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“No.” Kirsten’s eyes shot over to their mother who left the kitchen, heading to the dining room where they always had Sunday dinners. “His family is. He’s only affiliated by association. Trust me, I know better,” she hissed but War wasn’t buying it.
He wanted more for his sister. The heartache he knew the streets caused wasn’t the type of life he wanted Kirsten connected to. He experienced firsthand how dangerous it could be and how taxing it could be to a woman’s heart when she loved a man whose hands were dirty.
“That’s just as bad, Kirs.”
Her eyes shot over to her mother once again as she reentered the kitchen. “Can we talk about it later?”
War flexed his jaw, not wanting to let the subject go until he made it clear that she wasn’t about to travel down that road.
“Please.”
“Yeah, aight but we will talk about it later,” he warned.
“Help me set the table, Kirsten, and War, you bring in the rest of the food. I know your greedy behind is ready to eat.”
After a long hard warning glare issued to his sister, War smiled at his mother. “You know I am. Shit smells good too.”
He lifted the dish she’d placed next to him and carried it to the dining room. He was prepared to enjoy time with his family before heading home to chill for the rest of the night. Time was the thing he had trouble getting used to. Stepping away from the life that used to consume him meant a lot of free time that War hadn’t figured out how to manage.
“This is stupid.” Cali’s nerves got the best of her as she approached the street that led to War’s house. She had gone back and forth in her mind with the idea of randomly showing up at his house since she left her sister’s apartment earlier that day. It was now evening, slightly late considering she wasn’t necessarily a friend, and arriving at someone’s house unannounced at nine in the evening could send the wrong message. The problem was she wasn’t sure if she cared.
When she reached the gate and slowed her car to a stop, Cali’s stomach flipped. She hadn’t thought things through completely. War wasn’t expecting her and the massive gate prevented Cali from just pulling up and knocking on his door. Her eyes darted to the exterior of his home before they landed on the gate, causing a harsh sigh to escape her lips.
“What are you doing, Cali? This was a bad idea.” She lowered her forehead onto her hands, gripping the top of her steering wheel, pushing out a deep breath before her head popped up when the gate began to separate. She frowned a little before lifting her foot from the brake, traveling through the gates. Anxiety crept in once she parked in the circular drive, in the exact spot War had the night he’d brought Cali to his house. Only this time there weren’t any other cars.
Please don’t let this end badly.
Shit, what if he’s not the one who opened the gate.
Maybe he does have a girlfriend.
A million and one thoughts rushed through her head until the door opened and War stepped out, bare chest and feet, wearing black joggers. He stopped on the porch, expression unreadable, but damn if he didn’t look good. Cali wasted no time admiring his corded arms at his sides, hands submerged into his pockets. His pecs and abs were defined and the V that disappeared into the waist of his joggers had Cali swallowing hard.
Shit, this man is fine.
When he angled his head to the side, peering into the car, she felt stupid for just sitting there lusting over his body. She hurried out and rounded the vehicle, leaning against the passenger side, smiling with nervous eyes.
“I uhh… I wanted to see you. I hope you don’t mind. I would have called first but, well, I didn’t have your number.”
It felt like an eternity passed before his right cheek hiked, offering half a smile. “Nah, not at all. You gonna come in or we chillin’ out here?”
A joke, good, maybe he really doesn’t mind.
Cali released a sigh of relief she prayed he didn’t notice before opening the passenger door and lifting the bag she arrived with. After they were inside and War locked up behind them, he motioned to her hands.
“You brought a present?”
Cali smiled widely. “Cupcakes. A bunch of different kinds. You said you didn’t like chocolate so I picked some that might be a better fit.”
He chuckled and nodded, heading to the kitchen and Cali followed. While War waited, she placed the bag on his island and removed the two small pink boxes. Each one held four cupcakes.
“Vanilla, strawberry, cheesecake, and red velvet are in this one. Confetti, snickerdoodle, cinnamon, and French vanilla are in that one.”
“Vanilla is good.”
Cali removed the lid and handed the vanilla cupcake topped with cream cheese icing to War before she hopped on the counter and removed the red velvet for herself.
He watched as she tugged at the wrapper and took a bite that consumed damn near half. He chuckled, following her lead, but his first bite was a lot smaller than hers. He wasn’t a sweets person but watching Cali enjoy the cupcake had him wanting to know what it tasted like on her tongue.
