EXCERPT
1:
The pain
was easing up somewhat as Nikki and Wesley entered the breezeway at his
apartments. Unlocking the door, his eyes softened when he looked at her face
once again.
She saw a
mixture of anger and compassion nestled there.
“What?”
she asked when he continued to stare at her longer than what she deemed
comfortable.
“Nothing,”
he said, shaking his head. Wesley led her into a galley kitchen and pulled a
sandwich bag from one of the cabinets, filled it with ice, and then wrapped it
in a paper towel before applying it to her face.
She was in
awe at the tenderness with which this man handled her. Every time he touched or
said a word to her, it was with such protection, like she had never known. This
was a side of Wesley that she had not seen in the five years of knowing him.
“Come on,”
he said, grabbing her by her free hand and leading her to the back of the
apartment. She looked around at his bedroom; not at all what she would have
expected for a single man. Decorated in oranges, greens, browns, and yellows,
it had a Caribbean look and feel to it. The room was small, but neat and
exhibited a nice décor. The full-sized bed sat directly opposite the
black-framed, chestnut-colored dresser. To the right of his bed was a small
nightstand in the same black framing and chestnut top as the bed and the
dresser. To the left of his bed was a double-paned window, with orange, brown,
and green curtains blocking out the midday sun. He walked over to the window
and opened the curtains halfway and then opened the blinds to allow the sun to
stream through.
“I’ll be
right back.”
“Where are
you going?” she asked with a look of apprehension in her eyes.
His
eyebrows lifted slightly. “Just to the bathroom, Nikki. I’ll be back.”
Exhaling a
deep breath, she realized that a new fear had come over her. In all the
altercations she had endured with Carlos, he had never left her for dead. Why
did he leave like that? What if the neighbors didn’t come? I could’ve died in
that bathroom, she thought.
She tried
to fight back the tears, but they betrayed her. Sucking in her sobs, she stood
and walked to his dresser and began looking at his pictures, anything that
would take her mind off her problems. There were a couple of him and his father
at various stages of his life, a few of some children, and one of a lady she
assumed to be his mother. She stood up and walked to the bed, staring at the
amazing likeness he had to this woman.
“That’s my
mom.”
She jumped
at the sound of his voice; she hadn’t heard him return to the bedroom.
“Oh, I
didn’t hear you come up. Are you always so quiet?” she asked as he came and
stood beside her. She still had not looked at him, wishing she could make the
tears disappear from her eyes and face.
“No. Are
you always so scary?” he teased. He regretted the words almost the moment he
said them. Her body tensed up, and she looked down. Her fear had come as a
result of the relationship she was in. She was always tense and on edge,
because she never knew what fuse Carlos was about to blow.
“Hey, it’s
okay. I’m sorry. Here, look at me,” he said, turning her face up towards him.
“Why are you crying?” he asked as he wiped her tears away with his fingers.
“I’m
sorry. I just…I don’t know.” She couldn’t explain if she wanted to. No one
would understand her confusion or pain. She could forgive Carlos if he just had
not left her. Didn’t he love her? Didn’t he want to work things out? Maybe he
didn’t love her, after all. If he did, he would not have left her there like
that.
“Don’t be
sorry. You haven’t done anything wrong. I have the feeling you have spent many
years apologizing,” Wesley stated.
He
lovingly caressed the bruise that had formed on the right side of her face.
“Too
beautiful,” Wesley said, being drawn into the power of her presence in his
bedroom.
“Huh?”
“You.
You’re too beautiful for this. I don’t want you to be scared every time people
come near you. Relax, okay? Just be…I promise I won’t ever do nothing to hurt
you,” he said as he drew her nearer to him. Looking down into her big, dark
brown eyes, he felt himself getting lost.
Nikki
didn’t know what she was feeling or what was happening between the two of them.
And she couldn’t contain herself as he pressed his full firm lips against her
soft, lush ones. As their foreheads touched, he continued to gently apply
pressure to her lips, asking for permission to enter in.
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Thanks again for having me, Inez.
ReplyDeleteTo read more excerpts please visit me at www.chelleramsey.com.