“If you ever need anything, Misty, I’m here. I can hang out with Bernie while you go out and do whatever single mamas go out and do. The thing about this town is that we’re all willing to help each other.” He bristles and sighs. “Unless you wear a Venom leather. But they don’t help anyone but themselves, so it’s not really difficult.”
“I was told to be leery of the clubs in town,” I admit. “I think maybe it’s only one of them.” Looking up at him, I tilt my head. “You were really a pallbearer for Grandma?”
“Gloria was a lovely lady. She’d bring me over cupcakes with green frosting for my birthday because I told her once it was my favorite color. And she always found her way over after Chanel left claiming to need help moving something in the house. We’d chat, and I never moved a single piece of furniture.”
Nodding, I can’t look into his eyes anymore. They’re too intense, and I have too much guilt. “I didn’t know her as well as I’d like to have because I was stubborn. Determined to do everything on my own, but she was the one person I could count on to help.”
“What about your parents?”
I snort. “That positive pregnancy test got my ass kicked to the curb. My parents have never met Bernie. Not for lack of trying on my part. I’ve been on my own for close to ten years now. It’s been hard, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Bernie’s my life.”
“Like I said, good mama.”
When I dare glance back up at him, he stares with an intensity I haven’t noticed before. The type of look that makes my stomach burn in the best possible way, and I know I need spring break to come sooner than later. Once this thirst for a man has been quenched, I can go back to having a safe boundary with Zep.
“Chunky finally came around,” Bernie says. “They’re playing together with a toy mouse.”
“You are the cat whisperer,” I say with a smile.
“One day, I’m going to have a cat. Or three.”
If I didn’t have the responsibilities I do, I’d think about getting her a cat. I just don’t have it in me to take care of an animal ontop of everything else right now. It wouldn’t be fair to any of us, and money’s already tight as it is. The extra expenses need to be kept to a minimum.
“As long as your mama’s okay with it, you can come over and get your kitty fix with Chunk and Peanut Butter.”
It’s a weird show of respect and affection to use the names she’s given his cats, and I itch to touch him. To hug him and thank him. And then maybe more.
My gaze lands on his large hands, and I can’t stop it. I wonder what those hands would feel like on my body. And my eyes travel the length of him, stopping just a moment too long on his groin, and my panties soak as I imagine myself on my knees in front of him. Of getting an up-close look at what he has to offer.
We need to leave.
“Let’s go get a snack and decide what we’re making for dinner,” I say, hopping off the porch just a little too quickly to play off as cool.
What makes it worse is the knowing look Zep gives me. Like he can sense what I feel. Then again, the hunger in his eyes says he might be having the same issues I am.
I just need to get sex out of my system, and then we’ll be able to be friends. Just friends. No more sexual tension between us. Until then, I’ll have to rely on my hands and vibrator to tide me over.
The things that haven’t quite satisfied the urge since I’ve let myself get a little closer to Zeppelin Molloy.
Lord, help me.
Chapter Eleven
Zeppelin
“Are you okay?”
It’s been weeks since I last saw Chanel. Since Dorian showed up to give me a beatdown that I know I deserved.
She never called. Never does. Just shows up, has her way with me, and leaves me behind to pick up the pieces.
After getting caught, seeing her on my front porch feels like a slap to the face. She should have stayed away. It would have been the best for all of us.
“Great,” I say.
Rather than let her inside like I normally would, I lean on the doorframe and block her path. I know that if I let her inside, we’ll end up with nothing resolved or anything truly said. The minute she steps over that threshold, we’ll be naked and humping like love-struck teenagers.
“Don’t be like that. Let me make it up to you,” Chanel says with the seductive smile that usually gets her whatever she wants.
