Chapter 3
THREE
ASHANNI
“Where did you go? I had the blunt fired up and everything. Ain’t shit left now though.”
I slowly shook my head and chuckled at my daddy’s foolishness. Before I could say a word, Asad appeared at my side. He placed his hand at the small of my back and extended his hand to my dad.
“How you doing, Mister Jasper?”
My dad’s eyebrows lifted as he shook Asad’s hand. “What’s up?”
He glanced at me, and I smiled. “Daddy, it’s cool. Asad is my boyfriend now.”
He nodded, then looked back at Asad. His playful demeanor was long gone, and I was confused as hell. He knew how much Asad wanted to be with me and how tormented I was at the graduation simply by Asad’s presence.
“She’s my only daughter. I think that’s all I need to say. I know you been raised right though. So, cling to those principles Red and Lacey instilled in you, so you don’t have to cling to life in the future.”
My eyebrows lifted. He just threatened to kill Asad. I looked up at him, and he didn’t look intimidated in the least. “You don’t have to worry about that. You can stay on this side of the law. This woman got me eating out the palm of her hand.”
All I heard was eating out, and my mind went left.
The way that man fucked me with his mouth was the fucking standard.
He ate me from the rooter to the tooter.
When he ate out my ass, I swore I had levitated.
He didn’t leave a single fucking crumb. On the drive back from Houston, he was all I could think about.
The way he’d walked away from me and said he would see me around had me in my feelings big time.
The minute my daddy parked in the driveway at home for us to change clothes, I changed and hauled ass back to Liberty.
There was no way I was going to let Asad leave me.
He said I had a year to think about it, but that wasn’t true.
After I knocked that bitch out, I was convinced that I would be moving on, not knowing that shit was going to be impossible for me.
I’d been thinking about it for the last six months, though, and that was still far too long given my feelings for him.
Asad was a gorgeous man. All six feet two inches of caramel had blown my mind.
His wavy hair, thick beard, and toned body called me to it even when he was miles away.
The minute he took off his shirt a year ago and I saw the definition and all the tatts on his arms and chest, my body reacted.
However, it was his sweet but rough demeanor that reeled me in.
The way he grabbed me by the neck tonight had me cumming on myself.
He was trying to be done with me and was at his wits end.
The way he told me what it was gon’ be but asking me to tell him how I felt was sexy as fuck.
He could boss up on me for the rest of my life.
Asad’s hand slid to mine, and I broke away from my thoughts and smiled at him. This felt right. My heart was light. Red Squared walked over to us and nodded repeatedly at Asad. They slapped hands, and he hugged me. “What’s up, sister-in-law?”
I smiled, and my face got hot as hell. “Hey, Red Squared. What’s up, boo?”
Everybody got a pet name, unless I didn’t like them.
I supposed it was the country side of me.
I looked around for my daddy to see where he went and didn’t see him .
. . or Mama. I rolled my eyes. They were some fucking nymphos.
That was why I loved sex so much. I was pretty sure Royal and Crew were the same way.
However, they would never admit that shit to me.
They hated talking to me about sex. They acted like I wasn’t supposed to be fucking.
I had to remind them almost daily that I was twenty-five years old and older than them. The fuck?
As Asad talked to Red Squared and now Ferris, Milana and Maui crowded me. I giggled, feeling happy and light.
“That’s how you go and get your fucking man!” Milana said.
Maui rolled her eyes playfully, then grabbed my hand. She was the only person that knew this shit between Asad and me blow by blow. “You look so happy, Shani. I’m happy for you.”
I kissed her cheek, then said in her ear, “We’ll talk later.”
She gave me a slight smile. “We need to meet about the book signing.”
“Yes, we do! It’s getting close.”
Maui, Yendi, and I were putting on a book signing for Mya.
She had garnered a traditional book deal, and we were so proud of her.
Yendi had said fuck waiting on a bookstore.
We were going to give our sister a fucking book signing to remember.
It was going to be in Houston, so it took a little more planning.
We would give her one later at the family barn for everyone in the area to support her also.
Aunt Aspen had been getting the word out for us, and a couple of bookstores in Houston had reached out to help.
They didn’t know about the release. Yendi had contacted the publisher directly.
Being that she used to be a librarian, she got a bulk shipment sent somehow.
Maui and I didn’t concern ourselves with that part of things.
We were more concerned with advertising, favors, and food. Our aunts had the food on lock.
When I saw my mama walk back inside, I slowly shook my head. Her gaze met mine, and she smiled as she headed to me. I left my girls and made my way to her. “Y’all asses nasty as hell,” I said.
She laughed and looped her arm around mine. “Don’t hate. Where you went?”
I lowered my head and bit my bottom lip, trying to restrain my smile. When I looked up, Asad was coming toward us. I swore fucking music was playing. His stride was everything. My mama’s eyebrows lifted as I giggled. She said under her breath, “Damn.”
I shoulder bumped her as Asad said, “Hey, Missus Henderson. How you doing?”
He slid his arm around me as my mama responded. “Hey, Asad. I’m good. Apparently, you are too.”
She winked at me and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. “We’ll talk later, baby girl.”
I gave my attention to Asad and smiled. He was smiling big, and I was happy that I was able to put that smile on his face. “I wasn’t expecting that to happen when I showed up at your house.”
He gave me the side-eye. “Uh huh.”
“Really. I thought Jayceon was still with you. I really just wanted to talk. I hated the way you left earlier. I needed to say what was on my heart to say. I’ve been letting fear hold me back.
My family has been through so much for the past couple of years.
I didn’t want to add to that drama. Although we seem to be in the clear now, you just never know. ”
“I get it. I’m sorry I didn’t give you time to explain.”
“You don’t owe me an apology. I know you were frustrated. I just—”
“Shh,” he said, placing a finger on my lips.
I wanted to suck that shit in my mouth. My eyes lifted to his as he gave me a smirk. “I get it, baby. I’m going to do a better job at listening. Y’all went through a lot of shit. You got grace from me.”
He pulled me in his arms, and I felt a sense of peace there, until a nigga had to disturb it.
“When the fuck this happen?”
I looked up to see Uncle Storm mean mugging us. “Tonight, Uncle Mayor.”
He smirked at me and shook Asad’s hand. “It’s about fucking time. Asad, I’m like her second father, so don’t put yourself in danger.”
Asad nodded. “I got’chu, Unc. Mister Jasper already warned me.”
Uncle Storm nodded, then joined Noni and Bali on the dance floor. I glanced up at Asad, then pulled him to the dance floor also. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and kissed my neck. “Thank you for putting me out of my misery, baby.”
I turned my head slightly and puckered for him to kiss my lips. He leaned over and did so. “I put myself out of my misery too. I came to the realization that I just wanted to be happy. Fuck anybody that can’t get with that.”
“Hell yeah.”
The minute I walked through the door, the smell hit me in the face. Could have sworn the nigga smoked in the house with as strong as it was. I knew he was on the deck, so I headed that way, but my mama stopped me before I could get there.
“Y’all look cute together, baby. You finally stopped running, huh?”
“Thanks, Chas . . . I mean Mama.”
She gave me the side-eye. “Don’t get fucked up because that ass got tapped earlier.”
My eyebrows damn near jumped off my face. “What?”
“Girl, first of all, I’m your mama. Secondly, you are your father’s daughter. That nigga is sexual as hell. That’s why I’m that way.”
I turned my lip up slightly. “Yeah, yeah. I don’t wanna hear about my daddy’s sex drive,” I said, then fake gagged.
“I could see it all over y’all when y’all finally got back to the barn. Anyway, what made you finally give in?”
“I was tired of being unsatisfied . . . unfulfilled in my love life. I’m ready to settle down.
I’m working in my career field, and have been for the past three years, I’m building my house, I’m financially set, and I want to be the same in my love life.
He’s been after me for over a year. It was time. ”
“What were you really afraid of, baby? Is it his age?”
“No.” I huffed, wishing I could tell her and Daddy at the same time. As if he heard my thoughts, he walked in, high as fuck. “I know his baby mama.”
“You know who baby mama?” Daddy asked.
“Asad’s. That was the bitch I got into a fight with in high school.”
“Oh, that heifer? No wonder,” my mama said.
“What else?” my daddy asked.