Page 17 of A Player's Prayer
Nibbling on her bottom lip, she appeared to be contemplating my offer. I was going to stand here all day if that’s what it meant for her to agree. It was a nice day, and I had nothing but time. I also didn’t mind being up in her space like I was. She smelled way better than the flowers she was holding.
“Just lunch, right?” She peered up at me with her pretty brown eyes. Her hair was in her classic messy bun, and the oversized glasses on her face made her even sexier. “I really feel like a bad host for leaving her here alone.”
“Fuck her,” I stated firmly. Leaning forward, I placed my hands on the truck, on each side of her head. Licking my lips, I saw the moment her breathing changed. She wanted me as bad as I wanted her. It would be wise for her to make a decision quickly before I take her ass down in front of all these people Ring cameras. “I just want a little bit of your time. Her ass will be alright for a couple of hours.”
“I’m not dressed,” she mumbled above a whisper, gripping the black heart-shaped box for dear life. “I need to change.”
Glancing down at the white tank top, black biker shorts, and Milano slides that showcased her freshly polished white toes, I couldn’t disagree more. “You’re perfect.”
Dropping her head, she blushed before telling me she’d be right back and sliding underneath my arms. Not wanting to give her friend a chance to change her mind, I followed behind herinside her crib. I’m glad I went with my first mind, because as soon as we stepped inside, Peppa Pig was on her shit.
“Damn, bitch! I thought we were going to be chilling and shit.” I watched as Zaria trailed her into the kitchen. “Who is that nigga, anyway? What about Bear?
What fuckin’ Bear?
“Zaria, you have to relax,” Kodi spoke over her shoulder, mugging her friend. “I’ll only be gone for a couple of hours, and I promise, we can resume our day when I get back.” I saw the hint of a smile on Kodi’s lips as she placed her flower box in the center of her counter, smelling them once more before pulling back. “Are you going to be okay until I come back?”
“Like you care?” She scoffed as she stomped over toward the couch. Putting on her shoes, she glared at me. “I don’t know who you are, and I don’t care. Dakota has a man, and?—”
“I got fifteen reasons on my right hip that will explain to youand that niggabetter than I could about how much I don’t give a fuck,” I stated coolly as I leaned against the living room wall. I was taking in Dakota’s place, and it was nice and clean. It was going to have to be for when I spent the night. I didn’t do filth and was happy to see comfortable-looking furniture, tidy household items, and dusted walls. Turning back to this Zaria person, I reiterated, “You don’t know me, shorty. I’m working on my approach when it comes to how I talk to people, but don’t get it twisted. You’re her friend, not mine. I don’t give a fuck about your chunky ass.”
We both engaged in a stare-off, but I could see the fear and curiosity in her eyes. She said nothing else as she snatched her purse from the entryway closet and stormed out of the house just as Kodi was coming from her kitchen. Once outside, I stood back as she locked her door, scanning the area. Ironically, I was familiar with the neighborhood since it was the same one Ava used to live in. As I glanced up and down the block, nothingseemed out of place. Zaria mentioned Kodi’s man, but I wasn’t worried about that shit. His girl was for the taking, and it just happened that I might be the one to take her.
“Are we going swimming?” Kodi inquired lowly from the passenger side when we pulled up to Lake Monroe. “I’m not with that today, Adrian.”
The ride to the lake was quick and quiet. We sat in a comfortable silence the entire way, and I was okay with that because deep down, I was nervous as hell. This was the first date I’d ever been on, and I wanted it to be perfect.
“Bring your ass on, Kodi.” She giggled lowly as I grabbed her out of the car. “Don’t make me throw your ass in that water for that mouth of yours.”
Snatching from me, she grinned before she took off running. It threw me off for a minute since I wasn’t expecting it. She didn’t know a nigga was a star running back in high school, so I took off behind her, catching her quickly. Here we were, grown as fuck, running and laughing like some little-ass kids.
“Wait!” she squealed as I grabbed her from behind, holding her up in the air. “I can’t breathe! Put me down!” She squirmed as I tickled her little thick ass. “Stop! Adrian, I’m going to pee?—!”
Her words and movements stopped once I toted her over to where we would be having today’s picnic. Near the edge of the lake sat a beautiful, enclosed tent filled with flowers, balloons, her favorite baby shower foods, and her favorite drink, Strawberry Kiwi Faygo.
“You did this for me?” She whipped her head from side to side once we were inside. “How did you know what I like?”
“A man is going to always find a way.” I winked, taking her hand and helping her take her seat on the pallet. “I just want you to know I’m serious when I say I’m interested in wanting to know everything about you.”
Bowing our heads, we said grace before she fixed us both plates. With my legs stretched out on each side of her, I watched her as she did her thing. She was so graceful and intentional with each action she made. She had me captivated without even trying, and all she was doing was sorting through finger foods.
“Tell me about you.” She smiled as she bit into the ham sandwich. I noticed that every time she bit into her food, she would hum and do a little shimmy. “Who is Adrian Mills? Not Wild, because I’ve met that foolish-ass nigga.”
“Man… gone,” I chuckled, waving her off. “I’m not that bad.” She stopped mid-chew, raising her brow. “Okay, I am, but I’m a cool-ass nigga.” I winked. “Believe it or not, Kodi… God and family are the most important things to me. Without Him, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Life has a way of breaking you down and turning the ones you love most against you. I’ve never experienced anything like that with family. Nothing but love and happiness to and from them.”
“From what I hear, you guys are good people.” I paused eating, waiting for her to continue. “I asked Amelia about you.” She shrugged bashfully. “I needed to know about the man who had a box truck pulling up to my house. She said you and your family are well-known here.”
“Yeah…” I nodded and sipped the thick-ass soda she loved. That shit was nasty as hell, but I didn’t bring anything else, so I was going to have to deal. “My people founded the town, and we take pride in helping the city and people in it as much as we can. This lake…” I gestured around us. “Was named after my great-great-grandmother, Monroe. There’s not a place you can go in this town that doesn’t have our name attached to it. It’s only right we care for it as well as those that dwell in it.”
I took note as I began telling her about my childhood and how I became a sneakerhead that she was genuinely invested inthe things I had to say. That was a first for me. Most women would have had their hand in their pussy or my dick out by now.
“I think that is so dope!” She smiled at me as she popped a meatball in her mouth. “I would have never guessed you were an educated philanthropist when you opened your mouth.”
I chuckled as I threw a grape at her. “Tell me about you, Miss Jenkins. What brings you to Milly Grove?”
“Your little file on me didn’t tell you?” She joked. Little did she know, I really did have a file on her. “It gave you my address, sizes, favorite foods?—”
“Dakota…”
