Page 13 of The Perfect Verse
“Whoa, slow down, nigga.” She smiled. He did too, and it felt new, exciting even. It was also the first time she’d actually looked at a man in a romantic gesture and not cringe.
Most of her memories with men were wrapped in the shape of lollipops and ice cream cones she licked as she was coached to sit on their laps. That soon morphed to the tickling of her belly or the slithering of their fingers between her legs. She’d suppressed those painful memories, never telling a soul, not even Shonasia. She hid in plain sight, wearing baggy clothes, then ultimately, any kind of gear the guys she hung out with wore.
“Hey?” he called as she grew silent. “Where’d you go?”
“Nowhere. Just tired,” she lied. She never wanted him to see her as damaged goods as she tucked those dark secrets away. “I did have a great time today, though.”
“Enough to do it again?”
She smiled, wondering what the chances were of the two of them being friends or more without friction or tension. She was scared, but not of his cousin. No, she was deathly afraid of him, liking him, wanting him.
“What do you plan to tell your people?” She had to ask because, at some point, it would have to be explained if whatever they were doing evolved into more.
“Get out your head, Kaleela. I can see that negative shit swirling around in your head. Whatever we’re doing, we define that shit. A motherfucker can’t dictate how we move. My cousin for sure can’t.”
“You say that now.”
“Fuck all that. Did today make you happy?” He lifted both brows, waiting before she nodded her head up and down.
“Then fuck them. My job was done.”
“True. Still, this is new.” There was that word again. She wasn’t so sure before, after the number Chaney ran on her, but she did like the way he made her feel.
“New is good.” He winked. “Now, buckle up and put in your address.” He tossed her his cell and grinned.
“Your sister was right. You do think you’re everyone’s daddy.”
“Good morning,”Scooter whispered, his lips in her hair. She stretched, then rolled over with closed eyes, her chin resting on his chest.
Somehow, after they’d gotten the boys situated and in bed, he wasn’t ready to leave. She didn’t want him to either and leaped inside when he suggested they find a movie. Too bad it watched them when they both fell asleep. He pecked her lips, causing her eyes to fly open. She tried to move, but he held her tightly.
“Don’t,” he warned her.
She nudged him in his chest, then shoved the comforter down in a panic. She pushed out a sigh of relief because at least he was in his boxers.
“Fuck,” she muttered. “The boys?”
“Are still asleep, and it’s just six.” He pecked her forehead since he knew she was trying to cover her mouth, praying it wasn’t stinky. “Sun ain’t even came up.”
“Thank God.” She collapsed on her back and stared at the ceiling. He wasn’t having that. Instead, he tugged her back onto his chest and held her.
“I’m surprised you’re up. You tossed and turned all night.”
Her silence was an indicator that she didn’t want to talk about it. She rarely slept peacefully, and the sleep she usually experienced over the years was after a drunken stupor.
“You were supposed to leave,” she reminded him. His reply was a lop-sided grin. “It was right after you asked to use thebathroom. I should have known when you pulled that movie trick.”
“We did watch one, and once we fell off in this bed, I couldn’t help it.”
The feel of the gold Egyptian satin sheets was akin to heaven. They easily had to be a 500-thread count. He wouldn’t know. He’d been to some high-end hotels where a few local-level celebrities threw parties, but he’d never made it to the bedroom or stayed overnight.
“Plus, I carried both of them to bed. Rell was heavy, and Travis mumbled and twisted in my arms the entire time. The least you could do was let me get a little rest,” he relayed, pleading his case.
“Scooter?” she whispered, looking up at him as she studied his face. He was so handsome. She knew he was teasing about their future children, but for the first time in her life, she actually thought about having her own. “What are we doing?”
Labels fucked with him, always did. Serita was the one who made him see they caused more trouble than they were worth. Once he took her virginity, he was instantly her boyfriend. He liked her, thought she was cute, but he wanted more pussy and not just hers. Being the upstanding dude he was, they dated her last two years of high school. He even took her to the prom, the whole nine, and still nothing. He liked her enough to help her move on, except she still hadn’t. He was for sure a Morris Brown or Morehouse College man would have swept her off her feet, but they hadn’t. She was too invested in being Solomon Black’s girl.
He nuzzled his nose in her hair, inhaling how good it smelled. Her skin, too, was damn near perfect. His hand unconsciously slid to her ass, and she squirmed.
