Unforgettable, page 6
All he would say was, “I just don’t like it.”
“When I was in school, I used to hate having to take swimming, but I got through it. You can too. If you’re having trouble in one of your classes, I’ll help you study.”
“Why do you care? You don’t know me.”
“I like you, Kyle. You remind me of my second older brother. Devin hated junior high school. My dad had to threaten him to get him to go. We found out later that he was having a problem with some of the guys in his class. He knew my parents would really get on him if he got in a fight.”
“So what happened?”
“My parents went to school with him and got it straightened out.”
“It ain’t that easy. I don’t have parents to take up for me. I’m on my own.”
“You have Gavin,” she gently reminded him.
“For how long? Until he gets tired of me? Or the old man shows?” Kyle threw back the covers. Clad in a tee-shirt and pajama bottoms, he scrambled down and padded barefoot into the connecting bath. Just before slamming the door, he snapped, “I got nobody.”
“That’s not true,” Anna yelled back, but she doubted he heard over the flush of the toilet. When she heard him turn on the shower, she left the room.
Some fifteen minutes later, Kyle, dressed in his customary baggy jeans and sweatshirt, headed for her car. His lunch was in his backpack, and he was munching on a scrambled egg and bacon-filled croissant.
When they stopped in front of his school, Anna placed her hand on his arm. “Have you thought you could be wrong about your brother?”
“I’m not wrong. The only difference between him and the others is money. He buys me clothes and stuff, but he can’t wait to find our father so I’ll be off his hands.” Kyle hurried out of the car, slamming the door behind him.
Anna waited until he was inside the building. Kyle hadn’t glanced at the other kids or spoken to even one of them. She began to wonder if the boy had made any friends at all.
Kyle was still angry with her when she picked him up after school and spoke only when asked a direct question. When she inquired about his day, he mumbled a vague reply intended to get her off his back. Yet she had the added assurance of knowing his stomach wasn’t upset. He had eaten his breakfast, and both his afterschool snack and his dinner. He refused her offer of help with his homework. After cleaning up the kitchen, he went straight to his room and stayed there.
Anna worked for a while on the computer, transcribing some of her notes about her ancestors. Tired, she stretched and went upstairs. She stopped at Kyle’s room to ask if he wanted to watch Gavin’s game with her on the large screen television in the media room. He refused.
She went into the guest room and took a hot, fragrant bubble bath. After smoothing lavender-scented lotion on her skin, she changed into peach silk pajamas and a matching silk robe. Then she went down to watch the game.
It was late when Gavin let himself into the dark, quiet house. He was beat, and his body felt as if it had been used for a punching bag. All for nothing. They had lost the game. Everyone was in a foul mood. On top of that, Ronald Grayson, one of their best running backs, had broken a leg. No one put up a protest when the coach decided to return to Detroit that same night.
It was a lousy game. Every time he caught the ball, he got nailed. Wesley had played as bad as he had. The final score was a joke.
His footsteps were absorbed by the thick carpeting as he stopped to look in on Kyle. His brother was asleep. Gavin switched off the television and lamp. Closing the door behind him, he noted that there was no light under Anna’s door, so he went on to his own room at the end of the hall.
After dropping his bag on the carpet, tossing his jacket onto a chair, and kicking off his shoes and socks, he headed on bare feet back down to the kitchen.
He cut himself a big piece of chocolate cake and poured a tall glass of cold milk. He sat at the breakfast counter to enjoy the late night treat. One thing was for sure, he’d have to run a few extra miles on the track and put in some extra laps in the pool to get rid of the empty calories.
Gavin hadn’t eaten this well since he left home for college. Home cooking every day was bound to spoil any man. Chuckling to himself, he rinsed out his few dishes and put them in the dishwasher. If he’d had a lick of sense, he would have hired Anna to cook more than one meal years ago. Regular meals weren’t the only thing that had changed in the few weeks she’d been in his employ. For some indefinable reason, Anna’s presence had made this huge house feel like a home.
He enjoyed sharing a portion of his day with her. Even Kyle seemed to be settling into the new routine, although the boy was far from happy. One thing was for sure, Gavin’s progress toward shattering the kid’s defenses wasn’t enough to spit at. That kid had more walls around him, all designed to keep everyone out.
Deep in thought, Gavin walked barefoot into the softly lit media room. The volume of the television set was on low and Anna was curled up on her side, asleep on the oversize dark green leather sofa. Silently he crossed to the matching leather recliner, then sighed as he stretched out with his feet propped up. Grabbing the remote, he switched to an all-news cable channel. Despite the problems in the world, his assessing gaze wasn’t on the screen.
Anna looked tired, making him wonder if Kyle had given her a hard time. Her incredibly long legs were tucked close to sweetly rounded hips.
There was no doubt, at least in his mind, that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman. She had the softest creamy brown skin that glowed with good health, and her black, tightly curled locks hung past her shoulders. She usually wore her hair up in a ponytail or pinned on top of her head, but tonight it was spread over the armrest and several locks rested on her generous breasts. His pulse quickened.
He had no idea why it bothered him that she had begun using makeup to emphasize her dark beauty. Her dark gray eyes were lovely. Her lips were full, naturally tinted pink, and looked as sweet and succulent as ripe strawberries. He couldn’t pull his gaze away as she moistened those lips with the tip of her tongue. He frowned at the unexpected way his body reacted to the innocent action. He’d been doing that a lot lately, noticing and reacting to her femininity.
She looked so pretty in those silk pajamas, but the robe was open and hid nothing. His breath quickened even more as he watched the top two buttons come undone as she shifted onto her back, affording him a delectable view of her long, graceful neck down to the swells of full breasts. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering if she was as smooth and creamy brown all over.
5
Gavin tried to make himself stop, but his hungry gaze lingered on those plump curves, then on her nipples, beading against the soft fabric. He shifted in his seat as his shaft hardened and lengthened. Her nipples were large, elongated. He not only wondered how she tasted, but he wanted to know the exact hue of those taut peaks.
He was forced to swallow a deep, throaty groan as his penis throbbed, ready to discover all her sweet secrets. His nostrils filled with her enticing scent. A man would have to be stone-cold and six feet under not to be aware of her feminine attributes.
For the past few years she’d been in and out of men’s homes five days a week, delivering meals. On more than one occasion she’d refused to discuss her love life, which only caused him to wrack his brain speculating on which one of his teammates was the lucky dog. He hated the thought. She was too good for the lot of them. Yet there was no doubt that she was enough woman to fill a big man’s arms.
He moaned as he watched her squeeze her thighs together. What in the hell was she dreaming about? Making love?
He swore softly. What was wrong with him? Had he lost his mind? Anna wasn’t some groupie, following the team. This was Lester’s daughter and Wesley’s little sister he was drooling over. Both of them wouldn’t hesitate to come after him if he dared to so much as touch her.
Lester Prescott had always treated him like one of his sons since that first time Wesley brought him home for the Christmas holidays. Wesley was someone he trusted and depended on…something that was rare in his experience. They were the two men he loved and respected the most.
The only other man Gavin had ever been close to was his high school football coach, Randolph Williams. Coach Williams had taught him how to dream and convinced him he could some day play pro ball.
When Anna mumbled softly in her sleep, Gavin’s hot gaze settled on her parted lips. He swore beneath his breath. He couldn’t remember being this horny, even during his rookie year with a fat paycheck in his pocket and a gorgeous woman on each arm. Evidently Gavin had gone without a woman for too damn long. He’d grown so tired of easy women, women who were more interested in what he was worth than in learning what mattered to him.
No matter what Anna thought the night Natasha Baker had dropped by, Natasha was really only a friend. Natasha worked as a counselor at Kettering High School and had insisted on hand-delivering the names of students eligible for his foundation scholarship program.
Although the two of them had gone out a few times, even slept together once, he didn’t mean any more to her than she did to him. She, like most of the women he took out these days, had rarely been inside his home. Meaningless sex left him feeling empty inside, so much so that he’d gone without for nearly a year.
What had happened to all the real women? Someone a man could trust and genuinely care for? The kind of woman who would be there for her man, through the worst of it. Women like his mother, like Donna Prescott and Wesley’s wife, Kelli. A woman like Anna.
Gavin believed that if Anna ever fell in love, she would give that lucky guy her entire heart. Her man would know that she would be around for the long haul. He would know that even if he lost every dime he possessed, he wouldn’t also lose her.
“Hi,” Anna said as she stretched and quickly covered a yawn. “Excuse me. I guess I fell asleep. I didn’t hear you come in.” She slid up to a sitting position, closing her robe and tying the sash around her waist. “We weren’t expecting you until tomorrow.”
Gavin covered his lap with a sports magazine. “Hey. Believe me, we were ready to practically walk back to Detroit after that game.” Hoping the huskiness in his voice hadn’t given him away, he focused on the television screen. When he glanced her way again he asked, “Did you see it?”
Unexpectedly he realized just how much she had been in his thoughts. He’d missed her. That truth caused his stomach to knot with tension.
“Yes, I’m sorry you guys lost. Did you get hurt? You took a couple of hard hits.”
“Naw. Just a little sore.” He smiled, warmed by her concern. “We couldn’t get it going tonight,” he grumbled. “Devin did a hell of a job against us. His aim was incredible.”
“You get a chance to talk to him? How is he?”
“Just fine.” He grinned.
Anna smiled, “Wes seemed to be having a bad night too.”
“The understatement of the year. It’s tough playing against your little brother.” Then he teased, “Which team where you pulling for, Short Stuff?”
“Both of them.” She laughed. “Do I look stupid?”
Gavin chuckled, enjoying the sparkle in her pretty gray eyes. “How’s Kyle? Did he give you any trouble?”
“Physically, he’s fine. He pulled a fast one on me this morning.”
“Oh?”
“Oh yes. He told me he wasn’t going to school today. Said he was sick.”
“Was he?”
“I don’t think so. He claimed he had a stomachache. When I offered him a choice between castor oil or a visit to the doctor, he decided he was well enough to go to school after all.”
Gavin howled with laugher. “Some choice. Smart kid.”
Her smile was a bit smug. “Yeah, I thought it was a good one. But I did keep an eye on him to make sure he wasn’t really ill. The boy ate his breakfast and didn’t bring back so much as a crumb from lunch. I fixed all his favorites for dinner. I figured if he didn’t eat then he was really sick.”
“And?”
“He cleaned his plate.”
They grinned at each other.
Anna sent him a worried look. “Gavin, there’s a problem. I asked him if he was having difficulty in school, but he wouldn’t talk to me about it. I noticed on his way into the building this morning that he didn’t speak to even one of the kids.” She paused before she admitted, “I’m worried about him. I really don’t think he has any friends. Do you recall him talking about anyone he has met in school?”
“No. He never talks about school. He never says anything about his classes or his teachers.”
“That’s not good. He keeps too much inside.”
“Tell me something I don’t know. Like what to do about it,” he grumbled.
“I wish I knew. Even when he’s home he spends too much time in his room. I think he feels that he’s very much alone in the world.” Reluctantly she added, “He needs to know that someone cares about him.”
“You act like I’m not trying. Anna, I’ve tried everything I can think of to reach that kid. I’ve taken him skating, to the movies, tossed around the football, and shot hoops with him. Nothing. Hell, I even stopped in to talk to your dad the other morning at school, hoping to get some advice on how to reach the kid.”
Gavin pounded his fist on the arm of his chair. “Nothing works. Can’t get him to open up. Do you think I should try to get him some counseling?”
“That’s something to take into consideration if all else fails,” she whispered unhappily. “Maybe we’re expecting too much too soon. Perhaps he just needs more time.”
“Maybe.” His frustration was evident.
“Gavin, have you tried talking to him? Letting him know he has a place here with you?”
“He knows that.”
“Does he? I don’t think so. What he knows is that this situation is only temporary until you find your dad. Then you’re going to hand him over as soon as it can be arranged.”
“He’s supposed to be with our father. George is the one who should be raising Kyle, not me.”
“Will you listen to yourself?” She glared at him. “One thing is certain, as long as you have that attitude Kyle isn’t going to trust you.”
“Anna!”
“Don’t ‘Anna’ me, Gavin Mathis. Kyle has never had an adult in his life he can count on. His own mother didn’t want him. His father sure doesn’t. Tell me one reason why he should believe you’re different.”
“Because I’m trying to help him,” Gavin shot back in frustration. “I’m his brother. I care about him.”
“Then it’s time to start showing some of that caring,” she advised.
He just stared at her as if he could find the answer in her dark eyes. Finally he asked, “How do you know all those things?”
“I don’t know for sure. I just know how I would feel in his situation. I don’t believe that kid is ever going to open up to you if he thinks he’s nothing more than an obligation to you.”
“He’s my brother.”
“Is that supposed to matter?” She lifted a perfectly arched brow. “If you yell at me one more time, I’ll pop you a good one.”
“Sorry.” He rubbed an impatient hand over his unshaven jaw. His voice was filled with regret when he said, “It matters to me.”
“Then start showing Kyle that he matters to you,” Anna stretched her arms over her head. “It’s late. I’m going to bed.” After tucking her feet into satin slippers, she stood up.
Gavin wasn’t ready to say good night. He wanted answers, wanted to understand what made her so different from the women he dated. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous, like many of the women he had spent his time with in the past. Yet Anna was attractive and definitely sexy.
She was so much more than her shapely breasts and hips. What made her special was her big heart. She wasn’t afraid to extend kindness to others. There was no doubt that the man this woman chose to love would be one lucky man.
No. Her beauty had nothing to do with her dress size. It had everything to do with the caring woman he was only just getting to know.
None of his thoughts was evident on his face when he said, “Good night, Anna. And thanks.”
He didn’t consider going to bed. There was too much on his mind for him to fall asleep easily. She was right. He had to find a way to reach his brother. There was too much trouble a kid could get into, especially if he was vulnerable.
Kyle wasn’t the only one who suffered from being fathered by George Reynolds. Gavin knew what it was to be a boy longing for a caring father. It was more than missed fishing and camping trips. Gavin’s own resentment went far deeper than the bitterness he’d seen in his brother’s eyes. Kyle didn’t realize it yet, but he had something Gavin hadn’t had at fourteen. He had an older brother who cared.
George had no idea what it meant to be a man. He wore a pair of trousers but he certainly didn’t know how to fill them. For him fatherhood involved leaving his sperm behind. George was nothing more than a sad, middle-aged boy. Hell, Gavin would have been shocked if the man had ever spent as much as a quarter on diapers or clothes, or even put one crumb of food in his or Kyle’s mouth. In short, George was everything Gavin didn’t want for himself or his brother.
Evidently it was his turn to make the difference in Kyle’s life. How was he supposed to reach his brother? Anna was right. He had concentrated all his efforts on finding their father—not on reassuring his brother that he had a home there with Gavin for as long as he needed it. It was painful but true that Kyle didn’t trust him any more than he trusted their father. Gavin couldn’t even blame the boy. He had to begin putting his own frustration with this situation aside to help his young brother. Kyle’s needs had to be a priority if he wanted to gain the boy’s trust.
“Where are we going? Why aren’t we going back to your place?” Kyle questioned his brother on Friday afternoon as he studied the passing scenery.
Gavin took his eyes off the road for a moment. “I thought you’d like to see your school’s football game.”
