Page 22 of Keeping Busy
“Let me see.” Maddox told me.
I flexed my bicep, then turned my arm and straightened it, so that he could see my tricep.
He whistled appreciatively, then reached out and gingerly ran his hand along the skin of my arm. I tried not to shiver.
”Damn, looks good, Mecca. You got definition like a motherfucker.”
“So, are y’all stillpretendingto be involved? Cuz Busy is looking like he wants to pounce on you, MeMe.”
I sighed heavily at her comment. What I didn’t want or need was British watching us and judging our behavior. We needed space to figure out how to “be” with each other. I stood up from where I was sitting. “We should go back to the deck before somebody else comes looking for us.”
Maddox stood up, and the three of us started for the deck.
“What took you so long to get here?” British asked, as the three of us rejoined the rest of the guests.
“We went out to Winnetka.” I told her.
I said it in my usual tone, but you would’ve thought I yelled it with the way that all of the other conversations on the deck seemed to die on people’s lips.
“What?” I asked the group.
“You took Busy out to Winnetka?” Indigo looked horrified, she knew exactly what was in Winnetka. “Why?”
I couldn’t really tell them why, and I couldn’t pretend like it was to introduce Maddox to my parents, since they’d known him forever.
I shrugged my shoulders. “We were out running errands.” I lied. “So, we went out there and had lunch with them.”
“I wanna know what DJ B. Goode had to say about you and Busy. What? Dating?” Joya said.
“He said that he’s always liked Busy.”
“He likes Busy? Uncle B. doesn’t like anybody.” Indigo reminded us.
“Apparently, except for Busy.” Kyndall commented. “What did he say, exactly? Just, ‘I really like you, Busy’?”
“He said that he’s always admired Busy’s self-discipline.” I told them, leaving off the tidbit about Busy not shitting where he ate.
Maddox
6
A few hours later, after spades, bid whist, and dominoes had died down, Mecca was standing in a circle of her cousins talking. I walked up behind her, wrapped my arms around her waist and bent over to whisper in her ear.
“Don’t tense up.” I told her, although from my body language anybody watching us probably thought I said something intimate. “Keep that same energy you had in my truck.”
“Uh uhm.” She breathed out on a tiny chuckle, playing her part.
“Even when I do this.” I said, then slowly bobbed my head down to her neck and breathed her in before I let my lips gently brush against her skin. Her skin was so soft. And she smelled like...something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it was delicious. Edible.
“I’ll keep the same energy.” She said quietly enough, so that only I could hear. Then she shifted her body, and pressed into me. If she wasn’t wearing those sexy ass, high heeled sandals, there was no way that she would’ve been tall enough to subtly rub her ass against my dick the way she was doing. “Just don’t try to seduce me, Busy.”
I pulled her tighter. “Not trying to seduce, just trying to make sure we’re believable.”
She turned around to face me, my arms still around her waist. I looked into her pretty face, into those bright, brown eyes. She smiled at me. I could’ve stopped myself. I mean, I was known for my self-discipline, but I didn’t stop myself. Didn’t want to. So, I dipped my head down and kissed her neck again.
She let out a soft exhalation, almost like a tiny sigh and wrapped her arms around my neck. I liked the way she sounded and felt, so I kissed her neck again.
“Get. A. Room.” British chided.
