10
I groaned, closed my eyes for two seconds, and answered. I’d been dodging her calls and texts, too. I set my glass down and answered the call on speaker. “Hey.” She didn’t even let me breathe.
“Girl, don’t ‘hey’ me. Where the hell you been?” Taj demanded. “I know you not avoidin’ me! My cousin got you gone, huh? You ain’t slick!”
I closed my eyes. “Taj…”
“Aht aht! I minded my business long enough. What’s up?”
I sighed and dropped onto the arm of the couch. “I’ve just got a lot going on. We’ll catch up after the holidays. Promise.”
Her voice softened for a second. “Mmhmm. Anyway, I’m also callin’ for another reason.”
I straightened a little. “What’s up?”
“Oh, nothin’ major,” she said, then blew air dramatically into the receiver. “Just wanted to let you know your girl done fucked up. Remember when I was tellin’ you about Andru? Bitch, tell me why he’s fuckin’ married! I knew that dick hit different!”
My mouth fell open. “Taj… what? Are you serious right now?”
“Oh, dead serious. Found out after the fact, of course. Typical me. But listen… his wife is crazy, so if I go missin’, check the Arbor Way River. And if I get locked up for killin’ her first, send the bail money. Anyway, back to you.”
Before I could respond, my doorbell rang. My heart jumped straight into my throat. “Taj, I gotta call you back.”
“Bitch—”
I swallowed. “I’ll call you back,” I whispered, hanging up quickly. I tossed the phone aside and took a deep breath. My nerves were acting up so badly that I could hear my own pulse. I walked in a slow circle. “Okay,” I muttered to myself. “Be normal. This man doesn’t know anything. Just be normal. Tell him when the time is right.”
The doorbell rang again and longer this time. I forced a breath out and headed toward the intercom panel by the door. My hands were shaking, but I pressed the button anyway. The camera feed blinked on, and there he was.
Woods stood under the entry light in a black coat, snow dusted across the shoulders, jawline sharp, eyes locked straight into the camera like he could see through the screen. And in his hand was a bouquet of deep red roses mixed with white winter lilies. He looked good in a way that made my knees feel unreliable.
His voice came through the speaker, smooth and deep. “Open up, gorgeous. A nigga ain’t used to this cold.”
I hit the buzzer before my brain could talk me out of it. Because ready or not… he was here.