Diamond (The Heirs Series Book 2) Read online

  “Still dramatic, I see…” Tara commented.

  “Tara…I’m losing my mind.” Diamond confessed.

  “What’s the matter, Diamond?”

  She uncovered her brown eyes. “I think I’ve been put under a spell.”

  “Diamond.”

  “No, really,” Diamond argued. “I’m serious.”

  Tara nodded. “Okay, Diamond who has put you under a spell?”

  Diamond looked away.

  “Did you meet him while you were traveling?” Tara questioned.

  She shook her head and remained silent.

  Tara paused, looking at her cousin. She’d never in her life, seen Diamond Black show this type of emotion. Diamond was always boisterous and bubbly, joking and cursing…this subdued Diamond concerned her.

  “Diamond, what’s wrong? Talk to me…”

  “It’s so crazy, Tara,” Diamond whispered.

  “What’s crazy?”

  Diamond dropped her hands into her face.

  “Did something happen to you while you were gone?” Tara demanded.

  “No, it happened right here…”

  Tara frowned. “I swear, if you don’t tell me what’s going on right now…I’m calling Uncle Jordan and Aunt Sage.”

  Diamond turned back to her. “It’s…Xavier.”

  “Xavier, who?”

  She dropped her face into her hands again. “Xavier Jackson.”

  “What about him?” Tara asked slowly.

  “He believes that we’re going to be together.”

  Tara checked on her baby, then looked at Diamond. “Together doing what?”

  Diamond lifted her head. “Doing what you and Stephen do to make these damn babies!”

  “Watch your mouth, Diamond.” Tara warned. “I don’t want my son cursing at three…”

  “I’m sorry…” Diamond apologized. “I’m just so confused.”

  Moving the baby over her shoulder, Tara looked at Diamond. “How did this come about?” she asked.

  Diamond took a deep breath. “Remember when Xavier helped me with my project for college…the movie on family and marriage?”

  Tara nodded. “That was years ago…”

  “The night of the airing of the movie and your graduation/engagement…Xavier kissed me.” Diamond admitted.

  “What? What did you do?” Tara questioned. “And why am I just hearing about this?”

  “Because it didn’t mean anything…to me, Xavier and I are family. I told him on that night, but for some reason, he had made up his mind that we’re somehow going to enter into some kind of relationship.” Diamond explained.

  “Xavier Jackson?” Tara asked confused.

  “Keep up Tara,” Diamond sighed. “Yes, Xavier Jackson…our cousin, the twin who can read minds. Yes!”

  Diamond got to her feet and began to pace.

  “He’s not really your cousin,” Tara told her. “But, what did you tell him?”

  Pausing, Diamond stared at her. “I asked him to kiss me…”

  Tara returned her stare. “You did what?”

  “I swear, I didn’t know that I said it out loud,” Diamond said, pacing again.

  “And what happened?”

  Diamond stopped. “He did.”

  “When did all this happen?”

  “Yesterday,” Diamond sat back down. “He picked me up from the airport and I told him that there was no way…it would freak our families out…and that we’re family.”

  “Technically, he’s not your family, but what happened?”

  “Right after my practiced speech, I was asking him to kiss me,” Diamond frowned. “I think Grandma Lavender taught him to put some Hoo Doo on me.”

  Tara chuckled, cradling Dana. “You really sound like Uncle Kent.”

  “He’s right. Those Masters have a way of making you want them, even when you don’t want to,” Diamond complained.

  “So you want Xavier?” Tara asked, lifting a brow.

  Diamond retrieved her phone and began pulling up something as Tara watched.

  “Look at this!” She put the screen in Tara’s face.

  Tara’s eyes widened as she saw the tall, handsome man in the video. He wore a tight T-shirt stretched across a muscled chest with a huge diamond X hanging around his chest. The cameras panned around him as he rapped/sang and danced to the song with the hard beat.

  “Oh my god…” Tara whispered. “Is that…”

  Diamond turned the screen to herself and watched the clip, that she’d been watching all morning.

  “Yes! That’s Xavier…oh wait, I’m sorry…the X-Ception.” She frowned.

  Tara blinked. “I can’t believe that’s our Xavier. Who knew that he could dance like that?”

  Diamond pulled up his photo on her phone and turned it for Tara to see.

  “Well, damn!” Tara said.

  “Exactly…that’ll make you curse,”

  Diamond put the phone away. “I left a handsome, sweet, young dude and came back to a sexy, fine ass man.”

  “And he wants to be with you?” Tara asked confused.

  “What the hell is wrong with me?”

  Tara smiled. “Of course, there’s nothing wrong with you Diamond, but Xavier has to know that your father, brother, Grandpa Justin, Grandma Silver, Uncle Ray, and Uncle Trent are going to have a lot to say about this…”

  “I don’t think he cares,” Diamond admitted.

  Tara looked impressed. “He doesn’t play around. I know that for sure…the twins are about their business.”

  “Now, I’m assigned to be his Personal Assistant as he masquerades as a rapper, slash singer, slash entertainer. We’re going on tour…”

  “Stephen told me about what’s going on. Please be careful…all of you.”

  Diamond looked at her. “I’m going to make sure that Xavier is safe.”

  Tara stared at her. “You do have feelings for him.”

  “I love Xavier. I always have…he’s my cousin,” Diamond offered.

  “Do you kiss all your cousins?”

  Diamond sighed. “Of course not…”

  “What kind of kiss was it?” Tara inquired.

  Closing her eyes, Diamond ran her tongue across her lips. “It was a real kiss…”

  “You’re going to have to be honest with yourself Diamond,” Tara counseled and Diamond looked at her.

  “I don’t want to know the truth,”

  “Because the truth is that you want Xavier, too?” she asked quietly.

  Diamond frowned. “All these damn women on social media, saying what they’d do to him…and what he could do to them. Who does that?”

  “Diamond, he’s posing as an entertainer and he’s very attractive. Women are going to be all over him.” Tara cautioned. “I see the different acts that Stephen signs, and how the women respond.”

  “How do you function having your man around that all the time?” Diamond questioned.

  Tara smiled. “I trust my husband…and he knows we’ll kill him.”

  Diamond laughed. “I mean, Xavier isn’t even my man and I’m ready to give these females some serious hands.”

  “I think you’re supposed to be protecting him from murderers, not thirsty women.” Tara reminded.

  “I can do both.”

  Tara stood to her feet. “Let me put her down, since she’s sleeping.”

  Diamond sat back and watched Xavier’s clip again. She watched as the message popped up on her screen.

  Hello Diamond. Would you like to meet later to plan for the mission since you’re my Personal Assistant?

  She frowned and looked away, then typed.

  Where?

  Diamond felt a rush at his response.

  We can meet at my place…

  Lifting a brow, she typed back.

  I’ll be there at seven.

  The next response came quickly.

  See you then, Goddess.

  Tara returned and saw Diamond on the phone.

  “Who
is that?” she asked, seeing her expression.

  “Xavier.”

  “So what’s up with that?” Tara asked, taking her seat.

  “We’re meeting to prep for the mission.”

  Tara smiled. “Are you wearing a dress?”

  Diamond laughed. “No, it’s not a date and I don’t have legs like yours.”

  “You and Xavier…wow….”

  “There is no, me and Xavier…” Diamond protested. “We’re starting a mission.”

  “You could do so much worse,” Tara told her. “He’s brilliant, he’s sweet, he’s so handsome and apparently he’s got more swag than I ever imagined.”

  Diamond shook her head. “He’s unbelievable…”

  “And probably the only man on earth that can shake Diamond Black,” Tara commented. “He knows you through and through.”

  “He asked to read my mind,” Diamond confessed. “I was like there is no way in hell…not the thoughts I’ve had about him over the past few years.”

  The alarm signaled a visitor and Tara stood to see who was arriving. She smiled at the sight on the monitor and turned to Diamond. “It’s my Daddy.”

  Diamond grinned, always happy to see her uncle. Tara answered the door and hugged her father.

  “Hey, Daddy. This is a surprise,” she said, kissing his cheek.

  “I came to check on my daughter and grandkids.”

  He walked inside and saw Diamond.

  “Diamond girl!”

  She walked into his arms. “Hey, Uncle Trent!”

  He hugged her close. “I missed you, girl.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  Trent looked down at her. “Are you ready for your mission?”

  Diamond nodded. “I can’t believe that Uncle Ray is letting Xavier pretend to be an entertainer.”

  “He’s good though. That whole Benjamin Rucker thing is real, apparently.” Trent commented.

  “He even has a video clip,” Diamond added.

  Trent laughed. “Who do you think taught him his moves?”

  Diamond looked up at him. “You?”

  “Kent and I used to dance and make the women lose their damn minds…” he boasted.

  Tara looked at her father and he smiled.

  “I may be a grandfather now, but I used to have them on the team, in the bleachers and waiting in the parking lot.” Trent told the women.

  “I’m telling Momma you said that,” Tara teased him.

  He laughed. “That was way before my Calista. Now I only dance for her…in private.”

  Diamond frowned. “I swear, this family has no chill…”

  Hearing his grandfather’s voice, Steph came running into the room.

  “Papa!” he yelled and ran into Trent’s arms.

  “Here’s my little dude!” Trent picked him up into his arms. “What you been doing?”

  “Watching the movie,”

  Trent kissed his head. “Can I watch, too?”

  Steph nodded his head happily.

  “You got snacks?” Trent asked him and he nodded some more.

  “Momma’s got snacks.”

  “Cool…let’s go.”

  Trent winked at the women, then disappeared with his grandson.

  “He calls Uncle Trent, Papa?”

  Tara nodded. “Daddy’s too young to be called Grandpa.”

  “Little Steph seems to love him,” Diamond commented.

  “Yes, and Daddy comes to play with him, once a week or so. You know how much he loves having a big family. He wants all the kids around, all the time…” Tara explained.

  “If this family isn’t big enough for him, I don’t know what is…”

  Tara agreed. “I know right. Between his house full of teenagers, nieces and nephews, grandkids, and the kids from Momma’s school, you would think he’d be tired of children.”

  “Uncle Trent loves kids and kids love him. I know I adored him…” Diamond confessed. “So you should thank me for sharing him.”

  “Don’t start that.” Tara told her.

  Diamond laughed. “You’re welcome.”

  Tara smiled and hugged Diamond. “I’m so glad you’re home, so we can spend more time together.”

  “Me too, I’ve missed hanging out with you.”

  They looked at one another. “What are you going to do about Xavier?”

  Diamond shrugged. “Let the Universe do what it will. Right now I need to focus on making sure he’s protected as we try to catch these killers.”

  “Maybe this will help you see Xavier as something other than family. I mean, although we were all raised together, you’re really not related at all.” Tara stressed.

  Diamond froze. “Are you encouraging this?”

  “I don’t know a nicer man, and if he wants you and you want him…then you should give him a chance.”

  “Give who a chance?” Trent asked, standing in the doorway.

  Chapter 4

  Diamond and Tara turned to Trent, who was holding baby Dana.

  “What?” Diamond asked.

  “Who is this nice man, that you should give a chance?” He questioned.

  Tara walked over to him. “Did she wake up?”

  Trent smiled down at Tara. “No, I picked her up, because she looked so sweet, like her mother.”

  “Daddy, you woke her up?” Tara complained.

  “Yeah, but I’ve got her.” He looked back at Diamond. “Now who is this little dude and where I can I find him?”

  “Uncle Trent, there is no dude to find.” Diamond protested. “Tara and I were having a private conversation about something abstract.”

  Trent looked at her, then at Tara. “Is that true?”

  Diamond bit her lip, knowing that Tara never lied to her parents.

  Glancing at Diamond, Tara smiled at her father. “Diamond says it’s nothing…so I can’t contradict that.”

  “See, Uncle Trent…and you know Tara doesn’t lie…”

  He looked between the two again. “Focus on the mission, Diamond. You don’t need to be distracted by some dude.”

  “I’m not,” she vowed, then looked at her watch. “I need to get going, I have some other errands to run.

  She turned to Tara, and hugged her. “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Keep in touch, and let me know how you’re doing,” Tara told her.

  “I promise, I will.”

  Diamond hugged her uncle and kissed the baby, before telling little Steph goodbye. Tara walked her out to the car and the two women looked at one another.

  “Thanks for not putting me on spotlight with Uncle Trent,” Diamond thanked her.

  “If you and Xavier do decide to get together, you’ll have enough on your plate. Right now, you need to see if anything actually develops, and you don’t want the problems of having the family involved…trust me.” Tara responded.

  Diamond smiled. “I love you, Tara.”

  “I love you too, Diamond.” Tara replied. “Don’t worry about the family, do what makes you happy.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know what this is…but until I can get him out of my mind, I have to ride this out.”

  “One question?” Tara asked.

  “What?”

  Tara studied her cousin. “Did you enjoy the kiss?”

  Diamond smiled and touched her lips. “I’m going to test my memory tonight.”

  “You’re a mess…”

  “He said if I asked, he’d do it…”

  ******

  Xavier drove to the specialty market to pick up a few items for Diamond’s visit to his home. Parking the truck, he exited and walked inside the store. Xavier headed to an aisle and selected some dried apricots. Since childhood, these had been one of Diamond’s favorites.

  Smiling he picked up a few things for dinner, then selected a colorful bouquet of flowers. A nice bottle of Merlot was added to the cart and he headed to the checkout, acknowledging a few greetings as he made his way through the store.

  Being six-f
oot-four and as handsome as they came, Xavier and Alex had grown accustomed to attention from a young age. As they’d grown, adoration from females had become the norm. However, the only attention that Xavier sought, was from one Diamond Black.

  To him, Diamond exemplified everything that he wanted in a woman. She was exciting, surprising, beautiful, sassy, and sexy. Xavier wanted a woman who could appeal to both sides of the personality that he’d inherited from his father, as well as the deep sensuality he’d received from his mother.

  His visions of Diamond could make a bestselling erotica story. When he’d kissed her yesterday, for the first time in years, his mind had gone to another place and time. She’d tasted just like he’d imagined for so long. The fact that she’d asked him to kiss her, meant that she wasn’t as against their situation as she pretended to be.

  Xavier knew that he had to give her time to see him as the man he was now, and not as one of her little cousins that she had to watch over. For his part, he’d never thought of Diamond as his cousin and didn’t have a problem dealing with anyone who had an issue with the situation.

  Inside his jacket, Xavier felt his phone vibrate. He stopped in the aisle and answered.

  “Agent Jackson.”

  “Hello, Agent Jackson…this is your grandmother.”

  He frowned. “Grandma Lavender?”

  “It’s not your Grandma Carolyn.”

  Xavier smiled. “Hello Grandma Lavender. Why are you calling me on my work phone?”

  “I wanted to make sure that I got you.”

  “You know that if you leave me a message on my other phone, I will call you back.” He told her softly.

  “I need to know what’s going on with you,” she replied.

  He walked toward the checkout. “The Heirs are starting a new mission soon.”

  “No, there’s something else.”

  “Diamond’s home.”

  “Ahhh…that’s why your energy is all over the place.” Lavender told him.

  Xavier laughed. “She does have that effect.”

  “Have you told her about your feelings?”

  “She thinks I’ve put a spell on her,” Xavier said, placing his items on the belt.

  Lavender chuckled. “You would think they’d all be used to us by now.”

  “Six has made Diamond my Personal Assistant for the mission. So I’ll get to spend a lot of time with her, and maybe she’ll begin to see me in a different light.” He explained. “But, I’m going to make her chase me…”