Page 19 of Breaking the Rules

FOURTEEN

“Two scoops of blueberries,” Savanhi coached Areli, who sat on the counter.

She woke up this morning in the guest bedroom, fully intact and void of Noble.

Her brain couldn’t recall when she fell asleep, but she knew she wasn’t in the room when she did.

She assumed Noble either carried her or she sleepwalked.

Either way, she rolled over to Areli, gleaning at her.

Those big eyes and pink bonnet were probably the best things she’d ever woken up to.

Part of her was pierced with pain with her own bitterness of being childless, and then the sobering thought that she would be tied to Brixx forever.

Part of her still wanted to knock his head off his shoulders.

“One, two,” Areli counted.

“Good job,” Savanhi praised. “Now we mix it, and then we put it in a pan. And then…”

“We have blueberry pancakes!” Areli cheered. “Blueberries are my favorite.”

“You told me about the bananas when you got me up at six this morning.”

“Those are my favorites too. Apples and strawberries. Clock it.”

Savanhi tossed her head back in laughter. “I’m clocking. I’m clocking.”

Areli mixed and Savanhi rummaged through the pans to find the one she needed. “Can we make Unc-Unc some? He likes the nasty proteena powder.”

Savanhi stood, and her eyes trailed over to the large container of protein powder. She noticed his protein-packed ice cream and meal from Shaking Shack the night before. And then her mind flashed to digging her nails into the dips of his tattoo-cloaked muscles.

“Yes we can.”

Another rule broken. Zayden’s rule – don’t cook for these niggas. They get wifely rewards without making you their wife, I ain’t having it.

The pair cooked, cleaned, and sat at the table eating their pancakes like they’d been together all four years of Areli’s life.

“Ms. Vanhi, you stayin’ today?” Areli questioned.

“Yeah, are you?” Noble’s baritone flooded the kitchen and made Savanhi’s body shift without her permission.

“Unc-Unc!” Areli greeted with a leap from her seat into his arms. “We made your nasty pancakes with blueberries.”

“You did?” Noble asked, peppering her face with kisses. “Why didn’t you get me up? I would’ve made them.”

“I tried, you in there like…” Areli threw herself back and made snoring sounds. “Like a piggy.”

“That wasn’t me,” Noble gasped. “That was Sassy.”

“I do not snore, thank you,” Savanhi defended.

“Yes, you do,” Areli replied. “Like a little piggy, not a big one.”

“Oh, well, excuse meeeee,” Savanhi replied with laughter. “Clocking my tea, huh?”

“Yes, girl,” Areli stated, climbing back into her seat. “Eat, Deucey.”

Noble moved over to the plate of pancakes on the counter and back to the table with the two ladies who were bound to rule his world. Only if one opened up to the possibilities. “You ordered all this?”

“The princess requested blueberry pancakes this morning, so I couldn’t say no. Have you tried to tell her no?”

“Nope. The day I have to is going to send her into a spiral,” Noble said, sitting down. “Thanks for handling her.”

“It’s nothing, she’s a joy.”

Noble cut into the pancakes, forked a healthy triangle into his mouth, chewed, and groaned. It was almost similar to the moan he let out during their night together. “What you put in this?”

“Made with love,” Areli said. “I licked the spoon and mixed it up real good.”

Noble paused mid-chew, prompting Savanhi to let out a cackle and snort before covering her mouth. “Babygirl.”

“After we mixed them, I let her lick the spoon,” Savanhi corrected. “Lemon zest to balance the chalkiness of the protein powder.”

Noble raised his brow. “How much protein?”

“Mm, I figured you were on a high protein diet because everything in the fridge is packed with protein, so roughly fifty grams between the pancakes and eggs.”

“How you figure that?”

“My major was dance, my minor was health and nutrition. I retained a few things,” Savanhi stated. “And for the record, I broke a rule.”

“Was it for me or Areli?”

“I’ll never tell.”

“You will.” Noble countered. “You stayin’ or catching the next thing rolling?”

“I don’t have any clothes to wear, Noble.”

“That’s not a problem. You got a class today?”

“At five.”

He hummed, forking another triangle into his mouth. “This shit is so damn good. I can’t even focus.”

“Relax,” Savanhi giggled. “It is not that deep.”

“I got hitting practice in a couple of hours, promised Areli I’d take her. Want to tag along? I promise to let you sleep at your own place tonight,” he offered.

“That’s so gracious of you.”

“Unless that Manny nigga is still lurking in the parking lot. I don’t like that shit,” he grumbled.

“No vested interest is out the window, isn’t it?”

“So far out, Sassy. So, what you say?”

“Say yes, you know you want to,” Areli chimed in. “You like us.”

“Yeah, Sassy, you like us.” Noble flashed her a loaded look.

“One of you is in question, the other I can’t get enough of,” Savanhi shared, scrunching her face at Areli who grinned from ear-to-ear. “I’ll go.”

“And Friday?” Noble posed.

“Can’t do Friday,” Savanhi said, moving from the table to wash the remainder of the dishes.

“I got that,” Noble sounded off. “And whatever you bringing in Friday through Sunday.”

She spun around, hand on her hips and squinted at him. “You can’t buy me.”

“I can’t and I won’t, but I can keep you.”

“We,” Areli corrected. “We can keep her.”

Noble flashed her a pearly grin and a wink. “Clock that tea.”

“Clock it!” Areli sounded off before getting up from the table and skipping down the hall.

“Noble, you can’t do that in front of her.”

“Do what? Be honest?” Noble mused. “I don’t understand this shit, Savanhi, why I’m drawn to you like this.”

“Uh, maybe because my dumbass let you hit raw? And now I can’t get rid of you,” she scoffed.

“Nah, let’s keep it a buck, if you wanted me gone, I would be. You wouldn’t be standing here in my shirt, legs crossed, nipples hard, mind racing and rules breaking.” He stood and moved closer to her. “You want to explore this just like I do.”

“It doesn’t make sense, though. We just got out of situations, you got a whole-”

Noble quieted her with a kiss to her forehead.

“Situation, Noble.”

“What I say last night? That shit is always going to be there. I can’t make myself miss out on whatever this is. No matter how tender my heart is.”

“Then let’s just take it slow or-”

He lifted her off her feet and placed her on the counter. “We’ve moved past slow. And it wasn’t your dumbass fault. You acted on something you were deprived of. Tell me what you need, I’ll give that shit willingly.”

“I need a lot, Noble. Areli is priority, I won’t come in the way of that. I-”

A soft kiss to her lips muffled the rest of her comment. His large hands at the base of her neck, softly kissing and sucking her pouty lips. “What do you need, Sassy?”

“First, some clothes because my pussy being exposed like this is going to make me climb on you. There’s a toddler running around. Second…don’t fuck me up any more than I already am.”

“I could say the same,” he grumbled against her lips.

“I can’t believe I’m about to ask…what do you need?”

“Somewhere to take the load and the edge off. I’m a big nigga, I get it, but I need somewhere soft to land too.”

“Okay…”

“You not going back to that club, Sassy.”

“Noble.”

“Deuce,” he corrected. “Call me Deuce.”

“Deuce. I need my independence.”

“You’ll have that. Just not inside of Tempt. I’m a possessive nigga.”

“I can tell. I like being possessed…adored.”

“I can tell. You ain’t had that shit before,” he breathed, deepening their kiss. “I need you to put some fuckin’ clothes on.”

Savanhi could feel his erection pressed against her inner thigh. “Me going back to my apartment?”

“Dead. Unless you getting something to bring over here.”

“You lied.”

“Misspoke,” Noble said, pulling away. “Go before I have to explain to babygirl why I have you pinned up against something. I’ll bring you my card, order something. Quickly.”

Savanhi used the space she was given to wiggle off the counter, pull her shirt down, and hurry down the hall. In the guest room, she sat on the floor at the end of the bed with her phone pressed to her ear.

“Uh uh,” Lawryn grunted. “Run this back. He picks you up, y’all kick it. You end up at his place. Refused the dick again and now you’re exploring. Wrap it up, he ain’t letting you back outside again.”

“You don’t think this is crazy?” Savanhi questioned.

“What was crazy was you staying with a nigga who disrespected and stressed you out so bad you miscarried. What was crazy was you taking all the money your brother left you to help a woman you never met off the strength she had a kid. What was crazy was you denying yourself for all these years what you wanted. You are a hopeless romantic. It’s about time you get some hopeful love. ”

“You think I’m going to end up regretting this?”

“Hell no. I know Sincere is wild, but Noble is the calm to the storm. He might be a little off. But he’s a solid nigga with a good head on his shoulders. Just the type you need.”

“So if I admit that I wanted more the moment I left him, I won’t be crazy?”

“No. You will be. But that’s just you. That’s that crazy love you got.

You’re like grandma. Smartass mouth, big ass heart in need of someone to reciprocate that.

You are literally one of the only people I know who deserves all of the good things.

If that nigga wants to love on you and adore you and you want him to, too, don’t deny yourself.

Get your ass ate, pussy sucked off the bone, sexed good, respected, held, tricked on. ”

Savanhi bit her lip. “Logically-”

“Logic doesn’t exist when your heart and spirit are being poured into.

The only logic is that it’s finally happening for you.

That’s it. And let’s be real, you’re the type that needs to be protected.

These bum ass niggas attempt to prey on you because of who you’re connected to. Noble don’t play that shit.”

“He sure doesn’t,” Savanhi muttered.

“So are you going to do it or expect me to talk you out of it? Because I’m not. If it doesn’t work, at least this time you’ll have a better story to tell.”

“Okay,” Savanhi yawned. “I’ll stop fighting it.”

“Thank you. I want to see this glow up.”

“You got the front row seat.”

The cousins talked for another thirty minutes about Lawryn’s shop, Zayden’s case, and random topics before a knock sounded against the door.

“Oop, that sounds like knock and come get it. Byeeee,” Lawryn said, hanging up before Savanhi could refute.

“Come in.”

Noble opened the door holding two bags of clothes. “I didn’t see a charge.”

“Because I didn’t use your card. I have my own money you know,” she sassed, making him grit his teeth.

“If I weren’t RSVP’d to a hair appointment,” he grumbled, placing her bags down.

“What?” she challenged.

“You know what. Wait and see. We’re leaving in forty-five minutes. Soon as I figure out how to fix her hair. I had no idea she was this bougie. Nobody but Kymber’s ass making her like this.”

Savanhi’s ears perked. “Kookin’ with Kym, is your sister?”

“Yeah, you know her?”

“From around when she had the food truck. Used to sell us plates at the club. I wouldn’t eat until the next day but it was good.”

“Kymber can cook her ass off. Problem is she was cooking and doing other shit,” Noble huffed, placing the bags on the bed and then sitting down. “I met with her lawyer the other day, someone paid her retainer.”

Savanhi smiled softly. “Angels walk amongst us.”

“They do.” Noble was in need of a change of conversation, worrying about Kymber was what kept him up at night. “Why didn’t you eat the plates until the next day?”

“Hate dancing on a full stomach. Even when I’m at the studio, I don’t eat until I’m home.”

He hummed. “When I get you tonight, we’re going to dinner. Sound good?”

“I’d like that.”

“Good, get dressed and help me with all this hair. Please. Remi is off until next week.”