“Ya pussy had me gone, baby,” I admitted, unashamed.
She smacked her teeth and rolled her pretty eyes. “Zoo,” she chided.
“Nah, for real… Penelope.” The blush on her face was beautiful. “You’re my best friend, my woman, and now my lover. It ain’t shit I won’t do for you. I waited patiently for you to see that I could be that man you could see ya’self with. Whether we would’ve ever made things official was lost to me. The moment I had to go a day without hearing ya voice, or seeing ya smile, Iknew things were never gon’ be normal for me anymore. I never wanted what I want with you. I need you to not only know that but understand it, too.”
Water welled in her eyes. “I understand. Do you understand that I feel safe with you and trust you? I’m not afraid to love you, Zoo. I’m afraid to lose you.”
I kissed her lips, silencing her fears. “I’ain goin’ anywhere but to take yo’ ass to eat.”
She busted out laughing and swatted my chest. “You always gotta play,” she fussed.
I snatched her up and buried my face in her neck, causing her to squeal with laughter. There were so many things about Pen that made me fall in love with her. I wanted to protect every part of what we had together. And I would.
Over lunch, I fed my baby Cajun chicken pasta and made her laugh so much that her stomach hurt by the time we left the restaurant. Instead of hopping back in the car, I hoisted her on my back and walked the beach line, letting the sunshine and waves wash over us. I enjoyed this shit more than a little bit. Pen showed me a different life for myself, one that I’d never envisioned. For that I loved her. I never wanted to leave this place of happiness and peace.
CHAPTER 13
PENELOPE
Ienjoyed the beach so much that Zoo and I recruited the crew for a couples day on the water. Weeks from now, the weather would change and bring in cooler air, so we had to enjoy the outdoors while we could.
Most of the morning, I drooled over Zoo shirtless, showing off all his tattoos and attracting attention to himself with his fucking print. Mimi, Bri, and I called ourselves sunbathing while watching the men handle our lunch. Each of us wore the same expression on our faces—disgust.
“If she looks over here one more time, I’m gon’ drag a bitch on this beach,” Mimi grumbled. I understood her frustration. Sin…looking like sin, had the ladies a few feet away swooning over his cut-up frame.
“You won’t be dragging anything,” I quipped. “I’ll drag her for you, though. My nephew is doing good in there, and we gon’ keep it that way.”
“Exactly,” Bri added, distracted by Brooklyn. “I’ve never seen him with his shirt off. I’m baffled and amazed.”
Mimi and I snickered.
“When did he get all those tattoos?” she whispered to herself.
I busted out laughing.
“For real. Brooklyn seems so…civilized compared to his cousins.”
“Baby, that’s because heismore civilized than the two of those niggas. Sin is psycho and Zoo is certified. I’m sure Brooklyn is the one who bails them out when either one of them fucks up.”
We all cracked up at that.
“Thankfully,” I said, “Zoo and Sin didn’t turn out to be what I claimed they were in the beginning. I surely thought they were some gangbangers or something. Can you imagine? Us being with a few crazy-ass niggas like that?”
Raucous laughter drew our attention back to the men. They were laughing at something that had them rolling.
“Them…gangbangers? Lord, I’d be scared as hell,” Mimi grumbled.
“I don’t know.” Bri sighed. “Dangerous men be the sexiest.”
Both Mimi and I snapped our necks her way. “What?”
“I’m just saying.” Bri chuckled. “Imagine the dick you’d get after he just finished beating a nigga’s ass.”
“Oh,” me and Mimi chimed.
“Exactly. Mm. All that aggression in a room with the lights on and the only music is him diving deep.”
Bri had us in a trance, explaining what I knew was a fantasy she harbored for Brooklyn. The way he stopped what he was doing and made eye contact with Bri made us all shudder.
