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“Targen, no. You can’t just hug away the danger. The person on the phone will hurt people! I’ve seen it!”
Hell, I’dfeltit. Some people had the power to do what they wanted with no repercussions. Targen didn’t care about that, didn’t understand that if he went after that evil, my family would pay.Iwould pay… again.
“No one is gon’ hurt you or your family. I swear that on my life.”
His vow brushed my ear just before his lips did. Sunlight streamed through the expanse of glass encasing the solarium and still I shivered, goosebumps dotting my skin at his intimate touch.
“Prime is back. You wanna tell me who Marguerite Armstrong is before he does?”
He asked the question calmly, like it was an afterthought and not a possible pathway to a hell I was still struggling to escape. I froze and it wasn’t because he placed an open-mouthed kiss on the side of my neck.
“You need to leave that alone,” I snapped suddenly. “You actually need to leave me alone and go?—”
I wasn’t prepared for how fast he had me spun around and caged against the glass, his face as neutral as ever. But one hand gently gripped my neck and again,his words…
“Shorty, the second I saw you curled up in that chair looking at your family like you’re doing now, I knew I was keeping you. Don’t tell me to leave you alone again. You’re my one,milaya, and I’m never letting you go. Now, you can tell me why you’re always watching your people instead of doing whatever they do, or you can tell me about Ms. Marguerite. Your choice.”
He shrugged nonchalantly and it pissed me off more. How dare he not listen?—
He moved in suddenly and covered my lips with his. Given how he’d handled me the last few days, I expected his kiss to be soft. Instead, I suddenly felt like I knew what it was like to be at the center of an inferno. His lips spread fire through my body as they boldly claimed mine, nipping and sucking, demanding entry that I melted and gave. His grip on my neck tightened as he sucked my tongue against his, mint and some other indescribable flavor that was all him making me shift to be nearer to him, hungry for what he was doing to me. I moaned into his mouth, and he kissed me deeper, turning my blood into liquid flames, burning me inside out.
“Theory and her boyfriend,
Sittin’ in a tree,
K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
Theory and her boyfriend…”
It took me a minute to hear the childish chanting. And still, my mind was so gone that it probably wasn’t until I heard Granny fussing and Hyacinth yelling, “Get y’all lil bad asses outta there!” that I realized some of my little cousins had stumbled onto me and Targen. Hell, I’d forgotten where I was. Mortified, I buried my face against his shirt as he laughed and held me close.
“Nah, don’t be shy now, mama,” a masculine voice piped up.
I peeped around Targen to see a grinning Juvie.Oh, my God!It seemed like everybody had come in the damn house.
“Wasn’t no shame when you was letting Targen clean them tonsils.Theory and her boyfriend, sittin’ in a?—”
He started doing the most ridiculous dance, sending my face right back against Targen, albeit with a smile.
“Julien! Ain’t you supposed to be in here to grab some cakes for the picnic table?” Granny called from the kitchen, interrupting his chant.
His momentary silence that followed shocked me. Granny’s voice could get even his silly ass in line? I had to peek. Juvie was standing straight and stiff as a soldier, his body turned in her direction. My smile widened.
“Better answer her before she tag yo’ ass,” Targen taunted in a whisper.
“Yes, ma’am,” Juvie responded hurriedly.
“Why you not grabbing?”
“Here I come, Granny!”
He disappeared through the door that led into the kitchen.
“You shouldn’t have kissed me,” I hissed at Targen, mushing his shoulder, once I was sure the coast was clear.
“You liked it. You know me by now, though. It doesn’t matter what you said the day we picked peaches. If you don’t want me to touch or kiss you, tell me, and I won’t.”
He was suddenly serious. Even in my anger, I couldn’t tell that lie. The feel of his hands and lips was too addictive. He waited a minute before giving me a knowing smile.