Chapter
Kimber
“I wanna set your world on fire.” He whispered against my lips.
Staring into those light, sea green eyes of his, I asked with zero abandon, “Will you be the gasoline to my light?”
“Light your world up so fucking bright they’ll see that shit all the way past the fucking moon.”
Gasping, I said, “Wow.”
“You want to put your trust in me?” He asked as he brought his hand from the back of my neck and cupped the side of my face.
Knowing with just one word, I could have everything I saw in those turbulent sea green eyes of his that a storm brewing on the coast of Louisiana had nothing on.
Taking in a deep breath, I bit my lip and then nodded.
“Need the words, Kimber. Fucking need them bad.”
And with that, I stood on my tiptoes, so his neck wasn’t bent nearly as bad, and then with my eyes locked with his, I whispered my agreement.
My agreement to have him light up my entire world.
“Yes.”
Sadly... that was all a dream.
Wasn’t it?
And when I heard my phone ping, I opened my eyes... only to see my ceiling and nothing but me, myself, and I in my bed.
However, before I could take another thought, my phone pinged again, and again, and again.
First thing in the morning?
Hurriedly, I reached over and tagged my phone off my nightstand.
What in the world?
Woman’s World Text Thread
Ophelia – Welcome to the club.
Nola – We’re happy to have you.
Soraya – Yeah. We don’t judge.
Agatha – Speak for yourself.
Tempie – They don’t. But you do.
Agatha – Bite me.
Tempie – Ummm.
Me – Umm. Hi.
Ophelia – You're too cute.
Soraya – She is.
Nola – Agreed.
Me – Can someone please tell me what’s going on here?
Ophelia – Grey claimed you.
Soraya – He did. Heard all about it.
Nola – He really did.
Nola – When these men claim something...
Tempie – There’s no getting out of it.
Agatha – That’s why I’m still single.
Tempie – No. You're single because no man wants to put up with you.
Agatha – I resent that.
Tempie – Really?
Ophelia – Ladies!
Me – What do you mean he claimed me?
Nola – He sent a text to the group chat the brothers have.
I swallowed.
Then I went to our text thread and typed out my message.
Me – So, I heard something about you today.
I got out of bed, and before I could walk to the bathroom, my phone pinged.
Grey – Yeah. What’s that?
Me – That you claimed me.
Grey – Not a lie.
Grey calling.
Seeing his name, I could have tried as hard as I could to stop the smile that bloomed across my face, but I wouldn’t have been able to.
I smiled, “Umm, hey.”
He chuckled, “Hey, baby girl. So, got a problem with me claiming you?”
“Well... yeah. I don’t know you.” I told him.
“I can fix that. Picking you up at six tonight. Dress warm. Taking the bike.” He said.
I felt a brow raise, “Really?”
“Yeah. Remember every word you said the other night. Gonna rectify everything you said you wanted to do.”
“And if I don’t want you to?” I asked.
He chuckled, “Tough shit. I’ll be there. Then at six, your gorgeous ass self will be on the back of my bike.”
“Grey,” I whispered.
“I’m alright with you calling me Grey. But the moment you let me in that tight pussy; you’ll be calling me Michael.”
“Excuse me?” I said.
He chuckled, “I didn’t stutter, baby girl. Yeah, I already claimed you. Cause when I want something, I don’t stop until I get it. You’ve been warned, baby.”
“So, all you want is to get into my... my... You know.” I said.
He chuckled, “Baby girl, if that’s all you think I wanted, then I didn’t do a good enough job of showing you what I want from you. Be there at six.” And with that, he hung up.
I stared at my phone and felt shivers race over my spine.
Then I had one thought... where the fuck had I put my vibrator?
Ten minutes later, I let out a long, much-needed sigh, damn, but I had needed that.
And I had a sinking feeling that until the moment Grey and I slept together, I was going to be needing that vibrator.
Today, I didn’t have anything planned, except two things, and one of those was deep cleaning my house.
My house was a small cottage with two bedrooms and one bath.
For me, it was tiny and perfect.
My other bedroom was where I tended to spend most of my time.
See... I had a secret affinity for fabrics.
I loved them.
The colors.
The swatches.
The threads.
The millions of things you can make with a single bolt of fabric.
And right now... I was in the process of using bandanas to make a bag.
I had seen the trend on the Tok and wanted to try my hand at it.
Just then, I remembered I needed to check my orders.
I took a bite of the granola mixture I made for breakfast and pulled up my site on my phone.
This and two other reasons were why it didn’t affect me that my parents had disowned me.
The first reason was because of my side hobby that I really needed to do full-time, but I loved numbers more.
I made clothes for boutiques that were special orders. Meaning I made a shit ton of money and kept my overhead low.
The second reason was that I had taken the inheritance from my grandparents, whom I wished I had been able to spend more time with before they were both taken from this world when I was eleven, and invested it.
The large sum had gotten even larger. And on my eighteenth birthday, I had pulled it out of the account it was in, which my parents had access to, and moved it to another account that they didn’t.
Over the past six years, the funds have steadily grown.
And the third reason was because of Suri.
She had made a lot of money working for my family over the years.
And as I had done, she had invested a good chunk of change from it.
Therefore, because of the people who truly cared about me, I was well taken care of.
An hour later, I was settled in front of my sewing machine, and I got to work on making a green top that was tight up top and loose at the bottom that had flared sleeves. Gold appliques. And a rouching neckline.
The woman had ordered the top from a boutique in Salem, Mass, for a Halloween party she was going to in a few months.
This top was going to make the outfit; I was sure of it.
Then, before I knew it, it was already approaching four o’clock; therefore, I needed to start getting ready.
I put all my things away and marveled at the top; it was almost done.
Then I got in the shower and did an everything shower. Shampoo twice, condition, hair mask, face wash, face scrub, shaved my legs, armpits, body scrub, and body wash.
But... I may have stalled a little bit to inhale the scents of the matching body scrub and body wash; there was just something about the smell of the Tres Leches that made my belly growl in hunger.
Yes, I was weird and proud of it.
After I got out of the shower, I lotioned and moisturized, and then I tackled my hair.
Product after product went into it, and then once I was done with that, I started with the hair dryer. Then once that was done, I grabbed my hot rollers and rolled up strands of my hair.
Needing to let those sit for a while, I walked to my closet to inspect what I had that was cute and warm at the same time.
The moment my eyes landed on a particular top I made, I smiled.
Five minutes later, I had on a matching lace black bra and panties with a red satin bow.
Then I pulled my favorite pair of jeans up my legs, my thighs, and then had to jiggle my body a little to get them up and over my size fourteen behind and snapped.
Then I looked over my shoulder at my full-length mirror, down at my ass, and grinned.
Perfection.
Then I pulled on the top.
It was a long-sleeved wrap-around type of style, but it also had lace strings that cinched up behind the neck. It was black in color and fit me like perfection.
After I applied light makeup, I applied deodorant, then body spray, and perfume. Was it extra... yes... but I was going on my first date with a man that I actually wanted to be seen with.
I glanced at the mirror and smiled.
Then I pulled on my favorite gold necklace. It was simple. Fourteen-karat gold chain with a gold K on it for my name.
Suri had given it to me on my twelfth birthday. The only one to ever remember when my birthday was.
I growled.
Refusing to go there.
But when my parents were involved, I always seemed to fail.
My parents didn’t really technically forget my birthday; they just chose to celebrate it, and I used the term celebrate loosely during their annual dinner party where my mother had the cook make me a cupcake.
A single cupcake that had no sugar, no calories, or so she thought.
Every time the cook set it down in front of me, he winked.
I sighed at the memories that plagued me and then looked at myself in the mirror, and then... I smiled.
Because I looked good. Damn good.
Finally, I took the curlers out of my hair sprayed a few things into it to hold the curls, then shook my head a few times.
And then... perfect. Wild and untamed.
Just then, my phone pinged with a text.
Grey - Taking the truck, baby girl. Don’t change.
Me – Okay.
Grey – That it?
Me – Yeah. Why?
Grey – Not asking why?
Me – I think I’m starting to get the man you are, and if you want me to know, you’ll tell me.
Grey – Just landed my ass in the doghouse.
Me – Why?
Silence.
Me – Grey?
Silence.
I frowned.
Then, fifteen minutes later, when the clock showed five forty-five, there was a knock at the door.
I headed to it, lifted on my tiptoes, checked the peephole, and smiled.
I unlocked the door, and at my first look at him, I wanted to melt into a puddle of goo.
He had on a backward black ballcap, a black long-sleeved button-up with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, forearm porn, fucking perfect. And the jeans that hugged his thighs and were loose at the same time, oh my. He also had on black motorcycle boots.
But what I didn’t see was his kutte. I lifted a brow, “No, kutte?”
He didn’t respond for a few beats, then he said, “Gimmie a minute for my brain to come back online.”
I giggled, “What are you talking about?”