Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 451(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“I promise to be everything you need and want, but I also promise to be a true soldier, and that includes being true to myself, and real to the game. I’m not a good man, but I’ll be damned if I’m not good to you… And that’s on my life.”
He placed his hand over his heart, and his eyes brimmed with tears.
He’s telling me to let this roll… this plan of his. He’s telling me to see no evil… to pretend like I don’t know what he has up his sleeve. Because I, too, struggled and endured. My demon is dead. He has three of ’em still walking the earth, and he feels some way about it. He wants me to turn a blind eye. To let him do ALL the seeing…
“Sometimes it takes me a minute, but I’m one to keep my promises, baby, even when they tear me in two…”
He reached for the back of her head, and claimed her lips in a needy kiss. Her knees practically buckled as he gathered her in his arms, then tossed her on his bed. She lay there as he pawed at her, kissed her hard, then soft, then wrapped his warm, hard body all around her like a cocoon.
He didn’t move for a long time. It was as if he wanted her heartbeats. Her breaths. Her love. She looked up at the ceiling as he practically glued himself to her, intertwining their souls. She wrapped her arms around him, careful to not push him out of the moment, and let him bury his head into the crook of her neck. His face out of view, he bellowed a sorrowful moan. The sound shook her to her core. Her neck and shoulders were soon wet from the tears of the little wounded boy inside of him. She stroked his hair. Time ticked by as FKJ’s ‘Way Out’ boomed with its bass sound, shocking her with surreal vibrations.
Still cradling him against her, she rocked him. Grabbing her hand, he intertwined their fingers and held on tight. She managed to grab the sheets and covered their lower bodies. Protecting him. Protecting her. Protecting them.
“You are who I prayed for. You are safe here, Legend. You’re safe in my arms…”
Chapter Sixteen
…two weeks later
Legend grasped the pepper and shook it vigorously over his breakfast fare in the restaurant. The rhythm of the Carpenters’ ‘Close to You’ filled every corner of the hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon diner known for its incredible breakfast platters and double-decker sandwiches.
“If you see the waitress before I do, ask ’er for some hot sauce,” he said around a mouthful of cheesy scrambled eggs.
Melanie sat across from him, drinking coffee with mounds of cream and sugar. She’d barely touched her banana nut pancakes.
“I ain’t seen you in so long,” she murmured. She seemed as if she had a lot on her mind. Clasping her hands, she leaned slightly forward. “Been like a month. We only talk like once a week on the phone now. You look good, though. What have you been up to?”
“Shit. Work.” He downed most of his glass of orange juice. “Workin’ out more, too. Trying to keep this body up. Been eatin’ a lot of stuff I normally wouldn’t,” He laughed. “Goes with the territory of cooking in school all the time for assignments, then again when I’m home. Been workin’ longer hours lately, too. Tryna stack up more cheese.” He sniffed, feeling a bit under the weather. Perhaps he was coming down with a cold. “School of course takes a big chunk of time. They offered me this internship at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse.”
“Oh my God! Are you serious? That’s great.”
“Yeah…” He snatched a piece of dry toast and bit into it, regretting not smothering it in blackberry jam. “Only problem is, I still need to get my classes done, so that’s another time management balancing act.”
“Well, that just means you’re going to have to sacrifice something.”
“Yup. Told Axel I need thirty-hour work weeks for a minute, at least until the internship is over with. I’d pick up extra hours where I could. He was cool with that. He’s been really supportive.”
“That’s one of the benefits of havin’ a friend that’s also your boss. More leniency.”
“Mmmm hmmm.” He grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth clean. “How’s the bar going? Good tips?”
“Yeah. It still pays the bills.” She was silent for a twinkling, fretting with her napkin by rolling the corner, releasing it, then repeating the process. “Mama is still upset about the argument y’all had, Legend.”
He shrugged and dug into his eggs again. “She can stay mad. I don’t give a fuck.”
Melanie sighed, staring at her coffee mug. “You should call her. I ain’t sayin’ she right, but—”
“Can I get y’all anything else?” a cute brunette waitress asked, bouncing over with a big smile.