Page 109 of The Sweetest Devotion

I took a pull from my medium-bodied cigar that was a pleasant mixture of spices, nuts, and cedar. As much as I wanted to quit smoking, Ineededthis. A certain someone was on my mind and they shouldn’t have been.

The silence caused me to look up, finding my boys staring at me.

“What?”

Gavin smirked, looking past me at something in the room and coming back. “She was givin’ you the signal.”

Chancing a look over my shoulder, I spotted Trish at the bar collecting drinks for her other tables and sneaking a peek my way. When our gazes collided, she grinned before turning back to the bartender.

I focused back on my table and shrugged. “So?”

“So?” Makai repeated in surprise. “She cute.”

She was, but I wasn’t biting.

It wasn’t serious, but I found myself saying, “I’m sorta…involvedwith someone right now.”

Gavin snorted. “Duh.”

Confused, I angled my head. “What’s that mean?”

Gavin looked around the table before coming back to me. “I mean, I figured you was knockin’ down something new and she wasn’t lettin’ you out.”

“That’s how April’s ass had me in the beginning. She was on some vampire shit, had me all the way drained,” Makai said with a shake of his head.

“So you married her?” Savon challenged.

“Oh, most definitely,” Makai was quick to agree. He turned to me and pointed with his cigar. “We ain’t seen you since you and Leila broke up. Now you got this new one.”

I scratched at my jaw, debating over being open with them about my regression after my split. “I won’t lie, I was heavy in my feelings over her.”

Gavin sympathized with me, reaching out and squeezing my shoulder. “Y’all was locked in for a minute. Sometimes it takes time to get back to you and recalibrate after that.”

“Exactly,” Makai said in support.

“It took a minute to let it go,” I didn’t deny. “This new situation isn’t serious, but she cool.”

A nasty taste coated my tongue atthatdescription of Kennedy.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with a little fun,” Gavin said.

I was past that stage of my life where I was fucking women because I could. Stability and closeness were what I was after. Something that mattered. A bond.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I think I’m too old for this shit. I wanna…buy her flowers, go for a walk, andtalkto her, see how she’s dealing with her family issues.” I took a swig of my beer. “But I can’t. I’m just the guy she calls when she wants some dick.”

Gav looked at Makai who looked at him. Gavin swung back my way as if I were being stupid. “So, you’re living the dream?”

The group burst into laughter and I loosened up and chuckled.

If only it was that simple. The sex was good. I loved the way Kennedy had her reservations, but was willing to drop them when I pushed just right. How she was letting her guard down and becoming comfortable with me.

That silly little dance of hers lived rent-free in my head some nights.

“It’s…complicated,” I said carefully.

A knowing gleam passed through Makai’s eyes. “She got a man?”

Savon quietly watched me, and I felt an itch I couldn’t scratch.

---