Free The Baller's Baby by Cristina Grenier Page A

thought process, Cole turned his face into Stacey's neck and nuzzled her. “I've never known anyone like you.”
    “You mean you've never known a woman?” Stacey teased, until she got a good look at his face. Fierce blue eyes stared down at her from a face that could have rivaled the sculpture of David. Strong lines and beautiful features, Stacey knew in her heart that she'd found a man she could be herself with. She didn't feel the need to be anyone else and that, especially for her, was a rare feeling. Knowing Cole was a blessing.
    “Not like you, I haven't,” Cole admitted, finally rolling over. Finally on his back, Cole took three deep breaths, if only to try and clear the fog from his brain. He gave no quarter to the thoughts that pained his heart. “How do you do the sweetness?”
    “What?” Stacey asked, slightly confused.
    “I just...I don't get how a woman like you turns into this gushy pile of unbelievable sweetness.”
    “So you think because I'm educated I should just be a raving black bitch?” Stacey asked, her eyes telling Cole to choose his words carefully.
    “No, I just...I'm not accustomed to women who give all of themselves like you do. Women, the women I've known before you, always had an agenda. They always needed something from me, something for which they were glad to share their bodies for a few lusty hours,” Cole tried miserably to explain. “It's hard for me to trust that you aren't hiding something, holding something back.”
    Understanding now, the incredible hurt he'd subjected himself to, Stacey felt the heart that had just fallen at his feet, squeeze tight in her chest all over again. “When I was little, just after we lost our home, I asked my dad if we'd ever go home again. He told me that home is where the heart is. At the time I had no idea what he meant. I'm not sure I did even a week ago, but I do now, thanks to you.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I mean,” Stacey smiled warmly, cuddling close to Cole's body, moving at an angle that would allow each of them to see the others face. “I know why people say, home is where the heart is. It's not because we don't feel lost and separation, fear and anxiety. It's because when we've found that someone who makes all those things bearable, we've finally found our home and probably, for the first time, our heart as well.”
    “Stacey-”
    “I love you Cole Winslow. And no matter how crazy or odd or irrational you think I am, I know in my heart that I've never known anything more real.” He couldn't believe the words spilling from her mouth. Is this what great sex did to people? Is that all love really was? Lust? Desire? Was it real?
    Cole couldn't say he was floored by her admission, because honestly he couldn't get any words past his lips. Here was a college educated, gorgeous black woman who displayed a stunning personality and integrity driven character, sitting here and telling him that she loved him. Cole Winslow, who had squandered every gift he'd ever been given. Everything from college scholarships to chances at the NBA all because he was a coward. If truth be told, and he tried to never lie to himself, deep down where it really mattered he was a sniveling, shaking, hide-in-the-corner coward.
    “No one's ever said that to me, not with any real meaning,” Cole whispered, not meeting Stacey's eyes. “I mean, my parents and sister say it, but-”
    “I know what you mean,” Stacey replied with a smile, lightly touching his arms. She stroked his stomach and chest, feeling the whirlwind of her emotions as she pressed a kiss to his side. “I think, Mr. Winslow, that we need to work on your interpersonal skills.”
    “Why?” Cole asked, confused. Just as he was about to ask for clarification, Stacey swung up and over him, her ripe body sliding over him in a way that only an idiot would mistake for something other than a come on. “Holy god, you feel amazing.”
    “Mmm,” Stacey moaned, a smile splitting her lips. “I'm