Chapter 4 #2
I chuckled and grabbed the cognac. “You’re pretty as fuck, and I ain’t had the chance to admire you in a minute. I’ma indulge tonight.”
She cut her eyes at me again, but this time, she couldn’t hide her blush under her smooth, light skin. She downed her second shot quicker than she had the other but said nothing else. I opened my bottle and drank some of it before saying, “It’s your turn, Doll.”
She deliberately avoided my stare as she grabbed the phone from my hands. She took her time scrolling through the app slowly until she finally cleared her throat and looked up.
“Do you pee in the shower?”
I had just turned my bottle up when she started her question, and it took some real effort for me to swallow the liquid without laughing.
“Nigga, what ?” I asked, finally placing the bottle back on the table.
Giggling, she shrugged and showed me the screen so that I could read the question for myself. “Answer or drink.”
“Hell nah, I’on pee in no shower. I handle business before I get in there.”
She flashed me a look of disbelief, and I smirked.
“You be doin’ that shit, huh?” I asked.
She burst out laughing at that, and her face turned bright red.
“It’s not my question, so I plead the fifth!” she said between laughs, and that shit had me cracking up too.
“Yeah, I bet.”
I took the phone from her and asked another lighthearted question, and we went on like that for a while, just vibing, drinking, and getting to know each other again.
I appreciated that we could still laugh together like we did as youngins and that she hadn’t changed in any of the ways that mattered.
She was still bright, bubbly, and selfless.
Her family was still everything to her, and she still rode for the people closest to her. She was still perfect . . . for me.
When it was my turn to ask a question again, I decided to get rid of the phone and ask the questions I really wanted answers to.
“You believe all that puppy love shit you was talkin’ earlier? You really think what we had wasn’t real?”
I watched as her gaze faltered, and all the nervousness that had disappeared throughout the course of the evening resurfaced on her face. After inhaling deeply, she released it then took a long sip from her glass.
“N-next question,” she said softly. Although we had been sipping all night, that was the first question she actually drank to. I knew the answer to my question, but I wanted her ass to admit it. She wasn’t about to give me that, though, and it pissed me off.
“Scary ass.”
She kissed her teeth and set her glass on the table again.
“I’m not scary, Brick.”
“You are, though. You in here actin’ all shy and shit like you don’t know me, Dy.
Like, I don’t know you . Your homegirl kept it realer on that thirty-second phone call than you have in the hours we’ve been together.
She said you used to talk about me, and you wanna reduce our connection to fuckin’ puppy love.
If you’re not scary, prove it and be real wit’ me. Answer the damn question.”
Folding her arms aggressively, she turned her body toward mine. “Okay. I’ll answer your question if you answer mine.”
I chuckled. “Shoot.”
“LaShontae Brooks. Did y’all ever get together?”
I observed her silently for a moment, wondering where the hell that question came from.
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.
Tae was always trying to turn my head away from Dylan and toward her.
There were never any secrets about how much LaShontae hated Dy when we were coming up.
LaShontae was cute, but Dy was gorgeous.
And she had the heart to match it. LaShontae wanted me in middle school, but I could never see past Dylan Ivie.
I felt like my answer would shift the vibe we had going, but I couldn’t call her scary for avoiding my question if I was just going to do the same thing.
After a minute, I just came out and said the words I knew she didn’t want to hear. “Yeah. Senior year. The shit we had lasted for a while, but she was never you.”
That wasn’t a lie. LaShontae and I did hook up for the first time during our senior year, and our off-and-on relationship lasted a while. I just wasn’t trying to admit that that while lasted up until a few months ago. Dy would for sure dip on me if she knew that.
I half expected her to ask how long a while was, but instead, she just said, “Hmph.” Then, she sighed and said, “ No , I don’t think what we had was fake or childish.”
I moved her bottle out of her reach and smirked. “I know. When was the last time you thought about me before today?”
Her eyes widened. “You can’t do that. It’s my turn.”
I shook my head. “Nah, it ain’t. When’s the last time you thought about me?”
“Yesterday,” she admitted, rolling her eyes hard. With a now hardened expression, she returned her attention to that damn cup.
That was another thing about Dy that hadn’t changed. She was easy to open up to because she was trustworthy and always had your best interests at heart. She had a habit of keeping her own feelings on lock, though. And just like when we were younger, she liked to pout when she was forced to open up.
Her response was enough to make me forget about her little attitude.
“Word?” I asked, raising a brow. She paused a moment but eventually looked over at me. When our eyes met again, hers immediately softened, and she smiled a little.
“Yep. I take the train to Maria’s office building because it’s not that close to home, and of course, traffic is crazy.
Anyway, I had to go by there yesterday, and I saw this man on the train.
He didn’t really look like you, but he had your dimple.
It shook me up to the point where I got off three stops early and walked the rest of the way to shake it off. ”
I saw the sincerity in her eyes, and I couldn’t lie. It felt good to know that she hadn’t forgotten about a nigga. I guess I was quiet for too long because when I looked at her again, she was rolling those eyes. “What?” she asked harshly. “You think I’m corny? Or lying?”
I chuckled. “Nah, I’m not thinking either of those things. I’ve been seein’ your face in strangers for years, so I’m just happy I ain’t the only one.”
“Oh,” she said, just before tucking her bottom lip between her teeth. A few minutes of silence went by before I let her know it was her turn to ask a question.
“It’s on you, Doll.”
She glanced at me.
“Okay.” She sighed. “You-um-did you . . . did you used to love me? Like . . . love me?”
I eyed her as her teeth released her lip, and she took subtle deep breaths. She tried to maintain eye contact, but her eyes kept dropping, and after a while, she was scanning everything in the room that wasn’t attached to me.
She was obviously nervous about my response, but she had no reason to be. That answer came easily.
“Used to?” I asked, lifting my arm toward her. With my index finger, I lifted her chin and turned her head in my direction. I waited until she gave me her nervous eyes again before saying, “Dy, I love you today .”
That one truth must have done it for her because her next move was to lean in and place those lips on mine.
And damn if they weren’t soft.
I wasn’t trying to take it there tonight, but it seemed my Doll had other plans.
With her mouth still on mine, she straddled me and grabbed my face, deepening our kiss.
She had a few drinks, and I knew she was tipsy, so I knew I needed to be the one to slow this down.
The way she had me feeling as she slowly moved her body against mine made that task much easier said than done.
Resisting the urge to grip her waist, I finally broke away from our kiss. Dy pouted instantly, making me smile.
“We gotta chill, Dy,” I said in a low tone.
Her frown deepened before she leaned into me and kissed me again.
Fuck, this woman is trying me .
“Why?” she asked, kissing my neck softly.
I exhaled. “’Cause, Dy. I’on need us moving too fast and doin’ something you’ll regret later. I’m happy as fuck to have you back in my life, and I wanna keep you here. I don’t wanna do somethin’ that’s gon’ have you overthinking and cuttin’ me off in the morning.”
She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around my neck.
She began rocking her hips again, and kissing my face, neck, and chest between her words as she responded.
“That’s not going to happen, Brick. I’m happy to have you back, too, and I’m not going anywhere.
We aren’t moving too fast. We’re catching up.
I’ve wanted this with you for a long time, and you’re not about to deny me of it. ”
With that, she claimed my lips again, and it was all I could take. I had wanted this with her for the longest, too, and I could only resist so much. Dy was insisting on going there tonight, and I was done fighting her on it.
Gripping the back of her thighs, I repositioned her so that her back pressed against the plush carpet as I hovered above her. I kissed her again, slower this time, allowing myself to taste every part of her.
I pulled back just enough to see her. Her hair spread around her, and her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes were dark yet soft, and a gentle, confident smile graced her face. Her beauty had my heart thudding so loud that I couldn’t hear shit else.
Damn . I’m in love with this woman .
I didn’t care how many years we had been apart or how young we were when we were together last. Every feeling I’d ever had for Dylan Ivie intensified every time I looked in her eyes, and as she stared back with the same love I felt in her expression, I knew she was it for me. I just fucking knew it.
Pushing her sweater up to reveal the caramel brown skin of her stomach, I kneeled between her legs. As I helped her out of her clothes, I allowed my hands to explore, memorizing every inch, every freckle. She shivered under my touch.
Dylan reached up and slid my shirt up my chest before helping me remove it. She traced the lines of my shoulders as I admired her pretty face. Her touch had my stomach tightening, and as badly as I wanted to taste her, I needed to feel her more. We would run it back in due time anyway.
Dipping my head, I ran my tongue across her breast, taking it into my mouth. Once I slid inside her, it was like everything in my life aligned. I didn’t expect anything less, though. Dy was my missing piece, and I knew it.
She gasped, digging her nails into my back as she arched hers.
I moved inside her slowly, partly to allow her to adjust to my size, but also to try and calm my own body down.
I didn’t know if it was the anticipation of finally having the woman I wanted all these years, the feelings I knew I had for her, or the fact that her insides were actual perfection, but Dy was testing my control and my stamina. She felt so damn good .
“Brick . . .” she whispered, her voice cracking as she moved with me, her legs wrapping around my waist, pulling me deeper. Her head fell back, and I pressed kisses to her collarbone, her throat, and the soft spot beneath her ear.
Every roll of her hips, every moan, and every whispered plea made it harder for me to hold back on her. I wanted to take my time, but the way she clenched around me made it difficult. The way she whispered my name in my ear like it was something sacred made it damn near impossible.
“Got damn , Doll. You feel so fuckin’ good.”
Surrendering to my urges, I quickened my pace, and she was right there with me, matching every thrust. I kissed her hard and knew by the tightening of my core that I wouldn’t last much longer. When Dy’s hips began to stutter and her body tightened around mine, I knew she wouldn’t either.
Seconds later, I felt her fall apart beneath me, shaking and calling my name as she released. I followed her over the edge seconds later then pressed my forehead to hers, allowing relief to crash over me as I emptied into her.
We lay there for a while, silently tangled on the floor and breathing heavily. Her hands traced the tattoos on my chest as I pressed kisses to her face. After a while, I scooped her into my arms and stood, before lying on the couch and placing her on top of me.
I wrapped my arms around Dy as she rested her head on my chest. I tucked her hair behind her ear, and she kissed my shoulder.
When she looked up at me, there was something in her eyes that let me know she had something on her mind.
“Wassup, Doll?”
“Nothing,” she said softly. “I’m just glad we ran into each other today.”
I chuckled and kissed her temple again before tightening my hold on her.
This right here felt all types of right, and I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.
After only a few hours with Dylan Ivie, I knew I wanted no part of the life I had without her for the last twelve years. I was never letting her go again.