Page 104 of Rose
Ace practically melted into Savior’s hand, and Ahzii sighed, already regretting letting him in.
“Back to you saying you’re Nick’s boss…” she prompted.
“You moved into a place without knowing who owns the building?”
“I didn’t think it wasimportantto look up the damn owner,” she said, annoyed. “It was nice, in my price range, secure... Now I gotta move because it’s owned by a madman.”
Savior laughed, the sound low and amused.
“Yeah, you do. I don’t like not living under the same roof as my wife.”
She shook her head, laughing despite herself.
This man was insane. And maybe—just maybe—that was becoming her favorite part.
“So, you came over for your car?” Ahzii asked, half-joking. “I was gonna bring it back. When I was done with it, of course.”
Unknowingly, she found herself laughing and joking with Savior more than she had with anyone in the last year, and that unsettled her just as much as it comforted her.
“I came to see my wife.” Savior grinned. “Keep the car as long as you want. These are for you, too.” He held out a bouquet of red roses.
“Thanks,” Ahzii said, voice flat as she took the flowers and set them aside, trying not to show how they made her heart flip.
Savior glanced at the paused screen on her TV. “What you watching?”
“It’s calledBlindspot. You heard of it?”
“Nah. But it look good off this scene.” He gestured at the TV. “Press play—she about to beat that nigga ass, I know it.”
He pulled her legs into his lap without warning, his hands starting a gentle massage over her feet.
She froze. Not because of the massage—it felttoogood—but becausethatshow... that moment... wasn’t meant for anyone else. That was hers and William’s.
“Nah.” She cleared her throat. “Let’s watch something else. It’s in the middle of the season—you’re not gonna understand.”
“That’s not the reason,” Savior said, still massaging her feet.
Her eyes narrowed. “How you gon’ tell me what my reason is?”
“Let’s just watch something else, Allure.” His tone didn’t waver, didn’t match the sudden tension building in hers.
“No. Say what’s on your mind since you know so much,” she snapped, her voice a little too sharp, the wall going back up.
Savior turned to her, calm as ever, never stopping his hands. “Allure... I was taught to read people young. The second I said ‘press play,’ you tensed up like I just proposed to you.”
She didn’t speak, but her silence confirmed more than words.
“So my guess is, you used to watch this show with somebody you loved, and watching it with someone else feels like betrayal.” His voice stayed soft, firm. Knowing.
Her heart paused—he was dead-on, and it scared her.
“You swear you know everything,” she muttered, rolling her eyes, trying to pull her feet away.
He didn’t let them go.
“I don’t,” he said. “And I’m not here to take up space that still belongs to someone else. I respect your boundaries, Allure. I’m forever on your timing.”
That stopped her. Made her breath catch.
