"I just do," he answered. "She's not built like that."
"It makes sense, though. She wants you, and the only way she can have you is if I leave or die. She can't kill me because of Lucian, but she can scare me away." My thoughts spilled outin rambles. It all made sense to me, but the amused look on Honor's face said otherwise.
"My baby doesn't scare easily," he joked.
"Really? This shit is funny to you?"
"It's not, but you're talking like that girl put together a master plan to take me from you." He chuckled.
I laughed too, real sharp and humorless.
"You soundtoosure about what she will and won't do. As a matter of fact, you seem way too calm about this whole thing."
"Fuck you want me to do?"
"Consider what I'm saying to you instead of defending her.
His eyes hardened. "I'm not defending her."
I removed the cooked bacon from the pan and turned off the burner. Honor capping for his bitch wasn't about to have me burning breakfast.
"You are defending her. It's either that or you knew it was going to happen."
The resentment I lied about not feeling toward Honor was now front and center. There was no point in fighting it, because the more I talked to Honor about our issues, the more reasons he gave for it to stay.
"Why you acting like I'm fucking that girl?"
"Nigga, are you?" I snapped. "Because right now I don't know what to fucking think. All I know is if it was Wolfe or Crown, they wouldn't be defending some bitch over the woman they love!"
Honor stepped closer. My shoulders squared. His presence swallowed the space between us, as it always did.
"You must really want me to knock your fucking head off your shoulders," he spoke through clenched teeth.
"You must really want me to knock your fucking head off your shoulders," I mimicked, sounding childish as hell.
"Grow the fuck up."
"Move outta my face and I will. We both know this isn't about your brothers, so stop it."
"Nah, this is about them," he spoke lowly, grabbing my jaw. "You think 'cause you found some friends, I'ma let you rock with comparing our shit to theirs just so you can get your shit off?"
"I don't have to compare a damn thing to tell you how I feel. I just find it funny how you'll jump up and manhandle me because of what I said, yet you barely blinked when I accused Choyce of sending warning shots." I forced my voice steady to keep from yelling more than I already had.
Honor tightened his hold until my voice gave out. My teeth began to grind as I braced for what was to come next.
"You think I'd hurt you before I hurt her?" he asked, his gaze thundering. "Killing her starts a fucking war, Navy. A war I'm not equipped to fight 'cause I'm beefing with the same brothers you wanna compare me to."
His grasp slid from my jaw to my neck. Honor's hold was deliberate, squeezing, releasing, and squeezing again. My breaths came in short, uneven spurts, hiccupping through the pressure, but I wasn't scared. Honor had the ability to cut the life from my body, but he never would. He'd never hurt me. Someone else always paid for the hurt Honor felt. Comparing him to his brothers didn't just bruise his ego. It made him feel replaceable, as if I wanted what they had instead of whatheprovided. That kind of wound didn't fade. It festered, and that was exactly why I said it. I hated myself for wanting to hurt him. But him letting Choyce kiss him, knowing he had the ability to stop it, cut just as deep. Probably deeper because this wasn't just about a kiss. It was about having a choice, and in that moment, Honor didn't choose me.
"You want one of them niggas?" His question wasn't just a question. It was a warning.
"No," I answered, wondering when our arguments started sounding like threats.
"Then don't compare me to them niggas."
"Fine! Can I finish breakfast now?"
Honor's lips trembled before parting. They hovered near mine as if he wanted a kiss but dreaded what I might say or do.
