Sing A New Song Read online

  “Where are you staying?”

  Tiffany bit her nail. “I moved back into my old house. You remember where I live?”

  “Of course. I’ll be there in ten,” Darnell replied and got off the phone.

  Tiffany hung up the phone and ran into her bathroom. Quickly, she changed into a pink sweater and a pair of black jeans. She turned the heat on a little higher and put on a warm pair of socks. October was coming in with a blast. Next, she went into her kitchen to retrieve some finger food and put her teakettle on just in case. She felt nervous. Tiffany was intrigued to speak to him, especially after reading his profile. She wanted to know how he had survived after his wife died such a violent death.

  It seemed like seconds before Tiffany heard the peal of the doorbell. She quickly answered it, and Darnell entered.

  He smelled good.

  Like man.

  Tiffany inhaled, allowing herself the carnal pleasure. It felt like ages since she had inhaled a masculine scent. She rode the first stirrings of feminine appreciation.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Darnell gave Tiffany the once-over. She was every bit as beautiful as he had remembered, and did not look like a woman living her last stages of life. Her shoulder-length hair actually glistened. Darnell reached out and touched it. It felt soft under his touch. It smelled good too.

  Tiffany felt Darnell’s hand in her hair. She was surprised at his bold gesture but did nothing to stop him, blatantly enjoying the sensations his mere touch caused. Her response baffled her. Tiffany did not expect to react to such a little gesture. She must be more starved for affection than she had realized. Compelled to say something, Tiffany uttered an eloquent “Hi.”

  Darnell felt something move within him and recognized it as arousal. Tiffany’s scent stirred his senses. He had not expected this. After his wife’s death, Darnell unknowingly closed that part of himself off. He reminded himself that initiating any kind of a relationship with her would not be a good idea. Struggling against his flesh, Darnell released his light grip on her hair and said, “Hi.”

  Tiffany felt a small measure of disappointment. She should be glad Darnell broke contact. She did not need any attachments.

  The air about them was thick and tense. Tiffany felt like she was back in high school all over again. But she was not. She was a grown woman, and she had something she had to do. “Can I offer you something to drink?” Tiffany questioned, licking her lips. Her mouth suddenly felt parched.

  Darnell walked into her living room area and sat down. “Yes, please.” He watched Tiffany leave to get the drink and placed his hands on his head. What just happened? he contemplated. Darnell remembered reaching for Tiffany’s hair and touching it. He had not counted on feeling the thousand electric bolts run through his body on contact. He had not anticipated becoming enticed by her scent. He exhaled.

  Darnell rubbed his head, showing his distress. It had been too long since he had known the pleasure of a woman. He had devoted his time to tending to his daughters and helping them cope with their mother’s premature death. “Don’t even go there, man,” Darnell mumbled under his breath. Being a Christian was also the major reason why Darnell had remained celibate, even though he had stopped attending church services after his wife’s funeral. His wife, Lily, had introduced him to the Lord.

  After her death, Darnell grew tired of the sympathetic looks and the “God knows best” comments. He also discovered that the single sisters were vultures in disguise, salivating and waiting to pounce on him at the most inopportune times. It was positively suffocating and off-putting. The Holy Spirit continuously chastised him about forsaking the assembling.

  “I know, Lord, I’ve got no excuse,” he would always agree. He was a man’s man, but he was not man enough to disagree with God. It was only a matter of time before he had to heed the call.

  That was why he had no business looking in Tiffany’s direction. “No, I’d better leave that woman alone,” he chided. Darnell could not start something with a woman who was dying. He could not bark up that tree. It had been sheer agony losing his wife, and he wasn’t looking to experience that a second time. He wanted to be with someone who was guaranteed to outlive him for a change.

  Tiffany returned to the living room and gestured for him to follow her into the kitchen. Like a lap dog, Darnell followed close behind her. The only consolation was that Tiffany appeared to be feeling just as discombobulated as he was. At least he hoped so.

  Tiffany did not know why this was happening. She was acutely aware of the man following close on her heels. She wanted him like she had no business wanting anybody. Tiffany could not recall feeling such a powerful instant attraction before. She sang about this kind of magnetism in her songs, but she had never experienced it firsthand. She already knew Darnell in the biblical sense of the word, but she had not felt this way then. Maybe it was because she was simply a woman with no ulterior motives. It had all been about payback before.

  This time, however, Tiffany wanted to sleep with him because of a potent sexual attraction. She looked down at the floor, not really looking at anything. Uh-oh. Self-conscious, she hugged her sweater, pretending to be cold while fervently praying Darnell had not noticed how taken she was with him. Luckily, he was too busy fitting his huge frame into one of her kitchen chairs and did not perceive her, uh, little dilemma. Thank the Lord for small favors.

  “Darnell,” Tiffany said, wetting her lips. She sat across from him and looked at him. Darnell gave her his undivided attention. She felt heat seep up her spine at his intense stare. She saw the passion there and knew he was also in the throes of physical attraction. Unknowingly, Tiffany’s voice dropped. “I have to tell you something. Remember when we slept together?”

  “Yes,” Darnell answered. He remembered. Darnell adjusted himself at the memories her question evoked. Lord, I need you to bind this feeling. Help me control it, Lord, he silently prayed.

  “Well, there is something I have to tell you,” Tiffany said. She responded to the heat emanating from his eyes and instinctively crossed her legs.

  “Okay,” Darnell said, egging her on, but he frantically sought to bring his wayward thoughts under control.

  Tiffany sat up and got her mind together. She fanned herself. It certainly felt warm in here.

  Tiffany told Darnell about Karlie and the other men. Her lips loosened, and she was forthright about her stepfather’s abuse as well, feeling the need to tell him what had prompted her to sleep with so many men. Finally, Tiffany confessed, “I came home to find my daughter’s father.”

  Darnell listened intently while Tiffany spoke. Her topic of conversation had cooled his ardor significantly, but his facial expressions gave nothing away. “So, your daughter, Karlie, might actually be my child?” Darnell reiterated after mulling over all she had said.

  “Yes.” Her body tensed as she waited for the sure explosion to follow.

  None came.

  Darnell took her hands with compassion shining in his brown eyes. “I am sorry this is happening to you, and I will definitely take the paternity test. I can only imagine how you must feel. You have got a lot of guts and chutzpah, Tiffany, and that’s to be applauded.”

  He could tell from the shock on her face that Tiffany had not expected this reaction. But he was not prepared for hers. Practically jumping across the table, Tiffany reached over to kiss Darnell softly on the lips. Acting on instinct, Darnell held her. Tiffany opened her mouth to give him full access. That was his undoing.

  Darnell grabbed Tiffany without breaking the kiss and moved until his body was positioned directly in front of her. Fire seared them. He ravaged Tiffany’s lips and heard her answering moan. Darnell ignored the little voice telling him to hit the brakes, and his suggestive, erotic movements left no doubt about his aspirations. She was driving him to distraction by unabashedly responding and arching her back.

  Darnell picked Tiffany up with such ease one would think she weighed one pound. He then placed her across the tab
le. Yes, he told himself. He was going to take her right then and there.

  Desire held them captive.

  Tiffany could not believe what was happening. Turned on to the max, she situated herself invitingly to give Darnell full access to her body. Filled with impatience and overwhelming desire, Tiffany began to tug her sweater over her head.

  Stop, Darnell.

  He knew that voice. “I will,” Darnell whispered. He closed his eyes in a feeble attempt to rein in his emotions. But carnal desire weakened him, and Darnell feasted his eyes on the attractive display. He groaned at the sight of her. Just one kiss, Lord, Darnell thought.

  Judas did a lot with one kiss too. The warning became even more insistent.

  He had to get out of there. But first, Darnell determinedly blocked out the Spirit’s leading. He wanted Tiffany, and there was nothing stopping them.

  Both Tiffany and Darnell looked each other in the eyes, consenting. They were going to let this happen.

  Darnell could hardly contain his excitement. He looked at the anxious woman lying across the kitchen table and . . .

  Then the telephone rang.

  Tiffany and Darnell paused. Divine intervention. God had perfect timing, or in this case, a sense of humor.

  Tiffany made a lunge for the telephone. She had to answer it in case it was Karlie. “Hello?” As she listened to the person on the other end, Tiffany looked at Darnell and mouthed, “It is Pierce.”

  “I’ll be right there,” Tiffany assured him. “Wait for me, please. I do apologize, but something unexpectedly came up.”

  Darnell snorted. Boy, she is so right about that. He gathered his scattered senses and managed to cool the raging desire burning within. This was how Samson must have felt, Darnell thought, because he found Tiffany intoxicating. She was his Delilah, and he had just met her. Well, he amended, he had just met her again. For Darnell had already known her intimately, but that was ages ago, and today Darnell had been completely bowled over.

  The Holy Spirit was now bringing back several scriptures to his mind that made Darnell wince at his rash behavior. Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

  At the end of her telephone conversation, Tiffany quickly filled him in that she had had a lunch date with Pierce at the Cheesecake Factory. One that she’d missed because she’d been distracted by other things.

  Seeing Tiffany dash about to get ready to meet up with Pierce, Darnell quickly made his excuses and left. Another verse about resisting temptation was whipping at him. Darnell knew he had to obey right now. God was not going to have it any other way. “It was just a kiss,” Darnell said aloud, rationalized his behavior, once he was outside. “Nothing else happened, Lord. You stopped it just in time. One day I suppose I will thank you.”

  Darnell dragged his feet, but he did depart. Truthfully, Darnell did not feel triumphant. Instead, he felt an acute disappointment, especially after seeing Tiffany standing at the screen door, her body a siren calling out to him.

  Chapter Twenty

  Jamaal walked in the house with Karlie.

  “Mom? I’m home,” Karlie called out. “Are you here?” She walked into the kitchen and saw a note taped on the refrigerator that stated she’d be back soon.

  “Should I go?” Jamaal asked.

  “No, it’s okay. You can stay. My mom will be back soon. Her note said that she’s running errands.” Karlie walked over to the door where he stood and gestured for him to follow her into the den.

  The two teenagers sat next to each other on the love seat.

  Karlie snuck a look at Jamaal. Underneath the gruff exterior, he was really a sweetheart. Karlie liked him a lot and wanted to meet his parents, but when she had asked him about it once before, Jamaal had changed the subject. Karlie wanted to know why. No time like the present, she figured.

  “Jamaal, when am I going to meet your parents?” Karlie asked.

  “Huh?”

  Karlie rolled her eyes because Jamaal went conveniently deaf. “Jamaal,” Karlie said, “why don’t you ever want to talk about your parents?”

  “Because,” Jamaal said simply. Karlie could see his obvious agitation as he squirmed and shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “I just do not want to talk about them right now. It’s like me asking you questions about your mother dying.”

  Karlie bit her lip and measured her words carefully. “Jamaal, I know I just met you, but you can ask me anything you want about my mother.”

  “Really?” Jamaal’s eyebrows rose.

  “Yeah.” Karlie bobbed her head with certainty. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. I’m not gonna hide my feelings from you. That’s what couples do. Share their feelings.”

  “Well, maybe one day we can both talk about our parents and how we feel,” Jamaal suggested. “Just not today.”

  Karlie let the matter drop.

  “Let’s go to the movies.”

  “I have homework to do,” Karlie whined. She got up to get her backpack and took out her math book and worksheet. Her face fell as she eyed the math problems. Math was rocket science to her.

  “Let me take a look,” Jamaal demanded.

  Karlie walked over to sit next to him on the couch before handing him the paper.

  Unconcerned, Jamaal waved his hands at what he perceived as simple math. “I will finish it for you.”

  “Well . . .” Karlie replied, hedging. The idea of going out with Jamaal was tempting. It would be their first date. “I have to ask my mom.”

  “Well, ask her,” Jamaal said, leaning back into the couch.

  Karlie’s eyes zeroed in on his frame appreciatively. He was rocking a serious body already. Imagine when he became a man. Jamaal was going to be one big ball of hotness one day. “I don’t know what Mom’s going to say.” Her mother was cool, but there was no way she’d go for Karlie going out on a school night—and with a boy. “And I’m kind of scared leaving her alone at night. Anything can happen.”

  Jamaal nodded with understanding. “Well, I guess I don’t mind hanging here with you. We can watch TV or something.” He studied her profile from under his long lashes. He could not imagine what it was like having a celebrity for a mother. Actually, he did not even know what it was like to have a real mother. Tiffany seemed to be a good mother to Karlie. Jamaal wished he had that. He wished he knew what it felt like to have somebody who cared.

  Jamaal looked at Karlie. He appreciated that she cared about him. She was always on him to go to class, and she even thought he was smart. Jamaal felt good being with her. His heart moved. “Karlie, I want to tell you something.”

  Karlie turned to face Jamaal, giving him her complete attention. Jamaal took her hands. They felt clammy. Karlie knew Jamaal was nervous, and she, in turn, became nervous.

  “I love you,” Jamaal whispered.

  “You love me?” Karlie clearly had not expected that confession.

  “Yes.”

  “Isn’t it kind of sudden?” Her heart accelerated into overdrive. Karlie asked the question because she had seen enough movies to know what usually followed the “I love you” declaration. Frankly, she did not know if she was ready for it.

  “No. Not to me. You are the first person I have met who truly seems to care about me, and I love you for that.”

  “Jamaal, are you saying this because you feel sorry for me, you know, since my mother is dying and all that?” Karlie desperately needed to know. She knew how she felt about Jamaal, but she did not want him to love her because he pitied her. That would be too awful.

  Jamaal vehemently shook his head with denial. “Karlie, I know we’ve only known each other a few weeks, and we are very young, but I do love you. Do you think you could feel the same for me one day?”

  “Yes, I do,” Karlie declared, cupping his face with her hands. “I love being with you. You are thoughtful and kind and sweet.”

  “Sweet?” Jamaal laughed. “Please do not let anyone at school hear you say that. It would definitely ruin my reputation.”
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  They smiled at each other. The air began to rise between them. Karlie did not recognize it. Jamaal did. He wanted to kiss Karlie really badly, but he did not want to scare her off.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Karlie asked.

  “Because—”

  “Because what?”

  “I . . .” Jamaal hesitated, then gulped. “I want to kiss you.”

  Karlie blushed nervously at his confession. She felt her palms begin to sweat. Her heart started pounding in her chest.

  Using his hands, Jamaal held Karlie’s head and tilted it toward him. He leaned his body into hers. Karlie retreated, but Jamaal was not dissuaded by her subtle intimation. He moved even closer to her.

  “What’re you doing?” Karlie whispered.

  “I am going to kiss you,” Jamaal whispered back.

  Slowly and cautiously, Jamaal placed his lips on hers. He closed his eyes and tentatively tasted her lips, mouth closed. Karlie kept her eyes wide open. She did not know what to do. They heard the lock click and guiltily pulled apart. Her mother was home.

  Jamaal was irritated.

  Karlie was elated. She was glad for the interruption because she felt mortified at her apparent lack of skill. Karlie avoided Jamaal’s eyes and moved away from him as her mother entered the room.

  “Hi, guys,” Tiffany cheerily greeted the teens, unaware of what she had just interrupted.

  Karlie noticed her mother had a couple of plastic bags in her hands, and jumped up. “Mom, let me help you.”

  “No, I got it,” Tiffany stated and gestured to Karlie to sit back down. “I just ran to the supermarket to get some fruit and snacks.” She nodded in Jamaal’s direction. “Hey, Jamaal.”

  “Hi,” Jamaal said. He was still tongue-tied, but at least he spoke loud enough for her to hear him.

  Tiffany left the two teenagers to themselves. She wondered if Jamaal knew any other words besides hi and bye. That was all he ever said to her. Karlie swore that he was smart and capable of engaging in conversation. She had yet to see proof of that.

  As soon as she left, Jamaal looked at Karlie. He wanted to talk about what just happened, but Karlie determinedly avoided his eyes and stood up. “I think you’d better go.”