“Whatever. That doesn’t mean?—”
“It means exactly what it means. You’re just too stubborn to admit it.”
Her brows furrowed together and I could see her retreating behind that wall in real time. “I’m not built for what you’re asking me for.”
“Here you go.”
“It’s the truth! I don’t do this. I’ve never done this. And I was real clear about that from day one, so don’t come at me acting like I led you on.”
“What are you so scared of?”
She just glared at me.
“I’m not asking you to quit your job. You know I respect what you do. But you have more than enough money. You can afford to slow down and build something with me. You wanna travel? We can go wherever. I just want you to choose me to do it with.”
I hated that I sounded desperate, but I was tired of this cat-and-mouse bullshit.
“I—” she started.
“I’m not your pops, Nai,” I said quietly, knowing my choice of words might sting, but she needed to hear it.
“That’s not fair,” she muttered, hopping off the couch and heading to the kitchen.
“This isn’t fair,” I retorted, as she returned with a glass of water. “We can fuck around and play house, but you won’t call it what it is. You think I’m gonna switch up on you?”
“I’m done with this conversation,” she snapped and stormed off toward my bedroom.
I closed my eyes, gripping the glass in my hand, fighting the urge to throw it against the wall. She wanted me to chase her. I knew her MO and I wasn’t in the mood for it.
I picked up her abandoned bowl and glass, tossed them in the dishwasher and headed to the guest room down the hall. The en-suite bathroom in here wasn’t as big as mine, but it had everything I needed.
I grabbed a spare toothbrush and stared at my reflection while I brushed my teeth, wondering why the hell I kept putting myself through this.
I could’ve cut her off in a heartbeat—should’ve been done that.
But there was no one else like her.
Nairobi had a wall around her heart, but once she let me in,I saw that those sharp edges were hiding something soft, something sacred and worth loving. That’s what kept me here when common sense told me to leave.
I finished in the bathroom and collapsed into the guest bed. I turned on the TV hoping it’d help me fall asleep. It didn’t—my mind was on one.
Twenty minutes later, the door creaked open.
I didn’t look over, but I felt the mattress dip as Nairobi crawled onto the bed and settled on my lap. My jaw clenched as my dick bricked up instantly. I kept my arms folded behind my head, eyes fixed on the screen.
“You’re blocking my view,” I said flatly.
She didn’t answer but leaned in to kiss me. I turned my head at the last minute, letting her lips meet my cheek instead.
Her smoky body oil mixed with the faintest scent of vanilla was driving me mad. I licked my lips, feeling the pebbled tips of her nipples press against my chest through her t-shirt. She licked the side of my neck, tracing slow circles on my bare chest with her fingers, coaxing me to give in. I blinked slowly, swallowing down a low groan building in my throat.
“I need you, Bear,” she whimpered.
I stared ahead. She peeled the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. My gaze shifted to her as the glow from the TV cast shadows across her bare skin.
My hands tightened behind my head, nostrils flaring as I fought to hold my ground. But the pull between us was relentless.
Testing me.
