Page 33 of Cause When You Love Someone
The moment we got in my truck, we powered our phones back on. I had a few messages from Essen and Shiloh. However, Clarke’s phone sounded like an alarm.
“Fuck! Fuck!” She smacked her forehead.
“What’s the problem?”
“I’m late as hell for an interview withPut Onmagazine. My mom sent me a screenshot of the email thread. They’ve been at her house since one!”
“Don’t lose your shit over something you can’t change. This is your program. Call her and tell her we’re coming now.”
“Nah. I’ll wait to face the devil. No sense in getting cursed out twice.”
My chest grew tight as I sped to Mrs. Rose’s house with Clarke beside me, gnawing on her bottom lip. I placed my hand over her knee when she started to fidget in her seat. She didn’t comment but looped her fingers between mine and squeezed tight.
Even though her mother’s neighborhood was affluent, I raced up her driveway and found the angry mama waiting on her porch in a robe and a scowl.
Clarke didn’t have a chance to cross the threshold before Mrs. Rose gripped her arm.
“Don’t walk in here like your ass isn’t hours late for a job! I’ve been calling you.” She spun around and pointed in my direction. “I’ve been calling you too!”
“I’m not sure why. I was off today.”
“Excuse me? Maybe I didn’t make it clear when I hired you, but you’re never off duty.” Her eyes jetted to a frowning Clarke. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Out. I went out, Mama, and for the first time in a while, I didn’t stress about my appearance. I learned something new. I smiled more than I have in a long time.”
The jealous woman sent her raging eyes from left to right.
“You’ve been with him all day, right? You’ve been moving around the city like you aren’t tied to another man.”
“Me and Chaz broke up! How many times do I have to tell you that? Do you even listen when I speak?”
“Not when you’re saying bullshit and acting like a ho! No one knows you and Chaz are over. And now, you’re smiling in your bodyguard’s face. It’s not a good look.”
From where I stood, I watched Clarke’s jaw muscle form into a rigid line.
“Since I clearly have more respect for you than you have for me, I’m done with this conversation.”
“Good! I need you to look good, not run your mouth,” Mrs. Rose declared while walking out of sight.
Despite her frustration seconds ago, Clarke’s buoyancy returned when her mom disappeared.
“Fuck what she’s talking about. I won’t allow her to ruin my good mood.” She bounced on her tippy toes. “I had fun today.”
“Yeah? How much?”
“Enough to want you to lick more than cream from my fingers.”
My willpower went out of the window when the sexual innuendo landed. I teased her lips with mine, and without pause, Clarke placed her hand behind my head and pulled me into her. The sticky gloss on her lips kept us glued together, and I furthered the link by roping one arm around her waist and lifting her from the floor. Her breath smelled like the sweet dish we created, and her lips felt like the smooth cream we’d tasted earlier. Soft moans ripped from her throat, triggering me to press her back into the front door.
So caught up in one another, we didn’t detect someone had entered the room until Sage cleared his throat.
“You two are getting really reckless.”
Clarke rolled her eyes while slipping out of my grasp. “Don’t start, Sage. What do you need?”
“I need you upstairs. The ladies are waiting to work on you.”
Clarke groaned, then removed the band holding her long tresses in place.
