Darker The Forbidden Berry

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Blurb:

A forbidden pregnancy, billionaire, BWWM romance story.

Aja finds herself employed by the Somersets, an affluent family with a son threatening to ruin their long-standing reputation.

Aja’s job is to reform their wayward son, Finn, guiding him instead towards a suitable marriage.

When meeting Finn, Aja expected nothing more than a spoiled wild child.

But she soon discovers there’s more to Finn than what meets the eye…

Aja, with her grounded nature, stunningly dark beauty, and artistic talent, captivates Finn.

And it doesn’t take long before Aja finds herself in Finn’s bed!

But their romance hits a sudden roadblock when Aja falls pregnant, putting a pause on their budding relationship.

How will Finn’s family react to the unexpected pregnancy?

And will the societal pressures and family expectations force Finn to sever their romance?

Discover now in this black woman, white man pregnancy romance novel by Terri Duncan.

Chapter 1

Te’Aja grunted softly as she leaned over her suitcase and pressed down on it as hard as she could while trying to force the damn thing to close. Her roommate was lying on her stomach beside the bed, flipping through a celebrity gossip magazine, humming a little.

“Maybe this is a sign you should not move in with a total stranger.”

Aja rolled her eyes a little and gave the suitcase one more heavy shove before finally being able to zip it closed. She dragged the bright red, hard-shelled suitcase off the bed and it hit the floor with a heavy thump.

“Why are you still so upset about this? We’re still going to see each other and as soon as this job is over I’m going to move right back in,” she said, sitting on the bed and moving to lie beside her best friend.

Jaleeyah frowned and set her magazine down before resting her head on Aja’s shoulder.

“Well, for starters, I don’t like the idea of you moving in with a guy you’ve never met.”

“I met his parents. And it’s not like I’m moving in with the guy to be his wife. I’m just keeping an eye on him. It’s a job. That’s what I do.”

Jaleeyah cocked a thick eyebrow and snorted a little.

“No. You’re a personal assistant, Aja; you go grocery shopping for old rich people. Besides, if he was such an upstanding guy, why does he need a babysitter?”

“Because his parents are worried about their business interests and they don’t live in the country. They just want someone around to make sure things don’t get out of hand.”

“I just don’t like it. We’ve always been roommates. Hell, I lived with you and your daddy in high school. We’ve never been split up like this before!”

Aja could hear the anxiety and sadness in her voice and it broke her heart. She wrapped an arm around Jaleeyah and pulled her a little closer.

“It’s going to be okay. The family is taking care of the rent and I promise we’ll meet for dinner and do stuff together every weekend. I’m not abandoning you, Jaleeyah.”

“I know you aren’t. You would never abandon me, and I know that, but I can’t help having some nerves, you know?”

Aja nodded and nudged her a little.

“Why don’t you come over on Friday? I’ll show you around the place, you can meet Finn and maybe that will help calm your nerves, hmm? And I’ll take you out to the Cheesecake Factory. My treat….”

“Oh girl, you know the way to my heart.”

“Of course I do. You’re my best friend. It’s my job to know how to bribe you,” she said playfully, standing up and grabbing the red suitcase. “Plus, this job is going to pay really well. We can finally get a second car!”

“It would be nice to be able to get around when you’re at work,” Jaleeyah mused.

Most roommates did not split their finances the way Jaleeyah and Aja did. The two girls had grown up in Flint and when Jaleeyah’s parents died, she moved in with Aja. They’d been friends ever since they were young and Aja’s dad did not want the poor girl to end up in the foster system. They were as close as sisters and shared everything including the money from their part-time jobs.

Both of them were attending college in Detroit and while it was hard to make sure all the bills were paid, they somehow managed. Aja was a personal assistant and every now and again, she would come across a job that would set them up for a while. This was one of those jobs and she was just not willing to turn it down. Jaleeyah had some good points, but they needed the money and they both knew it.

“You still gonna drive me to the house?”

Jaleeyah rolled her eyes and rolled off the bed, stretching her long, thin arms up to the ceiling.

“Obviously, I’ll still need the car. How are you going to do your running for this family?”

“They said I can have access to anything I need at the house. I’m sure they have at least one extra car.” Most rich families did, after all.

“And are you really just taking one suitcase?” She asked, waving her hand at it.

“For now. I’ll come home to get more things as I need them, but I’d rather start out small until I know what I’m working with, you know?”

She reached down and grabbed the suitcase, throwing her other arm around Jaleeyah.

“Ready?”

“No, but I’ll drive you,” she grumbled, leaning into Aja as they walked out of the bedroom.

Their apartment was small, but each of them had their own bedroom. The living room and dining room were one small space that opened up to a galley kitchen where clean pots and pans were strewn across the counters. They never let dirty dishes sit, but they never seemed to get around to putting them away, either.

They eventually reached the beat-up sedan that had once been white and slid into the car, the suitcase tossed into the back without much care. As they left their rundown apartment building, Aja could not help but watch it fade in the distance. It was not a nice place, but it was home for both of them and it was the first place they’d lived together on their own. They had roomed in the dorm together their first year of college and then moved into the apartment off of Woodward Avenue. They’d lived there for the past three years and it was hard to leave it behind.

Aja was worried about the same things that Jaleeyah was worried about, but she was trying to keep her anxiety under control. She did not want to give Jaleeyah more of a reason to worry. They were both in their last year of college and Jaleeyah’s pre-law track was incredibly demanding. Aja did not want to alter her friend’s focus. After all, if Aja was the person in the situation and she could stay calm, Jaleeyah had no reason to worry.

She sighed and crossed her arms, looking out the window as fiery trees flew past the window. Fall was one of her favorite times of the year. It was hard to enjoy it with all of the questions rolling around in her mind, though.

“Aja?”