Chapter 10
When my eyes popped open, and I felt Kyrie’s arms around me, my body heated up. Finally hearing him express his love for me was a high I couldn’t come down from. I knew his soul was uneasy. I’d seen the news, and people were outraged with how much time he’d sentenced Darlene Doll to. In my opinion, he was right. She was supposed to be a leader, ultimately an example for the people of Beaumont. She didn’t just fall from one poor decision. She deceived and betrayed the people for years.
I wanted to show Kyrie that I knew what he needed. After we ate, we took a shower together. I washed his body, refusing to allow him to do the same for me. I told him that the rest of the night was his. While he protested initially, he gave in with a smirk on his lips. After the shower, I massaged his entire body, focusing on his shoulders, neck, and head. He held a lot of tension in those places. I’d learned in the past couple of months that he wasn’t as expressive as I thought he was in the beginning.
We’d bonded over the loss of our fathers… our trauma. Then we’d had drinks, so that probably had made his lips looser. Simply being around him had taught me so much about him. He didn’t like to be pushed. I felt like telling him how much I loved him would have made him feel pressured to say it back. I withheld my feelings for the sake of his. I knew that was what love was all about. I took care of myself, but I also wanted to take care of him too. Sometimes, I would have to prioritize our needs differently.
This weekend had to be about him. He had a rough week with this trial. We’d barely seen each other. I didn’t know if he was still receiving death threats or not, because he didn’t talk about it. Most times, I didn’t want to ask because I didn’t want to put him in a bad head space. I felt like if he really wanted or needed to talk about it, he would. Hopefully, I was right about that.
I slowly turned to him, trying not to wake him. He tightened his grip on me and mumbled, “Please don’t leave. I love you.”
I stared at him, realizing he was dreaming. He then said, “Take me, she has nothing to do with this.”
His grip on me got tighter. I didn’t want to scare him awake, so l slid my hand from his lower back to the middle of it and began whispering a prayer for him. “Lord, soothe his mind. Caress it in Your love. Heal his heart and soul of the torment he’s feeling. Don’t allow fear and stress to overtake him. Let him know that You are his protector and that he didn’t do anything wrong. Strengthen him where he’s weak. Let him know it’s okay to be weak sometimes. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a need for You. In Your son’s name, amen.”
I brought my hand to his face and gently caressed his cheek. This case had him retreating within himself. It was like sex made him a little more sensitive, and I played on that last night. During sex, his real feelings always came shining through. If he could be that way without sex, he would be making real progress.
I kissed his lips and whispered, “I love you, Kyrie.”
Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, I saw that we had an hour to get ready and get out of here so we could be to the soup kitchen on time. Feeding the homeless was a huge event we put on every year around the holidays. We had a ton of volunteers that came to help us, and I was glad Kyrie had decided to join us this year.
Just as I was about to pull away from him to get out of bed, he said, “I love you too, Genesis. Thank you for praying for me, baby.”
His eyes opened slowly, and the torment I saw in them caused me to pull his head to mine. “I will always pray for you. That’s one way I show my love. I care about your soul, baby.”
“That’s the ultimate love. I love the way it feels.”
He kissed my forehead, then the tip of my nose, then finally, my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled away. “Nope. Don’t get carried away. You were about to get up. That means the time is getting close for us to leave.”
“We have time,” I said softly.
“No, we don’t. This morning wood will need more than a quickie. I don’t think I would ever be okay with a quickie when it comes to you. So our best bet is to not start anything until we have time.”
I poked my bottom lip out, and he pulled it between his teeth then began sucking it. He was all talk. There was no way he would be able to stare at my naked body in the shower and not want more. I pulled away from him and said, “Come on. Let’s go shower.”
He slowly shook his head as I got up, but he didn’t say a word. His eyes raked over my naked body. I bit my bottom lip and turned to walk away, giving him the view of me he loved so much: my ass. He told me he loved how soft it was and how it moved when I walked. I could only chuckle. I used to hate that. I did squats and all the exercises I could think of to tone it up, but they only made it bigger. I gave up and just had to accept that this was the way my body was made. I only had two options: accept it or have surgery. Surgery wasn’t an option for me.
When I got to the bathroom, I could hear him approaching me. It was like he was on the hunt, and I was his prey. I could see his steps, and they were slow and calculated. Before I could acknowledge him, he’d wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close, then bent me over by placing his hand on my back and gently pushing me forward. Once he entered my sanctuary, my eyes rolled to the back of my head.
A soft moan left my lips as he took me to ecstasy with every stroke. The waves he was creating in just a short amount of time had me falling more in love with him. The man had learned my body and knew how to get me there in record speeds. My body began trembling, but instead of going harder, he pulled out of me and started the shower. I could barely concentrate enough to stand. My head was spinning, and my body was weak with desire.
Kyrie came back to me and picked me up, lowering me to the vanity, and reentered me. My head dropped back, and my mouth opened. He placed his hand on my chest and slid it to my neck, lightly choking me. His thrusts gained energy and had my head hitting the mirror. That wasn’t reason enough to stop though. My orgasm was about to render me speechless in just a moment. Kyrie had to be feeling the same way. The frown that graced his face and the veins that exposed themselves in his neck said he was about to blow.
“Genesis… I love you. Shit!”
“I love you too, Kyrie!”
We crashed and burned at the same time, marinating in one another’s love. Once I caught my breath, I said sarcastically, “And you don’t do quickies.”
When I hopped off the vanity, he smacked my ass. I felt the ripples from it in my lower back.
“Mm,” he said. “You thought I would be able to resist all that?”
“Not in the least.”
He laughed. “So I was set up, huh?”
“Absolutely.”
He pulled me to him and kissed the side of my head. I went to the shower, and he went to the sink to brush his teeth. “Genesis, your fluids are on the countertop.”
I giggled. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“Slurp it up for breakfast.”
My knees buckled and nearly dropped me to the floor of the shower. A man that could do that with his words was worth keeping. I moaned softly, unable to keep it inside.
“You okay in there?”
He chuckled. I shook my head slowly and said, “I better see your tongue on the sink when I open this curtain.”
He laughed again, and I flung it open to see him licking that sink so passionately. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and my nipples hardened even more. I literally had to sit in the tub before I fell. My body was jerking uncontrollably. This man had caused me to orgasm without even touching me.
He slid his hands under me and scooped my wet body from the tub. Before I could count to five, he’d flipped me upright, and he was back inside of me. My screams of pleasure had shocked even me. My nails dug into his back, causing him to go even harder. His growls and the way his fingertips dug into my thighs had me feeling like I wanted to climb the walls. I was enjoying it and wanting to get away from him at the same time. “Kyriiieee!”
“Yeah, baby. Give it here,” he said in a low, deep voice.
My orgasm obeyed his command and flooded the area. I wasn’t fit for a thing now. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep.
“Uh-huh. See what you started? Now wash up and get dressed. Quit messing with me, or we will be here all day, Genesis. They won’t be able to start without the beginning, so hurry up.”
I slowly shook my head. He always made jokes about my name Genesis meaning the beginning. I quickly got back in the shower and washed up so he could get in, because both of us being in the shower at the same time wouldn’t have been a good thing. He chuckled as he got in, and I went to the sink to brush my teeth. When I felt the gushiness between my legs, I could only shake my head. I’d just taken a shower, but it was for naught. Grabbing my wet towel, I cleaned up again, then went to get dressed.
I would have to wear my uniform when the event started, just so people could differentiate us from everyone else. We only had to wear the pants, suspenders, and boots, thankfully. I only wore a white graphic T-shirt I had made for this occasion and red jeggings. The shirt had a design of a pumpkin with fall-colored leaves all around it. I’d been wearing it for this event for the past couple of years.
When Kyrie came out of the bathroom in his drawers, I wanted to undress all over again. His body was well moisturized, and his beard was shining. Jesus. When I felt the moisture at the corners of my mouth, I realized I was one step away from drooling at the sight of him. I quickly closed my mouth as he moved around the room like he didn’t see me standing here stuck in wet cement.
Once he finally covered his tatted chest, chiseled to perfection, I was able to snap out of it. I cleared my throat and was about to leave the room. He reached out and grabbed my hand with a serious expression on his face. He licked his slips slowly. “Genesis, your presence does the exact same thing to me. You’re my angel… a somewhat devilish one at times.”
I giggled as he kissed my forehead. He released me and finished getting dressed while I went to spray oil on my locs and pull them up. When I came out of the bathroom, he was fully dressed in a long-sleeved, button-down shirt and slacks. I smiled. He looked amazing, but I wondered if he would be serving food in that.
“Baby, you look amazing as always, but umm… you know you’ll probably get dirty.”
“I know. That’s what they make dry cleaners for. Let’s get out of here before you’re late.”
I gave him a soft smile as he grabbed his wallet from the nightstand. We headed for the kitchen for me to grab my keys. I never brought my purse to this event because I didn’t want to have to keep up with it. I just slid my driver’s license and debit card in the back pocket of my jeggings. I turned to him after locking the door and asked, “Are we riding together?”
“No. I need to go check on my mama. I’ll be back at your place tonight, if that’s okay.”
I went to his arms and kissed his lips. “Of course it’s okay. You’re always welcomed to be wherever I am.”
He smiled. “That’s good to know, baby. I’ll follow you there.”
I nodded and kissed his lips again. When I got to my car and was backing out of the driveway, I blew a kiss to him as he waited for me. He smiled slightly. I could tell in that short amount of time, something had happened. When I saw the cop car at the road, I knew he must have gotten a threat. I took a deep breath, praying that he would be able to handle whatever came his way, especially mentally.
I found that since we’d been together, I’d been praying a lot more. I supposed that was a good thing. There was nothing wrong with having a closer relationship with God. My phone rang, so I answered it through the Bluetooth. “Hey, Mama. I’m on my way.”
“Hey, baby. I just got here and didn’t see your car.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m about five minutes away.”
“Okay. See you soon. Your brother just pulled up.”
“Okay.”
I slightly rolled my eyes. For some reason, Samuel still wasn’t sold on the authenticity of our relationship. Thankfully, his opinion didn’t weigh heavily on the decisions I made for my life. It was like he was hell-bent on trying to persuade me to stay away from Kyrie. He’d only been around us once or twice at my mama’s house when we’d gone to visit and for dinner. My mama loved the mess out of him, so I didn’t understand Samuel’s issue.
When we got to Some Other Place Soup Kitchen, I smiled. Serving people made me happy. Most of the people that were homeless were looked down upon, and I hated that. Most of us were a couple paychecks away from being homeless ourselves. With the way the economy was these days, I barely had enough money to save. Most of it went to bills. I thought I was losing it when the price of eggs and milk skyrocketed.
I killed my engine and got out of my car to see the police officer had followed us here. My brother approached him as Kyrie got out of his SUV. Frowning slightly, I made my way to Kyrie. He looked worried, and I knew that wasn’t a good thing. “Baby, what’s going on?”
I grabbed his hand. He turned to me. “A new threat. Backlash from yesterday’s sentencing.”
“Oh. Are you okay?”
He nodded. Placing my hands to his cheeks, I pulled his face to mine and kissed his lips just as my chief drove up. He still hadn’t formally announced his retirement, and I almost hoped he didn’t. I wasn’t ready to fight for the position. I needed to be available for whatever Kyrie needed from me.
The chief approached us with a smile. “So there’s been a development between the two of you that I wasn’t aware of. Congratulations, sir. You have a good woman.”
He extended his hand to Kyrie, and he shook it. “Thank you. I’m well aware of that fact.”
Kyrie put his arm around my shoulders as the chief went inside. Kyrie looked over to where the officer that followed us was. He seemed interested in what he and Samuel could possibly be talking about. I grabbed his hand and said, “Everything’s going to be fine, baby.”
He nodded and allowed me to grab his hand to lead him inside. However, shots rang out just as my grandmother was driving up. I quickly pulled Kyrie to the ground and covered him with my body. He practically flung me to the ground and got on top of me. I realized what I’d done, but that was second nature to me. I was a firefighter. My natural instincts wanted me to protect him.
When the shots stopped, he looked around, then stood. After helping me from the ground, he asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. What about you?”
“Yeah.”
He walked away from me and went to Samuel and the officer. They were both on the ground, and I realized the officer had been hit. My mama ran up to me with my grandmother in tow. “Mama, y’all need to leave. Please go home. I’m safe, and so is Samuel. If anything happens, I promise to communicate.”
She nodded and grabbed my grandmother’s hand. Grandma pulled away from her and made her way back to me. She hugged me tightly, and said, “Be careful, baby. I’m praying for everyone’s protection.”
“Yes, ma’am. I love you.”
“I love you more.”
They left the scene as I made my way to Samuel and Kyrie. When I placed my hand on Kyrie’s back, he flinched. After seeing it was me, he pulled me close. “Don’t ever do no shit like that again, Genesis. I don’t need you protecting me. It’s my job to protect you. Had you been hit, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s my job. It’s engrained into me.”
He nodded and released me from his grasp then knelt where the officer who had been hit was laying. It looked like he was hit in the thigh. As I was about to kneel with them, Samuel said, “Get inside, Genesis. We got this. There’s no fire, so you need to be inside.”
Before I could say anything in rebuttal, I heard the sirens. Kyrie nodded as I looked back at them. “He’s right. You need to get inside.”
Samuel frowned at him, but he didn’t say a word. I took a deep breath and walked away from them toward the entry. When I got under the awning, I turned back to look at them, seeing Kyrie staring at me. He looked away without any visible emotion. I knew he had to be scared, but it seemed like he was irritated with me.
A burning sensation made its way to my elbow as I watched them. I turned my arm to see the scrape. Making my way to the fire engine, I got inside and sat in the seat to take out the first aid kit. I swallowed hard, trying to swallow my emotions in the process as I nursed my wounds. This was dangerous. People were doing more than making threats now. They were trying to kill him. I couldn’t lose him, and despite what he said, I would always be there to protect him.