Chapter 26
The Good
It felt so good to sleep in Love’s arms, but I still woke up early outta habit. I made myself some coffee and stood by the window watching the sun taking over his penthouse while the city hummed below us.
I went and checked on Love and saw that he was still asleep. I smiled and walked out of the room and did what I do best for my nigga.
Cook.
I went to his fridge and got started on some pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast when I heard the bedroom door open.
I checked my reflection in the fridge, made sure my hair wasn’t all over the place, for when he smiled at me coming around the corner.
“Good morning, baby,” he said, spreading his arms wide.
I walked over and hugged him back.
“Good morning, Love.”
He kissed me, then looked over my head at the food on the table.
“Wow,” he said, walking around to see it better.
“It’s not much,” I said, standing back watching him. “I just wanted you to wake up to something.”
Love smirked and looked at me. “Baby, waking up to you is enough; this is just icing on the cake.”
Love pulled the chair out for me, and I went over and joined him.
He didn’t rush to eat. He sat back for a second, just looking at me… like he was studying me in a way that made my stomach twist a lil’ bit.
“You like taking care of your nigga?”
I nodded. “I do.”
I nodded while taking a sip of his drink. “Good.”
We ate, talking between bites. Nothing too heavy.
Just small shit, but it felt easy, it felt normal, it felt…
lit, it was supposed to be. I told him about my patients, the ones that had me fucked up and the ones that made my day.
He listened, really listened, not just nodding to move the convo along.
His phone rang a few times while we ate; he glanced at the phone and ignored it.
I smirked.
“You can take calls around me; I don’t mind if you need to work.”
Love smiled. “Nah, baby, I told them I was out of the office today; whatever it is can wait until I’m back.”
Once we finished eating, Love stood up and grabbed our plates. He placed them in the sink and washed them.
I have never seen a man look sexier. No shirt, his muscles on full display with tattoos crawling all over his body. He looked up from the sink; the sun was hitting his face just right so that the only thing that I could see was his hazel eyes.
“Why are you staring? You’ve never seen a nigga do dishes?” he asked, smiling.
I shook my head, standing up and walking over to him. “Unfortunately, not the nigga I had in my life.”
Love finished and dried his hands and cuffed my chin with his finger.
“I want you to forget who you were with. That’s not you anymore.”
I agreed. “You’re right, and to be honest, this is the happiest I’ve been.”
He kissed me and took my hand, pulling me to his room.
“Come on, let’s get dressed.”
I looked at him strange, but followed along.
We walked back in the bedroom, and I took a seat on the bed while he walked into the closet.
“Soo…” he stated as he pulled something out of the closet. “While I was out yesterday looking at another storefront, I stopped by the mall, and I saw this dress, and I thought of you.”
He walked out of the closet with a short black crocheted two piece with heels that tied up my legs. I looked over the dress with my mouth wide open.
“Baby, this is so pretty.”
“You like it?” Love asked. “I wasn’t sure if you would, but I thought it would look good on you.”
I nodded. “I love it, baby. Thank you.”
Love smiled and kissed me. “You don’t need to thank me. This is just the beginning.”
“Beginning to what?” I asked.
Love paused for a minute. “It’s the beginning of me keeping a smile on your face.”
I was about to respond when his phone rang, and he glanced at it, then back at me.
“Go ahead and get dressed. The car will be here in a few.”
I nodded as I walked away. I heard him pick up his phone.
“Why the fuck do you keep callin’ my phone? I told you I was busy today!” he said low, like he didn’t want me to hear it.
I slowed my walk to the bathroom, trying to listen to what he was saying.
“You blowing my line over a shipment I set up for today?” he paused for a second. “It’s gold shit, put it in my office and I will take care of it tomorrow, since you can’t do shit else, and if you call me again, I’ma fuck you up.”
He hung up the phone, and I rushed into the bathroom and started the shower. Love walked in not long after, pulled me over to him, and took his T-shirt off my body.
The steam from the shower curled around him, and Love took his time kissing my lips, then around my neck. He didn’t move too fast; he was slow and deliberate, letting me feel his hands and his lips all over my body.
Every touch lingered—shoulders, sides, back—it was like he was memorizing me, claiming me without words.
He pulled me into the shower and continued kissing all over me. When he stopped, he tilted my chin up, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip. “You’re ready for today?” His voice was low, quiet, but carried an edge that made my chest tighten.
I nodded, my words caught in my throat.
“Good,” he said, stepping back, grabbing a loofah, applying body wash, then turning me around and washing my back.
Love washed my whole body, and once the soap was off, he wrapped me in a towel and led me to the bedroom.
I didn’t say anything and just let him take care of me. Love dried me off, leaving me a lil’ damp, then rubbed oil all over my body. His hands were firm but still soft.
He had me fully relaxed on the bed, ready to spend the day right there in bed, when he stopped. I rolled to my side and looked at him, laughing a lil’ bit.
“You teasing me this morning,” I said, wrapping the towel around me.
Love laughed it off. “Nah, baby, I was about to start something when I got something else planned first.”
I squinted my eyes at him, and he blew me a kiss.
“Get dressed, mamas, I’ll be out in a lil’.”
I nodded as he walked back into the bathroom to get himself together, slid into the dress that he bought me, then went in and stood in the mirror. Love had taste. The two piece hugged my hips and had my breasts looking amazing.
He walked out of the bathroom while I was doing my hair and makeup, giving me a soft smack on my ass in passing.
And I zoned out for a minute, thinking about how normal things, being with Love so fast, and hoping that I wasn’t being delulu after Gio and falling for a nigga that was just going to play in the end.
I started to overthink a lil’, my heart was beating fast. When I felt his hands around my waist, his body pressed against mine from behind.
“Are you ready?” he asked like he knew I was silently tripping.
I nodded softly, feeling my body calm down under his hands.
“Yes, I am.”
I turned around to see Love handing me a Gucci bag.
“To go along with your outfit,” he said, like it was nothing, like the shit he was doing was normal.
I took the bag from him with a smile, and he took my hand.
“Come on, our car waiting.”
When we got outside, a black truck was waiting, the driver was standing at the back door, and opened it once he saw us coming. I slid in, and he followed, and once the door shut, I was laid up against him while he rubbed his thumb against my thigh.
The driver pulled off, and my eyes scanned the city while Love smoked. The ride was smooth, quiet at times, with us humming along to the music every now and then. Love laid kisses on my forehead. I glanced up at him when he wasn’t paying attention.
Love was confident, calm, and always showed he was in control, but when his phone rang again, and he looked at it, I saw a twitch in his eye that reminded me that he wasn’t just a pretty nigga. He was a nigga with layers.
After a while, I noticed we were driving up a ramp. I sat straight up, looking around. Love wasn’t budging; he just had a smile on his face. Once we reached the top, I was confused; it was an empty roof. No cars, no parking spots, nothing.
The driver parked, let us out, and drove off, leaving us standing there with Love not saying a word. I looked around, did a whole circle, and stared at him.
“What are we doing?” I asked.
Love smirked. “You know you look ridiculous right now?”
Love relit his blunt and smiled at me while I blinked like crazy, staring at him.
“Me—I look ridiculous?” I asked
He nodded, blowing smoke outta his mouth.
“Yes,” he said with all confidence, a smirk on his face. “You look ridiculously good in that outfit!”
We both laughed, and I smacked him in his chest. “You like to make me nervous.”
Love shook his head. “Nah, mamas, I just want you to remember that you that bitch.”
I nodded as I blushed. “You are making that easier for me.”
“That’s my job.”
I looked at the entrance of the rooftop, not knowing what we were waiting for, but figured something was going to be coming.
“You’re looking left and right when you need to be looking up,” Love said.
I paused for a second, hearing something in the distance, but it was getting closer. We both looked up at the same time, and I saw a helicopter trying to land in the middle of the rooftop.
I hurried and buried my face in Love’s chest, hoping the wind didn’t fuck up my hair.
Once it landed, and it turned off, I pulled away from Love.
“This for us?” I asked.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me to the helicopter.
“Come on, I’ma show you my city.”
We walked over to the helicopter; my heart was racing as I hopped in, part excitement, part nerves. We hopped in, and Love strapped me in and placed the headphones over my ears, then kissed my forehead.
“Calm down,” he said into his mic. “I got you.”
Once we were ready, Love tapped the pilot on the shoulders. He nodded, started the helicopter, and we were off. I buried my face in his chest as I felt us lift off the ground. My stomach flipped at the height, but Love held me tight.
“You never done this before, huh?” he asked, tilting his head to watch me.
“Never,” I admitted, my voice shaky.
He smirked. “Good. I like being your first.”