Independent Women - the Complete BWWM Romance Series Boxset (40 page)

He stared at her for a moment in disbelief. He felt like he was being pranked. Was he finally hearing the words that he’d dreamed of for years? Had all of his years of waiting actually paid off? “I don’t know Kalena, you’ve been very clear about your feelings so far. What sparked the change?”

“My feelings have always been there. I just tried to shove them down. You know how I’ve grown up. I wasn’t raised around the healthiest of relationships. I know how things can turn sour.”

“Your parent’s relationship is just one of many. Just because they are that way, it doesn’t mean that you have to be that way.”

“I know that now. Well, I’m trying to come to terms with that now. I’ve just been screwed over so much by the people that I love.”

“What that man did to you, what those men did to you, I would never do. I’ve been trying to prove it over and over again. I’m not like them. I would never intentionally hurt you and I would never step out on you.”

“Oddly enough, I know that and that’s what scares me. I’ve thought that about the men in my life before but I’ve been wrong. However, even after all of those bad experiences, I know that I can trust you.”

“That’s a good place to start, let’s just build our foundation from there.”

“So are you saying that you will give us a try?” Kalena said.

Tommy laughed.

“What’s so damned funny?” Kalena asked.

“It’s just that the roles have been reversed. I never thought that I would hear those words from you. I knew for sure that you just didn’t want to be with me. You were dead set on us not being together.”

“Look, I know what I said before and I’m sorry about making you feel like I didn’t want to be with you. I’m sorry for friend zoning you. Now are you going to continue to give me a hard time?”

He shook his head, “You’re always so damned demanding. Things have to be your way or the highway, even when you apologize.”

He was right, she wasn’t doing a very good job of saying that she was sorry. She felt hopeless, the conversation wasn’t going the way that she thought it would. Maybe he didn’t want to be with her anymore and he was tired of her shit.

“And I’ve always loved that about you,” he said, silencing her negative thoughts. She watched as he rose to his feet and walked over to her. He placed himself directly in front of her knelt on the floor so that he could see her at eye level. “Of course I want to give us a try. I’ve been trying to give us a try for a very long time now.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes, really. I love you and I will wait for you to feel the same way about me. I just want to be with you and the rest will fall into place.”

Kalena’s hands shook. Was now the time to admit the whole truth? He put himself out there for her, the least that she could do was be honest with him. Once she said it, she could never take it back. It would be out there forever. She could hear Crystal in the back of her head, cursing her out. So she went for it. “What would you say if I told you that I loved you too?”

He stared at her for a moment, “Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious.”

Without another word he grabbed the back of her head and placed a kiss on her lips. “I think that you’ve just made me one of the happiest men in the world.”

“Do you know what would make me happier?” Kalena asked.

“What can I do for you?”

“You can brush your teeth,” she laughed, “Your morning breath is killing me!”

He put his hand over his mouth, “My bad, I’m torturing you.”

“I know, I feel like I’m being punished.”

“I’ll be right back, I know that you have to go to work soon.”

“Nope, I think that I’m going to call in sick today.”

“Aww shit, I’m going to have you all day.”

“Yep, all day. So what are you going to do with me?”

He grinned, “I have quite a few things in mind.”

#Chapter9

“There is no other place that I’d rather be, Tami.”

Jin

Coming home to an empty house was never fun. Tamika was accustomed to never truly being alone. She had the comfort of knowing that Reggie would be home, even if it was at a ridiculous hour. Now, when she got off work, she tried to find something to do. Wearing herself out before she got home seemed to be the best solution. The gym had become her friend once again.

Why did women flock to the gym after they broke up with someone? Men always said that women stepped their game up after the relationship was over. It wasn’t about her trying to further flatten her stomach; it was about her letting out some aggression. When she and the boxing bag went toe to toe, she imagined that it was Reggie or Mimi on the other end. They deserved to be on the opposite end of her fist, but she wasn’t a violent person.

Today was different though, today she was inside of her condo with Jin. He basically invited himself over, but she didn’t mind. She enjoyed his company and she didn’t have to answer to anyone about her decisions anymore. After being very clear with him on where they stood, their relationship got back to as normal as it possibly could have. He was her boss, her mentor, and her friend. Every now and then he would steal glances at her and she knew what was on his mind but she willfully ignored it. Bringing it to his attention wasn’t going to accomplish anything, and it would only make their situation awkward.

Now there they were, on her couch, discussing work and laughing at his family stories. She realized just how much she missed out on hearing about Reggie’s family. She shared her own experiences with him but he hardly ever reciprocated. She could count the times that she saw his mother on one hand. Hell, she was fortunate that she knew his brother pretty well. The only reason she knew Paul was because she continued to reach out to him and he reciprocated.

How could she be with a man, and she had no clue about his background? She mentally kicked herself for such poor decision making and then let herself off the hook a bit. She was 18 when she met him and in her eyes, Reggie could do no wrong. She had no reason to believe that he was a liar and she had no reason to think that he was doing illegal activity. He kept the extra life that he was living completely away from her, for that she was grateful.

“Uh oh, where are you?” Jin said as he waved a hand in front of her face.

“Sorry, I’m here,” she sighed, “My thoughts are all over the place. I’m not being the best hostess huh?”

“I didn’t come here so that you could entertain me.”

“No? Then what are you here for?”

“I’m here as a friend.”

“I can always use more of those.”

“Where are your other two friends that you’re always talking about?’ he asked.

She sighed, “Busy with their own jobs and their own drama. It’s different having friends as a full grown adult. In high school and college, you’re surrounded by them all the time. You see them all day every day. Once you enter the real world, you’re lucky to see them once a week. On one hand it’s nice to have the space but on the other, it sucks that they can’t be there for you on demand.”

“I understand but that’s what I’m here for,” he smiled, “I can fill in the gap.”

“Oh, I bet you can,” she grinned.

He looked at her cheekily. There were two ways that he could take that comment and he wanted to go the naughty route but that wasn’t what was needed. He felt fortunate enough just to have a decent relationship with her. He knew for sure that their friendship would be over after they slept together, but she kept her word and allowed him to remain in her life. She wasn’t like other women and that was exactly what he liked about her.

He rose his hands, “You said it, not me.”

“Oh god, we’re so not going to go there.”

“You’re driving this conversation, I’m just along for the ride.”

She smiled and shook her head. He was flirting with her and she was enjoying it. Their easy chemistry was difficult to deny. She leaned her head against his shoulder and took a deep breath, “I’m glad you’re here.”

“There is no other place that I’d rather be, Tami.”

“Really?” she said.

“I’m being honest. Sitting here, eating, and talking with you is the highlight of my day, my week, and my month.”

“Not your year?”

“I would be lying if I said it was my year.”

“So what was the highlight of your year, then? What memory am I competing with?”

“It’s still you,” he laughed.

“Oh?’

“Yep, when you showed up at my house and we…”

“Gotcha,” she said with a blush.

Silence surrounded them and Jin broke it, “you know how I feel about you, right?’

“I think so, you’ve been pretty clear about liking me. I obviously like you too.”

“No, it’s more than that. I think that I’m falling in love with you.”

Tamika’s heart raced as he took her hand into his and laced their fingers together. Love? What in the hell was she supposed to say to that? She liked him but the L word was taking things a bit too quickly.

“You don’t have to respond to that,” he said, “I will wait until the time is right for us to take things further. If we move past being friends again I want it to be because I’m who you want, not because you’re hurting.”

“I didn’t sleep with you because I was hurting. Well, I guess I did, but it was more than that. I could have chosen anyone but I wanted it to be you. I like you. If I weren’t married, then I really do think that we probably would have ended up together.”

He kissed her on the forehead, “That makes me feel a lot better.”

“I’m glad. I don’t want you to think that what happened between us was because I was looking for a rebound. However, I do agree that we should take things slow.” She inhaled, the citrusy scent of his cologne was getting to her. Not a lot of men would have worn something like that, but it enticed her. Being so close to him made her feel safe. It had been a while since a man made her feel secure. Her husband hadn’t taken her safety into consideration at all with his lifestyle. Jin never would have made such questionable and illegal choices.

She sat up and removed her head from his shoulder. She was in need of some space before she did something that she regretted again. Eventually they would get the chance to have sex again, but it was going to be when her heart was settled. He didn’t deserve just a piece of her, he deserved the whole thing. Hopefully, she still felt the same way about him when she got her life together and hopefully he still felt the same way about her.

But at that moment, none of it mattered. It all ceased to have any meaning. When he stared at her lips so intently, his wants were clear. She wanted the same thing. As if pulled together by magnets, their lips gently touched. He brushed his lips against hers tentatively, slowly swiping the tip of his tongue across her bottom lip. Tamika’s body responded immediately, to hell with later, she wanted it now.

Then they were interrupted by three hard knocks on her door.

#Chapter10

“I’m a grown ass man and I’ll do as I please,”

Reggie

Reggie sat in his car, an overwhelming sense of doom loomed over him.

Never in a million years had he thought everything would turn out the way that it did. He was stunned, and tears streamed down his face. How could everything in his life get so fucked up? It was now easy to see that he’d brought all of the drama that he’d been experiencing on himself.

What he had just seen could never be unseen. He was now at the point of no return. His hands visibly shook. His life was potentially over and now he had to figure out what the hell he was going to do. Why did he have to be so fucking impulsive all the time? He’d been that way ever since his dad went to prison.

The impulsive behavior served him well in the game of football and in his career because his instincts were usually on point but now it led him to his own undoing. He could hear Mimi taunting him. It was true; she didn’t have to do anything else to ruin his life. He was quickly doing that all on his own. It didn’t take very long either.

He wasn’t in his life alone but he kept making decisions as if he was. What just happened was going to have a direct effect on his wife. She was still his wife, they weren’t divorced yet. She needed to be warned and that’s why he was sitting outside of her house. He parked in his usual spot. She wanted him to return his key to her and he did, but that wasn’t before he made a copy. There was no way that he wasn’t going to have access to the condo that he and his wife shared. Besides, Mimi was very clear in her threats and he wanted to make sure that he could get inside of the place quickly if he needed to.

Reggie passed the front desk and headed up to their floor. Now he knew what men had to feel like when they were walking the green mile. Tamika was going to be completely upset when he told her what he had to say. He didn’t blame her. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if she told him to leave and to be out of her life forever. This time, she was well within her rights to want him gone. Some days he wanted himself gone. Things just never seem to go his way.

He silently hoped that reincarnation was true. If he ever got another chance, he wasn’t going to squander his next life the way that he did with this one. He and Tamika were soul mates, so they were destined to cross paths again. The next time he was going to do right by his wife because he’d completely screwed his chances of ever being with her again during this lifetime.

He got to the door and placed his key into the lock, well, he tried to place his key into the lock. The key that he possessed no longer worked. After looking at the unit number on the door he was sure that he hadn’t mindlessly walked to the wrong door. It was his house and he couldn’t get into it anymore. She’d changed the locks. A slight simmer of rage boiled beneath his surface although he tried to tell himself that she did what any other woman would do.

Reggie knocked on the door three times, they were firm and he knew that they reverberated through the condo. He waited and heard her come to the door. The peephole darkened, he tried not to look too creepy.

She opened the door a crack, her beautiful face peeked out. She wasn’t expecting him, by the look of surprise on her face.

“What are you doing here?” Tamika asked. She was annoyed; he had a lot of nerve showing up to their place unannounced. They were no longer together and he should have called before he turned up at her door.

“You changed the locks?” Reggie asked.

“Of course I changed the locks, but how would you know that unless you still had a key? I had a feeling that you did that, which is why you handed the keys over so easily. I didn’t want to take any chances, so I changed them. I see that my instincts were right. Anyway, why the hell are you here?” She impatiently shifted her weight to her other foot.

“I really need to talk to you about something,” Reggie said, “Can I come in? It’s something that can’t be discussed out in the hallway.”

“No, I don’t want you inside.”

“Tamika, please.”

Tamika was so over him begging. They were officially done and she didn’t want any part of his foolishness in her life anymore. She still loved him but she could no longer be with him. What part of that didn’t he understand? No amount of pleading could ever get her to take him back. The quicker he realized that the better.

“I’m serious Reggie, I don’t think that it’s a good idea for you to come inside.” Tamika was nervous, if he came inside there were going to be some serious problems. She had enough drama in her life and she just wanted some peace.

“Why not?” he asked.

“Because I said so.”

It was then that Reggie wished that his eyes were deceiving him. Standing in the hallway behind his wife was Jin. The man that he sternly told to stay away from his wife. Yet, there he was, standing in his home, the one that he helped pay for. Reggie saw red.

He pushed the door open by sheer force and side stepped Tamika. “Didn’t I tell your ass to stay away from my wife?”

“What?” Tamika asked. “When did you speak to him?” she asked Reggie. After it was clear that he wasn’t going to answer him, she directed the question to Jin, “When did he speak to you?”

“I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want it to stress you out, you’ve been through enough,” Jin said.

“What I’ve been through is beside the point, when he speaks to you, you need to let me know,” Tamika demanded. ‘You have no right to speak to him!” Tamika told Reggie.

“I’m a grown ass man and I’ll do as I please,” Reggie yelled. He planned on telling her what was going on with him but now that was out of the window. There were more pressing matters at hand. “How long have you and him been fucking? I bet it’s been happening right under my nose. You’ve been acting like you’re the perfect wife but you have been screwing him the whole time!”

“You’re insane,” Tamika said, “What I’m doing or what I’ve done is absolutely none of your business. Get out!”

“I’m not going anywhere, not until I deal with him.”

Tamika looked at Reggie as if he was stranger. Where was all of this rage coming from? Had he been this kind of person the entire time that they were together? If so, then she’d missed all of the signs. The only thing that she wanted was Reggie out of her house.

“You’re not going to deal with him at all. Everything is between me and you, it has nothing to do with him.”

“It has everything to do with him! He’s the reason that you didn’t come back to me isn’t it? Any other time you would have taken me back. Now that he’s in the picture, you act like you don’t love me anymore.”

Tamika shook her head, “Don’t try to blame anything on him. We’re not together because of you! You’re the reason that I didn’t come back to you. You and your double fucking life. I don’t know who you are anymore but I’m going to ask that you get out of my place.”

Reggie sneered at Jin, just seeing him in the condo that he and his wife shared was enough to make him homicidal. Had he been in his bed too? Did he screw his wife in his own house? He felt completely out of control. “I’m going to tell you one time,” he said to Jin, “Get the fuck out of my house.”

Jin stood in place, steady, and unshaken, “I’m not going anywhere. I’m a guest of Tamika's; however, she has asked you to leave. I suggest that you give her what she wants.”

“She wants you?” Reggie asked.

“That’s none of your business!” Tamika said.

“Come on, all of my business is out there. You act like you’re a little angel, tell the truth. You fucking him? Has his dick been in your pussy?”

“That’s none of your business,” Tamika reiterated. “Are you screwing Mimi? You know, your sugar mama?”

Just the mention of her name, made the hairs on the back of his head prickle, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I didn’t know what I was talking about months ago or years ago. Now I finally know what I’m talking about. So how about you prance your ass back over there and see if she’ll buy you a new car. That’s what you do right? Fuck for cash?”

Reggie winced but recovered quickly, “I guess that makes us one in the same. I always wondered how you got that raise and promotion. I see that I’m not the only person fucking for cash.”

The statement wasn’t true, but it hurt like hell. It not only hurt her, it embarrassed her. How dare he say that in front of Jin.

“Okay, things are getting out of hand. Now I think that I’m going to ask you to leave,” Jin said.

“Jin, you don’t have to step into this,” Tamika said, “I’ve got it.” She was beyond pissed, and she wanted to hurt him just as bad as he hurt her. He deserved to know what true betrayal felt like. He deserved to know what it was like to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that his mate had slept with someone else. “As I’ve told you many times before, whatever I do is none of your business. Jin and I are not sleeping together, however, when we did, it was great.”

The confirmation of what he thought was true hit him like a ton of bricks, “When we were still living together?”

“Yep, I went over to his house and initiated the entire thing. I’m so glad that I did, because you were fucking around with Mimi.”

That’s when Reggie lost it. He had tunnel vision and everything went into slow motion. He pulled opened his jacket, pulled out his gun and pointed it directly at Jin. He was ready to put an end to that fucker’s life.

Tamika screamed and jumped in front of Jin, “No! What are you doing? Put that away!”

“Move,” Reggie said in a voice so calm that it scared her.

“Baby, please,” she pleaded.

Jin tried to move her but she made sure that she stayed in front of him no matter how many steps he took to the side.

“This is going way too far,” Jin said, “You need to put the gun away and get out of here.”

“You need to get the fuck out of my house,” Reggie demanded.

It was then that Tamika noticed the blood. There was blood all over Reggie’s crisp white shirt. “What is that? Is that blood, Reggie?”

Reggie looked down at his shirt and saw it too. He tried to close it but it was too late.

“Are you hurt?” Tamika asked. “What have you done? What happened?”

“I was trying to come here to tell you something.”

“You don’t need to tell me anything, you need to get out of here and get to a hospital. Reggie, you need to leave. You’re scaring me,” Tamika pleaded.

Looking at the terrified look on his wife’s face took all of the wind out of his sails. He was supposed to be there, telling her about his life. Instead, he was standing there pointing a gun in her face. What was he doing? He took a few steps back and stared at them for a few moments. Then he turned around and left.

As soon as he got out of the door, Tamika ran behind him and locked it. She placed her back to the door and slid to the floor. Had that just happened? She pulled her knees to her chest and cried. What kind of life was this?

Jin walked over to her and sat down next to her, “None of this is your fault,” he said softly.

“I’m so sorry that you had to deal with my drama, you don’t deserve this. I also shouldn’t have told him about us in that way. I was just so mad! I never thought that he would have pulled out a gun. I almost got you killed because I wanted to hurt him. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m glad that you told him, to be quite honest, it’s something that he needed to know. That way you don’t have to hide anything from him anymore. I’m here for you if you need me. I know that you don’t want to hear this, but I’m not leaving you alone here tonight.”

“I don’t know, maybe you should just go home.”

“That wasn’t a question, I don’t want you to be here by yourself, and I don’t trust him. He’s a loose cannon and I need to make sure that you’re okay. I can sleep on the couch.”

“No, we have a guestroom, you can sleep in there.”

He nodded and gently rubbed her back.

“I need you to do something else for me,” she said gently.

“Anything.”

“Please call the police and tell them what happened. I’m willing to give any information that they need so that they can catch him. He doesn’t get to pull out a gun here and get away with it.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want? I don’t want you to regret this decision.”

“He could have killed you, Jin! He could have killed the both of us. I’ll be damned if I give him a chance to do it again. I don’t know what he’s capable of. Did you see that blood on his shirt? Who knows what he’s into?”

“Okay, okay, I’m going to call.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t feel bad over this, I’m happy that I was here,” he said.

“Really?”

“Absolutely, I’m your friend before anything. I’m glad that I went with my gut and came home with you.”

“I don’t know, things probably wouldn’t have gotten so out of control if you weren’t here. He just wanted to talk.”

“He wanted to talk with a gun on his hip. You can’t be too careful with people like him, Tamika. You have to promise me that you’ll never be alone with him again.”

She knew that he was right but the idea that she couldn’t be around her husband anymore alone shook her. She was also considering getting a restraining order on him the following morning. Things were too dangerous now, and she couldn’t rely on the hope that he loved her enough not to hurt her. He pulled out a gun in her presence. Sure he wasn’t threatening her but anything could happen when weapons were in play.