Chapter 20
Xiah
“Kove, thank you so much for coming.” I turned in the direction of the voice that called Kove’s name and couldn’t help but smile at the woman who approached us.
She was dressed in a black pantsuit where the blazer was made to be worn as a jacket and shirt.
It had a deep V in front and I could tell there was nothing under it, tightly fitted at the waist, exposing the curves of her hips.
It was business but sexy paired with heels so high I had no clue how she was walking so gracefully on them.
“Cress Omari, and this is Elias.” She turned and smiled at the man next to her and, well, shit. That man was fine as hell.
My eyes darted between the two of them, admiring how they were a beautiful couple then my mind quickly went to Kove and me. Did we look like them? Were people whispering about how good we looked together?
“Nice to meet you.” Kove accepted the hand Cress extended then offered a nod to her husband before he dropped his hand to my hip. “This is Xiah.”
“Hello, Xiah, thank you both for coming. Did you enjoy the show?” She smiled, letting her eyes move between both of us and I grinned.
“We did.” Kove slept through most of it but I wouldn’t tell her that.
Their first three preseason games were on the road and he flew in this morning, had a media run, a fundraiser for Healing Hands, and made it home just in time to shower and dress for the show tonight.
He was tired, but also had no interest in watching a classical performance.
“Oh good. We’re trying some new choreographers to give us a fresh perspective on modern dance and hopefully will appeal to younger audiences.
Your donation will actually go toward facilitating our partnership with the Loyd Recreational Center, offering scholarships to the young men who would like to join our dance academy. ”
“That’s good shit,” Kove said.
Elias smirked. “Definitely good shit. She’s pushing hard for this.” He kissed his wife on the temple.
“Dance and athleticism go hand in hand. Dance is athleticism,” she said to her husband as if they previously had a conversation we weren’t privy to.
I smiled at the way they silently communicated with each other.
Whatever argument they were having, he conceded and pulled her into his chest, dropping an arm around her waist before he kissed her neck and whispered something that had Cress smiling giddily.
She turned back to us with a blush on her face and addressed Kove. “We have our media station set up over here. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get you in a few shots with the dancers.”
Kove and I walked hand in hand to the media station and I stood off to the side, watching while they captured the images they needed. After they were done, Elias spent time talking about the Royals season while Cress stepped beside me, offering a curious smile.
“I spoke with Judge Crawford and he mentioned that everything was finalized with your divorce.”
When I frowned at her, she added, “I don’t know the details, because that wasn’t my business, but I do know your ex-husband was being difficult when it came to the process.
Jase didn’t fill me in on the specifics, only that it was imperative that the paperwork be handled quickly and discreetly.
Jase knew Crawford is a friend of mine. He needed a judge to make this work, I had one. ”
I nodded, not truly knowing how I felt about so many people being privy to that part of my life. I was grateful that they’d helped but uneasy about having my personal life on display. I truly had nothing to be embarrassed about but that didn’t make it an easy topic.
“Thank you for offering to help. I really appreciate everyone who did because he was truly making it complicated.”
“Love is complicated enough. Being entangled with people who don’t deserve you is emotionally draining. My family has experienced that. Well, my brother Christian, specifically. I wanted to help.”
She smiled smugly and added, “But I’m also not disappointed about the return on my investment. Having your boyfriend attached to the theater is going to be a big help with my new initiative. He’s a very impressive marketing tool.”
My eyes drifted to Kove posing with the dancers and I smiled, nodding because Kove was indeed impressive.
“I just want to let you know that Jase is a great friend who does a lot for the city. Anyone he deems worthy of his support is worthy of mine. If you ever need anything that I can help with in the future, you don’t have to go through Jase. You can reach out to me personally.”
She stepped in front of me and offered a genuine smile. “I appreciate that.”
After Kove was done, Cress thanked him again and we were on our way to the car service he scheduled for the night.
He elected for iDrive so he could relax and not be stressed with navigating through traffic.
As soon as we were in the back of the Yukon, Kove pulled me into his side, dropped his chin to my head, and his large hands pushed the hem of my dress far enough up my thigh so he touched skin.
“You better be glad she didn’t ask detailed questions about the performance.” I lifted my head and his was dropped back. While his eyes were closed, a lazy smile eased onto his face.
“Yeah, I would have been all fucked up in the game if she had. I didn’t see any of that shit but you handled my lightweight.”
He moved his massive hand up and down my thigh soothingly. “It wasn’t bad. I actually like it and wouldn’t mind coming back.”
Kove’s eyes opened and lowered to me. “I’ll get tickets for you and your girl then.”
“What if I want you to come?”
“I would do it but you don’t want me there ’cause you’ll be watching it alone again, but shit, I might just roll with you. That was some good ass sleep. Them seats were comfortable as hell.”
I playfully rolled my eyes. “Can we go to Taco Express? I’m kinda hungry.”
We had an early dinner before the show prepared by the chef Sovoya hired for Kove. The grilled sea bass, rice pilaf, and asparagus was banging but didn’t last because my stomach was currently doing somersaults in need of something else.
“Ay, slide through Taco Express before you take us to the crib,” Kove called out to the driver who nodded and tapped the screen on the dashboard to redirect his navigation.
“Thank you.”
I was granted a kiss as a response. Twenty minutes later we pulled up to Taco Express, ordered in the drive through, and took the food back to his house where I stripped out of my dress and sat on the floor in my bra and panties while Kove was stretched out on the sofa in his briefs.
“You fucking them shits up.”
I smiled and wiped my mouth. “They’re good. You want some?” I held up one of my carnitas tacos and he shook his head, frowning.
“Nah, I’m good. That shit is about to have your stomach fucked up.”
I took a huge bite of the taco. “No it won’t. I eat it all the time. Try it.”
I held it up again.
“That’s all you, Xi. Ball the fuck out.”
I finished my food while he watched CF Athletes Network, checking out highlights from the Chicago and New York game since New York was the first home game for the Royals.
Once I was done, I collected my trash and took it to the kitchen before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth then I joined him on the sofa.
I tucked my body beside his. After he moved to his side to give me space, Kove pushed one of his hands between my thighs and dropped one leg over mine.
“You guys are going to have to step your defense up when you play New York. And you’re going to have to guard Johnson heavy to keep him from shooting at the top of the key.”
“What you know about our defense or Johnson shooting from the top of the key?” Kove said lazily, dropping his eyes to me when I tilted my head back to see his face.
“Enough to know that defense is going to be the leading factor in whether or not you guys get past New York.”
He smirked and turned his eyes back to the TV. “Yeah, aight.”
“I know what I’m talking about.”
“You know what they’ve been saying on CFAN and every damn sport blog out there.”
True, but it was still relevant.
“Does it matter where I got the information from?”
“Nah, it doesn’t, but that’s not your shit, so why are you keeping up with what we need to do to beat New York?”
I turned against him and propped my head on a balled fist. “If my man is a baller, don’t I need to know how he balls?”
Kove grinned and nodded. “Yeah you do but I also know that’s not your lane. You don’t have to do shit to impress me, Xiah.”
“I’m not trying to impress you. I’m making sure I support you because that’s what you do for me. This is a team effort, right?”
“Yeah we’re in this shit.”
“Okay, so if you support my career by making sure I have buyers, I’ll support your career by making sure you know when to step your defense up.”
He chuckled and gripped the back of my neck, bringing me into a kiss. “That means you have to be at the games to know whether or not I’m doing what I’m supposed to.” His mouth was on mine again. “Wearing my jersey.” Another kiss. “Cheering for me.”
“Ehhh, you might have to send a few more leads my way to get all that. This feels a little unbalanced.”
“I got you.”
“Then I got you.”
His mouth was on me again with a promise of just how much he had me. No matter how many reservations I had about trusting my heart to another man, Kove always eased that anxiety.
I also refused to let Kaden take anything else from me. So regardless of my fears that I could end up crushed again, I was trusting that this time things would work. There were moments of insecurity but I was going to be in this.
When Kove’s phone vibrated with a call, he dug it from beside him on the sofa and frowned at the screen.
“I swear her ass doesn’t ever sleep,” he mumbled before answering.