“Why do you care about who I’m dealing with?” I shot back. “And Amir was nice.”
“Nice?” he scoffed. “Baby, that dweeb was dressed like he was headed to the golf course and took you to a hookah lounge. Be serious.”
That pulled a reluctant laugh out of me. “I told him that too,” I admitted. “He just… assumed. But I had a few drinks and made the most of it.”
He shook his head. “Nah. You too fine to be ‘making the best of it.’”
“Thanks,” I said softly.
He glanced over, tongue sliding across his bottom lip as his eyes dropped to my thighs. I squeezed them together and turned back to the window.
We fell quiet again, and every now and then I could feel him watching me. And truthfully, I couldn’t stop myself from looking at him either.
It was something about the way Cash carried himself—like he was God’s gift—that pissed me off and turned me on at the same time.
When we finally pulled up to my building, I looked over at him and narrowed my eyes. “So you really did know where I lived.”
A smile tugged at his lips. “Let me walk you to the door.”
I should’ve told his ass no and shut this whole thing down. But I didn’t. I opened the door, stepped out, and felt him close behind me. I made sure to switch my hips a little harder, knowing he was watching my every move.
I fumbled with my keys at the door—my hands shaking partly from the nerves and the heat of his stare.
“I want to take you out on a date,” he said, tilting my chin up so I had to look at him.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Cash.” My voice came out quieter than I wanted.
He pulled me in, and my body melted against his like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“Yeah, aight,” he murmured, dipping his head to nuzzle the side of my neck. His hand slid down my back, caressing the bare skin. I let out a soft moan when he pressed into me, the thick bulge in his shorts brushing up against my thigh. I clutched the hem of his shirt to steady myself, feeling my knees threatening to buckle.
“Why you fighting me, Jas?” he whispered. I felt my panties dampen as his lips traced the shell of my ear.
I didn’t have a good answer. At this point, I was ready to let him fuck me on the hood of his car.
But he stepped back before I could say anything, leaving me panting and flushed.
“I’ma holla at you,” he said, flashing that same grin and turning back to the street like he hadn’t just gotten me all worked up.
“I hate you!” I yelled after him, voice shaky.
He didn’t look back—just threw up the deuces, got in his truck, and drove off.
Dickhead.
CHAPTER9
CASH “MONEY” BANKS
“You knowyou ain’t have to come,” Slim said from the backseat.
Jelani’s little jumpoff came through and confirmed what we already suspected—Rahmel’s people were the ones that shot up the block party.
“Nah. Niggas wanna try and kill me? They gon’ have to see my face before they die,” I gritted. I hadn’t moved like this since Pops got killed. What they didn’t get was he made sure we were built for this life long before he died. It didn’t matter that I was on a football scholarship or that Jelani was in private school.
“How many did she say usually be in there?” I asked Jelani.
“Five on a good day. But she said they’re lazy as fuck—just be in there bullshittin’ and playing XBOX,” he said, pulling his ski mask down and checking the safety on his gun. “We robbin’ these niggas too. I’m tight I had to leave my shorty’s house early for this.”
