Page 10 of Nobody Praying for Me

Sitting my fork down, I got down to business. “Do you think you could take care of someone?”

She blinked twice then gulped. “Take care of someone? What do you mean?”

I sat back in my seat, thinking about the reality of what was to come for my sister next. I still hadn’t fully wrapped my head around her diagnosis, because there was no time. I had to start planning for the things she couldn’t think of, such as hiring someone who could accompany her when I couldn’t be there.

“My sister was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and after her port surgery, she will have to start getting chemotherapy on a bi-weekly basis,” I shared with her, heart heavy and in my throat. Pain spread from my heart chakra to every other energy center in my body until I was hurting everywhere.

I saw the color drain from her face. Her body jerked forward as she sat up straight as a board, nearly knocking into her plate. “Oh my god, I am so sorry, Kalm.” Her voice cracked, and I knew she was being genuine in her reaction.

I swallowed my own tears as I rested my chin on my hands. It took me a minute to untangle the knot in my gut so I could speak again. “It caught us off guard, but we’re here now, and I need to hire someone who can attend treatments with her while I’m in training camp.” Glancing up at her, I said, “I’m asking you because I know you have something going on. This is the home my parents left for us. We have an extra bedroom that you can live in rent free, and I will pay you for accompanying her. What do you think?”

She drummed her fingers softly on the table. “You trust me that much, Kalm? We just met.”

“I could ask you the same thing since you came home with me last night when you were under the influence. Not that I would ever do anything to harm you, but we just met,” I repeated her words back to her, staring deep into her eyes. It was a challenge that started a fire between us. The gleam in her eyes told me she happily accepted it too.

“Touché,” she said with a laugh. She sighed then allowed her head to drop back while she looked at the ceiling. “I’ve only ever taken care of myself, but I’m willing to learn whatever I need to so that I can help you. What you did for me last night truly means something to me, so you have my support on this. No one should be able to find me here.” She whispered the last sentence, but I still heard her.

“Even if they did find you, I would never let anything happen to you, Pretty,” I admitted boldly.

She shared her gorgeous smile with me. “After last night, I believe you. Anybody who goes up against you is a fool.”

I chuckled with a nod. “That part.” After a pause, I returned my attention to her. “You’re not afraid of me?”

“No. You haven’t given me a reason to be. I don’t usually trust easily, but it’s something about you that I can’t stay away from. Every time I see you, it’s like I have to get close to you, or else it feels like my heart is going to crawl out of my skin.”

Hearing her say exactly how I felt, I reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you for trusting me, Charisma Rae Jones. I promise you won’t regret it.”

She bucked at me for using her full name. “I don’t think I will either, but only time will tell.” I could only smile at her words while she went back to eating the remaining food on her plate. She looked so relaxed that I was willing to do whatever to ensure she always felt like that around me.

7

CHARISMA RAE JONES

“That’s the last one?” Kalm’s deep voice asked from behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder to find him leaning sexily against the doorframe of my bedroom. Dressed down in basketball shorts and a wife beater, his masculine presence filled the entire room, along with his sandalwood cologne. The longer our gazes remained locked in, the faster my heart raced, and my pussy pulsed. He was so magnetic I wanted nothing more than to close this distance between us and launch myself in his arms. My attraction to him terrified me because it had me doing things I never would, but considering the circumstances I was in, I had no choice but to trust him.

Glancing around the empty room, I nodded, feeling a little sad to part with my loft-style apartment, but it was time. I could never walk these halls again and feel safe enough to sleep peacefully. After accepting Kalm’s proposal, he hired movers to help me pack up my apartment. I sold all the furniture I had on Facebook Marketplace to get rid of it. I walked away with almost nothing from my life here because I told myself I was burying this past.

Kalm had offered me a chance to get out of the club, and I was going to take it. He didn’t see a woman with no skills and nothing to offer. For that, I was deeply grateful God was finally answering my prayers. Right now, there was nothing between us more than lingering glances and soft brushes of our skin when we walked by one another. But moving into the same home with him could produce different results because I was extremely attracted to him. From the way he looked to his voice and the way he dressed. . . even his walk sent chills down my spine. I’d met many men in the midnight ballerina world, but none of them compared to Kalm Alexander Savage.

I’d taken the time to look him up and learned he truly was a professional boxer. They referred to him as The Kalm Storm because, since going pro at the age of twenty, he had an undefeated record of 22-0 by the time he was twenty-two. Last year, he’d won his first world title in the Heavyweight category and had taken time off. According to the media, he was a very private man and didn’t do much talking or taunting before fights, giving off this completely calm and mysterious person, but when he got in the ring, he became someone else—someone uncontrollable and stronger than most could handle. I watched a few of his fights and was thoroughly impressed. Knowing he was such a formidable opponent increased his sex appeal because he wasn’t even arrogant but instead possessed this quiet confidence that warned you not to fuck with him.

I think the thing that stood out to me was the aggression behind his amateur fights versus the ones after he went pro. There was anger simmering beneath the surface that he channeled into every punch. It made me curious about the man behind the pain he was clearly burying beneath his fighting.

“Aight, let’s head out,” he said before turning to walk away.

I looked around the room once more, just thanking God for the ability to be able to afford the two-thousand dollar rent for three years without ever being at the risk of eviction. With a heavy sigh, I followed behind him, refusing to look at my second room. I could still feel what it was like to be overpowered by Bryaire, making me rush past Kalm to get outside.

He opened the passenger door of his Trackhawk for me then walked around to join me inside. I kept quiet as he started it up then reversed out of the parking spot and shot off like lightning. When my eyes wandered over to him, he had a serious expression on his face. I was going to ask what was wrong, but he increased his speed and sharply turned to the right.

Pulling his phone out, I watched him type aggressively on the screen. “What is it?” I questioned, feeling an inky feeling spread through my limbs.

Once he sent his text, he glanced over at me and smiled. “Nothing, Pretty. Just enjoy the ride.”

Every time he called me Pretty, it made my insides turn into mush. I preferred it over him calling me by my nickname or even my first name. With a shake of my head, I blushed and dropped my chin to my chest. Pulling my own phone out, I went into one of my social media apps to distract myself from his alluring presence.

I didn’t glance up until we slowed down, and he rolled down my window.