Then he was kissing her, and she was kissing him back, and neither of them said anything else for a very long time because their mouths and hands were occupied roaming, teasing, and pleasing. She lost track of how many orgasms he’d blessed her with. The shower. The bed. Against the window. He didn’t stop until he got a cramp in his thigh. She was in love.
Kennedi woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of Rolani on the phone, his voice a low rumble from the deck. The morning light filtered through the massive windows, painting everything gold. She stretched, feeling deliciously sore in all the right places, and grabbed his t-shirt from the floor.
“Nah, tell Tony his ass better handle that,” she heard him saying. “I’m ghost till Monday... Yeah, with Ken... Nigga, mind your business.”
She padded out in his T-shirt, the hem hitting mid-thigh, her belly pushing the front up just enough to show more than she realized. She found him in basketball shorts, no shirt, with the morning sun hitting all that brown skin and ink.
He ended the call when he saw her. His eyes moved slowly and came back up. “Come here.”
She walked to him, and he pulled her between his legs, hands finding her waist.
“Sleep good?”
“Yeah, until somebody’s loud ass woke me up.”
“My bad. Tony talking about some bullshit that could’ve waited.” He kissed her stomach through the shirt.
“What are we doing today?”
“I saw your face last night, so we gon go feed the horses in an hour. I can’t have my baby disappointed.”
“I’m a little sad I don’t get to ride, though.”
“Next time. When you’re not carrying my son.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
“Should I be nervous to feed the horse?”
“Nah, I got you. Plus, your horse is as old as dirt. She ain’t moving faster than you can handle.”
“Oh, so you got me on the geriatric horse?”
“Safety first, baby.” He laughed when she swatted him. “Go shower. I ordered breakfast.”
“Together?”
“If we shower together, we’re missing those horses.”
Twenty minutes later, she emerged in boyfriend jeans and a tank top to find him setting up breakfast on the deck— it was a full spread. They ate quickly and headed out to the stables.
At the stables, their guide—an older Black woman named Ms. Diane—took one look at them and shook her head, smiling.
“Newlyweds?”
“Not yet,” Rolani said at the same time.
Ms. Diane’s smile widened. “Mmhmm. Well, this here is Buttercup. Gentle as they come. She loves apples.”
She handed Kennedi a bucket of cut apples and carrots. Kennedi approached the horse carefully, holding out an apple slice on her flat palm the way Ms. Diane showed her.
“Hey, Buttercup. We’re gonna be friends, right? You’re not gonna bite my fingers off in front of my man?”
“She won’t bite,” Ms. Diane assured her. “Keep your palm flat.”
Buttercup’s soft lips brushed her hand, taking the apple, and Kennedi let out a surprised laugh.
