Part 13 (1/2)

”I won't sleep,” she said, shaking her head emphatically. ”Nope. I will not sleep until this is a done deal.”

”And that's fine, because there are plenty of other things we can do right now besides sleep.”

Desi laughed. ”Oh, you got ideas,” she teased.

”Plenty. But first...” Solomon opened the blanket, letting all that chilly air invade their coc.o.o.ned bodies, and held a baby blue velvet box in front of her.

Tiffany's. He knew how much she loved Tiffany's. Desi laughed, took the box, and held it possessively to her chest. ”How long have you had this?”

”Since yesterday.”

”And you're just now giving it to me?”

”I was planning on giving it to you tomorrow,” he said calmly. ”Open it.”

Even in the dark, it was impossible for that thing not to s.h.i.+ne. Desi was. .h.i.t by the light of the most brilliant diamond she'd ever laid eyes on. It was a ring. A perfectly exquisite ring, covered in diamonds circling the band.

”Marry me, Desi.”

Desi stopped breathing. Before he'd said those words to her, Solomon had just given her a gift, a ring. Marry me, Desi changed everything just that quick.

She turned to him. Desi had every intention of saying something but the minute she looked into that handsome, chocolate face of his, she forgot what it was. And Solomon seemed intent on just letting her stand there, looking dumbfounded and speechless. He just smiled. Look at where she was now. Desi looked back out to the city, took a deep breath, and let it all soak in. She'd gotten good at that. Desi had moved past thinking that she didn't deserve the life she had now, because she had finally accepted that she not only deserved it, but she had earned it.

”Well?” he finally asked.

”What do you mean, well? You know what my answer is already, Solomon. You knew it before you even bought this ring.”

She was long past feeling that detachment she'd come out of prison with. Because Solomon had been there, waiting patiently for her feelings to catch up with his. He waded through all her doubts and missteps with her, held out both hands, and helped her finally get past them. Any other man would've given up. His feelings would've been hurt, and he'd have shrugged her off and moved on to the next woman.

Desi sunk deeper into his arms, and sighed. ”I will absolutely marry you, Solomon.”

”And you'll never let me go?” he added.

She smiled. ”Never.”

”And you'll never do anything to make me wanna let you go?”

”I hope not.”

”No, Desi. You've got to say it.”

”I will never do anything to make you wanna let me go, baby,” she purred.

”Then let's go make love, and seal this deal,” he teased, kissing her neck, and turning both of them around to go back inside.

They didn't make it to the bedroom. Solomon backed Desi up to the sofa, spread his arms, and dropped the blanket on the floor behind him. Desi raised up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. Solomon slipped his hands underneath her nightgown, cupped her behind in both hands, and spun her around. He sat down, pulling her down on top of him. Desi's body melted on top of his.

Solomon stared so deep into her eyes that she wondered if he couldn't see her soul. ”You're my wife, baby,” he murmured.

Of all the things Desi had been in her life, guilty, not guilty, poor, rich, hopeless, nothing-being Solomon's wife was the only thing that mattered. He pushed his hips toward hers, took hold of her by the back of her neck, and pulled her face to his.

Desi drove her knees into the s.p.a.ce on either side of him, and pumped slowly against him, driving him so deep inside her, until he touched places in her that no other man could ever possibly reach.

”I love you,” she whispered between kisses. And more than that, Desi felt loved.

Solomon was still asleep when the phone rang. Desi had finally managed to doze off too, but just barely. ”h.e.l.lo?” she asked, without checking the number on the screen.

The other end of the phone was silent.

”h.e.l.lo?” Desi asked again, irritated.

”Did I wake you?”

It was Lonnie. Desi hadn't spoken to Lonnie in nearly two years. The conversation had been brief, curt, and left Desi with more questions than answers. She carefully climbed out of bed and took the phone into the living room so as not to wake up Solomon.

”Where are you?” she asked.

Lonnie hesitated in answering. ”Dallas.”

”Dallas?” Desi asked, stunned. Whatever had happened to Lonnie happened in Dallas. So, why the h.e.l.l was she back there?

”How are you, Desi?” she asked, as casually as if the two of them had last spoken a few weeks ago.

”How are you, Lonnie?” Wasn't that the million-dollar question? How was Lonnie? Or was it, Where have you been, Lonnie? Maybe it was, What the h.e.l.l happened to you, Lonnie?

”I asked you first,” Lonnie replied coolly.

”I'm fine. You?”

”That's what I hear, Des. I hear you're doing just fine.”

Desi was thrown off by Lonnie's tone. But at least Lonnie was talking to her. When Lonnie first went missing, Desi believed that Lonnie had been killed and that Jordan had been the one to do it, but a few weeks later, Lonnie was resurrected.

”I'd like to see you,” Desi said reluctantly. It was mostly the truth. But something about the sound of Lonnie's voice left Desi feeling uncertain about their friends.h.i.+p. ”I'd like to see for myself how you're doing.”

”I need to see you too, Des. Where are you?”

Desi paused. She wanted to see Lonnie, but not here. This New York trip was too important to add Lonnie into the mix. ”I'll be back home this weekend.”

Desi hadn't planned on flying back to Texas anytime soon, but if she were going to finally see Lonnie again, Texas seemed like the natural place to do it.

”Do you still have the house?” Lonnie asked. ”We can meet there.”

”That'll be fine, Lonnie. That'll be great, really.”

Lonnie chuckled. ”Yeah, Desi. Really great.” Desi cringed at the sarcasm. ”Call me back at this number when you get to town.”

”Sure,” Desi agreed. ”I'll call you soon.”