Page 23 of Honey Sugar
“I know,” I said, popping a hushpuppy in my mouth. Food seemed to absorb some of the Xanax effects. I was ever grateful. I liked to feel like I was flying but that was a little too intense, even for me.
“When we get home, I’m gonna start some seeds in that humid ass room and I have something for you to try. You trust me, right?”
“With my life,” I said honestly.
“Good.” He winked at me…again.
Lord.
…
CHAPTER FIVE
Instead of walking through the front door of Aunt Liv and Uncle Beau’s house, I convinced Ivy to walk through the backdoor with me. I couldn’t look my uncle in the face. Not after knowing he tried to put his hands on my aunt while I was right down the fucking hall. I might say something to him and have to knock his teeth out when he tried to act hard.
Ivy and I snuck in undetected and went upstairs to the guest room. “You’re going to start weed seeds?” She asked in awe. Her eyes were heavy because she was still tired after taking four goddamn pills earlier. I don’t know how she managed to stay awake the entire day.
“Yup. This climate is perfect for them.” A tiny bud of happiness started to bloom in my chest. I needed to get back to my plants. I dug through my bag of supplies and found all the things I needed to start seedlings. Ivy sat on the bed with crossed legs and watched me intently.
I glanced up from my space on the floor and looked away quickly once I caught sight of the way her legs stretched out in front of her. They were long and shapely and the color of honey. I cleared my throat and focused on my seeds.
“Is that a CD case?” Ivy asked. I turned the clear square case over in my hand and nodded.
“Yup. I wet a paper towel, put my seeds here,” I pointed to the middle of the paper towel then folded it in fours. “Then I close it up in the CD case and put it somewhere humid for a few days. Fool-proof,” I told her. She tugged on her ear while she watched me spray water on the paper towel and fold it. I hated watching her fidget.
“Come here, baby girl.” I motioned for her to join me on the floor. She brought her sweet butterscotch scent when she sat beside me. I handed her a marker and she looked at me like I was crazy.
“What’s this for?”
“Write the date on it for me,” I told her with a half-smile. Sandy hair fell across her shoulders when she leaned down to write. Her shirt fell forward enough to show me that her bra was white today. I rubbed the back of my neck and started putting supplies back in my bag.
My eyes were disobedient. No matter how many times I told them not to linger on her…they did. I’d lost the line between looking at her to pick out the ways she’d changed over the years and looking at her because she was fucking gorgeous.
“Now what?” She asked, handing me the case. Our fingers brushed against each other and she looked up at me with a glimmer in her green eyes.
“Now we wait.” I stood up and held out my hand for her. She grabbed on and stood to her feet. She was so light. Picking her up was nothing. “Let’s get the hell out of here before I sweat my fucking nose off.”
She laughed and closed the door behind herself. We went to her bedroom and I sat on the bed. Ivy walked over and stood between my legs, staring at me, tipping her head to the left then the right. She slid the black elastic band from my ponytail and tossed it to the side then she ran her fingers through my hair letting her nails scrape against my scalp.
The way she touched me coupled with the sugary way she smelled was a bad combination. “I can do your hair if you want. Unless you had something else to do.”
“Nah, I’m free. How much I owe you for straight back cornrows?” I wet my lips and looked at her for an answer.
“Nothing, Titan. Superheroes don’t pay for braids.” She pushed my forehead back playfully and I tossed her on the bed.
“You’re not gonna take my money?” I asked her while I tickled her neck. She flipped over on her back and I found myself between her legs tickling her stomach while I knelt over her.
Anything besides that position would have been fine. That position put too many things on my mind. That position stained my thoughts with sin.
I should have moved but I didn’t.
“Say you’ll take it,” I said, wiggling my fingers against her flat stomach. She squirmed beneath me, roaring with laughter. “You gonna take it?” I asked her.
“No! I’m not taking your money, Titan.”
“Take it,” I growled playfully. I leaned forward and pinned her dainty wrists with one hand while my other went back to tickling her. That time the pads of my fingers slipped beneath her cotton t-shirt.
Her skin was pure silk and sin.
