Page 10 of Sinful Restraint

Run.

Hide.

Spread my legs.

Lawd, I was all over the place. I waved her off, my voice teasing when I announced, “Y’all watch too many romance movies.”

“Fuck romance,” Gina spat. “If he ain’t slappin’ my ass, chokin’ me out, then makin’ me beg for it all over again, we definitely ain’t finna fall in love.” Leaning down to my ear, she whispered, “For real though, Santari … I know you’re freaking out right now on the inside, but do me a favor and just go with the flow. Don’t overthink it, and don’t feel guilty for trying to move on with your life even if your brother isn’t here anymore. Rev would want you to live a little.”

Gina was a hot mess, but she really was a good friend. “Thanks, sis.”

Unfortunately, overthinking it was exactly what I did because there was no way in hell that my brother thought living on the edge meant getting freaky with his friends. But the whole ride home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The way Cruz always had me laughing, even when I didn’t feel like there was anything to laugh about. How Storm watched me, like he actually listened to every word I said and cared about what was beneath the surface. And Titan, quiet and steady, always knowing what I needed before I even said it.

I shook my head, gripping the wheel tighter. “No, Santari, this wave of thinking will get you nowhere. Don’t let the ladies from the beauty salon send you off.”

Sometimes gossip was just that. I wasn’t even sure if anything the ladies said about the guys was true, and even if it was, I could barely juggle being with one man, but three? That wasn’t about to be my life.

When I pulled up to the house, I sighed, trying to get my mind right. They were just my roommates. My brother’s friends. And they owed me answers I still didn’t have. Those were the facts. Yet, the moment I stepped inside, I was reminded exactly why everything I was trying to convince myself of was a damn lie.

“Yo, Kerry Washington. You look good wit’ the fresh press and curl.”

I barely got the door closed before Cruz popped up in front of me, grinning like he had been waiting to roast me the second I walked in. He leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his chest and his eyes twinkling with mischief.

I narrowed my eyes. “What was that?”

“Nothin’. Just sayin’ you walked in here like you know you look good.”

I smirked and did a little spin in my summer dress. “Maybe ‘cause I do.” I glanced at the top of his head. “Unlike you wit’ those busted edges. When are you letting Gina touch up your locs again?”

He clutched his chest dramatically. “Oh, so that’s the energy we on today?”

I rolled my eyes, but I was already fighting a smile. We both knew his locs looked good, but that was the thing with Cruz. He was the worst kind of trouble.

Charismatic, funny, and fine as hell in that ‘I don’t even have to try, I always look this good’ kinda way. Sometimes when he looked at me with that playful look in his eyes, I found myself smiling so hard that I forgot what I was saying mid-sentence … like now, as I tripped over his gym bag on the floor.

“Be careful,” he reprimanded, clutching me by the elbow to keep me from falling. “Yo’ ass stay clumsy, runnin’ into shit.”

It’s your fault for lookin’ so good!Instead of saying that, I rolled by eyes and yanked my arms from his warm grasp,pushing aside the way my skin tingled with awareness where he touched. “You’re the one who keeps leaving shit around for me to trip over.” I kicked his gym bag. “What the fuck do you even have in there?”

He shrugged. “A bunch of stuff, but mostly boxing gear. I fill in for my guy Mekhi by teaching a women’s self-defense class whenever he can’t.”

My eyes widened and my heart swooned a little. “Seriously? That’s so cool.” I stepped closer to him, noticing his slight intake of breath when I got closer, and batted my eyes when I asked, “Can you teach me one on one sometimes?”

He was already shaking his head before I got the words out. “Hell nah. I’m still scarred from the last time I tried to teach you to fight.”

Frowning, I stomped my foot in a pout. “I was twelve.”

“I know,” he said. “And somehow, you managed to make me break my arm and ice my balls all before my sixteenth birthday. I couldn’t even fuck Brittni ‘cause I seriously thought my shit was broken despite what the doctor said.”

I pretended to admire my fresh manicure. “I don’t recall that happening.”And I’m definitely not sorry you couldn’t fuck Brittni wit’ the big titties on your birthday.

“Whateva.” He waved me off and nodded to his left. “You wanna play Call of Duty?”

Don’t stare at his tongue ring. Don’t stare at his tongue ring.He licked his lips.

Shit.

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