To avoid drama, I waited until Chris left to go to her door. Even if she sent me away, I needed to see her face to face. After I knocked, she swung the door open with irritation covering her beautiful face.
“I said I’ll tell you when I . . .” Her mouth snapped shut as she stared at me. “See him.”
I didn’t want to assume thehimshe was referring to was me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Just like my father had warned me about her, I was sure Chris was here to warn her about me. Teenage Jelai was pretty as hell, but the grown woman standing in front of me was absolutely beautiful.
She’d always been tall, and that was one of the first things I noticed and found attractive about her. I was six-four, and she was maybe six inches shorter than me. Her height and shape reminded me of Megan Thee Stallion. Jelai was bottom heavy with a flat stomach and small breasts.
Her skin was caramel brown with a golden undertone. She had dark eyes, round lips, and a small nose. I didn’t want to be that person and assume her hair was weave, but the thick honey brown strands fell in waves and stopped at the top of her ass.
For a while, all I could do was stare at her. Her trembling fingers lifted and caressed my cheek, as if she couldn’t believe I was real.
“Wicked,” she whispered with watery eyes.
“In the flesh,” I replied, smiling. I couldn’t believe I was finally face to face with her after ten years.
A soft whimper escaped her before she hugged me. It caught me so off guard it took me a second to return the embrace. When I did, we melted into one another. I picked her up and wrapped her legs around me as she sniffled.
“Thank you,” she said, voice muffled against my neck. The feel of her breath made my dick harden. “Thank youso much, Wicked. Thank you. I-I’ve waited so long to say that. Thank you. I owe you so much.”
“You owe me nothing.”
“You gave up ten years of your life for me,” she said, as if I didn’t already know, resting her forehead against mine. Her eyes were closed as they leaked. “How can I repay you? Do you need a job? Money?”
Chuckling, I resisted the urge to kiss her. Though I knew we mirrored the same feelings when we were in high school, I didn’t know how she felt now. Plus, I wanted her consent for anything physical that happened between us. Had she not initiated the hug, I wouldn’t have touched her, regardless of how difficult that was going to be.
“I’m more than good with money, and I have my own sources of income.”
Her forehead lifted from mine, and she looked into my eyes. My heart skipped a beat and body relaxed even more. The longer we locked eyes, the calmer and more at peace I felt. If I ever needed confirmation that she was the one, I’d gotten it just now. I wouldn’t lie and say I hadn’t fucked around with women over the years to help my time pass faster, but Jelai was always in thecenter of my heart. Now that I was out, I had no desire to be with anyonebuther.
“Then how can I repay you?” she asked softly.
“You’ve said thank you. That’s enough.”
Jelai stared at me like I was speaking a different language before she shimmied against me and climbed down.
“Well, thank you, Wicked. Um, I’m actually late for work so?—”
Ignoring her, I stepped into her home. “We need to talk. It’s been a long time coming, bae.”
I heard her nervous chuckle behind me. “Look, I’m happy you’re out, no doubt, but now that I’ve thanked you, there’s nothing else I have to say.”
“And why’s that?” I asked, turning to face her in time enough to see her roll her eyes. That quickly, her relief and happiness to see me appeared to be replaced with anger. I wasn’t expecting that, and I was certainly curious as to why . . .
My feelings were all over the place, to the point I didn’t know how I felt. Well, I didn’t know what I felt more. Even with me having the slight warning that Wicked was a free man, I hadn’t had time to process that, and now here he was . . . in the flesh.
At first, I was shocked more than anything. Then, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. After that, I was angry. Angry that ten years had gone by and I hadn’t seen his face, heard his voice, or gotten anything beyond the letter he sent offering his condolences. Wicked spent more time talking to my father before he passed than to me, and if we were to be honest, my father was the reason we couldn’t date while we were in high school.
While I didn’t blame my father too much for that because I knew he was trying to protect me, I did resent him for a short period because I felt like I was robbed of time to be with him. Plus, if I’d been allowed to date Wicked, I wouldn’t have entertained Mario. I truly believed everything happened for a reason, though, and that’s what allowed me to stop that pattern of thinking years ago. I didn’t blame anyone for that day and Mario’s actions but him. Well, I did blame myself for dating an older man behind my parents’ back, but I’d forgiven myself for that.
Here Wicked stood . . . in the flesh.
Wicked as a teenaged boy was handsome in thatmake me nervous around himkind of way. Wicked the grown man? With his thick, muscular build, long hair in plaits, and dark chocolate skin? Those blunt brown lips, dark eyes, and naturally arched brows? Grown man Wicked had my pussy leaking, nipples hard, and body heating.
Chris may have hated Wicked, his family, and his motorcycle club, but I never could. Not for the reasons he thought at least. The only thing I held against the man standing in front of me was him ignoring me for years. He made me feel desperate for wanting to talk to him, and that wasn’t something his presence alone would make me get over. So as happy as I was to see him, and as much as I appreciated finally being able to thank him in person, I was ready for his ass to go.
“Jelai,” he called, and though his voice was firm, it was still somehow gentle and nonthreatening.
“Hmm?” I hummed before clearing my throat. It was ridiculous how attracted to Wicked I was. You’d think a decade passing would have made my feelings for him fade away, but the opposite happened.
