Page 64

Crown Gravehart

N ever in life have I wanted to whack-a-mole someone for kissing me the way I wanted to bop Four upside her curly ass fucking head.

I hopped out of the truck, ready to kill, when I saw Rakim.

That nigga kept a sneaky-ass grin on his face like what he had going with Four was a game to him.

That shit fucked with me 'cause there wasn't shit to play about when it came to the woman in charge of my heart.

Still, I kept shit meek. It wasn't until Rakim started dry snitching that I looked her way.

I had to see for myself if she gave a fuck about me killing her nigga without knowing why I did it.

When she started talking, I just knew she was gon' be on bullshit.

All I needed was a yes or a fucking no. That head shake sufficed, but I still didn't trust her.

She played the fuck out of me and I was none the wiser until I found out the truth.

.. the truth that she should have fucking told me.

Shit was complicated with Four 'cause our energy was magnetic and the love seemed to be un-fucking-dying.

"Did Chosyn call you?" Her voice, soft and cracked, broke through the silence. I glanced over at Wolfe to make sure he didn't answer her ass.

"Um, is anyone going to answer me?" she spat, locking eyes with me in the mirror.

"You good?" I asked instead.

"I'm fine," she smacked. "Since no one wants to talk, just drop me off at my house and continue acting like I don't fucking exist."

"Shut your bratty ass up. You're coming to my crib." Sending her ass to Gigi's house was the better option but having her near calmed the anger boiling in my veins.

"I don't think?—"

"Honestly, River, I don't give a fuck what you think. You clearly don't make the best decisions, so now I'ma think for you. I think staying with me is the only place you need to be until I say otherwise."

"Whatever," she groused, crossing her arms and looking away.

Biting back a laugh, I shook my head at the brat I created.

I always gave Four her way, thinking it would help her realize I wasn't a nigga better for her than me.

She got away with murder because, in all honesty, I wanted her to see me as I've always seen her.

It backfired, though, and this bullshit attitude she had was my karma.

All her ass did was pout and poke her big ass lips out.

"Fucking baby," I muttered, thinking she was going to ignore it.

"And what are you?"

"A man. Fuck you thought?" I smirked as Wolfe chuckled.

"Don't laugh at him, Wolfe. Crown is as much a baby as I am. That stunt you pulled on the rooftop was a tantrum if I've ever seen one."

"River, ain't shit I gotta tantrum about. Your bratty ass knows what the fuck it is even when you wanna play dumb. The rooftop situation was me showing you the wool you had over my eyes is gone. I see you, River, and the real you is shining bright as fuck."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Four shifted her gaze toward the window. When she brought her eyes back to mine, she looked sadder than before.

"I'm fake now, Crown?" she asked.

I shrugged, not wanting to hurt her feelings any more than I already had. Regardless of how I felt, the urge to fix her mood was still strong as fuck.

"I don't speak body language, so you have to use your words."

"It means I don't trust shit that comes out of your mouth. You're flawed as fuck in my eyes, River, and I don't see that shit changing. Those fucking glasses are probably fake for all I know."

"Nigga!" she gasped. Leaning forward between the front seats, Four took off her glasses and tossed them onto the dash.

"How can my glasses be fake when you're the one who filled the prescription?

Every time I tried to get rid of them, you popped up with a new pair.

So how the fuck are they fake, Cortez?" Four was fuming, and all I did was shrug at that shit.

She had a point, but I wasn't gonna be the one to tell her.

"Don't get quiet now. You had so much to say about me, so keep it going. Tell me more about how you can see me because until I met your stupid ass, the real me didn't exist."

"Man, miss me with that you helped me love again bullshit."

"It's true!"

"How, when we just pulled up on you at your ex's remembrance?" Wolfe asked, shocking the shit out of me. "Be honest with me. When's the last time you saw or talked to dude's mom?"

"The funeral," she answered softly.

"Ight. That was what, three years back? You've been moving around getting shit done for three years and didn't think about seeing his mom once."

"I—"

"I'm not done," Wolfe cut her off.

"Aye, watch your tone, nigga," I warned.

Wolfe glanced at me, grinning.

"You don't trust her, right? Fuck you care about how I speak to her?"

"Trust or not... she's still Mrs. Gravehart in my eyes."

Four's mushy ass started blushing but looked away when she caught me staring.

"See y'all both doing dumb shit when all this can be fixed with a conversation. River, you didn't have to go to that shit, but you did because you either wanted to hurt Crown or you knew Chosyn would snitch, and he'd come running. Which is it?"

"I went because I wanted to say goodbye and wrap up that part of my life so I could move on."

"Say goodbye to who?" Wolfe asked, and Crown scoffed.

"The dead nigga her slow ass can't seem to let go," Crown laughed bitterly.

"I'm not doing this with you. Wolfe, when your childish brother isn't around, we can talk."

"That's my brother, y'all won't be talking about shit."

"You can't control who I talk to, Crown. We're not even together," Four muttered in a whisper.

She probably thought I wasn't going to hear it, but I did, and the last four words tore through my chest. The silence in this bitch was loud, but the screeching of the tires as I swerved off the road and skidded onto the gravel shoulder was louder.

"What the hell?" her ass had the nerve to spat.

"Nigga, what you doing?" Wolfe followed up.

I ignored them both, threw the car in park, and hopped out. The second the backdoor opened, her eyes widened, and a gasp spilled from her lips.

"What are you?—"

I didn't give her the chance to finish as I gripped her wrist and yanked her out of the truck and slammed the door behind her.

I pinned her to the side, letting the heat from my anger engulf her.

Chest to chest, I felt the way her body went stiff, but her eyes were vibrant and searing.

Holding her gaze, my hand slid slowly from her wrist up the length of her arm.

Goosebumps rose under my touch. Her body betrayed what she'd said just moments before.

I followed the curve of her shoulder, then higher.

My fingers brushed along the side of her neck until they wrapped around the front of her throat.

Her freaky ass anticipated the squeeze, and she trembled.

Her body arched, plowing her chest into mine.

My eyes light up with a desirable hunger only she could satisfy.

"Four." My hand tightened slowly around her neck. Her pulse kicked against my palm like she wanted to fight back, but desire overcame her. "Who are you?" I rasped, keeping my eyes on hers.

Her lips trembled, but she didn't answer. Of course, she didn't because Four giving in was too easy. I leaned in close enough to taste the hesitation on her lips.

"Four."

I dragged the sound of each letter in her moniker. With each one, my fingers closed tighter until I was able to swallow her gasp.

"Who are you?"

Her eyes fluttered, her lashes shivering as she parted her lips to speak.

"Mrs. Gravehart," she replied in a breathless whisper.

"Even when?—"

My lips brushed against hers, making my dick twitch. She must've known. Her hand slipped between us, fingertips brushing down my stomach until her palm molded to my dick.

"I'm Mrs. Gravehart even when I'm not."

My thumb brushed the soft underside of her jaw.

"That's exactly who you are to me. I don't give a fuck what we're going through," I growled. "Say some shit about us not being together again... like you're not mine and I'm not yours... and I'ma show you how together we fucking are."

Four with those beautiful eyes stared at me through slits hooded by the love she still had for a nigga.

"You heard me, right?" I whispered, jerking her head back just enough for my mouth to brush against hers.

"Yes," she inhaled sharply.

I kissed Four, making sure she knew who she belonged to, and she did the same.

She moaned into my mouth, and I swallowed it like a secret never to be told.

My hand left her throat and slid around the back of her neck, pulling her in closer.

Trust didn't matter as we poured into each other.

Our love was too strong to die behind a lack of trust, or so I thought.

"I love you."

She fed me the three words, their syllables drumming against my lips, waiting to be devoured.

"Get in the truck, River."

I stepped away, unable to give her what she needed. I opened the door for her, but she didn't move. Her eyes, wild and unfocused, shifted from mine to the open car door.

"Huh... wha-what? What?" Her voice cracked, but so did something in the brown of her frantic gaze.

"Why are you doing this? I was just Four and now I'm River?

What happened to you being mine and me being yours?

Huh? Say something, Cortez!" Her voice hiked, screeching each time she went up an octave.

"Get in the truck, River."

"Fuck you, Crown! I hate you! I fucking hate your stupid ass!" Four didn't even look at me as she yelled the one thing that brought me close to snapping her fucking neck.

"Fuck nigga, close my door!"

I slammed that bitch, the weight of her words hammering down on my chest. Rounding the front of the truck, Wolfe walked over, shaking his big ass head.

"Fuck was all that?"

"I don't even fucking know," I told him.

"Figure it out. I get River fucked up, but toying with her emotions is just as fucked up."

"I hear you, nigga," I huffed, already feeling a headache building behind my eyes.

"If you want, I can swing by my crib and get you a weighted blanket. It helps with the stress."

"Nigga, what?" I barked out a laugh.

"I'm deadass. That shit is helpful as fuck. The best gift I ever got. Don't tell Chosyn. Her ass might try to burn Navy for giving it to me."

"I thought they were cool?"

"They are, but you know Chosyn don't fuck around when it comes to me."

"Yeah... she don't play."

The back window cracked open, and Four's voice sliced through, full of attitude. "Can we go? I'd hate for you to catch your brother's illness."

"Nigga, you sick?" Wolfe side-eyed me. "Chosyn's gonna bitch if I get Phoenix sick."

"No, I'm not fucking sick. Do I look sick?"

"Don't let him lie to you, Wolfe," Four cut in. "That nigga's contagious. Stay around him too long and you'll start acting like a fuck nigga too. Then it'll be two niggas Chosyn and I gotta bury."

"Shut your scary ass up. You probably never even held a gun."

"Keep playing with my emotions, and you'll find out. Now bring me the fuck home, pussy nigga."

Wolfe half-laughed, shaking his head. "Y'all two are crazy."

"That's her dumbass," I muttered.

"Nah, nigga, that's y'all. And remember what I said — think shit through. Yeah, she messed up, but you gotta handle this like a man. There's too much on the line for you to fuck it up now."

Wolfe hopped in on the driver's side, and I jogged around to the passenger side and slid in without speaking.

I waited until Wolfe pulled off to glance in the rearview mirror.

And there Four was, sitting with her arms crossed, and glasses on.

She was pissed, but shit, so was I. Still, underneath the attitude and anger, I felt love.

She's mine and I'm hers. I didn't see that changing, and maybe that's the real problem.

I might just fuck around and love her hard enough to ruin us both.