Smug Bastard - Stacey Marie Brown Page 0,46

women, since I tended to keep things light. Besides Becca, I had never committed to one. I was always honest up front, but women tended not to listen, hoping they’d be the one to tame me. Only one had, and I had learned my lesson. Never again.

So why did Kinsley’s green monster make my chest fill with a thrill? Shit, I liked it too much.

Snarling at myself, I turned back to the window.

“Ahhh.” She clicked her tongue. “Not just your tummy got rubbed.”

“Nope.” I shot back, my anger lashing at her, needing her to be clear where we stood. But I knew it was me who needed to make sure the line was there. “And she deserves her high ratings.”

“Ewww.” She shuddered.

Following my directions, Kinsley pulled up to the familiar light gray-and-yellow Creole cottage on the edge of the city. Angie’s outside lot was double the normal for this area, giving the dogs room to run and play outside. The sign for her business had changed, but nothing else had. The paint was still chipping on the yellow shutters, the colorful roses still blooming wildly along the front.

Stepping from the van, the sound of dogs barking in the house and in the backyard rose to my ears. I inhaled deeply, the same thick air sticking in my lungs. New Orleans had a smell. A mix of sweet, spicy, and decay. Like the costumes, feathers, masks, and glitter, they covered up the death and rotting underneath. Rich spices from Creole dishes being cooked down the street filled the sticky, hot air, tapping my nostalgia. I loved this city and had almost stayed.

The screen door squeaked and banged, the reason I left standing on the top step.

“Well, well…” Angie folded her arms. “Never thought I’d see you back on my front stoop again.”

“Hey, Ang.” My gaze ran over her. “It’s been a while.”

“Over eight years.” She tipped her head. The last time I saw her it was long, and she kept her wild hair in braids most of the time. Now her naturally curly dark hair was chin length.

“You haven’t changed a bit.” Besides her hair, she hadn’t, defying the natural aging process. The woman was still as stunning as I remembered. Older by ten years, her flawless black skin still looked as creamy and silky as I remembered. High cheekbones and a curvy body I knew very intimately at one time hadn’t altered a bit either.

The sex between us had been wild and intense, consuming my eighteen-year-old brain, but after three months of screwing each other, I knew I had to leave. She wanted to be exclusive. I didn’t want anything holding me down.

Young and selfish, I took off without a word. Though she always knew it was a possibility since I stayed far longer than I thought. It was still a dick move.

“You have.” She took a step down, her bare toes rubbing the peeling paint on the white steps, her arms crossed, her tank stretching over her voluptuous breasts. “You are no longer a boy.” She shook her head. “Is it possible, you bastard, you got even sexier?” A smile took over her mouth, lighting up her face as she moved to me, wrapping her arms around me, hugging me tightly with an intimacy of those who knew each other very well. “So good to see you, Smith.” She leaned back, still holding on to me, her eyes raking down my physique. “I almost thought I imagined your call on my voice mail. Couldn’t believe it was you.”

“It’s me.” I swallowed, feeling eyes burning into the back of my head, sizzling my spine like a marshmallow on a stick. Kinsley’s attention on us thrummed on my skin.

“Over the years, I’ve thought about you a lot… but the other night I dreamed you came to me again… and the next day you called.” Angie lifted her eyebrow. Like so many here, her grandmother was a voodoo priestess. Angie had told me the magic ran in her blood, and besides communicating with ghosts, she sometimes had dreams or visions of things before they happened. “You are still the best I’ve ever had, Smith. I hoped someday you would knock on my door again,” she said boldly. Angie was never one to filter her thoughts or needs. She had taught me a lot during our time together.

“Yeah, he seems to have fan clubs all over the world.” Kinsley stepped up, Goat snuggling between us. “Do I need to board more than my