Page 45 of Rah

But when I looked down, it wasn’t a saved number. My heart jumped. My first thought was that maybe one of the kids had borrowed a phone to call me. I hurried and answered.

“Hello?” I said, holding my breath.

A smooth, deep voice came through the line. “Solae? It’s Priest.”

I froze, blinking like maybe I’d heard wrong. “Priest?”

“Yeah,” he said with that deep sexiness that always got under my skin. “I got your number from Kenyatta. Listen, I know this might be out the blue, but I bought you a Christmas present and I’d like to give it to you. Can we meet up? Or I can come by if that’s easier.”

I sat there with the phone pressed to my ear, knowing the last thing I needed was to add more drama to my already chaotic life. But the truth was, the pain was eating me alive, and I needed something—anything—to take my mind off it.

Priest was a distraction I couldn’t refuse.

“Alright,” I forced out before I could second-guess myself. “I’ll send you my address.”

“Good. See you soon.”

When I hung up with Priest, my nerves were rushing through me, and I wasn’t sure if I was excited or terrified.

I sat up in bed and looked across the room at the mirror sitting on my dresser. The lights were off, but the winter sun streaming through the blinds was enough to show me I looked a hot ass mess. My hair was all over my head, and my newgrowth was angry as hell because I’d been sleeping on it carelessly for three days straight.

And I hadn’t even washed my ass since the kids left. Not once.

I already hadn’t been feeling attractive. Being with the same man for so long makes you second guess yourself. Rah was used to me now. Time had put weight on me in places I didn’t want it. I wasn’t the toned little teenie-bopper I used to be. Now, I was two hundred and twenty pounds on a 5’5” frame. My pudgy stomach reminded me of it every time I looked down. I hated it. I wanted the small waist Kahlani had. With the right shapewear, I could still look snatched, but deep down I knew I had work to do, work I never seemed to get around to.

And after seeing Aaliyah with her perfect, beautiful face and that video-vixen body, I was feeling extra unkempt and frumpy.

So, I forced myself to get up. I showered until the steam fogged up the bathroom mirror, scrubbing myself clean, letting the hot water beat down on my skin until I felt almost new. I took my time with my hair, flat ironing it until it was perfect again. Then I went through my closet and pulled together a fit that would hide what I hated and accentuate what I loved.

Just as I slipped on my boots, my phone dinged. My heart skipped when I saw the name on the screen.

Priest:I’m outside.

I grabbed my coat, pulled it on, and stepped out into the December cold. His foreign was sleek, and the engine was humming quietly in front of my house.

I opened the passenger door and slid inside, instantly wrapped in warmth and leather that smelled richer than anything I owned. His dark and intoxicating colognefilled the space. It was the kind of scent that made you want to lean closer without meaning to. Even the passenger seat felt good, like it was custom made to hug my body.

We hugged, and the contact made me remember the tension between us at breakfast that had left me shaken for days after.

Then he reached into a bag and pulled out a small box. He handed it to me with that gorgeous grin.

Inside was a David Yurman bracelet stack. My mouth fell open.

“Priest… this is too much.” I’d been eyeing those for months, so I knew how expensive they were. “I can’t take this.”

“Yes, you can.” His eyes locked on mine. “And it ain’t too much. If anything, it’s not enough.”

Before I could protest again, he took the bracelets from my hand and slid them onto my wrist himself. His fingertips brushed my skin, sending a jolt through me that felt like fire and ice at the same time.

His touch lingered a second too long, and I had to bite my lip to keep from reacting out loud.

Priest’s eyes drifted past me, settling on my house. “Why you in there by yourself on Christmas?”

I stiffened. “What makes you think I’m alone?”

His eyebrows slightly raised, and his lips pressed together. It was obvious to him, and I hated how right he was.

My eyes dropped down to the bracelets shining on my wrist. “It’s a long story. And I don’t really wanna get into it right now.”