Page 5 of Suleem and Yahzi (D-Ville Projects #1)

Yahzi

This man had me infuriated but also my panties soaked at the same time.

It was taking every ounce of restraint I owned not to turn and look at his fine ass.

Chestnut brown skin covered his lengthy, solid frame.

His dark eyes looked like opals above a wide nose, full lips he occasionally moved his tongue across, followed up with a mindless tug of his beard.

My fingers tensed to the point where I had to curl them into my palms because I wanted to drag my nails through the wooly spirals that covered his head.

The wild curls I was used to no longer existed and his tapered low cut waves now offered a maturity that gave him a grown man vibe that wasn’t there three years prior.

Sexy…

So fucking sexy…

Being this close to him after all these years was a struggle.

I missed him, but more than anything I missed us, so I was currently struggling.

This Jeep smelled like him and that scent felt like home.

I was reminded of all the nights I lay up under Suleem feeling like nothing could touch me because I was loved and protected by this man.

That wasn’t the case. Because Suleem loved and protected me, his life touched me. One night stole the future I foolishly believed I had a right to. I said foolishly because men like Suleem weren’t promised futures.

He lived for the streets and functioned by a code that had him bound to a life that came before anything and anyone. Even me and our child. I was na?ve to believe our story would be the one that didn’t end tragically but reality slapped me hard and woke me up from the fairytale I was living in.

I lost my baby and the man I loved more than I even understood back then because of who he was and what he refused to sacrifice for us. It hurt like hell but I had to walk away. Here I was, three years later, just as in love with this man as I had been when I left him.

“How many women have you been with since I left?” I turned and burned a hole through the side of his face. He was calm as ever when he cut his eyes my way. The stoic expression he wore only further pissed me off.

“How many?”

“You think you have the right to ask me that?” he said smoothly right before an arrogant smirk crept onto his face.

The one that had my stomach in knots and my pussy screaming to be acknowledged.

When my silence prompted his expanded smile, exposing an open face grill that outlined his bottom row of naturally aligned white teeth, I looked away briefly to find some damn sense to remain on topic.

“You just beat the shit out of a man because you think I had sex with him. Yes, I have the right.”

“I don’t think shit. I know you fucked him.”

“Fine, I did. How many women have you been with?”

“Enough.”

The reality twisted in my gut but I couldn’t be upset. I left. He had the right to move on with his life.

“Your world doesn’t include me anymore, so I don’t even know why we’re doing this.”

He laughed arrogantly but didn’t say anything ,which only further pissed me off.

“That’s funny to you?”

I had no idea why I was pushing him. Suleem didn’t argue. He was a hot head but never with me. When he cut his eyes at me but didn’t respond, I sucked my teeth, threw myself back into the seat, and locked my arms over my chest.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw that cocky grin of his surface. He tugged on his beard and moved his tongue over his bottom lip and oh fuck…

I turned my head toward the window and ignored him for the rest of the drive. It was after two in the morning. I was exhausted and didn’t have the mental fortitude to deal with this situation or the man at the center of it.

When we made it to DP and he found a spot in the lot behind the building, I rolled my eyes knowing it wasn’t a coincidence that the one next to a black G Wagon was open.

I would bet everything I owned that truck belonged to Kassir which meant people knew better than to park their shit in the one that belonged to Suleem.

After he shut off the engine, I reached for the handle and he yanked his door open, talking at the same time.

“You know better than to touch that fucking door, Yah. You haven’t been away from me that long.

” The lazy, deep rasp of his tenor brought a smile to my face because some things never changed.

He rounded the vehicle and opened my door.

As soon as I was on my feet and the door was shut, he backed me against it, leaning his body into mine.

“I fucked enough women to know none of them would ever be you. I also never gave them anything but a nut. I get that you had every right to live your life but trust and believe, I’m not okay with that shit if you let that nigga have access to anything other than what I was giving these women.

If I find out you did, my body count will be increasing.

Unless you want that on your heart, keep that shit to yourself.

And you’re right about that slick shit you said but not in the way you meant it.

You don’t fit in my world because you are my world.

Now act like you know what the fuck this is. ”

He could handle me having sex with another man, barely, but he was damn sure not okay with me caring about one.

The warning was clear and I wouldn’t play with anyone’s life like that.

I liked Dexter but hadn’t been with him long enough to have any real feelings for him.

I also didn’t want to live with knowing I was the reason his life was cut short.

Suleem kissed me then backed away, moving to the rear of his Jeep to get my things. When I tried to help he mumbled he had it and managed to juggle my suitcase, two duffle bags, and my backpack.

We took the elevator to the top floor which used to be four units but was now occupied by only Kassir and Suleem.

A few years back, the city wanted to gentrify the neighborhood with hopes of appealing to middle class families.

They updated the entire building and the surrounding area.

Tenured residents were allowed first right of refusal for the remodeled rental units and also those for sale.

If they chose to stay in their rental units, they were grandfathered into their original rates, but new tenants paid the new prices.

They even changed the name from Douglasville Projects to Meadow View Apartments but anyone from the area still called them D-Ville Projects.

Suleem and Kassir purchased the entire tenth floor and knocked out walls to create two expansive apartments that they occupied.

When we stepped on the elevator, Suleem used his key card to gain access to the tenth floor. We walked to his door and he nodded to the keypad. “You know the number.”

I keyed my birthday, opened the door, and shivered as soon as I crossed the threshold. It was cold as hell in here. It smelled like him. Sandalwood and bergamot blended with a light hint of whatever he smoked recently. “I see you’re still a polar bear.”

He chuckled and walked past me, heading toward the back.

I followed him and frowned when he took my stuff to his room.

I walked past the door and checked the other three bedrooms, frowning deeper when I noticed none of them were furnished.

Walking back to his room I found my stuff piled on the floor near the foot of the bed while Suleem dug through the nightstand on my side of the bed.

After he had what he needed, he walked to me and extended the keycard I left behind when I made the decision that we no longer worked. Seconds later he was towering over me with a scowl enhancing his features.

“Here.”

“I don’t need that.”

He shook his head and shoved it in my front pocket. “It’s late. I’m about to blaze something before I go to bed. You know where everything is.”

“I’m not sleeping in here.”

“There aren’t any other beds, Yah. Where else you think you gon’ sleep?”

“On the sofa or I can…”

“You can get your ass in that bed is what you can do. I’m tired as hell and I don’t have the energy to debate pointless shit with you right now.”

Pointless? He only had one bed and expected me to sleep in it with him.

“You only have one bed in here. That bed…” I pointed to it and he frowned hard. So I added, “I don’t know who’s been in there with you.”

He smiled sexily, exposing that bottom grill. It was gold and ran across his gums, outlining the lower canines. His thug ass was too arrogant and too sexy. I was so caught up in him that I missed when he closed the space between us. I could feel him, smell his cologne, but he didn’t touch me.

“The only woman who’s been in this apartment since you left is my aunt and she damn sure ain’t been in that bed.” He gently placed his hand on my hip then kissed my temple. “It’s late and I know your ass isn’t built for late nights. Go to sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Suleem walked off like his word was law.

That’s just how he operated. As sexy as his confidence was, it drove me crazy because his ego was so damn big.

He was right though. It was late and I wasn’t built for this.

I was good to make it past eleven most nights, so at this point I was running on empty.

I dug through my duffel and found pajamas and panties before heading to the bathroom to shower.

When I was done, I climbed in bed, sighing at how comfy the bedding and mattress felt against my tired limbs and smiling when my head sank into the pillow. I inhaled the scent of Suleem’s cologne and for the second time tonight everything in me realized I was home.