Page 145 of Curvy Girl Summer

“You asked me to look out for you and point out red flags if I see them.”

“I didn’t ask you to look out for me. You inserted yourself into my dating life.”

“Well, I’m telling you that Salvation Army Shaw is not it.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s rich coming from you.”

He frowned. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I rolled my eyes. “Never mind. What did you want to talk about?You couldn’t have followed me to the bathroom just to talk about my date.”

“Fine.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Why are things different between us?”

“I don’t know, but it’s weird.” I paused for a second. “Why are you acting like this tonight?” I asked in return.

“Acting like what?”

“Jealous.”

His jaw tightened and his eyes flashed, but he didn’t reply to my comment.

He gestured between us. “I don’t like the way things have been with us, and I want to clear the air.”

“Okay…?”

“You’ve been avoiding me since the night of the hospital.” He moved so that we were only inches apart. “Why?”

The way his cologne infiltrated my nostrils caused a flutter in my belly.

Staring into his eyes, I cocked my head to the side. “I’ve been busy,” I said simply.

Ahmad’s head dropped back, and he let out a feral roar that seemed to come from the depths of him. My mouth snapped shut, and my eyes widened. I wasn’t scared of him. I was surprised by his outburst, but I didn’t even flinch. I’d never seen him raise his voice, let alone yell. I was more fascinated than anything.

Curling my lip in disgust, I gave him a look. “Are you done?”

“Are you? Are you done, Aaliyah? I mean, damn. I’m trying to look out for you.”

“How are you trying to look out for me, Ahmad? By mean mugging me while I’m on a date?”

“Wow!” He exhaled gruffly, walking to the other side of the small office. When he turned to face me, his frown deepened. “I wasn’t mean mugging you. I was mean mugging him.”

My eyes narrowed angrily. “You have some nerve,” I hissed.

A mixture of confusion, anger, and exasperation twisted his handsome face. He was only a few feet away, so I saw the way his eyes flickered before he replied, “Me?”

“Yes, you.”

His long legs closed the gap between us, and he stood directly in front of me. “What is your problem?”

“You are my problem!”

“So why won’t you talk to me?”

Searching my eyes, he leaned down. His face was inches from mine, and my gut twisted violently as he moved into my personal space.

I stepped back, ignoring the way my nipples tightened in his presence. I disregarded the way my panties dampened at his closeness. I couldn’t stop the way my body reacted to him. But I was not feeling how dramatic he was being, and I chose to hold on to that.

“We’ve talked, and there’s nothing else to say about it,” I snapped, glaring at him. “We’recool!”

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