Hearing the sliding door open, my heart thumped in my chest as he got closer to me. The fresh smell of body wash and his cologne invaded my nostrils, and I knew once I finished eating, I would be back in the bathroom changing my underwear. Takinga seat next to me, he leaned over, grabbed a wing, and then sat back to enjoy the view as well.
“You know… One thing I won’t miss when I leave here is your sudden rudeness,” I mumbled as I continued to eat. “You’re nothing like the man I met.”
“The man you met?” He arched his brow as he fucked the wing up. “What the fuck you mean?”
“You were so nice and charming.” I finally turned and gave him my attention. “The way you approached me and treated me, you made me feel like this could have been something. I thought we really had a chance at love?—”
I clamped my lips together instantly. My hands became sweaty as I felt as if I was going to be sick. Placing the food on the table, I jumped up and ran into the bathroom. I made it to the toilet just in time before my insides came up.
“What the fuck, Bloss Baby?” I could hear the panic in his voice as he came and kneeled beside me. Rubbing my back gently, he tried his best to comfort me. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” I heaved, hoping the worst was over. “I’m just stressed as hell.” I let him help me from the floor and over to the sink. “I’m fine, I promise.”
Watching my every move, he stood back as I washed my face and rinsed my mouth. The sooner I leave this house, the sooner I can get back to where I need to be physically and mentally.
“Blossom, listen. I never want you to think of me as anything less than the man I am.” He came up behind me, placing his hands around my waist. “I know I’m fucked up for watching you, plotting, and having my folks involved with keeping tabs on you. But you should know by now that my actions and intentions with you are always pure. Then and now…”
“If y’all in there fucking, I’m going home!” My eyes rolled involuntarily as an unknown voice boomed through the room.“McKnight, bring your ass back downstairs, nigga, so we can wrap this shit up.”
Kissing his teeth, he turned me around to face him. Pulling me into his chest, he lifted my chin before dropping his lips onto mine. The way his tongue dipped in and out of my mouth, I wanted to hop on this counter and let it dip into something else.
“Your thoughts are pretty loud and nasty, baby,” he mumbled as he pecked my lips. “I like that shit.”
“I wasn’t like this until I met you.” I giggled before I turned serious. Scanning his face, I swallowed hard before I asked the question I didn’t know if I really wanted the answer to. “Are you really going to kill Rowan?”
Nose flared, he took a step back from me before stuffing his hand into his slacks. Just like earlier in the basement, he had gone cold in an instant. “That nigga not only stole from my dad, but he tried to sell you, Blossom. Fuck what he took from Pops, though. Do you know what I would have done had something happened to you?”
“No…” I dropped my eyes, answering honestly. “He’s my brother, though, and I love him.”
“And I loveyou!” he shouted, eyes ballooning from his own revelation. Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked back into his bedroom. “I need to change my sweats because I don’t have time to hear these niggas mouths. I’ll meet you downstairs.”
Leaning against the counter, I couldn’t help but think about what he’d said. Did he really love me? Did I possibly love him too? We hadn’t known each other long enough for that, in my opinion, but knowing that didn’t stop my heart from fluttering at his revelation. With all the back and forth, I wasn’t sure where JJ and I would go from here. The whole situation was causing me to become physically ill.
I had to leave today, and whether he knew it or not, it was happening. Pushing off the counter, I walked into his bedroomand noticed he was gone. Going back out onto the balcony, I shook my head at seeing that he had taken my plate of wings. I looked down at myself to make sure I was dressed properly to be around his people. Checking my reflection in a nearby window, I looked horrible. I felt as if I’d lost weight, and I looked ashen. My hair needing to be done didn’t help my appearance. Running my hand down my Milly Grove University sweatshirt and leggings, I took a deep breath and made my way downstairs.
“I don’t know a lot about bitches, but I know they don’t like to be held against their will.”
“They don’t like being called bitches either…” I frowned at Jamari as I padded into the living room. Three pairs of eyes were on me in an instant. “I guess me eating what I cooked is out of the question, huh?”
Looking around at the guys, I couldn’t help but shake my head at the sight. JJ, his brother, and a friend were down here going to town on my food like they had the right. While Jamari and a guy I’d never seen were seated on the couch, smacking away, JJ said nothing as he sat in the corner near his bar, sipping from a bottle of Hennessy.
“My bad, shorty, but this chicken is good as fuck.” The unknown guy wiped his hands and mouth before standing to greet me. “I’m Marshall. In my defense, JJ always told me I could have anything in his home…” A sly grin formed across his face before he grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. “I’ve never really wanted to take him up on his offer until now.”
Blushing under his stare, I didn’t get a chance to respond before JJ was standing between us with his trusted machete in hand. Chest heaving, he said nothing as he glared at his friend, who threw his hands up in surrender. Slapping his arm, he slowly turned his head toward me, and his glare took my breath away.
He was pissed.
“Um, can you have a seat, please, and tell me what you want to talk to me about?” I asked nervously, eyes bouncing from him to Marshall, who didn’t have a care in the world as he resumed eating. “Please, Papa…”
“What kind of freaky shit…” Jamari murmured as his eyes danced back and forth between us.
It took a few beats, but his face eventually softened as he nodded toward the recliner for me to take a seat. On the coffee table were various folders and photos. Sitting beside me, he reached over and handed me the first document.
Blossom Reid.
“I want to be completely honest with you about everything,” he stated in a gentle tone as I opened the folder. “The night I murdered John, I was careless. When I locked eyes with you under the streetlight, your fate had been decided. I had gotten my little brother, Jamir, and Marshall here to find out who you were.” My heart pounded, and I began to sweat as I slipped through not only a background check but also pictures of my family and me. “I then enlisted Jamari to follow you. In my line of work, I’m not supposed to leave witnesses, and that’s what you were. Never in all my years have I not only jeopardized my freedom, but those around me.”
Scanning through the photos, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. From the café to my job to my parents’ house to my own living room, there were pictures of me and my day-to-day life. Taking the folder from me, he handed me another.
