You and I

In response, she led him by the hand to her bedroom. Steven swept her, weightless, into his arms and carried her to the bed.

Cherise could feel his heavy breathing on her cheek as he held her close. The touch of his hand was almost unbearable in its wanton desire. His mouth covered hers hungrily, leaving her burning with need.

Another touch of his lips on hers sent a shock wave throughout her entire body with an intensity she had never known. Steven planted kisses on her shoulders, neck and face. As he became more passionate, her own need grew stronger.

Desire pounded through her heart, chest and head, causing Cherise to breathe in deep, soul-drenching drafts. She had never felt as good as she did in this moment, and she didn’t want it to end.

Books by Jacquelin Thomas

Kimani Romance

The Pastor’s Woman Chocolate Goodies Teach Me Tonight You and I

Dear Reader,

A lot of women feel pressured to lose weight because of the way women are often portrayed in some of pop culture’s magazines, movies and television shows. Cherise Ransom has never been thin, but it isn’t until she’s an adult that she understands the importance of loving herself and being a size healthy.

My inspiration for this story was an article I read about an eleven-year-old who committed suicide after being teased by classmates because he was overweight. This tragedy prompted me to highlight Cherise’s struggles as an overweight teen and her desire to fit in with her peers, which leads to a mistake that haunts her many years later as an adult. But will it come between her and the man she falls in love with?

I hope you enjoy You and I. I am also looking forward to introducing you to the Alexander family of Beverly Hills in the coming months.

I love hearing from my readers, so please feel free to contact me on the following:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jacquelinthomas

Twitter:

www.twitter.com/jacquelinthomas Web:

www.jacquelinthomas.com

Email: jacquelinthomas@yahoo.com

Blessings to you,

Jacquelin Thomas

About the Author

JACQUELIN THOMAS is an award-winning, bestselling author with more than thirty-five books in print. When she is not writing, she is busy working toward a degree in psychology. Jacquelin and her family live in North Carolina.

You And I

Jacquelin Thomas

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MILLS & BOON

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

Bernard, you are my best friend and the love of my life. There are no words to adequately express how honored I am to be your wife. Thank you for being my #1 fan and supporter. Other men should follow your example as a husband, father and friend.

Chapter 1

“I can’t believe you have another brother and that I have another cousin,” Cherise Ransom told Elle as they stood in line for the duck with chocolate sauce that everyone at the wedding reception had been raving about.

“I know,” Elle murmured. “It’s eleven of us now.”

“Well, we call ourselves a clan—I guess it’s true. Especially with all of the marriages and children—there’s a bunch of Ransoms running around Los Angeles.” Cherise’s gaze traveled once more to where Ransom Winters was standing with his bride, Coco, holding court.

“He’s definitely related, though,” she said. “He looks just like us. I think it’s pretty cool that his mother named him Ransom. I guess she wanted him to have his father’s name in some way.”

Cherise glanced over her shoulder at a woman standing nearby and said in a low voice, “Aunt Amanda sure seems to be taking it well.”

Elle gave a slight shrug. “He’s not hard to love at all. Ransom is a really neat guy, and he was an instant fit with the family. As for my mama, she wants to leave the past behind. Ransom was conceived when she and my dad were separated.”

“Sometimes the past definitely has a way of catching up with you,” Cherise responded, staring straight ahead, watching the bride and groom, but her mind was somewhere else, in another place and time.

Elle followed her gaze and said, “Ransom and Coco make a beautiful couple, don’t you think?”

Cherise nodded, bringing her thoughts back to the present. “I want someone to come knock me off my feet like that.”

“The right guy is going to show up when you least expect it, cousin.”

She met Elle’s smile with one of her own. “I really hope so. You and Brennen are crazy in love, and you’ve just had another baby. All of you…well, all except Ivy, are deliriously happy. To be honest with you, sometimes I get a little sad being around all the love and happiness.”

“Now you sound like Ivy,” Elle pointed out with a light chuckle.

“See, that’s who I need to start hanging out with,” Cherise said. “She and I are on the same page. We can be lonely together.”

Elle passed on the chocolate-dusted scallops with vanilla butter sauce, while Cherise decided to give them a try. “Not too much,” she told the server. “Thanks.”

Cherise made her way back to the table, following Elle. She sat down next to her.

“Girl, there’s so much chocolate at this reception, I can feel myself putting on pounds. You know that’s the last thing I need right now,” Cherise said, picking up one of the elegantly designed boxes of chocolate truffles.

“You need to stop that, Cherise,” Elle told her. “You look beautiful.”

“She sure does,” a man said from behind them.

Cherise turned around in her chair. “Hi, Daddy.” She rose to her feet to give her father a hug.

“Uncle Jules, where have you been?” Elle asked. “I tried to call you last week.”

“I was in Raleigh, North Carolina. An old friend of mine is terminally ill, and so a bunch of us decided to go up and spend some time with him.” He stroked his daughter’s shoulder. “I’ve told you about talk like that, Cherise. And look at your plate. You hardly have anything on it.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy with the way I look,” she quickly explained. “But I can’t just go crazy when it comes to food. I want to be healthy and keep off the extra pounds, so I eat smaller portions. I’m a full-figured gal and proud of it.” Cherise sat back down.

Elle hugged her. “I’m so proud of you. I remember when you came to live with us and how much your weight bothered you. You’ve grown up to be this beautiful and extremely confident woman, and now you’re helping other girls do the same.”

“I’m just trying to get them to focus on being a size healthy versus a size four.” Cherise was proud of her work as a counselor at the Darlene Sheppard Center, a therapeutic community for overweight children and teens.

Her father spent a few more minutes with them before moving on to talk to some of the other guests. Cherise was glad to see him, although he stayed on the go—had always been that way, which is one of the reasons her parents had divorced. The other was that he loved women and hadn’t been exactly faithful, but Cherise loved her father in spite of his flaws. Out of all of her siblings, she was the closest to him.

The newlyweds gradually made their way over to where Elle and Cherise were sitting.

“Congratulations,” Cherise said. She wiped her mouth on the cloth napkin before continuing. “The ceremony was beautiful.”

Ransom gave her a hug. “What’s up, cousin? I just met your sister.”

“Jazz wasn’t sure she was going to make it,” Cherise responded. “But she really wanted to meet you. Coco, you look stunning.”

“I was about to tell you the same thing,” she responded. “Cherise, how are the girls?”

Coco was referring to the teenagers Cherise counseled at the center. She had taken them on a tour of the Stanley Chocolates factory, which was owned by Coco’s family, and for drinking chocolate at the Chocolate Bar next door, owned by Coco.

“They have their challenges,” she answered. “But I’m trying to work with them.”

“Cherise, when Coco and I get back, I’d like to talk to you about working with the structured day program,” Ransom said. “I’ve wanted to get something started for girls.”

She nodded. “We’ll definitely talk when you get back.”

When they walked away, Elle turned to Cherise and asked, “So are you going on the family cruise with us next month? We’re going to the Mediterranean this year.”

“You guys are all coupled off,” Cherise responded. “I tried to get Jazz to go with me, but she’s not going to be able to, so I think I’m going to sit this one out. Besides, the ship is probably full by now.”

“Ivy’s going,” Elle said. “She booked a family suite because we thought more were coming, but some people had to back out.”

Cherise shook her head. “I think I’m going to just wait for the next one. I’m not prepared to go on a cruise this year.”

“Please come on the cruise so that I’ll have somebody to hang out with, Cherise,” Ivy Ransom, one of Elle’s sisters, said as she joined them. “It’s just me and the girls in a huge suite. You can stay with us.”

She was still undecided. Cherise enjoyed being with her cousins, but she often felt like the odd man out, because most of them were married or involved in a committed relationship. Her brother Julian was going on the cruise and taking some girl he’d recently started dating. Ivy was divorced and bitter—Cherise didn’t want to hear her complaining the entire trip. If she decided to go, she wanted to have fun.

“I have to think about this for a moment,” Cherise said.

“Well, I’ve already paid for someone and she’s not going to be able to go, so just let me know if you can go in her place. I’ll call the cruise line to change the information.” Ivy sat down at the table with them. She glanced over her shoulder at the man sitting beside her mother and said, “I still can’t believe Mama brought a date to the wedding. First she brings him to the Valentine’s Day dinner and now he’s showing up for the family dinners on Sunday. What exactly is going on between her and Mr. Ragland?”

“Mama told me that they were just friends,” Elle said. “I know that he’s a prominent attorney and seems to be a nice man. He lost his wife a few years back.”

“I don’t want him hurting Mom,” Ivy snapped.

“I don’t think there’s anything to worry about,” Elle responded. “Mr. Ragland seems to be quite infatuated with Mama. Look at him—he can’t keep his eyes off her.”

“Even Aunt Amanda can get a man—I know I need to step up my game,” Cherise said with a chuckle.

“Mama’s still sexy,” Elle said, laughing softly. “Don’t be fooled by that cane. She’s still got her groove.”

“Oh, Lord,” Ivy muttered, shaking her head. “Please tell me that our oh-so-Christian mother is not sleeping with Mr. Ragland.”

Cherise hid her smile behind her napkin at the horrified expression on Ivy’s face. She could be such a prude sometimes.

“I don’t think she is, but since I don’t live at home anymore I don’t really know for sure. But Ivy… even if she is—she’s a grown woman,” Elle told her sister.

Ivy stood up with purpose. “I’m going to have a talk with her.”

“Do it at your own risk,” Elle warned. “I’m going to stay over here and just mind my own business.”

“Me, too,” Cherise intoned.

Her uncle had died a long time ago, so Cherise was glad to see her aunt Amanda enjoying the company of a man.

Ivy sat back down. “Mom can take care of herself, I suppose. But back to you, Cherise. I really hope you’ll come on the cruise. I don’t want to be the only single person in the clan.”

Cherise excused herself to make a visit to the ladies’ room, where she eyed her reflection. She was five nine and full-figured—no doubt about that. Her flawless mahogany complexion was devoid of heavy makeup, and her dark brown hair fell past her shoulders in waves. She wasn’t bad-looking. She just wasn’t one of those thin types that a lot of men seemed to love.

Cherise thought about her options. She believed her Mr. Right was somewhere close—maybe he’d be aboard the Emerald Princess. That’s how her cousin Laine had met his wife. But even if he wasn’t, looking was part of the fun, she decided as she thought about the scores of men that would be on the ship.

When she returned to the table, Cherise announced, “Okay, I’ve made a decision.”

“This is their existing facility,” Steven Chambers began as he pointed to a photograph on the board. “There’s about thirteen thousand square feet of space. They’re entering into a major facility expansion of about forty thousand square feet of building space on the new site. I’m going in this afternoon to present the new design to the church executive board to get their feedback.”

His supervisor nodded in approval. “The pastor of this church is a good friend of mine. It’s important that we know exactly what he wants to achieve in this project.”

“I started doing a schematic design after I spoke with Pastor Wilkins last week,” Steven said, “but before I finish it, I need more information.”

“Wilkins was very impressed with the new Holton Building, and he insisted on having you as the lead on this project.”

Steven straightened his tie and smiled. “Thanks, Randall. After my meeting this afternoon, I’m off for the next fourteen days. I’m really looking forward to this vacation.”

“Enjoy,” Randall said. “You’ve earned it.”

Steven left his supervisor’s office and took the stairs down to the parking garage situated in downtown Los Angeles. He entered the freeway and headed toward Inglewood to meet with Pastor Wilkins and his staff.

In a few days he would be aboard the Emerald Princess, cruising toward the Mediterranean. The last time he went on vacation was with his ex-girlfriend. It had been almost six months since that relationship ended. He had cared deeply for the woman but knew that they had no future, especially since she already had a husband in northern California. Steven had had no idea that he was involved with a married woman until her husband confronted him.

His cell phone rang, the custom ring tone letting him know that it was his favorite aunt—his other mom—who was calling.

Steven grinned as he clicked on the speakerphone. “Aunt Eula Mae, how’s life in Ghana?” She and her husband had been living there for the past ten years because of his work.

“It’s still beautiful here,” she responded. “But I’m ready to come back to the States. I miss y’all so much.”

“Mama and I were just talking about you yesterday,” he said. “We miss you too. I thought Uncle Jerome was planning to retire this year.”

She released a long sigh. “I thought so too, but I guess we both were wrong. Jerome wants to stay here for another year. That man is tapping on my last nerve with this job of his. I’ve told him that I’m leaving him.”

Steven laughed. “Aunt Eula Mae, you’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m ready to come back to the States. Hey, you haven’t gotten married on me yet, have you?”

He laughed. “You know I haven’t. I can’t get married until you meet her. I don’t know what it is about you and Mom, but you can definitely spot toxic women.” They had both warned him about all the ones he dated and, as it turned out, they’d been right on the money. Steven trusted his aunt and mom because they had been wonderful role models for him, and he respected their opinions.

Steven chatted with his aunt for most of the drive home.

“I’m here at the church, Aunt Eula Mae. I’ll give you a call back before I leave for Barcelona tonight. I’m flying there a few days early so that I can spend some time in Spain before the cruise.”

“Have fun, hon.”

He smiled. “I intend to do just that.”

Steven disconnected the call and shut off the car.

Humming softly, he got out of the car and headed inside the church. Once the presentation was over, Steven planned to stop home long enough to change into something comfortable and grab his luggage and passport, then drive to the airport. He was looking forward to this cruise.

“Well, look at you, Cherise,” Elle said when they were in Bloomingdale’s at the Beverly Center. “And you were worried about wearing a swimsuit. Girl, you look good.”

“Elle, are you sure?” Cherise peered into the mirror, staring critically at her curvy size fourteen torso, and even she had to admit the black one-piece swimsuit with ruching and well-placed ruffles flattered her full figure. “I guess it doesn’t look bad.”

She smiled over the fact that she looked younger than her twenty-five years. “No, not bad at all. So, are you ready to wow everyone on the cruise ship and the Mediterranean, cousin?”

Elle picked up a neon-green swimsuit and responded, “Not quite. I like this one, but it’s a little too bright for me.”

Cherise stole one last glimpse at the mirror. “Okay, I’m getting this one.”

When she walked out of the dressing room, Cherise and Elle strolled up to the counter and paid for the items Cherise had selected for the cruise. They left the boutique and walked down the street to a nearby restaurant for lunch.

“I don’t know why I waited until the last minute to shop for the cruise. When did I decide to go?”

“At Ransom and Coco’s reception,” Elle responded with a smile. “That was almost a month ago, but you have always been a procrastinator when it comes to stuff like this.”

“Now, two days before the cruise, I’m running around like I’m crazy,” Cherise said with a chuckle. “I’m really looking forward to this vacation. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that something good is going to happen.”

Early on the tenth of July, the large Ransom family boarded a plane to Barcelona, Spain. The clan was broken into smaller groups for the flight over. Laine and Ray and their families had left the night before. Garrett and his family wanted to spend some time in Barcelona, so they’d traveled to Spain a week earlier.

Ivy and Cherise and her brother were on the same flight, while Elle, Jillian and some of the others were on another one with a different airline. They would be arriving within an hour of each other.

Cherise could’ve kissed the ground when she walked off the plane. It had taken nineteen hours, which included two layovers, but they were finally in Barcelona.

“I’m so glad to get off that plane,” Ivy said, stretching. She glanced down at her daughters, who were yawning and stretching too. “My babies did so well during the flight. I’m so proud of them.”

“Me, too,” Cherise responded. “I like flying, but I’m discovering that I’m not crazy about long flights.”

“I’ma walk down here to see if Sherrie made it in yet,” her brother said.

“Julian, why didn’t she fly with us?” Cherise asked.

“She works for U.S. Air,” he responded. “I had already made my reservations before I met Sherrie.”

Ivy and Cherise sat down with Ivy’s daughters to grab a bite to eat while they waited for the plane carrying Elle, Jillian and the others to come in.

“We’re going to have a great time on the cruise,” Cherise told Ivy, who suddenly looked sad.

“The last time we went on one, Charles was with me.”

Cherise reached over and gave Ivy’s hand a light squeeze. “It’s his loss.”

She smiled and nodded.

The girls were getting restless and fretful, so Cherise and Ivy attempted to keep them busy until the others arrived. They both sighed with relief when the other plane arrived on time.

After everyone had arrived and were gathered together, they made their way through customs and baggage claim. Outside the terminal, two stretch limos were waiting to whisk them off to the hotel where they would meet up with the rest of the family.

It was around four when they finally reached the hotel. Some family members wanted to do some sightseeing, but Cherise opted to go straight to her room and sleep until it was time for dinner. She didn’t like sleeping on planes, so she could barely keep her eyes open.

Cherise was asleep by the time her head touched the pillow.

She didn’t get up until shortly after seven, when she showered, slipped on a sundress, then rushed off to meet her relatives downstairs.

Laine had prearranged for them to eat in one of the private dining rooms at El Gran Café, since there were almost forty people in their group. They were once again transported by stretch limousines.

The large dining room had lovely hardwood floors and enormous windows adorned with rich, red velvet curtains. Laine and his wife, Regis, had preselected the menu of seafood croquettes and prawns with garlic for starters, followed by a choice of roasted lamb, monkfish or a veal fillet with foie gras and mushroom sauce, and for dessert, caramelized crema catalana, a specialty of the restaurant.

Afterward, everyone retired to their hotel rooms to settle in for the evening.

Cherise and Ivy weren’t tired and decided to watch a movie together in Ivy’s room.

While her daughters slept, Ivy said, “I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Do what?”

“Raise them by myself,” she responded. “Cherise, it’s hard, and I’m so tired all the time. I’m taking on more shifts now at the hospital, since I can’t depend on Charles to do what he’s supposed to do.”

Ivy was a registered nurse, and until her separation and divorce had worked two days a week.

“You are going to go after him for child support, right?” Cherise asked.

“He doesn’t want to do it through the courts, but I’m going to have to get them involved because now that he’s married again, he wants me to be understanding of his financial obligations.”

Cherise shook her head. “His new wife and kids don’t have anything to do with you. Ivy, you do what you have to do for those girls. As for raising them—you’ve been the one doing that all along. Charles wasn’t always around.”

“You’re right,” Ivy admitted. “He was too busy chasing skirts.” She shook her head sadly. “I just wish…”

“What?” Cherise asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ivy responded with a dismissive wave of her hand. “There really isn’t any need to talk about it. He’s a jerk.”

Her cell phone rang.

Ivy looked down at it and said, “It’s the jerk calling right now.”

Cherise wanted to give Ivy some privacy, so she went to her bedroom and placed a quick call to her mother. “I just wanted to let you know that we made it to Spain.”

“Julian called me earlier, but we lost our connection,” she told Cherise.

“He’s been having trouble with his phone since we arrived.”

“Jazz really wanted to go, but she just didn’t have the money after getting her car repaired and buying that new house.”

Cherise was surprised by her mother’s words. “Mama, why didn’t she come to me? I could’ve worked something out with her.”

“You know your sister. She doesn’t like people in her business. Don’t you mention that I told you, Cherise, okay? Jazz would be mad.”