Page 83 of Search My Soul (Taylor Family Saga #3)

A Few Months Later

“I told you to be ready at six. Why the hell are you still in bed?” Darion’s deep voice startled me. When I lifted the blanket from over my head, I was surprised to see how dark it was outside. We made plans to have dinner and a movie, but I somehow ended up back in bed.

“I’m sorry. My head was hurting, and I thought that if I closed my eyes for a moment, it would relieve some of the tension.

” Darion’s eyebrow raised as if he didn’t believe me, and to be honest, he had every right to be skeptical.

This was the seventh date I’ve canceled in the last two months.

Even my girls were growing tired of me and my excuses.

I sat up in bed as Darion took a seat on the edge of the bed. He was silent for a while, and it made me nervous.

“I’ve been patient with you because I know this hasn’t been easy.

What can I do for you? I want to be here in whatever way you need me, but I can’t do that if you don’t tell me what you need.

” The sincerity in his eyes warmed my heart.

Darion was so kind and patient. He never pressed me about anything, and he understood when I made excuses for not seeing him.

He wasn’t the problem; I was. I’ve always been able to sweep my trauma under the rug, but I couldn’t do it this time.

Some days, I felt okay, but the other days were so crippling, I barely wanted to get out of bed.

I hated the way everyone looked at me with pity in their eyes because it only made me feel worse.

This was a pain I’ve never experienced before, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever be okay.

“You’re doing enough. I appreciate you being here for me right now.

I know I haven’t been myself lately, but I’m trying.

” My voice cracked as my emotions took over.

Darion lifted me up and placed me in his lap while I cried.

I hated being vulnerable like this. I’ve always been the strong one, but I couldn’t seem to find an ounce of strength left in me.

Life had dealt me the shittiest hand, and just when I thought things were turning around for me, I was knocked right back down to reality.

Normandee, Puma, and my cousins checked on me daily and made sure I ate.

Riya was staying with me, and she would often crawl into bed with me and play in my hair.

Everyone around me made sure to show me love and encourage me daily, but none of it helped.

The emptiness I felt inside of me wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard I tried.

“I’ve got you. I promise I do.” Darion kissed the top of my head as I curled deeper into him.

His schedule had been hectic lately, and the fact that he still made time to check on me made me feel special.

Some men would come into your life swearing they would be there for you, but the moment things got tough, they would disappear.

Darion had been there from the very beginning, and even when I pushed him away, he never listened to me.

Unlike some people, who hadn’t even bothered to reach out to me.

After we buried our little boy, Soul disappeared on me.

I thought he would be there at least as a friend seeing as we had both taken a loss, but he was nowhere to be found.

He sent me some bogus ass flowers along with a beautiful pendant with a loc of baby Zion’s hair.

However, he never spoke to me. Whenever he wanted to know how I was doing, he would go through Puma and Normandee.

It hurt my feelings because I thought we were better than that.

I guess I was wrong for assuming that the love we once had for each other meant something.

“What’s on your mind, love?” Darion interrupted my thoughts, but it was for the best. There was no reason for me to be thinking about someone who hadn’t even bothered to think about me.

“Do you mind if we order in and watch a movie here? I’m not in the mood to go outside. I’m sorry.” My lips were pouted as I batted my lashes. Darion chuckled then held me a little tighter.

“We can do whatever you want. What do you have a taste for?” I told him to pick while I went to take a shower.

Once the food arrived, we immediately dug in.

My appetite had been up and down lately, so I embraced the days when I could eat.

Riya sent me a text letting me know she was going to stay the night at my aunt Radiah’s house.

She had two girls who were around Riya’s age, so they were often joined at the hip.

I was thankful for my family who had stepped in for us.

Rochelle was still going on a smear campaign trying to convince people that I was turning her children against her, but they saw right through it.

I paid her no mind because I could have done much worse than what I did.

“You want me to pour you another glass of wine?” I glanced up to see Darion with the bottle in his hands. We were on glass number three, and I probably should have told him no, but I decided to go for it.

“Bring it on. I’m home so if I get too drunk, I can go right to sleep.”

“Say less.” He turned back around to go into the kitchen.

I admired his body as his muscles flexed.

Darion had been good looking when we were kids, but he was fine as fuck now.

His smooth caramel skin looked edible and his long locs were piled at the top of his head in a bun.

The girls used to go crazy over him and not much had changed with age.

His phone was constantly blowing up with women who wanted a moment of his time, but he never entertained them. At least not in front of me.

“Thank you so much,” I cooed as he handed my glass to me.

“Of course. Do you want to watch another movie, or are you done for the night? I don’t want to turn on another movie and your ass falls asleep in the first five minutes.” I giggled because I was known for falling asleep.

“Hey. Not too much on me. I keep telling you to keep the lights on because as soon as those lights go out, it’s a wrap for me.”

“Who watches movies with the lights on, Nee-nee? Even the movie theaters turn them off. Just admit that you can’t hang because you’re turning into an old lady.”

“How dare you! I am not old.” I grabbed a pillow and tried to hit him over the head with it. Of course, he dodged it and came back with a pillow of his own. I set my glass down, because if we were about to have a pillow fight, I wasn’t about to lose.

“Oh, you want to battle with me?” Darion smiled, and I almost got distracted by how sexy he was.

When he pulled his shirt over his head, I thought I would pass out.

His six pack was on display along with all the tattoos littering his body.

The wine had gone straight to my coochie, and all I could think about was his stomach muscles flexing while he bounced me up and down.

“Earth to Neeya.” A pillow smacked me across the face, sending me into a fit of giggles.

“Oh, it’s war, mothafucka.” I picked up two pillows from the couch and charged him.

I popped him upside the head with one and took off running.

For a moment, I forgot he was a professional athlete as he chased me around the room.

Within seconds, he had me squealing as he held me up in the air.

I fought to break free but was unsuccessful as he tossed me on the couch like I weighed nothing.

We wrestled for a moment until he started tickling me. I squealed and squirmed, begging him to let me go.

“I gotta pee!”

“I guess you’re gonna be pissy because you should have never started with me.

” Darion hovered over me, and I decided to fuck with him.

Wrapping my legs around him, I brought him closer to me.

I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I gripped the back of his head then pressed my lips against his.

He didn’t react right away which made me think I might have taken things too far.

Embarrassed, I attempted to push away from him so I could process my shame in peace. However, Darion held me in place.

“Why did you do that?” His eyes stared into mine as we remained locked together.

“I’m sorry. I think I got carried away. It was probably the wine and the fact that I’m ovulating.

I don’t know. Either way, I apologize for making you uncomfortable.

” Darion peered at me for a moment longer before sitting upright on the couch.

I attempted to put some space between us, but he picked me up and straddled me across his lap.

His eyes were closed as his head rested against the couch.

His dick was poking me from underneath, so I tried not to move around too much.

“You’re in a vulnerable state right now, and I promised myself I would move slow with you because I don’t want you to make any decisions that you’re gonna regret later.”

“I may be sad, but I know what I want. You don’t have to walk on eggshells with me or handle me with kid gloves. I’m grown, DJ. Nobody can make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

Instead of using my words, I leaned forward, kissing him again.

This time, he accepted my advances. His arms wrapped around my waist while I fed him my tongue.

Darion was an excellent kisser, and it turned me on even more.

Things escalated quickly as his hands roamed my body.

I lifted my arms to help him remove my top and then my bra.

“You’re so beautiful.” The lust and desire in his eyes made my pussy even wetter.

I could tell he cared about me, and I needed to feel that at that moment.

At some point, we went from the couch to my bedroom.

Darion gently laid me down so he could take off the rest of his clothes.

He paused for a moment, and I thought maybe he was having second thoughts.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have a condom. I wasn’t planning for this to happen, so I’m a little unprepared.”