An unexpected tenderness

She may be the co-owner of an elite lingerie boutique that caters to women’s intimate fantasies, but Autumn Dupree doesn’t believe in happy endings. Although determined to keep her own romantic yearnings under wraps, she reluctantly agrees to be her sister’s maid of honor. Worse, she has to share the nuptial festivities with Chicago’s most irresistible bachelor...

Best man Ajay Reed arouses a passion Autumn longs to fulfill. The entrepreneurial nightclub owner has his own reasons for guarding his heart. But the alluring temptress is awakening new feelings he cannot deny. Can Ajay convince Autumn that they both need to take a leap of faith? As well as trust in the promise of a love that could give them everything they ever dreamed of?

He tried not to touch her, but he couldn’t help but drag a single finger down the exposed part of her arm. As suspected, she shivered beneath his touch.

“Giving in would mean I get to unleash the heat and passion that I know you keep hidden. Although I can’t understand why you try to hide it.”

She finally turned to him, lust reflected in her eyes. “You left out one key factor in your statement.”

“Which is?”

Her eyes dropped to his lips and lingered there for a while before meeting his gaze. “You never asked me what I wanted. Whether or not I wanted you to act on your attraction or not. You didn’t even ask me if I’m attracted to you, too.”

Chemistry this strong couldn’t be one-sided, so he sensed she was attracted to him, as well. Even so, he had to ask just to be sure. “Are you attracted to me, too?”

“A pretty obvious yes...”

When she turned forward in her seat again, he didn’t miss the smile that crept across her face. He was sure this was one of those moments that he was supposed to speak and figure out if this conversation concluded with them agreeing to act on their attraction. Or them agreeing that they shouldn’t. But he couldn’t seem to find the right words, and apparently, neither could she.

Dear Reader,

When Autumn Dupree was initially introduced in Enticing Winter, I immediately knew that she was the perfect match for Ajay Reed. Autumn needed a hero who would take the time to understand her, and Ajay needed a heroine who would really challenge him.

Autumn and Ajay were one of my most favorite couples to write about. While writing their story, I became so wrapped up in the emotions of each character. Both Autumn and Ajay had very difficult past experiences, but sometimes, the best way to overcome adversity is to confide in the one person who may understand you more than anyone else.

Summer’s story is next, and I’m really excited for that release. You will finally meet Summer in Falling for Autumn. In addition to being just as driven as her sisters, she’s also just as feisty.

Much love,

Sherelle

authorsherellegreen@gmail.com

@sherellegreen

Falling for Autumn

Sherelle Green

www.millsandboon.co.uk

SHERELLE GREEN is a Chicago native with a dynamic imagination and a passion for reading and writing. Her love for romance developed in high school after stumbling across a hot and steamy Harlequin novel. She instantly became an avid romance reader and decided to pursue an education in English and journalism. A true romantic, she believes in predestined romances, love at first sight and fairy-tale endings.

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This book is dedicated to the readers who enjoyed the Elite Events series so much that it inspired me to write this spin-off series. I hope you enjoy the Dupree sisters just as much as you enjoyed the women of Elite Events. Thank you so much for all your book love and support!

Acknowledgments

To my cousin Dennis, who not only gave me inspiration for Ajay’s character, but Jaleen’s character, as well! There is so much more to you than what meets the eye, and not only are you charismatic with a big heart, but you’ve had to overcome a lot of adversity to become the man you are today. Not only are you extremely family-oriented, but you make sure that those you love know that they can count on you when needed. Life will always throw us curveballs, and you prove that obstacles don’t keep us down, but make us stronger. I’m so proud of you, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Copyright

Prologue

In order to win the love of a strong-minded man, he must feel challenged, and desire that woman so bad that it hurts. Ajay Reed reflected a little more. He’d overheard an older man telling a group of twentysomething-year-old guys that statement one day. Even though it had been years since he’d heard it, the comment still stuck with him. He considered himself a determined man, but he’d come across enough women to know that he no longer enjoyed the thrill of the chase. He was simple. Easy to understand, if you knew what you were looking for.

When anyone asked, he always claimed that he liked his women as he liked his everyday life...uncomplicated. So he couldn’t understand why he seemed to be mesmerized by the mouthy woman standing before him giving him a lecture on the menu for Inferno, his newest lounge. Autumn Dupree didn’t know the definition of uncomplicated. She was the type of woman who always had an opinion about everything.

“I’m sorry, but can we back up this conversation?” Ajay said, motioning for her to slow down. “How did Taheim and Winter asking us to meet result in you questioning my menu?”

She tilted her head to the side as one of her hands went to her hip. “Since we’re standing in your office in Inferno right now, this conversation hardly constitutes as irrelevant.”

“Maybe according to you. But to me it seems very irrelevant, since I didn’t ask for your opinion on the menu.”

“Well, maybe you should have,” she said with a snarky smile. “I just don’t understand why your menu doesn’t offer any healthy options. You don’t even list the calories of your dishes in the menu.”

“That’s because this is a lounge. Not a health club.”

“What does that have to do with offering healthier options?”

He glanced at his watch, wondering what in the world was taking his brother, Taheim, and Autumn’s sister Winter so long to arrive. He hadn’t heard from Taheim in days, and before Autumn started arguing with him over the menu, she’d stated that she hadn’t heard from Winter lately, either.

“Can we just talk about something else?” he offered. Anything that would get her to stop her rant about his choices in food.

“Like what?” she asked with a shrug.

“Like why my brother and your sister asked to meet with us after being MIA for almost a week.”

“I have a theory...” She slightly worried her bottom lip and crossed her arms over her chest.

“And what might that be?” he asked when he realized she wasn’t going to continue. Her eyes searched his face. He wished he knew why every time she observed him, he felt a slight kick in his gut. That was the main thing that irritated him about Autumn. He couldn’t figure her out, and Ajay prided himself on being a good judge of character. After being burned by people one too many times, he’d spent years perfecting that trait. However, Autumn made him doubt his ability to read people. One minute she’d be giving her opinion on something he wished she wouldn’t, and the next he’d catch her staring at him...trying to read his thoughts.

As much as she annoyed him at times, there was no denying her beauty. Her hazel almond-shaped eyes, full seductive lips and smooth milk-chocolate skin tone were definitely features that had instantly attracted him to her. No matter how much she tried to ignore their chemistry, sometimes he caught that look of interest in her eyes, too.

“Well, let’s look at the facts,” she said, uncrossing her arms. “Almost a week ago, Taheim made a declaration of love and proposed to Winter in front of everyone in attendance for the Inferno grand opening. Then, both Taheim and Winter disappeared, only sending us both texts to say they were fine. So we can assume they were in their own love cocoon.”

“Okay, and those facts tell us what exactly?”

“If I had to bet money on it, I’d say they called us here to discuss the wedding. They probably set a date and I’m guessing this is their official ‘will you be my best man and maid of honor’ speech.”

He was already shaking his head before she finished her statement. “There’s no way they chose a date already. I know my brother. He’s a careful thinker, and even though the proposal was a bit spontaneous for him, I’d bet he wants a long engagement. When he proposed, he hadn’t even picked out a ring yet.”

“I disagree,” she replied, lifting an eyebrow.

“Big shocker.”

“No, seriously, I’ve been paying close attention to them lately, and I figured if they did decide to tie the knot, I couldn’t see Taheim wanting a long engagement. He’s been waiting for weeks to tell anyone who would listen how much he loves Winter.”

He took a moment to think about how Taheim had been lately. Autumn was right. He had been acting real territorial with Winter. But there was no way he was telling her that she was right.

“Well, if they did call us here for that, good for them. I haven’t been a best man yet, so I’m ready to take on that honor.” A quick observation proved that Autumn didn’t share the same feelings as he did.

“What about you? Ever been a maid of honor before?”

“Um, no, and I don’t really want to start now.”

What? Maybe I heard her wrong. “Are you saying you don’t want to be Winter’s maid of honor?”

She waved him off. “Winter is already well aware I disagree with the whole wedding thing.”

“I thought all women imagined their wedding day and being in their friends’ or sisters’ wedding party.”

“Ha! That may be true for some women, but not for me. While I believe in marriage, I don’t believe in the so-called wedding enterprise.”

“Wedding enterprise?”

“Yeah, those suckers in the industry who convince you that in order to marry the person you love, you have to be willing to spend money unnecessarily. When in reality, they reap all the benefits. You know, like the venue, the florists, the cake designer. All those people get paid, but not the couple. Unless by some miracle they get back a ton of money in the form of a wedding gift.”

He studied her eyes, detecting her seriousness about the matter. She talked with a lot of passion, he’d give her that. He remembered his brother telling him a few weeks ago that Autumn was one of those people who spoke only when she felt as if there was something she needed to say. He was sure Taheim was just repeating how Winter had described her, but since he’d met Autumn, he couldn’t recall there ever being a time when she didn’t have something to say.

And he had no idea why he wanted to hear more about her point of view on weddings, but he did. She wasn’t like any woman he’d met before, and the old Ajay would have wanted to accept the unspoken dare to try to figure her out. Unfortunately, he’d changed a lot since then, so he’d have to pass on accepting the challenge.

“Aren’t you friends with the founders of Elite Events Incorporated?” he asked. Ajay and Taheim had grown up with Imani, Cydney and Lexus, since their families were from the same neighborhood, and had quickly developed a friendship with Mya, as well. He was proud of the corporation the four women had built from the ground.

“Yes, but what do they have to do with anything?”

“Since they’re event planners, they often plan weddings. And Lex is your cousin-in-law while Mya is your soon-to-be cousin-in-law.”

She squinted her eyes in confusion. “Once again, not seeing the correlation here.”

He wondered if she was being difficult on purpose or if she genuinely didn’t see where he was going with his thoughts. “Doesn’t that make them part of those groups of suckers you’re referring to?”

“Ah, now I see what you’re getting at,” she said, nodding her head. “Simply put, the answer is yes. However, I’m not that biased to believe that all people in the industry are out to get your money. I happen to really respect Elite Events Incorporated and what the women have accomplished. Besides,” she said with a shrug, “they are well aware of my views on the matter, just like my sister is.”

“Unfortunately, anyone who knows you is well aware of your views,” said a female voice coming from the office doorway.

Ajay turned to see Taheim and Winter enter the room looking as if they didn’t have a care in the world. There was also no mistaking that huge rock on her finger.

“So, baby bro, I guess you really didn’t waste any time getting a ring.”

“Are you kidding me?” Taheim said, never disconnecting his hand with Winter’s. “I couldn’t wait to put this ring on her finger and let everyone know that she is mine. The sooner men know she’s off the market, the better.”

As the newly engaged couple shared an intimate kiss, Ajay glanced over at Autumn just in time to see her mouth Told you. She was mouthing something else after that, but he didn’t catch the rest of her words. He was too busy admiring the way her lips moved. Pouty. Sensual. She must have noticed him staring, because she stopped moving her mouth and gave him an inquisitive look. He gave her a look right back as if to say, “Yes, I was looking. What are you going to do about it?”

“Did you hear what I just said?” Taheim asked, gaining back his attention.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

Taheim looked at Winter with a huge smile on his face. “We decided to get married next October.”

“Wow, congrats, bro,” Ajay said, leaning in for a hug. “That’s great.”

“Even better,” Winter said with a squeal, “we’ve chosen to have a destination wedding in Bora Bora.”

Ajay glanced over just in time to see Autumn slightly cringe at her statement. After what she’d just told him, he assumed she was probably thinking about all the unnecessary money the couple would spend on a destination wedding.

* * *

Autumn lightly squeezed the bridge of her nose, hoping that she was hearing her sister wrong. “That’s less than a year away. Isn’t that a bit soon for a wedding out of the country?”

Winter smiled. “What about saying congrats before you lecture me?”

“I’m sorry, sis.” The last thing Autumn wanted Winter to think was that she wasn’t happy about her engagement to Taheim. She walked over to give Winter a hug. “I’m so happy for you both and I think you’re perfect for each other.” Winter returned her hug while Taheim offered her a smile.

“So what made you both choose Bora Bora?”

Winter held Taheim’s eyes the entire time she spoke. “Well, I really wanted a destination wedding.”

“And I really wanted to get married someplace hot,” Taheim added.

“I wanted only our closest friends and family in attendance.”

“And I reminded her that even that number is larger than she may think.”

Oh, great, they’re already finishing each other’s sentences. On one hand, Autumn found it adorable, and on the other, she was surprised their relationship had escalated so fast.

“Neither one of us likes things to just be ordinary, so we knew we wanted to have a different type of wedding.”

“You mean different besides the fact that you want to have the wedding in Bora Bora?” Ajay asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Winter responded. “We’re talking different as in beach chic and sexy elegance complete with a masquerade beach theme and reception.”

Autumn was sure her mouth dropped, although she honestly shouldn’t be surprised. Winter was a free spirit who loved to make a statement, and judging by what she knew of Taheim, making a statement were his middle names.

“Can I ask how exactly you two came up with this wedding theme?”

“You could, sis, but I already know that any validation won’t change the fact that although you’re happy for us, you hate weddings.”

“Hate is a strong word. I think strongly dislike is more accurate.”

She heard Ajay huff, but refused to look in his direction. Being around him threw her off her game. Instead of sounding like an intelligent realist around Ajay, she came across as a babbling chatterbox.

“Autumn, despite how you feel, I want you by my side for my wedding.” Oh, no, here it goes. “It wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t have my sister and best friend right beside me on my special day, so I got you this.”

Trembling fingers accepted the teal-and-white box wrapped in a beautiful lace ribbon. She looked from the box to Winter, unable to keep from smiling after noticing the huge grin reflected on her sister’s face. When she opened the box, there was a photo of them when they were teenagers.

“Do you remember when we took that?” Winter asked.

“Of course.” It was the day after a lot of drama had happened with their parents and they had promised each other that if they found true love, they would be there for each other every step of the journey. When she lifted the photo, she noticed a custom wineglass and a small bottle of her favorite red wine with a note attached to it.

“You’ve already done a great job at helping me acknowledge my feelings for Taheim,” Winter said as she watched Autumn read the card. “I need you by my side. I need you to be my maid of honor.”

Autumn couldn’t help the emotion she felt in her heart. “Of course I will, sis.” As they hugged, she glanced over her shoulder in time to see Taheim ask Ajay to be his best man. After he agreed, Ajay caught her eye and for the first time tonight, her dislike for weddings wasn’t her most prominent thought. Instead, she was trying to calculate approximately how much time the best man and maid of honor would have to spend together. Spending any amount of time with a man as handsome as Ajay was enough to make a woman like her lose her ability to think straight.

Chapter 1

Eight months later...

I need you to be by my side. I need you to be my maid of honor. Autumn Dupree couldn’t seem to forget her sister’s words no matter how hard she tried.

“You must be so excited for your sister.”

Autumn downed the rest of the champagne in her glass before facing the enthusiastic voice. “Of course I am,” she replied through gritted teeth. “All this love, happiness and months of planning ahead for a single twenty-four-hour day. Who wouldn’t be happy, right?” The perky woman blinked her eyes a few times before abruptly walking away.

“Maybe you can work on a stiff smile and refrain from the sarcasm until after the engagement party.”

Autumn rolled her eyes at her friend and store manager of Bare Sophistication lingerie boutique, Danni Allison. “I refuse to pretend to believe in weddings when I don’t.”

“But you agreed to be the maid of honor, and in doing so, Winter expects you to at least pretend to be happy for her.”

“I am happy for her.” Autumn shifted from one leg to the other in frustration as she glanced around the crowded Reed family home. “But this is too much fuss for one freaking day. I mean, what’s in the Chicago water we’ve been drinking, because since I moved here a few years ago, there have been more engagement parties than I can count. And we already had an engagement party for Winter and Taheim right after they were engaged months ago, so I don’t even know what this is.”

“Taheim’s mom had a bunch of old college friends in town and she wanted to do something special for her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Especially since a lot of people won’t be going to Bora Bora for the wedding. Didn’t you read the email I sent you?”

She turned up her eyebrows at Danni. “You know, studies show you only have thirty seconds to intrigue a reader, and that booklet of wedding stuff you sent me lost my interest within the first five seconds.”

“You should have been the person putting that so-called booklet together. I’m just a bridesmaid.”

“You’re already aware that I’ve been hosting a lot of our Bare Sophistication masquerade lingerie parties while Taheim and Winter have been on tour showcasing all their designs from their own clothing and lingerie lines. You told me it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“It isn’t a big deal, but at the very least, I expect you to read what I email you.”

“Last I checked, fifteen percent of engagements are called off anyway, so I figured it would be a waste reading something that may not even be relevant in a few months.”

“You’re lucky I appreciate your snarky attitude,” Mya Winters-Madden said as she approached the women with Lex Turner-Madden walking beside her. “Otherwise, I’d have some real issues with that statement.”

Mya had married Autumn’s cousin Malik Madden just last month—only three months after giving birth to a beautiful set of boy and girl fraternal twins, believing for months that they were only pregnant with one child. Lex had married Malik’s brother, Micah, a year and a half ago. Growing up, she remembered conversations she’d had with Malik, Micah and Winter about how none of them were ever getting married. Boy, had the tables turned.

“Although I’m glad my cousins found such amazing women like the two of you, I still stand firm in my beliefs regarding weddings.”

Lex laughed as she shook her head. “We wouldn’t expect you to be anyone but yourself. Even so, Mya and I have both been in Winter’s shoes, and it helps when you know that those close to you support your marriage.”

“I’ll support their marriage wholeheartedly. It’s weddings that...”

“We know, we know,” Danni interrupted. “It’s weddings that you dislike, not the idea of marriage.”

“Exactly.” There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for Winter, but she still couldn’t believe she’d actually agreed to be a pivotal part of this shindig. Weddings were superficial. If one did decide to take the plunge, she never understood why they didn’t just go to a courthouse and save themselves the hassle of planning. However, she knew people were tired of hearing her talk about her view on weddings, so she had to do a better job of keeping her mouth shut.

“I’ll try my best to show my support.” Her voice didn’t sound as believable as she hoped it would, but she really meant what she said. After a few more skeptical looks, they finally turned their focus to another topic. Out of all the people Autumn had met since moving to Chicago, Danni and the ladies of Elite Events Incorporated probably knew her better than most of the friends she had back in New York. Autumn wasn’t an easy nut to crack. Oftentimes, it took people a while to understand her quirky personality. However, she’d decided long ago that it didn’t matter if people didn’t appreciate the type of person she was. As long as she knew who she was, that suited her just fine.

“Malik is the worst when it comes to changing diapers,” Mya said. “He’ll spend all day playing with the twins, but when it’s time to change a diaper, he makes himself scarce.”

Autumn laughed. “We weren’t around babies much growing up, so maybe you need to teach him how.”

“Oh, he knows how,” Mya replied. “He just refuses to do so. Next time I get a whiff of a smelly diaper, I’m forcing him to change it.”

All the women shared a laugh as they joined others in the bridal party. Glancing over at Winter, Autumn couldn’t help but be proud of her sister. Their childhood had been anything but easy, and she couldn’t recall ever seeing her sister so happy. The opening of their Chicago lingerie boutique, Bare Sophistication, came a close second. But even so, Winter had been sporting the biggest smile since accepting Taheim’s marriage proposal.

As if she knew Autumn was thinking about her, Winter glanced over at her and smiled. Since they were only eleven months apart, they often knew what the other was thinking. Irish twins in more ways than one. It often drove their younger sister, Summer, crazy, but they couldn’t help it. They shared a connection that was unexplainable.

“When is Summer flying in?”

“She should be here in a few weeks and will stay until the wedding.”

“Great. Are we still meeting next week to discuss the other wedding events?” Danni asked.

“Yes, we’re still on.”

What Autumn didn’t mention was that she needed Danni to be there. She’d managed to avoid planning any wedding duties alone with Ajay, but with the wedding eight weeks away, she would have to face the inevitable. It was crunch time, and she would be seeing more of Ajay whether she liked it or not.

A couple of months ago, Winter and Taheim had decided to plan a coed combined bridal, bachelorette and bachelor party in Chicago for their extended friends who wouldn’t be able to attend the wedding. It was definitely a plan unlike any Autumn had heard before, but different worked for Winter and Taheim.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the group share a laugh at something Mrs. Reed had been saying about Taheim as she called him and Winter to the front of the room. Autumn really liked Mrs. Reed. She was so unlike her own mom, and she was glad to see her and Winter’s relationship blossom. Her sister needed a motherly figure after all their mom had put her through growing up.

When Taheim’s sister, Kaya, took the stage, Autumn felt the hairs on her arms stick up. Even at thirty, almost thirty-one, she still got nervous about public speaking when she didn’t know what to say.

“I’m going to step out for a bit,” she whispered into Danni’s ear when she caught Mrs. Reed looking her way. She knew what was coming next. It was the same thing that had happened during every prewedding event she’d attended for Winter and Taheim. Whoever started talking first to the attendees would make eye contact with the maid of honor, best man or any member of the bridal party so that others could share a few words, as well.

When she found a door leading to the beautiful outdoor garden that Taheim’s mom had shown her months ago, she breathed a sigh of relief. Autumn excelled at discussing things such as her lingerie boutique or a good political debate. But when it came to discussing love, merriment and all that jazz, she always felt socially awkward. As if her forehead had the words fish out of water stamped across it. Since she had such a sour view on weddings, all wedding-related activities made her feel uncomfortable.

She glanced around in the darkness, looking for a nice spot to relax. The concrete bench next to a large oak tree and a dim light that illuminated part of the pond was perfect.

“Much better,” she said when she sat down, kicked off her heels and lay on her back. Usually, she would worry about wrinkling her cute black dress or messing up the updo that had taken her a half hour to create. But in this case, lying on her back with her head tilted slightly more downward than her body was the only thing that helped her headache go away. It was something her dad had always done growing up to get rid of his headaches, and strangely enough, it worked for Autumn every time.

“Well, the view out here definitely just got better.” The deep baritone voice caused her to sit upright on the bench as she glanced toward the tree. She thought about asking who was out there, but it was pointless. She knew that voice anywhere. It often appeared in her dreams, although she really wished it didn’t.

She waited for Ajay to come from out of the darkness, and when he did, she was tempted to tell him to go back behind the tree. He was wearing a blazer, jeans and Timberland boots—the same attire he usually wore. As usual, he looked as sexy as ever.

She instantly squeezed her thighs tighter to try to ease the warmth. Every time she saw him, it was either his voice or his eyes that did the trick. Thank goodness he’s too far away for me to see his eyes. He had one of those rare eye combinations that often changed colors depending on the weather. Normally, his eyes were light brown, but on more than one occasion when they’d gotten into a heated debate, the color deepened to a dark gray with a hint of a brown around them. That was something they had in common. Her eyes often changed between hazel and light brown depending on her mood.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked, walking closer to her.

She shrugged. “I assume the same thing as you. Escaping the party.”

When he got closer to her, she moved her feet in case he wanted to sit down. His eyes lingered on her legs before he took a seat on the bench.

“Why are you out here?” she asked him in return. “To escape the party, right?”

He gave her a crooked smile. One that she hadn’t seen before. “Yeah, you’re right. Taheim and Winter have had so many prewedding events, I’m running out of things to say.”

“You never seem tongue-tied when you speak at these things.”

“Well, maybe that’s only half the truth. Lately, my mind is preoccupied with other thoughts.”

She wanted to know what else was on his mind, but that was so unlike her. She usually didn’t push people for more information. She chanced a glance at him and noticed the faraway look in his eyes. Don’t ask him about his thoughts. Don’t ask him about his thoughts.

“What other thoughts are preoccupying your mind?” Crap. Big fail.

Instead of responding to her, he looked her way, and she could have sworn that his eyes briefly dropped to her lips. He seemed as if he was going to answer, when Autumn heard someone yelling for them. She glanced toward the house, where the voice had come from.

“It’s Taheim,” Ajay supplied. “We better get back in there. Duty calls.”

She nodded her head in agreement, still wondering what other thoughts were occupying his mind tonight. Were his thoughts about a woman? If so, why should she even care? They weren’t exactly friends and they talked to one another only because they sort of had to. There were a million reasons why she shouldn’t care, but at the moment, she couldn’t think of even one.

They fell into step beside one another, and it wasn’t until they were almost at the house that she realized this was one of the first times they hadn’t argued about anything.

* * *

Ajay had no idea what Taheim’s friend Jaleen Walker was saying, but he knew it didn’t matter. Knowing Jaleen, it was probably just some random comment about a woman he’d hooked up with the night before.

Nope, Ajay didn’t care at all. Not when he had more important things to think about. Such as why, when he had so much on his mind, he couldn’t stop admiring the way Autumn was sipping her wine.

When she’d stepped outside to escape the party, he’d watched her until she made it to the bench. He couldn’t take his eyes off her legs when she’d raised them to lie down. They were long and beautiful. He’d bet they’d look even better wrapped around his waist. In that moment, she’d seemed so approachable, unlike the woman who always got on him about the food he chose to place on the menu of his venues.

Lurking behind the tree without saying anything would have been creepy, so he’d decided the best thing to do was to make his presence known, even though he would have rather admired her in the darkness.

“Hey, man, did you hear anything I just said?”

He forced himself to stop looking at Autumn. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I asked if I can meet with you over at Autumn’s to discuss that bachelor-and-bachelorette-party combo event you all are planning. I was talking to Danni about it and she mentioned that she was meeting up to discuss it with Autumn, and I remember you had spoken about it, as well.”

Hmm, I didn’t know Autumn had told Danni. It was probably for the best because he didn’t want to be left alone with her anyway. Whenever he was around Autumn lately, he seemed to want to do things so out of character, such as ask questions to learn more about her. He guessed they wouldn’t agree on much anyway, so if Danni and Jaleen joined, more would get accomplished.

“Yeah, that’s fine. We could use the help.”

“Good,” Jaleen said, taking a swig of his beer. “From the way you were just staring at Autumn, I thought you may tell me no to eliminate the competition.”

“You aren’t competition.”

“Yeah, okay.”

He took a sip of his bourbon on the rocks and resumed his original task of observing Autumn. “If you’re thinking about hitting on Autumn, don’t bother.”

He could feel Jaleen smiling, but he kept his eyes focused on her. He knew even if they were attracted to one another, they would never cross that line. But Jaleen liked to screw anything in a skirt, so Ajay had no problem staking a claim on Autumn if that meant Jaleen wouldn’t flirt with her.

Chapter 2

Ajay glanced at his watch, wondering if maybe he’d gotten his days mixed up. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his iPhone to call Taheim. When he didn’t answer, he decided to call Jaleen.

“Hey, man, are we still meeting at Taheim’s tonight?” he asked when Jaleen answered.

“Yeah, as far as I know.”

“The doorman let me up because I assume Taheim told him he was expecting me. But I rang the doorbell and knocked. He’s not answering.”

“Probably because Winter hasn’t left for her sister’s place yet. You know they’ve been inseparable lately. I’m surprised Taheim even offered to have poker night at his place now that Winter has moved in.”

Ever since Ajay had walked in on Taheim and Winter in a compromising position, he’d locked the spare key he had for his brother’s place in his safe so he would need to use it only for emergencies.

“Come down to my place and I’ll text Taheim so he can let us know when he’s ready for poker night. I’ll text the other guys, too, so they can just come to my place and chill out.”

Jaleen lived in the same building as Taheim in a penthouse suite located in the separate wing of the luxury complex.

“Sounds good,” he replied, already making his way to Jaleen’s penthouse. When Jaleen and Taheim had both decided to stay in the same 244-unit building a few years ago, they’d tried to convince Ajay that he should stay there, as well. However, Ajay was more of a house man, not a condo person. His five-bedroom, three-bathroom home might be too much space for a bachelor, but he enjoyed having room to breathe and do whatever he wanted in the comfort of his home.

“Hey, man,” Jaleen said as he opened the door and stepped aside for Ajay to walk in. “I already texted the other guys. We may just move poker night here instead.”

“Works for me.”

“Cool. Have you talked to Autumn today?”

He looked at Jaleen questioningly, not understanding why he randomly brought up Autumn.

“No. Why?”

“No reason,” Jaleen replied with a smirk on his face. “I just need to make sure you don’t try to hit on my future woman.”

He’d known Jaleen long enough to know when he was up to something. Jaleen was always scheming and getting into other people’s business. “Yo’ woman? I thought I made myself clear the other day at the party.”

“But I thought you weren’t attracted to her?”

“I never said I wasn’t attracted to her. I just told you not to hit on her.”

“So you are attracted to her?”

“Why does it matter if I am or not?”

“Is that a yes?”

He laughed, trying to change the subject. “When did the other guys say they would get here?”

“I’ll tell you right after you answer my question. I know you’ve been out of the game for a while...”

It was true that Ajay hadn’t seriously dated anyone in a while, but in his line of work, women were constantly throwing themselves at him. Years ago, he was known for bedding one woman after the next, but he had always made it clear to them that he wasn’t a relationship type of guy. It had only taken him getting burned a couple times to change his perspective on the opposite sex. He still enjoyed a woman’s company every now and then, but at thirty-five, he needed more than a pretty face to make him stay around.

“It hasn’t been that long.” As the words left his mouth, he thought about the fact that he hadn’t had sex in over four months. For an insatiable man like him, that was forever ago. When Jaleen continued to ride him about his lack of dating women lately, he decided to give in and answer the question Jaleen really wanted to know.

“Well, yeah, Autumn is an attractive woman, so naturally I’m drawn to her. But the reason I told you to back off is for her own good, not mine. If I wanted to pursue Autumn, she’d know it and so would you and any other guy interested in her.”

Jaleen was smiling from ear to ear by the time they entered the entertainment room. Ajay stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Autumn sitting on a bar stool sipping a cocktail. One look at her face and he’d known that she had overheard part of the conversation. He cut his eyes at Jaleen, who simply turned his shoulders in a shrug.

“Hello, Autumn,” he said as he approached her. “Surprised to see you here.”

She gave him a soft smile. “Winter asked me to pick her up so that she wouldn’t have to find a place to park her car when she came over. When I got here, she texted me that she needed another hour.”

He nodded his head in understanding, but wished he could wipe that smirk off Jaleen’s face. Jaleen was trying to work in casual conversation by asking Ajay about the nightclubs and bars that he owned in the Chicagoland area and asking Autumn about her lingerie boutique and the masquerade lingerie events that were quickly gaining more exposure. They both supplied simple two-or three-word answers, and a quick study of Autumn’s demeanor proved that his earlier assumption was right. She’d definitely heard part of their conversation. They’d been in the same room for over five minutes and she hadn’t even gotten mouthy with him yet. Even stranger, he actually missed her sassiness.

“Autumn, can I get you anything else?” Jaleen asked as he slid beside her on an adjacent stool.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Yes, you are.” The double meaning of Jaleen’s words didn’t go unnoticed by Ajay.

“Are you always this flirty?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink. The way her mouth curled around the glass was distracting. He’d been thinking about her lips way too much lately.

“Only around attractive women.” Ajay snorted at Jaleen’s lame attempt at flirting. Jaleen used every line in the book, and to this day, he never understood why it actually worked on most women. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be working on Autumn.

When a buzzer sounded indicating that someone wanted to be let up to Jaleen’s condo, Ajay was left alone with her. When seconds ticked into minutes and Jaleen still hadn’t returned, the awkwardness grew. Ajay racked his brain to try to think of something to talk about but came up short. This is a shame. Thirty-five years old and I’m acting as if I don’t have game. Not that he wanted to spit game at Autumn. Nor did he want to notice that the woman made jeans and a T-shirt look as sexy as if she were wearing a short, tight dress.

Even though they were both trying to focus on random things around the room, their eyes found each other. He couldn’t quite read the look in her eyes, but there was no mistaking the change of energy in the space.

“Interesting,” she said, her eyes still locked to his.

“What’s interesting?”

“I think I’d rather keep it to myself.”

Now he really wanted to know. “Whatever you tell me, I won’t say a word.”

“If I don’t tell you, it guarantees you won’t say a word because you won’t know anything. It’s common knowledge that people typically can’t hold secrets.”

“I’ve always been great at keeping secrets.” He didn’t even notice that he was walking closer to her until he was only a couple of feet away. Being this near to her, he was able to see things that he hadn’t from a distance. He wished he could free her hair of that neat ponytail. It fit her personality. Organized. Uptight at times. With the exception of a few stray hairs, nothing was out of place. But he had a feeling that deep down, there was a side of Autumn that she rarely released. A side that wasn’t tame or disciplined.

“What are you thinking about?”

His lips curled to the side in a smirk. “I’ll tell you exactly what I’m thinking if you tell me your secret.” When she remained quiet, he continued, “Or are you too scared of what I may think if you tell me your secret?”

She didn’t answer at first and he felt as if he was holding his breath for her answer. Squinting her eyes together, she leaned a little closer to him. “Your pupils are changing colors,” she said softly.

“That happens on occasion.”

“I know. And that’s part of the reason why I won’t tell you my secret.”

He scrunched his forehead in confusion. “I don’t understand.”

“When I don’t understand something, I study it to try to figure it out.”

“Am I to assume I’m your latest study?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Are you saying I should be studying you, then?”

“Certain things about you do pique my curiosity,” she responded. “So to answer your first question, I’m not too scared of what you may think.”

“Then, why can’t you tell me your secret?”

At the sound of footsteps, she lowered her voice. “I can’t tell you my secret because I’m worried of what you may do.”

As Jaleen entered followed by a couple of the guys, Ajay was still contemplating Autumn’s words. She may not have wanted to tell him the secret, but she’d revealed what type of secret it was without indulging the information completely. What she didn’t understand about him was that her statement wasn’t going to make him stop asking. If anything, he wanted to know what she was hiding even more.

* * *

A bunch of arrogant males vying for her attention she could handle, but there was one hot-blooded male in the room who was occupying all of her thoughts. She could kill Winter for pushing back their meeting time. At least she felt a little more like her normal self. Now all she needed to do was convince Luke, one of Taheim’s groomsmen, to take a few steps out of her personal space.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

She sighed. Just like Jaleen, Luke was attractive. Both men could have their pick of women in Chicago. The main reason Autumn didn’t entertain their flirtatious ways was the muscular man observing her in the corner of the room sporting tattoos so sexy she wished she could trace them with her tongue.

Since it was mid-August, the fall season was right around the corner and she had gotten a chance to see Ajay’s bare, muscular arms only a few times. He was always wearing some type of blazer or long-sleeved shirt despite the heat. His urban style wasn’t something she usually found attractive, but Ajay was giving a whole new meaning to the term fashionable street wear.

He was rough around the edges, but smooth on the corners. A definite charmer from what she could tell, but he wasn’t the type of man who had to try to get attention. Women were just drawn to him. Unlike Jaleen and Luke, he wasn’t in your face, but rather the silent assassin who struck when you least expected it. He seemed like a simple guy, but he had layers, and damn her curiosity for wanting to see what other coatings he had.

“So tell me, Autumn, is there someone special in your life?”

“No, there isn’t. What about you?”

“No one as mesmerizing as you.”

Oh, Lord, I don’t know how much more of this I can take. Strike one. She was all for a little harmless flirting, but this was becoming a little too much.

“So tell me, Luke, what is so mesmerizing about me?”

“That’s easy,” he said with his eyes smiling. “I’m mesmerized by your beauty.”

“Okay, what else?”

He leaned a little closer to her and she was tempted to tell him to lay off the cologne next time. “And your eyes are beautiful.”

“Anything not related to my looks?”

“I’m blinded by your beauty, but mesmerized by your entire package.”

Strike two. She wondered why men thought complimenting a woman’s entire package was a good thing. He could think it. But to say it?

“My package? All physical, or is there something about my personality that’s included in that?”

“Of course there is, sweetheart.” He flicked her chin with his finger and she barely heard whatever answer he gave. Strike three. Do not touch me unless I give you the signal to do so. She definitely had not given him the signal. She never was the touchy-feely type.

Her phone buzzed and she read the text from Winter saying that she was ready. She glanced back at Luke, wondering if he had any idea that her sister’s text had just saved him from a few of her choice words. Since she still had to see Luke for all the wedding stuff, she was glad she’d gotten the message.

“I have to go,” she said, standing up from the stool.

“We should go out sometime.”

“No, thanks.”

“Maybe you want to reconsider.” He gave her what she assumed was his sexy face. She wasn’t feeling it.

“Hmm, no need. My answer will still be no. You, on the other hand, will find some other poor soul to spit lines to.” She laughed to mask the jab.

“You’ll be sorry,” he yelled after her playfully.

“Doubt it.” She was glad he didn’t seem bitter about it. Probably the only thing about him that she actually liked was that he didn’t get bent out of shape too easily.

She said her goodbyes to the entire room, trying to flee Jaleen’s condo before any of the guys decided they wanted to flirt some more. Right before she was out of the room, she noticed Ajay glance at his phone and assumed he’d just heard from Taheim. He glanced at her and smiled. She thought about the words she’d heard him say when he was talking to Jaleen. On one hand, she was glad that he found her attractive but wasn’t acting on it. On the other hand, she was dying to know what on earth was making him hold back.

Chapter 3

Of all the workouts her sister had decided to try before the wedding, hot yoga was by far Autumn’s favorite.

“That’s it, ladies and gentleman. Take a deep breath and exhale.”

Autumn maintained her tree pose as she concentrated on her breathing and listened to the instructor. As usual, she had to ignore the grunts from Danni and Winter, who didn’t enjoy hot yoga nearly as much as she did. She wasn’t sure if it was the fact that the temperature in the room was currently set to ninety degrees, or if it was because both the women liked to chat when they worked out, and yoga definitely did not allow that. Regardless, Autumn knew they continued to go only because she had fallen in love with it.

As they moved into another pose and she heard another groan from the ladies, she inwardly laughed as she reflected on the time she’d convinced them to try Bikram yoga. Bikram yoga was slightly different from hot yoga because the poses were more complex and the room had to be at 105 degrees at all times. After one class, Danni and Winter hadn’t been able to walk without wobbling for a few days.

“Now let’s move into our cooldown.”

This was her favorite part of the entire class. She did some of her best thinking during the end of class when her body was in full-relaxation mode. She wished that she’d discovered yoga when she was in high school and college. She’d heard about it, but never tried it before. Had she known she would feel so much more content after an hour of turning her body in poses she never thought possible, she would have possibly entertained a career as an instructor.

There weren’t too many things in her life that made her feel normal. It wasn’t that she wanted to be like everyone else, but sometimes she tired of being the oddball. The opinionated woman who didn’t like weddings, who used to hide just how smart she was for fear of not being accepted. Social gatherings weren’t her thing. She enjoyed talking to people, but sometimes it just felt as if people didn’t enjoy talking to her. She was awkward. She knew it. She embraced it. But every now and then she wondered what it would be like to not feel more different than everybody else.

“That’s all, folks. See you next week.”

Just like always at the end of their hot yoga classes, she already missed the freeing feeling she exhibited for that hour. Luckily, she had enough DVDs to do yoga in the comfort of her home.

“I’m starving,” Winter said as she stretched out her body. “You ladies down for some lunch?”

Autumn and Danni both nodded their head in agreement. Sunday was the only day that Bare Sophistication was closed, which meant it was the only day the three of them could have lunch together. They had a great staff, but usually one of the three of them would be in the store at all times.

They ordered sandwiches and salads at a nearby café and grabbed a table outside to enjoy the weather.

“I really am sorry about Friday night,” Winter said before taking a bite of her salad.

“It’s okay,” Autumn replied. “Jaleen was really hospitable.”

“I bet he was.” Winter glanced at Danni and they shared a knowing smile.

“You both know he flirts with any woman he meets.”

“That’s not what our look was about, but yes, Jaleen is a flirt,” Danni said with a laugh. “I still don’t see how he thinks any woman would take him seriously.”

“Probably because women don’t make him work for it,” Winter added. “Not like I made Taheim work for it.”

“Girl, please,” Autumn said. “You didn’t make him work that hard.”

Winter turned up an eyebrow at her statement. “I guess you’re right if you’re comparing it with the way that you are making Ajay work.”

“I’d have to be interested to make him work for anything.” She ignored Danni’s giggle.

“Who are you kidding?” Winter gave her a look of disbelief. “We already know you’re attracted to him, so I don’t know why you’d think we’d believe that.”

“Yeah, he may be attractive, but he’s not my type.”

“Since when is tall, dark and handsome not your type?”

“Or muscular and successful with a deep powerful voice?” Danni added. “I’m missing what’s not attractive...”

“Then, why don’t you date him?” she said defensively.

“Sweetie, I don’t date men that my friends like or who like my friends.”

“You guys are leaving out important facts.”

“Like what?”

Autumn sighed before continuing. “Like the fact that we don’t really get along.”

“Just like Taheim and I didn’t get along? Look how that turned out.”

“That’s different. You guys started off with that terrible blind date, otherwise, things might have been different between you initially. With Ajay, he may be attracted to me, but we don’t understand each other. I’m a bit of a loner sometimes and he doesn’t know the meaning of loner. He owns so many lounges, bars and nightclubs in Chicago that he’s always around people. And I’m not a health nut, but I eat nutritious foods. Have y’all seen the menu for his venues?”

“Can you lay off the menu issue?” Danni said, shaking her head. “Seriously, you’ve been on his case about that since last year.”

“That’s not all. He has this bad-boy attitude about him.”

“Bad boys were always your type.”

“Maybe when I was young and naive,” she said, looking to Winter. “Now I’m older. Wiser. I’ve dated so many different types of men and they all have the same thing in common.”

“And what might that be?” Danni asked.

She began moving the lettuce around on her plate, not really wanting to answer the question. She didn’t like sharing her insecurities despite the fact that the women sitting at the table knew her well enough not to judge her.

“What do they have in common?” Winter asked when she didn’t respond.

“Well, for starters, they don’t understand me. I’m too intimidating for a lot of men. Too opinionated for others. Too complicated for many. Too reserved for a few. And definitely too intelligent for some to find any common ground.”

“Or, you’ve dated so many frogs that you’ve convinced yourself it’s you, not them.”

“In some cases it may be them, but the common denominator in every situation is me. And let’s not forget about him.” She didn’t dare say his name out loud. It hurt too much. Made her feel too much.

The table went quiet for a couple of minutes until Winter spoke. “Sis, sometimes we let decisions or people from our past affect the outcome of our future. What happened when you were in high school was unfortunate, but you can’t let that define your view on relationships. I don’t know why you think that you won’t find a man who understands you. But what I do know is if you aren’t willing to give a man a chance to try, then you may never know if what you think about yourself is true.”

A couple of hours later, Autumn was still thinking about her sister’s words. She was usually the one giving the ladies advice, so it felt strange to be on the receiving end. She’d spent so long analyzing past relationships and wondering what went wrong. For a while, she blamed the fact that her parents’ relationship was so broken she was bound to mess up. But that really wasn’t fair. She adored her father, who was now back living in his home country of France. Yet she despised her mother, who was incapable of loving anyone but herself. Even so, Autumn knew deep down the problem she had when it came to the opposite sex was a result of what she’d gone through in the past.

Her first serious boyfriend had left her emotionally damaged, and even now she couldn’t talk about him. Other men she dated after him had claimed to break up with her because she seemed detached. Indifferent. Impassive. Every relationship would start off going well, until things went sour and she still had no idea why.

“Or you just don’t want to face the facts,” she said aloud to herself after she’d arrived home. Fact: most men were interesting, until they weren’t. It never failed that she eventually got bored or they got bored with her. Fact: a woman who claimed to feel butterflies when a man kissed her deeply should explain to the female population that the sparks lasted only for a short while. Eventually the sparks disappeared. Fact: a woman could go her entire life without experiencing a real orgasm as a result of sexual intercourse with a man. A fact that she wished weren’t true, but understood all too well.

She went to her bathroom and turned on her shower. Her town house was only a few blocks from Bare Sophistication, and she’d fallen in love with the place when she’d visited Chicago before moving there. Before Winter had moved in with Taheim, she had stayed one block away, and Danni was still only a few blocks away.

She briefly reflected on how many women went from living independently to living with a man once they entered a serious relationship. It was understandable why that would be the next step, and she supposed men had to go through the same thing when they decided to hang up their bachelor jacket and trade it in for a nice durable family coat.

She scrolled through the music on her iPhone in search for her playlist filled with relaxing music. Once she found it, she connected her phone to the waterproof Bluetooth speaker she kept in the shower. As soon as the water rushed across her body, she immediately grabbed her plush purple loofah and dabbed it with her favorite honey-and-vanilla shower gel infused with coconut.

She was just beginning to allow the music to control her body when an incoming text message interrupted her tunes. She never responded to a message while she was in the shower or taking a bath, but as she peered closer to the screen and read the name of the person intruding on her alone time, she froze.

Oh, goodness, what could he be texting me for? They’d exchanged numbers last year when Taheim and Winter had gotten engaged, but not once had Ajay sent her a message. She dried one hand on the towel hanging outside her shower and unlocked her phone so she could read the text.

Hey, what are you doing?

Hmm. It was a little out the blue, but she was too curious as to what he really wanted not to respond.

Just relaxing. What about you?

She watched the three dots appear on her screen to indicate he was composing his text.

I’m relaxing, too. Just got done playing basketball with the guys.

Great, now I’m imagining him all hot and sweaty. Even as the thought entered her mind, she shook her head to try to get rid of it. She wasn’t the type to swoon over a sweaty man, and she definitely wasn’t going to start now.

I just finished a yoga class with the ladies.

She had barely hit Send before he responded.

Yoga, huh? A man can do a lot with that type of information.

She smiled despite herself. Ajay barely flirted with her in person, yet was flirting with her via text message. Maybe he’s just horny. Or maybe he was just warming her up before getting to the real reason he texted her. The water continued to hit her body, and the combination of the rhythm of the water and rereading what Ajay had written her was sparking her boldness. She wanted to entertain his flirtatiousness...just a little.

You know, they say yoga doesn’t just increase your strength, balance and flexibility. It also helps your endurance...

Not exactly flirty, but good enough. He wasn’t really flirting with her heavily, so she couldn’t lay it all out there. The dots didn’t appear for a short while, and she wondered if he was trying to think of a response.

Endurance. One of my favorite words. The ability to remain active for an extended period of time. What other extracurricular activities do you enjoy?

She laughed at the ridiculousness of their conversation. Ridiculous or not, you’re enjoying it.

I also love Zumba. Any excuse to lose myself in a dance, let my thoughts float around and get a workout at the same time.

Once again, his response was quick.

So you enjoy activities that allow you to lose yourself and get lost in your thoughts?

She starting typing a general response, but decided to be more honest.

I tend to enjoy anything that lets me escape harsh realities and find solace in not overthinking everything I say or everything I do. Even in a roomful of people, I sometimes feel like the sole individual. Alone in my relaxation. Just the way I like it.

There. She did it. She’d told him something that she hadn’t really told anyone before. Further making her wonder why in the world he affected her and made her want to open up. Probably because you’re secretly hoping that he will try to understand you. But that wouldn’t happen. Couldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let it, and she wasn’t an open book. Getting her hopes up meant she was leaving room for disappointment.

She placed her phone back in a safe place away from the water. A couple of minutes later, it dinged again. Don’t read his message, she warned herself. You’ve already let him take over half your shower. Deep down, she knew it was no point heeding her own warning. She dried one hand again and read his message.

A sea full of people and no one who understands you... I know the feeling all too well. Sometimes it’s better to be alone because it gives you a chance to find yourself. To be yourself and answer any unresolved questions.

She read the message a second time, surprised that he’d related to her message and even read between the lines and interpreted things that she hadn’t even written. Before she got a chance to write a response, another message popped up.

And then other times, you may be in a roomful of people and lock eyes with someone who notices you. Someone you don’t have to explain anything to. Someone who sees past what you’re trying to hide from others. All of a sudden it doesn’t matter if thousands of people don’t understand the type of person you are as long as you find one person who does... Or one person who’s willing to try.

Her lips parted as she stared at the message. Mind. Blown. She no longer had to worry about Ajay invading her relaxing shower, because after his profound text messages, he’d just hijacked all the rest of her thoughts for the week.

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