“Just you.”
I was so focused on finding Preston and didn’t take a minute to think about how this situation would affect Rose’s mental. Among the things she mentioned, she’d also been bound, thrown in the back of a car, and taken on a high-speed chase before crashing into a pole.
“I’m coming to you, baby. Go lie down, and take slow, deep breaths. Don’t hang up, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay.”
I was already on the road but took a quick glance at my phone and saw her moving around. Every stoplight seemed to take forever, and every person on the road in front of me had to be eighty years old as slow as they drove.
“You still with me, beautiful?”
“I’m here.”
“I’m almost there, baby. You’ll be in my arms in a matter of minutes.”
When I finally made it toThe Compound, I parked haphazardly in the driveway and rushed past the main house to my suite. Once inside, I ended the call and put my phone and keys on the counter.
I entered the bedroom, and the only light came from the window. As soon as Rose saw me, she opened her arms for me. I wouldn’t usually wear my outside clothes on my bed, but today, I made an exception.
I lay on my back and pulled her on top of me. I could feel her heart racing against my chest, and as I rubbed my hand softly up and down her back, the beats of her heart fell in sync with mine.
“I know it’s hard to control our thoughts sometimes, but I don’t want you to think about the what-ifs. I came for you, and I always will. Those are the facts, baby. I waited a long time to have all of you, and I’ll go to war with the world to protect you.”
“I know.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon not doing too much of anything. She wanted to be up under me, and I let her because that was where I wanted her to be.
“Are you hungry?” she asked when the movie we’d been watching ended.
“You didn’t hear my stomach growling?”
We were lying on the couch, and she was in front of me with her back against my chest. She angled her neck to look at me as she smacked her lips.
“I guess I was too focused on the movie, because I heard nothing. I had groceries delivered, so I can cook something,” she offered.
“What did you get?”
She ran down the list of possible meals she could make with the groceries she’d bought, and we settled on honey garlic chicken with a salad and jasmine rice. We went to the kitchen and got started. While she cleaned and cut the chicken, I started the rice and prepared the salad.
“I have a question,” she said after a few minutes of silence.
“I might have an answer.”
“Have you been following me?”
I chuckled. “Maybe.”
“I knew it.”
“You had no idea.”
“Every time I was on a date, I felt like I was being watched. I should’ve known it was you.”
“It didn’t stop you from taking your ass out every other weekend with those weak ass niggas.”
“Weak is a good word to describe them since they let you scare them off.”
I frowned. “Smart would be a better word. I’ve been told by hundreds of people that I can be very scary when provoked.”
