Page 7 of Suleem and Yahzi (D-Ville Projects #1)

Suleem

I didn’t peel my eyes open until after ten the next morning. I hadn’t slept like that in years, hell, since I was a child. Even when I had Yahzi in my life, I was on go most of the time so I rarely ever rested or found peace. But having her back in my bed this time around was different.

Everything about Yahzi ruled me. Her beautiful ass face, her body, her touch, her smell, and the promise she silently delivered that I deserved all the goodness she brought into my life.

I didn’t but I was a greedy, selfish ass nigga who took without remorse or consequence.

With Yahzi, the consequence was no longer having control over my life.

One look, one touch, and she took all my power. That’s part of the reason I shut her down last night. I wanted to be home, in that pussy where our connection could never be challenged or questioned, but I wouldn’t dare slide up in her heaven after dropping my dick off in another woman.

I also needed a minute to process that this was really fucking happening.

I gave her three years because she needed the separation to heal and I needed the time to grow the fuck up.

That distance would never happen again. When her damn phone was about to dance off the fucking nightstand with texts from that nigga she called me about, I made the decision that she wasn’t going back.

Dex: You let that nigga run up on me?

Dex: Type of shit is you on, bitch?

Dex: Just know you gon’ see me.

Dex: The way he put his hands on me, I’m gon’ put my hands on you. I’m gon’ fuck up that pretty face of yours to show you how I get down.

I deleted the text from his phone and blocked his number. Right after I made a call to KT and asked him to have somebody clocking that muthafucker’s moves so I could get to him when I needed. First I needed a few days to welcome my baby home.

“You don’t sleep.”

This was the shit I was talking about. Just her voice had a nigga smiling.

“I sleep.” She entered the living room and dropped on the sofa next to me.

When she lifted her feet and tucked her knees under my hoodie she’d found her way into and leaned into my side, I placed my arm around her shoulder.

Yahzi slept wild as hell so her hair was all over her head, spilling out the ponytail holder she used in a failed attempt to tame it.

Pretty ass looked cute even in her chaos.

“How long you been up?”

“A couple hours.”

She grabbed my wrist and glanced at my watch. “It’s lunchtime. That’s late for you.”

I kissed her forehead. “I sleep better when you’re with me.”

That pretty ass smile of hers surfaced. “Apparently, I do too.”

“Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

“I honestly don’t know how things are supposed to be with us. As right as this feels?—”

“Nah, don’t question or second guess. I’m not gonna fuck this up. I hurt you once and that shit liked to kill me. No matter what you felt, trust that I had it ten times worse.”

I was mad as hell the night I got shot because Yahzi didn’t show up at the hospital and it wasn’t even about me.

I needed to lay eyes on her to know she was okay.

Physically, she walked away from everything without a scratch.

I made sure of that but I needed to look in her eyes to know I still had her.

When she didn’t show up, that was my answer.

Three fucking days, that was how long I suffered.

They kept trying to give me shit for the pain but I refused.

I didn’t want Yahzi to show up with me being out of it and unable to speak the words that needed to be delivered.

On the fourth day she walked into my hospital room with her head down and could barely look at me.

I thought for sure she was about to leave my ass and couldn’t give me her eyes to say the words.

I had been right about her wanting to leave but I damn sure didn’t expect to also hear that she lost our child and she needed space. I would say she ripped my heart out of my chest but that would be a lie ’cause that bitch hadn’t been mine for a long time. She owned it…she owned me.

I didn’t argue. I simply asked if she was sure that was what she needed, and when she said yes, I told her okay.

That night I transferred ten grand to her account and sent Yahzi a text saying I would give her space.

I also made clear that if she ever needed me I would be there.

However, I also let her know that if she called me, she’d better be prepared to come home.

Shit sounded complicated but it really wasn’t. She could get anything she wanted or needed without reaching out to me. All she had to do was hit up Kassir and it was done on my behalf, but if she called me and not my boy, it meant she was ready to let me right my wrongs.

A week after I got out of the hospital, I paid to get her address and pulled up to make sure she had eyes on her. Some of my people were connected to the Lords and they put word out that nobody touched Yahzi. That was why I was so fucking confused about how she ended up with an East Street nigga.

I never checked in, didn’t want updates or I wasn’t going to be able to keep my word.

I made clear to the people I had on Yahzi to only hit my line if there was a problem.

She was living her life disconnected from a past she was trying to run from.

She went to cosmetology school at CFU and started cutting at a shop frequented by a bunch of rich people.

I wilded the fuck out for the next few months after she was gone. Smoking, drinking, fighting muthafuckers just because. My moves didn’t change until Kassir let me know he had to switch shit up for his son and he wasn’t doing it unless I agreed.

Fucked me up because he was asking me to be a better man so he could be a better man for his son and not feel like he was bailing on family.

He would have been on his grown man shit regardless of the decision I made because he loved Kassan but having to move in a way that meant keeping me disconnected from my godson would have weighed heavy on his heart.

He also said some profound things that made me think and that’s when I got my shit together.

“You want her back?” Kassir handed me the blunt.

I inhaled, tilted my head back, and expelled a cloud of smoke before I responded. “Why the fuck you gon’ ask me some dumb shit like that?”

“Because you’re moving like the answer is no.”

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” He knew how I stepped behind Yahzi.

“When you get that call, what is she going to come home to? The same thing that made her leave yo’ ass in the first place? If that’s the case, she damn sure isn’t going to stay.”

Two weeks later I purchased my shop and started working on providing a reason for her to stay when the time came.

Yahzi dropped her head back so she could see my face. “I missed you and I want us to be okay.”

“Then stay out your fucking head and trust me.” I winked and lifted from the sofa, extending a hand to her. When she pulled her legs from under my hoodie, she accepted it and I brought her to me, cupping her face before I delivered a kiss.

“Get dressed so you can ride with me. I wanna show you something.”

“Or…” She brushed her hands over my dick which was bricked and very interested in whatever argument she was about to present. “We could start making up for lost time.”

I chuckled and kissed her again. “I’mma take care of that later. Now bring your horny ass on. I have some stuff I need to handle and I want you with me.”

She groaned but stepped around me. I slapped her ass and followed, watching that muthafucker poke out and expand my hoodie. Yeah, I was gonna fuck her properly but right now I had to get to the shop to finish up a job due for completion today.

I threw on lightweight joggers and a Lampin’ in Lux tee. Yahzi was in ripped jean shorts that completely exposed her thighs, stopping just above her knees, and an oversized graphic tee she cut the neck off so it hung off her shoulders.

She worked her hair into a low ponytail and put on big ass hoop earrings and thick ass black square glasses, looking like a damn geek.

“Um, excuse you.” Yahzi arched her brow when I pulled the top of her shirt and looked down the front. Once I noticed she had on a strapless bra I was good.

“I needed to make sure you had something on under this shit or you were changing.”

“You do realize I’m grown, right?”

“I’m not worried about you being grown, I’m concerned about the lives you’re putting in danger. Let’s go.”

I grabbed my keys. They went in my pocket before I secured my phone which I didn’t even look at. I was riding with the only person who needed my attention today. I handed it to Yahzi along with a fold of cash and my wallet. “Keep this for me.”

I didn’t want to walk around with a knot in my pants all day.

“You sure you want me to have this?”

“Yeah, you’re good.”

“And if I see something I don’t like.”

“Handle that shit however you want. Anything that happened while you were gone no longer exists.” I kissed her cheek and headed to the door, waiting for her to follow. She dropped my wallet and cash in her pocket but kept my phone in hand. I chuckled, already knowing how that was about to go.

She wouldn’t find a damn thing but a bunch of unsaved numbers from women I fucked or who wanted to fuck.

There was no conversation or finessing. She was the only person who could get that from me.

With those women, I just wanted a nut. With Yahzi I wanted to be in her space and have her in mine.

We fucked around for two years with no labels or words spoken about what we were but she had all my honesty and loyalty. She had me.

Good pussy made a man consider things he would never entertain but good pussy attached to a woman who wouldn’t accept the bullshit a man was used to kicking would make him stand on the promises he made about holding her down.

“You sure you want me responding to your little girlfriends?”