Page 29 of R&B Mixtape

She popped it and I went to retrieve her luggage. As soon as I slammed her trunk closed, the wind picked up even more causing it to be hard to see. She rushed to me and grabbed myarm for guidance. Because I was used to horrible weather, I was able to navigate through it with ease. I didn’t miss that she was dressed in tights, boots, and a light jacket. It was entirely too cold for her to have that on. She was a tourist and it showed.

Making it back inside, she was shivering her ass off. The wind must’ve slapped her around a few times without me noticing. Any who, I dropped her things and went for the blanket laying on the back of the couch throwing it across her shoulders.

“T-th-thank you.”

“No… problem.”

I was stunned by her beauty now that light was surrounding us. She was absolutely gorgeous and carried a smile that lit up a room. Her eyes were just as bright, and her smooth skin glowed as well. Only her face was revealed but you noticed so much about her.

“I’m Naeem and my little one who’ll be running out here soon is Serenity.” I held my hand out and she shook it the best she could.

“I’m Ch-Charmaine. S-sorry, I’m anemic and the c-cold is t-too much.”

“Not to be rude or anything, but why would your anemic behind come to the mountains knowing you can’t handle it.” I shook my head and ushered her to the ottoman that sat near the fireplace. She needed to defrost fast.

“I’ll a-answer that when I s-stop sounding like Alf-falfa,” she said smiling. I nodded and went to fix her a hot cup of coffee.

Charmaine was the first woman I let into my space after Sunny. She low key did damage on me, so I stayed to myself to heal. I was ready to start dating but never had the time to do so. I was so caught up on making sure my company was good. This was the perfect opportunity to test the waters.

I returned to the living room with her hot beverage in tow. She was still sitting in front of the fire but had moved from theottoman to the floor. She removed her hat giving me a better view of her face.

“Here you are. I didn’t know how you took it, so I kept it black. I can get you some condiments if you need them.”

“Black is perfect. Thank you.”

“I see you can manage to speak without stuttering now. That means you’re thawing just fine.”

She chuckled as she nodded. “I am. And to answer your question from earlier, me and my friends wanted to spend Valentine’s weekend with each other instead of with men who seem to be nothing but disappointments nowadays. I would’ve ridden with them if I didn’t have obligations to handle first.”

“The cabins aren’t far from here at all. Maybe you should call your friends and let them know what’s going on. In the meantime, I’m going to finish dinner. Do you care for a hot plate?”

“I’d appreciate that, Naeem.”

The angelic tone was on a constant loop. The softness of it and how leveled it was. I instantly craved more of it. Even down to her tiny laugh, I found it all to be intriguing.

I tended to the task at hand and occupied my time in the kitchen granting me a temporary distraction. First impressions were everything and because she had to spend a night with me, I was going to bless her with my skills. The way she described men in that brief conversation said she was low key over them as a whole. I knew some men could be dogs but not all were the same so us real ones had to work twice as hard to prove what makes us different.

“Daddy, who is that lady?”

Serenity was finally woken and was questioning Charmaine’s presence. I picked her up and quickly pecked her on the cheek before ushering her to the living room to make proper introductions.

“Charmaine, I’d like to introduce you to my baby girl Serenity. Serenity, this nice lady got lost and the snow trapped her here with us for a little bit. Is that okay?”

She wiggled her legs to be let down and I placed her on her feet. She walked up to Charmaine and started touching her hair. When she looked back up at me, she had the biggest smile on her face.

“She’s pretty, Daddy.”

Charmaine sat with her cheeks hiked up not saying a word. She gave her time to check her out without interrupting her.

“She is very pretty baby girl,” I seized the opportunity to compliment her.

“Thank you. Both of you.”

I didn’t miss the flirtation at the end of her response. That sparked something in me.

“Dinner is ready you two so can we eat or are y’all about to leave me behind to do your own thing?”

“I’m down to eat before I allow her to show me her chest full of toys,” she said holding Serenity’s hand.