Chapter 7
ARIELLE
The sun blinded me as soon as I opened my eyes. I slammed them shut again and groaned.
“I need to put those black-out blinds up ASAP,” I muttered. My voice was hoarse, and there was a slight, delicious ache between my legs.
The memory of Kareem between my legs the night before caused my eyes to pop open again.
I rolled over but knew what I would find before my eyes landed on the empty left side of my queen-sized bed.
My hand instinctively ran over the cool lavender sheets as I inhaled the lingering smell of his cologne.
Sadness filled me as I slowly got out of bed and made my way toward the bathroom, cursing at the boxes scattered all around the floor and in the way of every step I took.
My main goal for the day was to get my apartment in order. Actually, that was the goal over the next few days. I’d taken off work for this, so I knew I needed to be intentional with the time off.
After I brushed my teeth and washed my face, I turned on the shower and stepped in as I washed my aching body.
“That man knows what the hell he’s doing,” I mumbled, and then another wave of sadness hit me.
This had to be what Kareem felt like the morning after our first hookup.
At least I had the luxury of getting ahold of him, but I didn’t expect him to sneak out and be gone after such an amazing night together. “Karma, bitch.”
I shook my head as I stepped out of the shower.
While I dried off, I tried to make sense of why I cared so much that Kareem wasn’t here this morning.
My heart screamed that it was because I liked him more than I wanted to admit.
My brain screamed to back off and take things slow.
Donzell had done a number on me, and I knew I didn’t need to jump into anything new so soon anyway.
It was probably best that he wasn’t here.
I rationalized all of this while I got dressed, and by the time I was ready for the day and in dire need of some coffee, I had convinced myself that Kareem leaving was okay.
My nose was in my phone as I walked into the living room.
I scrunched my nose up when I saw Donzell had called a dozen times and sent a ton of texts.
I deleted them without even reading. He was so hurt that I actually moved out, but he’d had so long to do better, .
. . to change. I couldn’t dwell on a situation that no longer served me.
Just as I was about to officially block his number, a knock sounded on the front door.
My brows furrowed as I made my way to the door and opened it.
Shock filtered through me as I looked up at Kareem standing in my doorway with a bag in his hand.
“Good, you’re up. Breakfast?” He held the bag up, and I had a sense of déjà vu.
I stood to the side and let him in. His cologne was pronounced, and I noticed he had a change of clothes.
“Are you going to make a habit of feeding me?” I asked, unsure of what else to say. My heart did an erratic happy dance inside my ribcage, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched him move inside my home.
“That and more.” He nodded seriously. I walked by him to get to one of the barstools at the center island, but he caught me by my waist. “I don’t ever want to see you walk by me and not give me a kiss, you hear me?”
My brows rose. “You’re bossy as hell, you know that?”
“You been knowing that since the moment you met me. What about it?”
I giggled. He had me there. “Nothing,” I uttered as I stood on my tiptoes and pecked his lips. I tried to pull away, but he held the back of my neck and deepened the kiss. My pussy pulsed as I leaned into him, but he pulled away before we could really get started.
“Sit ya hot ass down. Let’s eat and then start unpacking.” He grabbed containers out of the bag he’d put on the counter before sliding me one.
This man never ceased to amaze me. Not only did he get me my favorite breakfast sandwich from one of my favorite diners, he also wanted to help me unpack? Why had God been hiding him from me?
“What you know about Ellie’s?” I asked, referring to the diner the food was from.
His brows shot up. “What you know about it, youngin?”
“Youngin?” I giggled. “How old are you, anyway?
“Thirty-seven.”
I playfully pouted. “You got me by two years. I’ll let you live.”
“I know.” He shrugged before sitting next to me.
“You know? How do you know how old I am?”
“You forget I have access to your leasing application? May 20th is your birthday. You have a clean renting record and no criminal record. You have a high ass credit score, and your full name is Arielle Anne Nichols. I know your social security number and license number too. Oh, and I know your license plate number from your parking space information.”
My cheeks heated. That was all very personal information, but then I realized I didn’t really mind that he knew any of it.
For some reason, I had a feeling he wouldn’t do me wrong with having that information.
Now, if it was Donzell, his ass would have ran my credit to the ground and some more shit.
Speak of the devil. My phone buzzed on the countertop, and his name flashed across it. With a sigh, I reached for my cell, but Kareem snatched it up before I could.
“This another one of your brothers?” he asked quickly.
“No, I only have one—”
“A family member?”
“My ex—”
The words couldn’t even leave my mouth properly before he slid his thumb along the screen, and then he tapped the speaker button so I could hear.
“Aye, nigga, is you done callin’ her, or you need me to block you for her?”
“Who the fuck is this?” Donzell snapped. I cringed because his voice sounded whiny, like a child about to throw a tantrum. How I put up with him for so long would forever remain a mystery to me.
“The nigga who’s about to give her the world. I’m assumin’ that ain’t somethin’ you’re capable of since she’s sitting here wit’ me havin’ breakfast right now.”
The nonchalance in Kareem’s voice turned me on. I shouldn’t be amused right now and definitely not wet, but damn he had me wide the fuck open for his sexy ass.
“Man, put her on the phone. I ain’t tryna hear none of that. Where she at? Arielle!” he shouted, and I cringed. The last thing I would do was answer his irritating ass. Instead, I took a bite of my breakfast sandwich and moaned. It was so damn good.
Kareem had his eyes on me the entire time, and he chuckled.
“Yeah, so check it, she ain’t available now, and she ain’t ever gonna be available again.
Go find somethin’ safe to do, lil nigga.
She’s no longer safe. Feel me? Shorty is good over here.
She don’t need you checkin’ on her no more.
I got this. You got my permission to be useless somewhere else.
Now, I’ma block you on this phone and enjoy my breakfast with this gem you done lost. Don’t call back on a new number either.
You seem like the type, and the shit is embarrassing. ”
Donzell started to say something, but Kareem hung up, and I shook my head with a smile on my face. I ate my food and watched as he went to Donzell’s contact and blocked his number. He put my phone down and went back to eating his food.
I stared at the side of his head for a full minute before he spoke.
“You got something to say, say it, mama.”
I wanted to reach over and caress the side of his face. That was what I really wanted. I wanted to feel the soft hairs of his beard under my fingertips and kiss his jaw and then his lips.
“You’re really just ready to come into my life and take over.” It was a statement because I already knew his answer. I woke up this morning sad that his ass had dipped on me, and he just had to prove me wrong. He was here to stay, and that thought thrilled me but also made me wonder why.
Why? Because he feels the same way you feel about him. It ain’t rocket science, bitch.
“The question is, are you ready? Are you ready for a nigga like me? Because I can guarantee it ain’t gonna be nothin’ like the last nigga or any nigga before him.”
My head bobbed up and down before I could even process his question. I was a hopeless romantic. The kind of energy he brought was exactly what I wanted and needed in my life. I had already tried to run from it. I would be a fool to throw this chance away again after getting a second chance.
With determination written all over my face, I nodded. “Sure am.”
“Aight, we’ll see, Mermaid.”
We finished our food in silence before Kareem stood up and reached for my container again.
“I can do that, you know?” I asked.
“You got two legs. Obviously, I know that,” he said as he threw the containers away.
“You got a smart-ass mouth, you know that?” I challenged with my brow arched.
Before I could blink, he stood between my legs and tilted my head up, so I looked into his eyes.
“Tell me more about my mouth. What else it do?” A chill ran through me, and suddenly, I had no thoughts or words to give.
He smirked and then leaned down to peck my lips.
“Cat got ya tongue?” I nodded absentmindedly.
“That’s too bad. I was lookin’ forward to hearin’ what you had to say.
You think you can find enough words to tell me which room you want to start in? ”
“Uh . . . you don’t have to help—”
“That ain’t what I asked.”
He stared down at me with those piercing eyes.
I averted my gaze, not because I was intimidated, but because I felt like I could get lost within him.
Like the depths of him would capture me and never let me go.
Then, my gaze snapped back to his, because I realized that I yearned for that.
I wanted his soul to hold mine for an eternity in an ironclad embrace.
“We can start in here.” The kitchen was a disaster, and I wanted to get it functional so I could make some coffee and cook. Kareem didn’t need to keep getting us outside food. I could cook for us if he planned to stick around, which he pretty much made clear that he did.
As if reading my mind, he joked, “You don’t know how to cook no way.”
“Who don’t?” I asked with my brows damn near to my hairline.
“Let me find out you know how to feed a nigga.” His expression mirrored mine as his brows rose.
I giggled. “Definitely can feed myself and a nigga.”
In an instant, his face morphed into a frown. “What niggas you been feeding? Matter of fact, don’t answer that. I’ll kill a nigga ’bout you.”
This wasn’t the first time he’d said something like that. My mind flashed to the first time we had sex back at the resort. His crazy ass had threatened to send out some damn anthrax. I giggled, and his brow arched as he peered at me.
“How ’bout this? I promise not to cook for no nigga ever again since you seem to be putting a claim on me.”
He grunted. “Good answer.”
He pulled me out of my seat and slapped my ass.
I laughed like a damn schoolgirl as he kissed my neck, before I pushed him away slightly and insisted we get to work.
Just because his fine ass was here didn’t mean I should ignore my goals for the next few days.
I had to get this apartment livable, and I was happy as hell I wouldn’t have to do it alone.