Page 17

Pulling back just enough, Aku whispered, “You feel like gravity...like something beautiful to fall into.”

Malik rested his forehead against hers. “Just don’t forget how hard the ground is.”

Neither of them moved an inch.

The kiss had cracked something open, but it wasn’t just lust. It wasn’t just that she was fine as hell and felt like temptation. It was that she saw him…through the red eyes, through the fear…through the silence.

And he saw her too. Not the stylist…not the cool, collected girl of the rich and famous.

He saw the girl who was tired of being loved half right.

She kissed him again, slower this time…softer this time, savoring his taste…more intentional.

And when he kissed her back, it wasn’t rushed either. It wasn’t about getting her naked…it was about learning her.

Tasting every word she hadn’t said…

And promising her, with nothing more than his lips, that he’d hold all of it…

Even the unsure parts,

Even if he was unsure…

Malik pulled back, his eyes begging her, not to take the bad parts of him when it was all said and done.

She stared at him. “I feel like I’m falling.”

He leaned in just enough for her to feel the weight of his words. “Then fall. I’m right here. I’ll catch you before you even hit the ground.”

She laid her head on his chest, her voice barely above a whisper. “You feel like gravity.”

He kissed her forehead.

“You know what gravity really is?” he murmured. “It’s God’s way of keeping us grounded.”

A tear slipped down her cheek. She didn’t wipe it…he did.

“The right love won’t make you beg or question yourself,” he whispered. “It’ll feel like home, like breath, like peace where you used to have panic…that’s what my parents have.”

Malik knew love saw love…he was just scared as hell of it. The last time he loved someone, it changed his life and others. That was a mistake he wasn’t willing to take again.

She nodded against him, her hand clutching his shirt like her body already believed him—even if her heart was still catching up.

“What time is it?” Aku’s morning voice was gravelly.

She stretched out, reaching blindly across Malik’s bed for her phone while her lashes blinked the sleep off slow.

They’d spent the night talking and laughing in that stupid, soft way people do when they don’t want the night to end.

At some point, her head landed on his chest, and the last thing she remembered was the beat of his heart and his fingers tracing light circles on her hip.

Now the birds were chirping and her phone was vibrating on the floor.

Malik was sprawled out, one long-ass arm tossed across his face. “The hell if I know,” he hummed.

Most nights, sleep barely caught up to him. But last night, with her warm body curled into his side, he was out like a light.

She grabbed her phone—3% battery—and checked her notifications. Noodle had texted twice.

Noodle: Where tf are you

Noodle: Ahvi cooked. get here now before Kamari eat everything.

That shot her clean out of the bed.

“I gotta go,” Aku groaned, looking down at her club clothes. One heel, top wrinkled, jeans halfway unbuttoned. “But I ain’t trying to do no walk of shame. Your people gon’ be out there. This their first time meeting me.”

Malik didn’t even open his eyes. “Man, they ain’t worried about you. My people hella cool.”

“So what? You bring all your new app users to your bed? This the beta testing welcome package?” She side-eyed him while patting around the bed for her bra.

Then she froze. “Shit…I took it off in the living room?” she groaned and pressed a palm to her forehead. “I was that gone last night?”

Malik finally cracked one eye open, just watching her in quiet amusement. Her face went through six emotions in two seconds. Drama. Panic. Confusion. Shame. Denial. More drama.

“Chill,” he said, smirking. “I’ll go get your funky ass bra.”

Aku crossed her arms, lips curled up in warning. “Malik, don’t ever play with me like that again. I was many things last night. Lit? Maybe. Flirty? Definitely. But funky? Never.”

He laughed. “Lemme smell it then.”

“Boy—”

He dodged the throw pillow she launched at his head and slipped out the room, still laughing.

The moment Malik stepped into the hallway, he noticed his Granny was already up.

Gran Betty didn’t miss shit.

He grabbed Aku’s bra off the couch and attempted to sneak by, unnoticed.

She was sitting at the dining table, still in her robe, eating toast and watching Family Feud. Her wig was shifted, just slightly off center, like she had more important things to do than adjust it.

She looked up, old eyes squinting. “Is that a bra in your hand?”

Malik froze. “Uh…yea.”

“Whose is it?”

“None of your business.” He smirked, knowing his Gran was ready to cut into him for his mouth.

“Oh, so you grown-grown now?”

Before he could answer, his Mama popped out the kitchen.

Myesa was in leggings and one of Anthony’s shirts, frying up sausage like she had eight mouths to feed. “Who in my house?” she asked.

“Nobody,” Malik replied, holding the bra behind his back.

Granny giggled, her eyes glued to Family Feud.

“Malik Anthony. If I walk down that hall and see a lil fast girl in your bed?—”

“She ain’t fast, Ma. She just got heavy feet.”

Granny wheezed. “He brought that girl from the other night back here? That the one with the pretty lips and the smart-ass mouth that was out there styling Zaire’s cute ass?”

“Yea,” Malik admitted, trying to slip past.

“She cute. Look like she don’t play the radio.”

“She don’t,” he laughed.

Myesa stared him down, lips twitching like she was trying not to laugh. “Tell her come speak. Ain’t no ghost guests in this house.”

Malik only nodded, knowing Aku was about to have a heart attack walking past his people.

Even though she pretended not to, he knew she cared about what others thought about her, especially families.

That was probably ’cause she came from a close-knit family too.

His wasn’t as successful as hers or even as big, but his home had always been laced with love.

Sometimes it was hood love but love was love in his eyes.

When he pushed the door open, Aku popped up, yanking the bra from his hands. “Who all in there?” she asked, slipping the bra under her shirt to put it on as best she could without revealing her small breasts to him.

“My Ma and Gran,” he told her, moving towards his bed to make it up.

Aku gulped. “I’m ‘bout to climb out the window.”

Malik laughed at how serious her face looked. “I doubt that, since it’s burglar bars on it.”

“Shit,” she hissed.

“It’s cool.”

“Easy for you to say…matter of fact, come to my house with me. They cooking and your stomach was growling last night.” It was her turn to smirk.

Malik didn’t say anything at first. Meeting people’s family wasn’t something he was fond of doing. The way they came from two different worlds, made him question if he should.

“Come on ,” Aku whined. “Ahvi is the best cook and I know you’re going to love my people.”

When she fluttered those almond eyes, Malik knew he couldn’t tell her no. “Let me hit the shower first.”

“Ugh! If I’m still smelling like last night, you need to, too.” She rested her weight on one side, tapping her bare foot against the floor.

“Hell nah! If you want me to go, I need to hit the shower…choice is yours.”

Aku rolled her eyes. “But hurry up before all the food is gone and give me a charger.”

Malik grabbed what he needed before hitting the shower to freshen up.

While she waited, she went over her schedule for the next week.

She had a few clients to do consultations with and had one more shoot with Zaire coming up.

Scrolling further ahead in the calendar, she noticed a job she had scheduled to style Devin.

Sighing heavily, she wondered if it was best to just cancel him and refer him to another stylist or keep the job?

Being around Devin was easier now that she felt she’d completely closed that chapter of her life.

But then again, before last night, it had been a while since she laid eyes on him.

Aku wasn’t sure if she could be around him in such an intimate setting.

Niah had expressed interest in styling clients without her there, so maybe she could pass Devin onto her assistant. If Niah did good, then she could bump her up and really extend her business. Two stylists were always better than one.

Aku decided to think on it a little longer. She didn’t want to throw her girl to the wolves, if she didn’t feel she was truly ready.

Next, she went to her socials and out of habit paused on KenBarbie’s page to catch up on the newest celebrity gossip. Before she fell deeper down the rabbit hole, Malik trekked back into the room, shirtless with a pair of jeans hanging slightly off his slim waist.

Licking her lips, Aku wished she could taste his tattoos.

“Close your mouth,” Malik called her out, making her smile.

Coyly she said, “I mean, if something catches my eyes, I’m gonna look.”

“Oh yea?” He smirked going to his closet to find a shirt.

“Mm hmm,” she nodded, still following his every move with her lust filled eyes. “Show me something good,” she suggested.

Malik twisted towards her. “Like what?”

Her eyes lingered down his chest before stopping at the print between his legs. “That dick.”

“You know what? You been begging, so I’m gon’ give you a little peak,” Maliks hands went to the buttons of his jeans, his eyes staring into hers, daring her to look away.

Aku licked her lips, squirming in her seat. Her pussy leaked, just thinking about seeing it.

“Your pussy leaking, ain’t it?” Malik’s voice was low. “Tell me, Dorothy.”

Aku nodded as she squeezed her legs together. Her breathing hitched when his tatted hand dug into the top of his underwear and her mouth fell open when he pulled his brown dick out.

Malik squeezed the base of his dick a little, making it rise to the occasion. “This what you wanted?”