“Later,” he whispered thickly. “Much later.” He added as he swooped in to claim her lips.
*****
“I told my parents about us, and they want us to come over for supper.”
“You did WHAT!”
They had surfaced a little after twelve, and true to his word, he had ordered breakfast for them, which they ate in bed. Afterward, he made love to her again. She had returned to sleep, but he had been up for hours making various arrangements. He was not going to give her a chance to push him away.
“They expect us for dinner at seven- “
“Then that’s just too damn bad because I am not going.” Swinging her legs off the bed, she went to grab the dress she had worn for the party and started toward the bathroom. He caught up with her when she reached the doorway.
“I know you think this is moving too fast- “
“You arrogant, entitled prick! Moving too fast? You went behind my back and told your parents- “
“They love you and are delighted that we are together- “
“We are not together! This is some sort of game to you. You get to bang the black woman, and now- “
“Stop it!” His patience snapped suddenly. “I never asked for this, but it happened, and I am prepared to move heaven and earth to be with you. You are letting your prejudices- “
“What did you just say to me?”
“You keep harping on the fact that I am white, and you are black. So, what the hell? I don’t give a damn if you were pink and I was green. I love you, and loving each other means that there are no barriers regarding our skin color or social standing. I want you in my life. I need you in my life, and I am prepared to do anything except give you up.”
“We can’t.” She whispered huskily. “And it’s cruel of you to try and convince me that we can.”
“What are you afraid of, Jacinth?” He asked her quietly.
“That your friends – your white, rich friends will look at us and turn up their noses. That if we have children, they will be judged and shunned.”
His expression softened. “You think I don’t know what we are up against? I do, and I don’t care. We are living in the twenty-first century, and interracial couples are more common now. Yes, in my club, the members are all white men who are married to white women. But you know what I hardly see?”
“What?”
“Love. Complete and utter love between a man and his wife. My parents love each other, and I have no idea if it was just blind luck or something else, but most of the members stuck to their kind, and it is more a marriage of convenience than anything else. They are dreadfully unhappy, and the men take mistresses because of that. I have found something in you that I never dreamed I would find, and I am not letting that go for anything or anyone.”
“Reginald- “
“No.’ He shook her again. “I am in love with you, darling, and it’s time you accept it.”
Her eyes glittered. “You think you can boss me around?”
He flashed her wry smile. “I feel that you are more trouble than you are worth.”
He winced when she jabbed a finger hard into his flat stomach. “See?”
“I can’t have dinner with your parents. What will they think?”
His hands shifted to frame her face, his tawny eyes luminous with emotions. “They will think I am so in love with you that I am determined to spend the rest of my life showing you how much.”
She stared at him and felt her resistance taking a severe beating. She loved him and never dreamed that he would return the feeling. But she was scared. Afraid of the unknown.
“Please say something.” He pleaded huskily.
“If this is a sick joke-“ She gasped as he hauled her into his arms and crushed her lips with his. “You be the judge.” Picking her up into his arms, he took her back to bed.
*****
“I cannot believe I let you talk me into this.” She shakily accused him as they pulled outside the sweeping electronic gates that led to his parent’s home’s faded pink stucco design. “I cannot do this.”
“You can.”
“Don’t tell me what I can or cannot do. That man in there is my boss.”
“And I just sat through an hour with your aunt telling me about her various ailments. You can do this.”
He had persuaded her to allow him to accompany her home so that he could be introduced to her aunt. He had somehow managed to charm her and sat there attentively, listening to her ramblings while he waited for her to go and change.
She had spent twenty minutes agonizing over what to wear to dinner with his parents and had chosen a chic green and white woolen dress with a cowl neck. She was also wearing boots but was unsure if that was a good idea.
They were sitting in his car outside the electronic gates, and she was hyperventilating.
“We should wait-“
“For?”
“To see if this is just a phase. We only met, and you might decide I am not the right fit.” She lifted her chin at the anger on his face and met his tawny eyes squarely.
“You are pissing me off.”
“I don’t care.” She closed her eyes briefly. “I am scared.”
His expression softened as he saw the evidence of how afraid she was on her face. Turning sideways, he took her hands and forced her to look at him.
“I have never felt this way before. I have never had the need or the desire to take a woman home to meet my parents. This is a first for me. I know you think I am rushing things, but I fear you will change your mind about us. I am afraid that if I leave you alone, you will come up with reasons why we should not be together. So, there you have it.”