Chapter 20
“That’s good, but you gotta learn to dribble without looking at the ball.”
They’d been outside for more than an hour, and James was getting the hang of dribbling quite nicely.
As a dancer, the boy seemed naturally in tune to the way his body moved, so getting him to understand the basics of dribbling with his dominant and weak hand was coming along better than most. That didn’t mean he didn’t still need work.
“If all you do is look down, you’ll never be able to look for an opening to drive to the hoop or to see an opening to pass to one of your teammates. So, the next time we hook up, I’m gonna blindfold you if I need to so you can stop looking down at the ball as you move forward.”
James nodded, and Adam bumped his shoulder against James’ and gave him a smile. “Great job today, young man. You did really good for someone who doesn’t know the game that well yet.”
Adam could see the encouragement beaming through James as he stood taller. “Thanks, Dr. Henderson. Do you think we could do this again?”
“Sure,” Adam answered. “Let me connect with your mom so we can coordinate our schedules.”
“Food’s ready, fellas.” As if she’d heard Adam mention her, Janae’s voice traveled to the backyard, instantly drawing their attention.
“I don’t know about you, James. But with the way your ma had that kitchen smelling earlier, I don’t want her to have to call me twice. What about you?”
James laughed and led the way back through the patio doors and into the house. He went into the mudroom while Janae directed Adam into the half bath to wash up for their meal.
By the time he returned to the breakfast nook, a small area bathed in bright white walls with sunlight pouring in from the above skyline, the squared table was filled to the brim.
“Janae, this is a lot of food.”
“You have obviously never fed a teenager. You’d better make you a plate fast before James inhales it all.”
Adam lifted his eyes to James, who already had a heaping plate in front of him and a bulging jaw as he chewed to his heart’s apparent delight.
“Food … good,” was all Adam could make out of the boy’s garbled sentence. The sheer joy on the boy’s face made something brighten inside of Adam.
They ate in silence for the most part. Adam’s assumption that Janae’s cooking was magical was on point, removing any need for small talk.
James finished his second helping, then jumped up, put away his dishes, and leaned down to give Janae a kiss.
“Ma, I’m meeting the dance kids at the high school track. We’re gonna do some drills. Dad’s picking me up at around four this afternoon.”
Janae nodded and he zipped away to pick up a duffel bag. He was halfway out the door when Janae called out to him.
“Make sure you text me when you get to the track and when Dad picks you up.”
“Yes, ma’am,” James answered immediately before disappearing down the hall and out of the front door.
“That child can eat,” Adam commented. “Where does he put it all?”
“It’s like his stomach has a gaping hole in it. He’ll be hungry again in two hours.”
“Your grocery bill must be ridiculous.”
She stood up, reaching for their plates, shaking her head to decline his help to put the dirty dishes in the washer. “You have no idea. It’s like having a second mortgage.”
Once the dishwasher was loaded, she pulled out a container of orange juice and champagne.
“I make a mean mimosa. You want one?”
He nodded, getting up and sliding the champagne bottle out of her hand, happily popping the cork.
“What are we celebrating?” This drew an amused chuckle out of her.
“One, my kid is learning the sports ball stuff and I didn’t have to get involved. Two, we earned twenty-five percent of the money we need for the arts program from the car wash.”
She poured a generous amount of the champagne into the chaser and handed his glass carefully to him before picking up her own. “Here’s to working together, Adam. Apparently, we make a very good team.”
“We always did,” he replied easily as they clinked glasses and he took his first sip. “Don’t you remember how we got Michael together so he could pass calc? We were a really good tag team as tutors.”
They had done well in getting their friend to understand the complicated concepts in calculus.
What Adam remembered most, though, was, for the first time ever, she had been close enough to Adam that he could smell her lightly scented perfume.
While Michael earned the benefit of a passing grade, the only thing Adam walked away with was a heightened fixation on the girl he knew he’d never have.
Having too much of a good time, he shook his head to free himself from the melancholy trying to infiltrate his thoughts.
Thinking about how restrictive his father had been and how devastating it had been on every aspect of Adam’s life, including his personal relationships, would only rob him of the joy of being in Janae’s presence.
That was completely unacceptable.
They sat back down at the breakfast nook, enjoying their reminiscing.
“Spending time with you, Janae, has made me realize something.”
She sat next to him, leaning into his space, bidding him to continue. The scent of something sweet and inviting wafted up from her skin, making his desire to bury his nose into that magical space where her shoulder and neck met.
“Although I came back to town to help my parents with my dad’s injury, I couldn’t help the swell of hope in the middle of my chest. I knew something good was waiting for me. I’m beginning to think it might just be you.”
Suddenly, she couldn’t focus on anything but the stem of her champagne glass as she tapped her elegant fingers lightly against it.
“How can you tell?” The expectation filling her voice was like a flame carefully caressing his skin.
“Because every time I think about you or am near you, I ask myself, ‘What could we have, if you opened up just the tiniest bit of space for me in your life?’”
She slowly lifted her eyes to his face, leaning forward and placing her hand softly atop his.
“You know what, Adam?” Her voice was deep and sultry, and filled with so much need. The sound amped up his growing arousal. “More often than not, I find myself wondering the same thing. ‘What would it be like if I let him in just a little?’”
She grabbed her glass, drinking the remnants of her cocktail in one gulp, before she continued, “Why don’t we go upstairs and find out?”
“God,” Janae huffed as she pushed fingers through her tousled braids. “You are way too good at that.”
“I know,” Adam replied as he crawled up the length of her still-trembling, post-orgasmic body, looking smug as all hell.
As much as she wanted to rein his ego in, how could she?
Especially since there were tremors still moving through her after he’d licked her to completion for the umpteenth time that afternoon.
“Those lips.” She kissed him playfully, smiling when his eyes met hers. “That tongue. They should be declared national treasures.”
“Is this high praise coming from one Dr. Sanders?”
“It sure is,” she replied quickly. “Good, hard work deserves to be acknowledged and praised.”
Adam lay beside her, running his fingers gingerly over the top of her thigh. “Be careful, Janae. If you keep saying things like that, you’ll never get rid of me.”
She knew he was joking, but something odd clicked inside of her, causing her to reach for one of his neatly twisted locs.
“I don’t think I want to get rid of you, Adam.”
He pulled her into his arms, drawing small circles at the base of her back.
“If that’s so, spend the rest of the day with me at my house. I have to handle some very boring paperwork, but other than that, it will be me and Netflix. Come keep me company. I’ll make you dinner, and we can just hang and be us with no titles and agendas for today and tomorrow.”
Janae thought of all the excuses she could use to bow out of this invitation. Yet deep down, she could feel joy and desire combusting, igniting an excitement in her that she hadn’t thought possible at her age.
“Is this what you meant when you said you wanted me to make room for you in my life?”
He nodded, lacing his fingers through hers and squeezing gently. “The sex part of us is amazing. But I want to spend time with you beyond that. I want to know you. All of you.”
She searched his face for any hint of deception and found none. He was already in her bed, so his motivation for saying these things to her couldn’t be about him getting a taste.
She could feel the dark cold of logic trying to dim the spark their time together created.
Like logic has served you well so far.
Before her better judgment could put up her walls, she nodded without thinking, bringing a wide grin to his face.
“Good,” he responded before placing a kiss on her lips and sliding out of bed. “I’m gonna make a grocery run and get things set up at my place. Dinner will be ready by seven.”
She sauntered out of the bed, grabbing an oversized T-shirt dress from the foot bench, throwing it on.
“You don’t have to go to any trouble on my account. In fact, we could just hole up here at my place.”
Adam’s hazel eyes deepened until they were almost green. He stood shirtless, and more and more she began to think her idea of staying at her place was a better choice.
“No.” His voice was soft but stern. “I want to take you away so you don’t have to worry about anything. It will be on me. You deserve to be pampered. Let me do that for you.”
She nodded, acquiescing way too easily for her own comfort, yet somehow knowing it was the right decision to make.
Once Adam finished dressing, they made their way downstairs in silence. When they reached the foyer, he cupped her cheek, placing a gentle kiss on her lips before stepping back.
“I’ll pick you up at six,” he murmured before leaning in for another kiss. “Be ready.”
“I can drive myself. You don’t have to come all the way over here to get me.”
Adam shook his head. “I didn’t ask you what you could do.
” His voice was deep, resonating through her cells, shaking her up from the inside out.
“For the last time, tonight is about taking care of you. If I’m man enough to ask you to my place, I should be man enough to secure your way there and back home again.
Aside from that, I also get the added benefit of squeezing in more time alone with you. ”
Before she could say another word, he leaned down and placed a quick peck on her lips.
“Be ready at six-thirty.”
His amber eyes connected with her, spreading heat through her like lit torches against her skin, and any thought she had of refuting his statement drifted away. On a sigh, she whispered, “I will eagerly await your arrival.”
Realizing she meant those words with every fiber of her being, she waited for the logical responsible part of her personality to warn her off. And when it didn’t show up, she took that as a good omen.
Opening the door, the universe promptly showed her she’d spoken too soon. “What in the world is going on here?”
Janae’s eyes followed the sound of the familiar voice until she found none other than Evelyn Tate, her mother, ruining Janae’s good time since forever.