Brenda Jackson Read online

  She swallowed. He was giving her that look. “You do know what that will mean when it comes to my mother and aunt, don’t you? They will be asking you questions, trying to pin us down to a wedding date and all that stuff. It won’t be easy.”

  He shrugged. “And it won’t be hard. You tell me what to say and I’ll say it.”

  She tilted her head and continued to hold his gaze. “And just what will you get out of this?”

  A smile touched his lips and that smile made sensations flutter all through her. “I’m surprised that you would ask me that, especially after last weekend and this morning,” he said in a throaty voice. “But just in case you don’t have a clue, let me break it down to you.” He leaned closer. “I’ll be getting you, Kimani. I like kissing you. I enjoy having sex with you.”

  His smile widened as he added, “Um, I especially like having sex with you.”

  She couldn’t help noticing he’d specifically pointed out they’d had sex and not made love. Why did his description of what they’d done bother her, when the same terminology from any other man would not have? She pushed the thought from her mind and wriggled up to wrap her arms around his neck. Looking up at him, she smiled. “Then I guess we are officially pretend engaged.”

  “DUAN ACTUALLY VOLUNTEERED to go to Shreveport and pretend to be your fiancé?” Sherri asked Kim a few days later. Terrence had left their hotel room to grab them breakfast and she’d taken the time to give Kim a call.

  “Yes, can you believe my luck? Seeing me with him will satisfy Aunt Gert I’ve got a man.”

  “Is there something you aren’t telling me about you and Duan, Kim? Sounds serious.”

  Kim chuckled. She knew just what Sherri was hinting at. “Not serious, just sexual. I don’t do serious, Sherri. You of all people know that. And Duan isn’t looking for anything serious, either. It’s the perfect arrangement.”

  Before her best friend could ask her any more questions, Kim quickly said, “Now hang up the phone before your husband returns. You are on your honeymoon, you know.”

  “I know, and I am so happy I have to pinch myself to make sure it’s real.”

  Kim could hear the sheer contentment in Sherri’s voice. She laughed. “Why pinch yourself? Just look at the size of that rock on your hand if you have any doubt.”

  Moments later, she hung up the phone and glanced across the room at her packed luggage. She would be flying out of the Keys in a few hours and would catch a connecting flight in Atlanta, where Duan would be joining her to continue on to Shreveport.

  Strolling from the living room to the kitchen, she couldn’t help but smile when she glanced over at her table. She was consumed with memories every time she walked past it. Even now her mind was filled with memories of their lovemaking on Terrence’s boat. To be totally honest, there wasn’t a single night since the wedding that she hadn’t thought about all the lovemaking she and Duan had done.

  He was definitely a man who knew how to have a good time and she remembered how quickly she had slid her bikini bottoms down her legs and untied her top. It hadn’t taken Duan any time at all to remove his swimming trunks, and using the rocking motion of the boat on the water, they had taken each other hard, fast and often.

  And they would be back together again for a third weekend. She shouldn’t, but she was beginning to consider him as her weekend lover, and his ability to turn any fantasy she’d ever had into reality was simply amazing.

  Kim glanced at her watch. It was time to begin loading her luggage in the car. As she headed up the stairs she couldn’t squash her anticipation at the thought that in a few hours she would be seeing Duan again.

  6

  DUAN PULLED INTO the airport parking lot and then into the space his car would occupy for the next ten days. He patted the pocket of his shirt to make sure the ring he’d slid inside was still there. He had volunteered to come up with an engagement ring and thought the one he already had in his possession was perfect. It was the ring his grandmother had left him to present to the woman he would one day marry. When he’d mentioned it to Kim, she’d thought using that ring was a good idea, as well.

  He had to remind himself that the ring’s purpose was twofold. First, it was personal since he was helping out a woman he’d come to consider a friend. It was also business, in that he hoped to determine if Edward Villarosas was guilty of murder.

  The Atlanta police department had agreed to reopen the two cases and was putting together a list of family and friends that would be interviewed again. According to the cold case file, wife number one hadn’t returned home from what should have been a weekend trip to Orlando with her two girlfriends ten years ago.

  The other women acknowledged that Mandy Villarosas had been acting strange and had left their hotel room right after breakfast, saying she was meeting someone. When she hadn’t returned for lunch, they’d begun to worry and had called Edward, who’d encouraged them to notify the police.

  The other women claimed they had no idea who Mandy was supposed to meet, but indicated there had been a man in a club the night before who Mandy had been flirting with. Two years later, Villarosas had divorced his wife on grounds of desertion, and a year after that, he remarried.

  He and Sandra Villarosas had been married two years when he’d reported her missing. She hadn’t shown up for work and one of her coworkers had gotten concerned. Edward was out of town on a fishing trip in Florida with friends and had left two days before. In fact, Sandra was the one who had taken him to the airport. Several witnesses verified that, and also the fact she had been seen around town afterward.

  Neither woman had been heard from since, and Edward’s alibis were verified by family and friends.

  Duan walked inside the airport terminal, which was busy as usual. Any other day he might have wished he were someplace else, even in his office totally absorbed in another case. But not today.

  If Kim’s flight left on time she would be here in less than an hour. It had been five days since they’d been together and he was anxious to see her again. With that admission, he felt a punch to his stomach and something close to panic. He was reminded that the last thing he needed to do was get wrapped up with any woman. Women, he knew for a fact, had the ability to wrap a man around their finger, then walk away and not look back.

  Instead he switched his thoughts from Kim to the real purpose of this trip. Edward Villarosas. Going to Shreveport to meet Kim’s family would afford him the opportunity of being in the man’s company for almost a week, and with a bit of luck he’d notice or discover something that the other detectives who’d worked the case hadn’t. For the time being, the less Kim knew about what was going on, the better.

  If Villarosas was guilty, then he was a man who’d successfully gotten away with two crimes. It was going to be up to Duan to figure out how Kim’s mother played into any of this. Was the man looking to knock off wife number three? He had read the two case files over and over, and there was nothing in them to indicate Villarosas was a man who married women and then got some sort of sick kick getting rid of them.

  But Duan did not intend on taking any chances. He would be on full alert until he figured out just what type of man they were dealing with. At no time did he plan on putting Kim or her mother in danger. A deep frown settled on his face at the thought of anything happening to Kim. He would protect her with his life if he had to, and wouldn’t let Villarosas or anyone else harm a single strand of hair on her head or her mother’s.

  Right now he didn’t want to question why he’d become so protective of Kimani; he just accepted that was the way it was. While his partners were out in the field gathering information, Duan’s job in Shreveport over the next few days was to get close to Villarosas and develop a rapport with him in hopes the man would let his guard down.

  Even without meeting the guy he had a gut feeling the man was bad news, and the quicker that could be proven, the better.

  KIM GLANCED AROUND when she approached her gate. Duan’s head c
ould be seen above everyone else’s, making him easily recognizable. In addition to that, he was the man most women were giving a second look.

  She glared at one such woman when she passed, then frowned, wondering why it annoyed her that other women found him as desirable as she did. It wasn’t like he was her man. Everything between them was strictly casual. They enjoyed having sex with each other. No big deal.

  Kim breathed in deeply, wondering who she was fooling. It was beginning to become a big deal. There was something about this affair with Duan that was different. Emotions were starting to come into play, at least on her end, and she never let emotions creep into any of her relationships. There was no place for them.

  And as she got closer to where he stood, she didn’t want to analyze what those strange feelings were about. The only thing she wanted to do was concentrate on him. He was wearing a polo shirt and a pair of khaki pants and he looked good. Instinctively, she walked into his open arms and a part of her wished all those drooling women took notice.

  “Good seeing you again, Kim,” he murmured, brushing a kiss across her temple.

  The moment his lips touched her skin, Kim felt the muscles in her belly tighten. He pulled her closer and she melted into him easily. Already he was hard and erect. She tilted her head and looked up at him. There was never any other way with them. Their desire for each other was spontaneous. They saw; they wanted.

  “That was just a public kiss,” he whispered. “I’m going to give you a very private one later when we’re alone.”

  She smiled. “I can’t wait. And speaking of waiting, have you been here long?”

  He shrugged as he released her and took her hand. “This is a busy airport so I figured it was best to arrive early. There are a couple of eating places around here if you’re hungry. We have a couple of hours before our flight leaves.”

  “No, I’m fine. What about you?”

  That elicited a laugh. “I could use something else but will settle for a cup of coffee.”

  She had an idea what he meant. “Okay.”

  He took her hand and led her toward the food court. He glanced over at her. “You look cute.”

  “Thanks.”

  She had deliberately worn this outfit, a short denim skirt and a green tank top with spaghetti straps. She hadn’t missed the way he’d scanned her appreciatively from head to toe.

  She followed him to an empty table and a waitress came to take Duan’s coffee order. Before the woman left he glanced over at her. “You sure you don’t want anything?”

  “Um, I would like some vanilla ice cream.”

  He lifted a brow after the waitress walked off. “Ice cream? This early?”

  She laughed. “It’s not that early, Duan.” She checked her watch. “In fact, it’s a few minutes past ten. I love ice cream and I’m known to eat it for breakfast. It used to drive Sherri crazy.”

  He smiled. “I bet. And before I forget, give me your left hand.”

  Instinctively she did as he asked and watched him pull a small jewelry box out of his shirt pocket. He placed it on the table beside her and opened it up.

  “Wow! It’s beautiful, Duan.” And she meant it. The ring was dazzling. “And this was your grandmother’s?”

  “Yes,” he said, taking it out of the box and sliding it onto her ring finger. It was a perfect fit and she watched in surprise as he lifted her hands and kissed her knuckles.

  “When she died she left it for me since I was her oldest grandson,” he said, releasing her. “However, since I have no plan to ever marry I thought about giving it to Terrence, but Dad figured I should keep it anyway since it was left to me. I think she felt bad for the way her daughter turned out.”

  Kim fluttered her fingers, admiring the ring Duan had just placed on it. “Well, regardless, I think it’s beautiful and—”

  “Oh, my goodness! Did the two of you just get engaged?”

  Both Kim and Duan glanced up at their waitress. She was standing there holding a coffee in one hand and a cup of vanilla ice cream in the other, a delighted look on her face.

  Kim opened her mouth to answer but Duan beat her to the punch. “Yes, we did.”

  “Congratulations!” the woman exclaimed. “That’s wonderful and it’s a beautiful ring.”

  A huge smile spread over Duan’s face. “Thanks.”

  He glanced expectantly at Kim. She then caught on to what he was doing and smiled up at the woman. “Yes. Thanks.”

  The waitress placed the coffee in front of Duan and gave Kim her ice cream. She gave both of them another huge smile before leaving. Kim leaned over the table. “Why did you let her think we’ve just gotten engaged?”

  He shrugged. “For all intents and purposes, we have.”

  She rolled her eyes. “We’re role-playing for Mom and Aunt Gert, not necessarily for strangers.”

  He chuckled. “Who’s to say she doesn’t know some one who might know you? You’d be surprised how small this world is sometimes. Besides, telling her we’re engaged gave me some practice time.”

  “Practice for what?”

  “Smiling whenever anyone congratulates us. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot of that over the next few days. Did I seem genuinely pleased?”

  She momentarily clamped her mouth shut, not sure what to say or to question why she felt irked by what he’d said. Of course they were role-playing, but for some reason she was bothered by the thought.

  When he continued to stare at her, waiting for her response, she pasted a smile on her face and said in a syrupy tone, “You were simply marvelous, darling.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows. “Ready for an Oscar?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Um, I wouldn’t go that far.”

  He laughed as he reached out and took her hand in his, caressing the finger that wore his ring. “But you would say I was good, wouldn’t you?”

  The smile that touched her lips that moment was genuine. “Yes, Duan, you were good.”

  And then she gently pulled her hand away from his to eat her ice cream.

  7

  “DUAN, I’D LIKE YOU to meet my mother, Wynona Cannon-Longleaf-Higgins-Gunter. Mom, this is Duan Jeffries, my fiancé.”

  Duan kept his mouth from dropping completely open. Kim’s mother was a very attractive woman. Kim had said she was fifty-five, but to his way of thinking, she looked a lot younger. He offered the older woman his hand. “How do you do, Mrs….” Already he’d forgotten her names.

  She beamed happily. “Just call me Wynona. I don’t know why Kim insisted on saying all those names.”

  Kim smiled. “Because they’re yours. All four of them.” She glanced around. “And where is the man who might be number five?”

  Wynona gave her daughter a frown. “Edward will be here any minute. He’s probably stuck in traffic since he lives on the other side of town.”

  She returned her attention to Duan. “Your last name is Jeffries?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And before you ask, Mom, the answer is yes,” Kim said. “He’s Terrence’s older brother.”

  “Best friends marrying brothers. How nice.”

  She studied his features for a moment and then asked, “And you’re willing to wait for Kim to finish med school before the two of you marry?”

  Duan gave Kim a loving smile and slipped his arm around her waist to bring her closer. That was number one on the list of questions Kim had known her mother would ask. Wynona had asked her that same thing when she’d told her mother about her acceptance into medical school. Evidently she was hoping for a different answer.

  “Whatever Kim wants, that’s what we’ll do,” he said, leaning over and placing a kiss on Kim’s lips. He could tell from the expression that appeared on Wynona’s face that she wasn’t pleased with his comment.

  “But we’re talking about four, maybe five years,” the older woman pointed out. “Don’t you think that’s way too long to wait?”

  He opened his mouth to respond but Kim beat hi
m to it. “Maybe you ought to try it, Mom. You, of all people, should know that rushing into marriage serves no purpose other than a quick divorce. Which is why I think you and Mr. Villarosas should take more time to get to know each other before the two of you contemplate marriage.”

  Instead of agreeing or disagreeing with Kim’s comment, Wynona smiled at him and said, “And what do you do for a living, Duan?”

  “I used to be a cop but now I’m a private investigator. I own my own business.” Now he knew how it felt to be interrogated.

  “And I take it that you love my daughter.”

  Duan looked at Kim again, and something about being asked that question bothered him. Nonetheless, he plastered a smile on his face before saying, “Very much so. I wouldn’t be marrying her if I didn’t.”

  Wynona opened her mouth, but at that moment there was a knock at the door. She smiled. “Excuse me. That’s probably Edward.”

  As soon as Wynona exited the room Kim turned to Duan. “So far so good. You’re handling Mom’s inter rogation well.”

  Before Kim could say anything else, Wynona returned with a tall, slender man by her side. He was smiling as he approached them.

  “Well, now, Wynona, this has to be your daughter. She favors you.” He came to stand before Kim and Duan, but only gave Duan a cursory glance. Kim had his full attention.

  “Yes, Edward, this is my daughter,” Wynona said, beaming proudly. “Kim, this is the man I plan to marry in a few weeks.”

  Kim extended her hand to him. “Nice meeting you, Edward. And this is the man I plan to marry, Duan Jeffries. Duan, this is Edward Villarosas.”

  It was only then that Edward met Duan’s gaze, and Duan felt the smile he bestowed upon him wasn’t genuine. That feeling in his gut intensified. “Duan, nice meeting you.” Edward offered him his hand.

  “Likewise,” Duan said, taking it.

  Wynona leaned close to Edward. “Don’t they make a lovely couple, Edward?”

  Edward smiled up at her. “Just as lovely as we do.” He then turned his attention back to Kim. “I understand you have doubts about me making your mother happy.”