Niyah joined him on the blanket and was immediately allured by the delicious aroma of well-seasoned fried chicken. “Mmm... That smells good Xander.”
She picked up her plate and sat it on her crossed legs. A fork to the veggies confirmed that they were crispy. But first, Niyah wanted to sample the star of the plate. She grabbed a golden-brown leg and bit into it. An immediate burst of flavor was a treat to her senses. After swallowing, she looked at him with wide-eyed astonishment. “Alexander, this is delicious.”
“I know,” he said with a sexy grin. “Girl, I told you I can cook.”
Niyah started with another comment. But she couldn’t speak because her mouth was full. She was destroying Xander’s chicken. The day had been crazy from start to finish and she hadn’t had time to eat a proper meal.
Before long, Niyah had nearly cleaned her plate. She sucked her fingers with no pretense of dainty femininity. Xander’s lustful gaze on her mouth as she licked the remains of the chicken from her fingers hadn’t escaped her attention. He shifted his position and looked away when he realized she was watching.
Niyah suppressed a smile. She lifted her goblet to her lips and took a generous gulp of wine.
Xander cleared his throat. “So, tell me, Doc. What made you chose pathology?”
Niyah chuckled. “I guess it grew from a desire or maybe even a need to solve the mystery of the unexplained death.”
“And… you don’t have to deal with the living,” he remarked with a smirk.
Niyah giggled. “Ding. Ding. Ding. Give that man a prize.”
Xander raised a brow. “You do seem rather shy.”
“I’m not shy at all, Xander. I just don’t feel the need to talk to everyone.”
“Understandable,” Xander acknowledged with a nod.
He pointed to a photo on the cocktail table. “Your family?”
“Yep, my mom and sister.”
Xander turned back to her with confusion in his expression. “Forgive me for saying, but I kinda thought you refused to let me take you out because I’m white.”
Niyah looked away mainly because it was true. Although Xander and the rest of the Creeds seem like really nice people, she just didn’t trust white people.
“How can you dislike white people when your mother is white?” he asked, apparently reading her mind.
Niyah smiled to hide her discomfort with the conversation. “I don’t dislike white people.”
“But you won’t date a white guy?” he asked while glaring at her through narrowed lids.
After a nervous chuckle, Niyah pointed to the photograph. “Xander, if you think the fact that my mother is white is some kind of proof that racism doesn’t exist in interracial courtships, you are very much mistaken. My mother is as racist as they come.”
Xander’s face twisted in disbelief. “Whaaat?”
Niyah sighed. “I don’t wanna talk about my mother. And as far as dating goes, I’m not dating anyone, black or white.”
“Why?”
Xander certainly wasn’t shy. Niyah chuckled nervously. He was downright intrusive. She shook her head and grabbed her plate from the blanket. Xander placed his hand on her shoulder before she could stand. “Relax. I got this.”
He took her plate and gathered the rest of the dishes. Niyah watched him all the way to the kitchen. Her eyes never left his tight, muscular ass. The man was definitely easy on the eyes. Niyah smiled when he reappeared with two bowls. “Don’t tell me you made desert too.”
Xander chuckled. “Yep. Two scoops of peanut butter pecan ice cream.”
Niyah laughed as he sat and accepted the bowl. “My favorite,” she cooed.
“That’s probably why it was in your freezer.”
Trying to stay true to her no-dating-Xander rule nearly flew right out the window at the sight of his tongue licking all traces of ice cream from the cool metal pressed between his lips. Niyah actually heard the hungry breath that escaped her lungs. After clearing her throat, she looked away with the hope that staring at the wall would quell the jitters between her thighs.
