A Forever Kind of Love (Kimani Romance) (13 page)

“You’ve been following the doctor’s orders?” he asked Grandma.

“Of course,” her grandmother answered. The model patient. Mya managed to suppress her sarcastic snort. “I’m not as hardheaded as Maureen makes me out to be.”

“I know you’re not.” Corey laughed. “And I also know that you’re going to do a better job at keeping up with your diet.”

“You’re starting to sound like the two pests in this house,” she said.

“Hey!” Mya pushed away from the doorjamb and walked farther onto the porch. “I resent being called a pest.”

“There you are,” her grandmother said. “I was wondering what was taking you so long. Now, go right back inside and pack yourself a bag. Somebody is whisking you away for the weekend.”

“Excuse me?” Mya looked from her grandmother to Corey.

“Not the entire weekend,” he said. “Just overnight.”

“
Excuse
me?” she said again. “I can’t spend the night with you.”

His brow lifted, and Mya’s entire body blushed. She turned to her grandmother. “And just what kind of example are you setting, urging me to pack a bag?”

“Oh, Mya, you’re not children anymore. There’s nothing wrong with the two of you going away for the weekend.”

Who is this person?
Mya was pretty sure she was the same woman who had threatened to call the cops on Corey if he dared to touch her granddaughter.

“We’re supposed to can green beans today,” Mya said, inwardly cringing at her flimsy excuse.

Corey saw right through it. She was so tempted to slap that smug smile off his lips, but he looked so scrumptious sitting there that she had a hard time doing anything but stare at him.

Her grandmother was no help at all. She flung a nonchalant wave toward Mya. “As if I can’t get this done by myself. Go pack your bag. Corey says he has a surprise for you.”

“She’s right, Peaches. You’re going to love it. I promise.”

Mya cut him with a narrowed gaze, not trusting him one bit. But she had to admit she was intrigued. Without another word of protest, she turned and went back toward the kitchen door.

“Make sure to include an evening dress,” Corey called.

She twisted and eyed him with a curious lift to her brow, but he just continued grinning like the proverbial cat with cream. “I don’t have an evening dress,” she said.

“Fine, we’ll find something at the mall.”

“As long as it’s not at that outlet mall in Maplesville,” her grandmother said.

“No, we’ll need to go a step above an outlet mall,” Corey said.

Intrigued beyond belief, Mya hurried to her room and threw clothes and toiletries into the carry-on bag she’d brought from New York. Twenty minutes later, she was ensconced in a soft leather bucket seat, waving goodbye to her grandmother.

“Nice car,” Mya said as they backed out of the driveway.

“Thanks,” he answered. “One of the few indulgences from my baseball-playing days.”

“You don’t call a five-thousand-square-foot house for one man an indulgence?” she asked.

“That’s an investment,” he said. “And there won’t always be just one person living there. I still have hopes of filling it with a wife and children.”

Mya quelled her runaway heartbeat, but nothing would suppress the almost dreamlike image that flashed across her mind’s eye. She saw herself and a couple of children that looked unmistakably like Corey playing in that massive backyard.

Mya gave herself a mental shake, forcing a picture of her Brooklyn apartment to the forefront of her mind. But all that did was cause a twinge of claustrophobia to close up her throat. Compared to Corey’s spacious home, her apartment was a shoebox.

“Where are we going?” Mya asked as he headed south on Highway 21.

“First, we’re going shopping,” he said. “We’ve got to get you a dress for dinner.”

“Where are we going for dinner?”

He glanced at her from behind dark sunglasses. “Why don’t you just relax and enjoy the ride. I promise you’ll like it.”

Mya wanted to press him, but knew it would be futile. She settled more comfortably in the soft leather as they cruised along the interstate, across Lake Pontchartrain and into downtown New Orleans.

Once in the city, they made their way to world-famous Canal Street. Corey drove all the way to the base of the long boulevard, where it butted against the Mississippi River. He made a U-turn and pulled up to the valet at The Shops at Canal Place.

“We’re shopping
here?
” Mya asked. She and Phylicia had window-shopped in the ultra-high-end stores dozens of times when they were younger, but never had they made a purchase.

“Yes, we are,” Corey said. “But quickly. Our dinner reservations are in less than a half hour.”

They went to Saks Fifth Avenue and Mya fell in love with the first cocktail dress she encountered. It was black, strapless and hugged her hips and waist. She walked out of the dressing room and did a slow twirl. She could practically feel the heat in Corey’s gaze on her skin.

“I cannot wait to take that off of you,” he said.

A mother and teenage daughter searching through a rack of dresses both turned to stare. The girl giggled. The mother did not. Embarrassment washed over Mya’s entire being.

“Come on,” Corey said. “Let’s get out of here.”

He paid for the dress, and they exited the store. The valet brought the car around within minutes. Mya grabbed her black heels from her bag and slipped them on.

“I love the way your legs look in those shoes,” Corey said. “The day of the funeral, I was amazed that you were able to balance in those high heels. You are so sexy, Mya.”

“Only you would be concentrating on a woman’s legs at a funeral.” She laughed.

“I’m sure I wasn’t the only one.”

They drove into the French Quarter. He made a right onto Chartres Street, a left on St. Louis and then another quick left onto Royal Street. When he pulled up to the curb at Brennan’s Restaurant, Mya actually squealed.

“We’re going to Brennan’s?” she shrieked.

Corey grinned as he put the car in Park. “I’m about a decade and a half late, but I told you I’d bring you here, didn’t I?”

Corey had promised to bring her to the world-famous French Quarter restaurant after her prom. Mya knew he couldn’t afford it, so she wasn’t disappointed when they’d had to settle for a chain restaurant in nearby Metairie. It was only after prom night that Corey had told her that he did have the money. He’d spent an entire month working evenings and weekends in his dad’s auto repair shop, despite how much he loathed it, only to learn that reservations at Brennan’s were scooped up months in advance.

“How did you manage to get a reservation on such short notice?” she asked.

“I’m not giving out my secrets,” he said as he exited the car.

They were guided to a table for two in the restaurant’s courtyard, where old-world gas lamps flickered against the backdrop of lush vegetation. They feasted on some of the most amazing food Mya had ever tasted. She’d dined at some of New York’s best restaurants, but there was nothing like New Orleans cuisine. The succulent crabmeat in a creamy béarnaise sauce melted on her tongue, and the chardonnay it was paired with was simply exquisite.

After their entrée dishes had been cleared away, a member of the waitstaff rolled a small flambé cart to their table and, with the flair of a seasoned performer, prepared the restaurant’s signature dessert, Bananas Foster. The creamy butter, brown sugar, rum and banana concoction was poured over vanilla bean ice cream.

Mya slid a spoonful in her mouth and her eyelids closed as a moan escaped her throat. She opened her eyes to find Corey staring at her from across the table, his dessert untouched.

“Aren’t you going to try it?”

“I’ll have my dessert later,” he said.

Her entire body warmed, and it had nothing to do with the heated sauce. Their plates were soon cleared, and Mya was almost embarrassed by the amount of anticipation flowing through her veins. She knew what was coming next. She’d seen it in every one of Corey’s smoldering stares.

As they walked out of the restaurant, she stopped at the line for the valet, but Corey tugged her arm. “I’m leaving the car here,” he said. “We’re not going very far.”

He tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow and they started walking on Royal Street.

“Corey, where are we—?” She stuttered to a stop as she stared ahead at the Hotel Monteleone. “You didn’t?” Mya said with an awe-filled sigh.

“I did,” he said. Corey leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple. “A night in the Tennessee Williams Suite awaits you.”

Mya’s eyes filled with tears and her throat clogged with so much emotion she could hardly catch her breath. He was re-creating one of her biggest fantasies. Ever since their literature class had attended a production of
A Streetcar Named Desire,
Mya had been swept away by the world of Tennessee Williams. How had Corey remembered that?

“Wait.” She tugged his arm. “My clothes are in the car.”

“No, they’re not. I had the valet service at Brennan’s deliver them to the hotel concierge. Now, come on. I’m ready to get you into that room and out of that dress.”

A shiver of wanting passed through her, and Mya quickly followed him into the hotel. She was struck by the lushly appointed lobby, with its marble floors and extravagant chandeliers. Corey spent less than two minutes checking them in at the front desk. Moments later, they were on the elevator heading to the fourteenth floor.

“I can’t believe you did all of this,” Mya said.

“I’m trying to make up for my past sins,” he said.

Her heart constricted. He wasn’t the only one with a long-ago sin.

“Corey,” she started, but he stopped her with a finger to her lips. His mouth followed. He pressed a delicate kiss upon her lips and murmured, “Not tonight. Tonight is for you, and I want it to be magical.”

They arrived at the fourteenth floor, and he ushered her to their room.
The Tennessee Williams Suite
was etched into a placard next to the door.

Mya didn’t have a chance to observe their surroundings. As soon as Corey closed the door behind her, he crushed his mouth to hers and scooped her into his arms. He carried her across the massive parlor and into the bedroom, where he laid her gently onto the bed and swiftly removed her new dress. He stripped out of his clothes and, moments later, stretched his taut, muscled body over hers.

Mya wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his mouth to hers. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the fantasy he’d created. The boy she’d loved with every drop of her soul had turned into the kind of man a woman would kill for. He took such care as he slowly, skillfully made love to her.

With single-minded intensity, he explored her body, kissing his way along her neck to the valley between her breasts. He trailed his tongue down her rib cage, dipping it into her belly button before focusing on that part of her that craved his attention. Mya panted shallow breaths as he palmed her hips and held her firmly in place. Her breath hitched with every delicious lash of his tongue, until she thought she would pass out from the sheer pleasure his extremely capable mouth wielded.

She came with a blinding rush of light sparking behind her closed eyelids. Before she could catch her breath, Corey pushed her knees farther apart and entered her in one smooth thrust.

Mya’s back bowed off the bed.

“Just relax,” Corey whispered in her ear. Gripping her backside in his hands, he nestled his lips in the crook between her shoulder and her neck and began stroking with a languorous rhythm that turned Mya’s body into a relaxed pile of useless muscle. He did all of the work, leaving her there to just enjoy the journey.

Mya felt the beginnings of another orgasm stir deep in her belly. As if he sensed it, Corey’s thrusts came harder, faster. He hooked his arms underneath her knees and tilted her legs forward, creating an angle that allowed him to go deeper than ever before.

The orgasm hit with amazing speed, rushing through her body to every extremity.

Seconds later, Corey’s body tensed above her and he came in a shattering climax. He collapsed on top of her, his sweat-slicked chest crushing her breasts. Corey quickly rolled to the side and scooped her up against him.

“Damn, that was good,” he whispered against her temple.

“You get no complaints from me,” Mya said, pulling his arm more securely around her. She nestled against him, stroking his arm. “Thank you, Corey. Really, this was amazing.”

“Which part?” he asked.

“Every part. All of it. The fact that you even remembered how much I’ve always wanted to dine at Brennan’s. How much I wanted to stay here, in this very suite.”

“I remember everything about you, Mya. I told you once before, you’re not the kind of woman a man forgets. Even at seventeen, you were remarkable.”

He tried to move her hand away, but Mya tightened her hold on his arm. She wasn’t ready to let go of him yet.

“Where are you trying to go?” she asked.

“I have something for you. I’ll only be a minute.”

“Can’t it wait?”

“Yes, but I don’t want to.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I’ll be right back.”

As he headed for the separate parlor, Mya snuggled among the pillows in the king-size bed, finally registering the opulence surrounding her. The thick drapery and plush carpeting made the suite everything she’d always known it would be. She still could not believe the trouble Corey had gone to in order to create such a majestic night, especially after she’d left him in bed last Sunday morning.

Her brave attempt not to fall in love with him again was facing its biggest challenge at this very moment. What woman could guard her heart against such a skilled, well-thought-out seduction?

Corey came back into the room. It took Mya a moment to notice the small gift bag he carried in his right hand; her attention was focused solely on his extremely fit, extremely naked body. He settled back against the headboard, pulling a sheet over his lap.

“Modest?” she asked.

“I don’t want anything distracting you from your gift,” he returned.

She rolled her eyes as he held the silver gift bag out to her. Mya reached inside and pulled out a square box the size of her palm. When she lifted the lid, the air in her lungs evaporated. Every thought in her mind escaped. Every emotion in her entire being congealed into a ball of unrivaled disbelief as she stared at the fleur-de-lis charm set in shimmering emeralds and sapphires.