Page 61 of Are You Going to Love Me

Eden groaned. “This little kicking it situation is going to turn into something else. Cut it out.”

Maximus gave her a knowing smirk. “Tell me what you want?”

Eden trailed her tongue over her bottom lip. “Urban Crust.”

“What kind of pie?”

“Specialty. Extra banana peppers. Their house sauce.”

“What else? Their fried cheese and red pepper marinara?”

Eden groaned, falling into the cushions. “I’m going to be fluffy.”

“Nah, you’ll be taken care of.” Maximus stood and roamed into the kitchen to grab his phone and to find a space where the mere sight of her wasn’t accompanied by the need to fuse their bodies into one.

Eden needed the space too, so she could calm her senses as much as she could, but the scent of his cologne rested on her top, on her skin. She unraveled herself from the couch and moved over to the large window. Her arms wrapped around herself, and she inhaled deeply and slowly pushed it out. Unaware of the time that had passed between Maximus offering her space and when his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

“I’m not gon’ kiss you,” he toyed. “I just want to offer you what you’ve offered me.”

“And what’s that?”

“Sanctuary.”

Eden’s brows fused as she turned to look up at him. “Sanctuary?”

He nodded. “Look at these on my face. Everyone else sees a Trae Way Gangsta, felon, murderer, and drug dealer. You see someone special.”

“Hmm,” she buzzed.

“They see you, they see a pretty little socialite. I see a light. So fuckin’ bright I can’t help but walk into it. You got to know evil shit can’t live where you are. And I won’t let it touch you. Hear me?”

“Heard you.”

Maximus picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “Find a movie, food is on the way.”

“Are you going to sit on the other end of the couch?”

“If that’s where you want me.”

“Who taught you how to be a gentleman?”

Maximus smirked bitterly. “My mom. Indirectly. She chose wrong men, from my father to the nigga she got laying on hercouch now. I wasn’t ever going to be like them, so I figured when I got a hold of something worth it, I'd be better than all of them.”

“I’m worth it?” Eden asked, trying to detect if he was running game or not.

“You lookin’ like a nigga been runnin’ game on you off the cuff.”

“It’s a norm out here.”

“Out there, not in here.”

“In that case, can I request something?”

“Damn near anything.”

“I know tonight was about you and-”

“What do you need, E?”

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