Page 10 of Anything Necessary for Her (Crenshaw Kings #9)

“No, I don’t. He was a potential boyfriend, but not anymore.” She kept on eating, looking me in the eyes as she put another piece of meat into her mouth. “You jealous?”

“Not at all,” I half lied. I wasn’t jealous, because she wasn’t mine, and I had no plans to ruin her life by making her mine. But I couldn’t lie; the thought of her being with somebody made me feel a way. “Why he lose his spot?”

I couldn’t deny feeling like she was giving me the cheat code to her heart.

“Scared to meet my brothers and Daddy. Can you believe that?” She rolled her eyes and stabbed a piece of broccoli.

“I can, actually. I can see how them niggas are intimidating to the average muthafucka.”

“So you’re not average?” she jested.

“Not even a little bit.” I ate the last piece of my steak, wishing I had another. Of course, her fine ass could make a good ass steak. “You was right to drop his ass though. You need a nigga that can stand in the paint.”

“Like you?”

“Ain’t too many niggas like me, but you can possibly come up on something close enough.” I winked playfully as she stood to collect our plates.

Grinning down at me and standing close enough for me to grip her small hips and pull her into me, she said, “You fine as fuck, Low, but I’m not fucking you. I’m not that easy.”

That shit caught me off guard, making us both laugh as she sauntered to the sink to toss the plates in.

“No man likes it easy.”

“Hmm, so you like me?”

“Man.” I stood up, praying she couldn’t tell my dick was solid. “Quit fucking around and walk me to the door.” I towered over her, wondering what it would be like to kiss her and hear her cry my name while I was in it at the same time.

She did as I’d requested, trailing me out of the kitchen, through her living room, and out the door.

“Good night, Willow,” she called from the doorway.

Unable to look back because it was only so much a nigga could take, I said, “Good night, Banks.” I kept my eyes on my whip.

I drove straight home, trying to decide if I wanted to jack off or call Gaia. Either way, I needed a release, or I would have blue balls out of this fucking world.

But as soon as I entered my crib, all those plans went out the fucking window as my baby sister ran toward me.

“Low! Finally! I’m hungry!” she shouted, making me check my watch to see it was a little after nine o’clock.

“Hungry? Ma ain’t get you nothing?” I stared down into her face.

“Nope. Whatever money she got, she used it for a bottle.” Wyatt walked into the living room.

“Aight. Shit.” I pulled out my phone. Here I was sitting up eating steaks and shit when my siblings were at home starving.

“Next time, . . . call,” I said, letting the last word trail off when I saw Wyatt had texted me an hour ago.

I was too wrapped up in a woman I had no business even being with to see the shit.

Usually, I was on my phone for this very reason.

I was the same with my burner so I wouldn’t miss shit on the business tip too.

But fucking around with Banks, I had slipped up.

She was all-consuming, and that wasn’t good for a nigga in my situations.

The thought made me look at my burner briefly, and thankfully, it was crickets on that shit.

“I texted,” Wyatt stated what I already knew.

“I see it. Next time, actually call me though. I got caught up and didn’t feel it vibrate.” I sighed. “What y’all want?”

“Pizza!” Waverley shouted, and Wyatt shrugged to say that was cool.

Opening up the Domino’s app, I handed it off to Wyatt, saying, “Order whatever you want. I’ll be right back.”

I started to the back of the first floor where my mama’s bedroom was and walked right in, hitting the lights.

“Damn! Cut that shit off, Willow!” She shielded her face as she sat up in the bed a bit.

“What happened to the fucking money I gave you to buy shit to make lasagna like you said?” I barked, ignoring her request.

Every day I tried to figure a way out of this shit, but I didn’t trust her with my sister and brother alone, for reasons like tonight.

I didn’t want her forcing Wyatt to the streets like she did me.

And I had no way to take Waverley and Wyatt from her ass legally.

Worst of all, I loved my mother despite her ways and wouldn’t forgive myself if she died while my siblings and I were off living elsewhere.

“Oh,” she scoffed, waving me off, “I got tired. I can go get it tomorrow.”

“How when you spent the shit?” I snatched the large ass bottle of liquor from her nightstand, moving when she attempted to snatch it back.

“Give me that shit back!”

“No! Look, this shit right here ain’t gon’ fucking fly! You either gotta go to rehab or get the fuck out!”

“If I leave, they leave!” she screamed, pointing toward the living room where Waverley and Wyatt were.

“Exactly! Quit bitching all the time! You have plenty of money for lasagna ingredients! Just give me some more, and I will cook it tomorrow! Damn!” She snatched the bottle from me and plopped back down on the bed to gulp some.

“This is why your father never came around, Low.” She shook her head, exasperated, before taking another swallow.

“You are too hard to love. I’m doing my best to stay in your life and love you, but you just make it so damn difficult! God!”

“Aight, Ma.” I made an about face and started for the door. I’d been hearing this shit since I was a kid, and I wished I could say it had no effect on a nigga, but that was a lie.

“You know I’m right! That’s why you have no one!

Wyatt hates you, and Waverley just doesn’t know any better yet!

” She gulped more alcohol. “You’re a mule for Asif, nothing more, and that’s why he tolerates your ass!

And don’t even think about getting a girlfriend because she’ll get tired of you, too, just like that one little pointy nosed girl you used to fuck!

” Her voice trailed as I slammed her bedroom door, drowning her out some.

“You get it?” I asked Wyatt, and he nodded, looking me over as if trying to read me, so I knew he’d heard our mother going in.

“She—”

“I’m about to shower. Let me know when y’all done so I can read a story for Waverley.” I cut him off.

“Yay!” Waverley screeched, making me smile before treading over to kiss her forehead.

Leaving the living room, I went to my bedroom to start my same routine that I did every night by lighting up, listening to music, and then showering and brushing my teeth. Only thing new was the constant and persistent thoughts of Banks.