Chapter 14 Made to Love - Eva #2
“I really respect you for that. It takes a real man to raise a child that’s not biologically his. With so many males not taking care of kids they know for a fact are theirs, your attitude is commendable.”
“I appreciate you for saying that, and I apologize for her coming over here unannounced.”
“I can’t hold you responsible for somebody else’s actions,” I reasoned, standing up from his couch, engaging in a necessary stretch.
“It takes a real woman to say that,” Zeke acknowledged with a smile.
Shaking my head in amusement, I reached for my car keys.
“What are you about to do? Are you about to leave?”
“No, I’m not about to leave. I’m going to my car to get my bag.”
“Oh, damn. You bought a night bag. Do you want me to clear a drawer out for you?” Giving me a knowing look, I was glad to see his spirits were high enough to crack a joke, even if his joy was momentary.
“No, that will not be necessary. I always keep a bag in my car just in case something happens.”
“Or just in case you spend the night at your man’s house.”
“You better hope I don’t get too tempted while I’m at my car and drive off because of how crazy you’re talking,” I teased.
“Now I’m going to have to follow you outside to make sure you don’t try to run away on me,” he fussed, motioning his hand toward the front door so I could walk in front of him.
“You must have forgotten she’s a runner. She’s a track star,” I teased, referring to myself in third person. “You should remember that I ran track in high school and don’t think that I don’t still have some speed to me.’
“Yes, I remember you used to run track in high school. I especially remember you being the slowest one out there,” he added, failing to stifle his laughter.
I turned around so quick in order to correct him, I almost gave myself whiplash.
It wasn’t until I crashed into his chest that I realized just how close he was following behind me.
Looking up at him, there was a mischievous grin on his face.
Although I wanted to create space between the two of us, being close to him felt right. Even when he lowered his head to meet mine, I couldn’t move… Well, I could have, but I didn’t want to.
Gently, he swiped his lips against mine, allowing me to take pleasure in how soft they were. It was almost as if his lips were lined with cotton, and I was eager for them to linger on mine so I could experience the sensation again.
Only seconds passed as we stared at each other with slightly parted lips, but it felt like hours had passed before he placed his lips to mine again, gifting me with a gentle peck before he parted them open with his tongue.
It was second nature for my arms to wrap around his neck just as his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me even closer to him and I happily allowed him the opportunity to invade my space.
I knew it had to have been my imagination, but I swore I heard “I Like It” by DeBarge in the background as our tongues eloquently became acquainted with one another.
It was as clear as day, and while I was tempted to end the kiss so I could ask Zeke if he heard it too, I didn’t want our mouths to be forced to say goodbye.
“You’ve been holding out on me,” Zeke fussed the moment our mouths departed from each other.
Noticing traces of my ruby red lipstick had left its mark, I laughed as I wiped off the remnants.
“How is that?”
“Why am I just now finding out you can kiss somebody’s soul out of their body?” Zeke seriously questioned as if he was genuinely offended we were sharing our first kiss. “I feel like I need to make sure it wasn’t my imagination.”
Quickly grabbing my chin, he pulled my face to his. Before I had a chance to protest, Zeke was fervently attacking my lips, and honestly, even if he would’ve given me the opportunity to pull away, I would have stayed right where I was.
“Damn, it wasn’t even a flaw,” he stated, and I could tell his declaration was intended more for himself than for me. “You want to be my girlfriend?” Zeke innocently asked, resting his hands on my shapely derriere
“You want me to be your girlfriend because we shared a good kiss?”
“That wasn’t a good kiss, Eva. That kiss had my ass hearing music in the background,” he confessed, making me burst into laughter. “I swore I heard ‘All This Love’ by DeBarge in the background,” he confessed, causing me to throw my head into his chest to stifle my laughter.
“Zeke, you’re mentally touched.”
“I may be, but if there’s nothing I’ve learned, it’s that life is too short to put off getting what you want, and I want you.”
“I appreciate you saying that, but I don’t want you to want me because I’m here for you in this moment. I want you to want me because of—”
“Because of your beauty. Because of the way your presence effortlessly changes the dynamics of a room when you walk in. Because of how you’re sure of yourself and you exude a level of confidence out of this world,” he interrupted, taking my breath away with his words alone.
“I appreciate you for being here for me, but I knew I wanted you long before my mother passed. You’ve been fine since fine was fine, and I guess you could say I’ve been checking for you since we were in high school. ”
“You were not checking for me in high school, Zeke,” I corrected, playfully hitting him in the chest.
“How are you going to tell me who I had a crush on?”
“Okay, so if you had a crush on me, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I knew you weren’t going to be checking for a lower-classman such as myself,” he admitted, causing me to nod in agreement. “I wasn’t the person then who I am now because if I would have been, I would have stepped to you and shot my shot, but I wasn’t as smooth with it as I am now.”
“I’m not saying no, but I also want to know without a doubt in my mind that I’m not your woman based upon the circumstances.”
“I can respect that,” he added, causing me to release a breath full of anxiety and fear. “However, I know how I feel about you and the present circumstances you speak of hasn’t done anything except for validate the kind of woman I already knew you were.”
Placing a quick kiss on my lips, he motioned for me to follow him out of the door where we walked to my car and retrieved the spend the night bag I always rode around with because just like I told him, you never know what was bound to happen at any given time.
Not only did I keep a bag in my trunk for me, but each of my sons had a designated bag with a few changes of clothes in them.
When we walked back in the house, Zeke showed me where I could shower while he did the same, and although I wanted to share a shower with him, I knew in my heart of hearts he was in a vulnerable state, and I wouldn’t dare take advantage of him being open.
While I could acknowledge the attraction between us, I knew there was a heightened level of appreciation on his end because of the loss of his mother. I agreed with him that life was indeed too short to waste time, however I needed to know he wanted me beyond my presence in his time of despair.