Chapter 4 #3
“It doesn’t work like that, Reminisce.” I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt.
“Wanna bet? Now get your ass over here.”
“But I’m finishing my ice—”
“Karim.”
The way he said my full name should have been illegal because it felt like hypnotism. I was crawling down the couch to his end in seconds. I guess I took too long because he literally pulled me the rest of the way.
When I was there and comfortable, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against my chest. “You smell so fucking good.”
I didn’t know whether to thank him or melt against his face. “Thank—”
“Don’t thank me, Rim.” His hands found the hem of my tank top. Then he eased it up my body like it was irritating him. I was left in only my sports bra while his eyes bored holes into different parts of my flesh.
“I love this tomboy shit. Especially with you.”
I smiled, cupping his hands in mine. “Better be with me only, nigga.” Then I mushed him, pressing two fingers against his temple and pushing his head to the side.
He laughed. “Man, you love beating on me.”
“Like you don’t deserve it.”
“I don’t.” His hand found my neck as he pulled me into him. “I think that beating on niggas shit gets you there.”
“Stop saying I beat on you, Reminisce. ’Cause I don’t. I jus—” I didn’t get to finish my sentence because he was nibbling at my bottom lip seconds later. Then our mouths fully collided and it was probably the hungriest I had ever been for anybody. Shit.
When air became necessary, he fell back against the couch and my hands went to his sweats.
“Nah, not yet. I’m working on your inspiration, Rim.” He leaned forward again and pressed his lips against my collarbone.
I laughed. “You’re impossible. You know that?”
“Nah. I’m ’boutta help you get some inspiration. ’Cause by morning I’m tryna hear something shake.”
“Poetry isn’t just a few words that rhyme, they’re words that flow together from your heart. It’s like flowing from—”
“So you’re telling me I gotta get in here?” His thick fingers pointed to the center of my chest.
I bit into my bottom lip, loving the way his eyes jumped from my chest to my eyes. “I guess so.”
The tap of his fingers against my chest sent a frenzy fire through my being. We had been here plenty of times before, but not like this.
“Mhmm,” I moaned.
“Bet.”
He was on his feet seconds later, carrying me back to my bedroom. When we reached my room, he stood there for a moment, my face buried into his neck.
“The fuck your room look like a page out of a magazine for? Has it always looked like this?”
“Yes, but you’ve never paid it any attention as you’ve only bee—” I yelped because he dropped me on my bed. “You’ve only ever been here for one thing?”
“Valid. But don’t forget you only wanted me here for one thing too.” His hands were in the bend of my thighs and hips, pulling me to the edge, close to him.
I shut the fuck up, because that was true but it wasn’t.
“What, you don’t have anything to say?” He locked four fingers into the hem of my pants, gripping both them and my underwear.
“I do, but it’s not worth saying.” I watched him peel my pants and undergarments from my frame with ease and little aid from me. He tossed them across the room, then stood up straight.
I sat up, widening my legs and just looking at him. Under the dimly lit bedroom fixtures, something else lived in his eyes.
“Everything you gotta say is worth saying, as long as it ain’t you telling me this ain’t what I know we both want.” He gripped my thighs, pulling me closer to the end, the faucet between my legs doing more than leaking at this point. He saw it too and licked those perfect lips.
“Reminisce,” I gasped the moment his finger touched my flesh.
“What? I just wanna taste this motherfucker. You gonna let me taste it?” he asked, pulling his finger back and jabbing it into his mouth.
“Mhmm.”
My verbal moan of agreeance had this man on his knees in front of me in seconds, kissing my inner thigh and pushing three fingers against my core like he had to peel back the layers.
Shit! I bit back my moan and gripped the sheets beneath me the moment I felt his lips.
He knew what he was doing. He wanted to give me inspiration, so he was teasing me to give it.
He used his tongue like he had done several times before but I swore nothing like this.
This time things between us were different.
More heat.
Intention.
Promises.
Fuck, so many unspoken, skin-kissed promises.
I awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast, but Reminisce’s arm around my frame, holding me in place. That set off an alarm in my brain, making me hop up immediately. I was standing at the foot of my bed looking for something to throw on when I heard his voice.
“The fuck are you jumping up for?” he asked in a sleep-filled tone and he had yet to move.
“Nothing. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back.
” I settled on the robe hanging from my door.
Once I had it secured around my body, I left the room, closing the door behind me.
When I entered the kitchen, I wasn’t surprised to see my mother standing over the stove.
It was sorta her thing, to pop up and cook when I didn’t sound right.
Last night I was drained and thinking too much about the man in my bed, so she took that as me needing her to come and do this.
“Good morning, Mama. What are you doing here?” I glanced around my kitchen before my eyes found her again.
“Buenos dias, mi hija.” Good morning, my daughter.
“Mama.”
“You needed me and I came. I hate that you live out here by yourself,” she repeated as she always did. Unlike my brother and Brysheer, I didn’t live less than ten minutes from her. They lived in the suburbs and I lived in the city.
“I’m not by myself, Ma. I’m fine.”
“?Tonterías! Tengo que usar un coche de verdad para venir a verte, no el regalo de Navidad de Brysheer.” Nonsense. I have to use a real car to come to you and not my Christmas gift from Brysheer.
I laughed at the thought of that golf cart he’d bought her. Aroyal absolutely hated it and was pissed when Bry had given her the keys last Christmas.
“Mama, I come visit you twice a week, it’s not that bad.” I crossed my arms over my chest looking at her.
“Yes, it is. You are my daughter. My baby at that and you are out here living alone and being by your—” Her sentence trailed off because her sight caught something behind me.
I turned around and found the exact figure she had. Reminisce had his back to us and his phone to his ear as he spoke to someone.
“Karim, quién es? Es guapísimo. ?Acaba de salir de tu habitación?” Karim, who is he? He's beautiful. Did he just come out of your bedroom?
I squirmed, my attention leaving Reminisce’s tattooed back and finding my mother. “He is—”
“Buenos dias, handsome.” My mother’s words interrupted the sentence I was stumbling through because now she was smiling which meant he was facing us.
I looked up and Rem’s heavy eyes were on me before they found my mother who was smiling too damn hard, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she was blushing. I didn’t like that at all.
“?Por qué me miras así, mamá? ?Para ya!” Why are you looking like that mama? Stop it. By the time I finished speaking, he was standing next to me.
“You must be Rim’s sister. Good morning,” his fake charming ass greeted.
My mama giggled like a schoolgirl. “No, no. Preséntanos ahora!” Introduce us now!
Of course, she said the Spanish part to me.
“Reminisce, this is my mother. Mama, this is Reminisce.”
She rounded the corner, eyes tracing his form before they met his. “Reminisce. That is a very pretty name. I don’t shake hands, son, we hug, especially since it’s about eight in the morning and you’re coming out of my daughter’s bedroom.”
She literally made this nigga hug her, then went back to cooking like it was nothing.
I knew it would be something in a few hours when it was just me and her.
I knew my mama and this was a shock for her.
She hadn’t met a man I was dealing with since I was seventeen and sneaking a nigga out of the house.
Even then I didn’t get caught, Ariya had snitched.
Just when I thought she was about to allow him to at least get dressed, she started in on the questions.
In true Reminisce fashion, he seemed at ease, so I took that as my chance to find a shirt and shorts then take care of my morning hygiene.
The entire time I heard her giggling like Reminisce was a comedian in there telling jokes.
Though he had his funny moments, the nigga wasn’t a comedian.
Long story short, I quickly got myself together and went back to the kitchen.
I could tell she liked him off rip and not some weird ass crush.
She was literally picking his head about more than his intentions with me.
It was like she was interested in knowing who he was, but also how who he was affected me.
Then again, my mama was invested like that, and she knew me and my brother like the back of her hand.
For someone to be in my home, that said something without saying it.
I never allowed people into my intimate space, neither did Aroyal.
That was how she knew Kay was different all those years ago.
She saw Aroyal had allowed Kay into his intimate space as well as around his child.
We ended up having breakfast with my mother before Reminisce had to leave.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t the slightest bit happy about him meeting my mother, but slightly bummed he had to leave so early.
The mushy bitch in me loved that moment, having him around her, but I also didn’t want to get used to that.
Reminisce talked a good game, but the last thing I needed was to get used to this and out of nowhere he decided to go missing again.
I needed more than words. I needed actions.