Free Give Me All Of You by Delka Beazer Page A

turned because she could no longer bear to keep her back to her sobbing mother.
    Josephine’s eyes begged her to understand. “It was a horrible mistake. The doctor botched the abortion and I nearly bled out. Hermile had to come take me to the hospital,” Josephine’s eyes were streaming and Mina stuffed a fist in her mouth to keep from crying out. “Nothing I did or said afterwards mattered to Hermile. I’d betrayed him and killed our baby. After a few years of fighting to stay, I had to leave but Hermile made it clear that you would be staying.”
    Josephine tried to pull herself together, the sobs dwindled but now her slender frame trembled as though wracked with a fever. “I’ve always loved you with every fiber of my being, but I couldn’t stand against Hermile’s right to be angry,” she wrapped her arms around herself, “And I got worse. For many years I drifted, men and society filled my life.”
    Mina choked on a rush of old emotions so stifling she could barely wrap h er mind around it. Josephine had wanted her, she hadn’t left because she’d wanted to. All those years of believing that had kept her anger going, had made it so hard but now …
    Josephine’s entire being was wracked with tragedy and regret. “I was so ashamed. I knew that I’d lost the right to love you, to be there-”
    Mina shook her head frantically, “No … no you didn’t,” she finally found her voice, “you never lost me, my life was never full without you, work, dad, I was never truly happy. Sometimes I’d cross the street in front of your house dozens of times just to catch a glimpse of you. I was hurt, angry but underneath it all I was just so lonely for you.”
    Josephine cried out and darted towards her. Mina held on to her gaunt frame and the pain finally began to fade.
     
    She’d been too anxious. Facing Hermile after Josephine’s departure wasn’t something she was emotionally prepared to do.
    She was overwhelmed . Josephine’s abortion and subsequent behavior had wrecked her family. But they were still her family. A chance at having a real family again meant so much.
    Nervousness crept in, her hands grew sweaty on the steering wheel.
    So why then was she going to Hunter? How would he be able to help with her family’s soap opera?
    After this afternoon there was a legitimate shot that he’d join their ranks and she needed somebody other than her father to talk to right now.
    The light in his window could be seen from the street. Jittery with nerves she pulled in behind his car.
    What will he think of her appearing on his doorstep at night, disheveled and sorely in need of sleep? Only one way to find out.
    She hustled t o the door and paused as it flew open.
    Hunter searched her face in the l ow light pouring out of the room, unceremoniously she was deposited inside.
    “What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?” he demanded, his voice rough with concern.
    She smiled like a fool. His brusque demand didn’t hide the concern in his voice.
    She snuggled into his solid warmth , one afternoon in his arms had turned her into a snuggle bunny. “I needed to see you,” she replied airily.
    He growled, “ After spending the whole afternoon with me?”
    She giggled. E mboldened by his fierce protectiveness, she went big and brushed a kiss across his chest, covered in a thin cotton shirt.
    A vicious, delightful curse r ipped from his mouth. “Have you become a tease Mina?” he snapped. He began raking his fingers through her hair, bolts of pain and pleasure tingled through her tender scalp.
    She m oaned and leaned back into his touch, eyes closed. “No … why would you ask?”
    “Because you don’t seem to grasp the repercussions of turning up at a man’s door at night and falling into his arms without a valid emergency.”
    She chuckled and embraced the sensation of her earlier misgivings about him falling further away.
    Josephine, Hermile, her lost childhoo d, it all seemed to retreat into