Page 50 of Widow Mayker

“If you ain’t careful, you gon’ burn the building down, bruh,” Lewis jested.

I burst out laughing and said, “Shouldn’t you be minding ya business? You should’ve invited Shyah.”

He mugged me. “She won’t answer any of my calls. I’m thinking about popping up on her ass.”

Maja chuckled. “Sounds interesting. Her birthday is in a few weeks.”

“Maybe you should drop by and surprise her,” I added.

Lewis grinned like he won the lottery. “Drop me the location, and I’ll be there.”

“If you fuck this up, it’s on you,” I warned him.

“When have you ever known me to fuck up anything?” he questioned.

“Never,” I replied.

“Exactly. Now get back to staring at ya girl while I leave my woman a voicemail,” he stated.

Maja and I died laughing. We spent the rest of the evening stealing touches, glances, and soft kisses as my family did what they did best. Fellowship wasn’t anything new to us. This shit was embedded so deeply in us that it would continue for generations to come.

Sometime later, Maja and I shared another dance. Like before, I gazed into her eyes and held her so closely that air was non-existent between us. Although the music played and everyone was loud as hell, I heard nothing but the beat of my heart attempting to keep up with the racing of my thoughts. I’d never felt this shit before. Never felt as if I could battle the whole world to save every moment in time I had with Maja.

“I have something to tell you,” she whispered.

Swiping my thumb over her lips, I replied, “I’m listening.”

“If my heart is broken, I can be dangerous. I don’t want to be that way with you.”

Leaning down, I whispered back, “If my heart is broken, I can be dangerous. I don’t want to be that way with you.”

When I leaned back, her eyes sparkled with understanding. She perched her head on my chest, and we continued to dance, forgetting about anything and everything around us.

VONSHAE

Time wound down, and we finally made our departure. All night I’d been watching Maja like a hawk, picking up everything she put down. If she tugged my beard, I met her halfway for a kiss. If she intertwined our fingers, I placed kisses down her palm and wrist. If she fed me food, I was sure to clean her fingers. If she smiled, I smiled. She couldn’t move without me attached to her fucking hip. I was deep. Too deep to even care if I continued to carry a badge.

And therein was the truth. I wanted Maja in my life so badly that I could walk away from the one career that was so deeply rooted in my blood that, whenever they were in my presence, I smelled a suspect’s fear. I was willing to lay myself down in order to build a life with this woman.

If only she would trust me. If only she allowed me to pick up whatever heavy trauma she carried. The minute she gave me the opportunity, I would never let her down.

“I can’t believe this is my first time at your house,” Maja stated as I parked inside my garage.

“Are you okay with being here?” I asked.

She smiled seductively. “Absolutely.”

That was all the fire I needed to get out of the truck and sail to her side. Her door was open seconds later, and I had her in my arms. This moment was too special to rush, so I had to slow it down. Once I got her inside the house, I set her on her feet, took her hand, and led her through the confines of the place I called home.

It was over six thousand square feet of property that I spent years building perfectly for myself and the family I would have one day. By the look in her eyes, Maja found my space pleasing.

“Very nice,” she complimented. As she scanned the walls, furniture, and whatever else her eyes fell on, I let her get acquainted with the house she’d be spending the majority of her time in. I had no intention of sleeping alone ever again. Once I had her in my bed, that was where she would remain.

As she continued perusing, I trailed behind her, picking up the scent her body gave me. My nose flared, and I couldn’t resist biting into my bottom lip. The way she looked in that dress had me stuck the entirety of the evening.

Finally, after she’d got her fill, she twirled on her heel-clad feet to face me. I was right there, two inches from her. Her smiling eyes tracked from my chest to my lips, then up to my eyes. Slowly, I circled her, unable to stop the way I stared at her ass. I paused a minute to glory in the shapeliness of her.

“You said you wanted to melt me and drink every last drop of me… How true is that?”