Page 18 of Surrender Your Heart
“Then why are we wasting time?” she breathed, kissing my neck.
I gripped her ass as I leaned into her ear. “Because I’m a grown ass man, Honey,” I rasped. “And grown men handle business before they play in pussy.” She shivered. I kissed her lips softly, then her neck, and whispered, “After this meeting, I’ll get you right, baby. I promise.”
“Okay,” she whispered, needy and breathless.
HONEY
Iw a sa l m o s tdone with my makeup when my phone buzzed against the marble counter. “Bitch. It’s giving soft life!” Tyrae’s voice filled the screen before her face even fully loaded.
I laughed, holding the phone at an angle to show the moonlight bouncing off the water outside the window. “It’s giving private island realness. This shit don’t even feel real.”
“And it better not be just vibes and vacation dick. You know I’m nosy. What’s the tea?”
I paused, brushing highlight on my cheekbone, trying not to smirk. “It’s… more than I expected. He different. Softer. More intentional. We've been talking, Ty, like last time, but deeper. Shit feelswaydeeper. And the sex? Lord.”
She clutched her chest. “I already know. I can see it in your eyes. Bitch, pop a Plan B.” Tyrae went on to give me quick updates on business before a knock came at the bedroom door.
“Ten minutes, baby.”
“Mmhmm,” I called back, slipping on my heels. “Ty, I’ll text you.”
I pressed “end” on the call and reached for my couch, giving myself one last look. I wore a fire-red, body-hugging maxi with a high slit and crisscross open back that made the ocean breeze feel like foreplay against my skin.
I met Legend downstairs in the foyer, where the scent of his cologne hit before I even saw him. That rich, woody, masculine scent that made my thighs press together on reflex. He stood there in a silk short-sleeved hunter green button-down, unbuttoned just enough to tease his tattooed chest, black tailored pants, and Cuban links that glinted under the low lights. He looked so damn fine, I forgot how to breathe for a second.
“You ready?” he asked, eyes running the full length of me like he was dressing me down with a look alone.
“Mhmm.” I stepped closer, and he placed his hand low on my back as we headed out.
The ride to the beachside dinner was smooth, luxurious, and quiet at first. Just the hum of the engine and soft R&B playing low. But then Legend shifted his body to face me slightly. “Let me ask you something.”
“Okay…”
He stared at me for a beat before speaking, voice low. “What was your upbringing like? I’m curious as to where the survival mode came from within a beautiful soul.”
I blinked. Surprised. “I guess… I never had the luxury of peace,” I said slowly. “I grew up bouncing around. My mom wasn’t stable at all. She couldn’t keep a job, a place, or anything. So I was passed off. Aunties, cousins, and sometimes family friends. Then, eventually, my grandmother... before she passed.” He nodded, jaw tight but expression open. “I used to fight a lot. Not just fists—like, fight to keep my stuff, fight to be heard. Fight to exist. I never knew when shit was gonna switch up. So I stayed ready.”
Legend was quiet for a moment. “That explains how you move.”
I looked at him. “How I move?”
“You don’t just trust easily. You peep everything. You protect your peace like it’s all you got.”
“Because it is,” I admitted, breath hitching. “Even in relationships. I hold tight, but I don’t always open up. And when I finally do, it’s like… either they run, or they try to use it.”
His hand reached across the space between us and landed on my thigh. That subtle grip. That grounding touch. “Whoever betrayed your trust and mistreated your heart is a coward and weak as fuck,” he said simply. “A real one will honor it. All of it. Not just the pretty parts.”
I stared at him, that ache in my chest expanding. “I want real love,” I whispered. “I deserve it. Everybody does.”
He didn’t respond right away. But his thumb rubbed slow, rhythmic circles on my thigh, and the silence felt safe, not heavy. “You’ll get it, sweetheart,” he finally said, his tone unreadable but his eyes soft. Maybe underneath all the success and newboss bitch energy, I was still in survival mode. Or maybe… I was finally learning how to just be.
We pulled up to a beachside dinner setup that looked like a damn movie set. Tiki torches. A private chef was already plating appetizers. The dinner setup was nothing short of insane. A long wooden table stretched across a custom platform built directly on the beach. A cream linen canopy floated above it, draped with sheer white curtains that billowed like something out of a music video. Tiki torches lined the sides and glowed against the twilight, while candles flickered in gold lanterns placed delicately down the center of the table beside massive floral arrangements—white roses, calla lilies, and fresh greenery.
And the spread? My God…
There wereoysters, wagyu sliders, honey-drizzled lamb lollipops, charred lobster tails, seared scallops over risotto, truffle mac and cheese, grilled artichoke hearts, imported wines, and champagne bottles I’d only seen in music videos. Some of the labels didn’t even have names, just wax seals and numbers.
Legend had my chair pulled out before I even blinked. “Tonight’s special,” he said against my ear as I sat. “Pay attention.”
