“See,” he murmurs, breath warm against my cheek, “perfect fit. Like last time.”
Zaza’s head snaps up. “Huh?”
I kick him under the covers, hard. “Ignore him. He’s drunk. Just chatting rubbish. He’s gonna sleep it off.”
Jabari hums, amused. “Am I now?”
“Yes,” I say sharply, shooting him a look. “Now go the fuck to sleep. Both of you.”
Za takes my invitation almost instantaneously, rolling on her side away from us.
Jabari folds his arms behind his head, a smug little smile tugging at his mouth. “How can I sleep if you don’t tell me a bedtime story?”
I glare.
He grins back, completely unbothered.
I lean in enough so only he can hear me, so close our lips brush as I speak. “I was actually going to thank you for tonight. But I’m reconsidering. Bright.”
He scoffs quietly then pecks my nose with a little kiss. “I don’t need thanking.”
I blink.
The teasing slips from his voice and is replaced by something steadier. “You’re worth defending.”
My stomach plummets and I stare at his beautiful, amused, drunken smirk.
“You really think that?” I whisper.
“Of course.” No pause. No hesitation. “You’re mine. Anyone disrespecting you is disrespecting me.”
I roll my eyes, but slower this time. “Oh, so now you’re taking ownership of me?”
“It’s not that,” he says softly. “It’s me letting the world know you’ve got someone who doesn’t play about you.”
That lands. I feel it sit in my chest, heavier than I expect.
Come on, Frankie! Joke and play it off!
I stretch out beside him, facing the ceiling. “You sound like my personal security.”
He gets close to me again, face almost buried in my neck. His eyes close, eye lashes brushing against my skin as his breathing evens out. “So be it.”
I look down, watching him. The lines in his face soften. His guard drops completely. Something pulls at me. I shouldn’t tug on it but I do.
“If that’s the case,” I whisper, half-joking still, “then you belong to me.”
His brow twitches. “Hm...”
“So say it,” I press quietly.
His voice comes out low, slurred, unfiltered.
“I’m yours, Francine.”
I freeze.
WOW.
