My body relaxed, she felt good as fuck in my arms. I bent down and pulled her into me. The moment her body pressed against mine, everything in my chest tightened. I buried my face into the curve of her neck and inhaled her scent deeply.
My hands slid through her hair, and I realized with satisfaction that it was her real silky strands of hair brushing the middle of her back. My hands slid down her back until I was squeezing both ass cheeks to let her know that she still belonged to me right in front of that nigga.
Letting her go took great effort. I wanted to drag her out of that mall and remind her exactly who she belonged to.
“I’ll see you in a few, King,” she uttered nervously, blushing hard and obviously flustered.
She sat back down but kept looking at me.
“Bet,” I said, biting my bottom lip.
“Three hours. Don’t keep me waiting, Layloni.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Layloni
My palms were sweating the entire drive over. Seeing King earlier at the mall had completely thrown me off. The moment my eyes landed on him, my heart skipped so hard it felt like it stopped for a second. He was still just as handsome as ever, tall, broad, and carrying that same dangerous confidence that made people notice him the second he stepped into a room.
Monty and I had just left my doctor’s appointment before running into him. That appointment had changed everything. I had just found out I wasthree months pregnant.
The news filled me with so much happiness that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Hearing my baby’s tiny heartbeat echo through the room had healed something deep inside of me. It made all the pain I’d been carrying feel lighter.
There was a little human growing inside my body. Someone innocent, who would love me unconditionally.
The thought alone made my chest warm. One day I would get to see a piece of myself living and breathing right in front of me. After the appointment, I had been in such a good mood that I decided to go shopping to celebrate.
Monty had been a great friend these past few weeks. We talked almost every day, watched the same old movies I loved over and over again, and spent time together without anything weird or uncomfortable happening.
He never crossed the line with me. But sometimes, when I looked deep into his eyes, I saw something there… a quiet longing he tried his best to hide. He wanted more. He just respected me enough not to say it out loud or act on it.
Right now, my focus needed to stay onmyself and now this baby.
I couldn’t wait to find out if I was having a boy or a girl. My mind was already racing with ideas for decorating a nursery. I had even installed baby monitors and cameras in my place already, something Monty had helped me set up without hesitation.
Tonight, we were supposed to have a movie night. Monty had promised to cook dinner for me as a thank you. A few weeks ago I had designed a beautiful homecoming dress for his cousin. Something like that would normally cost around seven hundred dollars, but she was an honor roll student and such a sweet girl that I decided to gift it to her instead.
Monty hadn’t stopped thanking me since. That’s why he insisted on cooking for me tonight, and when we went shopping earlier, he refused to let me pay for anything.
Monty would really make a great man to some lucky woman one day. It just couldn’t be me. Not because he did anything wrong… but because I knew he couldn’t protect me. After everything I had been through, that mattered more than anything.
Besides… I was carrying King’s baby.
Even though things between us were complicated, I would never disrespect him by being with another man while pregnant with his child. Deep down… I knew if I ever tried to seriouslydate Monty, something terrible might happen to him with King in the picture.
I would never have proof I would just know that King would have a hand in killing Monty. King didn’t play about things like that. His crazy ass still had some made up terms and conditions with me that he never verbally spoke on.
My thoughts were still spinning when I finally pulled up in front of King’s house. I sat there in the driver’s seat for a moment, inhaling slowly trying to ground myself before seeing this man.
My nerves were all over the place. Everything about King was intense down to his presence, his energy, the way he looked at me like he could see straight through me.
Tonight, I had to tell him the truth. I was more afraid of his reaction then anything. Another thing I knew for sure was that we didn’t need to sleep together tonight. That would only make things more confusing between us.
I stepped out of my car; the cool night air brushed against my skin. I wore a midnight-blue sweater dress that I designed myself. The soft fabric hugged my curves perfectly; it was classy but still feminine.
Before I could even raise my manicured hand to knock?—
The door opened.
