“Now that we have that out of the way, are you gonna answer my question?”
“Keeping it a buck, I don’t know. I feel like there's some symbolism in everything and the way it all happened, but then I wonder if I’m just overthinking.”
I reached into the box for a piece of pizza. “What do you mean?”
“When I got set up, I was behind a church. A Catholic priest found me and sat with me, telling me it wasn’t my time. Things were strange, and even the fact that when I thought things were all over that same ass Catholic priest put a cross in my hands.”
I nodded with nothing to say in response. He was questioning God, a being I had been questioning since a teen. The only difference for me was that I didn’t think of it much. It seemed like he was obsessed with it, but in his current situation, I really couldn’t blame him.
A brief silence brewed between us before he cracked open one of those nasty ass coconut waters and I immediately turned my face up.
“You're still drinking that shit too.”
He laughed. “Shit tastes good after a while.”
“Yeah, okay.”
He and I talked and ate for a while longer, this time keeping the conversation surface level. The bottom line was that both of us were fighting our own demons, but we didn’t have to obsess about them. For a minute he talked about his kid and how much he missed him while I thought about how strong that pull was. To be someone dealt this hand of cards with a little somebody depending on you to figure it all out and come home at some point. I couldn’t imagine the responsibility. Somehow, with everything I had learned about this man while being here, I found him wildly attractive. I shouldn’t have though, because one, his life was too much, and two, so was mine.
“I think it’s time I get going.” I stood from the bench we had occupied all night to stretch my bones.
“Nah, don’t. Stay. I ain’t ready to go back to moving silently around here yet.”
“And that means?” I asked, now standing in front of his still seated frame.
“Means I like the company. Fuck with me for a little while longer.”
I grinned at the implication.Shit, maybe I was misreading.“And what shall we do? I’m all talked out, handsome.”
“You tell me. You said we friends, right?”
At this point it was now or never. Mama ain’t raised no punk, pussy bitch. Lee didn’t either.
I stepped closer to him, closing the space between us. “I could think of a few things.” He sat with his back against the wooden table, arms folded and full body stretched in front of it. I opened my legs and slowly eased onto his lap before coming down.
“Like what?”
“Kiss me,” I demanded, like it was an answer.
He grinned, leaning forward, not kissing my awaiting lips but instead my neck and jawline for a few moments before finally connecting to my lips.
After he’d teased my neck enough, he lifted his head and those hooded, heavy eyes were on me, almost nonverbally asking if I was up for what was about to happen next.
I nodded.
His lips attacked mine, as he held onto my neck with one hand and my back with the other.Fuck.
We were airborne seconds later, him standing with me in his arms, carrying us both inside.
Lips locked and all, I still heard the patio doors lock before he carried us down a brief hall to what I assumed was his bedroom.
I was right because he lay me against the bed in seconds, then stood.
“Are you sure you're up for this?” he asked, staring at me.
I nodded. “Yep.”
He looked at me for a minute, almost studying me.
