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“I told you I would consider it, but I’m not comfortable being around the two of you together just yet. I don’t feel like he deserves you on any level, but I’ll respect you keeping the peace and being his friend.” His grip around me tightened. “I’m just not ready for that yet, Angel, but I’ll try in the future.”
With respect, I kissed his cheek and his nose. That was good enough for me. The desire to get off his lap and put space between us was nonexistent. I found myself snuggling up against him, getting comfortable to stay awhile.
“You’re my best friend,” I shared. “My soul mate. I’m so happy to have you in my life. You’re the only person I’ve ever felt comfortable enough to be myself with. You’re truly my person, Jerry. I love you so much.”
His large palm cupped my cheek and tilted my head while it lay on his chest. Our eyes connected, and I loved the softness in his. Our mouths were like magnets, drawn to one another. This time, I didn’t want to be careful and avoid my desire for him. This time, I found myself holding his wrist, wanting to make sure he didn’t take the sweetness of his kiss away until I’d had my fill.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered against my lips. “I know I agreed to us not doing that again, but…”
“Shh…” Cupping the back of his head, I lowered his lips back to mine. His hand lowered to my ass as his tongue swirled around mine. Moaning into his mouth, I relaxed more into his frame as he cradled me against him.
“The fuck?” At the sound of Nova’s voice, I pulled away from Jeremiah. Had he not had such a strong grip on me, I would’ve fallen onto my carpeted floor from jumping so hard.
“Nova,” I called, feeling as guilty as a kid with their hand in the cookie jar.
This felt sinful.
I tried to stand and make my way over to him to explain, but Jeremiah held me tighter.
“So this is why you couldn’t text me back?”
“Um… I…” Stammering, I looked to Jerry for help. He offered none. I’m not sure why I felt so nervous being found in this position with Jerry, but my heart was racing. “I would like to be your friend.” Clawing at Jerry’s arm, I asked, “Will you let me go so I can stand up?” His eyes left mine and met Nova’s. “Jeremiah.” His arms slowly unraveled from around me. Standing, I wiped the corners of my mouth and took a small step in Nova’s direction.
“Y’all together now?”
“No, we’re just…” Twiddling my thumbs, I looked back at Jeremiah. “I’m not exactly sure what we are, but we’re not in a relationship. He’s… he’s still my…”
“Soul mate.” Nova released a humorless chortle. “Yeah, that’s what you call him, right?”
“What does this have to do with you?” Jeremiah asked, standing from his seat. “She said she’s cool with being your friend. If that’s all you wanted, you can leave now.”
I didn’t know who to look at… who to give my attention to. My natural response had always been to run, so that’s what I did. Leaving them both standing there like alpha dogs trying to stake their claim, I headed down the hall so I could go outside and get some fresh air. What I’d said to Nova wasn’t a lie. I didn’t knowwhatthe hell was going on between me and Jeremiah.
All I knew was, I was seeing him differently and desiring him in ways I never had before, and I don’t know how to turn that off. There’s no part of me that wants to risk what I have with Jeremiah, especially after things turned so sour between Nova and me. Whatever this was, we needed to make it stop, no matter how natural it felt to be in Jerry’s arms and on his lips.
15
Jeremiah was trying to make a liar out of me.
I said nothing could happen between us, but the more time we spent together privately, the more he made me want to change that. Not intentionally. There wasn’t anything special or extra he’d been doing. Jeremiah Simpson was making me fall in love with him just by beinghimself.
On Sundays, we prepared for the week together. Outside of crafting our to-do lists and getting our meal prep done, we picked out our work clothes as well. At my home, we were just about done with everything when the lights went out. The vibe wasn’t completely ruined. It was still daylight out, so I could see in my closet. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to cook until the power came back on.
“Chap, I thought you said you were calling your uncle about this?” Jerry confirmed, making his way into my room.
“I forgot. It’s been just the outside lighting for a while now. This is the first time the lights have gone out in here too.”
“I don’t want to leave you here without power, so pack what you need to pack and come home with me.”
With a squeal, I shifted gears with my packing. I loved Jeremiah’s home. He had an indoor pool that I couldn’t wait to swim in, and he had a pantry loaded with unhealthy snacks. His home theater was bomb. We were going to have a great time tonight.
“Do you need me to handle this for you?” Jeremiah asked, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I can get one of the electricians we work with for my properties…”
“Oh, no. You don’t have to do that. I’ll get my uncle to take care of it for free.”
“When are you going to call him, Chap?”
“I’ll call when we get to your house, I promise.”
