Page 14 of Gaining the Heart of a Gemini (BLP Signs of Love #15)

Klay looked me up and down, eyes lingering on my thighs as he bit the corner of his lip.

All the heat in my body rushed to my face.

I turned away to stare out the window to calm down.

My nipples hardened at the feel of his hand brushing against mine.

It was taking everything in me not to straddle his lap and swallow him whole.

“Look at me, Mami.”

Silently, I blew through my nostrils and faced him. “No, I wouldn’t.”

“Exactly.”

“Now, what are we betting on?”

“Depends on what we’re doing.”

“One of my favorite things: bowling. I doubt you’ll be able to beat me, but I’m up for a challenge.”

“Confident, are we?” Klay turned his body toward mine with his hand out. I placed mine in his. As he rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, he said, “If I win, we share our first kiss. If you win, we do whatever it is you want.”

“What if my reward was the same as yours?”

His thumb stopped in the middle of my hand. With his free hand, Klay gently cupped my chin and pulled my face toward his. My breath was caught in my throat. The sound of my heart thumping in my chest echoed in my ears. His lips were like a magnet, tugging me closer and closer until they connected.

My lips tingled. Goosebumps formed on my skin. An electric shock traveled from my lips down my spine. Klay’s lips were fluffy and soft, much like I imagined. When he slipped his tongue into my mouth, I wanted to suck off the minty flavor lingering on it, but I controlled myself.

Klay pecked my lips and moved back. I ran my thumb over his bottom lip, removing the residue of my lip gloss.

“What do we have to bet on now?” I asked in a breathy tone.

“We can decide that once we get there.”

I sat back with my hand still in his and enjoyed the silence for the remainder of the ride. Once we made it to the bowling alley, we got our shoes and ordered some drinks before going to our private section.

Since I was going first, I playfully stretched, causing Klay to laugh.

“No need to be doing all that just to get your ass whupped, Mami.”

My head whipped around so fast with my jaw hanging. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me loud and clear. Go ahead and take your turn so I can show you how it’s truly done.”

“Keep talking shit, Klay. Watch how you be pouting by the end of this.”

I picked out a medium ball and went up to the lane. Slowly, I inhaled and exhaled before rolling the ball right down the middle. All the pins knocked over, and I leapt up in excitement. With a smirk and clap of my hands, I turned around to face Klay. He thumbed his nose and nodded.

No words were exchanged as I watched him choose a ball and take his turn. From his form, I figured he was about to roll a gutter ball. Sure enough, he did, and I couldn’t contain my laughter.

“What the fuck was that, Klay?”

He bounced his shoulders and moved his neck from side to side. “That was a warmup roll. I had to test it out.”

“Uh-huh. If that’s what you say.”

Klay took his second turn, knocking down eight of the ten pins.

I won the first game, and he won the second.

Our cooking class started in an hour, so we decided to do the best two out of three.

I was on my last turn. The score was close, but I was down by five.

I needed to roll a strike to get ahead, and I needed him to roll a gutter ball.

In my mind, I counted down from ten and rolled.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” I exclaimed when all ten pins fell over. I skipped over to Klay and made an ‘X’ with my arms. Playfully, he slapped my arms down and stood up.

“Be ready to fulfill my desire after this.”

He winked at me, leaving me trying too hard to read in between the lines of his words. My body would be more than happy to fulfill whatever desire Klay had. The kiss we shared erupted some feelings, emotional and sexual, I’d been trying to hold back.

I stood behind Klay with my fingers crossed, bouncing on my toes as I silently hoped he would lose. His first roll, he knocked down seven pins. The second, he knocked down two. I won by one point.

“I told you I would win!” I all but yelled, doing a little dance. “It was close, but I got you.”

“That, you did. I’m no sore loser, so lay it on me. What do you get for winning?”

Before I could stop myself, I answered, “You.”

Klay swaggered over to me, not stopping until our bodies were touching. He lifted his hand and twirled one finger around a few strands of my pigtail. “How do you want me, Mami?”

I swallowed, hard. That word wasn’t supposed to leave my lips, but the drinks I’d had made it come up like vomit.

When I didn’t answer quick enough, Klay tugged on my pigtail, pulling my face close to his.

Our noses touched. We were so close that I could decipher the different liquors on his breath.

“Don’t get quiet on me now. You’ve been talking mad shit the entire time, but you want to get silent when I ask you a question.”

“I didn’t mean to say that.”

“Don’t lie. You meant exactly what you said.” Klay kissed my neck while giving my hair another tug. “Now, tell me. How do you want me?”

“In a way that I shouldn’t.”

“Why do you feel that way?”

“Because, Klay. I know we’re set to marry, but we are still getting to know one another.”

He kissed my neck again. “That doesn’t mean it’s wrong to feel the way you do. I feel the shit, too, but I’m being respectful. The moment you let me know you want something more from me, I’ll give it to you with no hesitation.”

As desperately as I wanted to give him the green light, I cleared my throat and stepped away. Klay released me and shoved his hands in his pockets. We stared at one another. The sexual tension in the air was heavy, and I knew it wouldn’t go away until we took it there.

My mind was ready, but my heart wasn’t.

“Can I ask for something else?”

“You don’t have much of a choice.”

I glared at Klay, frowning. “What do you mean?”

“You’re going to have me. If I’m being honest, there are parts of me that already belong to you.

You meant what you said, and I’m not taking that shit lightly.

Neither should you. Just like you want me, I want you too, Mami.

All of you. I’m not walking into this marriage on my tiptoes.

If that’s what you’re on, then let me know so we can figure out how to work through this. ”

Leave it to Klay to leave me speechless.

I loved how straightforward he could be when he was passionate about something. Honestly, I expected him to be standoffish after I asked for something else, but he let me know what was on his heart.

We were getting somewhere.

“I’ve already told you before, Klay. I’m scared to fall in love again, but I’m falling for you. I didn’t think I would with our situation. You’ve made it so damn easy to do. What I need to work on requires me digging deep within. No one can help me but me.”

“Then I suggest you start digging because there’s no turning back on this.”