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Real reached out, brushing a stray hair from my face. "I’ve seen enough to know I want more," he said softly.
For once, I didn’t protest when he pulled me into his lap. My hands found his, fingers interlocking naturally. We moved toward each other, our bodies fitting together seamlessly. He leaned down, capturing my lips in a kiss. I melted into him, losing sight of everything else. Damn this man and his wicked, wicked mouth. The kiss was both tender and filled with the promise of more. His hands stroked me lightly, and I couldn’t help the soft, satisfied purrs that escaped me. Finally, he pulled back to look at me.
“Ay, mama, stop making them sounds. Making my dick hard, and I told you this wasn’t gon’ end like you wanted.”
“You don’t think so?” I taunted, letting my fingertips trail down his bare chest.
“I know so, Love. You don’t know how bad I want to take you down. That’s not what tonight is about. You out here giving niggas a chance you never gave me. Like dating the McKinley boy?” he scoffed. “I gotta fight you to take you to my mom’s joint and you willingly spending time with that pussy? Fuck outta here. I want to date the fuck outta you, and you roll them pretty eyes and pull out that foul ass playbook?—”
“Which you proceed to ignore, and I let you. While you're talking about people getting chances, no one has gotten more chances than you!” I replied incredulously. I couldn’t believe he even tried that.
A slow smile curved his perfect lips. “Keep it like that, shorty. Cuz I’ma destroy all of them rules and walls you put up. You gon’ admit how you got feelings for a nigga and?—”
“Feelings? I’m just tryna be a kept woman,” I said, jokingly trying to shift the moment.
But the joke fell flat as his eyes darkened and grew more serious. “Good. Cuz I’m definitely keeping you,” he vowed.
I didn’t answer, just leaned into him. I could feel the steady beat of his heart, a rhythm that matched my own. I refused to think too much, instead enjoying the moment, wrapped up in him and the warmth of the night.
“You hear me, Everly Love?” he pressed.
I burrowed closer to his heart. “Yes, Montréal Idris. I’ll think about it.”
That was all I could give him, but I hoped he realized how much it was.
“We should make this a regular thing," he suggested after a while.
"What, losing clothes in the middle of nowhere?" I teased.
"Yeah, if it ends like this.”
He pulled me closer, and I laughed softly. "I think I can agree to that, too."
“I should get you back to the Stone House. You got an early morning tomorrow.”
I frowned. “I do?”
“Yeah. You gotta go check out your building, start figuring out your plans for it.”
My eyes widened. “Real! You didn’t! I told you?—”
“Your mouth said one thing, but your eyes and your body language said another. With you, I gotta pay attention to the non-verbal cues. You let me buy you things before?—”
“Not a damn building!” I protested.
“You let me buy you things before,” he insisted ignoring me. “This is yours. No strings. Get used to that, Love. Rule number 763: You want it, I get it.”
My extended familyhad started to arrive for the family reunion. It was a hot Thursday afternoon, and they were gathering at the big ass in-ground pool behind my grandparents’ place. I looked on as my sister slid into the water, her face animated while she talked to Jagger. He sat on the side of the pool near her, listening quietly. She still wore his ring, confusing the hell out of me, but we’d talk soon. I was jealous of Pip in that moment. Not about Jag—she deserved every bit of the happiness he probably had in store for her. No, what got me was her confidence in her cute little turquoise bathing suit and her ability to enjoy swimming around other people. Both of those were lost to me. I wore a black bathing suit so no one would ask questions, but my tightly crocheted cover up was more like a dress, covering…hidingmy body.
“You could just go out there,” Targen said softly.
I wasn’t even aware he had joined me in the solarium where I stood, staring out the glass at my big, laughing family. I prayed my presence here wasn’t putting these people I loved in danger.
“Just like you could just give me my phone back,” I snapped, still salty about his heavy-handedness.
“Girl, that phone is gone. Your new one is almost ready.”
His voice got closer as he spoke and then he was directly behind me as I stared out the glass. I felt him but I refused to acknowledge him, even as his delicious scent had me wanting to draw in a greedy lungful of air. He braced an arm against the glass above my head and moved until he was pressing into my back. His other arm went around my waist. When I tried to squirm away, it locked me down as efficiently as any restraint. But his touch didn’t feel like being held against my will. Pressed into him, I felt safe, secure.