Color of Love by Sandra Kitt Read Free Book Online

shaven, freshly dressed, and lucid, he was even more intriguing. She was relieved and surprised.
    “You didn’t seem too together that night. But I didn’t think you were drunk.”
    “It was a rough night. I was only half drunk.”
    Leah tilted her head in curiosity. “What about the other half?”
    The question made him only half smile. He glanced away briefly for a moment, as if trying to decide for himself. He lifted his shoulders in a vague gesture. “Lost.”
    Leah didn’t need another explanation. She nodded. “Well, I can see you’re okay now,” she said, her voice trailing off.
    “I’ll live,” he answered flippantly.
    There was an awkward silence while they appraised each other. He stood as if he were expecting Leah to say something, some sort of signal as to how he should respond. But all Leah could think to do was try to find her house keys in her shoulder bag and pull up the collar of her coat against the cold.
    “Do you live around here?” she finally asked politely.
    He seemed suddenly nervous. “No, I don’t.”
    “Then, what are you doing here?”
    He didn’t answer right away, and Leah watched as he turned to look toward a car double-parked at the curb. A bulky black man sat in the driver’s seat. The man, while he might not have been able to hear the conversation, was nonetheless watching her intently. She was alert to his wary gaze, which was not friendly.
    “I came to find you,” the man in front of Leah responded, drawing her attention from the man in the car. “I wanted to thank you for the coffee.”
    Leah couldn’t describe how his thank-you made her feel, but it virtually blew away the edginess of her day. Still, she shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me. It was only coffee.” The driver in the waiting car honked the horn. “If he’s waiting for you, you’d better go.” She took a few steps around him, headed toward the house.
    He looked at his watch. “I’m supposed to be at work.”
    Leah looked at her watch. “It’s six-thirty. You work nights?”
    He lifted a corner of his mouth in a grin. “I work twenty-four hours a day” was the cryptic reply. Suddenly he blurted out, “I thought maybe we could go for a drink or something. …”
    Leah stopped dead in her tracks and turned to stare at him.
    He shrugged. “Maybe coffee.”
    “Why?” Leah asked. She was more puzzled than suspicious.
    “Why not? Like you said, it’s only coffee.”
    “I would think you’d had enough of that.”
    “It’s safer than gin,” he said dryly.
    “Look. …” Leah began uneasily. “I’m glad you’re okay, but let’s leave it at that.”
    “Aren’t you even the least bit curious?”
    “About what?”
    “About what was going on that night with me.”
    “Not really,” she lied. “But I’m glad to see you’re okay. Why don’t we just call it square for the coffee?”
    “How about Saturday? I could meet you at noon,” he suggested, ignoring her previous answer.
    It struck Leah that he was used to asserting himself. His tenor voice was nicely modulated. It was clear and firm. She thought about his invitation but saw no hidden meanings or suggestions. But there was also a sense of caution and danger. Much more than when he was down and almost out in front of her home. Leah didn’t think for a moment that he was a deviant or perverted, but just talking with him this way made her suddenly aware of herself, and suddenly just as aware of him. The difference between them was suddenly stark.
    She shook her head, again moving toward the house. “I don’t think so.” She began to climb the steps to the front door, key in hand, aware that he stood watching. Aware of a sudden spiraling of excitement within her. Danger. Leah felt a rush.
    “Why not?” he called up to her.
    Leah chuckled silently and gave him a look of exasperation. “Can’t you just take no for an answer?”
    “I’d maybe accept a better answer.”
    Leah lost the annoyed edge to her voice. It