Page 49 of Widow Mayker

As evening fell, the clouds finally opened up. Everyone scrambled to take cover, and so did I, retreating under the protection of the patio. In the middle of Von saying his goodbyes, he dashed through the rain and tugged my hands, bringing me with him under the downpour. Effortlessly, he picked me up and twirled me in the rain. I leaned my head back and shrieked as fat droplets of water kissed my nose, mouth, and chin. His lips joined the rain, dropping quick kisses all over my face and neck.

He said that he preferred rain over sunshine. As he twirled me one last time, I agreed with him. This moment felt so freeing. In this moment, I accepted what the ladies suggested that I do. Regardless of his badge, I was emerging from darkness for the right man.

***

The weekend arrived, and I was all too excited to see Von. When he arrived, I pranced to the front door and briefly hesitated before opening it. I took a deep breath and coached myself through turning the knob and revealing myself to Von.

He stood on the other side, mouth agape as he took me in. His eyes started at the curly waves of my pitch-black pixie cut. They remained there for a minute as he expected me to wear my fedora. Seeing how speechless the simple act of removing my hat made Von, I was proud of myself for going through with it. There was a slight sheen in his eyes that he quickly blinked back as his eyes sailed down my body.

The white body-con dress covered my shoulders and molded to my breasts. In the back, a deep plunge exposed my skin. Heir and I had matching body diamond chains that I never had the need to wear…until this evening. A pair of clear, sleek designer stilettos adorned my feet. My body glowed with moisture, my makeup was on point, and I smelled like I wanted Von to dissect every pore and crevice on my body.

He took my hand and twirled me around to catch the back of the dress. “Damn,” he mumbled. Once we were face to face, it was my turn to praise the way he looked this evening.

“Okay, I see you, Mr. Detective,” I teased. His expensive suit was tailored to perfection. The intricate details, along the fabric, made me smile in fascination.

“Come, here,” he murmured before bringing me close. His lips landed on mine, and for a minute, we just stood there kissing. He pulled back, then mumbled something under his breath as he kissed my lips again. I was dazed and grateful that he took this moment for what it was. I made the right decision.

VONSHAE

There were plenty of things that should’ve caused my heart to race to damn near exploding. I’d been shot at, stared killers in the face, and caught my own body or two. Not in any of those situations did I recall having my heart nearly imploding inside my chest.

As if she wanted me to croak behind this steering wheel, Maja’s hand cupped my chin and tugged at my beard. My heart sped up even more.

“You’re quiet,” she stated. “Everything okay?”

I chuckled and took her hand into mine. Her touch was unmatched and ignited everything inside of me. “I’m tryna calm my fuckin’ heart down, baby.” She cracked up as I took her hand and placed it over my chest. “Feel how fast this shit is beating.”

Giggling, she agreed, “It is beating a little fast. Don’t worry, I know CPR should you need it. I’ll save you.”

I came to a red light and peered at her. “You’d save me?”

“Of course,” she responded without hesitation.

Shit, I was too afraid to believe the look in her eyes. Just a few weeks ago, I sensed that she wanted to pull away from me. I knew that telling her about my possible promotion was going to cause her to regress, which was why I told her. I wanted all my cards to be on the table, and I didn’t want any surprises. It was probably selfish of me, but I wanted Maja to want everything about me, not just the man who quickly fell hard for her. I wanted her to accept my badge.

“That means a lot to me, baby,” I said.

She smiled, and the way her eyes lit up pierced me in my chest. That look was there, and it wasn’t a figment of my imagination.

We made it to the venue, and I was too excited to show off Maja. I was too eager to hold her hand, intertwine our fingers, and have her closer.

“Before we go inside, I have something for you.” Reaching into the backseat, I retrieved the gift bag. Inside was something stunning in its own right but had no bearings on my woman.

She opened the long, thin box and gasped. “Von! This is gorgeous!”

Inside was a diamond necklace with a pendant etched with my badge number. She already wore the diamond choker I bought her some time ago. However, I added the necklace around her neck, and it coupled perfectly with the other one.

Climbing out of my truck, I made my way to her side and opened the door. When she took my hand, I helped her down and relished the way her shoulders squared and her head lifted regally. Her confidence shined brightly, and it drew me like a magnet. Her presence garnered everyone’s attention, including my brothers and Lewis, who’d made the trip from Atlanta to be here in support of my parents.

I led Maja to the table and seated her before dapping my people, then taking the chair next to her. There wasn’t even an inch separating us. As the ceremony commenced, I could do nothing but stare at Maja. Mesmerized wasn’t even the term to describe the stupor I was under. Her spell was strong and snagged me by every inch of my heart.

The sound of applause drew me away from staring. Everyone stood and clapped for my parents as they began their first dance. Lovely, my mama was. Dashing was the man whose arms she was in. My parents’ love for each other was something that couldn’t be broken. Not by anything or anyone.

As other couples joined them on the dance floor, I couldn’t resist pulling Maja along. Unlike the first time I danced with her, she beamed brightly as she plastered her body to mine. The live band went into their rendition of Spend My Life With You by Tamia and Eric Benet. My fingers slowly skimmed down the side of Maja’s face because I was enthralled to the point of hypnotization.

“I want to melt you and drink every last drop of you,” I murmured against her lips.

Desire lit her eyes, creating a sparkle that I never wanted to see die. We danced through two more songs, then retreated to our seats to prepare for dinner. I couldn’t wait for the evening to end. All I envisioned was making love to Maja.