Page 46 of Meraux Mafia: No Ordinary Love

“I’m patient, plus I like watching you pretend that you don’t want me. Watching you squirm and shit. It’s cute on you.” He winked, and every nerve between my thighs went haywire.

“You’ve gathered all this from one night together?”

“You said it takes more than a rescue and some compliments to get you in bed, but here we are. Unless you’re lying.”

“Yeah, in hell. What’s with this sudden change of heart anyway? I know you didn’t want to be stuck with me any more than I do you. Now you’re . . . .okay with this.”

“I don’t have a choice but to be okay with this. Unlike you, I’m trying to make the best of it.”

“I’m still in denial.”

“Did you give your ex-nigga a hard time like this, or just me?”

I probably should’ve, but Marcel and Gianni didn’t seem to have much in common. Despite being a provider, Marcel wasn’t much of a man’s man. He allowed me to do what I wanted and run things. In hindsight, it was probably because he was doing shit he wasn’t supposed to.

“Doesn’t matter now. We’re both stuck, right?” I deflected, not wanting to discuss my relationship with Marcel.

“Cheer up, Pretty Lady. I’ll make the ride fun, I promise, but for now, I’m going to bed.”

“Goodnight. The side closest to the door is mine, by the way.”

“Not tonight.”

“Gianni, I swear-.

“If somebody runs in here, I need to be closest to the door, not you. Goodnight,” he leaned over and pecked my lips with finality before lifting my legs and walking down the hallway to my bedroom.

After catching up on my shows, I finally pulled myself from the couch. I made a pit stop in the bathroom before pausing in my doorway, watching Gianni pass out in the center of my bed. One hand tucked in the band of his boxers and the other behind his head. Whoever said perfection didn’t exist hadn’t laid eyes on Gianni Meraux. His smooth skin and unrefined character reminded me of my favorite chocolate bar.

Tingling in the pit of my stomach traveled further south, watching his bare muscular chest rise and fall. Biting my bottom lip, I dreamed of feeling his girth pressing its way inside of me. It had been months since I had been touched. My body was craving it in the worst way. I was expected to fall asleep with his cologne embedded in my sheets.

Impossible.

Marching over to my bed, I tried to push him over so I could try. My queen-size bed was enough space for me, and since I had sworn off men, I didn’t anticipate sharing it with anybody else any time soon. Life had a funny way of working out.

Gianni rolled over at the feeling of me climbing into bed. Halfway through the night, he rolled over and wrapped me in his arms. His gesture filled me with a weird inner excitement as he snuggled in closer. His hand defaulted to my belly, gently stroking my skin as if he needed it to lull himself back to sleep. It was so comfortable that I would’ve easily drifted back to sleep with him, except for a knot in my throat. This moment felt way too genuine for a situation we were both forced into, but I felt safe, something I had craved for a long time.

Somewhere in my racing thoughts, my mind grew tired, and I drifted asleep, relaxing in Gianni’s embrace. I didn’t need an alarm clock because my bladder woke me up every morning. Peeling Gianni’s arm back, I tip-toed to the bathroom. Gianni was awake and sitting on the edge of my bed when I came out.

“Good morning,” I greeted, struggling to settle my erratic pulse.

“Morning. How did y’all sleep?”

“Painfully. The weight of your arm made it hard to get comfortable,” I smiled, letting him know I was joking. I couldn’t tell him how peaceful it felt, so I resorted to our native language of sarcasm to snap me back to reality before last night clouded my judgment. “I didn’t take you for the cuddle type.”

“Why? Nigga’s need affection too.”

“Noted,” I tossed out, walking into my closet to prepare for the day.

“We need to talk.”

“I’m listening,” I yelled out.

“Your move to DuPont Falls needs to happen sooner than later.” Exiting the closet, my eyes roamed, waiting for clarification. He picked up on it and continued. “We’re already six months in. You need to get settled, and we have a child to prepare for. Then there’s the wedding.”

We’re. Umph.

“What about my job? What about my family and friends?” I rattled off. I didn’t graduate with a bachelor’s degree to be somebody’s trophy wife. Oh, and let’s not forget I don’t like your family,” I replied, not allowing him to get a word in edgewise.

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