Page 45 of The Smoke Hour

“We often take our hometown for granted. It’s the tourists that come here and appreciate the beauty, the sights, and the entertainment that the city has to offer,” Smoke explained.

I glanced out the window again and felt an aura of comfort that I’d never experienced with a man before.

“Thank you.”

“For?”

“Slowing things down between us and taking time to get to know me,” I explained.

“Shit was popping off pretty fast, ma.”

“Yeah, it was. In a way that I hadn’t experienced before.”

“I often wondered if you would have behaved the same way with me had it not been for the pressure on you.”

I took a sip of my wine.

“What makes you think that?”

“You were wildin’, ma. Seems like you were acting out because of your situation. Ever since then, you’ve been chill as hell.”

“I’m always on go, Smoke. You should know that by now.”

“At times. But there are times when you’re chill as hell. One thing I’ve realized is that though you’re comfortable with your sexuality, you’re not out there like that.”

“No. I’m not. Like I told you before, it had been a year and a half since I’d been intimate with a man before I met you.”

“Was it serious?”

“No. He was just some guy that I was dating for almost a year before we both agreed it wasn’t going anywhere. The sex was okay, and we were something for each other to do in thesilence of our days. We were excellent companions on those boring nights when our families and friends weren’t around, but we wanted nothing more than that. And the sex wasn’t that great that it was enough of a reason to stick around.”

“Makes sense.”

“What about you? When was the last time you were intimate or in a relationship?”

“I won’t lie. I love fucking, and I’ve had plenty of women around. Not the strippers, so wipe that look off your face.”

He chuckled, and I laughed and pushed down my jealousy.

“Just female friends who were convenient for busting a nut when I needed one.”

“How’d they feel about that?”

“We used each other. So it was all good,” Smoke replied with a shrug.

“How long before me?”

“Two weeks.”

“Damn,” I replied and grabbed my napkin to dab at the little wine that dribbled from my lips.

“I told you. It was different for me. That’s why I wanted to slow shit down to get to know you. I liked your personality, the boldness, and the chemistry between us. But I wanted to know if there was more there than just the sexual chemistry. I had enough fuck buddies.”

“Why didn’t you slow it down with them?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t speak to my soul the way you did.”

I laughed. “Are you saying I’m your soulmate, Smoke?”

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