Page 29 of Dr. Bell

Smiling, I asked, “About what?”

“You and that man.” She blinked her lashes and smirked knowingly. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think y’all knew each other long before this wedding.”

And therein laid the issue. Adir felt way too familiar to me.

This time, I gulped some wine. Haven giggled.

“I don’t know what to say,” I stated. A hefty sigh followed. “He’s everything… But no one is everything. Right?”

“Girl, my man is everything to me,” she said. “And I do meaneverything.”

Shaking my head in amusement, I replied, “Yeah, I know.”

“Alright, then. I’m gon’ go out on a limb and say it. Dr. Adir Bell is in love.”

I balked at her statement, and she pointedly looked at me.

“You need a nap,” I told her to which she cackled.

“No, I don’t.Youneed to wake up and see that Adir is not playing with you. You met himMondayand that might as well had been a century ago by the way he looks at you.”

Blushing, I bit into my lip and made a noise that made her laugh.

“It’s okay—”

"No, it isn’t,” I responded. “Things are still rocky between him and Quilo. The last thing I want to happen is for Quilo to hate me.”

Haven scoffed. “Quilo could never hate you, number one. Secondly, this isn’t about Quilo. As much as you’d like to make it about him, this is about you.”

“But—”

“Aht, aht! No buts, my girl. You’re worried about Quilo when I’m quite sure Adir can handle him. Focus onyouand what you want right now. You have a whole husband now. A husband whosaw to it that your best friends were here to see you get married.” She sighed and placed her hand over her heart. “If that’s not something like love, I don’t know what is.”

Thankfully, the sliding door saved me from having to refute Haven’s claims. Glancing over my shoulder, I locked eyes with Adir. Those deadly things never ceased to send my mind to steamy places.

“Ready to go home?” he asked.

Haven coughed as her husband came inside the house.

“Yep, she’s ready,” Jabari stated.

Of course, he was ready to kick us out. He and Haven were here for the next few days, making this a great getaway for them. I wouldn’t impose, so I hugged my girl tightly, then stood from the sofa. Adir’s eyes trailed my body as he walked up to me, took my flute of wine, then downed the rest. Haven reached for the empty flute with a smile on her face.

“Goodnight, boo,” she said to me. I didn’t miss the subtle smirk on her face.

I was about to say something smart until Adir’s hands on my body stopped me dead in my tracks. He picked me up like I weighed nothing and practically tossed me over his shoulder. Surprised, my heart started racing, and my body instantly overheated. It wasn’t like I’d never been this close to his body… However, this wasclose. My hands felt every muscle on his shoulders. My legs wrapped around him like they were used to this as I held on while he carried me out of the guest house.

“You scared?” Humor laced his question.

“No… I…”

He chuckled. “As much as I want to, we won’t be sharing a bed tonight, Pretty.”

“I sleep in your bed every night, Adir.”

“And I’m cool with that.”

I stared at the side of his face while he carried me all the way to the patio. He hadn’t broken a sweat. Gently, he placed me on my feet. His eyes followed a trail from my bare toes back to my lips. The gesture caused my heart to palpitate.

---