spoken matter-of-factly, self-composed, while trying to maintain her cool. There was something sexy about the way her lips curved in a frown and the way she’d tilted her head as if to make sure he fully understood what she’d said, because she had no intention of backing down. The thought that such a gorgeous-looking woman could hold her own made him feel good inside. She reminded him of Mellie, who didn’t take foolishness from any man.
“I merely pointed out that I’m aware you know everything you’re asking me about,” he added.
“But not your side of the story.”
He shrugged. “Does my side matter?”
“Yes, it matters to me.”
He weighed what she’d said, deciding not to read too much into something about him mattering to her. Leaning back in his chair, he said, “Tonight I wanted to impress you, not depress you.”
“You could never depress me. You’re too strong a man for that.”
He shook his head. “Strong? There was a time I was weak. Acceptance meant everything. I lost my parents, and within the same year I lost my grandfather. My father and grandfather were the two most important and influential male figures in my life. I was angry. Madder than hell. My life was a mess. Nothing anyone said or did mattered. I rebelled and began hanging with the wrong crowd. I deliberately got into fights, played hooky from school and gave my teachers grief. I was the quintessential pain in the ass.”
He paused, remembering that time. “Then one night, less than a month after graduating from high school, two of my friends talked me into driving them to a convenience store for cigarettes and beer. Said they would only be a minute. I didn’t know they’d robbed the place until the police pulled us over a short while later. The money they’d stolen was stuffed in their pockets. Stupid me, I’d been clueless that they’d used me as the driver of the getaway car.”
He couldn’t believe he was telling her all of this. “Granny Kay used the money from my parents’ life insurance policy, money that was meant for my and Mellie’s college, to hire a lawyer. He was able to get me a lesser sentence since I hadn’t participated in the actual robbery. I got five years and they were given ten.”
“You ended up doing eight years because you kept getting into trouble while in prison. Three more years were added on to your original sentence,” she said.
“Yes, I kept getting into trouble. But all that changed when Sheppard Granger came on the scene.”
“Why?”
Like he was certain she’d known his story, he was just as certain she knew Sheppard Granger’s. “Shep was a convict who was wrongly accused of killing his wife. He didn’t fit. He didn’t belong. But even worse, he didn’t accept our bullshit. He refused to do so. I tried hating him but ended up admiring him. Especially when he began doing good things for the prisoners, starting educational programs for us and becoming our advocate. He made me realize getting more time added to my sentence was a total waste of my life and my value as a human being. I began believing him and began believing in myself. I got out, went to college, got a good job and have tried to give back to society. I feel good about that.”
“And you should. I’d read the news articles about Sheppard Granger and the differences he made in the prison system. Because of him, a lot of changes have been instituted.”
“Yes, they have. I owe him a lot.” Moments like this, sitting across from a remarkable woman like Joy when he could still be wasting his life getting into trouble, always made him appreciate the day Sheppard Granger came into his life.
Stonewall checked his watch and then glanced at Joy. His pulse kicked up at the thought that their evening wasn’t about to end but was truly about to begin. “You’re ready to leave?”
She held his gaze and nodded.
He motioned to the waiter for their check. When the man arrived, he also gave them a box containing the rest of the cake. Stonewall slid it over to Joy. “This is yours. Compliments of me.”
A smile curved her lips. “Thanks. Whenever I eat a slice, I’ll think of you.”
He returned her smile. “I’m hoping you will.”
IT WAS CLOSE to midnight when Stonewall returned Joy to her home, and she couldn’t help but reflect on the evening. It was hard to stop smiling, thinking about how much time and attention he’d put into making sure their first official date was special. Everything, from the flight to Martha’s Vineyard to the dinner they’d shared at that restaurant, had been carefully thought out and strategically planned in a positive way. And having the restaurant prepare her that special dessert using his grandmother’s recipe had shown what a thoughtful person he was.
On the flight back they’d talked about a number of things, while trying to downplay the sexual chemistry floating between them. In addition to being a great conversationalist, he knew a lot about world affairs. It had been interesting listening to his political views, which happened to coincide with hers.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” she asked as he walked her to the door. The motion lights around her home came on—a security measure she’d installed when she bought the house.
“Yes, it is.”
She wasn’t sure what cologne he was wearing, but it smelled good on him. Manly and robust. Virile and sexy. More than once while sitting across from him on the return flight, she’d been tempted to unbuckle her seat belt, get up, go curl up in his lap and rub her nose against his neck to draw the smell of him into her nostrils.
The one thing she’d tried not to think about was the kiss they’d shared earlier. The one he’d asked about continuing later. He hadn’t brought it back up, nor had she. However, there was no doubt in her mind he was thinking about it just as much as she was. Would he want to come inside? Would she ask him to?
She was surprised at how comfortable she felt with Stonewall. She was a woman who put up a protective shield where men were concerned, especially after her disastrous affair with her ex, Omar Elwood. Omar had taught her an important lesson where men were concerned, one she would never forget. Stonewall thinking she was special, and his reason, touched a secret place within her, but she knew she must never lower her guard, at least not completely. Not even for the man walking beside her. Especially not for him.
She was fully aware of just how attractive she was to him. Their personalities seemed to mesh, and tonight she had felt relaxed in his presence...at least during those times when she wasn’t having fantasies of tearing off his clothes, or being the one to feed him a slice of cake.
She would definitely have done things differently, like licking the icing, the little bit that had clung to his lips, right off with the tip of her tongue.
“Well, here you are,” he said, breaking into her thoughts when they’d reached her front door. He handed the box containing the leftover cake to her.
Their hands touched and her breath caught on a surge of desire she should have seen coming, but didn’t. Drawing in a deep breath, she said, “Thanks, and thanks again for a wonderful evening.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” He suddenly stopped talking and frowned. “I hear conversation inside your home.”
She chuckled. “Relax. It’s the television. I rarely turn it off.”
“Why?”
“A habit I acquired after college when I began living alone. Too much silence drives me mad.”
“I see.”
She wondered if he truly did. It drove her siblings crazy and whenever they visited, they muted her set. Unlike her, they preferred quiet.
“Would you consider going out with me again,