Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74383 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 372(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)
She whispered beneath her breath, still clinging to the mask like she had with those napkins when we first met. But then, she’d been trying to clean me up. Damn, she’d cleaned me up alright, changed my mindset when it came to women. Her.
“Say, bébé”—I winked—“I knew you were the one when you tried to undress me at the Hot Chicken & Peach Pit Maison. You ain’t care if little eyes saw you loving on me.”
That brought a tight chuckle. I was gonna open her up in every way that mattered, make her smile, laugh.
“You clowned me so bad, if I wasn’t Big Country, I would’ve developed a complex.”
“Even bigger than his ego,” Auntie Peaches chimed in.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “And I helped you get past those scary antics, turned you into the world’s funniest person.”
A voice cleared nearby.
Her brows shot up.
Yep. Nico Roman.
“But this ain’t the funny part in the story. It’s the part where the man wises up. He found a treasure he ain’t never letting go of. I value every part of you, Zuri. That protective mother in you reminds me of Momma. Makes me want to uplift and honor the stubborn in you. Love you. And your son. My son. You and Darius are my family.”
“Aww …” She chewed her lip, eyes looking like she couldn’t believe she won the lotto.
“Don’t overthink this, bébé. You’ll realize I get on your last nerve.”
Her hands, slender and quivering, covered her face as she laugh-cried. Man, she had never looked so beautiful to me.
“Coz if you think on it, you’ll realize you can do better than me. But Big Country? He gone flatline in these good shoes if you don’t say yes. So, say yes!”
She giggled softly, wiping tears from her face with her hands. “Yes, then! Because I don’t know if I can do CPR in this tight dress.”
Her mouth was soft as I pressed against those lips. Tasted of champagne and her own kinda sweetness. Woman kissed me like she meant to bring me back to life for good. I half expected her to step back and call it a successful resuscitation. Her laughter in my mouth was a final amen.
Acouple of hours later, Zuri’s naked body was a silhouette from the balcony doors as I lay in bed. She snuck closer toward the glass, then she gasped.
Lying propped in bed, I put my hands behind my head. “Relax, it’s dark in here. They can’t see you.”
“I know,” she whispered, then cleared her throat. “I just didn’t notice the million floating lanterns in the river. It’s so beautiful.”
“Come to think of it, I was supposed to propose there.”
She offered a teasing smirk while climbing into bed. “So, you did that second-rate proposal?”
“Please. That was Big Country first-class service. You’d say yes again.”
“A million times,” she murmured against my mouth.
“Let’s get to it.”
“Ugh. I’m talking about saying yes. You’re talking about sex, Montana.” She cupped my beard with her hands and kissed me like I was trouble, then pulled away. “My dress is torn. What story will we tell everyone?”
“I got you another dress … but I had expected when we said we were leaving to put Darius to bed, people might get the hint. Damn food and dinner got them thinking they can stay the night or something.”
“Yep.” She chuckled. “Too much food and drink. So do we sneak back or tell everyone it took Darius and them too long to fall asleep?”
“Bébé,”—I blinked at her—“Genèse’s boys and even Shanice’s little girl know not to fall asleep at a Mardi Gras party. They’re waiting on that king cake.”
She swatted my chest. “They saw through us?”
“Too the seams, bébé.” I leaned up, tasting her lips.
She jumped out of bed. “We gotta return to the party.” She picked up scraps of the purple dress and tossed them. “Useless! Montana, where’s the other dr—”
Knock.
I put my finger to my lips. “Shhh … get back in bed. I’ll tell you later.”
“Miss Zuri?” A little voice called out.
She wrapped herself in a throw blanket and went to open the door. “Yes, honey?”
I stared at one of Genèse’s sons. Always messing up a good thing. “Da man took Darius and told us to be quiet for king cake. I ain’t want nothing from him cause he was scary.”
I jumped from the bed, the linen around my lower half. “What you talking about?”
Zuri’s trembling hand dropped to her chest. “You’re-you’re kidding, right?”
The kid shook his head. He held up a piece of paper. “Da man gave me this.”
zuri
. . .
Strength evaporated, and dizziness overtook me. Edwin’s letter ordered me to meet him. Alone.
“Where is St. Tammany Regional Airport?” I asked, jamming one foot into the other dress Montana had purchased. I couldn’t see straight. Just a blur of bright colors and itchy-ass material.
“Close, bébé.” He winced.