Chapter 9
“What are you watching?”
Dinero startled me when he walked into my room before taking a seat on the edge of the bed next to me. I always listened to the news while getting dressed, but the story being covered had me completely stumped. Instead of answering him, I simply pointed to the TV so he could see for himself. The caption on the screen read, Couple arrested for multiple counts of child abuse and sexual misconduct .
“Damn. This must have been why I woke up to so many notifications.”
“You didn’t check them?”
“Hell no. Once I saw they weren’t from you, Unc, or Tootie, I decided to wait. As long as the people I love are straight, it’s not an emergency,” he asserted. I could barely contain the smile on my face when he included me in the list. Ever since we made things official, Dinero had been going above and beyond to ensure I felt his love. Things were going so fast, but I’d never been so happy in my life.
“My caseworker told me they would be making an arrest soon, but I didn’t think it would be this soon.”
“Well, based on the evidence, I’m sure they were eager to get them in custody, especially, Dennis’s sick ass.”
When I turned over the phone Ciera gave me, I never knew how much evidence was on it. It turned out she had been recording the beatings from Vera as well as her nights with Mr. Dennis. I couldn’t bear to listen to them all the way through because it tore me apart inside. Ciera had been doing so much groundwork behind the scenes. She used to take pictures of our bruises, but when I asked her why, she said we needed to document everything. That phone had enough incriminating evidence to send them both to prison for many years, I hoped.
“What about Drake? The two of you are best friends. How do you think he’ll feel about you taking my side?” The last thing I wanted to do was come in-between their brotherhood. I didn’t want to take a chance of him regretting it later and then resenting me for it.
“I don’t give a damn how anybody feels. I’m standing ten toes behind you, and if a mothafucka has an issue with it, then I’ll beat their ass until they see it my way.”
“It’s just that simple, huh?” I giggled because Dinero was so nonchalant about everything except the things he loved. That was when the other side of him came out.
“Yeah. I would be less of a man if I claimed to love you but straddled the fence when it came to protecting you. You’re my heart, and no one gets to fuck with what’s mine.” Leaning down, he kissed my temple.
“You scare me,” I admitted, resting my head on his arm. He adjusted us so that he could wrap his arm around me.
“Why is that?”
“I’ve never been loved before. My parents died before I could really remember them, so I don’t have any memories of them. My whole life, I’ve accepted the fact that nobody wanted me, so this is all scary to me. There is a part of me that doesn’t want to get too close to you because I don’t think I could survive if you left me like everyone else.”
“I’ll never leave you. Even when I leave for school, I’ll still be here for you. The same way you feel about me is the same way I feel about you. My uncle loves me in his own way, but it’s different with you. For the first time, I have someone in my life that I want to live for. I want to be someone you can count on when the world lets you down. My parents loved each other to the very end, and I want the same kind of love. It’s us against the world, and I’m gonna bet on us every time.”
“I think I’m ready,” I whispered, lifting my head to gauge his reaction. We stared at each other for a while before he caught on to what I meant.
“Oh, shit. Are you sure? I promise, there’s no rush on my end. I understand what you’ve been through, so I don’t want you to feel like you have t—” I silenced him with a kiss before he could ramble on any further.
“I know what I want, and it’s you. I’ve never been able to give myself to someone by choice. Tonight, I want to choose, and I choose you.” The men in my past had taken what was rightfully mine to give, and I wanted to experience what it would be like to share my body with someone who would take care of it. I deserved this.
“Okay, umm. Can you give me a moment to get some things together? I want to make this special for you. For both of us.”
“Dinero, you don’t?—”
“Yes, I do. You choosing me means something, and I want to make sure you never regret this decision. Give me two hours, tops. You go to the theater room and don’t come back upstairs until I tell you to.” This time, he kissed my lips before he raced out of my room.
“Am I allowed to look now?” I asked as Money led me up to the room. You would think I would be a lot more nervous than I actually felt right now. However, excitement flowed through my body. If I knew anything in this world, I knew I could trust myself with him. With him going off to school, I couldn’t help but worry if we would last in a long-distance relationship. Dinero insisted that we would be just fine, but I wasn’t too confident in it. At least I would be able to have this beautiful moment to store in my memories.
“Yeah, you’re good now.” His hands lifted from my eyes, and I could feel the tears sliding down my cheek. My room had been filled with rose bouquets everywhere. The middle of the bed was covered with rose petals in a heart shape with the letters M I don’t want to stop.” Dinero kissed my lower lips and swirled his tongue in-between my folds. “You have to promise you’ll never let another man have access to you the way that I do. And I’m not just talking about the physical. Don’t give your heart to anyone that’s not me.”
“And what happens if I break your promise?” I questioned as he licked between my slit. Dinero placed a few more kisses on my pussy before positioning himself between my thighs.
“I’ll kill him,” he replied matter-of-factly. I gasped as he pushed his way inside of me. We made love for the rest of the night as I reflected on his declaration.
“I love you so much.” I cried as another orgasm turned me inside out. I prayed there would never come a day when I would be without his love.
“I love you too, Sunny. I meant what I said earlier. You’re mine, and I’m never letting you go.”