Chapter 16
Trill-Land, ‘LoLux Estate
I was sleepin’ deep when I felt Kay’Lo’s lips on the back of my neck, soft and warm like he was tryna wake my body before my mind even caught up.
His arm was already wrapped around my waist, and the way he pulled me closer let me know he’d been awake for a minute just lovin’ on me.
His mouth moved slow across my skin, kissin’ the side of my neck, then my temple, then my cheek while his hand rubbed over my stomach where our baby was growin’.
I wasn’t even in my second trimester yet, but this man touched my belly like I was nine months and ready to pop. It made me melt every time.
His fingers spread wide as he rubbed me, and each pass of his hand felt like he was sayin’ good mornin’ without even openin’ his mouth.
I breathed out slow and leaned into him ‘cause there wasn’t nothin’ better in the world than wakin’ up in Kay’Lo’s arms. His chest was warm on my back, his breath moved against my skin, and the way he kissed every part of me made my whole body soften underneath him.
I felt beautiful like this. I felt safe, wanted, loved and all of it at once.
He kissed the back of my shoulder and rubbed my stomach again, and I reached down to place my hand over his so our fingers could lace together. He slid his face against my cheek, then pressed his lips right up to my ear.
“They waitin’ on you downstairs, baby,” he whispered, his voice deep from sleep and sweet as hell. “Chefs already made you breakfast. I told ‘em to do it right.”
I closed my eyes again ‘cause his voice alone made my whole body warm. I rubbed my stomach with him, slow circles over the lil’ bump that held our child, and he kissed the side of my face like he couldn’t help himself.
He lifted my hair off my neck and let his lips touch the spot that always made me shiver. “I’m thankful to be layin’ with you,” he murmured. “Real thankful.” His voice dropped even lower. “And I’m sorry for runnin’ out like that yesterday.”
My throat got tight for a second, but I swallowed hard and nodded. I ain’t wanna go back and forth about what happened. Today had too much waitin’ on us, and thinkin’ about his case already had my heart feelin’ heavy.
He rubbed his hand up and down my waist and kissed me again.
“You ready for today?” I asked, even though a part of me was scared of the answer.
He let his lips brush my neck slow before he spoke. “As long as you right here, I’m ready for whatever.” And the way he said it, calmed somethin’ inside me that had been tight since yesterday.
I finally rolled on my back, and he leaned over me, kissin’ my forehead, then the tip of my nose, then my lips like he was takin’ his time.
His hand stayed right on my stomach, rubbin’ it like he was already in love with our child.
I reached up and touched his face, and he smiled down at me with that look that always made my heart pound.
We finally got out the bed together, and soon as my feet touched the floor, he was on me again, helpin’ me stand, helpin’ me walk, treatin’ me like I was made of somethin’ delicate even though he knew how strong I was.
I tried not to smile, but I couldn’t help it ‘cause he was truly caterin’ to me in every way.
When we walked into the bathroom, I went toward the sink but Kay’Lo beat me to it. “Say, let me get that for you, baby,” he said, already reachin’ for my toothbrush.
He squeezed the toothpaste out and handed it to me before makin’ his own. When he stood next to me in the mirror with that tatted-up chest and abs on full display, I almost forgot how to breathe.
He brushed his teeth, but his eyes stayed on me through the mirror.
He moved closer and rubbed my back slow, then his hand dipped lower and he grabbed my booty with a handful.
He smacked it once and rubbed it in circles while I tried not to toothpaste-smile.
He grinned at me like he knew exactly what he was doin’.
When we finished, he started the shower. The steam rose quick, and before I could even step inside, he dropped his briefs and that dick fell out heavy and beautiful like it had been waitin’ on me. My eyes went straight to it. I ain’t even try to hide it.
He tugged on his bottom lip with his teeth and stared at me, slow and confident.
Then he gripped a handful of himself and let his fingers slide down to his balls while he smirked like he knew I was already turned on.
“Come here, girl,” he murmured, but I looked away shy like he hadn’t been inside me a thousand times.
I slid my panties down, let my shirt fall to the floor, and he watched every inch of me.
I stepped in the shower and he came right in behind me, his hands already on my hips.
The water poured over us, and he kissed me deep, his tongue movin’ slow and warm against mine.
He washed my body with his hands, runnin’ them over my curves.
I washed him too, and his muscles flexed under my fingers in a way that made heat shoot through my stomach.
He picked my face up to his and kissed me again, longer this time, holdin’ me close until the whole shower felt like a different world.
When we got out, he dried me off like he always did, takin’ his time, kissin’ my shoulder every chance he got.
We got dressed together with a quiet that felt soft and intimate.
Kay’Lo took my hand as we walked downstairs, and soon as we reached the bottom, I almost stopped walkin’.
The entire dinin’ room was filled with food.
Not just breakfast, but a whole ass buffet laid out across the table.
There was fluffy pancakes stacked high with whipped butter and warm maple syrup, golden waffles topped with powdered sugar, scrambled eggs cooked soft just how I liked them, crispy bacon, turkey sausage links, fried catfish, cheese grits, roasted potatoes, cinnamon rolls, croissants, fresh biscuits with honey butter, and a bowl stacked with every fruit I’d been cravin’ lately.
Strawberries, pineapple chunks, watermelon, blueberries, mango slices, and grapes all laid out beautifully like it was a holiday.
My eyes went watery. I turned to Kay’Lo, and he looked at me like he’d been waitin’ for that reaction. I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissin’ him slow while he rubbed the lower part of my back like he ain’t want me feelin’ nothin’ but love.
He pulled out my chair, and the chef brought our plates. Kay’Lo sat across from me, and the whole time we ate, he flirted with me with his eyes, lickin’ his lips, smilin’ and rubbin’ his thumb along my hand when he reached across the table to steal a piece of my fruit.
When we finally finished, he wiped his mouth, stood up, and came around to me. He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together, then led me toward the door with that quiet confidence that always made me feel like wherever he went, I was safe.
We stepped out the mansion together, ready to hear whatever his lawyer had to tell us, and even though fear tugged at the back of my mind, his hand in mine made me feel like we could face anything.
As long as we did it together.
KADE DEFENSE FIRM
When we finally made it to Kay’Lo’s lawyer’s office, I felt my stomach twist in a way I couldn’t hide, even though I tried to walk like my nerves wasn’t tearin’ through me.
Kay’Lo held my hand while we walked through the lobby, and his grip was warm and firm, but his face was cold as hell, like somebody flipped a switch off inside him.
He ain’t say much on the way here, and the whole ride he kept his eyes forward like he was tryna keep his mind from wanderin’ to the wrong places.
I could tell he was doin’ everything he could to stay calm, and that alone made my heart ache ‘cause it wasn’t fair for no man to carry this type of weight on his shoulders.
Barron Kade’s office was nice, clean, and quiet.
It was that type of quiet that made you feel like everything inside the walls mattered.
He had dark wooden furniture, big leather chairs, and a long glass table that stretched across his meetin’ room like it was meant for powerful decisions.
The windows showed half the city, and I swear the whole room felt expensive without even tryin’.
The receptionist greeted us, then walked us down the hall to where Barron was waitin’, and soon as we stepped inside, Barron stood up like he been expectin’ us.
“Kay’Lo. Toni,” he said, noddin’ once with that serious look he always had. “Thank you for comin’ in.”
Kay’Lo pulled out my chair first, lettin’ me sit, then he took the seat beside me.
He leaned back with his arms crossed, his tattoos lookin’ darker against the light comin’ from the window, and his face was calm in a way you only saw when he was holdin’ a storm inside.
Barron sat across from us with a folder already open, and he breathed in slow before speakin’.
“I’m putting together a team for this case,” he said. “We are building a full defense unit, investigators, experts, jury consultants, the whole nine. This is a double homicide charge, with you facing death penalty, so I’m approaching this with everything I’ve got.”
My chest tightened when he said that, and I placed my hand on Kay’Lo’s thigh under the table. He rested his hand on top of mine and rubbed his thumb across my fingers like he was lettin’ me know he was good. But I knew he wasn’t. I knew none of this shit was good.
Barron flipped a page inside the file and leaned forward. “Before we get into strategy, there’s something new I have to tell you. It concerns the Lennox family.”
I felt Kay’Lo shift beside me, and my stomach dropped ‘cause I already knew anything tied to them couldn’t be good.
Barron looked from the paper to Kay’Lo, then back again. “Roderick’s daughter is making additional statements,” he said. “She is now claiming that before the shooting, you were stalking her.”