Chapter 6
The moment Haze knew he was falling in love with a smart woman was the moment Devyn insisted on meeting him at the compound for their date.
She refused to give him her address. He thought it was cute.
He could get that information easily if he wanted it, but he played it cool.
She knew he could act a fool over her, and she wanted to protect her peace. She could have that for now.
“Prez, we got the two new recruits here. They want to know if they’re workin’ or playin’ tonight?
” Rome, the Vicious Kings treasurer, asked.
He was the person who took care of all their money coming in and going out, both legally and illegally.
Haze trusted that man with their entire empire, and the respect between the men was palpable.
They shook up with their Vicious Kings’ handshake before Haze responded.
“They can take the night off tonight. How they doin’ anyway?” Haze asked as they watched the caterers and party planners set up for the night.
It was casino night, the club’s favorite night of the month. If it was one thing they all loved to do, it was gamble, so Haze made sure they could do it safely and comfortably right from their compound at least once a month.
“They cool people, man. I think they might be ready to come into the fold a little more,” Rome replied.
Haze knew what that meant. Rome thought the new recruits were ready for the illegal side of the club.
The part where they bought and sold illegal weapons, from guns to grenades, and even custom shit.
Rome thinking they were ready was just the first level of taking that step.
The entry. They still had to go through Dame and Gideon before they could get Haze’s final stamp of approval.
“What are their names again?” Haze asked as he watched them from across the room.
“The shorter one with the curly hair is Tommy. The taller one with the braids is Logan,” Rome replied.
Haze watched them for a moment before he nodded. “Get wit’ Dame and have him feel them out for the next couple of weeks. If he gives them the go ahead, I’ll have them shadow G for a bit before they can come to me.”
Rome nodded and walked off to find Dame. Haze’s mind drifted to Devyn as he checked his phone and wondered when she would get here. Just as the thought entered his mind, Gideon shouted out at him from the door.
“Aye, Haze! Ya girl is here!”
Haze’s eyes snapped to his best friend, but he didn’t correct Gideon. His girl. It sounded right to him.
He swaggered toward the door as everyone in the spot stole glances at him. Haze was known to be anti-relationship, so Gideon announcing that his girl was there piqued everyone’s interest.
“Fuck nigga,” Haze grumbled as he punched Gideon in his tree trunk of an arm.
Gideon chuckled and didn’t flinch.
“Don’t be hitting on my man like that,” Glimmer said. She hung off Gideon’s arm and looked up at him with stars in her eyes.
Haze found himself wondering if Devyn would ever look at him like that.
“He just mad everyone knows he ain’t the playa he pretends to be,” Gideon joked.
Haze waved him off. Really, he wasn’t even mad. He just didn’t want everyone in his business like that.
He brushed past Gideon and Glimmer and out the front door, which had been open for the stream of people coming and going.
“Haze, what the hell is Gideon talking about?” Deja, his cousin, asked. She and his little sister, Kyomi, sat on the swing on the porch, with drinks in their hands and looking nosy as hell.
Haze cut his eyes at Gideon, who pretended like he couldn’t hear the conversation from just inside the house.
Scoffing, Haze pulled a blunt out from behind his ear and lit it.
“Ain’t nothin’,” he replied to Deja.
“Sounds like something,” Kyomi pointed out.
Haze nodded his head toward the pink truck. Devyn climbed out and adjusted the jeans she wore. Haze could imagine her ass bouncing around in them, and he almost drooled. Instead, he played it cool and lit his blunt before taking a long pull.
“That her?” Deja asked.
Haze ignored her as he watched Devyn nervously look around.
When their eyes connected, Haze felt his heart hammer in his chest. A million different thoughts zoomed around his head.
Flashes of their future together played in his mind.
He wanted Devyn so damn bad. She had no idea the lengths he would go for her.
“That gotta be her. Look how he’s stuck on her,” Kyomi noted.
“Wait ’til we tell ya mama,” Deja muttered.
Haze ignored them as he stepped off the porch. He took his time walking toward Devyn. Each inhale of his blunt quieted his mind and focused his thoughts.
“Hey,” she murmured when they were within arm’s length.
“I’m glad you made it, Thicka.”
She looked around and then found his eyes again. “I honestly didn’t want to come here, but I figured you would come find me if I didn’t.”
“You figured right.” He grinned before he pulled her into his chest. The action surprised him. He was never a let me get a hug type of nigga, but with Devyn, it happened naturally.
It surprised him when she wrapped her arms around his waist. When they pulled apart, she asked, “Is it safe to be here?”
“You always safe wit’ me,” he replied. She looked uncertain, which offended him, but then he remembered what her experience was like the last time she was there.
He put an arm around her shoulder and guided her toward the porch.
“Look, I know you got a daughter to get home to, so I ain’t even gonna put you in no foul type of situation.
I got hella security on this block. Ain’t no danger comin’ to you. ”
He felt her shoulders tense up as he spoke, and he frowned. He wanted his words to comfort her, not make her more tense. Before he could comment on it, though, Deja and Kyomi were in their faces.
“Hi, I’m Kyomi, Haze’s sister.” She stuck her hand out to Devyn, who glanced up at Haze with confusion written all over her face.
He knew she had no idea she would meet any of his family tonight, but he was ready to incorporate her into his life as soon as possible, and there was no better way to do that than casino night.
Haze simply took a pull of his blunt and nodded at Devyn encouragingly.
Her eyes found Kyomi again, and she offered a soft smile. “Hi, I’m Devyn.”
“And I’m Deja, this bigheaded nigga’s cousin.” Deja waved, and Devyn returned the sentiment.
“How long you and my brother been together?” Kyomi asked.
Haze chuckled when Devyn’s breath hitched. “Together? W-we aren’t . . . we haven’t . . . I mean—”
“She don’t know she’s wifey yet. Give her some time,” Haze said. He winked at his sister and cousin before he threw his arm back over Devyn’s shoulders and took one last pull from his blunt.
“Wifey?” Deja said with a wide smile on her face.
Haze ignored his giggling cousin and gossiping ass sister as he handed what was left of his blunt to Pup, who had just walked out of the house.
“Good lookin’, Prez.”
Haze simply nodded and moved past his young protégé, with Devyn under his arm.
People looked at them as they entered the house.
Haze was known for having women, but he never brought them around his family.
This was new for everyone, and even Haze felt a little uncomfortable under their stares.
When he felt Devyn squirm under his arm, he glared at everyone in the vicinity and barked, “Fuck y’all lookin’ at? ”
Everyone knew well enough to carry on about their business because Haze wasn’t to be fucked with. That was law.
Gideon, who still stood next to the front door, laughed. His laugh was contagious, and Haze had to fight to keep the corners of his lips from turning up because wasn’t shit funny.
“This her?” Gideon asked.
After their lunch date the day before, Haze came back to the compound where Gideon was kickin’ it with some of the other members of the club.
Haze pulled Gideon aside and let him know he finally found his mystery woman.
Of course, Gideon knew of Devyn from three years ago because Haze had been beside himself after everything calmed down and was irritated that he didn’t get her name or number.
“G, this is Devyn. Thicka, this is my best friend, Gideon, and his wife, Glimmer.”
“Hi,” Devyn said with a wave.
“’Sup? Nice to meet you.” Gideon nodded at her with a wide smile. Haze wanted to kick him. That nigga didn’t know how to play shit cool.
“You’re so pretty,” Glimmer complimented.
“Thank you,” Devyn replied with a blush. “Glimmer is a beautiful name. Very unique.”
“Thanks, girl.” Glimmer looked up at her husband. “I’m going outside with the girls. Don’t be betting on no bikes. You remember what happened last time.” She looked back at Devyn. “You want to come with?”
“Nah, she’s wit’ me tonight,” Haze said, pulling Devyn closer in a territorial way.
Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Have fun, girl.”
“Haze, what is all this, anyway?” Devyn asked as Glimmer walked by them.
“Casino night. You gamble?”
Devyn shook her head. “Never have.”
Gideon chuckled. “You’re in for a treat, sis.”
“First, I want to show you somethin’,” Haze said. He guided her toward the side door where his massive garage was.
As soon as they stepped through, the automatic lights turned on, and the noise from the club members was drowned out. Devyn gasped and turned to him. She must not have realized how close he was, because she ran right into his chest.
After taking a slight step back, she asked, “Why would you bring me here? If you thought I was about to give up some pussy again, you’re sadly mistaken.”
Her brows pulled in, and he noted how cute she looked when she thought she was putting her little ass foot down.
“Don’t nobody want no pussy,” he lied.
He took her hand and led her down the rows of bikes.
“Then what are we doing in here, Haze?” Her voice took on a nervous note.
“You gonna trust your man?”
“If I had one, I would.”
He snorted. “You funny.”
“I’m serious.”
Yeah, aight. She don’t even realize she’s in a full-blown relationship right now. She gonna learn soon enough.
“Chill, man. I just wanted to show you this.” He gestured toward a purple bike that sat right in the middle of the garage.
She gasped. “Is this . . .”
Her words trailed off as he beamed at her. The name he’d only ever known her by up until yesterday was etched on the side of the bike in pink writing. Thicka.
It was a top-of-the-line bike that was pretty as hell with the matching helmet. She whirled on him. “This is for me?”
“Who else it’s for?” he asked with his brows raised.
She shrugged shyly. “I don’t know . . . You could call other women Thicka.”
“Never.” He scoffed.
She ran her dainty hand over the sleek paint job on the bike. “How long have you had this?”
“’Bout a week after we met.”
Her eyes widened. “Why? I don’t understand.”
“Shit, I don’t either. I was hoping you could help me. I ain’t ever been no sucka over no female, but you had me gone from the moment I laid eyes on you. I can’t tell you why, but I can tell you I’m serious about you. I’m tryna see what’s up wit’ you. Wit’ us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah. So you know, when a man likes a woman, they get to know each other, fall in love, get married, shit like that?” he joked, though the words felt odd on his tongue. He’d never even uttered the word marriage in a sentence that even closely pertained to him.
Devyn shook her head. The action felt like a dagger to his heart, but he did something he wasn’t known for. Haze practiced some patience, instead of flying off at the handle, and let her speak.
“I’m not looking to date right now. I-I can’t. Now with H—my daughter. Not with the dealership. I have too much going on.”
“I ain’t here to make yo’ life hard, ma. I just want to add to it. Can you let me do that?”
He grabbed her hands and gazed down into her eyes on some real sucker type shit. She looked like she was in deep thought. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally, she took in a deep breath and said, “Haze, I—”
Already feeling the sting of rejection, he shook his head. “I don’t need to hear nothin’ aside from you tellin’ me you gonna give us a chance. I ain’t the type of nigga to beg. You gonna learn that about me. Just say yes and make this easier on yourself.”
He gave her a smile to let her know he meant her no harm. He really did just want to feel her out and see where life could take them.
Finally, she said, “Can we just see how tonight goes and go from there?”
Haze looked at her for a few seconds before he nodded.
“Fine.” He knew in due time she would warm up to him.
Haze came from a home of love. He knew how to treat a woman.
He just never felt the need to do it right before.
Now that he felt that urge, he was all in.
Devyn would have no choice but to fall in line.
Changing the subject, he nodded his head toward the bike and asked, “You gonna go riding wit’ me sometime? ”
Her eyes lit up. “I can’t believe you bought me a bike.”
“It’s only the beginning. What you say?” He nodded toward the bike again.
She blushed and then hesitantly nodded. “Yeah. We can do that.”
A win was a win. Haze grinned before he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. He couldn’t help it. She was perfection in his eyes, and he wanted to feel her in every way. A kiss would do for now.
It didn’t surprise him that she kissed him back. As much as she wanted to front like she wasn’t feeling him, he knew the truth. Their chemistry was undeniable.
When he pulled away, he led her back through the garage to rejoin the party without another word. His plan was to show her a good time while also showing her that he was serious about her. Even if he didn’t understand it, he wanted to be all the way in with Ms. Devyn Frost.