Page 55 of Dope Boys: Most Wanted
“It seems you’re the only thing that keeps me from not taking pills,” he shared. “And I’m not proud that it’s got to this point. Now answer my question.”
“I don’t sleep without nightmares. I just stay up until I can’t.”
“That’s every night?”
She chewed her lip. “Not the last three.” She stepped back, allowing him to roam inside. “I’m not getting rid of you, I see.”
“You would if you wanted to. You don’t want to, Speechless.”
“Would you stop calling me that?” she huffed, walking toward the hall closet.
“Nah. It’s got meaning.”
Reign grabbed a blanket and tossed it at him. “It doesn’t.”
Markus caught the blanket, removed his shoes, and ambled into the living room. When Reign joined him, she returned to her blanket on the other side of the couch. Lowly, she watched as he removed the gun, placing it on the coffee table, and his zip-up hoodie. Nothing underneath but tattooed muscles and a white tank.
He propped himself up, getting comfortable. “It does actually.”
“And what is that?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you, the way you keep trying to run from me.”
Reign turned her attention from his large body on the other end of the couch to the security app. Resetting the alarm and locking the door, she got comfortable again.
“And you keep popping up like a bad case of herpes or something,” she sassed.
“Damn, you refer to me as herpes, meanwhile you got a nigga too fuckin’ stunned to speak, so I got to say smart shit all the time.”
“You are a liar,” Reign shared. “We established this earlier. That’s why all those girls at the salon can’t stand me because you were whispering sweet little nothings.”
“I don’t whisper sweet little nothings. I fucked them and I moved around. And I’m not lying to you.”
“Oh no? So this isn’t game you’re trying to run on me, so I can be in the number of delusional bitches?” she posed.
He laughed tiredly, looking over at her in satin pajamas and a bonnet. “Nah. I don’t have time to run game if I ain’t getting shit out of it. I definitely ain’t catching another body if pussy is my only goal.”
“Excuse me?” Reign spoke, lifting her head to fully look at his face. “Caught a body for me?”
“Three to be exact. Those niggas at Sunset and your nigga, KC,” Markus stated.
“He was never a nigga of mine,” she shared.
“But he wanted to be. I saw that look in his eyes before I put him out of his misery. One day, when you’re comfortable, you can share the real shit with me. Tonight, this morning, whatever,” he said, reaching under her blanket to pull her foot out to hold. “We’re going to sleep. Close your eyes and stop staring at me like that.”
“Were you going to tell me you killed him?”
“No. I’ll never tell you I slayed your dragons. All you got to know is the muhfuckas are always handled.”
Reign didn’t pull her foot out of his hand. The warmth of his hand and the cool of the space were welcomed. The soft caress of his thumb over her foot lulled her deeper into relaxation without worry. Safety. Protection. Care.
“Speechless. Go to sleep,” he grumbled. “Please.”
She smirked to herself, letting her body fully relax and the sounds from the TV offer background noise as she drifted to sleep. When she woke up, the spot Markus had taken up hoursago was empty, and the blanket was gone. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked around. If it weren’t for the noise coming from the kitchen, she would’ve thought he slipped out before she could wake up.
Reign started to sit up, not feeling the ache in her body or fatigue. Before she could sit up, Markus roamed out of the kitchen into the living room, a plate of fruit in his hand and his tank top completely gone. The sweats hung low around his waist, showing the top of his boxer briefs. The glasses on his face only enhanced his features. He didn’t have any business looking this good in the morning.
“What time is it?” she asked, thankful for the yawn so she could divert her attention elsewhere.
