Chapter 4
Nighttime was always hard for Prosper. He never slept very well and normally ended up watching TV, running the streets, or raiding his kitchen during the hours that most people slept.
That night was no different. After trying to catch some Z’s for the past few hours, Prosper flung the thick comforter off him and rose from the couch.
If he had it his way, he would have been cuddled up with Teonny’s fine ass in the master bedroom, but he didn’t want to push his luck with her.
He’d just made a lot of progress with her during all the chaos going on, and he didn’t want to backslide.
He’d be damned if he spent many more nights on the couch though.
“Peanut gonna have to make some room for me in that big ass bed,” he mumbled as he stood and stretched.
Prosper’s bulky frame was completely naked, save for a pair of boxers. He took a moment to pull on the basketball shorts he took off, when he lay down to sleep, before he went toward the kitchen. Since he couldn’t leave, he decided making a midnight snack was his best bet.
He had just placed all the ingredients on the counter for the ultimate grilled cheese when he heard soft footsteps coming toward the kitchen. He froze and reached for the drawer where he knew his gun was. Though his mind told him there was no threat, he would never be caught slippin’.
In the seconds he waited for the person to appear, his hand wrapped around the cool handle of the gun, and he remembered why he didn’t particularly like this safe house. It wasn’t an open floor plan like he preferred.
When Teonny appeared in the entryway of the large kitchen, he relaxed, but he placed the gun on the counter. He saw her eyes flicker to the gun, and he smirked before he got back to work on his grilled cheese.
His muscles flexed as he opened the bread and placed six slices on the counter. “You know, you never told me why you went to the gun range every day.”
He glanced up and saw Teonny cock her head to the side. “You aren’t big on greetings, are you?”
Prosper stopped spreading butter on the bread and gave her his full attention. “Why you say that?”
She shrugged and moved further into the kitchen. He watched as she propped her elbow on the counter and leaned forward. “Every time you see me, you jump right into a conversation. You never say hi.”
He dropped the knife and moved toward her. Before she could utter another word, he pulled her into his chest and held her securely. He breathed her fresh scent in and allowed his strong hands to massage her small back. “Hey, Peanut.”
He felt her relax into him, and he grinned. His girl was finally loosening up around him.
When he felt her arms wrap around his trim waist, he had to stop from bitchin’ up and melting back into her.
“Hey, Patrick. What you doin’ up?” She pulled away slightly and looked up at him.
“Couldn’t sleep. Want a grilled cheese?” he asked as he reluctantly pulled away from her.
She peered behind him with raised brows. “You know how to cook?”
“Grilled cheese can barely be called cooking.”
She shrugged and hopped up onto one of the island stools. “It’s more than I thought you knew how to do.”
He chuckled as he got back to work. “Nah. My mama may not have been shit, but she made sure I knew how to take care of myself.”
“That sounds like a good mama right there.”
“Not really,” he muttered. His mother was strung out on drugs. He had to grow up and learn how to fend for himself, but she had her moments where she taught him a thing or two. How to make a grilled cheese was one of them. “Ya moms taught you how to cook?”
Tameka didn’t really look like the type of woman to spend time in the kitchen, but he had to ask.
Teonny chuckled. “She didn’t, actually. I taught myself. I made it a point to teach . . .”
When she stopped speaking, Prosper looked up at her. He saw sadness fill her eyes and concern filled his in response.
“Teach who?”
“Angel,” she said so softly he almost missed it.
A tear traveled down her face, and Prosper stopped what he was doing once again and gathered her back into his arms. He didn’t speak.
He let her cry while he silently wondered who he had to kill to make things better for her.
Seeing her cry wasn’t something he ever wanted to see, so if he had to lay a nigga down to make it all better for her, he gladly would.
“Sorry,” she said when she finally pulled away. “I haven’t talked about her in a really long time.”
“Who’s Angel?” he asked softly as he watched her intently.
She expelled a deep sigh as she looked at the counter. He reached out and rubbed her back soothingly.
“My daughter.”
Prosper’s eyes grew wide. Three whole years, and he never knew Teonny was a mother.
“Why you ain’t ever told me you got a kid? I like kids,” he joked, trying to lighten the mood. Something told him trying to make light of the situation wasn’t going to work. There was clearly more to her story, and he wanted to know every bit of it.
“Had a kid,” she whispered. “Angel died five years ago. Same night my ex-husband died.”
Her words seemed to hit him square in the chest. Suddenly, she seemed to make so much sense.
That had to be the reason she was so closed off and unwilling to let anyone in.
He felt like an ass for being so pushy for so long.
She was grieving, and he flirted relentlessly with her. Yeah, he felt like a complete ass.
“Damn.” It was all he could say.
Saying sorry didn’t feel right.
Asking her to tell him more felt invasive.
Changing the subject felt insensitive.
She laughed like nothing in the world was funny. “Yeah, it was a long time ago.” She wiped her tears, but Prosper grabbed her hands.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” she asked, her words coming out in a shaky breath.
“Don’t push that shit to the side. I used to do the same thing when my mama died, but I learned how dangerous that could be. Those emotions I kept inside made me angry as hell.”
“I don’t really get angry.”
He shrugged. “You probably get something.”
She looked just past his head and zoned out. He allowed her to for several seconds before he asked, “You want to talk about it?”
Her eyes found his again, and she blinked softly. “I’m sorry for your loss,” she murmured, ignoring his question.
That surprised him. This moment was about her. He only spoke of his mother’s death so he could relate to her. Not to make this about him.
“Don’t be. She was never really a mother. She was on drugs my entire life. Her death still hit me hard, I guess for what should have been, but don’t be sorry for that shit. I’m sorry for your loss.”
She stayed silent for a moment before she spoke again.
“The night they died, I could have killed the men that killed my baby. Kevin was a bastard and a terrible husband, but I would have gladly avenged him too.” She looked at him with glistening eyes.
“You asked why I was in the gun range every day?” Prosper nodded but otherwise stayed silent.
He hung on to her every word. “It’s because I fired an entire clip and still missed the men who broke into my home and killed my daughter and husband.
An entire clip . . .” She scoffed. “The gun range was my therapy. It was a comfort to know if anything like that ever happened again, I would be able to protect myself and the people I care about.”
Prosper thought about how she hadn’t hesitated at the gun range and dropped the nigga who pointed a gun at him without a thought.
And then she did it again for him. He had been so in awe of her.
He still was, but now, with that awe came a bit of sadness.
She’d clearly programmed herself to be a machine, and he didn’t want that for her.
If any woman deserved to be in her soft girl era, it was Teonny.
“I know this don’t mean much, but I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I know surviving that shit has to hurt, but you survived for a reason. You a real one, Teonny. And you know I only call you that shit when I’m being serious.
“You a real one. Realest woman I ever met, for real. And I’m thankful for you.
I’m thankful you survived. I’m thankful you were there to save me earlier.
If you weren’t . . .” He let his sentence trail off when he felt her shiver against his hand that still moved in small circles around her back, and something clicked for him.
“That’s why you can’t sleep, huh?” She glanced up at him before avoiding his eyes completely.
“Look at me,” he uttered. She did, and he saw a world of pain in her wide brown eyes.
He sighed as he pieced together how he was going to make things better for her.
“I’m about to make you the best grilled cheese you ever had, and then we gonna go up to bed, okay?
I don’t need you missin’ out on no beauty rest. Not over this shit. Was today your first body?”
She nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered.
Prosper shook his head. He hated that his dealings had to taint her in that way. He used his finger to lift her chin so she looked into his eyes again. “It’ll be yo’ last, okay? I promise.”
She nodded with tears in her eyes. She looked so beautiful to him.
He couldn’t help himself. The pull he felt with her had finally drawn him in to the point of no return.
Gently, he kissed her lips as if to test the waters.
When she leaned into him, that gave him the green light to deepen the kiss.
His hands wrapped around her waist as her arms circled his neck.
Their tongues danced together, and the only reason Prosper had to pull away was because his dick fought hard to get out of his basketball shorts and land right into her pussy.
She’d just opened up to him in a serious way.
He was smart enough to know he couldn’t rush things.
Not only that, but he didn’t want to. That kiss would hold him over for a while.
She stared up at him wide-eyed, as if she was shocked. He chuckled.
“That was . . .” Her words trailed off, but that was okay. He knew exactly what she felt.
“Amazing,” he finished.
“Yeah,” she whispered as she watched him.
Prosper no longer even wanted his midnight snack, but he promised Teonny a grilled cheese, so he would deliver.
For her, he wanted to be a man of his word, and if that meant making her a damn grilled cheese when all he really wanted to do was feel her pussy wrapped around his dick, then that was what the fuck he was going to do.