Page 70 of Color Me Broken
Tasha looked out the window for a long second. “Yeah. I guess you right.”
They were quiet for a moment as the car climbed the freeway ramp toward the airport. Planes soared overhead.
Mrs. Riggs turned to her again, this time softer. “I’m not trying to be nosy, baby. But I see how he watches you. Like you the only thing in the room. That boy has been through his share of girls… but this? This ain’t no pass-through situation. He really likes you.”
Tasha’s throat tightened again. “I got a lot going on, Miss Riggs.”
“I know,” she said. “I also know my son doesn’t stray easily. If he wanted simple, he’d pick simple. But he pickedyou. So maybe… stop tryna make sense of it. Just let it be.”
Tasha smiled a little. “You tryna be our li’l love doctor or somethin’?”
Mrs. Riggs grinned. “Nah, girl. I’m trying to make sure you don’t fumble my son.”
They both laughed. The plane ride was smooth. Tasha sat by the window, watching the clouds roll by, thinking about Kenji’s kiss. She didn’t know what this thing was yet. But for the first time in a long time… she didn’t feel broken. She didn’t feel sick. She just felt like a woman being wanted in the most honest way.
The sun was just beginningto hide behind the clouds when Tasha heard the knock. She knew it couldn’t have been housekeeping. This knock was slow and intentional. She opened the suite door, and there he stood. Kenji. Fresh off the plane, wearing his team letterman jacket unbuttoned over a white tee, and grey sweats hanging low on his hips, with the duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He looked tired... but damngood.
“Tired?” she asked, leaning against the doorframe, trying to keep her cool.
Kenji dropped the bag and pulled her close. “Tired as hell. But tired of missing you more, though.”
He kissed her, deep, slow, and heavy. The kind of kiss that made legs get weak. She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You hungry?”
“Yeah,” he whispered against her lips. “But not for food, Ms. Lady.”
She smirked. “Umm, Mr. Riggs, are you gettin’ fresh with me?”
“Sure am.”
Kenji stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him. Tasha had the lights dimmed low, soft R&B playing from her phone, something older… from back in the day. The vibe was already there.
“You flew in early,” she said, walking over to the minibar and grabbing a bottle of water.
Kenji sat on the edge of the bed, watching her like she was a whole movie. “Told the coach I had family business. Needed a couple of days.”
She turned back to him, brow raised. “Oh, I’m family now?”
“You're getting there.” His eyes raked over her body, soft and slow. “Shit, maybe already there.”
The air thickened between them. Neither one moved at first. Until Tasha stepped between his knees.
Kenji reached up, brushing his fingers against her waist. “You look so beautiful.”
She was in something simple, a grey headwrap, an oversized tee with nothing under it. But the way his eyes were glued to her, it might as well have been lingerie.
“You sure?” she asked, voice low.
He nodded, hands sliding under the shirt, fingertips tracing the curve of her thighs. “You've been on my mind since you left.”
Tasha tilted his chin up, their eyes locked. “So what you wanna do about it?”
Kenji didn’t answer with words.
He stood, letting the Letterman fall from his shoulders, then lifted the shirt off her, slow, like he was unwrapping something sacred. No rush. No aggression. Just need. Respectful, but real. Then he took her headwrap off slowly, eyeing her. His hand massaged through her hair that smelled of something he couldn’t name.
She let his hands explore her body as if he were a blind man. They kissed again, but this time deeper, hungrier. They were both tired of pretending they weren’t craving each other. Clothes started to peel away, heartbeats collided. She laid back on the bed, breath catching as he hovered over her in nothing but his wife-beater.
“You sure?” he asked, voice thick, eyes searching hers for any hesitation.
