Addicted

Chapter 15

Stone

I woke up alone at the crash pad.

It had been four days since I let Indie go out and see her friend, Aurora. Four days since she’d been happier than I’d seen her since this whole thing started.

She’d been texting me on the iPhone I bought her. Sending me messages throughout the day, asking when I was coming back, telling me about shit she was doing at the estate.

It was wild how much I looked forward to those texts. How much I craved hearing from her.

Yesterday, I’d been out in the LA area handling business until late in the evening. By the time I finished, I didn’t have it in me to drive all the way out to the estate.

So, I slept at the crash pad. But this time, I gave Indie a heads up via text that I wasn’t coming home. She was still upset. I could tell by the way she responded—short, clipped messages that barely said shit. I hoped what I had planned for her later would ease her anger.

Although, if I was being real with myself, it made me hard when she turned up on me and cussed me out for some sick reason.

It was crazy how I let her talk to me out the side of her neck. I’d put a bullet in niggas’ heads for much less. But Indie was special.

She got a side of me that was reserved for only her. No one got that side of me but Indie.

I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed my personal phone first. Sure enough, there was a text from Indie from about an hour ago.

Indie: You coming back to the estate today?

I smirked, knowing she was probably calling me everything but a child of God while she wrote and sent that text. I could picture her face with that scowl she got when she was pissed at me, her full lips twisted in irritation, her eyes flashing with anger.

Fuck, I missed her.

My mind flashed back to the other night with me, her, and Ishmael in the game room. The shit talking, the laughter. Me and Ish going back and forth like it was regular. I wasn’t used to that, but I wanted it again.

I typed out a quick response.

Me: Yeah. I’ll be back today.

Then I grabbed my burner phone and checked the messages there. A few updates from my soldiers about trap activity, money counts, product movement. Everything was running smooth.

I responded to the ones that needed responses, then set both phones down and got out of bed.

I needed to shower and get dressed. Had a meeting with Kenzo and the crew to finalize the plan to weed out Wes. Then I was heading back to the estate, back to Indie.

I stood under the hot spray of the shower, letting the water beat down on my shoulders.

My mind drifted to Indie. It always did these days. It was mind-blowing how quickly she’d gotten under my skin. How quickly she’d made me crave her presence.

I’d never been the type of nigga to get caught up over a woman. Never let myself get attached.

But Indie had wormed her way into my head, into my chest, into places I didn’t even know existed.

And the craziest part? I didn’t want her out. I wanted her right where she was. I wanted her in my bed every night. I wanted to wake up to her face every morning, wanted to hear her voice, feel her body, taste her skin.

I finished showering, dried off, and got dressed. Amiri denim and a clean white tee with a leather jacket over it. Chains on, AP watch sitting heavy at my wrist. I checked myself in the mirror once. Everything was in place. Time to handle business so I could get back to my woman.

My woman.

The thought made me pause. That’s what she was now, wasn’t it? Mine. Completely.

I grabbed my keys and both phones, then headed out.

***

When I made it to the warehouse, Kenzo’s car was already there along with Antoine’s and Deacon’s. Good. We had shit to discuss.

I walked inside and found the three of them standing near a table in the back, talking in low voices. They looked up when they heard me approach.

“What’s good,” Kenzo said, dapping me up.

Antoine and Deacon did the same.

“We ready to do this?” I asked, getting straight to business.

Kenzo nodded. “Yeah. We feed Wes the false info about the shipment, see if anything go down. If it do, we know he the one.”

“And if nothing happens?” Deacon asked.

“Then we keep looking,” I said. “Zo keep vouching for this nigga, but my gut telling me it’s him.”

Antoine crossed his arms. “So, what we gon’ tell him?”

“We gon’ say we got a shipment coming in next Friday,” I said. “Give him a fake location. Somewhere we can watch and see if anybody shows up trying to intercept it.”

Kenzo nodded slowly. “That could work. We set up surveillance, wait and see if them Riverside niggas or anybody else show up.”

“Exactly,” I said.

We spent the next twenty minutes going over the details like who would feed Wes the information, how we’d set up surveillance, what we’d do if somebody actually showed up.

It was the oldest trick in the book, but it worked. Once we had everything locked down, I switched the subject.

“Y’all free next weekend?” I asked.

Kenzo raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“I’m having a little barbecue,” I said. “Nothing major. Just us really.”

All three of them stared at me like I’d just said I was retiring from the game.

“You?” Kenzo said. “Having a barbecue? At yo’ shit?”

I shot him a look. “Yeah, nigga. Me.”

Antoine and Deacon exchanged glances, clearly surprised.

Kenzo smirked. “This about ole girl, ain’t it? She got you throwing parties now?”

“It ain’t about her,” I lied. “I just figured it’s been a minute since y’all came through. Thought we could kick it.”

Kenzo’s smirk widened. “Man, you whipped as hell.”

I glared at him. “Yeah, whatever, nigga.”

He laughed, holding up his hands. “I’m just saying, bro. I ain’t expect this shit from you of all people.”

I didn’t respond. Because he was right. I was acting out of character. Indie had me doing shit I’d never done before. Having barbecues at the crib. Caring about whether she was happy or not. But I wasn’t about to admit that shit out loud.

“So y’all coming or not?” I asked.

“Yeah, we’ll be there,” Kenzo said. “Bout time you put Brady ass to work for real.”

Antoine and Deacon nodded in agreement.

“Good,” I said. “I’ll text y’all the details.”

We dapped each other up again, then went our separate ways.

I walked back to my car, my mind already shifting to Indie and the surprise I had waiting for her. I couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw it. Couldn’t wait to see those pretty brown eyes light up.

I was gone over this woman. Completely fucking gone.

***

The drive back to the estate felt longer than usual. Maybe because I was eager to get there. Eager to see Indie.

I hadn’t seen her in almost two days, and that shit was eating at me. I was used to waking up next to her now. Used to her presence. Used to the way she looked at me, the way she talked shit, the way she gave herself to me.

I was addicted, and the withdrawal was a bitch.

When I finally pulled through the gates of the estate, I felt myself relax. Home. This was truly home now. Not because of the house or the property or the luxury, but because Indie was here.

I parked in the driveway and grabbed my keys, then headed inside.

The house was quiet except for the faint sound of voices coming from the game room. I walked in that direction and found Indie and Ishmael sitting on the couch, controllers in their hands, playing some racing game on the big screen.

Indie commanded my attention without even trying. She was wearing black leggings and a cropped white tank top with her hair thrown up, her face bare. No effort, no extras, and she still had me locked in.

I walked over to the couch and leaned down, pressing a kiss to her lips. She didn’t kiss me back. Just sat there with her lips pressed together, her eyes on the screen.

Ishmael laughed. “Damn, sis. You really mad at him, huh?”

Indie cut her eyes at me. “Yeah. I am.”

I smirked. She was cute when she was mad.

“I need to show you something,” I said.

Indie looked at me warily, like I was about to piss her off even more. “What?” she asked.

“Come on,” I said, holding out my hand.

She sighed heavily, like I was asking her to walk to her execution, then set down the controller and stood up.

“I’ll be back, Ish,” she said.

“Aight,” he said, still laughing.

I led Indie out of the game room. As soon as we were out of Ishmael’s sight, I pushed her up against the wall. She gasped, her eyes going wide.

I gripped her face in my hand, forcing her to look at me.

“You mad at daddy?” I asked, my voice low.

Indie rolled her eyes. “I thought you had something to show me.”

I stared at her, my expression cold.

“I ain’t showing you shit unless you stop trippin’,” I said. “Give me a kiss and act like you missed a nigga.”

Indie kissed her teeth.

“Fuck you, daddy,” she said, emphasizing the nickname.

My grip on her face tightened, but she didn’t cower. Stubborn ass. I chuckled, then captured her lips in a kiss. She tried to resist at first, keeping her lips pressed together, but I didn’t stop.

I kissed her deeper, harder, until she finally gave in and kissed me back. Her lips parted and her tongue met mine, and I groaned into her mouth.

Fuck, I missed this. I missed her.

When I finally pulled back, I smirked at her. “That’s better,” I said.

She glared at me, but I could see the heat in her eyes. She wanted me just as much as I wanted her.

I took her hand and started leading her down the hall.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” I said.

We stopped in front of a door near the end of the hall. It was one of the spare rooms I’d had converted over the past few days.

I opened the door and stepped aside, letting Indie walk in first. Her hands flew to her mouth and her eyes immediately filled with tears. I watched her face as she took it all in.

The design room.

Fully equipped with everything she could possibly need.

Two industrial sewing machines sat on a long table against one wall.

A large drawing table with a lamp and a set of professional sketching pencils was positioned near the window.

Shelves lined the walls, stocked with fabrics in every color and texture imaginable—silk, cotton, leather, lace, denim.

Mannequins stood in the corner, ready to be dressed.

There were bins full of buttons, zippers, thread, and other supplies. Sketchbooks, pattern paper, measuring tape, scissors. Everything.

“Oh my God, Stone,” Indie whispered, her voice breaking. “How did you do this? I didn’t even see anyone deliver this stuff.”

I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.

“I paid them enough to be discreet so they wouldn’t fuck up the surprise,” I said. “What you think? Got everything you need?”

Indie started walking around the room, running her hands over the fabrics, touching the sewing machines, inspecting the drawing table.

She stopped and turned to face me, tears streaming down her face.

“This is fuckin’ insane,” she said. “You’re crazy, like legitimately crazy. This is more than I ever could have imagined.”

She started crying harder, like she was overwhelmed. I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms. She sobbed into my chest, her body shaking. I held her, rubbing her back, letting her get it out. After a moment, she lifted her head and looked into my eyes.

“Thank you so much, baby,” she said. “This is the most special thing anyone has ever done for me. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”

I wiped her tears away with my thumbs, then kissed her lips gently a few times.

“You ain’t gotta repay shit,” I said. “I told you, you mine, and this is how I take care of what’s mine.”

Indie nodded, then kissed me again. This time, the kiss was deeper. More intense. Her hands went to my chest, then slid down to my stomach. Then lower.

She pulled back and looked into my eyes. Then she got down on her knees in front of me. I was already hard as fuck. She undid my jeans and freed it, wrapping her hand around the base, and then she put it in her mouth.

“Fuck,” I groaned, my hand going to her hair.

She went straight to work, sucking me like she was trying to pull my soul out. Her mouth was wet and warm, her tongue swirling around the tip before she took me deeper.

I bit my bottom lip, watching her. She looked up at me, maintaining eye contact, and that shit almost made me nut right then.

“Damn, baby,” I said, my voice rough. “Just like that.”

She hummed around my dick, the vibration making me groan. My hand tightened in her hair, guiding her movements.

She was getting better at this. She was learning what I liked, and I fuckin’ loved it. But after a few more minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to be inside her. I needed to feel that pussy wrapped around my dick.

I yanked her up off the ground, and she gasped.

“Nah, I need that pussy right now,” I growled.

Indie didn’t hesitate. She stripped out of her leggings and tank top quickly, standing naked in front of me. Fuck, she was beautiful.

I picked her up and sat her on my dick, her legs wrapping around my waist. She gasped as I filled her, her arms going around my neck. I gripped her ass roughly, bouncing her up and down.

“Fuck,” I groaned. “This pussy so good, baby.”

Indie stared into my eyes, her mouth open, moaning loudly.

“Only for you, daddy,” she said breathlessly.

Those words.

Fuck.

Those words had me ready to nut instantly. But I refused to come until she got hers. I increased my strokes, our bodies smacking together loudly. Indie’s moans got louder.

“Come for me,” I commanded. “I need to feel that pussy squeeze my dick.”

She came hard almost immediately, her whole body shaking, and I could feel her pussy throbbing around my dick. I followed right behind her, groaning as I released inside her. I held her, still inside her, and pressed my forehead to hers.

I almost said it.

The three words that could accurately describe what I was feeling.

I love you.

But I stopped myself. Because I wasn’t ready to accept it yet. I wasn’t ready to admit out loud that I’d fallen for this woman and that she owned me just as much as I owned her.

Indie looked at me, her eyes searching mine. Like she felt the same way. Like she knew what I was thinking. But I could’ve just been seeing what I wanted to see.

I lowered her to the ground, and we both fixed our clothes. Indie was still trying to catch her breath, her cheeks flushed.

“I want to work on a sketch,” she said, looking around the room. “Start putting this space to use.”

I nodded. “You getting straight to it, huh? Go do your thing then, baby.”

I kissed her one more time, then left her to enjoy her new design room.

As I walked down the hall, I couldn’t help but wonder how the fuck Indie had me wrapped around her finger like this.

How she’d managed to break through the walls I’d spent years building. How she’d made me feel things I’d never felt before.

I didn’t have the answers. But I was already in too deep to ever let her go.