He had emptied my pockets and dragged my name in the mud on social media by concocting insane stories, tagging me and the museum, and sharing private texts we had shared. Katina had been able to get an injunction against him, but it was too late; the damage had been done.
I peered out the window and saw a black Maybach out front. Rolling my eyes and sighing, I prayed aloud. “Lord, please don’t let this be this man. What part does he not understand that I don’t want to date him?”
I blew out a loud breath and went to the door and opened it. “Excuse you? What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?”
“Is that what you think?” he asked in that deep, sexy baritone.
“Yes.”
“Then maybe I am, or maybe I’m just a persistent man who doesn’t buckle in the face of challenge. These are for you,” he stated, extending his hands to offer me the gifts.
“I don’t want them.”
The serene look on his face was in contradiction to the words he spoke as he looked at the box in his hand and the flowers in the other. “Delaney, I didn’t drive all the way over here not to deliver these to you.”
“I don’t care how far you drove, nobody asked you to. I said that I don’t want them.”
“That’s fine, but I’ll have to leave them here because I’m not taking them back. If I’m forced to leave them on the stairs, I’ll be back every day until you let your guard down and give me some conversation and dinner.”
“I said that I don’t want them, I don’t want conversation, and I don’t want your dinner.”
He chuckled facetiously. “Listen, beautiful. I never said that I was giving you dinner. I’m here so that I can share dinner with you. Now whether that’s you cooking, me cooking, or us eating what I bought, I don’t care. But we will be eating together.”
“Who made you this way?” I asked in exasperation, throwing my hands in the air.
Shrugging, he replied, “Some might say life, and some might say my parents. I personally say I am a product of my Father,” he declared, jerking his head upward as if indicating Heaven. “Now are you gonna let me in, or do I need to start serenading you too?”
I watched in disbelief as he boldly brushed by me with both the bouquet of roses and the box. He stepped inside of my living room and took a look around. Finally, he set the bouquet and the box on the living room table and made himself comfortable on my couch. I stood there for several seconds in shock.
I groaned and picked up the flowers and the box. The beautiful purple tulips smelled great, but a part of me wanted to trash them. He couldn’t force himself on me if I didn’t want him.
My stomach groaned as the smell from the box reached my nose. I rolled my eyes as he stated, “Maybe you need to get your head and body in alignment because clearly your body’s not having problems with me, big baby.”
My mouth dropped open. “What did you just call me?”
“I only speak one language, English. Though I can navigate Spanish and German rather decently. I’m not fluent, but I understand it.”
I groaned.
“Who are you talking to, and who is that in the background?” Damaris asked.
“I’ll call you back.”
“Ooohh. Nice flowers. Who sent those? Oh my goodness. Is that a Dawson Castle’s Steakhouse box? Girl, please tell me those are from Mr. King!” Damaris squealed.
“Goodbye, D,” I retorted as Naijhel chuckled in the background.
“Girl, no. I need?—”
I ended the call and powered it off so she couldn’t call back.
“That was rude.”
“I don’t feel like explaining you.”
“Sounds like I have fans.”
“And I’m not one of them.”
