Chapter 23 VONSHAE
VONSHAE
There were plenty of things that should’ve caused my heart to race to damn near exploding. I’d been shot at, stared killers in the face, and caught my own body or two. Not in any of those situations did I recall having my heart nearly imploding inside my chest.
As if she wanted me to croak behind this steering wheel, Maja’s hand cupped my chin and tugged at my beard. My heart sped up even more.
“You’re quiet,” she stated. “Everything okay?”
I chuckled and took her hand into mine. Her touch was unmatched and ignited everything inside of me. “I’m tryna calm my fuckin’ heart down, baby.” She cracked up as I took her hand and placed it over my chest. “Feel how fast this shit is beating.”
Giggling, she agreed, “It is beating a little fast. Don’t worry, I know CPR should you need it. I’ll save you.”
I came to a red light and peered at her. “You’d save me?”
“Of course,” she responded without hesitation.
Shit, I was too afraid to believe the look in her eyes.
Just a few weeks ago, I sensed that she wanted to pull away from me.
I knew that telling her about my possible promotion was going to cause her to regress, which was why I told her.
I wanted all my cards to be on the table, and I didn’t want any surprises.
It was probably selfish of me, but I wanted Maja to want everything about me, not just the man who quickly fell hard for her. I wanted her to accept my badge.
“That means a lot to me, baby,” I said.
She smiled, and the way her eyes lit up pierced me in my chest. That look was there, and it wasn’t a figment of my imagination.
We made it to the venue, and I was too excited to show off Maja. I was too eager to hold her hand, intertwine our fingers, and have her closer.
“Before we go inside, I have something for you.” Reaching into the backseat, I retrieved the gift bag. Inside was something stunning in its own right but had no bearings on my woman.
She opened the long, thin box and gasped. “Von! This is gorgeous!”
Inside was a diamond necklace with a pendant etched with my badge number. She already wore the diamond choker I bought her some time ago. However, I added the necklace around her neck, and it coupled perfectly with the other one.
Climbing out of my truck, I made my way to her side and opened the door.
When she took my hand, I helped her down and relished the way her shoulders squared and her head lifted regally.
Her confidence shined brightly, and it drew me like a magnet.
Her presence garnered everyone’s attention, including my brothers and Lewis, who’d made the trip from Atlanta to be here in support of my parents.
I led Maja to the table and seated her before dapping my people, then taking the chair next to her.
There wasn’t even an inch separating us.
As the ceremony commenced, I could do nothing but stare at Maja.
Mesmerized wasn’t even the term to describe the stupor I was under.
Her spell was strong and snagged me by every inch of my heart.
The sound of applause drew me away from staring. Everyone stood and clapped for my parents as they began their first dance. Lovely, my mama was. Dashing was the man whose arms she was in. My parents’ love for each other was something that couldn’t be broken. Not by anything or anyone.
As other couples joined them on the dance floor, I couldn’t resist pulling Maja along.
Unlike the first time I danced with her, she beamed brightly as she plastered her body to mine.
The live band went into their rendition of Spend My Life With You by Tamia and Eric Benet.
My fingers slowly skimmed down the side of Maja’s face because I was enthralled to the point of hypnotization.
“I want to melt you and drink every last drop of you,” I murmured against her lips.
Desire lit her eyes, creating a sparkle that I never wanted to see die. We danced through two more songs, then retreated to our seats to prepare for dinner. I couldn’t wait for the evening to end. All I envisioned was making love to Maja.
“If you ain’t careful, you gon’ burn the building down, bruh,” Lewis jested.
I burst out laughing and said, “Shouldn’t you be minding ya business? You should’ve invited Shyah.”
He mugged me. “She won’t answer any of my calls. I’m thinking about popping up on her ass.”
Maja chuckled. “Sounds interesting. Her birthday is in a few weeks.”
“Maybe you should drop by and surprise her,” I added.
Lewis grinned like he won the lottery. “Drop me the location, and I’ll be there.”
“If you fuck this up, it’s on you,” I warned him.
“When have you ever known me to fuck up anything?” he questioned.
“Never,” I replied.
“Exactly. Now get back to staring at ya girl while I leave my woman a voicemail,” he stated.
Maja and I died laughing. We spent the rest of the evening stealing touches, glances, and soft kisses as my family did what they did best. Fellowship wasn’t anything new to us. This shit was embedded so deeply in us that it would continue for generations to come.
Sometime later, Maja and I shared another dance.
Like before, I gazed into her eyes and held her so closely that air was non-existent between us.
Although the music played and everyone was loud as hell, I heard nothing but the beat of my heart attempting to keep up with the racing of my thoughts.
I’d never felt this shit before. Never felt as if I could battle the whole world to save every moment in time I had with Maja.
“I have something to tell you,” she whispered.
Swiping my thumb over her lips, I replied, “I’m listening.”
“If my heart is broken, I can be dangerous. I don’t want to be that way with you.”
Leaning down, I whispered back, “If my heart is broken, I can be dangerous. I don’t want to be that way with you.”
When I leaned back, her eyes sparkled with understanding. She perched her head on my chest, and we continued to dance, forgetting about anything and everything around us.