Page 154 of Curvy Girl Summer

“Yes.” He nodded, his lips just barely brushing mine. “To tell you he’s not right for you.”

“Oh?”

“He’s not your guy.” His lips lingered against mine. “And I can tell by the way you came all over me that you know he’s not your guy, too.”

A rueful smile tugged at the corner of my mouth.

“And I saw him running his game on you, and that shit looked like it was starting to work,” he continued. He shook his head, causing his nose to rub against mine. “I had to stop it.”

His words hit me in layers.

The raw emotion and intense conviction in his words, his tone, his expression was sexy. But it felt like jealousy was all there was to it.

And that didn’t sit right with me.

At all.

My best friends had pointed out that Ahmad seeing me with someone like Ty would make him jealous. And I knew that because I was keeping my distance, he was going to be in his feelings. But the idea of his jealousy that boosted my ego as I got dressed for my date and the reality of his jealousy spawning the best sexual experience of my life was vastly different.

The sinking feeling that consumed me was overwhelming, and my smile melted as the realization hit me.

I was about to respond when the door rattled again, followed by a knock. “Ahmad?!”

“It’s Asia,” he whispered, checking his watch. “It’s been twenty minutes, so I have to get back out there. We still need to talk, though.”

“Oh, shit,” I hissed, my eyes widening. “Twenty minutes? I have to get back out there.”

He leaned back and assessed me. “Back to imitation Shaw Lockwood? That’s not your guy.”

I quirked an eyebrow. “Maybe not, but it’s still rude. I should at least—”

“You don’t owe him anything.”

My brows crinkled. “I know I don’t. But it’s common decency.”

“So, you’re going back out there? To him?”

“Yes. It’s the right thing to do.” I studied his face. My heart thumped vigorously as the wheels in my head turned. “You really pulled me in here just to get me away from him, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“So, you saw me walk away and you followed me, dragging me in here and…” I licked my lips as a chill ran down my spine as I thought about the sex.

Before I could finish my statement, he replied, “I had to stop it. I had to stop you from making a mistake. He’s not your guy.”

Flashing back to something he’d said before, I felt sick. “By any means necessary.”

He nodded. “By any means necessary.”

“Wow,” I muttered under my breath, reaching for the door handle.

“Whoa, what?” He looked perplexed as he lifted his hands in surrender. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” I told him, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter. I have to go.”

“Aaliyah, we still need to talk—”

“I have to go.”

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