“You don’t need anything,” she says as she lifts the duvet and sheets, revealing her natural state. A smile creeps across hishandsome face as he takes her all in. “I just want to feel my skin on your skin.”
Because her wish is his command, he stops, removes his towel, and turns to take it back into the bathroom. Again, she stops him. She doesn’t want another minute to pass with him not in bed with her. “Toss it over there and get in, please,” she practically begs and he complies.
The moment his back is on the mattress, she inches over to him. Her head nuzzles his chest and she drapes her arm across his chiseled chest and cascades her leg across his. His toned arms wrap around her then he kisses her forehead. For almost twenty minutes, they lay like this, muted, each caught up in their own thoughts. She’s still processing it all and looking forward and he’s stuck on tonight, her losing her sister and pulling the trigger.
“Was that your first kill?” ran through his mind but accidentally slips off his lips, breaking the silence and causing her to shift slightly. He holds her tighter then quickly adds, “I just want to make sure you’re okay with it. You’re no killer, Sunjiya. I am and I can handle the aftermath of pulling a trigger. Not everyone can, and before you go someplace in your mind you shouldn’t, we need to talk it through.”
Her head lifts to meet his truly concerned eyes. While she truly just wants to put tonight to bed, literally, it’s obvious he’s worried for and about her. It’s endearing and another reason she’s falling for him. To ease the fret in his dark eyes, she talks.
“I’m at total peace with killing Marcelin. I’ll never second guess pulling the trigger and stopping his heart, never. You saw the medical records and I can guarantee they only gave a peek into what Tanjaya went through,” she says, then closes her eyes. Images of Marcelin dragging her, hitting her like a punching bag, and degrading her in every way possible flash in her mind and she sighs heavily. “Tanjaya went through pure hell becauseof him. She had to escape his ass. He killed her, so I had to kill him. I will never ever regret that shit,” she grits, then shakes her head. “If I could kill his ass again, I would,” she declares with finality.
“A’ight,” he says solemnly, accepting her words. “But what about… your sister? What do you want to do about…I don’t know. Services, memorial?” he asks, trying to be careful as he stumbles over his words.
Her answer reveals her painful truth. “Tanjaya came into this world unwanted and unfortunately spent most of her life looking for love and security. She ran into a lot of monsters but Marcelin was the worst. The past few years were pure hell for her but I do know she’s in a better place right now. I’m admittedly sad, very, but I’m at peace because I know she is,” she says, then looks at him.
When he sees her glossy eyes, he nods, trying to appear understanding even though deep down he isn’t. It’s hard for him. He and his brother are close, very close, and the thought of losing him is unthinkable.
Her head rests on his chest and he feels moisture. The tears pooling in her eyes have fallen. He holds her tighter and she snuggles more into him.
“Tanjaya’s days and nights of abuse are over. She’s free from all of that now,” she utters as she releases.
As she cries, he traces his fingers up her back to her face. They run down the side of her pretty face then rest under her chin. After tilting her head up, he softly and tenderly kisses her lips and she melts into him.
He’s truly her better place.
Safe and feeling comforted in his arms, Sunjiya plants a kiss on his chest then closes her eyes. For the first time in a long ass time, she drifts into uninterrupted sleep. She doesn’t have to dream of an escape plan. No nightmares of a coked-up Haitiancoming into her locked room in the middle of the night. She has a much-earned night of blissful sleep and doesn’t open her eyes until after ten in the morning.
“Yo! You’re here,” Quise says excitedly.
“Yeah. I’ll be here for a few days,” Akeem replies.
“But you coming back for my homecoming game, right?”
“You know I am,” Akeem assures him. “I can’t miss that. Did you ask your girl yet?”
“Nah but I’m working on it. I got a few ideas. It’s a whole thang and I gotta come correct, Pops. You know how I do,” Quise says and Akeem smiles.
“You got practice tonight?”
“Nah, free night.”
“You wanna have dinner with me?”
“Hel…I mean you know I do,” he says, catching himself. He’s in the locker room surrounded by a few of his teammates. While he curses with them, he knows better than to use that language with his parents, especially his pops. “Can we go to the House of Mac?” he asks, referring to his favorite restaurant.
“You love that damn place.”
“Don’t front, Pops. Their food fye. You know you like the jerk chicken mac.”
“You right. It’s good,” Akeem admits. “We can go there,” he says and hears Sunjiya moving around in the suite.She’s finally up.As usual, he was up with the sun. Careful not to wake her, he eased out of bed, took a morning run on the beach, then came back to the hotel. After scheduling her a treatment at the spa, he came back here, showered, and dressed. He made sure to pull the blackout curtains to fully cover the glass when he steppedonto the balcony to call Quise. Hearing her awake triggers a thought, multiple thoughts actually. Quise is such a huge part of Akeem’s life and he wants Sunjiya in that same life. In order for that to happen, she has to fit.
Should I bring her to dinner? Is meeting Quise too soon? Would she want to meet my son?
“Ay. I might bring a friend. You cool with that?” Akeem asks to gauge Quise.
“A girl,” Quise responds amusedly.
“A woman not a girl and I said might.”
