Chapter 14
Verse Fourteen
“She’ll be fine,” Scooter reassured Kaleela. She’d just found out that not only had Reagan relapsed, but that Gator, her boyfriend, had another woman pregnant. Like her and Chaney, Reagan and Gator’s relationship was shaky and, admittedly, Reagan’s drinking was the cause of it.
“Fuck, I’ve been caught up in my own shit.
I haven’t checked in on her,” she admitted.
She looked at the four-leaf clover tattoo she’d gotten earlier last week.
While celebrating her wins, her best friend had fallen off.
She also took the high road and responded to Chaney’s comment on her post. She felt she’d betrayed herself, but Shawn would be proud of her…
she hoped. She wanted no grudges to be held, and that, to her, was the first step.
“No. What you’ve been doing is living your life, which now includes the boys.” She noticed he hadn’t referenced himself. It slightly annoyed her. He noticed, grabbing and turning her toward him. “And me. You do know that, right?”
He huffed, her silence annoying him. He had at least two more weeks before they went on their tour.
Although he couldn’t see her every day, he made sure they spoke.
He’d even DoorDash her and the boys’ food, but he found he was really sweet on her when Mango mentioned Tram had sent her flowers while chatting with her sisters.
He decided to step his game up and had plans to until he came over and found her upset.
“Rell, come on now! Stop with all the water splashing,” she fussed.
Once he showed up, she wasn’t up for doing anything that required her to get dressed. That, and he’d bullied his way over there, asking the boys if they were hungry. Within the next hour, he was on her porch with two large pizzas.
She rarely used her pool, if ever, but with the weather being good, they threw on their trunks, and she pulled out a few steaks to throw on the grill. She was tired of what she called “boy food”. Scooter agreed to help and did, taking the lead on seasoning and marinating them.
“Sorry.” He dragged his hand down his face, then ran back to the slide where Travis was. When she first purchased her home, she gave the builder free rein. All she required was that it be wheelchair accessible.
“And Travis, don’t push him. Let him pace himself.” Scooter grinned, noting how she seemed to have a better handle on the parenting thing. The fact that she had a community resource center made sense. She wanted children to be children.
“Okay, Mama Kaleela, but he be taking too long,” Travis whined.
“And so do you when it comes to completing your chores. Either play nice, or come sit with us.” Travis quickly shook his head. He liked Scooter, but he’d rather play in the water.
Two hours later, the boys had tired themselves out, and the sun had set. Once they showered and warmed up the last of their pizza, off to their bedrooms they went. It was on the other side of the house, but she required them to keep their bedroom door open.
“That steak was good, but I know what would have been better.” He lifted both brows, his lop-sided grin appearing. It had been a week or so, and even though he wasn’t hard up for pussy, he most definitely wanted some pussy—hers.
“What?” She entertained his question.
“Come here.” She shook her head, and he sucked his teeth. “Why?”
“I need a bath, and I’m sticky. It was hot as hell out there today. I didn’t want to be rude with you here, so I’ll bathe when you leave.”
He frowned and tilted his head back. “Who said I’m leaving?” He hadn’t stayed overnight since the first time they hooked up and went to Dave and Buster’s. That, and he had a surprise for her.
“Well, at some point, you have to.”
She also wanted to get into her bed and stretch her legs after she bathed. His being there all day made her feel more confined, even vulnerable, particularly as she was self-conscious about transferring from the wheelchair to wherever she sat.
“Well, until I do, I’ma need you to relax. This your shit, and I’m not some crummy ass nigga that will steal from you. Handle your business, lil’ stink.”
She gasped, her lower jaw dropping before she giggled.
“Fuck you, Scoot.”
“Shit, I’m glad you asked.” He stood from the sofa, rubbing his hands together. “A nigga’s ready when you are.”
“Wait, I wasn’t saying it like that.”
He knelt down in front of her, grabbing her chin as their eyes met. “I was hoping you were, though.”
She gulped, brushing her hand over her legs.
She wore a bathing suit but sat on the edge and stuck her legs in.
Scooter helped her with that. She remembered how strong his arms felt as he cocooned her body against his.
Luckily, he wore a plain, white T-shirt and green and orange basketball shorts with green Nike slides.
“I would never do anything you don’t want to do.”
The crazy thing was that she did want to.
She wanted to do it all the time, especially after the way he’d eaten her pussy.
She couldn’t stop thinking about it, pleasuring herself for hours on end, chasing the feeling only he’d ever given her.
She was no virgin, at no decision of her own.
However, when she was with a woman, she took the lead.
She was in charge. With Scooter, that was never the case.
“So?”
“The boys?” she whispered.
“I think they’re asleep. How about this? Let me check on them, and if they’re not, I’ll chill with them until they fall off, but when I come back…” She smiled, hearing what he didn’t say. “Un huh. Get ready. Cool?”
“Cool.”
He rose just enough to plant his lips against hers. She was beautiful, the sun lightly toasting her skin. It gave her a more exotic look as the reddish-brown undertones matched the hazel specks in her eyes.
“Get the water ready. Something tells me they’re knocked out.”
The laughing and usual yelling at the television screen or a game on their iPad were replaced with silence.
Still, he took the walk. He’d never admit it, but he prayed to God he was right.
His dick jumped at the thought of climbing inside of her.
He hadn’t had pussy since before their friendship began.
There was no one serious, short of a few girls he fucked who had a tendency to hang around known local celebrities.
“Yes.” He pumped his fist like a little ass kid. He didn’t care, though. He wanted her in the worst way.
Before he left, though, he eased inside and adjusted Rell, who was hanging slightly off the bed.
He then took the iPad out of Travis’s hand, kissed both of their foreheads, and covered both of their bodies.
They had their own bedrooms, but for some reason, they preferred sharing a room.
It was a blessing that she was able to offer that for them.
By the time he made his way to her bedroom, he quickly but quietly closed the door. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to disrobe, appearing too eager, or wait for her to give him permission to enter.
“Kee, baby. They both sleep. That sun did its big one,” he called out, easing out of his slides. When she didn’t respond, he frowned and then made his way to the bathroom.
“Kee?”
He tapped on the door, and when she still hadn’t responded, he panicked and pushed it open.
His breath was caught in his throat as she sat completely naked in her jacuzzi.
He could tell she was nervous, her chest heaving as he slowly closed the door.
Candles were lit on each side of her, their flickers dancing around.
The only sound was that of the jet stream creating rippled waves around her.
“Damn,” he whispered, taking in her nipples. They were pebbled, surrounded by her caramel-colored areolas. “Are you sure?”
“No.” She halted him, one hand lifted. “I mean, I am… I just don’t know what to do.” His creased brows told her he needed more from her. “With a man. There, I said it. I don’t know what to do when it comes to a man.”
He smiled.
“You trust me?”
She felt she did. So far, he’d proven to be genuine with his interactions.
He never offered any specific information about his cousin or Chaney, never even hinted at it except when it was about their business.
He checked in most times first, and he’d taken an interest in the boys, boys whose future with her was still uncertain.
X had no leads, even after the DNA samples, but it was too good to be true, so they couldn’t even celebrate.
“We won’t do anything unless you tell me what you want me to do to you.
” He lifted one arm, sliding his T-shirt off that landed on the floor in one swoop.
She swallowed slowly at the sight of his chest and well-defined abs.
Tattoos, particularly one with the name June, caught her eye as it rested over his heart.
He noticed and offered, “My mama. Her ass is named June, like the month.”
“Oh,” she pushed out, feeling her mouth salivate as he slid his basketball shorts down.
His dick poked out in his boxers, and he grinned.
It was short-lived when he eased them down and kicked them off his ankles.
Her pussy fluttered at the sight of it. It was thick, long, and curved with one vein running down its length.
His fattened mushroom head, a tad bit darker than him, had pre-cum glistening at the tip.
“Yeah, oh.” He laughed, then gripped his dick.
Besides, she had nothing to worry about when it came to another woman, not groupies and definitely not Serita.
Short of a few more money transfers, they’d barely spoken.
He wasn’t the cold-hearted kind, so instead of ignoring her, he asked Nazir to have a few tickets to their show in Atlanta sent to her.
She at least deserved a face-to-face once he told her it was officially over.