Yield to Love (18 page)

The last time she’d had unprotected sex was
in high school. Her period was three weeks late. Even then, she
didn’t feel pregnant. And it turned out, she wasn’t. She couldn’t
believe she’d had unprotected sex with Roque last night. That was a
major fuck up. How had her fantasy weekend turned into her worst
nightmare?

Roque stood behind her in the mirror. The
concern etched into his features did nothing to lighten her burden.
“I’m sorry,” he told her. “I got carried away last night.”

He’d been repeating the same line for the
past few hours. Ever since they woke up, still locked in each
other’s erotic tangle on the patio. Her back and neck had suffered
for it.

She let out a deep breath. “I can’t let you
take all of the blame. I got caught up in the moment, too.”

“
Let’s not let this
accident spoil our time together,” Roque said.

“
I’m not ready for a baby,
Roque.”

Their gazes collided. She saw something in
his eyes, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Was it sadness?
Worry? He couldn’t be feeling half the emotions she was
feeling.

“
You’re not pregnant,
Marlowe. You’re just shell shocked right now.”

“
I don’t know if you
noticed, but I love having sex.”

He gave her a patient smile. “Uh, yeah, I
did notice, and that’s what I like about you.” He kissed her on the
back of the neck. “I’ve yet to meet a woman who can rival my
appetite in bed.”

“
Well, if I’m pregnant,
that’s all about to end.”

“
What does that have to do
with anything?”

“
I’ll be a parent! I’ll
have to be more responsible. I just can’t go around having sex like
this whenever I want.”

“
Why not? I’m a parent and
it hasn’t slowed me down.”

“
You’re a man.”

“
And you’re a woman. A
very hot woman.”

She rolled her eyes. “Roque, I don’t feel
like you’re taking this seriously. It’s all fun and games until
someone ends up pregnant.”

“
Marlowe.” He turned her
around to face him and put his hands on her shoulders. He tipped
her chin so she could look up at him. She was tall, but he still
towered over her. “You’re putting the cart before the horse. We
don’t know anything for sure right now. If it turns out you are
pregnant, I will be there for you. I take care of my
responsibilities.”

“
And what if I don’t want
to have it? What if I want to get rid of the baby?”

He shook his head. “I’m not entertaining
this train of thought. There’s no use stressing over it when we
don’t know anything for sure.” He stroked her cheeks. “But I will
say this, regardless of your feelings on the subject, I think you
would make a wonderful mother.”

“
I didn’t have a very good
role model.”

God, she didn’t want to have a child and be
a horrible mother like LaReesa was.

You won’t be a horrible mother. You’re
nothing like her.

“
Are you kidding?” Roque
said, reading her mind. “You had Ronnie and Candace. They did a
great job raising you into the amazing woman you are. A woman who
attracted me like a moth to a flame. And believe me, I didn’t want
to be attracted. But you wore me down!”

She gave a reluctant smile at his
admission.

“
Wait a minute,” he
teased. “Was that a smile?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I kind of did catch you
hook, line, and sinker.”

“
Hey, I don’t give you
these compliments for you to use them against me.” He kissed her on
the nose, and then he pulled her against him. She felt the hard
evidence of his erection pressing through his shorts. “Well, since
the damage is done, let’s spend the rest of the morning in bed,” he
suggested.

Her heart fluttered at his obvious virility.
“You cannot be ready again?”

“
I can’t keep my hands off
you, Marlowe.” His blue eyes flashed with a hedonistic gleam. “I
was hoping you felt the same about me.”

She had to admit she did.
Since they’d been here, they’d been like two dogs in heat. Not even
a water hose could keep them from each other. Morning, noon, and
night, whenever the urge hit, they somehow found their way to each
other. Whether it was in their villa’s private plunge pool fed by
natural hot mineral springs, on the daybed on the terrace, on the
floor of their living area, or in the massive bed, they took their
pleasure whenever and wherever it pleased them.
This had truly been a fantasy trip she’d never
forget.

Roque could make her panties wet with just
one steamy look. She definitely couldn’t keep her hands off him—nor
did she want to.

She squeezed his hands. “I would think it
should be obvious how I feel. But from now on, you have to put a
condom on before you can even look at me!”

He cracked up laughing. “I can handle it if
you can.”

Marlowe closed her eyes as he claimed her
lips with a hot kiss. Oh, yeah. She was definitely feeling Roque
Coleman.

Roque swept Marlowe into his arms and
carried her to the massive bed. He spread her legs and lay atop
her. He wanted this woman so bad. He couldn’t believe how hard he
was falling for her. And if she were pregnant, he would definitely
take care of his child. Just like he had done with Jade when
Natalyn flipped out and decided she no longer wanted to be part of
their lives.

A pang of guilt suddenly stabbed him in his
gut. Yes, he would take care of Marlowe and his child. But other
than financial security, what else could he offer her? He had
baggage she didn’t know about. He’d planned this as a freaky
weekend getaway. But it seemed like it could be turning into
something deeper. Even if Marlowe weren’t pregnant, it wouldn’t be
so bad to have her around on a permanent basis. But if he was going
to do that, he needed to come clean with her about something. He
didn’t want there to be any secrets.

He took a deep breath and then gazed into
her eyes. The hypnotic pools of whiskey stared up at him as she lay
sprawled on her back. Lord, she was so beautiful. He pushed ahead
before he lost his nerve. “Marlowe, there’s something…I need to
tell…”

She put her finger over his lips to silence
him. “Tell me later,” she ordered. “Right now, I want to feel you
inside me again.”

Desire blossomed inside him as he heard her
admission. Lust overtook all reason as he softly licked the finger
she’d placed against his lips. Wanting to do what he’d fantasized
about earlier, he began slowly kissing her all over, starting with
her hands, and then moving to her arms, her breasts, and her
stomach. He trailed kisses all the way past her belly button to her
Brazilian wax. He pushed her thighs aside, lowered his head, and
began tasting the treasure there. When he dragged the tip of his
tongue against the exposed bud of her clitoris, Marlowe purred with
delight, clenching fistfuls of his hair. His erection swelled
again. He shrugged away the meddling thoughts of his nagging
conscience. Tomorrow, he would admit the truth to her. Today, he
would fulfill all her wishes, and be the fantasy man she truly
desired.

###

Marlowe knew the fantasy had come to an end
when they landed at the Miami International Airport that afternoon.
Normally, she would have been jetlagged from a trip to another
country, but she was still riding the wave of euphoria from the fun
she’d had with Roque. Reality was barely setting in. She and Roque
both agreed to three days of unbridled pleasure. Then, they would
return to their lives in Miami. He had a business to run and so did
she.

But she didn’t feel like going back to
having things the way they were. She felt different somehow. She
couldn’t put her finger on it.

As they unfastened their seatbelts in
preparation to depart the plane, Roque turned to her.

“
Marlowe, I’ve enjoyed our
time together.”

She nodded. “Me too.”

Damn, I hope I don’t get all teary-eyed and
shit.

Roque’s eyes searched hers. “I know I said
I’d only keep you for three days, but I’m not ready to let you
go.”

Hope sparked in her chest. So, he felt it
too? What were they going to do about this? So many emotions warred
back and forth inside her. Were the two of them ready for something
that lasted longer? Could she keep the attention of a man like
Roque?

“
What are you saying?” she
asked.

“
I’m not trying to put
demands on you. But I was thinking we could see each other on a
regular basis.”

She nodded. “What does regular mean?”

He shrugged. “Whatever we want it to mean.
We don’t have to set parameters. Let’s just let things happen
naturally.”

Her heart was thundering in her chest now.
“How do we know this is real? Maybe it’s just the mind-blowing sex
that’s adding a rosy glow to this picture.”

“
Maybe, but don’t you
think we owe it to ourselves to explore it a little more?” When she
didn’t respond, he spoke up. “Unless I’m the only one who feels
like this. If so, let me know and I’ll back off.”

Her gaze sought his. Her heart almost flat
lined at the vulnerable look in his eyes. She shook her head. “No,
Roque. You’re not the only one who feels that way.” She leaned in
and kissed him, putting the full force of her emotions into it. She
pulled away, breathless. “Well, if we’re going to be seeing more of
each other, that means I’ll be seeing more of Jade too. I’d better
get a peace offering for her.”

He laughed. “What did you have in mind?”

“
A boa
constrictor.”

He pensively stroked his goatee with his
thumb and forefinger. “Tell me, you are not serious.”

“
I’m not.” She smiled as
she thought about the pet store in the mall where Jade had seen the
snake. “But since it’s Sunday, I’d like to stop by the mall and
pick her up a little something.”

###

After Marlowe found the perfect turtle for
Jade at the pet store, she and Roque headed back to his house to
deliver it. Marlowe was a little disappointed that Jade wasn’t
there to see it.

“
She’s still at that dance
camp,” Roque told her. “She should be back this evening, and then
I’ll make sure she sees it. Let’s put it in her room.”

Marlowe walked around Jade’s room, marveling
at the array of creatures. “It’s like a jungle in here,” she
quipped.

“
Kinda makes you feel a
little frisky, doesn’t it?” Roque asked.

“
Hell no. It makes me feel
like setting all of the animals in the Miami zoo free!”

Roque chuckled. The sound of the doorbell
cut off what was sure to be a quick comeback from him.

“
That must be Jade,”
Marlowe said.

Roque’s brow furrowed. “No. She has a key.
She would have let herself in.”

“
Maybe it’s the Jehovah’s
witnesses.”

“
I doubt it. They know I’m
a lost cause.”

She playfully punched him in the arm. The
doorbell rang again. Whoever was at the door was mighty
insistent.

Marlowe followed Roque back downstairs. “Let
me get rid of whoever this is,” he told her. “Then, I’ll drop you
back at your house.”

“
Sounds good.” Marlowe’s
jet lag was catching up with her. As excited as she was to be in
Roque’s company, she was feeling the effects of her
travels.

When Roque opened the door, a slender,
olive-skinned woman stood on the other side. From Marlowe’s
viewpoint near the foot of the stairs, she saw the woman was
fashionably dressed in designer jeans and a mink bolero jacket.

A mink? It’s not that cold!

Her dark hair was piled into a sleek bun.
Everything about her, from her Louis Vuitton stilettos to her
Versace sunshades was intentionally well put together.

“
Well, finally!” the woman
huffed. “I was beginning to think you were purposely ignoring me,
Roque.”

Marlowe was struck by the woman’s
familiarity with Roque. She couldn’t understand why Roque, who was
normally in control of every situation, simply stood there.

“
Well, are you going to
let me in or not?” the woman demanded. “You’re guarding this place
like a virgin in a whorehouse!”

It was then that the woman looked past Roque
to where Marlowe stood several feet away in the foyer. She peered
over the rims of her dark shades before pulling them off. Her coal
eyes swept over Marlowe like a predator.

The lady pushed her way inside, keeping her
gaze trained on Marlowe. “You’re too old to be a friend of Jade’s,”
she charged. “Who are you?”

Marlowe bristled. Aw, hell no! Who was this
chick to be interrogating her? Instead of volunteering her name,
Marlowe retorted, “Who are you?”

The sassy female gave Marlowe what could
have passed for a smile, but was more of a sarcastic sneer. “I’m
Natalyn Coleman, Roque’s wife.”

Roque rushed to Marlowe’s side. He reached
out his hand to pull her into his embrace, but the burning
accusation in her eyes stopped him cold.

“
Listen, Marlowe, I can
explain.”

“
Is she your wife or not?”
Marlowe demanded.

His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his
chest. This could not be happening. This was not the way he wanted
her to find out.

“
Tell her,” Natalyn
insisted. “Tell her who I am.”

Roque shot Natalyn a warning glance, wishing
he could go back in time and not answer the door. Why the hell was
she here after all these years? Never mind, he’d deal with her
later.