Page 17 of The Perfect Kiss
When Reyna was fully sated, I lifted my head and positioned my body over hers. After giving her a passionate kiss, I rolled off of her, taking the covers with me. “Come on, sleeping beauty. Breakfast will be ready in thirty minutes.”
“Five more minutes. Please.”
Instead of giving her what she wanted, I took hold of her hands, lifted her off the bed, and slung her playfully over my shoulder. “No can do, princess. I have plans.”
“Ugh,” she grumbled. “You’re not very nice, Mr. Cross.”
“Hey, you better take that back. Did I not just give you the best orgasm ever?”
∞
By the time we made it downstairs, Nick had set the table for two and filled two glasses of orange juice. Nick was busy plating our breakfast; whatever he had prepared, the aroma surrounding the kitchen was mouthwatering. Reyna and I took a seat at the table and waited for Nick to bring us our breakfast.
“Breakfast is served,” Nick said, holding two plates, one in each hand. “I hope you guys like quiche.”
Nick set the plates of quiche with two strips of bacon on each one in front of us. Not only did it smell amazing, but the presentation was also outstanding. Garnished with precisely cut strawberries fanned out to look like flowers with a single orange slice twisted between them, it was indeed a work of art. I wondered if he learned it culinary school or if he was just that artistic. Watching Reyna take the first bite, the look on her face was priceless. Just like earlier, she looked like she just reached the point of ecstasy. I should have been jealous that Nick gave her that kind of euphoria, but how could I? His cooking was out of this world.
I shook my head at the perverted thought and dug into the quiche. Nick had outdone himself. The dish was fantastic. No wonder Reyna looked the way she did. Before we left for Atlanta, Nick would not only get an excellent recommendation, but something extra with his fee.
When we could no longer eat another bite, Reyna and I pushed from the table and headed to the living room to relax. The morning was much cooler than yesterday, with rain in the forecast. The weather was supposed to clear up by the afternoon, but I didn’t have any problem relaxing with Reyna while enjoying each other until then. I planned to take her to Grant Park. I had a lifetime to show Reyna everything Chicago had to offer, but for some reason, I had to show her where I spent my childhood. Although Atlanta was a great city, Chicago offered so much more, at least in my opinion.
“When is the rain supposed to end?” Reyna asked as we stretched out on the leather couch. “I really would like to see more of Chicago before we leave.”
I pulled my phone from the front pocket of my jeans and brought up the weather app. I held it up so we could both see the screen. Tapping the screen to show the hour-by-hour forecast, I scrolled up until it showed nothing but sunshine. “It looks like around noon,” I reassured her as I pointed to my screen.
As we continued looking at the screen, a call from Patton came in. The only reason he would be calling was that he had news for me. Swiping the screen, I only said, “Hello.” I wasn’t ready to let Reyna know that Crosby McCall wasn’t in police custody.
“Hey, Davian. I know you wanted to be informed about any updates on Crosby, no matter what.” Patton was right. I had a hard time concentrating on anything else, knowing McCall was still free.
“What do you have for me?”
“We did as you asked and went to Crosby’s cabin. You were right about searching it. I hope you’re sitting down.” Aware that Patton was going to tell me something that was going to blow my mind. I moved away from Reyna and stood.
“What’s going on, Davian?” Reyna placed her hand on my arm and quickly stood from the couch.
Until I knew for sure what was going on, I wanted to keep what I learned from her. “I’m not sure, but I’m going to find out.”
When I walked out of the living room, I was glad that Reyna didn’t follow me. The last thing I wanted was for her to overhear my conversation with Patton before I had a chance to tell her about Crosby.
I didn’t continue the conversation with Patton until I was far enough from Reyna. “What did you find, Patton?”
“For one, we might have found out where they took Reyna’s mom. We also think that Crosby may have gone there. All this time, we thought Crosby would try to get to Delilah and use her to get his diamonds. You know the phrase keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
“Yeah,” I replied, still wondering where Patton was going with this conversation.
“I think Delilah isn’t as innocent as we think. We found documentation of a business deal, and her name is all over the paperwork. It might just be she’s the mastermind of this whole thing.”
~14~
Delilah
How could I ever forgive a man who had taken everything from me? First Gwen, and now Reyna. Crosby would pay for everything he had done. I thought I knew the man I married thirty years ago. Back then, we both wanted the same thing—a family. We were to have a perfect life until I found out I couldn’t bear children. The news devastated us both and almost tore us apart. But our love was strong, and we got through it together. I would never forget the day that Crosby told me that one of his business associates was the head of an adoption agency. Knowing how much we wanted a child, he advised Crosby that a little girl was available for adoption. She was only three, not a newborn, but a child nonetheless.
The day we brought her home was the best day ever. I swore that I would do everything to be the best mom ever. She would never want for anything. Gwendoline Marie McCall was our daughter. For twenty years, we raised Gwen to be a beautiful, smart woman. Having Gwen in our lives for twenty years wasn’t near long enough.
When I learned that some heartless bastard took her from us, my whole world ended. I wanted to crawl into a corner and die. Crosby had no idea what I went through, and to think that he had something to do with it was unthinkable. Maybe bringing Reyna into our lives was his way of making up for what he did. No, not Crosby. He had an ulterior motive. It wasn’t to help fill the void I had in losing Gwen. It was to do the same thing all over again. Crosby McCall was heartless and just as ruthless as his brother Rui Salko.
He would pay dearly for what he had done. Pulling my cell from a hidden compartment inside my purse, I flipped it open, remembering the day Crosby had given it to me. At first, I thought he was overprotective. But after the night Gwen died, he didn’t want to take a chance that the same thing would happen to me. Laughing in disgust, I said to no one but myself. “Who would have thought that a backup cell would become my greatest asset? Hopefully, Davian will forgive me for what I’m about to do.”
