“What’s up?” Even though there’s a flutter of excitement in my chest that he’s here, there’s more trepidation. I wasn’t prepared to talk to him.
“Why are you avoiding me?”
“I’m not. I’ve been busy.” I cross my arms.
“Jesus, Sin,” he speaks under his breath through barely moving lips. His eyes narrow and he closes the distance between us. I scurry back and away from him but run into the glass-paned storefront. He places a hand on either side of my head, caging me against the door. I look back and forth between the barrier of his arms and then up at his face. “The other night…at my house.” His voice is barely above a whisper but the images his words conjure—of his body, his dick, his face, my name, thatgroan—make an unholy ruckus that starts in the valley of my thighs and spreads.
I shake my head and say, “I don’t want to talk about the other night.”
“You’re acting like you don’t want to talk to me atall, Arsinoé.” The furrow between his thick raven brows is so strong, they nearly touch. My fingertips prickle with the urge to smooth away his frustration the way I have dozens of times before. But with everything so uncertain, I don’t dare touch him.
I clasp my hands together in front of me. “That’s not true. There just…isn’t much to say,” I lie through my teeth.
His eyebrows shoot up and he takes a small step back. “Oh, really? You don’t have questions?”
Too many to list. “I mean…I guess. But I’m not asking. You have your reasons and they aren’t any of my business. I’m sorry I interrupted. We’re fine.”
“Are you going to pretend youdidn’trun when you saw me on Tuesday?” His lips are only a few inches away and my legs are turning into Jell-O.
I close my eyes and count to five, willing my heart to be still before I open them again and meet his probing gaze straight on. “I wasn’t running from you. I was late. Can you please step back?” I ask, my voice clipped.
He rolls his eyes but does what I ask.
Barely.
I can still smell him…subtle, spicy, and safe. Mine.
I wish.
“I came all this way so I could talk to you, Sin.”
“What is there to talk about? I’m sorry I interrupted. I’m sorry I watched.”
I break eye contact and look straight ahead so my eyes are level with his Adam’s apple.
I love his neck. I look down at the ground .
“So you weren’t hurt? Jealous?”
“Of course not.”
He’s silent for a beat, and I look up again to find him watching me with an unreadable expression.
“I swear, it’s all good. I don’t want to ruin our friendship, Kwame. I really, really don’t.” I reiterate, this time holding his gaze.
He opens his mouth like he’s about to speak and then presses his lips together. “How could getting closer ruin it?” He lets out a long breath and swallows hard. “For me, the closer we get, the better it feels.” He steps toward me, and my stomach does a flip.
My phone buzzes with an alert. I glance at my watch and have never been so happy to see my brother’s name in my life. “Adonis is almost here. I have to go.”
“Sin. Come on.” He runs to get in front of me and stops me in my tracks, puts one hand on my shoulder and uses the other to capture my chin and turn my face up to his. His dark brown eyes are so familiar I wish I could stop wondering what’s really behind them.
“Who is she?” I ask and get some satisfaction from his wince.
“It was a hook-up between old friends who were blowing off steam.”
“Then why not me?” The words are out before I even realize I amthinking them. I clamp hand over my mouth and shake my head. “I didn’t mean that.” I close my eyes and wish the ground would swallow me whole.
He crosses his arms over his chest and cocks his head to one side. “No take backs,” he winks.
