Let Me Hold You Page 25
“Yeah.”
He finally lifted from my back, and I could hear him behind me adjusting his clothes. “That wasn’t no suggestion; it was a challenge, and you know I don’t turn down challenges.”
I was still bent over the vanity in the small restroom, trying to steady my shaky legs. “Oh, my bad. Well, it’s your fault for having a big dick and a long tongue.”
He smacked my exposed butt, then leaned in and whispered in my ear, “And you know this. Hey, you need help getting cleaned up?”
“Yeah. You?”
I finally stood upright and turned to face him. With a smirk, he asked, “Now, why would I wanna clean you off me?” Then he pulled me into a kiss that on any other occasion, would’ve ended in round two. But not tonight. Tonight, round two would have to wait. Tonight, we had some celebrating to do.
*****
I tried not to look embarrassed as we exited the restroom to find Tommy guarding the door, but hell, he had to be used to this by now. Leland was adventurous when it came to sex, and I wasn’t much better. And we’d taken to “christening” nearly every venue we attended an event at. So the unbothered look on Tommy’s face wasn’t fake. Now Quezz, the bodyguard who stood on the other side of the door? He was new and looked majorly uncomfortable, but he’d get used to it, too. He’d have to.
Back at our table, Leland pulled my chair out for me, and as I wiggled into it, Zabrina smacked her lips, rolled her eyes, and said, “You gonna mess around and get pregnant again.”
I gave her a wink and a shrug.
Her still-fiancé chuckled, and she rolled her eyes at him. “I can’t believe y’all had your bodyguards turning people away from that restroom. Y’all need help,” Zabrina continued.
“That’s your cousin’s fault. She been on fire since she had the baby,” Leland said.
I turned to him with a lifted eyebrow. “As if you don’t like it…”
He lifted both his eyebrows and leaned in close to me. “Did I say that?”
“Maybe pineapples are an aphrodisiac, because I swear that’s all she ever eats these days,” Zabrina mused.
“Hell, you better start eating them,” I muttered.
“I told you, I don’t like pineapples.”
“And I told you, you better learn to like them.”
“Whatever. Back to my little cousin. I can’t wait for this shindig to be over so I can go to y’all’s mausoleum and kiss his little cheeks!” Zabrina gushed.
“Girl, if you can pry him out of Kat’s hands. She’s supposed to be Leland’s assistant, but you’d think she was Junior’s nanny. And a mausoleum is a tomb, Z. My house is not a tomb,” I replied.
“Aw, shit, girl…I thought a mausoleum was like a mansion or something.”
“Then just say mansion, fool!”
“Well, I don’t blame Kat. Little Leland is just so cute! Even Aunt Ever was willing to fly just to see him!” Jo chimed in from where she and Everett sat on the other side of Leland.
“Damn, Jo! You ‘bout to pop, ain’t you?” Leland virtually yelled as Jo stood, then reclaimed her seat, scooting closer to the table. The sight of the tiny woman in a short dress with her stomach protruding was definitely a spectacle, especially when she was standing next to Everett. He was only dwarfed by Leland and Polo, who was out on the dancefloor with Kendra.
“And I’m only five months! I’ma die!” she whined.
“No, you won’t. You know what?” Everett said, then leaned in close to her and whispered something in her ear that made her grin. I knew that grin, because I’d worn it many times before myself. He’d said something nasty to her. Those McClain men were something else.
Letting my eyes roam the room, I saw Nolan in a corner talking to Jo’s assistant, Bridgette, who did not look amused. Neil was sitting at a table next to ours nursing a drink. I started to feel bad about Kat missing out on the fun since she was at our house babysitting our three-month-old little boy, but it was actually her suggestion, and I wasn’t going to fight her on it.
Leland’s wannabe girlfriend, my mother, was having a ball at her table with my grandmother, brother, and some other family members. That’s when my mind drifted to my older son. I wished he was there helping us celebrate, but although he was no longer threatening to kill my husband, things with him weren’t perfect. I just counted it a blessing that we spoke on the phone every week and that he’d finally agreed to get some counseling.
When Leland rested a hand on my thigh, I turned and smiled at him as I gently tugged on his beard. “Thank you.”
“For what? This party? You’ve been working hard taking care of Junior, following my ass around the world, helping me start my foundation, and I didn’t give you a real wedding, so it was the least I could do to give you an anniversary party.”
I rested my hand on top of his, rubbing my finger over his huge championship ring. “No, for loving me and giving me a second chance at…everything.”
He blinked a couple of times then kissed me softly on the lips. “Thank you for letting me.”
35
“Look, Little Man…Daddy is going to change your diaper. I’m tired, had a game tonight, and I’ma need you to cooperate. Do not pee on Daddy this time, a’ight? The last time, you hit me in the nose, and that was mad disrespectful. I love you, even cried when you were born, and I gave you my good looks, so I’ma need you to do right by me. I been tryna convince your mama to give you a little brother or sister, but if you don’t get this peeing situation under control, I’ma withdraw my request.”
Junior stuffed his fist in his mouth and kicked his legs in response.
I unfastened the diaper, but held it over his little private parts, took a deep breath, and said, “A’ight, son, here we go.”
As soon as I opened the diaper, pee shot up like a damn geyser, hitting me right on my beard. Damn, his stream was stronger than a motherfucker. It actually made me kind of proud.
As he smiled up at me and kicked his fat little legs, I grabbed a wet wipe to clean myself up. “Man, I thought we were better than that, Junior!”
That’s when I heard giggling behind me. I didn’t turn around as I continued to change him, and said, “You trained him to do this to me, didn’t you?”
As she wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my back, she said, “No, I think it’s his way of bonding with you.”
“Uh-huh, I’ma bond with your ass as soon as I put him down.”
“Shit, you better.”
I snapped Junior’s onesie and picked him up, kissing his fat little chocolate cheek. “Your mama is so nasty and your daddy loooooves it.”
“You better stop bad-mouthing me to my baby.”
“And as soon as you go to sleep, I’ma tear her up. I sure aaaaam.”
“Leland!”
“What?”
“I can’t with you,” she said, as she left the baby’s room.
“But you’re going to. Yes, you aaaaaare.”
“Ugh!”
I chuckled as I nuzzled my son’s neck, making him giggle. “My boy.”
I held him close, walking down the hallway of our new St. Louis house. As I stepped over the threshold of my bedroom to see Kim sitting on the bed in her gown, waiting for me with a pout on her face, I smiled and whispered to myself, “My family.”
A southern girl at heart, Alexandria House has an affinity for a good banana pudding, Neo Soul music, and tall black men in suits. When this fashionista is not shopping, she’s writing steamy stories about real black love.
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Also by Alexandria House:
The McClain Brothers Series:
Let Me Love You
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Let Me Hold You
The Strickland Sisters Series:
Stay with Me
Believe in Me
Be with Me
The Love After Series:
Higher Love
Made to Love
Real Love
Short Stories
Merry Christmas, Baby
Baby, Be Mine