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“Prince,” she breathed out.
“Later.” I looped her hand in mine, and we walked toward the building to get my last order of business before we went home.
Lesha
“So this is where we will be staying?”That was a rhetorical question.
“Yeah,” he acknowledged as we stopped in front of a large home. One thing was for sure: Prince had taste. Every home that I stepped foot in with him put mine to shame.
He hadn’t said much since we left the hotel. I was trying not to take it personally. After what happened last night, my nerves were all over the place. From being ready to claw Kiara’s eyes out for looking at him wrong, seeing his picture with his ex, to standing in on his meeting at the hotel, it all took a toll on me. I felt closer to him, and I hated to admit he was right. Being in a new element, if only for the first day, was freeing. It made me feel like I had a fresh start and I didn’t have to be anyone but me. Not the woman who had built up a brick wall after all the hurt I endured but the one I always wanted to be.
We walked inside, and my eyes pinged from side to side as I gathered the home's construction. It was very modern and sleek. I thought it was two stories from the outside, but there were no winding staircases. The extremely high vaulted ceilings had openings allowing the light to shine. I turned to my right and fell in love with the open-concept kitchen. There was enough room in there to fit a king-sized bed between the refrigerator and the countertop on the opposite side. There was an island,but it was slightly off to the side, not directly in the middle. The placement of the kitchen made so much sense. My feet led me in there, and the smell of bleach and Pine-Sol hit my nose. Someone had just cleaned.
“Yeah, I know Rem. I promise, I’m sure,” I heard Prince speak into his phone from the living room. It was work that was on his mind that made him so quiet. I saw from his face that he wasn’t expecting the homes to be in that condition. I applauded his determination because I was scared to bust a move to the right or the left when I stepped in. The place looked like a scary movie. I wanted to help, but I did not have a clue what I could do. I could appreciate anybody pursuing something worthwhile, and that was something that he was doing. Getting knocked a step back was something I knew all too well. I vowed right then that no matter what or how I felt, I wouldn’t do anything that would hinder his business. I was here now, and however we needed to move while this project was going on, he wouldn’t hear anything from me.
“You want the tour?” Prince appeared in the kitchen, slightly brighter than he had been earlier.
“What about work? Is everything okay?”
“Work will work out itself. Let me show you around.” I walked behind him as we toured through the house. It had three bedrooms and three full baths. The master suite was a damn house all unto itself.
“Wait a minute. This is your signature. You built this?” I gasped as I rubbed his signature engraved onto the right wall of the bedroom. The small sunken-in part of the room started to vibrate, and I hopped back, scared out of my skin. The wall opened up and revealed a door that was once hidden.
“I guess you see what it does now. Yes, I built this,” he said, ending his call.
“Restoring elegance, hiding treasures…” I mumbled, my eyes never leaving the newly revealed opening.
“You saw that, huh?” That crooked smile graced his lips. Sexy without trying.
“This home is beautiful. You are very talented,” I spoke more to myself than him. I was in awe to think that someone could do this. I’d met basic plumbers and construction workers, but no one that was this involved. Well, shit, I didn’t even know how involved he was. I needed to ask more questions.
He hit his signature again, and the wall started to move, and I hit it to stop it.
“Wait. I want to look.” I placed my hand on the door, and his hand quickly was placed on top of mine to stop me.
“Not yet.” Gently, my hand was taken away, and he made the opening close. Everything told me to push it, but for some reason, I was so damn scared to really figure it out.
“So do you just have houses everywhere?”
“Not everywhere. Just the places I need them. How you feeling, though? You want to grab something to eat?”
“Quite honestly, I would much rather cook. We are going to be here for the next six weeks so we may as well get things set up. Maybe we can Instacart some groceries, and I can get in that beautiful kitchen.”
His smile made me blush, and I immediately followed it with an eye roll because I could see the cockiness creep up. “You like that, huh?”
“It’s alright, nigga.”
“Don’t worry, I can make you admit it later.”
He walked out of the room, and I followed, trying to come up with a smart reply. I had nothing because, after last night, I wanted nothing more.
“Here.” He pulled a card from his wallet on the coffee table and extended it my way. “Get whatever you need.”
“Ooh, don’t tell me that.” I giggled.
“You can buy a car off that muthafucka if you want. We have to get you something anyway.” I laughed again but he didn’t crack a smile.
“I’ll, uh, just get a few things.”
