Her Man: An Interracial Romance (The Bentini Brothers Book 2) by Jaye McCloud Page A

“Why would you mention picking out baby
names…for real babies…our potential babies?”
         “Why wouldn’t I want to talk about babies…our
potential babies?”  Getting up off his lap, I head to my bedroom.  “Tiressa,
what…where are you going?”
         “It’s been a long day, I’m going to bed.”
         “Just like that?  We aren’t going to finish
our discussion?” Antonio asks as he follows me into the bedroom.
         “No. I don’t want to argue with you—”
         “Tiressa, we’re not going to argue.  What’s
there to argue about?” 
         “Okay, Baby, we’ll see.”  He responds with
absolute confidence.
         “I’m serious Antonio.”
         “I know you are Baby.  Do you want to shower
with me?”
         Shooting him a perturbed look, I reject his
offer.  “No. I’m not ready for that either.”
         “In that case, I’ll give you your privacy and
take a shower in the other bathroom.  I’m taking it for granted that I don’t
have to ask permission to stay the night with you?”  He states with a raised
eyebrow.  Looking at him steadily, I respond with a somewhat uncertain
expression.  “No, you don’t…at least not tonight.”
         Antonio is out of the shower and in bed sitting
up against the headboard by the time I emerge from the bathroom, dressed in one
of my newest sleeveless shirt-nightgowns with a long slit up both sides.  I’m a
bundle of nerves as I walk across the room to the other side of the bed, feeling
Antonio’s hot eyes on me.
         “Tiressa.”  Stopping short, I turn towards
Antonio as he gets out of bed wearing only his boxer briefs.  He has no
business being so good-looking!    “Yes?”    
         Bringing my body up against his, he growls in
a husky timbre, “You’re so beautiful”, weaving his fingers through my unbound
hair.  “I desperately want to make love to you.  But I also want to show you
that I can be here for you without pushing for sex.”  After tasting my lips
briefly, Antonio steps back.  “Come on Baby, let’s go to bed.  I want to hold
you.”  I will never stop being surprised and secretly pleased by how much this
big tough man loves to kiss and cuddle.  
    ~~~~
         “Antonio what’s that?”  I whisper groggily,
having suddenly been awoken from a sound sleep by an unfamiliar noise.  “Nothing
Baby, go back to sleep.”  Antonio says sleepily as he tightens his arms around
me.  Suddenly I remember.  “My babies are crying!” I exclaim as I throw the
covers back and scramble out of the bed.  “Tiressa.  They’ll quiet down on
their own.”  But of course, I’m not hearing any of that as I rush out to
the dark living room to rescue my babies. 
         After giving the pups a light snack and a
small saucer of milk, I bring them back to the bedroom and place them on the
bed.  As soon as Antonio hears the pups, he puts his foot down, “No, Ti.”
         “Please Antonio, they’re scared to be alone.”
         “No, Tiressa.  Besides, they’re not alone,
they have each other.”
         “Antonio—”
         “I’m not sleeping in a bed with dogs Ti.” 
He’s being unreasonable and unyielding.  “Tony.  I won’t be able to sleep with
them crying.”
         “Baby, you don’t want to get them used to
sleeping in the bed with you…with us.”
         “But they’re babies…and this is probably their
first night without their mother.  We can’t just let them be all alone.”  My
eyes are getting misty.  Rolling his eyes at my illogical thinking, Antonio
gets out of bed and goes into the living room.  I sit on the edge of the bed
holding one of the pups while the other wanders nearby.  But only for a couple
of seconds.  I set the pups on the floor.  I can’t have Antonio thinking I put
the pups before him.  Just as I get up to go apologize to Antonio, he reappears
carrying the