Page 76 of Miles Apart
He nods again and says, “I’ll move some stuff around to make it,” between chews.
I choke on my coffee. “You—what?”
“I go where my lady goes.”
My lady.
It takes a long sip, but I swallow the compulsion to squeal and flip my hair.Get it all the way together.“I don’t want to take you away from work,” I say.
“It’s nothing. Plus, I need more time with my lady. She missed me.”
“Miles—” My breath skips as his thumbs rub circles into my thigh under the table.
He drags me over to him so our knees touch and flips up one of the edges of my silk robe. I’m bare underneath, giving him full access, and he takes advantage with an evil grin.
“I’ll leave her alone for the rest of the week. Next week, though? It’s on.” I bite my lip at his thumb inching up higher. “Sucking on this pussy.” He moves higher. “Stretching out this pussy.” I moan. “I want my baby to sing for me.”
I damn near convulse at the graze against my lips and fight gravity to keep my head from falling back. I’m a mess of nerves, from my period and him teasing the bundle below that’s screaming for more of his attention.
Miles pins me with a teasing smile. “I’ll show you some love too. Until then, it’s me and Bernadette.”
“Bernadette?” My question comes through a snort.
He lifts a shoulder like he’s not about to say something reckless. “Me and my lady are about ourGood Times.”
We bust out laughing.
“You are a fool!” I throw a napkin, and he dodges it.
His charm is on full display, along with all of his teeth. Miles licks his thick lips. “I meant what I said, Em. We’re inevitable. I want more time with you in the open, whenever you’re comfortable. I want to try.”
An odd twinge knots my stomach. It tells me to settle back into the facade I’ve perfected over the years. To not let anyone or anything penetrate my armor and wound me.
“I’ve never had a serious relationship, and I don’t want to mess this up,” I confess. “What we have could implode if this goes wrong.”
There it is. All of my cards on the table.
Vulnerability has always been a weakness in my eyes. You expose yourself to unnecessary pain if your guard is down, but the loss ofnottaking a chance could cost a world of regret.
Miles’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “This is a first for me too, baby. We’re more than the arrangement we have. I know you feel it. It’s okay to be scared. You’re not alone in that. If you want this, we’ll figure out the rest together. Distance. Justice. Terrence. We’ll deal with it as it comes. You and me.”
“You and me,” I repeat.
I take his hand and make the leap.
Chapter 35
Miles
“Is there a reason you picked to meet at this bougie-ass place on a Saturday? They got breakfast in the hood, and I know they use seasoning.”
I stand to dap up Rico and settle back into my seat. Here two seconds and already complaining. “How many street cameras do you see outside?” The fool strains to count in his head, furrowing his brows. “Exactly. We’d blend in, but there’s too much surveillance.”
The hood is already overpoliced, and with LAPD pushing to tap into private cameras to expand its network, linking up over there was a nonstarter.
“And what the hell is this?” Rico motions around the people who are funneling in and out of the restaurant. “We’re two Black ass thumbs sticking out for no reason.”
“Speak for yourself. The only one here who looks like a thumb is your ass.” I snicker at the lack of effort it took to get him in his feelings. Face all scrunched up like he smells his upper lip. “Professional athletes live over here. If anyone stares, they’re probably trying to figure out what team you’re on.”
