Page 24 of Royce (Atkins Family Saga #1)

Me raising my voice caught his attention.

He turned around to face me letting his head slowly fall to the right.

His locs were wet and hanging loosely sending streams of water down his chest. A washboard was exactly what you could use his abs as.

He was ripped and that v-cut just kept your eyes lingering.

It didn’t help that he was covered in tats either.

I had to stop myself from roaming his canvas so openly.

“You got something you need to say to me? If so, pop off and say that shit with yo’ chest.”

“You lied to me, Royce. That was her name, and you took it from her just to fit you. She’s not your fuckin’ daughter!”

He stood there staring at me as if what I said went in one ear and out the other.

His eyes went from warm to cold in a matter of seconds.

I wasn’t sure if I should call Ms. Iris to come back or not.

Fear was starting to replace the anger I held inside.

With each step he took toward me, I wanted to get up and make a run for it.

The fact still remained, I didn’t know this man. I didn’t know how far to push him, and I damn sure didn’t know if he hit women. With Essence in my arms, I tried my best to shelter her. He could do whatever to me, but not her. Her and CJ were all I had.

Royce stopped once he was satisfied with the distance between us. He leaned down and pecked my neck gently leading up to my ear. I hadn’t had a man this close to me in a while. I missed the affection of one and I hated that my body reacted to him even if it was for a brief moment.

“If you wasn’t the woman I loved, I would’ve put yo’ shit through that fuckin’ headboard by now.

She was going to wear my name regardless, and it wasn’t shit you could do about it.

Hell, the same goes for you and CJ. If I was you, I would love me and start to be happy ‘round this bitch ‘cause you ain’t going nowhere no time soon.”

Another kiss was given before he backed away leaving me with mixed emotions.

I was really trying my hardest not to put my hands on him, but it was becoming so hard to do.

Telling me I was going to wear his name despite what I may had believed was something a nigga with power would say and right now, he was abusing his.

My life was already complicated, and he was just adding to it.

I was already skeptical about him, and this only made me put more distance between us.

I thought I was being too harsh but seeing how he moved only to benefit him, I knew I was right to be cautious.

This wasn’t what I wanted for me or my kids in the slightest.

“She’s not your daughter, CJ’s not your son, and I’m not your wife. We aren’t your family. The sooner you realize that the sooner you’ll see I have no room to love you.”

“Oh, you got room. If you can love that bummy, broke ass nigga, you can love me. And if you tell me y’all not my family one more goddamn time, I know something. Tread lightly, My Baby, you starting to piss me off,” he warned.

I heard him loud and clear and shut it right on up.

The tone of his voice was sterner, and that cold look had yet to leave.

He was showing restraint, but I didn’t know how much more of that he had.

I opted out of going back and forth and gave my attention to Essence instead.

For now, we were stuck here, and he was all I could turn to besides Ms. Iris.

Royce dropped his towel, and I found everything else to look at but him.

He’d seen me, but I was not prepared to see him.

Out of him and Cojak, I knew it would be him to get me to fold first. Cojak fucked me good for what it was worth, but Royce carried himself like the dick he possessed drove a bitch crazy. I wanted no parts.

Once he was dressed, he climbed in bed beside me. He was shut down immediately. “No, Royce. You are not sleeping in the bed with us.”

“And why the hell not?” he asked with a screwed-up face.

“Because that’s invading my space, and I don’t want you here. Go upstairs to your own bed or something. I can’t handle you in bed with me or around me. It’s too much, Royce, and you not respecting that.”

I genuinely couldn’t take him touching me, not a toe, not a gentle brush of the skin… none of that shit. He needed to be as far away from me as possible.

“I just had yo’ naked ass wrapped around my body in the shower. You were okay with me being that close then.”

“That was then and this is now. You’re not sleeping in this bed, Royce.”

He nodded as he climbed out the bed and left the room. Finally, some peace and quiet. I let my head fall back for a minute with my eyes closing for the umpteenth time. I just needed a minute, and he was not trying to give it to me. I felt smothered. There was no other way to put it.

Twenty minutes later, Essence had finished eating and burping.

I changed her diaper and got her comfortable before I slid down in bed and did the same.

Besides dealing with Royce’s manipulative ass, I really was drained.

Sleep was always a few steps behind. I swear it was only five minutes that had passed before I was dozing off.

However, I wasn’t able to enjoy it. The room door busted open and in walked Royce along with one of his people. They were carrying slacks of wood. They put them on the back wall and walked back out. They then returned with a bed frame.

Please get this man checked, Ms. Iris. He is not right in the head for real.

“Royce, what are you doing?” I questioned. I mean, I knew but hearing him say that shit was going to blow me.

“Moving a bed in here. You said respect you so that’s what I’m doing. Aye bro’, move that nightstand closer to her so I can set up shop.”

“No, Royce. I said in the bed or around me. This is not respecting my wishes.”

“First off, I ain’t agree to none of that shit. Second, the only compromising I can do is give you the bed. Not being around you is out the picture. My fuckin’ daughter in here and she ain’t left my side since she been born. It ain’t ‘bout to start now just cause you in yo’ feelings.”

He shut me down and instead of giving him more conversation to ignore, I kept quiet.

He did give me the bed and that was the most I was going to get.

It took him and his people no more than fifteen minutes to get it up.

He was on the left of me looking me dead in my face like shit was sweet.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but laugh. Obsessive wasn’t the word.

“Are you satisfied now?”

“Nowhere near it but it’ll do for now. Give me my daughter and get some sleep. I got her until you wake up. Heidi going to find you a heating pad and will be back soon.”

“I don’t need her doing shit for me,” I mumbled.

“She not doing it for you, she doing it for me. Smart ass. Now give her here. I’m ‘bout to watch the game, so I’ll handle her while you rest.”

Fuck her, and you, nigga. Six weeks, Klarity. Six fuckin’ weeks.

Picking up my baby, I kissed her fat cheeks before handing her to Royce.

I couldn’t deny how he cared for her. She was loved by him and surprisingly, that was the only contentment I held.

She was safe with him. If only I could convince myself that I’d be the same.

He did scare me, but I believed he had good intentions as well.