25. Chapter 25
King Damini
The salt air hit different out here on the open water.
There was no noise from the syndicate, no security radios crackling nearby, and no responsibilities.
Just the rhythmic hum of the yacht’s twin engines, the dark blue stretch of the ocean beneath us, and the woman who owned it all standing at the helm.
I was sitting back on the white deck couch, resting my arm over the back cushion as I watched Adanna maneuver the wheel with one hand.
She was wearing a loose, sheer black cover-up draped over a matching bikini.
The sea breeze caught the fabric and blew it back to expose the smooth skin of her thighs and the dark bruises tracing her ribs.
Her hair was pinned up loosely, but a few stray tendrils framed her face.
She looked like a damn painting. A mesmerizing painting that belonged entirely to me.
I picked up the glass of liquor from the low table in front of me, taking a slow sip. Adanna had spared no expense setting this date up. It was the promise she’d made me this morning, and I was enjoying our quality time.
"You gonna stand up there looking like a captain all night, or are you gonna come sit your fine ass down?" I called out over the sound of the wind. My voice carried a teasing edge.
Adanna didn't even turn her head, but I caught the faint, slow curve of her lips in the moonlight. She clicked the yacht into autopilot, then turned around. She walked over to me, taking her sweet time too.
"Someone has to keep us from crashing, Dame," she murmured, stepping up to the lounge area. "I don't trust you behind the wheel of my boat. You drive like you're trying to outrun a firing squad."
"I drive with purpose," I corrected, reaching out and grabbing her wrist, tugging her down into my lap.
She let out a soft breath as she landed against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face into the side of her neck, breathing in the scent of the expensive perfume she wore. She smelled like trouble.
"Mmm," I grumbled against her skin. Then, I pressed a lingering kiss right beneath her jawline. "You smell good, Wife."
"You're already drunk," she teased, resting against my chest.
"I ain't drunk," I murmured, sliding my hand up her thigh. "I'm just enjoying the view. You did good setting this up."
Adanna leaned back against my chest, looking out at the endless black ocean stretching in front of us. "I keep my promises. We survived Family Day. We both earned a night off."
"Family Day was actually a success, if we’re keeping it real. The community leaders were happy, the guards kept us safe, and Chairman looked better than he’s looked in months. Even with my old man running his mouth, we looked unified."
"We are unified," Adanna corrected me. She turned her head to look at me, her dark eyes reflecting the soft glow of the deck lights. "Eze can whisper in the corners all he wants. The syndicate knows who holds the throne."
"Yeah, they do," I agreed, tilting my head up to catch her lips in a slow kiss. Her mouth tasted like the sweet wine since we'd been drinking. She kissed me back as her hand moved to wrap around the back of my neck.
When we finally broke apart, both of our breaths were a little heavier. I reached over to the teakwood table and grabbed the small wooden box sitting beside the wine bottle. I popped the latch, revealing three neatly rolled joints of a rare, purple strain.
I pulled one out, raising an eyebrow at her. "You really pulled out all the stops, huh? Got my perfect strain and everything."
"I know what my husband enjoys," she said, leaning back and resting her head on my shoulder. "Light it."
I pulled the gold lighter from my pocket, flicking the flame to life and sparking the tip.
I took a slow, deep pull, letting the rich, earthy smoke fill my lungs before blowing a thick cloud out toward the ocean.
The heavy, relaxing high hit my blood quickly, melting away the lingering tension from the week.
I passed the joint to Adanna, watching as she took a delicate drag.
Her full lips wrapped around the paper, and her eyes fluttered shut as she exhaled the smoke.
We sat like that for a long time, floating on the quiet sea, sharing the joint back and forth until the cherry burned down to the filter in the stillness.
It was the kind of comfortable stillness that only two people who truly understood each other could share.
Out here, without the threat of Eze, without the stress of the syndicate, Adanna wasn't just the Queen everyone feared.
She was my woman.
I cleared my throat, the cannabis making my voice lower.
"Adanna," I started. "About your crew member..."
Before I could even get the rest of the sentence out of my mouth, Adanna turned her head, placing two fingers directly over my lips. She didn't look mad. She didn't look bothered. There was just a smooth, amused smirk playing at the corners of her mouth.
"Stop," she said.
I pulled her hand down gently, holding it in mine. "I'm just saying, I need you to know where my head is at—"
"Damini," she interrupted again. "I knew you were a hoe when I claimed you."
A bark of laughter came out before I could stop it. I shook my head, staring at her in disbelief as she maintained that calm, deadly smirk.
"A hoe?" I repeated, grinning. "That's how you doing me?"
"That is what you were," she said simply, tilting her chin up.
"You were a Prince with options, running around doing whatever you pleased.
I am not blind, and I am not naive. I don't care about who came before me, Dame.
Brooklyn is irrelevant. Just don't break the bond we created, and we will never have a problem. "
The playful edge in her voice faded just enough on that last sentence to remind me of the blood pact we’d sealed, the absolute loyalty we’d swore to each other. It wasn't a threat; it was a boundary set by a woman who knew her worth and knew exactly where I stood.
I squeezed her hand, my expression sobering as I looked at her. "I ain't breaking shit with you. Ever. You got my word on that."
"I know," she murmured softly. "Which is why we aren't talking about her on my boat."
She shifted her position, turning her body so she was sitting up on the couch. She reached out, brushing over the tight, neat plaits I’d been wearing for awhile.
"Turn around," she instructed quietly.
"What you doing?" I asked, though I was already shifting around on the leather cushions, turning my back to her. I rested my back against the edge of the couch between her knees.
"I'm taking your hair down," she said.
I leaned my head back against her thigh, closing my eyes as her thick fingers went to work at the base of my scalp.
The ocean rolled beneath us, as Adanna began unravelling the plaits one by one.
Her hands were surprisingly gentle for a woman whose palm was so used to holding weapons.
Every time a braid unraveled, she ran her fingers through the thick, dark texture of my hair, loosening the wave pattern and letting it breath.
The feeling was intoxicating. The combination of the heavy cannabis high, the smooth drinks, the cool night air, and the sensation of her hands in my hair sent a relaxing wave down my spine. I let out a long, heavy sigh as my shoulders dropped three inches.
"Feels good?" she asked, her fingers working through a tough knot with care.
"Feels amazing," I rasped, my eyes still closed. "You got good hands, Queen."
"Only for you," she replied quietly.
It took her twenty minutes to undo every single plait, unweaving the hair until it tumbled free around my head.
I laid my head down on her stomach, stretching my long legs out across the length of the leather lounge.
Adanna adjusted herself, shifting so she was comfortable, placing one hand against my back while her other hand reached into my thick hair.
Her nails began to lightly drag across my scalp. She stroked from the front of my hairline all the way down to the nape of my neck, digging her nails in just enough to scratch the itch left behind by the tight braids.
"Fuck," I groaned. "Right there. Don't stop."
She chuckled above me, continuing to scratch and caress my scalp. "You're like a giant, dangerous dog when you're relaxed."
"Don't start," I mumbled, though a faint smile touched my face. "I'm letting you see my soft side. Don't abuse the privilege."
"You can be soft with me."
Her words settled in my chest. I couldn't afford to let my guard down on the island. But out here, lying on this boat with my head on my wife's stomach and her hands running through my hair, I didn't have to carry the weight.
"I love you, Adanna," I said softly, the words coming out natural.
Her fingers stilled in my hair. I felt her stomach rise and fall as she took a deep, steady breath.
"I care for you too, Damini," she replied.
We stayed like that for hours, lost in the middle of the dark sea. I kept my eyes closed, completely anchored by the rise and fall of her breathing beneath me. Out here, we weren't just a King and a Queen holding onto power, we were just two ruthless souls who had finally found home in each other.