A Kiss of Color: A BWWM Interracial Pregnancy Romance (Book 2) by Cristina Grenier Read Free Book Online Page A

earlier started buzzing on his desk. Excusing himself, the young programmer reached for his suit jacket as he proceeded to answer the phone. At the words on the other line, he felt his heart stutter in his chest and his blood run cold.
    Helena had collapsed at work. She was fine, but she wasn’t feeling too well, and her mentor, Doctor Forge, recommended that she have someone come pick her up.
    There was no question of who that someone would be. Frowning, Xavier hung up. He was sure his sisters wouldn’t mind a slight detour, but he was more concerned with what had happened to the woman he loved. Was she overworking herself again ? Or was there something more serious afoot here.
    Only she would be able to tell him.
     
     
    “I’m fine , Xavier, I promise.”
    Eying the woman sitting across from him skeptically, Xavier bit his tongue. He didn’t want to argue with her in front of his sisters, especially if he was trying to make a good impression upon Emily.
    The young cellist had been thrilled to meet Helena, even if his lover was pale and haggard, her greeting a bit half-hearted. Being the person she was, Helena, of course, apologized, explaining she’d been feeling a bit under the weather.
    And that was all she explained.
    Despite the fact that her mentor and administering physician had personally called him to come get her, she wouldn’t say anything more about what had caused her incident in the workplace. She was just tired, she assured him. She needed food and some rest and she’d be perfectly fine.
    But she didn’t look fine.
    In fact, Helena looked even more wan than he’d ever seen her – including the times when she’d denied herself sleep trying to pass exams. He knew that she was getting rest every night – he was personally seeing to it – and she was eating well. He supposed that she really could just be catching a bug, but there was a lingering worry in the back of his mind. If it was a bug, somehow, he doubted it would seem so much like Helena was avoiding the topic of her health.
    Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his with an earnest smile. “I trust you, honey. I just want you to be OK. You look a little pale.”
    The dark-skinned woman met his eyes for only a split second before looking away – almost as if she were uncomfortable. When she smiled, it was nervous – almost on edge. “Well, I am starving.”
    “Exactly what I said.” Brandy grinned at her from her position next to her brother before picking up the bistro’s menu. “What are you thinking about ordering, Helena?”
    As the women considered the menu, Xavier looked over all three of them. Emily seemed to take instantly to Helena, despite the fact that the gray-eyed woman seemed somewhat out of sorts. She’d immediately offered her some ibuprofen from her bag and now glanced over at her ever few moments, as if checking to see if she was still upright. Emily was like Brandy in that respect – she had the mothering instinct of their elder sister.
    Both of his siblings would make amazing maternal figures someday, he realized. Brandy had always attested to wanting children – and though she was nearing her forties, she was aging gracefully. Doctors had apparently informed her that having a child was still very much in the cards for her, and the blonde had informed her brother that she was merely waiting for the right time to address the subject with her husband. Emily, of course, was a bit young to be considering motherhood just now, but when she did, he was sure that she would do splendidly.
    Which had him hoping that they would break the often-toxic cycle that his family had entered when it came to their parents. His sisters would mother their children with love, support, and affection.
    Just as he would his.
    With a faint smile, Xavier glanced at the woman sitting across from him.
    Whenever he spoke to Helena about children, the physician-in-training always changed the subject. She was still relatively young, he