Maya just laughed. “There are more differences between us. I want Raziel to stay. You just want Indigo to be unable to leave. You don’t want a wife, Malachai. You want a monument. Something beautiful and stationary that you can look at.”
I shook my head. “That’s where you’re wrong. I don’t mind her being free; I like watching her dance too much to want her stationary. I want her to have everything she desires in life, provided I am the one handing it to her... I want her world to be me.”
“That’s the most terrifying thing I’ve ever heard,” she whispered. “You basically just said you’re trying to be her oxygen.”
I said nothing. She was right.
She looked over at Indigo’s sleeping form and her face softened.
“Since you're feeling talkative, explain Sasha to me,” she said. “And don’t give me that bullshit about owing her father a favor.Favors don’t make a man like you ignore what she was doing. You saw her. You knew she was a snake. Why did you let her stay close enough to bite?”
I went still.
“Sasha was a constant, useful and familiar,” I said. “She was part of my life before Indigo. I thought she could be integrated in. I didn't disregard what she was doing. I simply believed she had the common sense to know not to cross the line I drew for her. Some sense of self-preservation.”
Maya shook her head, looking at me with a mix of pity and disgust. “You were so busy trying to own her that you forgot to actually protect her. Your ass deserved to be stabbed.”
I didn't respond. I just watched the rise and fall of Indigo’s chest.
“She’s going to leave you again,” Maya whispered. “Maybe not tonight. Maybe not next week. But as long as you treat her like a bird in a glass box, she’s going to keep looking for a way to break the glass.”
“Then I’ll buy stronger glass,” I said, standing. “Goodnight, Maya. I’d appreciate it if you don’t speak to Indigo about this. I’ll have my driver take you home.”
Maya blinked. I could tell she was caught off guard by the sudden dismissal. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say more, but I was already turning toward the hallway.
I scooped Indigo from the sofa into my arms. “My driver will take you home,” I repeated without looking back.
Chapter 27
Indigo
The bass thumped low through the private studio room, slow and sensual. Four of my advanced students were on the poles, hips rolling to Usher’sLittle Freak, playing like they were trying to summon something unholy. Sweat glistened on dark skin under the low lights. I loved this shit.
One of the girls, Tasha, grinned at me mid-spin. “Indigo, you move like you used to get paid for this shit. Be honest… you were a professional stripper, weren’t you?”
The other girls laughed. I smirked, wiping sweat from my collarbone.
“Mind your business,” I joked. “Focus on your pole, Tasha. Your grip is slipping.”
I turned toward the mirrored wall to demonstrate a slow drop—and froze.
Cooly stood in the doorway, arms folded, watching me like I was the only thing in the room. Tailored black shirt. Locs pulled back. He had the same hungry stare he continuously blessed me with in New York. I couldn’t help it. Having a man who looked like him looking at me like I was a feast he’d been denied for too long made the air in my lungs turn to liquid.
My stomach flipped.
Midnight clawed at the inside of my throat.
I could feel the girls' eyes gazing between us; the rhythm in the room was stumbling now that he had entered. It was fine; I was fifteen minutes over the hour-long class anyway.
“Class is over for today,” I said, my voice harder than I meant. “Good work, ladies. Same time next week.”
The girls gathered their things, giggling and waving at Cooly as they left. The second the door clicked shut, I wiped my hands on a towel and walked over to him.
“What are you still doing in Florida, Cooly? Or should I call you Chinedu?”
He smiled, slow and easy. Today he had just his bottom grills in, and they were shining under the studio lights. “Business. And you. And Cooly works fine.” He was back to his New York accent—that deep, gritty rumble that always made him sound like he was telling a secret.
I exhaled. “I’m sorry about the party. Malachai pulling a gun on you in front of everyone… that was fucked up. I didn’t know he would do that.”
