Chapter 6 #2
He leaned forward. He’d been waiting for her bullshit to come. “Kennedi.”
She sighed, shoulders sinking. “I know what you’re about to say.”
“And what’s that?”
“That this doesn’t feel like just one night. That there’s something here worth exploring.” She turned her face to his, finally meeting his eyes. “And you’d be right. But it doesn’t change anything.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t stick around. And you…” her voice thinned, “You want more and deserve someone who can give you all of them. That’s not me right now.”
His jaw ticked, eyes steady as he studied her. “What if I told you I’ve never wanted forever with anybody before last night?”
Her laugh was short, bitter. “Then I’d say you’re confusing great sex with something deeper.”
“I know the difference,” he said, unfazed. “I’ve had good pussy, not better than that ocean between your legs, but I’ve had it. And I know this…” He gestured between them, eyes hard. “What we did was not just fucking.”
Her lip trembled before she caught it between her teeth. Silence stretched long enough to become unbearable.
“You’ll get over it,” she said, straightening her posture. “We go back to the real world, and this becomes a memory. One dope ass, memorable weekend.”
Rolani leaned forward and took her hand, pressing his thumb against her wrist to check her pulse. “Your eyes are saying something else, Ken.”
“What’s your sign?”
He groaned, leaning back, rolling his eyes in disbelief. But beneath the exasperation, he smiled.
“What does that matter?”
“Because I’m trying to figure out what game you’re playing.”
“No games.” Darkness flashed in his eyes. “You can keep fighting it, but we both know where this is headed. Question is, you gon’ keep running from it or you gon’ let me show you what I’m about? I feel like you’re forcing my hand, and I don’t like that.”
His voice got lower on that last part, and she felt heat pool in her stomach.
“Again, we don’t even know each other. I just thought you were on the phone with your daughter. We skipped some important steps. There’s a reason for that.”
“You know enough.”
“Like what?”
“You know I’ll protect you. You know I want you. And you know you feel the same way. The rest we can figure out when you let me treat you how a lady should be treated.”
She stared at him, mind racing, unable to deny it but refusing to confirm it either.
“Sign?” she pressed.
Rolani groaned again, shaking his head with a crooked grin that showed off his gold tooth. “Taurus.”
She tilted her head, studying him like the answer was a key she wasn’t sure she wanted to use. “Stubborn, hardheaded, territorial.”
“And loyal,” he added. “Solid. A man who, once he decides he wants you, you ain’t gotta guess about it. I come in peace.”
Kennedi’s eyes dropped to her plate. She dragged her fork through the fruit and said nothing.
“What about you?” he asked after a beat. “What’s your sign?”
“Virgo.”
“Figures,” he muttered, leaning back with his arms folded across his chest.
Her brow arched. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“That means you overthink everything. You pick it apart until it no longer feels good. And you bossy as hell. Sexy as hell too, but bossy.” His smirk curved slowly. He enjoyed proving he wasn’t some dumbass nigga with tattoos.
Kennedi’s lips twitched. “And you’re full of shit.”
“Maybe, but I’m right about you.” His gaze didn’t waver.
“You don’t know me like that.”
He put his hands up, deciding not to debate what he knew to be true.
“How many nieces and nephews do you have? Siblings?”
“One.” His voice dropped. “Monroe, the one you heard. She’s my heart. My brother Robin blessed us with a ball of sunshine, that’s my dawg.”
He’d left some shit out on purpose, Kennedi was flighty, and there was no need to burden her with a sob story.
“And you?” he asked, tilting his head. “You close with your people?”
Kennedi hesitated, then shrugged. “Close enough. I’ve been away from home for so long chasing my career that sometimes I feel more like a visitor than a family member. I’m also an only child.”
He studied her in silence, and it made her nervous. He was peeling her back layer by layer without her permission.
“See? That’s all I need to know right now,” he said, voice steady, final.
She sat back, robe pulled tighter across her body, as if fabric could shield her from the truth of his words. “You make everything sound so damn easy,” she whispered.
“I’ll let you go home,” he said, finally waving a white flag. “But you already know I’m not easy to dismiss.”
When he finally let her go, she rose with him. For a second, she just stood there, taking him in. He shook his head with a low scoff, more to himself than her. Rolani had never wanted anybody to go back on their word the way he wanted her to break hers.
She trailed him to the door, heart thudding hard against her ribs. He didn’t push for a kiss, didn’t corner her. He just looked at her one last time.
“Get some rest, baby.”
She nodded. “I’ll see you around.”
“Nah,” he corrected, leaning in close enough for her to catch the alluring cologne he wore. “Nice try. I’ll be seeing you soon, real fuckin’ soon.”