𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

Chapter Twenty -Eight

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Imani stared at herself in the mirror for quite a while trying to see herself as Matthew did—a woman whose eyes seemed to be way bigger than her face, ears that seemed smaller than normal, and a nose that was too sharp and thin. However, the effect she had on him was genuine, which meant he must see more beauty in her than she did in herself.

Now her eyes looked glassy from arousal. They shined more than usual. Imani gasped in horror as she recalled the look in his eyes when he had seen it. She covered her face from the embarrassment, wondering if she would be able to face him again. But she had to. He and Jamie expected her to join them.

Having finished tidying herself, she picked up her small clunch bag from the side of the bathroom sink and walked out again while giving herself a pep talk not to let Matthew get into her again. But he seemed to have forgotten that episode because when she got back, he looked up from Jamie's face with a sober look and asked, "are you ready to leave?"

Imani nodded, then took a look at Jamie, who looked way too comfortable in Matthew's company. No one looking at him now would have guessed that a few minutes earlier, he had managed to seduce her to the point of breaking. If she hadn't run off, Imani was convinced he would have made her climax using his words.

Father Josè was not what Imani expected. He was a good-looking older man with white hair shining in the afternoon sunlight, a few strands falling over his temple. When he spoke, his eyes looked at her as if he could read her mind, which spooked Imani because she had more than a few things she wanted to keep secret.

Like her love for Matthew. Her desperate desire to be his wife, the fear of letting her heart believe he could want her in his life for as long as they both shall live.

Over the years, Imani had met people whom she knew would forever be in her memory. Laughing at something the priest had said, his eyes gleaming with mischief, Imani knew that this man had just made a place in her heart.

She was in love again—this time with an older man who had dedicated his life to God and the less fortunate.

He spoke tenderly of children who'd passed through his care. He did not mind Jamie's curiosity on anything; in fact, he seemed to revere in it.

Promising to stop by before they returned home, father Josè, in turn, agreed to call Isaac as Matthew had instructed him.

Imani hugged him goodbye; it was such an emotional experience she almost shed tears. He was a father figure as much as he was a religious figure. He was full of love as much as patience Imani suspected it must have been hard to accept people as they were but still continue to remind them to change for the better.

They returned to Matthew's house after the visit. Though it wasn't as big as the one in Chicago, it had its own ambiance. Small and welcoming with five bedrooms with green grounds that resemble a football field. Jamie's room was opposite Imani. Matthew had strategically placed her because he didn't want her to accuse him of anything untoward.

Having being home closer to an hour, Imani stood on the balcony looking outside. She found it peaceful, healing even. The view took away worries and convinced her to live for the moment, which was what she did.

She liked it out here, she thought, closing her eyes while enjoying the breeze gently whipping her hair around the face. It was a moment out of time. She was in a foreign country, staying in a house owned by one of the wealthiest men in the world whom she happened to love, but the most unbelievable part of this was that he wanted her.

If someone had told her this was in her future, she would have laughed it off and told them they were crazy.

She returned to the house through the back door to silence; even Jamie's nonstop shatter couldn't be heard. Peering inside Matthew's bedroom, Imani's stomach filled with butterflies as she stepped inside. She had not been into this room before. It was large but smaller than the one they had first made love in. Nothing was out of place. It smelled of him—that subtle, intimate scent that always drove her crazy. She forced her steps further into the room to stand in the middle, staring at the bed and imagining them tumbling down with their bodies entwined.