Page 27 of Breaking the Rules

TWENTY-ONE

“What about this?” Noble asked, holding up the vase of flowers.

“Nope, not tea. You can go harder than that.”

Noble squinted at her. “You’ve been in the studio with Sassy?”

“Mmhmm. Getting those girls in shape,” Areli said, clapping her hands. “She needs bigger flowers. She missed you.”

“You’ve been helping her a lot?”

“Yep,” Areli said, pushing more flowers into her vase. “I’ve been listening too. I only went to time out twice. But I had a blanket and some grapes.”

“Yo, what kind of time out is that?” Noble asked with laughter.

“A pretty girl one,” she replied, patting her twin buns. “Sassy said pretty girls don’t do hard time.”

He dropped his head back in laughter.

“You’re laughing, and you need to be finishing her flowers. Dance is almost over,” Areli chimed.

“You coming with me?”

“Nope, have Remi come get me. You smooch too much. I won’t watch her get fat. Uh-uh. She can’t leap if she’s fat,” Areli stated.

“Who told you that?”

“Mommy. She said she got fat with me from smooching.”

“Ah shit,” Noble huffed.

“Deucey, your mouth,” she let out a huff of her own. “Are you finished yet?”

“You took all the flowers.”

Areli rolled her eyes and handed him two handfuls. “Here.”

“Thank you.”

Four games back-to-back in the city, and he’d seen less of his girls than he did when he was on the road.

He couldn’t stand it. He loved baseball, but he loved Areli’s comebacks, Savanhi’s random kisses, and falling asleep on him, waking up to their giggles and pancakes.

The dance breaks Areli made them do when she wasn’t getting all of their attention.

In the blink of an eye, he’d gotten the family of his own he’d always wanted.

Noble had one day to catch up with his girls before heading to Waynesville for another handful of games.

He’d made it a point to take Areli out to a cake-making class and then to the flower shop to make bouquets for her and Savanhi.

The bouquet that Areli judged him heavily on before helping him complete it.

The cake, they made on the way home with Areli and Remi.

He found a corner free of dancers and their nosy parents and patiently waited for her to wrap up the class.

This was the first time he got to see her in her element.

He watched her in the house with Areli, a little two-step when she thought no one was watching.

Here – here she was alive, glowing, beaming; fully immersed in her element.

“Four, five, six, seven, eight,” Savanhi counted off, her back turned to the corner Noble was standing in. “Pirouette, chasse, jete. Again. Keep those cores tight! Hit it, hit it! Step ball change, pivot turn, repeat. Spine aligned, head up! Fan kick. On the beat or I will make you start again.”

The twelve girls Savanhi taught worked the floor in a beautiful, coordinated dance.

“Again,” Savanhi shouted over the music. “Good, not great but good!”

The music ended, and Savanhi clapped her hands.

“Our first showcase is in six weeks. If you don’t know the numbers in your sleep, you will not be dancing.

I do not care how much money your parents pay.

This is not charity. This is hard work and a closed rehearsal, parents.

Please, next class, drop them off and leave.

Ladies, I will see you on Tuesday, promptly at four.

If you’re late, I will charge the card on file. ”

With that, the dozen girls packed their things and exited the space. When she thought she was alone, she pulled in a deep breath and spun around to the door, finding Noble. She gasped and jumped on him.

“Your mean ass don’t answer the phone,” he toyed, wrapping her legs around his waist. “You missed me?”

“You have no idea,” she groaned, kissing his face. “And I am mean when you leave me. How long do I have you?”

“Tonight,” he buzzed, balancing her so he could lock the door and close the shades.

Savanhi pouted between kisses. “So a quickie and Shaking Shack?”

“Or I could take you to buy a dress and take you to Saxon’s?”

“Mm mm, I have to be classy in Saxon’s,” she groaned, still kissing him. “I don’t want to be classy right now.”

Noble chuckled and placed her on the receptionist’s desk. “At some point, you can let me take you on an actual date.”

“You could, but right now,” Savanhi purred, rubbing her hands up and down his abs, tugging at the top of his shorts. “What was all that shit you were talking the other night? You were going to fold me and make me stop talkin’ my shit.”

Noble licked his lips. “I’m still standing on that. What you say? Something about you weren’t gonna need me?”

Savanhi giggled, feeling him hook the seat of her leotard. “I didn’t say that. I said I was making my own money and I didn’t need you to keep putting deposits into my account.”

“That sounded like you didn’t need me,” Noble huffed, freeing himself and pressing against her wetness. He pushed in and grunted. “You get wetter and fuckin’ wetter.”

“It’s a side effect of you,” Savanhi moaned in his ear before nipping it.

Noble gripped her hips, legs thrown over his shoulder while thrusting in and grinding inside of her.

Savanhi inhaled his scent like it were the air she was dependent on breathing.

Their mouths connected, bodies intertwined, making a soundtrack with melodic layers of longing, passion, and a blooming love that would sustain them for the years to come.

“Tell me another side effect,” he huskily requested.

“Losing balance,” Savanhi panted into his hair. Her nails clawing at his biceps. “Forever falling into all that you are. Trusting you with – ahh baby. Right there, right there.”

“Mmhmm,” he groaned. “That’s that sweet spot.”

“You make a mess of me so good. So so so good,” she purred. “Fuckin’ up this new desk.”

“We’ll clean it after. Cum on your dick, Sassy,” he hissed, strokes becoming shorter, feeling his release coming.

“You want me to cream on it,” she asked, biting her lip. “Tell me.”

“Cover that shit up.”

Savanhi did what she was told, coating him from the base to the tip and back again.

Head flung back in a euphoric haze, eyes gazing into the stars, mouth agape, Savanhi in the throes of passion caused by him was the most beautiful sight.

He kissed and licked her neck, pulling himself out of her creamy goodness.

“Damn,” he hissed. “I made of mess of you for real. Let me clean you up.”

She pulled him back by his shirt and wiggled off the desk. “Me first.”

On her knees, his dick in her mouth, Savanhi sucked and licked him clean until he shuddered. Another release.

“Dammit, Sassy,” he huffed, picking her up and putting her back on the desk, her round ass in his face.

Noble pulled up a chair, sat down, and smacked her cheeks before ripping the seat of the leotard and pushing it up.

He happily planted his face into her center and lapped up her essence from the front to the back, enticing another salacious ooze of desire from her.

Savanhi slid off the desk onto his lap. His dick at attention, throbbing to feel her again. Noble yanked the straps of her leotard down, breast bouncing out as she rolled her hips up and down.

“You trying to put that damn implant to the test,” he groaned, holding her close to him.

“Trying to make sure when you leave me, you come back.”

Noble laughed through a groan. “Marking your territory. About damn time, Sassy. About damn time.”

After cleaning up their mess and each other, the couple was hand in hand walking on top of the patio of Shaking Shack.

“You know Areli is going to give me an earful when she smells the Cajun fries on me.”

Noble chuckled. “She’ll be fine. She’s been talking shit all day about how I bake cakes and make bouquets. She gets that shit from my pops.”

Savanhi rested her face on the palm of your hand. “Your dad sounds like he was giving people hell.”

“Left and right. I got into some trouble, gang shit, and I remember he took everything. Shoes, clothes, everything. Not only did I have to wear the same outfit all week, he made me practice baseball in the street barefoot. The lesson was he’d done all the CK shit, so I wouldn’t have to.

He sacrificed for his family. He wore the same clothes for months, didn’t have shoes, and here my ass was wildin’ for some type of respect. ”

“Did you keep doing it?”

“You know I’m hardheaded,” Noble smirked with charming smirk.

“I do know that. Your listening ears must be in the outfield somewhere.”

“Out the park,” he rumbled. “I did some shit here and there until I got a full ride to college. And then getting drafted. I paid my dues, but I haven’t had to activate that shit until my last day as a Majestic Maverick.”

“How bad did you hurt that man?” Savanhi posed.

“Not as bad as I wanted to. It was probably God sparing that man’s life. But what I did ain’t nothing compared to what his wife is doing to him,” Noble shrugged.

“You ever cheated?” Savanhi asked. “A girl needs to know.”

“Nah, that ain’t me. I’d end this before I hurt you like that. And I’m not coming up off of you, so there’s your answer. You?”

“Mm, no. I respect myself, and I wouldn’t put my life or anyone else’s life in that position. I seem to attract crazy,” Savanhi replied with a grin.

“Damn right. Out of my mind, and I hope you never have to see it.”

“Well, if we’re doing this, then I’ll see the ugly parts of you. And you’ll see the ugly parts of me. But that won’t change the way I feel about you. That won’t change how I view you. But know I can fight.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard it all. I’m from Huey,” Noble mocked.

“I am. I think that girl is still walking sideways, and her head is still turned around,” Savanhi gritted.

“With good reason,” Noble stated. “Let me ask you something, which hurt more? For me, it was my teammate. He helped me carry my father’s body out the church.”

“It was her. She’d been my only friend since I was in elementary school. That pierced my heart because she was there with me through damn near everything.”

Noble reached over, stealing a handful of Savanhi’s fries. “You know how I look at it now?”

“Tell me.”

“If they didn’t fuck up the way they had, I wouldn’t have you. You were what I was missing. You brought in color and a very smart mouth I can’t seem to get enough of.”

Savanhi snorted in laughter. “The smart mouth is never going away.”

“I know what to do with it.”