Chapter 4 #2
“I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”
There it was again. Amari and I were crossing an unspoken boundary, but it didn’t feel nasty. Although he was a big, grown man, he was pure and endearing too. Tonight, I would follow his lead with whatever game he wanted to play.
“I’d hate for us to get snowed in.” I lied so boldly that I was surprised God didn’t strike my ass down immediately.
“Me too.” Amari bit his lip, which was so close to me I could kiss him if I leaned forward.
Was he about to get struck down too?
Even in the darkness, I saw something good pooling in Amari’s eyes. My spirit felt his rising heat. His chiseled jaw called out to me, tempting me to caress him like a newborn kitten.
Amari’s phone dinged, releasing the invisible tether that connected us. He looked down at it and frowned.
“The storm’s shifted east. The weather service recommends that people stay in place for safety.” He swiped his phone off and met my eyes again. “That settles it. I’m spending the night.”
Thank you, God, for the little things.
Although Amari’s words were innocent, the meaning behind them took my mind to a sensual place.
My eyes lowered to his firm, exposed abs.
He didn’t move a muscle as I took in his form.
When I looked into his eyes, he smiled, making me feel unashamed for admiring his body so openly. That radiant smile pricked my heart.
Something like the delight I felt for my students bubbled up in me. Although Amari wasn’t my man, I wanted to make our time together special.
“Do what you need to do down here, and I’ll make a hot toddy to keep us warm.”
Amari grinned, displaying his nice teeth.
“I’ll take extra brown in mine. I like my drinks strong like my women.”
Although Amari winked, I suspected that he was dead serious.
I giggled to play off my arousal. Amari Snowden was a professional flirt. When I rose, he did the same.
“I’ll be back. Text me if you need anything.”
“Will do.”
Amari rested his hand at his waist, causing his shirt to gape open even more. I knew he wasn’t trying to seduce me, but everything he did was so laid-back that it was a natural aphrodisiac.
“Would you like me to bring you a shirt or something?”
“Do you want to bring me one?”
He was teasing me, and I enjoyed it.
“No, I think you’re okay.”
He rubbed his hand over his chest again before taking off his shirt like he was burning up.
Damn.
I stood frozen like we were at a strip club.
Without taking his eyes off me, he dropped the shirt on the sofa and bit his lips, moving toward the back of the basement.
I shook my head and pointed at him.
“You, sir, are dangerous.”
He rubbed his hands together and smiled.
“Am I now? Like the storm outside?” He gestured toward the window with his finger and then rubbed his hands together.
“No, worse.”
He laughed as I ascended the stairs.
When he was no longer looking at me, I stole another peek at him. Before I could turn away, he turned around and winked.
I pointed and frowned.
“Stop it, Mr. Snowden.”
“You stop it, Ms. Starks.” He mirrored my gesture and tone.
I pressed my hand to my cheek and scurried up the stairs. I’d never enjoyed playing with a man this much.
Get yourself together, Roo. You are not sixteen.
Upstairs, I mixed honey, lemon juice, and hot water into two mugs and stirred each with a spoon. As Amari requested, I added extra dashes of rum to make his drink strong like his women. I laughed out loud as I replayed our conversation.
That comment alone had me wanting to press him for information about the current women in his life. I knew Aspen was his only child, but did he have a girlfriend? Surely, he wouldn’t since he flirted with me so shamelessly.
You vowed never to date again.
The words came to me before I could process how much I didn’t want to keep that vow.
Amari Snowden is different. He’s good and pure. I let those words settle in my spirit as I pictured his gentle ways and commitment to making sure I stayed safe during the storm. He wasn’t Larenz. Hell, nobody but Satan was that evil.
I placed our drinks in a little drink box crate and went back downstairs. When I reached the bottom step, Amari was on his knees in the corner of the room.
“Give me a minute,” he shouted out as he worked near the floor.
I set the tray down and sat back on the couch, waiting for him to finish.
Since he gave me a perfect view of his firm butt, I stared at it like I was watching a good movie.
To make sure he didn’t catch me ogling him, this time, I picked up several papers laying on a dusty box next to me and placed them in front of my face.
Every few seconds, I peered from behind them and watched him like the thirsty woman I was.
Although his dark jeans were baggy, his pants hugged his butt just right.
It was firm and the perfect shape. His back was magnificent, too, with his rippling muscles flexing beautifully as he picked up tools from his toolbox and twisted them back and forth over my furnace.
He grunted several times, making me wonder how freaky he might be when he was on top of a woman.
When he was done with his task, he wiped his hands on a towel next to his knee and straightened his back to examine his work.
I dropped my paper and set it on the closest table, resting my hands in my lap and sitting upright like the innocent first-grade teacher I was.
Amari turned and smiled before sitting next to me, sweat popping off his sexy body like bubbles. He reached for his shirt and handed me his cloth.
“Do you want to help me dry off?”
Did he really ask me that?
I shook my head and raised my hands.
“Nah, you got that.”
“Just seeing if I still got it.”
You most certainly do.
Like before, he slowly wiped his face and chest off before tucking the cloth in his back pocket.
I handed him his drink.
“Thank you.” Amari shook its contents before taking a swig of the dark amber liquid, which he all but gulped before setting it back on the tray. He licked his lips.
“I needed that.”
“It’s the least I can do since you’re giving me a ridiculously deep discount.”
He cocked his head.
“How do you know how deep it is?”
“I searched for repair costs before you came. Your quote was extremely low. I also know what you did for the kids at school.”
Amari rubbed his neck and looked down. A faint blush stained his cheeks.
Last year, at one of our parent-teacher meetings, my principal shared that 20% of our students were food insecure.
Since Farmerton was a small town with very proud people, those in attendance were surprised at that statistic.
People debated for almost an hour about whether to bring in fresh food to the community and assist those in need.
One of the senior teachers noted that most people didn’t want to be stigmatized and might not accept help.
We left the meeting with no viable solutions to our problem.
Within a week, an anonymous donor gave the school a generous check to pay for needy students’ meals for the year. Everyone thought it was someone outside the community until our gossipy school secretary told me that the kids were able to eat because of Amari Snowden.
“Nobody was supposed to know about that.”
I reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“Because of your kindness, those sweet angels will have their bellies full every day. Who needs a Secret Santa when there are Amari Snowdens in the world?”
Amari picked up his glass and hid his smile behind it, although there was barely anything in it. It pleased me that I wasn’t the one blushing for once.
He was a simple, generous man who was observant without being overbearing. That humility drew me to him even more.
He set his glass down again.
“Speaking of kindness, you’re generous too. It’s hidden, just like my donation. We’re similar, don’t you think?”
I nodded.
In the quietness, I felt seen. Amari’s energy and presence lit something in me. I wouldn’t mind having a dose of whatever this was in my life every day.
Toxic relationships were commonplace to me, but this newfound openness, safety, and friendship with an honorable man intrigued me. This was what I thought marriage would be like. Stress-free and laid-back.
Amari raised the bar on what the foundation of a healthy relationship could be. I would soak up whatever this was for as long as the storm lasted outside.