Page 45 of Nobody But You

“You might have Mike. She was at the firm’s garage the day you passed out,” Stephon said. I smacked my hand hard to the front of Stephon’s chest; he laughed in return.

“I’m sorry, where are my husband’s manners? I’m Jourdan Rockwell.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Rockwell. Yeah, I’m glad I passed out that night. Did y’all hear the news?” he asked.

“No, what news?” I quickly spoke up.

“Burks died that night. I should have been driving him. As you know, I was incapacitated. The authorities think it’s foul play and that a woman may have been involved.”

“Yeah, man, the women will get you every time,” Stephon said. He was staring out the window, so when I hit him this time, it caught him off guard. He swiftly grabbed my leg at the thigh and pulled me over to him.

“You trying to get like Yoncé? Because I’m seconds away from telling Mike to roll up the partition. You’re making me horny, and when I’m horny, I’m going to fuck,” he whispered sternly into my ear.

“Steph, I didn’t know you were married; when did that happen?”

“He just saved you,” Steph whispered, kissing my face before answering Mike.

“Yesterday, actually. You know I don’t put all my business in the street. Over this one, though, I’m quick to let anyone know.”

“I feel that. Well, we’re here, have a safe trip, man. Call if you need me to be here for your return,” Mike said as Stephon helped me out of the SUV. I noticed Stephon was a lot like my brother in terms of modesty. Even though they both could afford private flights, we were currently taking a commercial one. I didn’t mind either way as long as I safely arrived at my destination.

It was Thursday, so the airport was busy. I groaned at the half-mile-long securitycheckpoint.

“Baby, relax. We’re not waiting in this line. Our flight had pre-check,” he said as he took my hand and navigated us through the crowd. We were only a few minutes early before boarding, which shocked me because Stephon liked to be super early. We barely sat down before the first class was called to board. We quickly found our seats before the stewardess came.

“Would you like a blanket, beverage, or snack to get you through your flight?” She asked, smiling all in Stephon’s face as though I weren’t sitting there. He had started to smile back before I interrupted.

“Yes, please; my husband and I would like a couple of packs of Biscoff cookies and Sprite.”

“Ahem, yes, of course, I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t be friendly with these hoes on this plane, Stephon. Ahem, my ass, she about to find herself knocked out like Mike in that bathroom back there.”

“Jourdan, that flight attendant was just doing her job.”

“Yeah, attending to her ho-ish desires on this flight. Keep smiling at her like that, and your ass will be joining her on her nap,” I said. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see all of Stephon’s teeth and those damn dimples before he busted out laughing. The stewardess returned with what I’d requested. She leaned down again and touched Stephon’s arm to get his attention. I didn’t miss when she lightly traced the vein in his forearm with her fingers as she waited for him to take the items.

This ho!

I leaned over and took them out of her hands, purposely scratching her with my ring. She winced and looked at where I’d drawn blood.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Did I scratch you?” I said as I made a show of acting concerned. I stretched my hand out, showcasing my wedding ring and band for added effect.

“You know this man here, he just went overboard with the ring, but he knows I’m worth every dime. Isn’t that right, Babe?” I said, leaning in to kiss him. He wasted no time placing his lips on mine, letting his tongue take the lead.” He broke away after he’d had his fill.

“I love you,” he said. Goosebumps immediately spread over my entire body. His words caught me so off guard that my eyes widened. I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to say it back, but I just smiled. It was probably the biggest smile anyone had seen since my father. He seemed amused by my expression and leaned over to give me one more peck on my lips. The stewardess scoffed and stomped off.

“Stephon, if a hoe puts her hand on you, break it,” I said, mocking his tone. He gave me another loud laugh before the flight attendants started their flight spiel. Shortly after, we were wheels up.

JFK airport was just as busy as CDU. I appreciated that we didn’t have to wait for luggage. We’d just picked up a rental and walked onto the deck to find its location. I’d walked ahead of Steph as he finished the transaction, but he wasn’t far behind. I occupied myself on my phone as I walked toward the sliding glass doors. When the door opened, I collided with a body. Looking up, I saw that it was a familiar face.

“Sincere, oh my gosh. It’s been forever. What are you doing on the East Coast?” I asked. I felt him behind me. I didn’t need to look to know he was there and that he was pissed. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. I glanced down to see that Sincere’s hand was still at my waist, where he grabbed me to stop me from falling.

Aw,Shit!

Stephon didn’t say a word as he squeezed Sincere’s hand so hard I could hear his bones cracking. Sincere let out a quick yelp before he suppressed his need to scream.

“Sincere, is it? Never put your hands on her in any capacity. I’ll be the one to catch her if she falls.” Sincere nodded, and Stephon, who towered over Sincere, gave him a pat on the back before letting go of his hand.

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