Chapter 14
"If you wanted to get me drunk, that's all you had to say," Jacey teased, taking the rest of her drink to the head.
I laughed and poured her another one. She had come over to spend time with me to get out of the house.
I didn't mind the company since I had nothing to do.
Jamari was at work for the day. When he had to work, I missed him.
That meant I couldn't sleep in his arms. He had spoiled me since we made things official last week.
I was glad we were able to talk things out with each other. Even if it felt like a trial run, I was here for it.
When I showed up at his house with him, Rylie and Zach were happy to see me.
That made me happy, and it stunned Jamari.
Hopefully, that showed him that the kids liked me as much as I liked them.
Jamari had me in the kitchen, cooking dinner for them that night, too.
One thing I could say is that they enjoyed my cooking.
"How have you been, sis?" I asked, wiping down my counter.
Jacey smiled brightly. "I've been good, sis. You know I've been looking for apartments lately."
I nodded since she had mentioned it to me when we texted one day. It made me proud that she stepped out on faith to handle her business. I had a feeling that things would be looking up for her. She needed it.
"I hope you're being careful about it. I don't want Stefon to catch on to what you're doing," I stated.
Jacey waved me off. "Chy, I got this. There's no need to worry."
I threw my hands up, knowing when to chill the hell out.
"Okay, fine. Just be careful."
"Trust me, I am. Now tell me, what's been going on with you?"
If that were her way of changing the subject, I would for now.
I shrugged as I moved to put the liquor back in the cabinet. "Nothing, really. As I told you about Jamari, we made things official last week."
Jacey and I didn't talk all the time, but when we did, we'd talk on the phone all day or text each other.
Given that she had her own problems, I didn't want to be a bother.
I knew she'd never see it that way, but the way her life was set up right now, she needed prayer.
That was all I could do for her until she was finally out of her situation.
"How do you feel about Jamari? Every time you talk about him, your whole face lights up," she noted with a smile.
I ducked my head to hide a blush. "What I feel for him is love and wanting him to see that I'm in his corner.
He's been hurt a lot in his life, and he's scared to let someone in.
Jacey, I love him. Since I met him, I've felt something for him without knowing who the hell he was.
It can be hard when he brushes me aside, but I'm being very patient with him.
I have to be. He means a lot to me, and hopefully he realizes how much I do. "
I glanced over at her, seeing a smile on her face. "You have what it takes to break down the walls he has up. One thing about you, that smile you have is going to do it every time."
I laughed a little. "Yeah, thanks. We'll see how it goes."
She nodded. "And we will."
My cellphone dinged in the middle of me, putting the dirty cups in the sink to wash. I stopped and went to see what the notification was about. Once I dried my hands, I picked the phone up, and a smile lit my face from the text message I received.
Jamari:
Wassup, Chy? If you're not busy later, I wanted to ask if you'd like to go out on a date with me.
I happily beamed, knowing I was down to spend time with him.
Me:
I'm not doing anything and would love to go on a date with you. How should I dress?
"Girl, why the hell does it look like you're about to burst with happiness?" Jacey asked me, puzzled.
I giggled, throwing my head back. "Jamari just asked me out on a date, and it'll be our first one together."
Jacey beamed. "Oh, girl. I'm so happy for you. I hope this date is the best date you'll ever have."
"I know it will be. Just being with Jamari is the best thing."
That was something I'd tell anyone. No man had ever made me feel the way Jamari did. He could be grouchy, but I wouldn't trade that or him for anything in the world.
My phone dinged in my hand. I glanced down and smiled at the text. I was about to have a good time, dressing up. Jamari wanted me to dress dressy but be casual with it, which was something I could do. He also wanted me to be ready by six this evening, so I had to get a move on it.
Jacey stood up from the table. "I'm going to get out of your hair. It seems like you have a lot to do. But girl, I'm so happy for you. I pray your relationship works out."
I strolled toward her with my arms outstretched, needing a hug from her. We hugged, and I held on to her like I never wanted to let her go.
"I love you, sis. Be safe," I whispered in her ear.
"I love you too."
When we pulled apart, Jacey gathered her stuff, and I walked her to the door. Once we had repeated our goodbyes at the door, I locked it and headed upstairs to my bedroom. I had no idea what I'd wear, but I wanted to look my best. It was the end of November, and the weather was cold.
It had been a while since I'd played dress-up. While I looked for something to wear in my closet, I wondered whether I should do my makeup. Hell, it had been ages since I’d done that too. I wanted to wow this man.
After ten minutes of looking in my closet, I'd settled on a body-hugging dress, pairing it with my long knee-high boots, too. Jamari didn't know how excited he made me when he asked me out on a date. I hadn't seen it coming. Now I looked forward to seeing where he took me.
An hour later, I gazed at myself in the mirror, loving what I saw.
I loved the way my brown skin glowed from the skincare I had just applied to my face.
My burnt orange hair was in an updo. I'd coated my lips with lip gloss, and I had added a little eyeshadow to my eyes.
I made sure I had my glasses on, too. I didn't want to give this man a reason to ask where they were.
Something told me I didn't need to do a full-face beat with makeup, so I didn't. I took a step back and admired my curves and bit down on my bottom lip.
"Damn, girl, you look damn good!"
As soon as I hit the light switch to turn the light off in the bathroom, a knock came at the front door. Jamari was right on time. With quick strides, I made it to the door and jerked it open. Our eyes locked on each other, and I gulped when I saw the lust in his eyes.
"Damn," was all Jamari said.
I bit the inside of my cheeks, not knowing what to do or say. He stepped forward, causing me to take steps back.
"You look... wow. Damn."
I laughed lightly, not knowing what to do or say. His comment made me feel great, though.
"Let me try this again. The way you look got me all tongue-tied and shit. You look amazing. You're sexy as fuck, damn." Jamari whistled.
I giggled with my cheeks growing hot. "Thanks, Mari. You don't look half bad yourself." And he didn't. He was wearing a black button-down shirt and black slacks. His dreads were redone with two-strand twists.
Jamari's eyes raked up and down the length of my body, causing me to shudder as I continued to watch him, watch me.
"Your hair is long as fuck too," he noted, moving to run his fingers through my hair.
I rarely liked it when someone touched my hair, but I wanted Jamari's hands all over me. He made it so hard not to get aroused by the way he touched me.
"I want to kiss you, but I know if I do, it won't end with just a kiss."
I nibbled on my bottom lip. "It's worth a shot," I mumbled, knowing I was playing with fire. Truth be told, with him, I wanted to get burned.
Jamari stepped closer to me and wrapped one of his arms around my waist, pulling me to him.
He lowered his head, and I lifted mine until our lips touched, causing a gasp to slip from my mouth.
His lips were so soft and inviting that I slipped my tongue into his mouth.
He growled and pulled me even closer to him.
Our tongues tangled together, causing my panties to get soaked with my wetness.
I moaned and pulled away from him. If I didn't, we wouldn't be going anywhere.
I played with fire just now and had to cool it down.
"Shit," he grumbled. "It's a good thing you stopped us when you did."
I fanned myself, wishing I had one of those church fans. They always did the trick to cool anyone down.
"We need to get out of here."
Jamari smirked, taking another step toward me, causing me to take a step back. He continued to stroll toward me until my back was against the door. He placed both of his hands above my head as he breathed in my face.
"Why, bae? Am I making you hot?" he asked, lowering his face to my neck. "You smell good as hell, too." His tongue made contact with my neck, causing me to moan softly.
"Jamari, please. We have to stop," I panted, although I didn't want to stop. Hell no! I wanted to keep going until we were both naked, but I needed this date night with him.
Jamari sighed deeply and pulled away from me. "You're right. Let's get out of here." He reached for my coat, which was on the coat rack.
Once he had my jacket on, I locked up the house, and we made our way to his car. He helped me inside and hurried to get in himself. It was too cold outside tonight. Jamari turned up the heat in his car, and I thanked him for it.
"How was your day?" he asked, pulling out of the parking lot of the townhouses.
I smiled. "It was good. Jacey came over and chilled with me."
I had mentioned Jacey to him a time or two. He hadn't mentioned any friends to me, which made me wonder if he had any.
"Do you have any friends?" I inquired, looking over at him.
He shook his head. "Nah, I don't. The closest I get to friendship is when I'm talking to other dudes at work. Other than that, nah. I don't trust people."