Can't Say No Read online

  “But you’re truly happy?” Vanessa persisted.

  “Oh yes. Devin is so good to me. But then we would never have gotten back together if he hadn’t been so giving and understanding. I still feel guilty about keeping him and Shanna apart for so long.”

  Vanessa shook her finger at her friend. “Get over it. Devin has. And Shanna is crazy about her daddy.”

  Brynne laughed. “That she is. Look!”

  The twins and Shanna came down the waterslide with their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, giggling the entire time.

  “She misses you and the twins.”

  “We miss her.” Vanessa had babysat for Brynne when Brynne had to work late.

  “What do you think of Ralph’s new lady?”

  Vanessa candidly revealed, “Doesn’t matter, she won’t last. They never do with him.”

  Brynne shook her head. “My goodness, you are getting cynical, girlfriend.” She was somber when she admitted, “Don’t laugh, but for a while, I wondered if you two might be interested in each other.”

  “Do I look stupid?”

  Brynne giggled. “Ralph adores kids. Shanna and Kaleea both adore him. And from what Devin tells me, Ralph’s heading the Lester Prescott Community Center.”

  “And what does that have to do with me and Mr. Commitment Phobic?” Vanessa asked, almost sharply.

  “I keep telling you, he’s no worse than his cousins. Wesley and Devin were out there womanizing with the best of them until they fell in love. I had serious doubts about my man when we first met. The women were chasing him like crazy, and he wasn’t running.”

  “Now wait one minute! What are you up to Brynne Armstrong Prescott? Tell me you’re not seriously trying to hook me up with Ralph?”

  Bursting into a fit of giggles, Brynne nodded. “I don’t see why not.”

  “I’ve already given you 101 reasons, but you’re not listening. I’m going to say this once, then we’re going to both drop it forever. Leave it alone.”

  “Okay…okay.” Brynne laughed, throwing her hands up in defeat.

  “Thank you. Now tell me about Devin’s place. Are you happy with it? Or are you secretly house hunting as we speak?”

  Brynne shook her head, then began telling Vanessa her plans to redecorate their home. She went on to tell her about the office space she’d found that might be suitable for the new women’s center she planned to open in St. Louis.

  Ten

  By the time the food was served, Ralph wanted out. He’d had enough of Dawn’s hints about their future. Also, he was sick of the cold glares he’d been getting from Vanessa whenever she caught him looking her way. She had been acting as if he were in the wrong when she wasn’t busy ignoring him.

  “What’s wrong, son?” Donna Prescott said, drying her hand on a dish towel. He’d just brought a load of trash into the kitchen. “And don’t tell me nothing. You’re as grumpy as an old bear.”

  After dumping the load into the trash compactor, he came over and kissed her temple. “I’m fine. There is nothing to worry about.”

  She frowned. “I don’t like it when any of my chicks are unhappy. You know you can always come to us with anything. Your uncle and I love you.”

  “I know. I’ve always known that.” Dredging up a playful grin, he asked, “What do you think of Dawn?”

  “No more than you do. Why’d you bring that poor girl? She’s clearly infatuated with you, son.”

  “She barely knows me. We’ve known each other less than a week. In fact, this is our first date.”

  Impatient with him, Donna insisted, “Ralph, it’s as clear as the nose on your face that she thinks because you brought her here to meet your family, there is something special between the two of you.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” he dismissed.

  “You need to be frank with her. There is no point in hurting her needlessly. It’s not like you to pretend you want more than friendship.”

  Resigned, he said, “I’ll talk to her. Thanks, Aunt Donna.”

  “Now are you ready to tell me what’s really bothering you?”

  Before he could plead ignorance, Anna and Gavin came in with empty serving bowls.

  “Mama, you are not supposed to be in here working,” Anna scolded, hurrying over to take a dish from her.

  Just then Kyle and Wayne came racing in, then Kelli with the baby. Ralph was grateful for the reprieve. Since the closest bathroom was in use, he headed toward the one in the central hallway. As he reached for the knob, the door swung inward.

  Ralph and Vanessa collided. Quick reflexes kept her from bouncing off his wide chest. He clasped his hands at her trim waist to steady her.

  He grinned. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” She took a hasty step back.

  “Sorry, didn’t mean to bump into you, but I’m glad we have a few minutes to talk.”

  “No.” When she turned to move around him, he sidestepped, directly into her path.

  “Ralph!” Placing her hands on her shapely hips, she inadvertently captured his hungry gaze.

  “Well, at least you looked at me. Shall we go in? Or would you like to have this discussion in the hallway?”

  “Don’t you have to use…” She gestured toward the facilities.

  He grinned. “I can wait.”

  Sighing heavily, she finally backed inside, crossing her arms beneath her full breasts. “Say what you have to say!”

  Ralph closed and locked the door behind them. Leaning a broad shoulder against it, he said, “I can explain about Dawn.”

  “Don’t bother. What you do, and whom you see, is none of my business.”

  “If I’d known you were going to be here, believe it, I would have come alone.”

  “What difference does it make?” She glared at him.

  He snapped, “A lot. I don’t generally bring a date while trying to get next to another woman.”

  Vanessa reached up to pat his cheek before she said sarcastically, “Don’t worry. You’ll get over it.”

  “I doubt it. Dawn is a nice woman, but I’m not involved with her. We only met last week. We’re not lovers.”

  Vanessa patted a sandal-encased foot impatiently. “I didn’t ask.”

  “Nevertheless, I’d like you to know.” Uncomfortable from his unusual need to be candid about his love life, he said, “If you don’t…”

  “Ralph, you don’t owe me anything, least of all an explanation. Now, please say what you have to say so I can leave.”

  “Vanessa…”

  Evidently, she’d heard enough. “You have less than one minute to say what you have to and let me out of here, or I’m going to start screaming for help.”

  “That won’t change what we shared or what we both…still want. You can’t tell me that you didn’t enjoy our lovemaking. It was magical. And that doesn’t happen every day.” He eliminated the space between them, backing her up until she stood against the granite countertop, his chest practically touching her breasts. “You know it’s true.”

  “It doesn’t matter now. Why can’t you get it through your head that one night was enough for me.”

  “It wasn’t nearly enough for me,” he snapped, cupping her shoulders.

  “Don’t touch me,” she hissed.

  Frustrated, Ralph dropped his hands, shoving them into his pockets. “I don’t believe this! As my uncle used to say, you are making a mountain out of a molehill.”

  “And you’re confusing me with Dawn. She’s the one who can’t keep her hands off you. I’m the one who is not interested.”

  He ran an unsteady hand over his close-cut natural. “Why are you making this so difficult?”

  “You’re wrong. I’m simplifying things. No woman in her right mind would want to be involved with a man incapable of committing to any type of a relationship, certainly not this one.”

  He longed to yell that that was no longer the case, but held back. He stared at her while wondering if it could be true. Did he want a re
lationship with Vanessa? Or was he merely aggravated because she had decided not to see him again? He felt powerless to make things right between them.

  “One night has spoiled a perfect friendship,” she complained.

  “It wasn’t my idea,” he put in, unhappy with the way things stood between them.

  “Thanks for reminding me,” she hissed. “I was trying to make a point. Our friendship is gone, a huge mistake that can’t be corrected.”

  Ralph swore beneath his breath. He honestly didn’t have an answer. All he was sure of was that she was right. They couldn’t go back. It had also proven to him that she was the only woman able to get and keep him hard. That night didn’t have to be a mistake. Nor did it mean they couldn’t try to find a workable solution.

  “I know it looks bad, but beautiful…”

  “It is bad! Instead of trying to talk trash to me, you should be out there respecting the lady you’re with today. Ralph, women aren’t Barbie dolls. You can’t trade one for the other.”

  Ralph dropped his lids, hoping guilt wasn’t written all over his face. “Vanessa, you made up the rules to this game we’re playing. Why does it have to be so complicated? I wanted to make love to you, then. I still want you. One night was not enough. You’re an incredibly beautiful woman.”

  “Stop!” Her eyes flashed with dark fury. “I’ve listened to every single word. Now let me pass.”

  “Why? It’s the truth.” Frustration, anger, along with relentless determination were pulling him in different directions at once.

  “Not another word. Let me pass.”

  He resisted the urge to yank the door off its hinges. Opening the door, he couldn’t stop himself from warning as she passed, “I’m not one to give up, Vanessa. You might want to work on figuring out what you’re afraid of. You can’t tell me it wasn’t good between us.”

  She gasped, pausing for only a second before tossing back, “We both got what we wanted but lost what was important. Our friendship.”

  Later that same night, Ralph sat outside on the cushioned lawn chair on the balcony off his bedroom. Despite the late hour, the only cool air stirring came from the ceiling fan overhead. Wearing only a pair of worn cutoffs with his bare feet propped on the waist-high wrought-iron railing, he stared out toward his distant property line.

  Swallowing the last of a bottle of imported beer, he scowled. The day had gone from bad to worse by the time he’d walked Dawn to her front door. To say the lady was ticked when he turned down her offer to come inside would be putting it mildly. Things went downhill swiftly when he’d attempted to explain why he didn’t think it was a good idea for them to continue seeing each other. She wasn’t having it. She slammed the door in his face.

  He didn’t blame Dawn for being upset. Aunt Donna was right. He hadn’t given the young lady an ounce worth of attention all day. He’d used her as a distraction. Partly to take his mind off Vanessa, but mostly to divert his family’s interest in his love life. It had turned out to be a total failure.

  To make things worse, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to take his hungry gaze off Vanessa. One glance at her smooth, creamy skin and lush, full curves and he was hard, throbbing for more of her wet heat.

  Ralph didn’t need to be told he’d messed up. Vanessa had been right. He had no business chasing her down while he had another woman on his arm. He couldn’t even blame her for being angry. He was just plain wrong.

  Swearing aloud, he hadn’t kept his promise to let it go. She had been clear when she said she wasn’t interested. He was the one who couldn’t move on. One taste of her sweetness had left him clamoring for her. He’d made a colossal mistake when he thought he could sleep with her, then go back to doing his own thing, as if nothing had happened.

  It was crazy. He might be able to make sense of this mess if he didn’t find her so irresistible. Although shy, Vanessa was also beautiful and sexy as all get-out. And those unbelievably long, shapely legs left him with a relentless hard-on. What he wouldn’t give to see her in a very short red dress and a pair of red high heels. He released a deep groan, frustrated by his body’s constantly yearning.

  For the first time in memory, Ralph couldn’t get a woman out of his head. And he’d genuinely tried. Since that night he had slept alone, yet wakened each morning craving Vanessa.

  Recalling how he had cornered her in the bathroom of all places, he muttered aloud, “I may have lost this time, but there will be a next time, sweetheart.”

  The house was quiet when Vanessa walked out to the screened-in sunporch. Today had turned out to be a Fourth of July, she wasn’t likely to forget. Sitting down on the swing, she tucked her legs beneath her. She wore a thin summer gown and robe. The twins had still been talking about all the fun they’d had at the Mathises’ party when she tucked them in. The highlight for Curtis and Courtney had been seeing Shanna and playing on the waterslide. Lana had also had a great time.

  For Vanessa, the highlight had been leaving. She sighed heavily. That wasn’t fair or true. She adored Ralph’s family. Anna had worked so hard to make sure that everyone, from the Mathises’ employees, their families, and her own enjoyed themselves. Ms. Tillman, the housekeeper, didn’t have family, but she, too, had a great time. Gretchen and her family also enjoyed themselves. Everyone had fun…everyone but Vanessa. The Prescotts really were a wonderful family…too bad Ralph was one of them.

  If only Ralph hadn’t come. He had spoiled her day. And why was the man so stubborn? He was known to be a love-them-and-leave-them kind of guy. So why hadn’t it worked this time? She still couldn’t believe that Ralph had actually backed her into the bathroom, then closed and the locked the door.

  The man had more than his fair share of nerve! He used his long, powerful body to block the door and keep her there. Why did he even bother? Just what had he hoped to gain? Another go-round in bed? Why? She wasn’t even his type. His beautiful date was everything she wasn’t.

  Maybe it had been an ego thing? Maybe he had to be the one to end it? They had agreed to one night of mutually satisfying sex. And they’d gotten what they wanted. Yet he was the one to change his mind. Why? He evidently couldn’t stand the thought that she had left a few hours early? If that was the case, then it had to be about ego.

  “Now what?” She wanted to throw her hands up in frustration. It shouldn’t matter to her what Ralph Prescott did. She had done what was best for her.

  Dropping her head until her chin rested on upraised knees, she knew that wasn’t exactly correct. When had she started lying to herself? Yes, she had walked out, but she couldn’t forget not one minute of what they had shared.

  Every night since their night together, she had only to close her eyes to see him as he had been that night. His long, strong body covering hers…filling her to the point of bursting. She had no idea that a woman could want a man so desperately. She trembled from the memory of his hard, intense lovemaking, which seemed endless. She hadn’t wanted him to stop…not ever. The pleasure went on and on, until it overwhelmed and consumed her. And he’d made love to her again and again. More important, she hadn’t wanted to leave him.

  For the first time in her adult life, Vanessa felt like a woman…complete in every way…able to open herself and pleasure her man. Vanessa couldn’t hold back a smile. She had no doubts that she pleased him. He held her close while she’d convulsed in his arms, his body also shaking from the force of his own release. He had held her so tight she could barely catch her breath…and she had loved every minute of it. It felt so good…so satisfying. At that moment she was all woman…his woman.

  As his breath slowly eased that night, he had caressed her, his hand gentle…tender. He’d stroked her back, her face and neck, her breasts, cradled her against his wide chest.

  Vanessa shivered from the sweetness of the memory just as she replayed it in her mind every night. She had tried to put it out of her mind, but for some unknown reason hadn’t been able to do so.

  Staying away from
the memory was easier said than done. Again and again, she forced herself to push him away. Even when she managed not to think of it or him for a few hours, it always came back. She saw him every night in her dreams. Ralph made love to her while she slept, and she woke recalling the feel, the taste and the pleasure of being one with him.

  Filled with frustration, she began pacing the length of the porch. While she was wasting time trying to forget that one night, there was no doubt in her mind that, right this minute, he was in bed with his new lady friend.

  Sure, he claimed he wanted her back, but that didn’t mean anything when it came to his selfish masculine needs. How many women had he slept with since the night they shared? Two? Three? Ten? Regardless of his claims, Ralph was a known womanizer.

  She would be much better off if she reminded herself of that fact every time the memories rushed into her thoughts. The fact that she hadn’t wanted to leave him had frightened her. It reminded her of her mother and how the love for a womanizing man had ruined her life.

  Ralph was capable of being just as heartless as the twins’ selfish father. While her mother had given Greg Cummingham all her love and devotion, he, in turn, had walked away the minute he learned she was pregnant. Her mother had never recovered from the heartache and shame of having to face being unmarried and pregnant alone. Even though the doctors claimed she had died from complications due to childbirth, Vanessa believed that her heart had been broken beyond repair, and she had simply given up on life.

  Wiping at the tears seeping beneath her lashes, Vanessa vowed she wouldn’t make the same mistake. No, it would be a huge mistake to let Ralph get close enough for her to fall in love with him. Once was more than enough to answer all her questions about making love. It had also been enough to leave her longing for more. She’d been left with enough…incredible memories that at times they nearly drove her to distraction.