When Hell Freezes Over (22 page)

Jealousy leaped into his heart.

“You make sure Jacob knows it's hands off,” he said with anger in his voice. Rubbing his cheek, she said, “Keaton, you have nothing to worry about. Jacob and I are just friends.”

Keaton stared at her. He felt like he had just been punched in the stomach. He saw the way Jacob looked at Meridan when they were in Mississippi. He didn't want to think about her on the arm of another man. What made it worse was that she was going to be spending the night at his house. Yes, he understood they were childhood friends, but the eyes never lie. Jacob was a man who still carried a lot of love for Meridan St. John.

Snapping him out of his trance, Meridan said, “Keaton, you do know you don't have to sleep in that towel, don't you?”

“If you wanted me to stay over to cuddle, it's best I do.”

She laughed. “We'll see what the morning brings. Goodnight, sweetheart.”

“Goodnight, babe.”

Keaton woke up and for a moment, he forgot where he was. Then he picked up Meridan's heavenly scent and smiled. He remembered Meridan planting feather kisses all over his body earlier that morning before getting out of bed. In doing that, he had no choice but to give her a dose of his loving before sending her off to work. He pulled back the covers and noticed that
she had laid his clothes out on the chair. Stretching, he headed toward the shower.

After showering, he returned to the bedroom and sat down to apply lotion to his body. The telephone rang and he froze. He didn't feel comfortable being there to hear Meridan's private phone calls, but it was her idea for him to sleep in. The telephone rang a couple more times before her answering machine picked up. Jacob's voice abruptly came over the answering machine.

“
Hey, Meridan. I made your flight reservations. You leave on American Flight 280 at five-thirty. Your ticket will be at the gate when you get there. It'll put you here in plenty of time to get ready. I was also able to get you back to Philly Sunday evening like you wanted.
”

He sighed and held the telephone in silence for a moment. Jacob's voice was cracking and it sounded like he was crying.

“
Meridan, sweetheart, I love you so much and I can't wait to see you. You mean everything to me and I mean, everything. We're going to have a great time. You'll see. See you Saturday. Love You.
”

Jacob hung up the telephone and Keaton stood there, not believing what he'd just heard. Meridan may not think he had anything to worry about, but he knew better. He'd been a determined man all his life and Jacob seemed to possess those same qualities. It was obvious he was madly in love with Meridan. Now he had something else to worry about. Keaton had now become even more uneasy about this trip. He stood in the middle of the bedroom, totally confused on what to do. He'd never had to deal with anything like this before. He always got the girl. Composing himself, he picked up the telephone and called Meridan.

“Dr. St. John's office, how may I help you?”

“Keaton Lapahie for Dr. St. John,” he answered.

The operator replied, “One moment, please.”

Keaton waited and his mind was traveling at 100 miles per hour.

“Keaton?”'

“Good morning, Meridan.”

He could hear the smile in her voice.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Thanks to what we did this morning, I slept very well.”

“I'm glad. Are you getting ready to leave?”

He looked at his watch and said, “Well, it's around ten o'clock. I think I've had enough sleep for the day.

“I enjoyed your company and everything else.”

“So did I. Now, what do I need to do before I lock up?”

Meridan gave him the code to her alarm system, as well as where to find the other garage door remote. He noted her instructions and told her he would talk to her later. He slowly placed the telephone back into the cradle and put his head in his hands. It was at that moment the telephone rang again. Keaton looked over at the answering machine and listened as the caller held the telephone. In the background the chilling music from the horror flick
Halloween
was playing. He could hear the caller breathing heavily on the extension.

Angry, Keaton picked up the telephone and yelled, “Who the hell is this?”

The caller's laugh was hoarse and eerie, then he hung up within seconds. There was no name on the caller ID. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. He feared for Meridan's safety. Someone was playing games with her and she needed to take these calls more seriously. Concerned, he decided to drop by her office and let her know about the telephone call. Little did Keaton know, he was finding out more about Meridan's past than she was prepared for him to know.

 

K
eaton surprised Meridan at her office for lunch just so he could keep an eye on her. All the women in her office were whispering and lusting over his tall, dark, and handsome frame. Meridan introduced them, then told them she would see them later, before closing the door to her office.

“What a nice surprise! You see what you've started?”

Smiling innocently, he asked, “What did I do?”

She hugged him. “You have disrupted my office by coming in here looking so sexy.”

Meridan was right. Keaton showed up in some faded jeans and a black leather jacket. The jeans molded to his round derriere. Any woman with warm blood in her veins would be drooling over him. In Meridan's office, it was unanimous. They shared some hot chili, prepared especially by him. He made sure he brought enough for her staff.

“Keaton, this is delicious. What did you put in it?”

He wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and said, “It's a secret.”

“That's not fair!”

“All is fair in love and war.”

She blushed and continued to savor the hot, spicy chili.

“Keaton?”

He looked up at her.

“Do you mind staying over with me Friday night? I really would like to spend some time with you before I fly out to Atlanta. We could get up and go to the game together. I would like you to drive me to the airport, if you don't mind.”

He stared at her. He couldn't help but think about her kicking it with Jacob. He was starting to get angrier about the whole set-up. He frowned.

“What's wrong, Keaton?”

“I don't want you to go to Atlanta, and I'm worried about your attacker. I believe he called your house this morning.”

Shocked, she asked, “How do you know?”

“It's on your answering machine. When I heard spooky music, I picked up the phone. All he did was laugh.”

Meridan sat there shocked. She didn't know what to say to him. Sam was pulling Keaton into the drama and she was trying to keep him out of it.

He put down his spoon and ran his hand over his head.

Meridan said, “Keaton, I don't know what to say. I don't know why all of this is happening.”

“You need to call the cops, Meridan. I'm not going to tell you again. It doesn't seem like this fool is playing.”

She looked up at him, seeing he was having a hard time with the whole situation and it was understandable.

She hugged his neck. “Keaton? The last thing I want to do is pull you into some drama.”

He looked at her and said, “I love you and that makes me responsible for you. I will not allow anyone to hurt you. That goes for Jacob, too. Understood?”

She looked at him curiously and asked, “Why Jacob?”

“I don't want you down there with him. He has feelings for you.”

She sat in his lap and snuggled. “I have feelings for him, too, but it's nothing like the feelings I have for you. Nothing is going to happen between me and Jacob. I'm just going to escort him to this banquet. Besides, I've known Jacob all my life. He knows where I stand.”

“You trust him to behave?”

Smiling, she asked, “Oh course I do. Do you think different?”

“I'd be a fool not to think that.”

She looked down at her hands. “Look, Keaton. I appreciate your concern. It's very sweet, but I can handle Jacob. I can take care of myself in both matters. Okay?”

She hugged his neck.

“Nothing is going to happen. Okay?”

He returned the hug, then looked her in the eyes.

“Meridan, I'll break Jacob's damn neck if he steps one inch out of line. Do you understand me?”

She saw the seriousness in his eyes. She buried her face in his warm neck and said, “I understand and thank you for caring about me so much.”

“Always… Always.”

Meridan and Keaton spent Friday night making love and playing video games. She modeled the dress she was going to be wearing to the dinner with Jacob. Seeing the way the fabric clung to her body made Keaton tense even more.

Frowning, he asked, “Don't you have something less revealing to wear?”

Laughing, she said, “Keaton, don't start.”

“I'm just asking,” he yelled as he threw his hands in the air.

Meridan changed out of the dress so she could finish packing. Moments later, she climbed into bed with Keaton.

She kissed him and asked, “Do you think we'll win tomorrow?”

“I hope so. I'm glad we're playing for charity. That prize money will do the children at the youth center a lot of good.”

She sat up and asked, “How's your knee?”

“It's great. That's why I work out so hard. Arnelle makes sure I don't do anything to damage it. It doesn't hurt to have a sports doctor in the family.”

“I agree. Well, I guess we'd better turn in, huh?”

He rolled over on top of her and kissed her neck. “Hmm. I'm going to have a hard time putting you on that plane tomorrow.”

She cupped his face and said, “I'm coming back to you, my love. Now kiss me.”

“Don't mind if I do.”

He dove under the comforter, causing Meridan to scream out loud.

 

T
he buzzer sounded to notify the team it was time to take the court. Meridan was cool as a cucumber. She was used to this, even though it had been a while since she had competed. Winston had purchased them some nice uniforms and all of them seemed anxious to get started. Meridan pulled her braids up into a ponytail and kept moving so her muscles would stay loose. Winston gave them their pep talk and they took to the court. Keaton walked over to Meridan and whispered, “Good luck, sweetheart.”

Smiling, she responded, “Good luck to you, too.”

They won the toss and the game began. The gym was standing room only. Most of the spectators were there to see the female they had heard about. Meridan meticulously drove the team down the floor. She had quick hands and handled the ball beautifully. She had most of the spectators rooting for their team.

Minutes later, they were ahead, but it was close. The competitor Meridan was guarding tried to intimidate her. When he saw she was playing him tight, man to man, it angered him. On one drive to the basket, he purposely ran her over. Meridan went down hard. Malik helped her up while Keaton walked over to the guy on the other team and discreetly said, “Do that again and your ass is mine.”