Page 12 of And Everything In Between

The ride to the fairgrounds took a little over thirty minutes. The crowd was already thick when she pulled up, but Paige wasn’t worried about being solo. She never needed a crowd. A lot of her life had been the same, she kept a small group of loved ones. And she also kept a .380 in her purse.

The minute Paige stepped onto the fairgrounds; her mood shifted. She inhaled the grilled meat and body heat. She felt the old-school bass rolling from somewhere deep in the crowd. Kids laughed as their parents chased after them. Trap music spilled from custom trunks, giving the whole lot a heartbeat.

She smirked. Already glad she came and didn’t let the weekend pass her by.

Paige moved through the crowd with deliberate steps, unbothered and unbent, her skin glowing under the sun while gold bangles sang every time her arm brushed her hip. She wasn’t the flashiest, but heads still turned, anyway. Energy like hers didn’t go unnoticed.

Eyes trailed her, slow turns, quiet jabs, murmurs passed between homeboys, and whispers behind painted nails. She passed clusters of girls perched on hoods, men two-stepping beside their rides, old heads laughing over spades. This was it. This was the culture, loud, alive, and laced with joy.

She made it to the vendor area, ready to look at the custom cars, when a slow rumble grew at her side, a deeper bass that wasn’t coming from any of the speakers scattered through the lot.

She didn't turn to look at first. Instead, she slowed her steps and let the sound catch up to her. Someone wanted her attention. The engine purred as it accelerated, then purredagain beside her, low enough that she could feel it rumbling in her ribcage, vibrating against the pulse in her wrist.

Curiosity finally got the best of her. Paige turned her head just enough to catch sight of the car, a red Monte Carlo with gold specks in the paint that sparkled under the sun. The tires gleamed with fresh spray; she could smell it.

She knew that feeling, those eyes on her, that presence. She'd felt it before. It was Emon’s cousin, Giovanni with his fine ass. Paige had spotted him in a crowd one too many times but understood she was in no position to entertain a man. But she had certainly looked and enjoyed her view a time or two.

Giovanni was posted slouched in the driver’s seat, dark shades covered his eyes, plain watch glinting against tatted skin. He had one hand on the wheel, while the other tweaked the volume enough for Big K.R.I.T.’s “Temptation” to creep through the speakers.

And we ain’t trippin’ on the summer ‘cause the stars out.

Chrome wheels, candy paint, bring the broads out.

The beat hit. Her hips moved on reflex. Of course, that’s the song he chose.

His black V-neck T-shirt stretched across thick arms and a chest that looked like it bench-pressed problems for fun. He didn’t speak. Didn’t wave. Didn’t rush. Just tapped the brake and let the car roll to a stop right in front of her like she was the destination.

She watched him step out and steal the air from the area. His movements were clean and slow. Telling the crowd, he had time today. A few folks behind him grumbled at the hold-up. He didn’t even blink. This was his show. This was his shit. And when he turned back to look at the cars lined up behind him, everyone knew to proceed accordingly.

The crowd shifted and parted slightly; it knew this moment needed space. The universe itself understood it was about to bear witness.

He walked toward her, seizing her attention and possibly everyone else’s with his big slanted light brown eyes. A diamond stud caught the sun in his ear. Clean gold chains around his neck. Black onyx ring on his pinky. He looked like money.

Paige leaned back on her heels, removing the sunglasses adorning her eyes. She wanted to see the man with no filter. He was gorgeous, with light brown skin, smooth but marked with tattoos. And eyes that screamed summer lovin’. She could get lost looking into his eyes.

She didn’t flinch when he got close. She didn’t flutter, soften, or sidestep the gravity between them. Her daddy’s words replayed between her ears,‘Go let some young fool look at you like the miracle you are.’If anything, she leaned into it, welcomed it. Because that’s what his look was giving. Christmashad come early, and he was glad about it. Paige hadn’t had someone try and see through her soul in years. Her smirk was one of confidence and ego.

Giovanni's eyes swept over her slowly, taking in the brown of her thighs glittering in the sunlight, the curve of her waist hugged by delicate chains, those curls framing a face that wasn't checking for what wasn't checking for her. Her sunglasses tucked between full, glossed lips made him pause. He'd finally understood what Emon had warned him about.

When he stopped in front of her, a slow smile took over his face. He'd seen her before, but not like this. Not looking like his fuckin queen-to-be. Her brown skin reminded him of cinnamon, and that high ponytail gave her an energy that nobody around here had. No disrespect, but nobody was fucking with Paige Bishop.

This beauty had style and was exactly who she thought she was, a ten on her worst day and an answer to a complex math problem at her best. Her face was softer today, softer than he’d seen before. Her intentions were hard to ignore. She was tryna catch herself something. A man? A trick? Some back shots? He couldn’t say for sure. Shit, he could be all that in one.

Her glistening thighs made him want to pull her closer. His palms itched to grip her waist and look into those big, bright eyes. When his gaze traveled to her mouth, those lips resting above a bottom row of gold teeth, he knew exactly who he was fucking with.

The people. The noise. The air. All of it was gone, his sole focus was on her and whatever she planned to get into tonight.

“Damn,” he said, voice deep enough to settle into her marrow. The loud clap and rubbing of his hands like he was Birdman made her giggle and kiss her teeth. “Three times the charm, huh?”

Paige arched an eyebrow, cool as the ice in her veins. “You keeping count? That’s cute.”

“Gotta recognize a blessing when it spins the block.” Voice thick with truth. “God, don’t do reruns, I’m not messing this up.”

She smirked.

“Convenient.” The way he looked at her made it hard to play it cool, but she wasn’t about to let him have it that easily. Not yet. She wasn’t new to men like him, fine as hell, money, with a panty-dropping smile. The type of man you had fun with, but you didn’t plan a family.

However, she loved his stature. Giovanni was built like a security guard—thick, solid, with arms made for both protection and problems. The kind of man who’d be a perfect comforter in the winter and a breath of fresh air in the summer. Air escaped her in a rush as she tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

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