Page 32 of Obsessive Love

“I already told your disrespectful ass about that shit,” Pyrite said, pointing to Starburst. “Keep that shit up, and I’ll ball your ass back up and bat you across the yard.”

“You have beef with a bird?” I asked, and Pyrite turned his dark eyes on me.

“What did you make?” Pyrite said instead of answering my question. He walked into the kitchen, went to the sink, and washed his hands before heading to the island to look over what I had created.

“Taste it,” I said as I watched him. Pyrite’s dark eyes returned to me, and his nostrils flared as he stared at me. “Taste it.”

He picked up a churro donut, examined it, and closed the distance between us. He took a bite, nodded, then put it in front of my mouth. “Open,” he instructed, and I did. “Bite.” Again, I followed his instructions. “Now tell me if it’s worthyour freedom?” I chewed the donut, loving the sweet yet savory flavor, and watched as Pyrite watched me. His eyes never left my lips. “Would you bet on yourself?”

“Yes,” I answered once I was done.

“Why?” he lifted his eyes to stare into mine.

“Because I’m worth it and so much more.”

Pyrite chuckled lowly; the sound rolled over my skin, making my nipples hard, then nodded. “You have no idea how true that is.” He used his thumb to wipe some crumbs from my bottom lip, sucked it from his thumb then stepped back. “How many more ideas do you have in mind?”

“A million.”

“You have five hours; make what will be worth your time, effort, and case,” he said, shaking his head. “Everyone will be here then to see if this is something worth looking into.” I nodded, and Pyrite gave me another sexy ass smile before turning and walking away.

“Bitch nigga,” Starburst said to his retreating back.

“Home,” Watermelon demanded as she bobbed her head. “Home.”

My heart started pounding in my chest when his family stepped into the house. The Stones were gorgeous; there was no other way to describe them. Diamond Stone, their mother, the head of their family, was short and curvy, and the aura that radiated from her was powerful. Her shoulders were square, her head held high, and her back was straight. She exuded the regal vibe of Angela Bassett. Her skin was the color of melted chocolate; she had a round face, full lips, slanted dark eyes that missed nothing, and a head full of salt-and-pepper, kinky curls.

Citrine sat next to her, and if I ever saw him on the street, I would be afraid. He was jacked, not overly so, but you could tell he had lived in the gym at one point in time. His skin was the same shade as his mama's and was covered in tattoos. He was taller than Pyrite, with a long, slim face, full lips, and dark eyes like his mama's and brothers. His hair was long and curly, just like his brothers'.

“No allergies, right?” I asked as I stood in front of Pyrite’s family. His mama and two brothers sat around the table, looking at everything.

“No,” his mama answered with a shake of her head. “What exactly do you have for us to try?”

“A little bit of everything,” I said as I walked around the kitchen. Starburst flapped his wings on the top of the fridge, watching as if he were waiting for someone to say something negative so he could attack. “Chocolate, fruits, tarts, donuts, cookies, bars.”

“I want one of everything,” Amethyst said from his seat opposite Citrine. He started piling one of everything on his plate without shame. “Pyrite’s fat ass didn’t share the churro donuts earlier, and they looked good as fuck.”

“They were,” Pyrite said. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and smirked. “I got a few hidden for later.”

“Damn shame,” Amethyst said, shaking his head. Surprisingly, he took the plate he had prepared, switched it with his mother’s empty one, and then proceeded to pile that one with two of everything. He looked up at me and smirked. “I bet you thought that was for me.”

“I did,” I said with a slight smile.

“Nah, she always goes first,” Citrine said, shaking his head. His voice was almost identical to Pyrite’s, but I didn’t get the same rush of emotions when I heard his like I did with Pyrite’s.

“You know you can sit down, right?” Mrs. Stone said with a small laugh, and I shook my head. “You can.”

“I’m too nervous to sit,” I said truthfully.

“What are you nervous about?” she asked as she examined the cookie in front of her. The butter pecan cookies were my favorite, and I hoped that at least one person would like them. It was soft yet firm, sweet yet savory.

“This is who I am,” I said, waving my hand around the table at the food. “Baking is my safe space. It makes me happy.”

“And it's obvious,” Pyrite said as he bit into a velvet cupcake. “Everything that I’ve tried has been good.”

“Thank you,” I softly replied with a nod. Pyrite’s eyes stayed locked on me as he ate, and I couldn’t help but wonder what his lips tasted like. I shook my head, pushing away the thoughts because that would never happen. Pyrite Stone was my enemy, my captor; liking him wasn’t an option.

“Alright, so we’ve tasted everything we can,” Amethyst announced. I turned to face him and noticed that not only was his plate empty, but so were three others that originally had different cakes and cookies. “How do you plan on putting this together?”

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