13. Givens #2
“How else was I going to take advantage of her daddy?” Mercy said, then stepped into my space.
“I have a reputation to uphold. The girls know Mercy the professional, not Mercy the Burglar who likes to do nasty shit.” She pulled me by the front of my shirt down to her height and kissed me.
I wrapped my arms around her waist just as she wrapped hers around my neck, and I picked her up.
Mercy’s legs went around my waist, and I took a few steps to press her back against the brick wall of her house.
“You be stealing shit when you break in?” I asked when we pulled back from the kiss.
“What?” she replied as she tried to get her breathing together. I could feel her heart beating against her chest and how hot her pussy was through her shorts and my shirt.
“You called yourself a burglar,” I said, and she laughed loudly. “What the fuck you be takin’?”
“Nothing,” she denied and shook her head. I wanted to tell her she was wrong and that she’d been taking a piece of my heart every time I saw her, but I knew she wasn’t ready to hear that. “I was just talking shit since you say I break in every time I come over.”
“You do.” I rested my face between her face and shoulder. “But legit, we need to talk.”
“About?” she questioned as she rubbed the back of my head.
“I told Faylin that we were in a relationship.” I felt her breath catch, and I kissed her neck. “I know I should’ve talked to you first, and I’m sorry about that, but I didn’t want her to blind side you with the information.”
“Okay,” she said slowly, and I felt her nod.
“You mad?”
“No,” she denied. “I’m more surprised than anything else.”
“She told me in not so many words not to fuck it up because you were the bag,” I chuckled.
“Well, I guess you better listen to her, then,” she said, and I lifted my head to look at her. I don’t know what I expected to see on her face, but her relaxed expression wasn’t it. She leaned her head against the wall and lifted her brow. “What? You thought I was going to be mad or something?”
“Kind of.” I kissed her. “I mean, you could’ve cussed my ass out or something.”
“I could, but then why would I be?” she smiled. “I’ve been breaking into your multimillion-dollar house and taking advantage of you, remember? I think I’m winning here.”
“Get the fuck outta here,” I laughed.
The front door opened, and her three cousins watched us closely. The DeCorte genes were strong as hell; even though they were all shades of brown, there was no denying they were related.
“I guess proper introductions are needed, huh?” Mercy said, and her cousins nodded. “Put me down.”
“For what?” I looked at her with a twisted expression. “You ain’t trying to show your cousins that you be trying to climb me like a tree every chance you get.”
“Keep humping on that man, and you’re going to end up pregnant,” Cross said and smirked. “Trust me, I climbed Mecca one too many times, and I ended up with two of his big-headed babies.”
“Oh nah, let me down; we haven’t used a condom one time,” Mercy said, shaking her head. I laughed as I let her down but didn’t step out of her space. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” I replied.
“Oh, you nasty,” Cross said with a laugh, and the others smiled.
“I learned from the best,” Mercy said with a shrug. “Anyway, Givens, you know Cross.” I nodded. “Okay, so these are the sisters, Psalms and Corinthians. Judah is Corinthians's son.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said, shaking their hands.
“Same,” the sisters said in unison.
“Are y’all going to continue to stand out here and be nasty, or are you coming to come in?” Cross asked, and I looked at Mercy for the answer. “Should I also mention that my son has decided that your daughter is going to be his wife?”
“What?”
“He’s five and kind of stubborn like his daddy, so if I were you, I would believe him,” Cross laughed.
“I’m almost six,” Deuce said from behind his mama.
I looked over her shoulder to see him standing there with his hands in his pockets.
He wore gray ball shorts, a black wife beater, tall socks, and some slides.
A durag covered his hair, but his locs fell to his shoulders so they could still be seen, and he wore a puzzle piece necklace around his neck.
“And my daddy said there is no reason to play when it comes to what’s yours.
Claim it, so no man has the right to question it. ”
“Deuce,” I said, shaking my head. I wasn’t mad at little man, but he had me fucked up if he thought I was just going to let him claim my daughter.
“My name is Mecca Strong II, son of Mecca and Cross Strong, big brother to Love Strong and husband to Faylin.” Little man had the nerve to step around his mama and put his hand out for me to shake.
“Mecca Strong, huh?” I asked as I shook his hand. “Tell me, Mecca, what can you offer my daughter that no other man can? Cuz right now, I ain’t feeling the idea of someone claiming her.”
“Me,” Deuce answered. I looked over at his mama, and all she did was shrug. “I’ll love yo daughter cuz I was made to.”
“Yeah, he has been listening to Nine too much,” Cross laughed as she put her hand on her son's head. “Deuce, go on and play and let Givens process that you are your father's son. I don’t think he’s ready.”
“But Mommy, you said he was going to be around because he was obsessed with Mercy,” he whined, and I shook my head. “He’s gonna have to get used to me being around.” Cross playfully rolled her eyes as she steered him back into the house. “Mommy, she’s my wife.”
“We will talk about it when you’re twenty,” Cross replied as they walked away. “It was good seeing you again, Givens.” Corinthians and Psalms followed behind them, laughing.
“Yeah, it was good seeing you, father-in-law,” Deuce yelled just before Psalms closed the door.
“What the fuck?” I laughed as I wiped my hands over my face. “I ain’t gonna lie, if little homie weren’t your people, I would’ve bodied his ass.”
“His mama would’ve chopped your ass up in pieces before you could even move,” Mercy laughed. I lifted my brow in surprise, and she shrugged. “I’m just saying.”
“That’s the second time I’ve been threatened when it comes to your family,” I said as I pulled her to me. “What’s up with that?”
“It just means we like you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around my neck. “We normally don’t threaten people.”
“No?”
“Nah,” she denied. “We usually just kill people without conversation.” She rolled her eyes.
“Well, no, that’s a lie; Exodus likes to pray for you, and Cross likes to hold full conversations before she chops people up.
But I don’t think those count, because more times than not, you’re already going to die anyway. ”
“What about you?” I laughed and shook my head. The way she talked like she was about that life was funny as hell. “How do you get down?”
“I’m more of a shower than a teller,” she replied, and I nodded. “But let’s hope you never have to find out.”