Page 20 of Widow Mayker

Maddie giggled while I rolled my eyes at both of them and came out of my thoughts. It was even worse that I had to tell security to let this man through the gate. Adir didn’t like anyone on Bell Estates property, and I felt the same way. People couldn’t be trusted. As charming as Von was, the verdict was still out on him. At least Poppa and Adir knew who to look for should anything happen to my crazy ass. Inwardly, I grinned hard. I’d send Von to the pits if he even so much as tried to do some weird shit.

His truck door closing brought my attention to Von. He sauntered my way wearing that killer smile that gut punched me. Today he was dressed down in hunter green cargo shorts, a tan designer T-shirt, and designer sneakers. Tattoos rode every inch of his powerful legs. Swallowing, I glanced away as he stood in front of me.

“Glad I didn’t have to shoot a rocket through the gates,” he stated. His eyes dipped to the gold bracelets, and I could tell that seeing them pleased him.

Meanwhile, my chest hurt from holding in the laugh he demanded from me. He was so dangerous to everything I knew about myself. I stopped thinking the moment he took me into his arms and hugged me to his chest. He smelled so good and felt even better. I had to still myself from closing my eyes and relishing his touch. All too quickly, he released me.

“Miss Maddie…” Von smiled as he went to greet Maddie. “It’s been a long time. You’re still as beautiful as I remember.”

Mama blushed and waved him off. “Get on,” she warned. “Better be glad my husband is off in a meeting today. He would’ve blacked yo’ eyes for saying that.” As if to capitalize what Mama said, her phone started ringing. We chuckled, knowing it was no one other than Poppa calling her. She walked away, leaving me with Heir and Von.

“Y’all have fun, now,” Heir stated with a mischievous grin. After seeing the bracelets, she wouldn’t let me cancel this date for shit. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

I smacked my teeth and glared at her. “You just worry about what we talked about,” I said to her.

Her face scrunched up. “You’re right. I have calls to make.” She pivoted on her feet, then closed the door behind her.

Shaking my head as Von chuckled, I let him take my duffle bag and small suitcase, then followed him to his truck. Once I was seated inside the tank, I took a surreptitious glance around the interior. The leather seats were immaculate, and it smelled good just like him. Subtle sounds of Silk played through the speakers. As he climbed behind the wheel, I took note of how strong his powerful calves looked. Von was a man in great shape, that was for sure.

“So, where are we going?” I questioned.

His grin wasn’t comforting. “It’s a surprise. Now, relax. We got a drive ahead of us.”

Rolling my eyes, I glanced back at the gates of Bell Estates as they closed behind us. A part of me felt like I was leaving home again.

Von’s hand on mine interrupted my thoughts. He brought my hand to his thick lips and kissed my fingertips, palm, then my wrist. “They look good on you,” he praised, softly.

Oh… The earthquake rushing from my head to my toes rendered me speechless.

***

A few minutes later, I felt a foreign feeling creeping in. Anxiety wasn’t something I dealt with. So, when my fingers started twiddling, I immediately forced myself to stop.

I knew better than to be doing something this fucking crazy. I learned from the worst that law enforcement officers weren’t the best type of people to be in a relationship with.

So… You want a relationship?

No! Emphatically, no!

Then what the hell are you even talking about?

“Us,” Von stated, splashing his deep voice into my train of thought.

“Huh?” I questioned.

“I said, I’m crazy when it comes to us,” he repeated.

“Von, there is no us. This is our first and only date.”

“Shiitt, you crazy,” he mumbled. “Get ya mind right, Maja. Watch how soft I have you by the end of this trip.”

“Whatever, Von.” He could think whatever he wanted. Men were so used to controlling everything about a woman. Little did they know, I always played the game to get to my end goal. There wasn’t shit a man could pull over on me. I stayed ten steps ahead of them.

A little over two hours later, we arrived in a location that was too far in the woods to even get a phone signal. Breaking through the clearing of woods, Von steered the truck into a parking lot filled with other vehicles. From the road, no one was able to see the vast open land that sat beyond.

Von opened the door for me, and I stepped out and inhaled a deep breath of country air.

“Where’s this place?” I asked while scanning the grounds. So far, I saw a playground, a volleyball area, a softball field, several cottage style houses, and a basketball court. That wasn’t anything that caught my immediate attention. There were a few vehicles in the parking lot that looked too much like undercover vehicles.