my hands from my pockets and place them on her waist, bringing her to me. Kissing her forehead, I keep my lips against her skin as I speak.
“It’s a complicated situation. We all had to come in at the last minute. If you’d have worn the dress like I asked, you would’ve understood. I could have explained…” I trail off the moment I know I’ve lost her.
Her body stiffens and she pulls away slowly. I run through my words to find which ones were the trigger. Fuck, I have to learn to be more careful with my words when it comes to her.
Roni
“First, John, you didn’t ask me shit. You left yet another note and some strangers to tell me that you wanted me to come to this wedding where I don’t know anyone, and they don’t know me. A bunch of white folks that would make me feel out of place,” I snap.
He laughs. I mean, a deep belly laugh. I eye him in disgust. Okay fine, I’m not disgusted by anything I see. He is wearing the hell out of that tux. I want to grab the lapels and kiss those sexy lips of his.
I hate how he always makes me feel this way. Other people, I don’t give a fuck about. I could go days without talking to anyone, but when it comes to John, he makes me crave something I don’t think I’ve ever had.
It’s more than a sexual attraction. It’s his attention. I want his attention. It sounds so needy, but it’s the only way I know how to describe how I feel about him.
Then he laughs and goes from gorgeous to breathtaking during said laugh, but he’s laughing at me, nonetheless. Which only pisses me off more. Jerk.
“Come on, come inside with me. I want to show you something,” he says through his laughter.
“No, I’m not dressed for a wedding.”
He rolls his eyes over me and I swear he’s seeing me naked. “It will be fine. No one will care.”
“If no one cares why the dress and personal shopper?”
He frowns. “Are you forgetting that you took off from campus without a word to anyone or permission? You are the one that got on a plane and followed me here. You are the one that used a credit card no longer in your possession. You are the one that went to my hotel for… what? Why did you come here?
“You know what, don’t answer that. I thought if you were going to be here for this, you could be my…”
He cuts off. I can see him trying to wrangle his temper. Note to self, that temper is hot. I might want to trigger it again sometime just to watch.
“Date?” I finish his words and narrow my eyes at him. “Yeah, that’s a no. I’ll be at the hotel when you’re finished. I never should’ve come here.”
“Roni, wait,” he calls out as I throw my leg over my bike and reach for my helmet to tug on.
I don’t stop to hear what he has to say as I turn the key and start the bike. For over an hour, I sat a few miles away pondering whether or not to come here. I was right the first time. This is no place for me.
“I’ll get my answers later,” I mutter to myself as I take off down the street.
Chapter 21
Heat
Roni
I sit with my jeans unzipped, a hand over my full belly, and the remote in my other hand, while the plate that held my finished steak, seasoned green beans, and baked potato sits on the couch beside me. I’m stuffed and grumpy. I still can’t believe I went to that wedding like a fool. Better yet, I don’t get why I’m here.
“You’re batting a thousand, Roni,” I mumble.
I frown and flip through the channels. My phone buzzes with a notification. I look down to see its Torque and the app he placed on my phone. I smile.
The kid is really worried about me. He should be sleeping. I’ll get to his message in a little while. My brain is currently occupied with a ton of shit.
The door to the suite opens and in saunters John. My lips part as my gaze roams over him. His hair is tousled, and his shirt is gaping open to his mid-chest with his tie loose around his collar. He tosses his tux jacket over his shoulder as he leans against the wall, watching me.
“I see you made yourself at home,”