Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
One thing about Remedie, she was a good girl.
His future baby mama waited patiently in the car while he walked around it to open her door.
When he opened it, he held his hand out for her to grab.
He breathed in her flowery scent while his eyes traveled down the length of her body.
She wore this cute little black dress that hugged all her curves.
Outside of the night he met her, he’d only seen her in comfortable clothes, like leggings, biker shorts, sweats, and oversized T-shirts.
Tonight was something entirely different, though, and he loved the switch up.
“I can’t believe you were able to get us reservations on such short notice,” Remedie said as Nico tossed his keys to valet and tipped them generously.
“It wasn’t nothin’, baby,” Nico lied.
It had actually been a whole lot of something.
The manager of the place wasn’t trying to free up a table for him for nothing.
Trying to get up in there was like trying to get up in Fort Knox—damn near impossible, but he made it happen.
His pockets took a big hit, and when it was all said and done, he took the rest of the afternoon and evening to think about his idiotic decision.
He was sure Remedie would have been more than happy to go somewhere else for dinner, but that wasn’t good enough for him.
He wanted to impress her. He wanted to prove to her that he would move heaven and hell for her.
Nico’s hand skimmed her lower back as they walked into the restaurant.
The first thing he noticed was the elegance of the place.
The high ceilings were decorated with crystal chandeliers.
The cream floors were shiny. The black decor looked chic.
But the fountain in the middle of the space with a goddess spouting out water took the cake.
Nico whistled. “This place is nice as hell.”
“Right?” Remedie cheesed up at him, and that right there made his damaged pockets forgive him just a little bit.
The hostess greeted them and then walked them to their table.
Nico enjoyed the sound of Remedie’s heels clicking against the sparkling floors.
It was such a feminine sound to him. And, okay, he wouldn’t be him if he didn’t also enjoy the way her ass jiggled in the dress she wore as she sashayed through the room.
He peeped a few men glancing her way and disrespecting their dates.
A week ago, Nico would have dapped them up on the sly.
He loved when he had the finest shit in the room.
It fed his ego. Tonight, though, he found himself inconspicuously flipping them off for looking at his woman.
Yeah, he was that childish and petty. Apparently, he was that possessive too.
He pulled her chair out for her and then sat across from her. The grin on his face wouldn’t go away as he looked at her. She squirmed a bit, and there went that blush, before she asked, “What?”
“Nothing.” Really, he was pleased with himself. He’d never been the romantic type before, but he kind of liked it. The payoff of seeing this beautiful woman blushing across from him did something to him. She made him want to be like this every day of the week. “So, what’s good here, cookie?”
Nico thought she was thankful for something to do because she picked up the menu with a quickness and used it to shield the lower half of her face. He chuckled. He’d let her live. For now.
“The steak, obviously. I’ve only ever eaten here the one time when I had my stage, and that’s what I had with the buttery mashed potatoes and asparagus, but I don’t think you can go wrong.
Oh, and they bring out the best skillet cornbread you’ve ever had.
It’s infused with sage. It’s so good.” He watched as she rambled. He loved that he made her so nervous.
“What about for dessert?” Nico asked, looking directly into her eyes as he sat back and cocked his legs slightly.
Remedie’s eyes widened, and he bit back a laugh. He loved toying with her. He didn’t swoop in to save her to make her more comfortable. Nico was the type to sit back and watch them squirm a bit.
“Uh . . .” She flipped the menu over, obviously searching for the dessert. When she didn’t find any, probably because it was on a fancy cart somewhere for them to present later, her face flushed. “I’m . . . not sure.”
Nico hummed his response while maintaining eye contact.
Remedie was lucky. The server saved her when he stepped up to the table to present the specials and take their drink order.
It didn’t surprise Nico that Remedie ordered wine.
He opted for the top shelf whiskey on the rocks.
Since it was his last day before training started again, he figured he’d go crazy that night.
“What got you into boxing?” Remedie quickly asked as soon as the server left.
She wasn’t slick. Nico knew she was only trying to control the conversation.
He smirked. “Gramps, honestly.”
“How old were you when you met him?”
“Too young to be in the streets, I’ll tell you that much.
Only sixteen. I grew up seeing how hard my ma worked to make sure me and Ree was straight, and I wanted to help out.
I started hustling when I was young, but the hood don’t care about age.
If I hadn’t met Gramps, I would still be huggin’ a block or some shit.
What I do might still be illegal, but it gave me purpose. ” Nico shrugged.
He’d never told anyone that before. He never felt the need to.
The people closest to him lived it with him, but Remedie was different.
He implored her to get to know him. Just because he’d never been in love before didn’t mean he thought he was unlovable.
There was a lot to love about him, and he wanted her to see it all.
“What purpose?”
He liked that she didn’t ask her questions in a judgmental way. She genuinely looked curious, which only fueled his desire to be open with her.
He released a long breath and leaned forward.
He pressed his elbows onto the table. “I grew up with a lot of anger. Nothing happened to me as a kid. Gramps thinks it’s ’cause I never knew my pops.
I don’t know. Gramps must have sensed it within me, because he helped me channel it.
It might not be legal, but it’s saved my life.
Gramps saved my like, if I really think about it. ”
Remedie mimicked him and leaned forward as well, pressing her elbows against the table as she rested her face in her hands.
She looked fascinated with his story, which only made his head feel bigger.
He loved when a pretty woman hung onto his every word.
He loved it even more that the pretty woman was Remedie.
“How did Gramps know so much about underground boxing?”
Nico chuckled. “That nigga is the old champ. I got that shit honest. He passed everything he knew down on to me.”
Remedie’s eyes damn near bucked out of her head. “No way.” She giggled. “Gramps was the champ?”
“Hell yeah. Nigga might be old as dirt, but he had a whole lot of fight in him back in his day. Don’t ever get him started on the good old days. Fair warning. He won’t shut up for hours. Might even pull out some old tapes he carries around, even though nobody owns a VHS player anymore.”
Remedie giggled. “Oh my God, stop. He does not carry those around.”
“You think I’m lyin’?” he asked with a wide smile. “Take a peek into that briefcase next time you see him.”
She shook her head as she laughed. “Aw, poor man. He just wants to relive his youth.”
Nico nodded, and then his smile faltered. “Yeah, man. I don’t know what I’m going to do when he transitions. I love that man.”
Remedie reached across the table and grabbed his hands. “Hey, don’t think like that.”
“Kind of hard not to.” Nico squeezed her hands, loving the feel of them in his. They were so soft and dainty. “It’s a part of life, you know? I think about the shit with my mom too. I feel like it’s dumb not to think about things like that. Makes me appreciate the time I have with them.”
Remedie’s brows knitted as she zoned out.
He watched her, wondering what she was thinking about.
He wanted to ask, but he also didn’t mind watching her pretty mind work as she strung together her next words, so he waited patiently.
Somehow, he knew she would speak about whatever had her go silent for a moment, and she did.
“I guess I never really had to think about it before. I never really had anyone to love. I mean, I have Isla, . . . but I never had parents or grandparents, people older than me that force me to think about those kinds of things, you know?”
That broke Nico’s heart. Nobody should grow up not having anyone to love.
Nobody should grow up never knowing love.
Maybe that was why he felt the need to give Remedie every ounce of his.
Something in his soul connected with hers the moment he laid eyes on her and recognized that she’d been deprived.
He wanted to be the one to fill that gaping hole she didn’t even know she had.
“Wine for the lady.” The server interrupted their moment as he placed the red wine down in front of Remedie. They pulled their hands apart, and Nico instantly missed the connection. “And whiskey for the gentleman. Are we ready to order?”
Remedie eyed Nico, and he nodded at her. “Go ahead and order for the both of us.”
When her eyes lit up, he knew he made the right call. He made a vow to allow her to order for him forever if she wanted. If it made her happy, he would sacrifice his comfortable eating habits.
“How hungry are you?” she asked as she scanned the menu on the table.
“Real hungry,” he said as he looked at her with a smoldering gaze.
Remedie glanced up, and then her skin tinted red once again before she reached for her wine and took a bug gulp.
“Um, . . . we’ll start with mini crab cakes. Oh, and we’ll do the duck confit with the sweet potato crockets. Let’s do the crispy catfish bites too. For entrees, we’ll try the filet with pimento cheese butter, shrimp and grits risotto, and the porterhouse with lobster and collard green chimchuri.”
Nico blinked at her. It sounded like she spoke a different language, but one glance at the server told Nico he was the oddball in this conversation. The server had definitely picked up everything Remedie had just put down.
“Great selections, Miss. I’ll be right back with the complimentary cornbread.”
When he left, Nico looked at her and asked, “You sure I’m gon’ like that shit you just ordered?”
Remedie nodded enthusiastically. “We gotta broaden those tastebuds, buddy.”
Nico’s dick twitched as he licked his lips. “I’m definitely open to broadening them.”
He swore he wasn’t always like this, but something about Remedie drove him crazy. He wanted so badly to taste her . . . to devour her, really, but he would be patient. This was a marathon, after all, not just a race. He wanted way more from her than just pussy.
“Are you always like this?”
“Like what?” Nico grinned because he knew exactly what she was asking. Her thoughts merely mimicked his. He just wanted to hear her say it. He saw the moment she realized he was toying with her, because she squared her shoulders and spoke with confidence.
“Thirsty for pussy?”
Nico laughed loudly. Neighboring tables glanced in their direction before going back to minding their business.
“I’m only thirsty for your pussy, baby, believe that.”
She cocked her head to the side. “So much to unpack there.”
“Like what?” He picked up his drink and took a sip.
“For one, that can’t be true because when I met you—”
“I was tryna get head, not pussy.” Nico corrected her before she could even make the mistake.
“You’re impossible.” She took a drink of her wine, and he could see her toying with another question. Go ’head, cookie. Ask it. “Why me?”
“Why not you?” His response was so quick it made her blink rapidly.
“Can you just answer the question?”
He could tell he got under her skin. He loved it but decided to play nice. “I already told you I’m feelin’ you. Why wouldn’t I? You’re gorgeous, ambitious, a good listener, a quick learner, an amazing cook, feminine, a good conversationalist, strong—”
“Okay, okay,” she said. Her blush was on ten. “You noticed all that after a week, huh?”
“I noticed all that after a second.” Remedie took another big gulp of her wine. “You gon’ have to get used to me complimenting you, cookie. I ain’t gon’ let up.”
“Noted.”
“You in love yet?”
“Huh?” Her eyes bugged out, and he chuckled.
“I asked if you were in love yet.”
“Is that what all this is? Your way of winning a stupid bet?”
He could see disappointment fill her eyes, so he leaned forward and grabbed her hands. “Nah, this ain’t that. I’m gon’ win the bet regardless. I’m not worried about that shit at all. I genuinely want to check your temperature and see how you’re feeling about me. About us.”
“You’re so sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Always been that way. Answer the question.”
She rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not in love with you.”
“You know, one of these days, I’m gon’ make you roll your eyes for a whole new reason if you keep that shit up.”
“I . . . literally don’t know what to say to you sometimes.”
Nico chuckled. He had that effect on women, but there was something about her being flustered over him that did him in.
“Answer my other question.”
“What question?”
“How do you feel about us?”
She opened her mouth to respond and then closed it and thought for a second before she opened it again. “Truthfully?”
“Only way to be with me, cookie.”
“I like you, but I’m scared of being so wrapped up in a man again that I lose myself.”
He respected that answer more than she would ever know. “I’d never allow that to happen. You’re too precious to be lost. You ain’t gotta take my word for it. Time will tell.”
Remedie stared into his eyes as if she was trying to figure him out. Finally, she said, “Yeah, I guess it will.”