Chapter 9
Navy ‘Nay’ Prescott
The vibration from my phone against the nightstand was the first thing that woke me up.
I reached for it before I even opened my eyes, already knowing what it was.
The furniture company had sent another reminder overnight confirming my delivery window for today, and just seeing the notification sitting on my screen was enough to make a smile spread across my face. Lord... today was finally the day.
After weeks of sneaking around, lying through my teeth, signing paperwork behind Rome's back, and praying nothing fell through, I was officially moving into my shit today!
My apartment wasn't just sitting there empty anymore either.
By the end of the day, it'd have a bedroom set, a living room, a dining room, televisions, dishes, towels and everything else I'd picked out for myself.
Everything inside those four walls would belong to me, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't decorating somebody else's life. I was building my own.
The smile faded the second I heard Rome's heavy ass footsteps moving around downstairs. Cabinet doors opened and closed one after another before the microwave beeped, followed by the sounds of T.I’s latest hit ‘Let Em Know’ playing low through the Bluetooth speaker he insisted on carrying from room to room.
Just like that, reality came crashing back in.
I wasn't in my apartment yet. I was still here, sleeping in the same house.
Still pretending every kiss, every conversation, every time we had sex, and every ‘I love you’ wasn't part of an exit plan he'd never see coming, or maybe he did with his nosey ass.
I rolled out of bed and stretched before making my way to the bathroom.
While brushing my teeth, I caught myself smiling at my reflection all over again.
I looked lighter in spirit overall and as the days went by, the less terrible I felt about that damn money.
I pulled my hair into a neat ponytail, slipped into a pair of biker shorts and an oversized T-shirt, then glanced at my phone one more time to check the delivery window before heading downstairs.
Everything was still on schedule. The smell of turkey bacon and banana pancakes hit me before I even reached the kitchen.
Rome stood at the stove flipping pancakes like we were living inside one of those happy little family commercials wearing his basketball shorts hung low on his waist, shirtless, and his chain glistening around his neck while he nodded his head to the music.
If somebody walked through that front door right now, they'd swear he was the perfect man.
They'd never guess this was the same person who wanted to control every damn thing and then make me feel like I’m the problem.
He looked over his shoulder when he heard my footsteps and smiled. "There go wifey."
"I've been up all of two minutes," I laughed, forcing my voice to sound as easy as my smile.
"Good baby, cause you right on time." He pointed the spatula toward the table. "Sit down breakfast almost done."
I pulled out a chair and sat down, praying today would be one of the days he stayed distracted enough not to pay too much attention to me.
I still had to figure out how I was going to slip away long enough to meet the furniture delivery without raising any suspicions, and knowing Rome, he wasn't about to make that easy.
Rome slid my plate across the table before taking the seat across from me.
The pancakes were still steaming, and the smell of butter mixed with the turkey bacon that had just come out the skillet.
He reached for the syrup first, pouring way more than anybody needed before finally looking up at me.
He wasn't smiling as hard as he was a few minutes ago.
Instead, he watched me the same way he'd done for years whenever he thought I wasn't telling him something.
"I don’t know Nay; it’s something up with you and I’m gon’ figure it out."
I looked up from cutting my pancakes and forced myself to shrug like his words hadn't landed exactly where he intended them to. "How Rome?"
"I don't know." He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his beard while he studied me harder. "Just... different."
I laughed, hoping it'd sound natural. "So because I’m not arguing with you every day, now I'm different?"
"It ain't that." He shook his head. "Matter fact, that's what's throwing me off. Usually, you got something smart to say by now." A grin spread across his face. "Lately you've been too damn peaceful."
I took another piece of pancake with my fork, taking my time chewing before answering. The less I talked, the less chance I had of slipping up. "I'm tired, Rome. I work twelve-hour shifts. When I come home, I don't be looking for an argument."
He nodded slowly, but his eyes never left mine. "See... that's the thing. I know you.
I looked up when he said that because the way he said it made my stomach hurt. He continued talking and I pretended like it didn’t faze me.
"You can smile all you want." He pointed his fork toward me before taking another bite. "You can laugh. Hell, you can even start cooking breakfast every morning if you want to but something in here..." He tapped the side of his head, “keep telling me you up to something."
For a split second my heart skipped some beats, but my expression never changed. Instead, I smiled. "What exactly would I be up to?"
"If I knew that, I wouldn't have to ask."
He chuckled like he'd just said the funniest joke in the world while reaching for another strip of turkey bacon and you know what I did? I laughed right with him. Hell, he had been playing in my face for years, so I wasn’t sure why he felt a way when I decided to start playing back.
Inside, I was trying to figure out whether he was fishing or if he actually knew something.
The scary part about Rome wasn't when he yelled.
It was when his ass got quiet, when he started paying attention, and when every little move you made suddenly became a clue in whatever story he'd created in his head.
He stood up with his plate, walked over to the sink, and rinsed it off before turning around to look at me again. "You know what..."
I looked up from eating my food. “What?”
"Come here."
I frowned. "What for?"
He smiled looking extra fine. "I said come here."
I hesitated just long enough for him to notice before forcing myself out of the chair. By the time I made it around the table, he'd already reached for my hand. His fingers wrapped around mine before he pulled me against him, sliding one arm around my waist.
"You been working too much," he said, brushing his thumb across my cheek. "I feel like I gotta compete with that fuckin’ hospital for my own woman."
I smiled because that's what he expected me to do. "I’m not going anywhere Rome."
He searched my face for another long torturing second, almost like he was waiting for my eyes to betray me. "Yeah, you better not be."
Before I knew it, Rome had lifted me in his arms wrapping my legs around his body as walked over the same table we were just eating at and gently laid me on my backside.
I wasn’t anticipating having sex with him and I couldn’t pretend I was comfortable because it’s not like although he cheated, he used protection.
Obviously he didn’t because if that were the case nobody would be saying he’s the daddy.
He wasn’t even trying to take his time acting like a dog in heat the way he tugged at my nipples before he devoured them into his mouth.
I tossed my head back and went with the flow until his soft lips met my bare pussy.
He placed soft kisses all around my thighs before he focused again and slithered his warm tongue over my clitoris.
“Mhm,” he groaned feeling my body loosen up. “Taste just like water, open up for me Nay.”
For the sake of an argument, I decided to put myself in the moment and deal with everything else after. Rome began to eat me so good, my hands found themselves at the very top of his head as a moan escaped from my lips. “Ouuu,” I squealed biting down on my bottom lips with my eyes shut tightly.
The more he picked up the pace, the harder I bucked my hips trying to work myself into the orgasm that I felt coming.
The slurping sounds he made had me ready even more.
The more he licked, the more swollen my clitoris became and right when I reached near climax, he abruptly pulled out and shoved his hard dick inside of me.
“Fuckkk!” I gasped squirting all over him as he braced his hands on my hips pumping ferociously before he came as well.
“Got damn! Fuck!” He let out a deep moan while glaring into my eyes with his veins still thumping inside of me. It was quick, but it was good and that one orgasm had me feeling weak because it took a lot out of me.
Rome helped me up and placed sloppy kisses all over my cheek. “You forgive me?” he asked.
“Sex doesn’t fix the problems Rome,” I let him know as I hurried into the bathroom the second he let me go, closing the door behind me before turning the shower on as hot as I could stand it.
The water rolled over my shoulders while I stood there with my eyes closed, trying to wash away everything that had just happened.
I hated this feeling more than anything, I hated the fact that once again he did what he wanted without giving a damn what I wanted.
I reached for the body wash and scrubbed my skin harder than necessary, trying my best not to let it ruin today.
Out of every single day this could've happened... it just had to be today.
"Navy!"
Rome's voice boomed through the house loud enough to break my train of thought. I rolled my eyes before sliding the shower door open just enough to stick my head out.
"What?" I yelled.
"The hell taking you so long?"
"I'm taking a shower!"
"I know that! Hurry up!"
I frowned. "For what Rome?"
“Because I need to run a few errands, and you riding with me."