A Christmas Kiss: BWWM Interracial Romance (Holiday Happiness Book 1) Read online

  A bevy of expressions flitted across her face. Sympathy? Fear? Doubt? Anger? Embarrassment? He wasn’t sure. “Mr. Davenport. How nice to meet you again.” Her voice was as smooth and cultured as he remembered, and she had the same serene expression that she wore while he’d drowned in the depths of his misery.

  He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips. “You don’t mean it.”

  “I…I certainly do,” she sputtered, seemingly taken aback by his blunt reply.

  Cole enjoyed the confusion that spiraled in her eyes. She probably thought he was still half deranged. Perhaps he really was. But this was an interesting opportunity to prove otherwise.

  “Oh no, you don’t. Not after the way I treated you. I’m really, really sorry by the way. I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was just…” As she began to walk, he fell into step beside her. “I’m not sure what it was. A fit of insanity, perhaps? Whatever it was, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”

  “It’s all right.” She entered a fashion boutique, looked around while he shadowed her, and exited. “It’s fine, really.”

  Cole squirmed as he recalled his despicable behavior. She hadn’t deserved to be at the receiving end of his ire. “No, it’s not. You were merely the messenger, and I took my anger out on you. It was uncalled for and unacceptable on many levels, and there is absolutely no way that I can make up for my reprehensible behavior. It’s been a long time, but better late than never, right?” He joked. “At least, that’s what my mom says.”

  “Yeah.” Her eyes darted every which way but at him.

  She was just as beautiful as he remembered. In fact, his clearest memory of that day was the panicked look in her eyes just before he drew her in for a kiss, the sweet scent that clung to her, the way her lips felt under his, and the stunned expression on her face when he stepped away and strode out.

  He’d never forgotten her. And although there was no way he could ever make up for his uncouth and rash behavior, at least he had the opportunity to apologize now. Many times in the past months, Cole thought about visiting her office and talking to her, but his nerve fled him each time he decided to do so. It was difficult to put his feelings into words. But now she was right here, and there couldn’t be a better time.

  She stopped in front of another store. “Mr. Davenport. It’s been a long time. I’d forgotten about that unfortunate incident, and I suggest that you do the same.” There was a note of exasperation in her voice. “You went through a rough time.”

  “That it was.” Cole winced as the memory hit him. His ex-fiancée really did a number on him. But he was glad that he was past all that pain and hurt. “Being dumped at the altar was not at all a pleasant experience.”

  Her dark hair rippled as she nodded. “Yes, I can totally understand that. So you don’t need to apologize anymore. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I still have some shopping to complete.”

  He could read the frustration in her eyes and the causal dismissal. She didn’t want to talk to him anymore. “Sure, I understand. Please go ahead.”

  When she entered the shop, he counted his own packages. He’d finished everything he set out to accomplish. And since he was done for the day, Cole took a few moments to enjoy the frantic activity as people hustled from one store to another, ticking off the items on their lists.

  When Lexi came out of the shop, he was still at the same spot. She saw him, sighed, and walked over. “Mr. Davenport? What are you doing here?”

  He smiled. “Waiting for you. Are you finished?”

  “Yes, actually, I am.”

  “Seems like shopping is one of your favorite things.”

  “Yes, it is.” She nodded, looked away, and then met his gaze. “It was nice seeing you.”

  Since she was about to walk away, he blocked her path with a slight tilt of his body. He didn’t want her to leave just yet. Maybe he should let it go. After all, he’d already apologized. There was nothing more to say. But the memory of that kiss haunted him. “Would you like to grab a cup of coffee with me?”

  Looking surprised, she shook her head. “I’ve got to be somewhere else.”

  Cole was disappointed. What had he expected? He’d thought they could have a good laugh about it, but seeing the panicked expression in her eyes, he thought she wasn’t even thinking along those lines. “My apologies once again. It wasn’t fair to take out my frustration on you.”

  It was more than frustration. After a long time of self-exploration, he finally came to that conclusion. When he kissed her, he may have been thinking that it was an opportunity to get back at the woman who dared to give him such bad news, but halfway through the kiss, he’d forgotten the reason why he was kissing her. She was simply the woman he wanted to kiss, and it felt bloody fantastic. The realization that he was enjoying it stopped him more than anything else.

  “No worries, Mr. Davenport. I accept your apology. Let’s just move on.”

  “Can I just state that I appreciated the manner in which you took care of everything. My mother told me that you handled the entire situation with a grace and aplomb that she envied. And that’s some praise from a woman who’s not easily satisfied. I wish that I could have helped you take care of things, but I’m afraid, I was in no state of mind to think about others,” he added. Somehow he didn’t want her to leave as yet.

  He wanted to talk to her some more. Why wasn’t she giving him a chance to do that? Cole glanced at her hand, but there was no ring in sight. Not that it meant anything, but he recalled that she wasn’t married.

  What the hell was he thinking?

  “You were hurting.” The simple statement took his breath away. How right she was! And yet while someone else might have said the same thing and made it seem sympathetic, he found compassion in her words. “I understand. And in any case, it was part of my job. You did hire us to manage the event.”

  “I don’t think either one of us had that particular end in mind when we signed the contract.” He smiled. It was nice that she didn’t pity him. He detested pity. Whatever happened was probably for the best. He’d escaped being saddled with a woman who couldn’t make up her mind. Being dumped was the best thing that happened to him in a long time. Too bad, it took him a few months to understand that. What a waste of time. But now that he’d regained his senses and perspective, he was determined to have a good time. And Lexi was right in the center of it. “But while I fell apart, you held it together. And I appreciate that.”

  “It’s all right.” She glanced at the exit. “I really need to go.”

  For some strange reason, he couldn’t say bye. Knowing that she was trying her best to get rid of him, Cole fell into step beside her. “It looks like it’s raining,” he stated when they neared the door. “There was a prediction for a storm this week. Looks like it came a little bit early.”

  “Damn it!”

  Amused by the first display of temper that he witnessed, he glanced at her. “Problem?”

  “I don’t have my car.”

  “Neither do I. But even if your car was there, I don’t think you could have driven just now.” He pointed at the sign that the guards were putting up on the exit. “Storm warning. No one can go out as yet.”

  She stomped her foot. “They can’t expect us to remain here indefinitely.”

  Amused, he pointed at the café on the first floor. “How about that coffee then?”

  Maybe he shouldn’t have been so pleased by that unexpected bonus, but Cole was having a hard time suppressing a grin as he walked with her to the café. She wasn’t about to make good on her escape. And it looked as if they had a lot of time on their hands to talk to each other.

  Chapter Three

  Lexi poured coffee into three cups and passed them out to her sisters. They were all seated in her apartment. Their father, in his infinite wisdom, had converted a three-story building into independent apartments and had gifted one to each of his daughters before retiring to Hawaii with their mother. Lexi got the middle one. Since the siste
rs all worked together, it was nice to have their own space, along with the ease of being able to meet up whenever the occasion demanded.

  She was telling them about her encounter with Cole Davenport. “So we stayed in the mall for three hours until the storm cleared. And then he escorted me home.”

  “You don’t hear the word escort anymore,” said Janay as she ate the pancakes Lexi generously made for breakfast.

  “You poor thing!” Brielle sympathized. “What time did you get back home?”

  “And did you get any sleep or did the nice Mr. Davenport escort you inside the apartment and make wild love to you?”

  “Shut up!” said Lexi in a pleasant note. She was used to Janay’s caustic comments. “He didn’t come in.”

  Janay cocked an eyebrow. “Did he want to come in?”

  “Janay!” Brielle, the middle sister, scolded. “Stop it. I’m sure it wasn’t like that.” She turned to Lexi and winked mischievously. “Right, Lexi?”

  “That’s right,” Lexi said with mock sternness.

  Janay drowned her pancake in chocolate sauce. “You poor thing, Brielle. You actually believe her?” She chuckled.

  “I came home at one o’clock. And yet, I did get enough sleep. No one came inside. Mr. Davenport very sweetly said goodnight and left.”

  “Bummer!” said Janay as she cut her pancake and took a healthy bite. “Boring!”

  “Don’t listen to her. I’m sure he wanted an opportunity to apologize,” Brielle said.

  Lexi didn’t think that Cole had only an apology on his mind. He was clearly interested in her. Why else would a man sit with a woman for three hours and talk about everything under the sun. It was easy to talk to him. In fact, once she got over her initial discomfort, it was fun to discuss things with him. He was a famous and best-selling writer. Janay had once boasted that she’d actually read his novels and they were good. Not only was Cole a good-looking, easygoing guy, he was also talented. The woman who dumped him must have been out of her mind.

  But what irked Lexi was the fact that he didn’t actually bother to take her number or anything. He said good-bye and left. What the hell was that about? Of course, she would have said that she wasn’t interested if he’d asked her out, but the fact that he didn’t, pissed her off.

  “It was nice of him not to demand his money back after the event,” said Brielle.

  “People ate the food. We did our job. It wasn’t our fault that his wife-to-be did a disappearing act right before exchanging the vows. Was he a bad kisser?” asked Janay.

  “No.” Lexi was sorry that she’d told Janay about the kiss. But at that time, she was shook up. Now, her sister would love to rehash every memory of that experience. And truth be told, Lexi didn’t want to discuss it. It was something private.

  “What do you mean? Was he good? Or was he I-am-going-to-melt-all-your-bones-with-one-kiss great?”

  “Janay.” Brielle was the sensitive one in the family. “Stop it. And by the way, you’re going to be late for your appointment with the manager of the hotel today. If you don’t reach him on time, he might make good on his escape.”

  One of their payments was due from the account of a new hotel, and the manager was doing his best to delay them. Janay was meeting the man face-to-face to settle their account. “I should go then.” She gulped down her coffee and stood. “Lexi, a piece of advice. If you see that Cole guy again, run in the opposite direction. I wouldn’t put it past him to try and sneak another kiss. After all, that’s all the guy got for the whopping amount of money he paid us.”

  After Janay left, Brielle cleared the table. “Don’t listen to Janay.”

  “I never do.”

  Brielle rinsed the plates. “Do you think you’ll see Cole Davenport again? Perhaps you should call him? He seems like an interesting man.”

  Oh, that he is!

  Lexi sighed. She wasn’t sure if she would see him. What’s more, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see him again. The man was unpredictable. The way he kissed her that day, she never forgot it. And it appeared that he never forgot it too. While she was with him in the café, Lexi felt the first stirrings of attraction and lust. Sure, he was a good-looking guy. But did she want anything more with him?

  He was a former client.

  Nothing more than that.

  She didn’t want anything else.

  Although Lexi was quite sure that her sister suspected Lexi was more than interested in Cole, she didn’t want to prolong to conversation.

  “I’m sure I won’t see him again. We certainly don’t move in the same circles,” she assured her sister. “Is everything in place for the Rockville Party?”

  Getting the hint, Brielle didn’t ask anything else. “Yes. I’m baking the cake today. It should be ready for delivery by five tomorrow evening.”

  Lexi didn’t like to miss any details. “The party starts at six. It might be better if you were on-site with all the food at five.”

  “Okay. I’ll adjust my schedule accordingly.”

  Despite their different interests, the sisters worked together like clockwork. It was easy to work with her siblings, as they were all good at what they did. It had been Lexi’s idea to start a business together three years ago, and she didn’t regret that move. It was good to have that close bond with family but still work professionally like a team.

  “I’ll just be a minute,” said Lexi. “We could leave together for the office.”

  “Sure.” Brielle picked up her purse. “If you want to take some time, I could handle things for a while.”

  “Thanks, love, but I’m good.” Lexi loved her work. She didn’t want to miss a single moment of it. After locking up, she went downstairs and joined her sister. They marched towards the subway and caught a train to their office. Lexi immediately got busy checking everything for the party they were booked to work tonight.

  Janay walked in after two hours. She waved the check she held in her hand. “He made a hundred excuses, but I told him I wouldn’t leave until he signed it over.” Janay raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Can you believe the nerve of the guy? He’s back here again.”

  Alarmed, Lexi stood. “The manager followed you to the office?”

  “Oh no, not him.” Janay took her seat and deposited the check on the desk. “It’s that dumped guy, Cole Davenport. He’s in the lobby, asking for you.”

  “Cole Davenport is here? In the office?” Lexi’s skin tingled.

  “Yes.” Janay nodded. A smile hovered on her lips. “I was tempted to tell him to get loss, but I thought you might want to have a word with him yourself.”

  Lexi couldn’t imagine a single reason why Cole would come to her office. They had barely met ten hours ago. What did he want to say now? As she marched out of the office, she heard her sister mutter. “Something’s up.”

  Well, something sure was up. Why would he visit her in the office? Did he perhaps have another event in mind for them to handle? As she entered the lobby, Lexi was alarmed to see the bouquet of white lilies in his hand. “Hi.”

  “Hello.” He thrust the flowers at her. “For you.”

  Knowing that the receptionist was watching them with eagle eyes, she took the flowers rather than make a fuss. “Why?”

  “Just because.” Cole’s smile was heart-stopping. “Do I need an excuse to bring flowers to a beautiful woman?”

  She ran her hand through her hair as she tried hard to understand what was going on through those magnificent eyes. Man! But she got a jolt every time she looked at him. “I guess not. Thank you.”

  “What’s your phone number?”

  “Ummm…why?”

  “I kinda lost it after the unfortunate event,” he referred to his failed wedding. “Actually, I threw my phone against the wall in a fit of anger. Served me right! Had to spend money to purchase another one. And of course, there was the added hassle of trying to get back everyone’s number. The good news is that I got rid of all of Arianna’s friends.”

  “Ok
ay.” She gave him the number. Why didn’t he take it yesterday when they spent so much time at the café? And what did he want it for? Was he planning to ask her out for dinner?

  He fed the number into his phone. “All right. I’ll see you around.”

  After he walked out, she simply stared at his retreating back. What the hell was that about? She glanced down at the beautiful flowers and resisted the urge to push her nose in and sniff deeply. The man was confounding and interesting. She could never predict his next move. And that is what made him all the more enigmatic.

  When she walked into the office, Janay took one look at the flowers, stood, walked over, and took out an empty, ceramic vase form the cabinet. “The man sure has moves.” She handed the vase to her sister.

  Lexi filled the vase with water and put the flowers in. She took a moment to admire them. Lilies were her favorite. Did he know that or was this a coincidence? A small smile lit her face. “He sure does,” she agreed with her sister, set the vase on her desk, and went back to work.

  Why the hell would he bring her flowers for no reason?

  What was his motive?

  Questions plagued her as she went about her work. The man was mysterious. Did he do this on purpose? Was he deliberately keeping her off balance? But why? Surely, he didn’t like her that way. No. She didn’t think so.

  But then…his gestures confused her.

  Rather than dwell on his unexpected moves, she forced herself to focus on her work. There were a lot of projects pending and she tried to clear her calendar as much as she could. After they finished for the day, Lexi and Brielle made their way home. Janay disappeared because she was meeting some friends. After bidding Brielle good-bye in the elevator, Lexi opened her door and stepped inside. She had a light soup for dinner. For the umpteenth time that day, she checked her phone. There were no phone calls from Cole Davenport.

  Damn the man!

  He was eating at her mind with his ubiquitous gestures. Why the hell did he take her number when he didn’t want to call her?