African American romance

Happy Hump Day, everyone! It’s time to take a peek behind the covers of books and works in progress of several authors during the Mid Week Tease, hosted by Sandra Bunino.

Raine surprised Melanie by coming to visit her for the weekend. She is thrilled to let him into her home and bed, but not so willing to let him into her family. Her mother , Ellie Gordon, would like nothing more than to see her married. The last thing Mel wants to do is give her a prospect on which to focus. However, when Melanie takes Raine to one of her favorite places in town, the Cleveland Museum of Art, she runs into the last person on earth she wants Raine to meet.

<=====Excerpt from Making the First Move=====>

He holds me closer, our cheeks flushed as we stand in front of Jacques Louis David’s enormous painting of Cupid and Psyche lying naked in an elaborate bed, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

Raine kisses the side of my face and whispers in my ear, “I know how that guy feels.”

Before I can tell him I know how Psyche feels, too, I’m interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Melanie!”

My spine stiffens. There are times when my mother’s voice echoes in my head. It stopped me from going to third base on several occasions in high school. But it’s never quite this vivid.

“Melanie!”

Raine and I both stop to look at the woman quickly approaching.

It’s my mother!

Mimi tries to keep up, laden with her huge purse and the boys’ jackets. Mickey and Dusty are nowhere in sight.

“Mom? Mimi? What are you doing here?”

“We actually came to see the art.” Mom grins and winks at me as she leans in to give me a hug. “Who’s your handsome friend?”

I take a deep breath. I’m not prepared for this, introducing Raine to my mother. Should I call him my boyfriend? “Mom, I’d like you to meet Raine Mason. He’s…a friend of mine.” I give him a look that begs forgiveness in advance for anything inappropriate my mother might say. “Raine, this is my mother, Ellie Gordon.”

She rakes her fingers through her hair and stands a bit straighter.

“Mrs. Gordon, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about your magnificent cooking.” He extends his hand.

A wide grin spreads across her face. She slips her hand into his. “Well, it’s certainly a pleasure to meet you, Raine. Though I’m at a disadvantage. You’re apparently my daughter’s best-kept secret. She hasn’t breathed a word to us about you.”

Mom glances back at Mimi. My sister looks as guilty now as she did when she was seven and she’d denied stealing my mother’s makeup with pink-stained lips and clown-red cheeks.

“Well, she hasn’t breathed a word to me, at least,” Mom continues. “I have no idea why she’d be hiding such a handsome, polite young man from her mother.” She raises an eyebrow at me.

I rub my forehead, wishing it were a genie lamp that would grant my wish to have never left the condo this morning. “I haven’t been hiding him, Mom. Raine lives in San Francisco.”

Her smile widens. “You came here, all the way from San Francisco, to see my Melanie? You two sound like more than just friends.” She pokes me in the side with her elbow.

I cough. Mimi stares, wide-eyed.

“We are more than just friends,” Raine says sheepishly. He seems to feel the need to explain to my mother why he was draped all over me a moment ago. “I’ve been trying my best to convince your beautiful daughter to be my girlfriend.”

“My daughter is a little gun-shy and a bit of a workaholic. But keep working on her.” She speaks to him in a loud whisper behind her open hand, as if only he can hear her.

“Mom!” Mimi says sharply.

Raine is clearly amused.

“Raine, this is my sister, Michele.”

Mimi shifts her purse and the boys’ coats to her left arm and extends her right hand to him. He shakes her hand.

“Good to meet you.” He smiles. “Melanie’s told me so much about you and your boys.”

She smiles approvingly. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“How long will you be in town, Raine?” I can see the plot brewing in my mother’s head.

“Just for the weekend. I flew in on Thursday evening to surprise Melanie. I leave Monday morning.”

“Melanie, you should’ve brought Raine over to the house. I could’ve kept him company on Friday while you were at work, shown him around town.”

“Maybe next time I’m in town.” He beams at her.

Mom smiles then elbows me again. “What a darling!” She looks at me as if I’ve just won the lottery. “Raine, you have to join us for dinner tomorrow. You were going to bring him to dinner, weren’t you?” My mother looks at me accusingly.

I clear my throat. “Actually, I was thinking…since Raine’s only here for a few days…”

“Look, I don’t blame you for wanting to spend the weekend shut in with this one.” She jerks her thumb toward Raine and bares her teeth at him in a flirtatious grin I’ve never seen my mother use before and hope never to see again. “But you’ve gotta come up for air sometime and you two have to eat. I’m guessing there’s only an assortment of condiments in your refrigerator.”

My cheeks flush. My head throbs. I bury my forehead in my hand.

Raine can’t hold back anymore. His entire body convulses in a raspy chuckle as he drapes an arm around me. “I’d love to come to dinner.” Raine flashes that irresistible grin at my mother and I’m pretty sure I see her swoon. “But I know Melanie has a lot planned for me this weekend.” Mom looks at me as if to say, “I’ll bet she does” and it seriously makes me throw up in my mouth a little. “How about if we promise to get back to you with an answer by the end of the day?”

“Fabulous!” Mom can barely contain her excitement at the possibility. She squeezes Raine’s hand and kisses me on the cheek. I breathe a sigh of relief, thankful for the reprieve.

“Are you two just getting here?” Mimi asks. She blushes when she finally notices we’re standing in front of Cupid and Psyche.

“We’ve been here for a while, exploring the original building. We’re about to make our way to the new galleries.” I try to regain my composure. “What about you guys?”

“I took your advice and enrolled Mickey and Dusty in the art classes here. We decided to stay and explore the museum while they’re in class, maybe grab lunch at the café.”

“Lunch! That’s an excellent idea.” My mother claps her hands together. “Why don’t we all go for lunch at the café? That’ll give us a chance to get to know each other.”

I glance at Raine. He seems about as eager as my mother does. “Fine,” I say. “We’ll do lunch.”

“Great,” Mom says, “that’ll give me plenty of time to talk you two into coming to dinner.”

Before I can object, Raine has already extended his free arm to my mother. “I’m starving, Mrs. Gordon. Lead the way.”

Mom grabs Raine’s elbow. “Call me Ellie,” she drawls like a Southern belle, which she is not. She was born, raised and has always lived in the Midwest.

“Yes, ma’am, Ellie.” Raine flashes that damn adorable grin.

I want to protest, to tell her he’s mine. I want to spend the weekend with him. Alone. But there’s no use fighting it. All I can do is prepare myself for an hour of uncomfortable questions. Questions I can’t answer.

<=====END OF EXCERPT=====>

That Ellie is a pistol. She is the caring, wise, no-nonsense matriarch of the Gordon Family, and I had a blast writing her character in both Making the First Move and Love Me Not. Okay, now it’s time to dive into some of the tasty treats prepared for you by my fellow teasers. Please visit them at the links below.

Happy Teasing!

Cupid and Psyche by Jacques-Louis David at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of rocor.