Page 38 of Cuffed By Your Love

I got out and walked around to open her door, not because I was trying to impress her, but because I was raised right. She stepped out, heels clicking against the concrete, and for a moment, we just stood there in the soft hush of the night. Crickets were singing, the porch light flickered, and the air was thick with a pause that felt like it could lead to anything.

I walked her to the door, not rushing, just enjoying the moment with her.

She looked up at me, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to say something but held back. I reached out, pushing her locs back that fell in her face and leaned in just enough to kiss her cheek, slow and gentle as if I wanted her to remember the warmth of the moment.

“Sleep well, Deputy Gorgeous,” I murmured.

When I pulled back, she smiled a tired smile that suggested healing might be on the way.

Her lips parted in a tiny laugh. “You’re really gon’ keep calling me that?”

“Only if you keep acting like it’s not accurate.”

“Good night, Elias.”

She opened the door, paused, and looked over her shoulder. “This wasn’t a date, right?”

“Nah,” I replied, walking backward toward the truck. “But the next one might be,” I added with a wink.

She closed the door behind her, and I stood there for a moment, letting the silence settle before heading back to my truck.

Yeah, whatever this was, it wasn’t over.

I stayed parked outside Jonay’s building a little longer than necessary, the engine humming quietly while my eyes scanned every alley, porch, and parked car like I was still on duty. I wasn’t being paranoid. I was being preventative. That weird nigga Kam had already shown his face tonight, and the way he moved made me uneasy as fuck. I didn’t trust the shadows around her just yet. I stayed there until the porch light flickered off, and a silhouette passed by her front window.

Finally, I shifted the truck into drive and started heading home. I had just kicked off my shoes and tossed my keys onto the kitchen counter when my phone rang.

Deputy Gorgeouslit up the screen.

I answered on the first ring.

“You good, gorgeous?” I asked, my voice low as my thumb absently rubbed the bridge of my nose.

“I was just checking to make sure you made it in safely,” she said softly. “I know you stayed out there for a minute. I saw your truck.”

“You peeped that, huh?”

“Yeah,” she said, chuckling. “You didn’t even try to be slick with it.”

“I wasn’t trying to be. Just making sure he didn’t circle back being bold. I didn’t feel right driving off till I knew you were good.”

There was a pause, and then she exhaled as if she were setting down a heavy thought.

“Well,… thank you. I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to stay, but you did, and that meant something to me. I don’t feel safe with many people, but tonight,… I did.”

Her voice dropped when she said that last part, as if she hadn’t meant for it to come out.

I sat on the edge of my bed, rubbing my jaw, trying to quiet the thump in my chest. “Jonay…”

“Yeah?”

“There’s something you should know.”

The air thickened. I could feel her leaning into the phone the same way I was leaning into the silence.

“My wife, Tempest, was killed.”

She gasped in shock but didn’t interrupt.