A Heart Not Easily Broken (The Butterfly Memoirs) (12 page)

My own Eve. I’d never thought about a woman that way. It wasn’t hard to understand where he was coming from. I studied the curve of Ebony’s lips and the small crinkle in the corner of her eyes when she laughed. The relaxed pose of her body as she talked to my sisters. My heart warmed.

“What about you, Dad. Has your heart been broken by an Eve?”

His eyes followed my mother. “No. My Eve, my paradise, is right here.”

Chapter 14

Brian’s sisters were an interesting group of women.

Bridget, by far, was my favorite.  Not only did she favor Brian, she had a magnetic personality. Petite in stature, her hair wasn’t blonde, and her eyes were nearly gray, a direct contrast to Brian’s deep blue. She’d stayed by my side the entire time, rolling her eyes at some of the questions her three older siblings threw at me.

Andrea, the oldest and most conservative of the sisters, had two teenage children. For the most part, she observed me in silence, commenting when necessary, allowing Lisa to ask the questions.

Lisa, by far the most talkative next to Bridget, asked me everything she could think of. It was obvious by the smile that popped in the corners of her mouth when she approved of my response. If I won her approval, the others would surely follow suit.

And then there was the sweet, and very pregnant, Caroline. My heart went out to her. With two weeks to go until her due date, she looked as if she were about to burst. She smiled and shook my hand, but her main focus was getting her baby to come sooner than later. ‘Damn the party, I need to have this baby tonight,’ she’d said.

The only people I hadn’t had a one-on-one discussion with were her parents.

I leaned against the back porch column and sipped my soda, enjoying the view of the landscaped backyard. Mrs. Young and her daughters migrated into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the meal. I offered to help, but they told me, as a guest, I needed to relax. Personally, I thought they were taking the time to talk about me in private. The idea was unnerving, but it was bound to happen.

“That wasn’t so bad, right?” Brian’s deep voice startled me. He stood behind me and slipped his hands around my waist. “Mm…you smell good,” he whispered. His lips found a spot below my ear that made my body quiver. He’d never done that before. I desperately wanted him to do it again.

“Hey.” I angled my head around and shared a quick kiss. “What are you doing?” We locked our fingers together. The heat of his body seduced me. I couldn’t contain the nervous laughter and looked around to see who could be watching.

“They’re all inside, and the kids are too busy playing to notice. Besides, I’m kissing my girlfriend,” he murmured and oh yeah kissed the spot again. “Was that an official proclamation or something done for my father’s benefit?”

I honestly didn’t know where the remark came from. But somehow, it felt…right. Brian introduced me to a side he rarely shared with other women. He wasn’t the type of man to bring just anyone home. Once I got over being nervous, it felt like I belonged here. Maybe even to him.

“Do you want me to take it back?” I teased, looking over my shoulder.

“Hell no, I want you to be my girl.”

“Yeah, I figured you did.”

His chuckle went deep, vibrating in his body as I rested against him.

“Why don’t we do something to make it official?”

His whisper filled my ear making every nerve in my body go on standby. My heart beat a mile a minute at his invitation.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Hmm, I could think of plenty of things we could do to”

“Ebony, could you come here for a moment?” Mrs. Young’s voice floated out the open sliding-glass doors as his sisters filed out of the kitchen.

Bridget glanced at me and snickered.

Brian laid his head on my shoulder and groaned.

I forced myself from his arms and immediately regretted the loss of his body’s heat.  “Your mom hasn’t talked to me yet.” A chill went through me even though it was eighty-four degrees outside. “I’ll be back.”

I could feel his eyes on me as I walked away.

“Ah, there you are. I said I didn’t need your help, but my daughters decided to take a break. Would you mind making the salad?”

I smiled. “Sure, Mrs. Young.”

We both knew they were giving her the space she needed to get to know the new woman in her only son’s life.

“Please, call me Laura. Mrs. Young makes me feel old.”

Whatever her age, she wore it well. Brian got his blond hair from her. Her shoulder-length locks held faint streaks of grey, while her smile mimicked her son’s. Her eyes were blue-gray, like Bridget’s, and her figure was impressive for a woman who’d given birth to five children.

“I hope my daughters didn’t scare you off.” Her eyes twinkled with laughter.

“No, ma’am, they didn’t. I have an older sister, so I know what it’s like to bring home someone and have them interrogated by her. Though I’m sure from time to time my brother can be worse.”

Laura pulled a bagged salad from the refrigerator. “Is he older or younger?”

“He’s my twin.”

“Really? How did your mother handle it?”

“With nerve pills by the time we were in high school. Trevon was a handful.”

She chuckled. “Do me a favor and cut up some onion, tomato, and cucumber. Pre-made salad is convenient, but it’s always lacking.”

“Sure.” I reached for the knife resting on the counter top.

“Forgive me for asking, but did you really pick my son up in a bar?”

I laughed. “No, ma’am. I was at the bar when he picked me up.”

“That’s what I thought. He doesn’t usually do stuff like that. Well, not as far as I know…” She glanced away, apparently embarrassed by what she’d said.

“I know what you mean.” I smiled. “To be honest, he picked me out of a crowd watching the band play. He came up to me, and I politely brushed him off.”

Mrs. Young laughed.

“A few days later, Brian showed up at my house, hired by my roommate to cut our lawn and well…here we are. I can say one thing, he’s very persistent.”

“Oh yes,” she agreed. “As a kid he used to flash those blue eyes at me all the time to get cookies from the jar before dinner. He’s got eyes just like his father.”

“He knows how to use them,” I agreed. Brian did indeed have the same swag as his father who was strikingly handsome.

I glanced up and saw her smile.

“You are the first woman Brian’s brought around here in a long time, Ebony. He likes you. I hope you feel the same way about him. I’d hate for my son’s heart to be broken again.”

I paused, mid-slice of an onion, and frowned.

“Oh, dear, I’ve said too much.” Laura turned her focus to a pot on the stove.

Brian’s heart had been broken? He’d never mentioned it to me when talking about previous relationships.

“I like Brian. I love his confidence and his desire to reach his goals, and he supports mine. That’s why I’m with him. I don’t know where our relationship is going to go, but I’m willing to stick around and find out.”

We studied each other before she nodded.

“I can understand why he likes you. You speak your mind. That’s a good thing. He doesn’t need a woman who’ll back down. Keep that up, and you’ll be fine.” She smiled briefly and turned back to the stove.

That was unexpected.

Brian stood in the doorway of the kitchen, having appeared out of nowhere. “Mom, can I borrow Ebony?”

His timing was impeccable. He had to be watching from the patio door, waiting for me to finish.

“Go ahead, I’ll clean this up. Thank you for your help, Ebony.”

“We’re going for a tour of the house,” he told her.

“Don’t be long. Dinner should be ready in twenty minutes.”

“That’s long enough,” he muttered. He grabbed my hand, dragged me out of the kitchen, through the living room and up the stairs.

I laughed at his enthusiasm. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” He acted like a kid about to unwrap a present the day before Christmas. And I was the present.

Oh boy.

The excursion stopped at a door he pushed open.

“This is my old bedroom,” he said, holding the door open for me to walk past him. It was a typical boy’s room. Sports equipment from his high school days sat in the corner. Posters of his favorite band still adorned the walls. I walked to a dresser lined with trophies and awards. Next to them were framed pictures of Brian as a baby and a teenager. Evidence of Mrs. Young’s use of the room sat in a corner. A sewing table, fabric, and various magazines lay across the bed.

I picked up the nearest photo. “You were adorable.” A six-year-old Brian grinned into the camera. His two front teeth were missing, and thick blond curls hung wildly around his face.

He stood leaning against the doorjamb. “Apparently my mom felt the same way. I’d just fallen over the handle bars of my bike and knocked out my two front teeth. Fortunately, they were baby teeth. It took nearly a year before the new ones grew back.”

I put the photo down and picked up another. A low clicking noise drew my attention. Brian leaned against the closed bedroom door, his eyes intent on me.

My heart kicked up a notch. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t say a word when he walked over and removed the frame from my grasp. He pulled my arms around his neck and slid his hands around my waist. His lips came for mine, taking exactly what he wanted. His kisses before had been soft with a hint of heat, but not now. Now he took possession of my mouth without holding back. There was no question, only demand.

I gave in to him, accepting his tongue eagerly as I offered him mine. A sigh of pleasure escaped me when he pushed me against the dresser, his mouth leaving mine and traveling from my chin to my throat. His hands roamed the length of my body, down to my butt and squeezed.

“Brian…”

“Shh…” he murmured, coming back to my mouth.

I arched as his hands journeyed back and found the hem of my shirt. He pushed the fabric up and slipped rough fingers over bare skin. My breath heaved in and out, as I struggled to breathe. My hips pushed against his firm body and rubbed against the desire evident in his pants. I could feel every firm inch of him. I tried to pull my hands free of his shoulders so I could run them over his body, but to no avail. He kept my arms trapped.

“No, I don’t have enough control. All I want is a sample.” His voice was thick with need as his mouth went back for mine.

“Oh, God,” I moaned when his attention turned to the side of my throat. I struggled to keep my voice down when he began grinding against me.

I was on the verge of coming, right then and there. Just as I was about to cry out, Brian covered my mouth with his, swallowing my gasp while torturing me even more with his body.

As intriguing and exciting as sleeping with Brian was, I was suddenly aware we stood in his old bedroom.

In his parents’ house.

With his entire family outside.

Oh. My. God.

Worry flashed over me. Yes, we were grown and what we did and where we did it was our business. But here?

Visions of his mother walking up the stairs looking for us scared me. His family was wonderful and seemed willing to support our relationship. I didn’t want to screw it up by becoming the ‘ho who did her son in his old bedroom during the family barbeque.

“Brian.” It was nearly impossible to speak while his tongue traced an erotic trail down my throat.

His mouth came back to mine, but this time, his kiss was slow and the glide of his fingers light as he pulled my shirt back down.

My knees were weak, my brain scrambled, and my breath ragged. I forced my eyes open and found him gazing down at me. His eyes were heavy, filled with lust.

“I need to be alone with you,” he said, dipping his head down to kiss me again. “I want you in my bed, tonight. We’ll stay for dinner and fireworks.” He kissed me long and deep. “But after that…”

Oh. My. God.

Despite my wanting to sleep with him, I officially opened the door when I declared myself his girlfriend. And true to his word, he’d gotten to know me before showing me this passionate side of him. I had no doubt being with Brian would be worth the wait. In a matter of seconds, he’d made my body hunger for more. It was impossible to think.

But no matter how much I wanted to be with him, I felt guilty, as if somehow I let him down.

Brian brought me into his private world. But what did I have to give him in return besides my body? I felt like I cheated him out of something he deserved. My best friends hadn’t known about him until the last minute. My family didn’t know I was seeing him. And we’d been involved for a month.

I was a coward. I was in his family home about to eat his parents’ food. He’d brought me as deep into his life as anyone could go. Yet in my world, Brian continued to be an outsider.

I doubted my family would accept him nearly as much as his accepted me. And despite what Brian believed, being in California did not make being an interracial couple any easier.

Once we slept together, what would happen next? What would be the expectation? Would he want more? Did I?

One thing was for sure, once this line got crossed, the rules were definitely going to change. But I wanted them to.

Because I wanted Brian.

Chapter 15

“We’ll be alone tonight,” Brian said as he unlocked the front door to his house.

“I guess Javan is still out with Yasmine.” I tried to hide the nervousness in my voice.

“He’s got several women he deals with. I don’t keep up with him.”

The door closed behind us. I followed him through the foyer to the living room. He looked around the room apparently making sure everything was in order. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No thanks. I ate too much at your parents’ house. I’ll be full until next week.” I sat my purse down on the sofa and studied the room.

It surprised me that a house shared by two men was so clean. I didn’t know what to expect, especially after seeing the way he usually kept his truck.

Brian walked over to a shelf containing the largest CD collection I’d ever seen. He ran his hand over the black wooden cabinet before looking up at me in satisfaction.