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He watched Kell run his narrow fingers through his hair in frustration. “Crap. I want to be able to help you, Ty. Contribute. But, I’ll be honest. I’m not one for strategizing. I’m more of an executor. I can follow orders to the letter.”
Ty was amazed how things kept falling into alignment for them. While they’d had countless conversations about their life and growing up, they still had so much left to learn. What Kell just confessed to him was simply another piece of the puzzle settling into its perfect place. Every day, he saw new reason why Kell was indeed his soulmate. His one and only. What man was so at ease admitting to needing a leader to follow?
Ty took one of Kell’s hands and wove their fingers together, staring at their beautiful contrast. “You just don’t know how much you contribute, do you? Your presence puts my mind at peace. Makes everything appear much clearer. You don’t have to put pressure on yourself to formulate and execute. How about you let me take half of that responsibility off you. If I make the plans, you can carry them out.”
“I can do that,” Kell said confidently, a weight looking to roll off his shoulders.
“Can you do that in our life as well? In our marriage? In our home?” Ty flipped the business back to personal. “If I lead you, will you follow me?”
“Only if you promise to never lead me astray.”
“Never,” Ty swore.
Kell leaned over and sealed their promise with a delicate kiss.
“Now let me tell you my plan for both of these idiots, then I’m taking you out this evening.”
“Where are we going?”
“Dinner. Then to my apartment.”
Kell wasn’t in his usual black hood and cotton ninja pants. Instead, he’d chosen light jeans and a thick sweater underneath his heavy all-weather jacket. Before they got out of the Lyft, Ty made sure Kell’s hood was up and his scarf was back around his neck and shielding most of his face. He was going back to his apartment, back on the block for the first time since he’d made an enemy. It’d been several weeks, and he was hoping the out of sight, out of mind had worked for him.
“You think there will be trouble?” Kell asked while they made their way up the couple of steps to his building.
“No,” Ty said and pulled open the door for them to go inside. He didn’t want Kell worrying. He didn’t plan to be there long, just needed to get his outfit ready for Thursday. Ty opened the hall door and checked that it was empty before stepping through, keeping Kell’s hand tight in his.
As soon as the door slammed shut, the black widow’s creaked open. Kell’s steps slowed. Ty didn’t make eye contact with her as he moved past her web.
“Ay Papi. Where you been? You leave me so long?” Alejandra stood in her door with ninety percent of her banging, pecan body on display.
Ty didn’t answer just nodded respectfully and kept moving. He owed her no explanation. He saw the way she craned her neck to see who he had with him. Couldn’t tell who his company was. When Ty didn’t respond in the way she’d wanted, her door slammed shut. He unlocked his apartment door and closed them inside.
When he set his keys on the kitchen counter and turned around, Kell was in his face. His shimmering eyes questioning.
Ty smirked. “I have not had sexual relations with that woman.”
Kell laughed and playfully punched him in his side. “You think that’s funny?”
Ty kept trying to block Kell’s playful strikes to his chest and abs. “I’m serious. She talks like that on purpose. Makes a man feel like he’s already done the deed. Already looked on her flesh and lusted over it. Nothing left to do but lay with her. So, most men do.” He stared his soon-to-be husband dead in his eye. “I’m not most men.”
“I believed you the first time.” Kell smiled then left the small kitchen.
Ty tried to see his small project apartment through fresh eyes. He’d never cared what anyone thought of how he lived, but Kell’s opinion meant everything to him. Only Kell’s. There really wasn’t much to see. All of his valuables were kept in a bank vault and most of his important items had been packed when Brian gotten him. But, he had a lot of clothes. And he needed a particular outfit to pull off their stunt Thursday night.
“I like your home, Ty,” Kell said, looking around at the minimal furnishings.
It wasn’t much but it was clean.
“It was a place to lay my head, shorty. It was never a home.” Ty came and put his arms around Kell’s shoulders and kissed his forehead. “What I’m going to give you will be a home.”
“You will be my home. Wherever you are,” Kell whispered.
