Page 76 of Full Court Press

“Because I know you. The song, the intimate setting, the perfume you always wear, and that ass. Your body and smell are imprinted in my memory, baby.”

I nodded, biting back a smile.

“Well, since I’m busted, pose for me.” I snapped the photo before he could reply. Even off guard, Khalil had my nipples pressing against the fabric of my dress.

It had been six months since I’d been intimate with anyone, and just from memories of how he turned my world upside down with his sex, it had me hoping we could reconcile and seal this with me riding his face.

He shook his head. “I’m not doing this with you, Pipe.”

I stepped down from the platform and walked over to him. “You told me to fight for you.”

“And this is your idea of fighting? A staged photo shoot?”

“It’s a start.” I shrugged.

“It’s lame, baby.”

“You still haven’t sent those divorce papers, so I still have a chance to right my wrong.”

“I got tied up.”

I smirked. “Sure you did.”

“I’m a busy man and don’t have time for games, shorty.”

“Congratulations on the win, by the way.” He didn’t reply, only stared at me as if he was trying to read me. I reached out, trailing my fingers through his beard. He moved away then stood.

“I gotta go.” He walked away, and I went after him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

“Wait. I’m sorry. Please don’t leave. I only set this up because I wanted us to talk. To have a real conversation without all the malice and people around.”

“What is there to talk about?”

“About why you never responded to my calls, texts, or letters. And don’t give me that bullshit about you knowing what I was calling about. I’m not buying it.”

He turned toward me. “So what was your intentions, Piper? What were you calling and sending letters for? Hmm? Humor me.” I looked away because those calls and letters were me trying to release myself from him. “Exactly,” he finished.

“Okay, but I’m here now. We’re still married, and we can figure this out.”

He turned to face me fully. His palm gripped my neck, not hard, but enough to get my attention. He stared into my eyes, and I swallowed, seeing the hurt behind his.

“I waited for you to come back to me. To try to reach out to my people to find me because you loved me and realized you’d made a mistake. If you’d come back, I would have instantly forgiven you, but you let too much time pass. Too much distance.

“It may have been childish to make you go through hoops to reach me, but I wanted to test you to see if you loved me just as much as I loved you. Then you got my baby attached to you. Didn’t even check up on her after her accident. Good thing she was too young to understand any of it.

“I gave you my last name without any doubt or question, but I realized I may have come on too strong. You weren’t ready for me or the love I gave. My father always told me that if I’m going to do something, to always do it with intention, and I vowed forever with you before God and a chapel of motherfuckas we didn’t know. And you just . . . walked away like none of it mattered.” Before I could stop them, tears fell and rolled down my cheeks. He pressed his forehead to mine, and air filtered out of his nose. I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I hate what happened between us.”

“Then forgive me. We were young, and I didn’t know how to handle what happened all at once. I’m older now. Whatever comes our way, I’m strong enough to deal with it now.”

“I don’t know if I can trust you.”

“You can. I promise I’ll never hurt you again. You were the first man to ever show me what real love felt like. You loved me through my insecurities and restored my trust in men. I was just too stupid to realize what I had was real. I love you, Khalil. I never stopped.”

I slipped my tongue in his mouth, and he accepted it. His arms came around my waist, holding on to me tightly. Our kiss turned rough as his hands gripped my ass. I pushed at his suit jacket, trying to pull it off, but he immediately pulled away from me.

My heart sank, and my breaths were heavy.

“Kha—”