Niyah’s hand flew to her mouth. She was afraid to ask if she was okay, but luckily, Xander seemed to have read her mind.
“She’s hurt pretty badly, but they're both okay. Victor intervened and ultimately, my mom ended up killing him”
Niyah shook her head. “What?” she questioned through harsh breath. “Oh, my God!” Niyah reached up and caressed his shoulder. “Is your mom okay?”
“My mom is always okay.” Xander chuckled, but she could see the anxiety in his eyes.
“Xander,” she began in a whisper. But her words were clipped when he pressed his thumb to her lips.
“She’s fine. Everyone is fine. Let’s go from there.” He clearly didn’t want to linger on the subject.
Niyah gave his shoulder a pat. “Good. I’m glad they’re okay. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
Xander smiled. Only his smile didn’t hide the trepidation behind his eyes. “Yeah, tomorrow...” he agreed with a nod.
Niyah raised the goblet to her lips and took a big gulp of red wine. “Mm-mm,” she expressed enthusiastically.
Xander laughed, apparently amused at her attempt to change the mood. “Go on. Sit down.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Creed,” Niyah teased.
The icy, blue pools of his eyes darkened to an alluring sapphire. “I like that,” he retorted in a tone she hadn’t heard from him before. The deep, masculine baritone was lustful and alluring enough to send a spark to her unsuspecting core. Even though she had reservations, her body responded. Her traitorous body wanted nothing more than to be cocooned in his embrace. It wanted to feel him, to be felt by him.
Niyah tried to shake off her body’s reaction to his nearness and forced herself to behave like a normal human being. “I’m starving. What did you cook?” she asked before taking a step back.
Xander boasted a lopsided grin and gestured toward the stove. “I fried some chicken, sauteed some zucchini and squash, and smothered a couple of potatoes.”
Niyah stepped back and twisted her lips in disbelief. “You frying and smothering stuff up in here?” she questioned skeptically.
Xander widened his eyes as if offended. “Umm, yeah!” he countered. “What are you trying to say?”
Niyah raised a hand to her hip and pursed her lips. “Ion know about eating white people’s fried chicken.”
Xander laughed out loud and moved his face close to hers. “Lady, let me tell you something. I have fried the fuck out of that chicken. I put a shitload of garlic powder, onion, powder, and Slap yo Mamma on that chicken, young lady.”
Niyah folded her arms and looked up at him with a raised brow. “Did you put salt on it?”
Xander snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her body to his. He lowered his head to hers and whispered in her ear. “I put my foot in that chicken.”
Niyah threw her head back and laughed out loud. “Okay, Alexander! And you smothering shit, too?”
“Yep,” Xander confirmed with a confident nod. He walked over to the stove and held up a plate of fried chicken layered with paper towels to soak up the oil. Niyah covered her mouth and laughed. “Clearly, some black woman done taught you how to fry chicken,” she joked.
“No, ma’am,” Xander argued with a frown. “My mother taught me how to fry chicken. She said that I may someday need to know how.”
Niyah giggled.
“No. For real,” Xander countered with laughter. “My and I were slobs, like total pigs. I don’t think she believed that we’d ever mature enough to get married or have families.” Hechuckled. “I think she was teaching us survival skills for men who couldn’t get a woman.”
Niyah fell against the island in shameless and complete hysteria. Tabitha Creed had thought that her sons weren't gonna be shit.
Niyah was laughing so hard that she didn't see Xander move behind her. He snaked and arm around her and placed his palm to her quivering belly. “Take your wine and go in there and sit down,” he whispered near her ear.
His solid chest was pressed against her back. She could feel the rise and fall of his breath, entering and exiting his strong torso. But strangely, Niyah felt safe. For her, retreating was not an option. Being swallowed in Xander’s manliness might have been the only way to change the bloody image in her head. At the same time, the thought of getting caught in a web of hot-guy seduction was just as terrifying.
Niyah grabbed her wine and whispered, “excuse me,” before sliding between Xander and the counter. She could feel his eyes on her as she left the kitchen. She went into the living room, bypassing the blanket to sit on the couch.
She was only a few minutes into watching the Bears lose when Xander entered with two plates. He placed them on the blanket and returned to the kitchen, only to return with utensils. “Come on, Doc,” he urged, taking his seat on the blanket.
