“Unless you’re busy.”
My stomach fluttered. “I think I can squeeze you in.”
“Naw. Cancel everything else.”
I bristled at his demanding tone. “Don’t be an asshole. Idohave a life outside of you.”
My doorbell rang.
I checked the camera on my phone, and a smile crawled across my face.
Self-consciously, I ran my hand through my wet hair from the shower and tugged down my shorts before I checked myself. He’d seen me naked and with crust in my eyes, so I doubted he would have any issues with my current look. I opened the door to a bearded Canaan, whose usual low-cut fade had grown fuller at the top. He rocked a black Nike hoodie, cargo pants, and red Jordans. He appeared more real this way. More virile. Sexier. “What if I had company?”
“I would send his ass packing. You still wearing my ring.” He bent to peck my lips possessively and then walked past me, scanning my living area.
Shit.I’d forgotten to take it off. I still wore my engagement ring when I was alone in my townhome.
“This looks like you. Cozy and chaos, like you make me feel.”
Caught up in his unexpected appearance and the kiss, I stood at the open door, trying to regain my senses and keep hope at bay. “You mean the way you make me feel?”
He jammed his hands into his pockets. “Close the door.”
Instead of ignoring his demand out of stubbornness, I complied. Heat rose between us as he openly admired my tank top-and-shorts-clad body. I crossed my arms over my chest. “I really do have plans.”
His brows furrowed deeply. “Better not be with another man. You’re still mine.”
“The nerve. You told me we were over. For weeks, you never called, and it’s been days since I stopped by your condo. You think I’m so desperate for you that you can come over with some weak-ass bullshit and pretend we never broke up,” I retorted, though my heart . . . My heart thudded so loudly I could barely hear him.
“I’m not pretending. You’ll always be mine, Kens.” Canaan wrapped his arms around my waist and jerked me to him. His lips hovered over mine, and he whispered, “I miss waking up with you.”
I refused to relax against him, though I couldn’t drag my eyes from his mouth that had done such delicious things to my body. “I need more than you ‘missed me.’ You cut me out of your life like you didn’t care about me at all. How do I know you won’t do that again?”
Canaan’s soft gaze never left mine. “You don’t know, like I don’t know if you’ll hurt me again. We have to take a risk on each other once more.”
“I didn’t hurt you, Canaan. I would never betray you or lie to you.” I curved my arms around his neck.
“I recognize that now. I needed some time to deal with everything.” He kissed the corner of my mouth. “And yes, you did hurt me. You left me when I was down and out, like my mother did. I almost lost my life doing what I loved the most outside of being with you. I was still licking my wounds. Not thinking straight about shit.”
“You were mean, almost cruel, when you told me you were done with me. Did youreallyexpect me to stay?”
His hands gripped my waist. “Yes. The Kensie I know never does anything I ask without a fight. You didn’t fight for me when I needed you the most.” He slowly lifted me off my feet, carrying me toward the stairs. “That shit can’t happen again.”
“When Ms. Murielle came to see me, concerned about you, I was willing to fight. Then, unexpectedly seeing Emme with you knocked the wind out of me.” My hand rested on his firm chest. “I know there’s nothing between you and her, but running into the two of you made me pause about the lies and the mistakes I’d made with you and my expectations that we could be this happy couple without telling the truth to the people we’d lied to. And when you still didn’t call, I began to let go. Not in anger or frustration, but I was slowly finding my peace with our situation. Bottom line, I can’t fight for a man who didn’t seem to want me. At the time, I wasn’t sure how you felt about me,” I answered, caressing the nape of his neck, too caught up in the desire in his eyes to challenge his assumption that we would have sex.
“I’llalwayswant you,” he reassured me as he carried me easily up the steps and strode to my bedroom.
Will you alwayslove me too?The words wouldn’t pass through my apprehensive lips as I gave in to my raw need for him.
Chapter 36
Kensie
The doorbell rang, waking me up from a deep sleep. Disoriented, I hit Canaan’s shoulder. He fell asleep on his stomach, his left arm slung across my breasts. I struggled to open my eyes, and my doorbell sounded again.
“That better not be another man, Kens,” he warned. His Caribbean and southern twang were more pronounced in his sleep.
“I don’t know who it is. I left my cell in the other room. I don’t even know what time it is.”
