Page 4 of Reckless Forever (Jennings Mafia Family #3)

I fanned myself as I rounded the corner and saw him pacing with a frown on his face. The phone was in his hand as he typed at the speed of light. His brother sat nearby, and they both looked up and noticed me at the same time.

“Hi,” I said as Jaxon threw his head up, but Judah didn’t acknowledge me right away.

I walked into the kitchen and looked in the oven, where I knew they normally left my food. Judah came in behind me, and just as I made my way to the microwave, I put it inside.

“Ma gone be tore up when she has to bury her baby boy,” I heard Jaxon laugh.

“Shut up,” Judah called back over his shoulder.

I moved around the kitchen, grabbed a cup, and fixed a cup of strawberry lemonade. Then, I walked over to the pantry and got a bag of chips. I was going to go back into my room and retire for the night. I wanted to ensure I wouldn’t have to come out for anything.

“You good?” He asked as he leaned up against the counter and folded his arms.

“Yeah, I’ve been working all day. I’m tired and hungry.”

He moved from his place and came closer to me and leaned down to my ear.

“So that means, I’m not getting the 2 a.m. date that I’ve been looking forward to all day.”

I smiled and turned to him, “Not tonight, I’ll be in my bed curled up and watching TV until it’s watching me.”

He bit his bottom lip and growled lowly, “Let us both watch you sleep.”

The microwave beeped, and I opened it. I didn’t address his comment, just shook my head and gathered my things. Then I bypassed him and went back toward my room.

Tonight, I was grateful that they had made one of my favorites, Saltenas.

It was the only good thing to come out of such a long day.

I flopped on my bed and ate them like they would run away.

I was starving, I hadn’t eaten since this morning, and I had only stepped away from the computer to use the bathroom.

Judah: Let me come watch TV with you, Ma.

My phone flashed with Judah’s name, causing me to smile and roll my eyes all at once. It was something about that “Ma” that I couldn’t say no to, no matter how hard I tried.

Me: You’ll have to be gone before Padrino wakes up.

Judah: That’s cool

Me: Come at 10. My room is the last one on the left; I’ll unlock the door for you.

I finished my Saltenas and walked toward the bathroom to take a bath and get ready for the night.

I knew that I was playing with fire by agreeing to let Judah come into the room with me.

If Padrino (godfather) found out, he’d blow a gasket, but the estate was so large that I was on a different wing of the house, and I knew his schedule like I knew my own.

He was old, so a routine kept him grounded.

He ate, slept, and woke up at the same time every day.

The housemaids rarely came on my side of the estate, so I think we’d be in the clear.

After taking a bath and shower, I dried off and grabbed the body butter from the counter, rubbing it into my skin before throwing on a sleep set for the night.

At 9:57, I unlocked the door and turned on the TV. Trying to find something suitable for us to watch that didn’t involve the weather.

He came through the door as soon as the clock read ten and closed it behind him, locking it.

The cocky smile on his face told me what he didn’t say.

That he had broken my guard enough for me to let him in my room.

He was dressed in a black t-shirt and black pajama bottoms tonight.

The color against his skin made him even more handsome if that were possible.

He sat on the couch on the far side of my room, hands clasped and elbows on his knees, watching me as I finished putting up the things that I had been using to moisturize.

“Are you enjoying your stay in Bolivia?” I asked just to break the awkward silence of the room.

“It’s turning around,” he said, making me blush.

“The storm is almost over. If you go outside and listen, this is the time you can clearly hear the birds and insects. Their noises get louder because they’re taking advantage of the fresh air.”

“Aight, Ms. Frizzle.” He said, making me scoff and throw a pillow at him as he walked in my direction.

He sat on the edge of the bed as I grabbed the remote.

“What are we watching? I don’t want to watch the news or the weather channel, Shorty, I can tell you that shit right now.”

“I wasn’t going to. You have got to cut me some slack. Let’s watch this music documentary.” I pressed play on the show and then sat down beside him.

We started talking, disregarding the people on the show. I don’t know how we wound up on the topic, but tonight’s conversation was “favorites.” Foods, colors, music, fragrances, things to do, places to go, and the list went on.

“My favorite color is-”

“Blue,” he said, cutting me off before I could answer.

“How do you know?”

“I don’t have a deep ass answer, Shorty. But paying attention keeps me alive. Your charger, the phone case, and maybe 3 of the outfits I saw you in were all blue.” I nodded. It was a small detail, but it was evidence of how observant he was.

We shared many similarities, especially in our taste in music.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody use the phrase “Man, I fuck with David Ruffin,” but he solidified it when he finished the chorus of my favorite song.

He was so amused that I knew as much R&B as he did, despite my reminding him that I still grew up in a house with two black parents.

Throughout the conversation, I had gone from sitting up to lying down underneath the covers in my bed.

Not only was I tired, but I felt comfortable around Judah.

No matter what the attraction was, he never made me regret the moment of inviting him to my room.

He wasn’t pushy, he kept a respectable distance, and wasn’t handsy at all.

At one point, I thought I heard a creak in the hallway.

I hushed him and listened to see if I heard any movement outside the door.

It was a harsh reminder that we weren’t supposed to be in the room together.

My heart rate sped up, but Judah’s face never broke character.

Calm, relaxed, sure. He didn’t understand that I had heard the screams and cries of grown men in this very house.

I had witnessed the things that the soldiers were willing to do if Padrino blinked hard enough. I didn’t want that for him.

“I’m getting sleepy, Judah. I’m going to take it in for the night.” I gave a half-truth. It was a little after two a.m., and we had spent all this time talking and laughing. But the noise in the hallway jarred me from my fairytale.

There is no way that my godfather would turn a blind eye. Judah had a family back home that called him every day and asked about his safety. I couldn’t jeopardize that.

“Bet,” he said as he slid off the edge of the bed and walked toward the door. I stopped him, ran over to the door, and made sure that the coast was clear before he walked out of it.

He looked at me like I was doing too much, but I wanted to be careful. Maybe he was so calm because he knew the other side of himself that he had. But he was in Bolivia, stuck in this house and in the country. It would be a war that he would start but wouldn’t win.

“Goodnight, Judah,” I said as I held the door open wider and he walked out.

He turned to me and tilted my chin toward him. “Same time tomorrow, Ma.”

I smiled but didn’t agree. After I locked the door, I lay back in my bed and sighed.

Judah was really irresistible. I kept telling myself that it was harmless company, but the one thing you could never do was lie to yourself.

I knew that the more I let him into the room, the deeper I was letting him into me.