Her limbs were too weak to recoil as he led her up his curved staircase, and her emotions were too expended to acknowledge his fingers curling between hers unlike other times where he’dheld her hand with reserve. Her temples throbbed with a sudden headache as she studied his home and noticed the structural beauty but emptiness of it since he had no one to share it with. She couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t a home at all, especially when Relic lived in his head more than anywhere else.
He guided her into a room before flicking on the light, and her steps faltered as she scanned his master suite that her apartment could fit inside. Kennedy studied the sitting area, where an eggshell sofa and matching ottoman were beside a cornered glass table, while Relic stepped forward and pointed at a dresser drawer.
“Boxers and undershirts are there. I’ll get your water right while you grab what you need.”
“I can get my own water right, and I don’t want to go through your things. Just point me to the bathroom.”
“Do what I said.”
Relic didn’t leave room for a debate. He walked off as her eyes rolled before she dragged her feet to his dresser and snatched open the top drawer. Her heart plummeted to her ass when the first thing she spotted was a black and gold box.
Condoms.
It was scenarios like finding an open box of condoms that used to send her fist upside Ezekiel’s damn head. He hadn’t used any with her, and Relic didn’t attempt to the few times they’d fucked on the low either. The thought to count them crossed her mind, but she did the saner thing, grabbing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt before shutting the drawer to not trigger herself further. A scornful bout of laughter slipped from her on its own accord because, for the life of her, Kennedy couldn’t recall the last time she’d let a man get under her skin.
That truth jarred her and tacked on another pound of resentment as she entered the ensuite bathroom, rounding her eyes as she froze in the doorway to marvel at its layout she’dkill to have. Her face pinched when she noted water running inside of a frosted glass shower as Relic hunched over a water jetting, freestanding tub, dipping his hand in it to gauge the temperature. As if her presence was felt, he stood and turned to face her.
“I put Epsom salt in here, but I don’t have any of that girly shit y’all use,” he said as she tossed her clothes onto the his and her sink then ambled toward him. She reached behind her back, unclasped her bra, and dropped it on the floor.
“As you shouldn’t. How many women have you had here so far?”
“Including you, one.”
She hummed while peeling down her panties. “First on the boat. First in the house. Either I’m receiving special treatment, which is out of character for you, or everything out of your mouth is bullshit at its finest.”
Relic smirked, his eyes roaming every inch of her in appreciation before he licked his lips and closed the space between them. He watched her breast rise from an inhale when he leaned toward her ear.
“You’re the first one in years I didn’t use the condoms you saw in my dresser on either. Everything I do with you is out of character, Larenn. Get in the bath.”
He moved aside, and Kennedy mugged him but did as he said—taking her time to step into the hot water that immediately eased her aches. She sat down, reclined, and rested the nape of her neck against the tub while allowing the jets to apply soothing pressure to her sore back. Relic stood over her, staring with a fixated expression that sent her eyes rolling before they shut.
“Why the hell are you watching me like a creep?”
“Did I hurt you?”
His question took her aback, but she regrouped and sank further into the water before quipping, “Which time are we referring to?”
Relic scoffed. If Kennedy didn’t know how to do shit else; she knew how to hit below the belt. He shrugged off her cheap shot and sat on the floor near the tub, regretting that he didn’t grab his liquor to help navigate a situation he wasn’t accustomed to. Kennedy wasn’t his woman, but he found himself owing her explanations as if she were.
“I always thought the first time I ran someone a bath, it’d be for my child,” he muttered, watching her frown at his random statement. She scooted toward the edge of the tub and propped her chin on it as he continued. “But then, I found out that I had one, and he was too old for that shit. I missed out.”
“So, you wanted children?”
“I wanted a lot of shit I knew I’d never have because my upbringing did a number on me, and then my position in the drug game solidified it. I wanted a relationship, too, but with a woman who understands that I’m a fucked-up nigga who’ll never change in the ways necessary to have a normal one. I had assumed that was impossible to find... until you.”
“Me?” She tipped her head like she was oblivious to her role, and he nodded.
“I’ve found the closest thing to what I desire in you. You know I’m incapable of loving or giving you what you want in a man, but you stuck around, even if for your own reasons. You know every risk that comes with my lifestyle and temperament, but it doesn’t scare you. You don’t shy away from me. I act out of character with you because you treat me out of character from everyone else, Larenn. You don’t see me like they do, and I want to fully appreciate it in the time I have left as a free man.”
“You keep talking like going to prison is a sure bet for you,” she pointed out, and he simply stared. Her heartbeat sped as realization set in; he didn’t plan to fight his case.
“I’ve made a bucket list I’d like to do before then, and I want to do it with you. Don’t fold on me, and I’ll make that shit worth your while. What do you want in return?”
“Everything,” fell from her mouth without pause, and he smirked.
“I can’t give you that, but I’ll get close as hell to it.”
One look into his unwavering eyes told Kennedy that he meant it. Her request was impracticable, but that didn’t deter Relic in the slightest.
