Page 157 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two
Jesus, what this man does to me.
When he finally does release me, I’m grinding against his thigh and leaving a wet spot on his boxers.
“See you in thirty, Sweetness,” he whispers, our lips grazing each other’s.
I mumble something incoherent when he pushes me out the door.
THIRTY-FIVE
STORM
Riale enters our unofficial HQ and gapes at me from the doorway. I’ve been sitting here alone at my laptop for an hour, going back and forth with my jeweler about the setting and design of my next purchase.
Undoubtedly, it’s the most important purchase of my life, so it has to be perfect.
“Are you listening toFantasia?” he asks, incredulous.
I glance at my phone, which sits next to the keyboard where I placed it after queuing up Spotify.
“When I See U” by Fantasia is, in fact, playing.
“And were you…hummingthe song when I walked in?” he asks, his voice going higher.
I sigh and give him a bored look.
“And what of it?” I ask, making a face.
Riale pauses for a beat, then breaks out in hysterical laughter, damn near hollering as he bends over.
I smile slowly at his humor. It seems these days all I do is smile. Shae and I are finally back together, my relationship with the kids is getting stronger every day, and Lakeland is gone.
Lakeland isgone.
Maybe if I repeat it enough times, this edge of paranoia will stop cropping up.
The smile slips right when Riale straightens, wiping his eyes.
“You do know you’re completely sprung, right? It’s a little sickening,” he says, and knowing his attitude toward romance, I don’t doubt my joydoesmake him feel a little sick.
“What can I say? A nigga’s in love.” I shrug to punctuate the statement.
“To say the absolute fucking least,” he replies, finally stepping into the room. The song ends and flips over to Musiq Soulchild.
I pause the track so we can talk.
“You talked to Axel today?” Riale asks, his face returning to its naturally serious position.
I shake my head.
“No,” I say. “He texted me in the middle of the night saying he had some business to follow up on, but he’d be back later today.”
I didn’t mind because I had Shae asleep on top of me. He could have said he was running off to join the circus, and in that moment I wouldn’t have cared less.
“Well, uh…” Riale starts, looking slightly uncomfortable.
“Good, you both are here,” Axel says as he rushes into the room. His locs sit on top of his head, and he wears the same shirt he had on when I saw him early last night, which is unusual for him. He drops a stack of papers on the desk and wordlessly pushes me away from the workspace, the chair gliding nearly halfway across the room from the force.
“The fuck? You all right, Axel?” I ask him, my hands and legs spread out as I stare at him, bewildered.
