Page 153 of The Ninth

When he made his way to me, I took in him. He was wearing just a beater, basketball shorts, white socks, and Nike slides. Simple but still so good. Seeing Duke care for his home and do domestic things always made me feel like it would be so easy having a future with him. I don’t want anyone else.

He sat next to me, handing me the plate. I took it while also laughing. A smile slowly appeared on his face before he screwed it up.

“What?! My shit don’t look fye?”

“Nah, it does. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”

“Eat a little. Then we will talk.”

I nodded my head slowly, wishing he would’ve sat closer to me.

The nerves coursing through me only allowed for me to take a few bites. My care for Duke had me shoveling more into my mouth, just so he didn’t think I thought it was nasty. It was actually good as fuck with zucchini, squash, peppers, onion, rice, egg, steak, and soy sauce. He did his big one and it tasted even better knowing it was meant for K3’s forgetful ass!

Once I felt enough was gone, I sat my plate down. I picked up the beer, doing one chug for encouragement. My hand gripped it tightly as I cleared my throat.

“Just eat, and I will say my peace. It really doesn’t matter the motive or reasons. I was lying to you repeatedly. Period. Even when you became important to me and I didn’t have to. So for that, I apologize.”

He nodded before I continued, “You know my family make up and my relationship with Cassie. At the time, I thought I was so different from her and her friends. That you were different. I didn’t want you to judge me based off of their choice in men or them working at the strip club. Speaking of The Ninth, my first night here, Cassie just took me and didn’t tell me that’s where she worked. I needed a job to not feel like a freeloader, so I just started bartending.

“All I’ve ever done in The Ninth was bartend. I have never went into the sections, walked the floor, anything. Just bartend. And...I loved it. It was fun, it brought me closer to the three girls, there were actually great people there. And I respect the women that did strip. You told me to wrap my shit up and that’s the only thing I had to wrap up. The Ninth. Now that I was doing great at the shop, I didn’t need a bartending job anymore. The night you stormed in was my last night as well as Cassie’s. We were supposed to talk but you got caught up out of town or whatever. I was going to tell you then about Cassandra and The Ninth. But it didn’t work out that way...”

“I hear you,” he offered as he sat his plate down.

“Cassie, Kenzie, and Tati are amazing women, and I wish to always have them in my life. I love them and all their flaws because they love me with mine. It was wrong for me to lash out on you about being Man-Man without hearing you out. Because at the end of the day, yeah, I may not have approached you if I thought you were in the streets. But I did approach you, even with there being a chance. Because you’re handsome, kind, smart, loving, artistic, caring. Supportive, protective, a listener.

“Duke, I’m sorry for lying to you and then judging you. I want you and I want you forever. I don’t give a fuck about you being K3’s brother or mixed up in some shit. I don’t want to fucking take it slow anymore. All my shit is wrapped up and deaded. I want to be Duke’s woman. And I want to be Man-Man’s woman. And....and I’m not taking no for an answer. I know we can love each other. I’m ready.”

Silence consumed us as I stared at the side of his face. He was nodding his head slowly, staring out into the backyard. Finally, his deep brown eyes found their way to me. I knew by the way he looked at me that this was my man, and my man only.

“You think you ready, my Devyn?” he asked, scanning my face.

“I know I am.”

He stood suddenly, collecting the plates and beer bottles from the table. I stood as well, walking to the door and easily opening it this time. It was the excitement. The adrenaline.

Instead of waiting in the kitchen for him, I walked past him, going through the house and back to his room. It smelled as if he just recently showered. His cologne and soap imbedded in the bed, the floor, the walls.

I cut the lights off before stepping out of my heels. Walking to his bed, I slid my shirt off above my head. Before my fingers could find the latch to my bra, his hands grabbed it instead, slowly undoing them one by one.

My breath caught in my throat a little. I didn’t hear him come in, and I planned to be under the blankets when he did. Once my bra slid off of my arms, his big hands ran over my stomach, fingers dipping slightly into my jeans.

“Were these lights off when you came in here?” he asked in my ear.

“N—ohhhhhh,” I moaned out.

His fingers slid into my curls, gripping them and pulling my head back. Warmth covered my body as his lips trailed up my neck and to my ear. I bit my lip in an attempt to not moan out his name from just feeling his body pressing against mine. His lips on me. His hands. The shit was driving me crazy.

“You think I want this beautiful body for the first time in the dark? Take the rest of these clothes off, Devyn.”

As I unbuttoned my pants, he turned the small lamp on that sat on the side dresser. The little light warmed the room slightly. It wasn’t until he walked to the other side and turned that lamp on as well that I felt exposed.

He looked at me, stepping out of his slides and snatching his beater off with one hand. The dragonflies I put on his sexy, dark chocolate ass body were still there. Abs. Broad shoulders. Hairy trail under his belly button. Deep waves. Full beard shaved down. Fuck.

I watched as he got onto the bed, sitting in the middle. He still had his shorts and socks on. The shorts did little to hide how much he was bulging through them. Even though I stood topless, he never looked at my body once, just into my eyes.

“Take them off, Devyn.”

His tone this time was more stern. Fear of what would happen if I didn’t caused me to slide them down, stepping out of them. My eyes stayed on the floor before I slowly brought them up to his. I felt nervous. I haven’t been willingly naked in front of a man since I was twenty-one. Especially one that I cared so much about. One that I wanted to want me. He didn’t return my eye contact, though.