I laughed. “You’re right, I do, and I love it when he calls me Killa instead of my government like my father. Nice seeing you, Sergeant.”
He glared at me but didn’t say another word as I moved around him and his cart to pass.
“Listen here, you little arrogant bitch.” He grabbed my wrist with a quickness, forcefully pulling me into him.
My reaction was immediate. I dropped the mayo and throat checked him to create some space.
He let my wrist go and fell into the dressing aisle, coughing and gasping for air.
I glared at him before leaning down to grab the mayonnaise. “You don’t know me. You know what you’ve assumed and probably a few things you’ve heard, but I’m much fucking worse. Keep your hands to yourself before you have to spend life without them.”
I hoped to God he understood now, but something told me he still didn’t get it. Men like him didn’t do well with rejection, especially from women. They still had that fifties’ mindset and in their eyes we were property. That was why he thought he could grab me.
“You good with kids?”Iso asked randomly as I sat on the island watching him season the chicken breasts.
I nearly choked on my Coke. “Um yeah, are you trying to tell me you want kids or something?” Confusion lived in my features because the randomness of his question had totally caught me off guard.
“No, I have a son, as you know, and you’ll be in his life.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“What, you don’t want kids?” He turned and looked at me, attempting to study my expression but it was hidden by the Coke can at my lips.Thank God.
“It’s not that. I just never saw myself in that space… this space?” I answered honestly, setting the can beside me.
“What space?” His back was to me again.
“The space where I don’t know whether to tell you I’m falling in love with you or sit here and swallow it.”
He turned around and faced me, eyes serious, studying my features for sincerity before he set the seasoning next to the chicken on the cutting board and stepped between my legs. His hands cradled my face in seconds.
“Ain’t never told a woman other than my mama that I love her, Killa. But on my whole fucking soul, I love you.”
I could have cried right there, not a cute little girly cry but the mucus-filled, ugly ass cry people did when they were alone or couldn’t catch themselves.
“Really?” I found myself asking.
“Yeah, really. It’s just us, baby. I love you even though you hit me off with that friend shit when we first met.”
I laughed hard as hell. “Given I had absolutely no intention of getting involved with or loving you.”
He laughed. “Yeen have no fucking choice.”
I was about to speak, but the ringing of one of our phones interrupted that. I glanced at the table near the door and neither of mine were lighting up, so it had to be his. It was confirmed when he picked it up and answered, putting it on speaker.
“Yo,” he answered, moving back to the space between my legs.
“I got a location on something we’ve both been looking for. Tunnels ain’t that deep.”
“Oh, for real?” he asked. Something other than the joy he was just carrying filled his eyes.
“Yeah, you ready to finally come back from the dead?”
Iso laughed. “Where at?”
“Clubhouse. Last on the other side of the piers.”
He nodded before verbally responding. “Bet.”
