Chapter 16
MAJA
“Basketball or football?” I asked Von.
He held my hand as we walked down a pathway that circled the entirety of Gunner Cove.
Out there in the woods, I was sure to have no cell service.
My phone hadn’t shrilled once, and I wasn’t even upset about it.
I was in the moment, admiring the tall trees, lush vegetation, and calls of different bugs, birds, and other wood creatures.
“Football,” he replied. “The physicality is on another level.”
“Oh,” I jeered. “Should I be concerned that you like to be rough?”
His devilish grin caused my face to heat. I glanced away to break the hold his grill had on me.
“I’d never be rough with you,” he finally said. “Consider me No One Gentle Giant Gunner.”
I couldn’t contain the laughter that spilled from my chest. “You’re just gon’ hold on to that No One, huh?”
“Yep,” he stated, bringing me a little closer to his side. “You dubbed me that, and we ain’t changing it either.”
“Whatever, Von,” I mumbled.
He chuckled. “Aight, my turn. Apple pie or peach cobbler?”
Without hesitation, I answered, “Peach cobbler. My mama makes the best peach cobbler.”
Referring to Maddie as my mama so freely gripped my chest. Von noticed the change in my demeanor and slowed our step. In a split second, he had me in his arms.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
Brushing off the strange feeling, I forced a chuckle. “Nothing. Something just crossed my mind.”
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yes,” I assured him, “let’s keep walking.”
Reluctantly, he started us off again. “Okay, ya mama’s peach cobbler is top tier. That means you gotta put me on.”
This time when I chuckled, it was natural. “Good try. You don’t taste the peach cobbler unless I really like you.”
He scoffed. “I almost said something freaky as hell, but I’ma do right.”
My laughter filled the afternoon air and seemed to ruffle the trees’ leaves.
“That wasn’t meant to sound the way it sounded,” I defended.
“Nah, but it’s already out now,” he quipped. “So, since it is, I’ll say this. When I get a taste of the peach cobbler, you never gon’ be able to get rid of me.”
I laughed so loudly I just knew they heard me all the way back at the camp.
A few hours later, Von’s family geared up for a game of paintball. Up for grabs was another custom blanket. The rifle style guns were just my style.
“I got us, baby,” Von stated. “Just don’t get hit.”
Grinning, I replied, “Sure.”
There were ten of us—two to a team. We were spread out over the wooded area, and if it weren’t for the area being roped off, it would have been easy to get lost.
“Amaré is a good shot, so watch that nigga,” Von informed me.
Amaré glanced over at us and smirked. He was still salty about me beating him, so I smirked back.
“Everyone has two minutes to take your positions,” Mr. Gunner announced. “The last team standing wins. Go!”
I don’t know. Adrenaline shot through me as Von and I darted through the woods to take our positions.
Either this was so fucking romantic, or I was delusional as hell.
Maybe it was a little of both. Whichever way, I stifled a giggle when Von and I perched behind a large tree to wait for Mr. Gunner to give us the go-head.
Von glanced at me and licked his lips. “I’on know, shawty,” he whispered. “I kind of like how we look right now.”
I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.
“Go!” Mr. Gunner shouted, signaling the start of the game.
Von darted out and I was right behind him. A few of his cousins weren’t savvy with stealth movements, so it was easy to pick them off. Von narrowly dodged another one of his cousins, who caught a round from me.
“Fuck!” Dillian swore. He was Amaré’s partner, which made it even funnier.
Chuckling under my breath, I followed close behind Von to find our last target.
Amaré. We came to a thicket of brush that was complicated to move through without being detected.
Von put his finger to his lips, signaling for me to be quiet.
Truthfully, I wanted to turn my nose up at him because I wasn’t his real-life partner, and I knew what the hell I was doing.
Then I remembered, he didn’t know who the hell I was.
We stood still, listening to the brush of the leaves and breaking of tree limbs that laid along the ground.
Coupled with the wind, it was difficult to tell which direction the noise stemmed from.
The sounds grew closer, so Von knelt and aimed his gun to the left.
Checking through the scope of my paint gun rifle, I caught the movement of brush being moved.
Seconds later, a person appeared. I pulled the trigger just as Von did.
“Fuck!”
“Ah!”
Amaré pivoted on his foot, aiming his paintball gun at the man behind him. Simultaneously, Von stood and aimed his real gun at the man. The man wore a shocked face, raised hands, and white paintball splatter covered his face and chest. Otherwise, he looked like a regular old hiker.
Frantic, he said, “I’m sorry! I got lost. I’m tryin’ to find my way back to Greene Lake.”
Amaré approached him, skeptically looking him up and down.
“My family’s havin’ a ‘union over there,” the man said.
“You related to the Gussetts?” Von questioned.
The man nodded. “I’m Will Gussett. My mama is Danine.”
“Oh, I know you,” Amaré spoke. “You the lil’ nigga that play college ball.”
Again, Will nodded. “I’m sorry, man. I thought I was goin’ the right way, but I got lost.”
Von lowered his gun. “It’s all good. We’ll walk you back.”
“Thank you,” Will said.
As the four of us returned to join the Gunners, Von and Amaré kept side-eyeing me. I deduced that they were wondering how the hell I spotted Will. And why the hell my shot was on point.
***
Von and Amaré returned just as night settled in.
They must’ve forgotten about the whole paintball situation because they were both out on the dance floor having a good time.
I got another chance to observe Von and his dancing moves.
We’d been outside all day, and I wasn’t the least bit ready to call it a night.
From watching his parents slow dancing to listening to his brothers and their girlfriends schmoozing with each other, I reluctantly admit that I was enjoying myself.
Suddenly, Von was in my face reaching for my hands.
“Come dance with me,” he requested.
I didn’t have time to decline; he already had me on the makeshift dance floor.
I started off a little uneasy, but Von’s magnetic energy plunged me into the beat.
We danced to a couple of songs before I reclaimed my seat.
Von used a fan to cool me off, and in the middle of allowing him to be wipe the slight dew resting on my cheeks, his father’s eyes locked with mine.
There was so much in Mr. Gunner’s sharp, assessing gaze.
Throughout the time I’d been here, I noticed him watching me.
In his eyes reflected the admiration of seeing his son tend to me.
However, a warning also laid in his eyes.
In observing Von and his father’s relationship, it was evident that their love for each other ran deeper than the lake just off in the distance.
Von used yes sir and no sir when he talked to his father.
His keen eyes even watched the way his father moved, as if he was afraid Mr. Gunner’s aging body would give out on him.
I paid too much attention to them not to recognize the sheer adoration they shared for each other.
So, to see the warning in Mr. Gunner’s eyes shouldn’t have surprised me. Any man warning a woman to be careful with his son was alright with me. Then again, Mr. Gunner had always been on the right side of my memories.
***
“We ain’t gon’ skip over how you caught that nigga slippin’ earlier.”
Chuckling, I shrugged. “I was raised by Poppa and Adir. They teach all of us how to use a gun.”
“Hm. So, are you down to do this with me again?” he asked as we settled in that evening.
We had both showered, the lights were down, the television on a movie, and we were chilling against the headboard.
I sat between his thighs, nestled against his chest with my new blanket covering my body.
His arms were around me, and they had quickly become so familiar that I crawled inside them without him ushering me to do so.
“What? A date?” I asked.
He nodded. “Another weekend.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “What now?” The fact that I didn’t automatically say no caused butterflies to settle in my stomach.
“Pops is retiring from the force. We’re celebrating in Atlanta,” he informed me.
“How sweet.” Against everything inside me, I asked, “Is this going to be a road trip?”
“It is,” he confirmed. “Just me and you on the ride. You can get to know me some more.”
“Hm. And when is this trip supposed to happen?”
“The end of the month. I really want you with me when I go,” he said, then kissed my cheek.
He’d done that a lot this weekend, but we’d never actually kissed. Now that I was sitting here, I seemed to crave that very thing.
“What’s on ya mind, baby?” he quizzed.
Turning in his arms, I straddled his thighs. The shock on his face made me laugh. Sobering, I stared at Von and traced his face with my fingertips. His nose flared, and he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth. When my eyes met his eyes, I smiled at the intensity in his.
“What’s on ya mind?” he questioned, lowly. His eyes dropped to stare at my lips. Many times, I’d felt a man’s dick pressed against me. This was the first time I felt a dick against me that caused me to feel any attraction.
As my fingers trailed over his thick, moisturized lips, I mumbled, “I just want a kiss.”
His fingers took my chin and brought me close while his other hand rested on my hip. He kissed my lips, then said, “They belong to me now. Just like you.” His lips touched mine again. “You stuck wit’ me on some ‘til death do us part shit.”
I giggled against his lips. He was so funny. “You’re pushing it, Von.”