Marrying the Millionaire (24 page)

“
Now your grandmother,
Priscilla. I never got the chance to meet her. But from what the
folks around here say, she was just as pretty as you. They said she
had the kind of figure that made men stop in their tracks and
drool.” Leslie’s eyes rolled over Kayla’s body. “I guess you got
your figure from your grandmother, and that’s why my son is so
taken by you. Other than his deceased wife, he’s never brought a
woman here to visit.”

“
He probably wouldn’t have
brought me either if you hadn’t invited me.” Kayla shrugged matter
of factly.

Leslie wrung out the washcloth, draped
it over the nozzle of the faucet, then took a step forward.
Glancing around the kitchen, ensuring the coast was clear, she
whispered, “I knew my son was interested in you before I even met
you.”

Kayla’s insides clapped with joy.
“Really?”

Leslie continued whispering. “Yes. I
saw it on his face yesterday while at that child’s birthday party
at the stables.” She patted Kayla’s shoulder. “I don’t know what
you’re doing to him, but by all means, please keep doing it. He
hasn’t looked that good since Salina died.”

Kayla’s heart sang with delight. “I’ll
try my hardest to make him happy.”

“
He can be a bit stubborn
at times. So sometimes you—”

“
What are you two in here
whispering about?” Richmond emerged inside the kitchen with a big
smile on his handsome face.

Leslie twirled her wrist in the air.
“Oh, nothing. Just having girl talk, that’s all.”

“
Mom, I need to run to the
outlet mall real quick. Do you mind watching Isabelle for me for a
little while?”

Kayla offered, “I’ll watch her for
you. She can go home with me if you want her to.”

Richmond replied, “Well, I was going
to ask you and CJ to come with me. I need to pick her up a present
for her upcoming birthday, and I don’t want her to see
it.”

Leslie came up with a wonderful idea.
“How about this…I’ll keep both her and CJ while the two of you go
out and have yourselves a good time. It’s such a pretty day out,
I’m sure you can find something to do after you leave the
mall.”

Kayla had to think hard about Leslie’s
kind offer. “Are you sure you don’t mind watching CJ? He can be a
handful sometimes.”

Leslie cocked her head. “Raising three
boys all at once, I’m sure CJ won’t be any trouble for me. I’m used
to it.”

Kayla was glad to hear her say she’d
have no problem watching CJ. “Thank you so much, Leslie. For
everything.”

Leslie nodded. “You’re quite welcome.
And thank you for coming to dinner.”

“
It was my pleasure.”
Depending on how things worked out between her and Richmond,
hopefully this wouldn’t be her last time coming to eat dinner with
Leslie and her nice and very entertaining family.

Kayla and Richmond said goodbye to
everyone, then headed for the Tanger Outlet Mall on Highway 278.
Approximately twenty minutes away from his mother’s house, they’d
gotten there before she knew it. Looking revitalized from the very
first time she’d showed up on his doorstep, he pulled into the
parking lot of the mall and parked.

Wanting to broach the question about
them dating, Kayla twisted her hands in her lap. She didn’t want to
seem too pushy or anything, but now that he’d told his family they
were dating, she wanted to know if he was kidding or if he’d meant
it. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, so of course he
had to be teasing them. Of course, he’d only said it because he’d
been put on the spot.

Removing the key from the ignition,
Richmond shifted in his seat to look at her. “I hope I didn’t
offend you earlier.”

She felt elated about the possibility
that he may have been serious. “Offend me how?”

“
When I up and told my
family you and I were dating. I love saying things to get them
hyped.” He chortled.

Saying something he didn’t mean wasn’t
at all funny to Kayla. So the only reason he’d said they were
dating was to get his family and friends excited? Playing with her
emotions, who in the hell did he think he was? Frowning, she
crumpled her nose. “To be honest, Richmond, I am
offended.”

Bewilderment settled on his face.
“Huh?”

Unnerved by his teasing, her heart
grappled in her chest. “You shouldn’t have said we were dating if
you didn’t mean it.”

“
Look, Kay.” Kay? When had
he started calling her Kay? Kay sounded so sweet coming from his
mouth. Like it had a special meaning. Richmond continued. “If
there’s one thing I want you to know about me, it’s this—I don’t
lie.” Truth rounded his eyes as he hooked his gaze on hers.
“Forgive me if I overstepped my boundaries when I said we were
dating. But because I don’t have a habit of running around and
sleeping with different women, I have no clue how to define what
we’re doing. Do I like you? Yes. Do I want a serious relationship
with you? I don’t know. Only time will tell. I do know that I enjoy
spending time with you. Making love to you. And kissing you until
your lips swell. Let’s just take it one day at a time and enjoy
each other in the process.”

She was both excited and aggravated by
what he’d just said. “So this is just sex, then?”

“
No. It’s not just sex.”
His eyes were full of half-promises.

“
Then what is
it?”

Richmond’s sigh sounded like one of
obstruction. “I already told you, I don’t know. Why does what we
share need a title?”

“
It doesn’t,” Kayla huffed.
Frustrated, she pushed open the door to the SUV, clambered down,
and started walking ahead of him toward the mall. Disappointment
turned over and over inside her as she crossed the parking
lot.
If we’re not dating, then why am I
sleeping with him? I’m so stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“
Kay! Wait up!” Jogging, he
fell in stride beside her. He clutched her shoulders, stopping her
fast-paced walk.

“
Don’t call me
that.”

“
What?”

She jutted her chin. “Kay.”

“
Kay.”

Folding her arms beneath her breasts,
she stomped her foot. “I’m serious, Richmond. Don’t call me
Kay.”

“
Why not?” His eyes clung
to hers, analyzing her reaction.

“
Because it sounds so sweet
and sensual. Like it has deep meaning. Like you care about
me.”

His eyes darting back and forth, he
grasped her shoulders. “I do care about you, Kay. Look, I’m sorry
if I hurt your feelings or upset you. If you really need to give
our relationship a title, that’s fine. My main concern is that
you’re happy. Okay?”

Whatever. I’m not begging a
man to call me his girlfriend. Unh-uh.
“How about this name for a title? Friend.”

His left brow rose. “Friend. Why, Kay,
I think I like it.”

Uuugh!
Friends didn’t make love the way they had. “Me, too,” she
outright lied.

SEEING KAYLA SO UPSET ABOUT the whole
dating thing bothered Richmond. Had he known telling his family
they were dating would’ve bothered her this bad, he would’ve never
teased them the way he had.

Kayla’s expression looked sad as they
entered the jewelry store, causing his heart to clench. Browsing
over the beautiful jewelry sparkling inside the glass case, they
parted and went their separate ways. She went to look at the
watches while he perused the tiny sterling bracelets for
Isabelle.

“
May I help you?” the sales
clerk asked as she came to a stop in front of him on the other side
of the counter.

Richmond lifted his gaze to look at
the dark-haired sales lady. “I’m just looking. Thank
you.”

“
Are you looking for
anything special?”

“
Yes, I’m looking for a
birthday present for my daughter.”

“
How nice. How old is
she?”

“
Four.”

“
Four. We have a very
limited selection of jewelry for girls her age. Everything we have
is right in this case.” She pulled out a tiny silver bracelet and
placed it on a silk rag on the counter.

Richmond hefted the bracelet to the
light in the ceiling. The tiny jewelry sparkled.

Kayla came to stand beside Richmond as
he looked closely at the present he was considering purchasing for
Isabelle. Tilting her head, Kayla said, “Although the bracelet’s
really nice, I think she’ll like a baby doll better.”

He lowered the bracelet to his side.
“She already has a bunch of dolls.”

“
Does she have a custom
made doll that looks like her? Or has a name she likes?”

Placing the bracelet back on the
cloth, he didn’t think so. “You really think she’ll like a doll
better?”

“
Yes.” Kayla’s lips eased
into an endearing smile. Warmth infused his chest. Happy to see her
happy, he wanted to reach out and touch her soft lips with his.
Wanted to wrap his arms about her shoulders, draw her to him, and
say he was sorry for upsetting her over and over again until she
forgot it’d ever happened.

“
I’ll get her the doll and
the bracelet.” He handed the lady the bracelet back and pulled his
wallet from his front jean pocket.

Kayla put her soft palm on his
shoulder. “I think that’s a good idea. Why don’t you get the
bracelet engraved?”

Another great idea she’d come up with.
“What should I put on it?”

“
Put how you feel,” she
suggested.

When it came to buying gifts for his
precious Isabelle, he was still learning in that department. Salina
had always taken care of the birthday parties, Christmas presents,
Halloween costumes, and parties. Put how he feel? Oh, now that was
easy.

A smile appeared on his face as he
looked at the sales clerk. “Write ‘Daddy’s Number One
Angel’.”

“
Oh, she’s going to love
that,” Kayla appraised him.

“
How do you want to pay,
Sir?” the clerk queried.

“
Cash,” he
confirmed.

“
But it’s eight hundred
dollars,” the clerk acknowledged in a shocking tone.

Richmond chuckled. “I
know.”

“
Oh. It’s going to take
about thirty minutes for me to do the engraving.”

“
While it’s getting
engraved, we’ll go do some shopping and come back later.” Towering
over Kayla, he grabbed her hand and pushed open the door leading to
the outdoors, exposing the beautiful Sunday afternoon. “Do you
think I did okay with her present?”

Her face looked softer than it had
when they’d first arrived. “You did better than okay. You did
wonderful. She’s going to love it.”

“
I hope so.”

“
Isabelle loves you so
much, Richmond. She’d be fine with whatever you got her. Something
as simple as a hug would make her happy.”

“
Will you help me plan her
birthday party?”

Shock spread like a blanket over her
caramel-complexioned face. “I’d love to.”

After they left the jewelry store,
Richmond offered Kayla some dessert, and she’d graciously accepted.
They stopped inside Kilwins ice cream eatery. While there, Kayla
got two scoops of New Orleans praline pecan. Not much of a big ice
cream or sweets eater, Richmond settled on a scoop of plain French
Vanilla.

Moments later, they sat on the bench
near the bookstore, indulging in their desserts, having great
conversation, and watching people from various walks of life walk
by. Kayla held her cup of ice cream up to Richmond’s face. “Would
you like to taste mine?” The sun slipping through the leaves of the
trees to their left shined down on her face, making her eyes
sparkle.

“
Sure.”

Kayla scooped up the ice cream from
her cup on her spoon and fed it to him. “Mmm. That’s really
good.”

“
It’s my
favorite.”

“
Want to taste
mine?”

She nodded. Richmond put a small scoop
of ice cream on his spoon to her succulent, glossy pink lips and
fed her. “Mmm. It’s so smooth and creamy,” she said,
swallowing.