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“Blood spattered and all,” he teased Dream, pulling on her hair.

She kissed her teeth. “Let’s not forget how you showed up at my house that night. Couldn’t stay away once you saw me,” she sassed.

“Never will,” he uttered, voice barely audible even with the dampers. But the sincerity shone in his eyes.

This time her blush was sparked by something different. For a moment, I envied them, all settled into their love after an unorthodox beginning. But my situation--

“This man been wanting you since been wanting you. And yo’ raggedy self feels the same way. Scary ass need to see what it would be like,” Demon advised, surprising me.

“Who told you I feel the same way?” I argued.

He scowled at me. “Just cuz you think I’m an idiot doesn’t make it true. I got eyes, shorty.”

“You just gon’ dismiss the relationships I had, huh?”

He peered at me, the eyes that we’d inherited from our mothers boring into me.

“The times we’ve spent with y’all, I've never seen you move for anyone like you do for Masters, and that ain’t all about work,” he said.

I rolled my eyes. “Demon⁠—”

Kiana cut me off. “Look, you’re on this island for a few more days. What would it hurt?”

“She got a point. You could pretend like the rest of the world doesn’t exist. Deal with it when you get back to Texas,” Dream coaxed.

I sighed. “It’s not that easy.”

“But it could be,” Kiana said.

She was right. I knew that, somewhere deep down inside of me. And the truth was, despite what I was telling my family, I was probably going to give Saadiq, give us this chance. But the thought of it not working out, of upending my life, lurked in the back of my overthinking mind.

“Y’all—” I began again but stopped as Demon held his hand out to Dream.

“C’mon, Baby. This our song,” he told her as some old 90s slow song came on.

She frowned. “Since when? I like this song but I wanna finish my margarita. It’s— oh! Ohh!” she said suddenly and took his hand as he inclined his head.

I looked to where he had indicated and saw the man we’d been discussing.

Saadiq Masters.

Oh my God! This man had absolutely no business looking so fucking good in public.

He stood just inside the entrance, surveying the lounge with bottomless eyes that took in everything. He was so tall, so solid that he made other men look small, hell, invisible. Saadiq was impossible to miss. His black, tailored slacks fit his muscular thighs so well, and the matching silk shirt he wore had the top three buttons undone, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his broad chest. A thick gold chain rested against his rich brown skin, and his favorite AP encircled one wrist. His beard was freshly shaped, his hair cut low, and even from where I sat, I could see the strong line of his jaw.

Jesus. That beard.

I knew exactly how it felt against the sensitive skin of my body. Against my breasts. Between my⁠—

Uh-uh, Topaz. That way lay danger.

My nipples tightened beneath my dress, and a slow, insistent throb began between my thighs. I pressed them together beneath the table, irritated with myself for responding so shamelessly to a man who hadn’t even looked in my direction yet.

And then he did.

Those dark eyes found mine across the crowded lounge, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a slow, knowing smile. My stomach performed a ridiculous little flip and butterflies took flight. Heat climbed my neck and spread across my cheeks as my mind supplied vivid memories of his mouth on mine, the weight of his body against me, and the deep sound of his voice when he called me Apple.

I took another sip of my lemon drop... a big sip.