“There's the baby!” Doc Dillinger said excitedly, like it was the first time she saw a baby on an ultrasound.

Julius's eyes shifted to the screen to the distorted image of the baby moving inside Caress.

“Everything seems normal for fourteen weeks gestation,” the Doc said as she leaned forward to study the screen as she pressed the gel covered probe over Caress's stomach.

Fourteen weeks gestation. The time matched up to that night. That still wasn't a guarantee, but it damn sure seemed more likely than before. Likely but not definite. He moved forward slowly with his hands falling to his sides.

“Girl or boy, Doc?” Caress asked.

“Even with the 4D ultrasound, it's too early to be anything but a guess that it's a boy,” Doc warned, pointing to a spot on the screen.

Caress smiled softly.

Julius's entire neck and face warmed at her words. It was a boy…clearly.

Was that his son? His seed? His legacy for this earth? He couldn't deny that it was possible and just that possibility caused emotion to clog his throat.

One Month Later

Julius was at his studio reviewing his schedule for the next couple of weeks when Dwayne knocked twice on the wall before pulling back the chocolate leather curtain. Julius looked up and had to blink twice to fully take in that Dwayne who was six feet tall, slender, and had broad shoulders, was now wearing his head permed and spiked. This was the first he had seen of his assistant this morning.

“Jordan Banks is on line one and I'm going to pick up breakfast. You want me to bring you something?” he asked.

“Yes, thanks.”

Dwayne twirled dramatically through the curtain.

Shaking his head, Julius dropped his pen and picked up his phone. “Holla at your boy, big time
New York Times
best-selling author. How's Oprah?” Julius joked, leaning back in his leather swivel chair.

Jordan laughed with him. “Real funny. Besides I haven't seen O in months,” he joked back.

Jordan Banks was a famous mystery writer who lived just blocks over from Julius in Newark. Like Julius and many other prominent Newark residents who remained loyal to the Renaissance city, Jordan also refused to believe the hype that Newark was some uninhabitable, savage city filled only with poverty and depression and nothing good.

In truth, Julius looked up to Jordan. As a single man, Jordan had adopted five children and raised them alone for many years until he met and fell in love with his wife, Mia. She was just as special to take on a ready-made family of five kids and then give birth to their biological son. After thirteen years of marriage, they were still going strong.

They were two of Julius's favorite people and among his closest friends.

“What's up?” Julius asked.

“Mia's getting on me to get some updated headshots so you know I had to call my boy.”

“No problem,” Julius said, pulling forward to the desk to flip through the large leather-bound calendar on his desk. “When's good for you?”

“If you can do it here in my office then I'm good for whenever your schedule permits.”

“How about next Friday afternoon?” Julius offered, picking up his pen.

“Works for me and then you have to stay for dinner afterward.”

Julius laughed lightly as he tapped the pen against the calendar.

“I'll cook,” Jordan offered, his voice filled with amusement.

“That's a relief,” Julius drawled.

“Hey, hey!” Jordan protested.

“No offense. Your wife is one fine ass woman who has made me a lot of money with all her investment advice, but she can't cook worth a damn.”

Jordan laughed. “Oh, she burns where it's important, believe that,” he bragged.

“
That's
TMI.”

“One of those women of yours will get your nose wide open and you'll be around her bragging on your baby too,” Jordan told him.

“Whatever, pimpin'. I'll see you Friday.” Julius hung up the phone and wiped his hand over his mouth as he leaned back in his chair again.

Nose wide open. Please.

Julius jumped up from his desk and walked out of his office area. The large loft was clearly divided into separate areas. To the left was a showroom for the original photography he sold. To the right was the section where he did most of his portrait photography, and in the middle was the stylish reception area where Dwayne's glass and metal desk was the centerpiece—just the way his young assistant liked it.

Julius busied himself hanging some of the photos of Africa that he had blown up and framed. His selection from his trip was so varied that these prints were entirely different from the ones going in his book. He was standing back giving a critical eye to a photo of a topless woman covered nearly head to toe in colorful beads with a baby on her hip. He was proud that even with partial nudity—something Westerners were more prudish about—that his immediate focus went to the life in her bright and wide eyes.

The sounds of footsteps and clapping echoed in the large area.

Julius looked over his broad shoulder, and his eyes widened a bit in surprise to see Karina strutting across the polished wooden floors toward him.

She looked the part of a model in the black blazer she wore over a fitted white tee and ultra low-rise jeans with boots. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a loose ponytail. A black fur casually hung on her shoulders.

There was no doubt that Karina was a definite diva.

“You are so vain, Julius Jones,” she said, coming to stand beside him in front of the photo.

“Then we have something in common,” he mused, lightly placing his strong hand on her waist as he kissed her offered cheek. The scent and taste of her foundation made it a very quick and very light one.

She just laughed. “Haven't heard from you, Julius. I was coming from a meeting in the city and decided to swing by and check up on…unfinished business,” she concluded with a leisurely and thorough look from the top of his head to the tips of his shoes—and at everything in between.

Karina and Julius had danced this dance before. Yet, they hadn't managed to close the deal so to speak. She was undoubtedly a beautiful woman but now Julius had no interest in discovering the pleasures in Karina's bed between her slender thighs.

Their time had come and passed and they'd missed it.

It was funny but the drama, the makeup, the loud perfume that arrived before she did, the over-the-top wardrobe and stunts, the whole I-want-to-be-Eartha-Kitt voice and mannerism. All of it was boring as hell.

Karina grew up in Newark's Pennington Court housing projects but she browsed around town like Paris was her birthplace.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his Sean John slacks, Julius shifted past her to walk over to the reception area. “What can I help you with, Karina?” he said, busying himself straightening the contemporary leather waiting room chairs.

He heard her footsteps bring her over to him. “As much as I would love to discuss rescheduling our date…I'm here on business.”

Julius looked over at her, waiting for the rest.

Karina turned, offering him her shoulders in a silent request. Julius ground his teeth as he removed her fur and slung it over his arm. She turned back to him with a pleased smile.

“I've been offered my own calendar, and I want you to shoot it,” she said, easing down into one of the chairs and crossing her long and slender legs.

Julius's interest was definitely piqued.

“In Jamaica,” Karina added, turning sideways in the chair to strike a model pose as she flipped her long and undetectable weave over her shoulder.

He nodded, already calculating his fees for shooting an entire calendar and traveling. He wasn't in need of money, but this would be a sizeable hit and from the look in Karina's eyes she knew it too.

The metal elevators leading up from the street opened and Dwayne strutted in carrying two large brown paper bags. At the sight of Karina, he rolled his eyes before he reached them. “Hi, diva,” he said, false as all get-out, showing every bright white tooth in his mouth.

Dwayne had no qualms admitting that Karina irked his nerves. In his own words, he swore the model “made his butt itch.”

“Hey,” she said off-handedly with a weak, almost dismissive, wave of her hand.

Julius had a distinct feeling she had planned to pull one of her I'm-gonna-make-you-sex-me stunts on him, but Dwayne ruined all of that.

“So I'm headed out now but someone from the agency will call with all the details.”

Julius didn't bother to point out that he hadn't said yes.

Karina stood and turned again with a little wiggle of her shoulders.

Dwayne stepped forward with his hands outstretched like he would like to choke her from behind.

Julius stepped in his path and shook out the fur on his arm to place back on her shoulders. She gave him a wink and blew a kiss over her shoulder, then adjusted her fur and strutted to the doors as if her own personal runway music was playing in her head. Once she stepped on the elevator, she turned dramatically and struck a pose with her feet splayed wide and her hands on her hips.

The men shared a look long as the door closed.

“I wish you'd go on 'head and give her just what she's looking for so she'll stop coming here,” Dwayne said, unwrapping a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich at his desk. “She makes my butt—”

“Itch. Yes, you've told me that before,” Julius drawled in amusement as he opened his own sandwich and took a healthy bite.

 

Things were definitely looking up.

Caress placed her hands on her widening middle as she did her official happy dance—a mix of the Wop and the Cabbage Patch. Tamara laughed at her friend at first, but soon she hopped up off the bed and joined her.

“I got a job…I got a job,” Caress sang.

“She got a job…she got a job,” Tamara mimicked.

Caress felt a tiny twinge in her back so she gave up on the dancing, but she couldn't stop the smile on her face to save her life. “Julius might even break-dance when he hears the news,” she joked, moving to sit down on her bed.

Tamara laughed. “Girl, you stupid.”

Caress raised her long sleeve thermal to rub her belly. “We have settled into this nice friendly zone and that's good for the baby, but I know the man wants his house back. Hell, I want my own spot. God bless the child that has its own.”

“I know that's right, but that's not going to happen tomorrow. Job or no job,” Tamara reminded her as she started to fold the clean clothes in the hamper at the foot of Caress's surprisingly made bed.

“I'm creeping right now, but watch a sister crawl and then walk very soon.” Caress leaned forward to grab a handful of the clothes to fold herself.

Tamara eyed the room. It wasn't up to Julius's standards but it was a marked improvement from the wrecked state Caress usually existed in. “Julius rubbing off on you?”

Caress shrugged. “When in Rome…”

Ever since the doctor's appointment things in the house had settled in nicely. They still lived separate lives but they talked more and joked more whenever they were in each other's company. She was well aware though that the only show of irritation or aggravation he showed was about her messiness—well and her love of reality TV and rap music. Loving the serenity and peace, she made an effort to tidy up more.

Plus, with the baby coming it was time for her to get in the habit anyway.

She didn't want the man thinking his baby would be crawling around on wrinkled piles of clean clothes and knocking into empty Snapple bottles. She'd never kept a nasty house—mice, roaches, trash, unwashed dishes filled with food—but she knew it was…untidy.

“We have to celebrate,” Tamara insisted, stacking the folded shirts in the hamper.

Caress shook her head, causing her ponytail to swing from left to right. “My titties are heavy as hell, and the only clothes that fit these days look like this,” she complained, waving a Vanna White-like hand up and down her current ensemble of baggy green sweatpants and a red tank top that was overfilled with her growing breasts.

“I see you're in the Christmas spirit, Mrs. Claus. Too bad it's not December.” Tamara shook her head as she reached in the back pocket of her slacks for her cell phone. She ducked to avoid the throw pillow Caress chucked at her head.

“I can't wait till you're fat and pregnant.”

“Not as long as I'm popping my pills, baby,” Tamara assured her.

Caress playfully stuck out her tongue.

“So since Mrs. Claus isn't up for going out, we'll stay in. No biggie, boo,” she said, dialing her husband.

Caress got off the bed and made her way to the bathroom. She felt an excited energy as she relieved herself. More than anything she couldn't wait to tell Julius about her job. It was important for her to assure him that her time here in his house was temporary and that she was working on lessening his burden.

Caress remained seated long after she finished. She needed a moment to herself. Tam-Tam was the best kind of friend but her girlfriend could talk and somewhere during her pregnancy Caress had developed a love of peace and quiet. She'd even found herself turning off the television to snuggle under the covers to read. Julius had an extensive book collection and right now she was devouring a book by Jordan Banks.

Pregnancy was changing her. Motherhood would change her even more.

Would fatherhood change Julius too?

Caress frowned as she leaned forward as much as she could and placed her elbows on her knees.
If
it did, how would she know? She hardly knew any more about Julius than she did that night…even after almost two months living with him.

In essence they really were still strangers.

Air whished against Caress's bared bottom as the bathroom door suddenly swung open. Her eyes got big as she squealed.