Signed, Sealed, Delivered ... I'm Yours Page 5
Elise embraced her son and looked up at Roman, mouthing the words, “Thank you.”
Roman pressed a kiss to her forehead and said, “The pleasure’s all mine.”
Naleighna Kai, a developmental editor, publishing and marketing consultant, interior book designer, graphic designer, and agent. She is the national bestselling author of Open Door Marriage and Every Woman Needs a Wife, with a spin-off titled The Pleasure’s All Mine. She self-published her first work and received a book deal with an imprint of Simon & Schuster before landing a separate deal with an independent publishing house. Her next novel, Was it Good For You Too?, releases with Signed, Sealed, Delivered … I’m Yours, a romance anthology produced by Macro Literary All-Stars (M-LAS). M-LAS is an author support group with eleven dynamic authors who have made a commitment to write, promote, and market each other. Their first collaboration: Baring it All: The Ins and Outs of Publishing was written to help encourage and enlighten aspiring writers and published authors. www.naleighnakai.com, www.macrompg.com and www.thecavalcadeofauthors.com
You’re All I Need
by Joyce A. Brown
Chapter 1
Shawna Murray flicked on her right turn signal, checked the rearview mirror, and swerved into the right lane of traffic. She maneuvered past a sign that read CLINTON NATIONAL AIRPORT - ONE MILE and fiddled with the controls to adjust the air to a cooler temperature.
Lauren’s phone number and avatar flashed on the dashboard’s screen which was cause for concern.
Her sister’s plane wasn’t due to land for another fifteen minutes. Planes were never on time at Clinton, let alone early. Turning down the satellite radio, she tapped the button and said, “Lauren?”
“Take a deep breath, Shawna,” Lauren’s laughter-filled drawl sang out.
“Your plane’s still supposed to be in the air. How are you calling me?”
“We’re still in Chicago,” she said in a low tone. “Something came up at the last minute.”
“Were your fingers broken?” Shawna snapped. “You couldn’t make that call before I made a two-hour drive in this steaming heat?”
“You still had to drive there to pick Fitz up,” Lauren protested.
This was planned! Lauren’s giggle gave it away. Clinking glasses, soft jazz, and a man’s deep voice in the background echoed in the car. Evidently, Shawna’s best friend, Jacob, and Lauren, who were always at each other’s throats, had found one common bond—to put Fitz and Shawna together. The two would miss a planned trip to Arkansas where they were supposed to meet with Jasmine Parker about a commission for her New York art gallery.
If Shawna could transport herself across time and space, she would wrap her hands around Lauren’s neck. Navigating the winding streets and Sunday traffic, she blew out a frustrated breath. “Did you forget that we’re responsible for planning this reunion?”
Silence was its own answer.
Shawna banged her hand on the steering wheel. “We’ve been working on this for a year. There’s a ton of last minute stuff to be done. I shouldn’t have to do everything by myself. And now you pull a stunt like this?!”
This was to be the first family reunion in their rebuilt home after the old family property had been partially destroyed in a suspicious fire. The two sisters had torn down the remains and built a new house, with Lauren designing and Shawna overseeing construction and furnishings.
“What’s really going on, Lauren?”
“I’m forcing you to stop wasting time and make a decision!” her sister shot back in the brisk tone that she used when dealing with difficult clients who believed their money commanded instant service. Then she softened and added, “Bryan’s gone. You’re still a young woman, Shawna.”
A stab of pain flashed across Shawna’s heart. Bryan. The betrayal. Risking her life and his. And for what? If there was anyone he could have been honest with it should have been her. She would have understood and chosen a different path, one that would not have put her life in danger.
“We saw you and Fitz together during the Christmas holiday.”
Shawna’s breath caught in her throat at that admission.
“That whole cat and mouse thing finally came to an end when he caught you on New Year’s Eve,” Lauren added. Jacob murmured something in the background, and then Lauren said, “Fitz told Jacob that he’d never worked so hard for a first kiss.”
Truthfully, Shawna had never anticipated a first kiss from him or any other man again.
Fitz had turned her from the window to face him and pulled her into a steely embrace. His large hands had cupped her face, and the moment her lips parted, he leaned in to press his sensuous lips to her mouth. She was too shocked to resist. Actually, she was too curious and didn’t want to resist. When he moved in to explore her mouth, it sent shivers of pleasure up and down her body. She returned his kisses, her tongue mating with his. The soft moans that escaped her mouth surprised her as she arched into his hard body and held onto him as if he were the best new thing since the smart phone. When she pulled away, her body was on fire. She ran her tongue over her lips, tasting him and the sweet wine from a late New Year’s Eve dinner.
She had locked gazes with his whiskey brown eyes, and seconds later, he gave her the kind of smile that had had women throwing their panties at Teddy Pendergrass. “That’s the memory I want you to take into the New Year,” he had whispered.
When she woke the next morning, with every intention of following up on the kiss and his remark, he was already gone.
“Get off the phone,” she snapped at Lauren, who was constantly finding ways to put her in Fitz’s path. “You’re interfering with my GPS and my good mood.”
“Remember what I said … Love you. Bye.”
Lauren’s constant demand played over in Shawna’s head. Let somebody in. You’re too young to be so skeptical about the world around you.
Maybe Lauren did have a point. But with everything Bryan had done, Shawna had every reason to be mistrustful of one particular group of people—men.
Chapter 2
Daniel Fitzpatrick wound his way through the Delta Airlines terminal, reflecting on all of the phone calls he’d shared with Shawna over the last six months. The woman refused to give him a definitive answer to his request to use part of her land. He planned to create a working farm for young men who needed skills to take them off the streets of Chicago.
The fact that she could dodge him for so long irritated him to no end. Why couldn’t she be more easygoing like her baby sister, Lauren? The sisters were very similar—both five-feet-seven inches tall with curvy figures and oval shaped faces. They both even had dimples and a tiny space between their white teeth. But that’s where the resemblance ended. Shawna’s hair was dark brown and curly, while Lauren’s was cut short and dyed strawberry blond. But it was Shawna’s air of sadness that called to him. It followed her in much the same way that the infamous dust cloud hovered over Pig Pen’s character in the Peanuts cartoon.
“Sir, can I help you with … anything?” A woman who was a slice of pie away from being a dead ringer for the Good Year blimp flashed a flirtatious smile his way.
“No, I’m good for right now,” he said, slowing down to respond. “But thanks for the offer.”
She gave him a slow up and down and said, “And if you’re staying for a spell, then that’s not the only offer I’d like to put on the table.”
Daniel cleared his throat and tried not to laugh. The woman was stuffed into tight leggings and wore a sleeveless tank that was baring her breasts and meaty arms. She looked as though she’d seen the worst parts of a gravel road, and she had the audacity to put the moves on him?
Women were certainly bold these days about going for what they wanted and telling men what they needed. He only wished that his wife had been so honest about her needs and ended the marriage before taking a lover.
He’d been deputy police chief for four years and was being considered for a chief’s position when he discovered his wife
was having an affair. It was bad enough that his wife would be with another man—in their marital bed. But did it have to be one of his captains? In the heat of passion, Scott Walker threw a punch that missed. Daniel responded with one punch that landed. The man had to be taken to the emergency room.
Daniel realized two things after that. One, this breach of trust could compromise the safety of his entire team. Having each other’s back in life-or-death situations often meant the difference between a successful mission and a catastrophe. Would such blatant disloyalty on the part of the deputy chief’s friend sneak in and undermine the trust between his men and their commitment to protect one another? It had definitely shaken Daniel’s trust.
He could no longer look his team in the eye after it came out during the Internal Affairs investigation that some of them had known about the affair and had actually covered for Scott. Daniel wasn’t sure if they did it to get back at him for his strict enforcement of the code of conduct or because no one wanted to be the one to tell the deputy chief that his trusted friend was a snake. Regardless, his faith in others’ ability to act with integrity and honesty had gone up in smoke. Hell, after his loss of control in giving his friend a concussion, he didn’t even trust himself.
Two, he had to do something to salvage the now-shattered mother-son relationship. The backlash had caused his son, Cameron, quite a bit of humiliation at school. But he was innocent in all of this.
Choosing to resign before they fired him, Daniel had spent the last two years consoling Cameron, working in the juvenile corrections system, and fighting to clear his name in the aftermath of the charges against him.
He had sworn off women for a while. That is, until midnight on New Year’s Eve. That’s when he had seen Shawna standing at the large plate glass door leading to the patio, watching the snow fall and the lights twinkle around the condo on Boyne Mountain. There was an air of vulnerability about her that made him want to scoop her up and let her know that everything was going to be all right.
Daniel snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed that the woman standing in front of him was tapping an impatient rhythm on the airport’s industrial tile floor with her five-inch heels. He shifted his focus from her to Shawna, who was striding through the lobby of the airport with a sassy, confident walk. With her chin jutting out and a determined look in her eyes, Shawna garnered appreciative glances from many men who paused to take in the view.
He turned to the outrageous woman, who was still awaiting an answer to her not-so-welcome offer. “I’ll have to take a rain check on that. I …”
The woman’s gaze followed his line of vision to Shawna. Her innate sexuality was all in the seductive sway of her hips. She was wearing lime green Capri pants and a complementary sleeveless top which exposed her toned arms. Her body was curvy with generous hips and ample breasts. But it was her lips that had his groin tightening. That kiss they had shared was enough to make his nature rise every time he thought about it—and her.
“Oh, you like those types,” the woman said on a sour note. “Figures,” she added before storming away, but not before issuing a profane parting shot.
Daniel kept his focus on Shawna. He remembered his hands cupping her face when he teased her lower lip and swooped in for that one passionate kiss that left both of them stunned by the intensity.
“Hello, Daniel. Good to see you,” she said in a lyrical voice that had haunted his dreams.
Shawna extended her hand to him. Instead of shaking it, he pulled her against his chest, catching her off guard and kissing those delectable pouty lips until her heart beat in tempo with his.
When he pulled away, he looked down into a pair of eyes that held more yearning than sadness this time. “I’ve been waiting six months to do that again.”
Her breathing hitched, and he took that moment to go in for seconds.
Before he left Arkansas, he would have that signed agreement—and this woman.
Chapter 3
Shawna inhaled his rich and earthy masculine scent, then shivered in Daniel’s strong arms before reluctantly pushing back. His muscular frame was covered in dark brown trousers, t-shirt and a jacket. His bald head gleamed under the airport’s fluorescent lights. He reminded her of a sleek jungle cat—powerful muscles and smooth lines ready to pounce.
On New Year’s Eve, Daniel had spent a great deal of time with her, helping her to master the one-mile ski hill—a challenge she had set for herself for the week. Falling and getting up again and again, she’d conquered the slope, bruises and all. And he had been ever-present during that minor victory—flirting, opening doors for her, fixing her favorite drinks, and engaging in stimulating conversation. It got to the point where she would sense his presence before she actually saw him. And that frightened her more than she let on. She had never had that kind of connection with her late husband.
Shawna’s trembling hand reached for the sunglasses perched in her hair and slid them onto her face. “Welcome to Arkansas.” She glanced at all the luggage in his hands. “Do you need help with any of that?”
He slid a portfolio toward her and grinned. “Just this small one, since it’s yours anyway.”
She gave him the evil eye. “Don’t start, Daniel. Just because you’re here, doesn’t mean that I’ll change my mind.” She slipped the leather portfolio into her oversized bag, refusing to let her curiosity get the better of her just yet. His chuckle said that he knew she wanted to do exactly that. “My car is parked out front.”
They walked briskly through the small lobby. When they reached the car, she opened the trunk with the remote so that he could store his bags and briefcase.
Daniel opened her door and waited for her to settle in the driver’s seat before taking his space on the passenger side.
“Are you hungry?” she asked. “There are several decent places between here and home.” She started the car, and Ike and Tina’s “Proud Mary” blasted in the Lexus. Daniel gave her an ear-to-ear grin.
She lowered the volume and adjusted the air conditioning before turning to look at him. “Are you going to stop laughing long enough to give me an answer?”
“Something light would be good,” he replied. “I had breakfast with my son before going to the airport. Mind if I change the channel?”
“Proud Mary” was one of her favorite songs. A woman like Tina Turner—who survived physical abuse, public humiliation, and the loss of all her money but reached a level of superstardom that would have been impossible had she remained in her doomed marriage—had a certain life-affirming force.
At her nod, he flipped through a round of stations until he found one playing Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” a Motown classic.
“Enjoy it today,” She warned. “While you’re in the Delta you’ll hear more B. B. King and his guitar Lucille and everyone who was influenced by him over the last fifty years.” She gave him a low throaty chuckle. “Old timers used to say, ‘It’s got to be a fact or it wouldn’t be blues.’”
“All right. But for now, this relaxes me.” He flipped the air conditioner vent so that the cool air blew directly in his face.
“The Hibachi Grill specializes in steak, seafood and sushi,” she said, hitting a curve that required expert skill to manage. The drivers in the two pick-up trucks swerving in front of her obviously lacked that level of finesse and nearly collided.
Unfazed at the near miss, he pushed the seat back and turned his body toward hers as if she was the only view he wanted to take in. “Sounds like a plan.”
* * *
Shawna and Daniel settled into a cozy spot near the chef’s open grill. While they waited for their orders, she asked about his personal life.
“So what do you want to know?” He scanned the crowded restaurant paying attention to the chef working on multiple dishes at once, then put his attention back on Shawna.
“Let’s talk about the things we didn’t cover on our trip,” she replied. “Basically, whatever you want to tell me.”
The passion in his voice moved her, and she put a gentle hand on his arm. “Southern Illinois must have seemed like a foreign country after living in Chicago.”
“Much like rural Arkansas,” he said, suddenly energized and jovial. “Fresh air. A calmer, slower lifestyle. Green grass and trees as far as you can see. The kids learn the rules and get to take advantage of new things if they’re willing.” He grinned at some thought, and just that quick gesture caused her to see what he must have looked like when he was much younger. “I met a couple of knuckleheads and got attached to them,” he said, shifting in the leather seat. “We helped them through some rough scraps—mostly drugs, fighting or stealing. Showed them they didn’t have to be the baddest dude on the block.”
She absorbed that for a moment, moving a napkin to touch the corner of her mouth and nodded. “Living and working off the land would be a new beginning for them.”
What he planned to do for these kids could mean a seismic shift for each one of them. And the fact that he had changed his whole career focus almost broke her resolve to hold onto everything her parents had left her.
The server returned with their plates. They ate in silence for a few minutes.
She didn’t want to be callous, but the reality was that all of the farm land in the area was being bought up by huge conglomerates. Farmers who had scrimped for decades on meager earnings were being cheated of their rightful settlement by the government. That made her reluctant to give up one blade of grass, let alone five hundred acres. If Daniel’s project failed, the land—her land—would be left vulnerable to these raiders.