I snooped around his house the couple of times I’d visited and had yet to find anything incriminating. Maybe I was being naïve, but it seemed like he was actually exactly who he said he was. That was even scarier than him being a fraud.
I had no idea what to do with a man who did what he said he was going to do and meant what he said. I didn’t have any line of defense for that. The only thing I could do was just let it happen. It felt like a free fall to allow myself to trust the process.
I took a deep breath, gathering myself before I climbed out of my car. I still couldn’t believe that I finally had a man who made me feel the way Nicholas did, and I would have to give him up soon.
Did I have a man? Nicholas hadn’t exactly asked me to be his, but he referred to himself as my man. Either way it went, I was excited to see him as I slid out of my car and strolledup to the door of his house.
I was surprised when Nicholas didn’t come out to meet me. I assumed that it was due to the company he said was at his house. Hopefully, it was Amira. I missed her sassy little self and hearing them speak Spanish to each other. They were adorable together.
I knocked on the door and stepped back to wait for someone to answer. My stomach fluttered with nerves as I sensed his energy becoming stronger. Nicholas opened the door, greeting me with one of his slow, panty-wetting smiles. The scent of his woodsy cologne wrapped around me like a glove as he pulled me in for a hug and kissed my cheek. I slipped my arms around him, hating how good it felt to be in his embrace.
When he pulled back, his lips landed on mine. He cupped my face as he plunged his tongue into my mouth and kissed me like we hadn’t seen each other in forever, although it had only been a couple of days. I wrapped my arms around his neck to bring him closer. His hands moved down my body until they gripped my ass, nearly lifting me from the ground.
“You look beautiful, Jameela, and you smell so good, azizi.” He mumbled against my lips as he loosened his grip, allowing me to regain my balance.
The sound of someone clearing their throat made his body stiffen against mine. His shoulders dropped, but our eyes stayed connected. Nicholas’s hands were back on my face before he spoke.
“I have someone I want you to meet, habibti. Amira’s mother is here.”
My stomach dropped through the floor at his revelation. Nicholas probably could have blown me down with a deep breath after he dropped that bombshell on me. My eyes stretched as I snatched my head back so that I could look him directly in the eye. It was too late to protest, which was probably the reason he waited until I was standing at his front door to tell me. I wasn’t about to run away like a child, and he knew that.
It wasn’t that I was afraid to meet the woman. I didn’t know what to think about her, actually. It was obvious that he had disdain for her, so that made me apprehensive about meeting her. Maybe she would be vital to the case.
I barely wanted to think about my assignment. I liked Nicholas, and so far, things had been going better than I could have dreamed. Being around Nicholas made me reconsider everything I thought I wanted in life.
No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I wanted him. That didn’t mean I was going to put up with any and everything. I wasn’t trying to get into baby mama drama with anyone; it didn’t matter if the baby daddy was the most perfect man in the world. My inner dialogue would have been funny if I hadn’t been so preoccupied with the situation.
“You didn’t mention that she was the company, Nicholas.”
“I already knew you would talk yourself out of coming if I did. I didn’t want you to overthink it, Jameela. I want to invite you into my life fully, baby. I need you to see how serious I am about you. If you’re going to be with me, it’s important that you meet her. Amira loves you and can’t stop talking about you. I want to show her mother what a wonderful woman you are so she will be more comfortable with having you around her. You can understand that, right?”
I released all the air from my lungs.There was no way I could argue with that. I would want someone to give me the same courtesy if it were Bella.
Taking a deep breath to prepare for what was to come, I nodded my head. “Yes.”
Of course, I could understand. There he was again talking about how serious he wanted me to take things. It terrified me to even consider him as anything other than a generous booty call that would soon be sent to prison. I knew better though. Nicholas was some kind of god wrapped in tall, dark chocolate.
My soul felt so connected to his that I knew he was the man God sent for me. It hurt to think of what I had to do. I was tempted to tell him that he was being investigated. I needed Nicholas to tell me out of his own mouth that he was innocent. There had to be an explanation.
I knew better than to think I could just take his word for it though. I needed to find a way to clear him myself. I had to stay close so I could access his servers and see for myself if he was guilty of wire fraud and racketeering. It would be easy to prove if I could get into his system.
“Good,” he said, taking my hand and guiding me further into the house.
“Lucinda, this is Jameela. Jameela, this is Amira’s mother, Lucinda.”
“Jameela, my daughter can’t seem to stop talking about you.”
Her mouth was curled into a snarl as she looked me up and down and presented me with a dry ass wave. Cindy was stunning, with warm brown skin and bone straight jet-black hair that draped over her shoulders but did little to cover her cleavage. A gold necklace and matching watch shimmered as she swept her hair back from her face and crossed the room to move closer to me.
“She’s adorable. It’s nice to finally meet you,” I told her.
“Likewise.”
I didn’t miss the subtle way she rolled her eyes. That didn’t mean that I was fazed by it. If Nicholas was half the man he’d portrayed himself to be over the past few weeks, then I couldn’t blame her for being salty.
“Are you ladies ready to eat? I was in the process of setting the table,” Nicholas asked. His voice seemed to break the thread of tension in the air.
“Look at you being all domestic, Mr. King,” I teased.
