Page 19 of Embrace

“Girl, you hit curbs daily. I’ve had to fix your rims several times.”

She rolled her eyes. “First of all, please get your facts straight. I don’t hit curbs… The curbs hit me.”

“They just jump out and get you?”

“Exactly.”

I shook my head. “You’re a mess, but I’ll make you an offer. If you can beat me back to the car, I’ll let you drive.”

“Oh, you ain’t said nothing but a word.”

She stretched her legs and grabbed her things. “C’mon, loser.”

A rough estimate of the distance between the car and bench we stood by was about ten or fifteen yards—an easy distance to sprint. I even gave her a couple inches in front of me to make it easier on her.

“Ready, set, g—see, all that cheating and you still gon’ lose!” I shouted.

Suvi had dashed ahead before I finished the word. She darted in front of me and laughed like a drunk hyena. I sprinted behind her and caught her quickly. We were neck and neck for most of the run before I got a good lead and touched the hood before she did.

“Who’s the loser now?” I taunted.

She rolled her eyes and pouted. “You are.”

I laughed. “You’ve never been good at losing, crybaby ass. Here.”

I tossed her my keys and she turned her frown upside down quickly. “Thank you, husband bestie.”

She danced over to the driver’s side and climbed in. I got into the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt immediately. “Look, I trust you, so trust yourself to get us back to the hotel without a scratch on my baby, okay?”

“Ay ay, captain!”

I relaxed into the seat as she backed out. Suvi was the only person I trusted other than myself. She wouldn’t do anything to damage my car, and if she did, oh well. I had a shop where repairs would be paid for without a problem.

Our marriage so far had been a breeze. The closer we got to the honeymoon, the more my nerves began to get the best of me. Would we finally have sex? Would she find out she wasn’t sexually attracted to me and call it quits? There was no telling how our story would progress, so I’d have to trust in God to get us through it.

CATCHING FLIGHTS

Boarding the private jet was a new experience. I’d never been on a private jet, or even been in first class until now. The interior of the plane was cream and white with marble accents on the counter. There was a couch in the far-right corner, and two rows of luxury seats decked out with reclining options and entertainment.

“Wow,” I mumbled. “This is nice as hell.”

“Ain’t it?” Blaze agreed. Our bags were loaded into the plane while we relaxed in the seats. Our flight attendant, Kelly, explained the safety rules. Then, we met our pilot, a black woman named Tiara Johnson. She looked good in her uniform, and I trusted her with my life. Luckily the flight would only take two and a half hours to get us to the destination.

I wasn’t the type to sleep on the plane, so I prayed Blaze kept me company. I wore a comfortable hoodie and leggings with fuzzy socks and my Crocs. Blaze had on a similar outfit which consisted of a black hoodie, gray sweatpants, and some Nike slides.

“You know I’m secure in our relationship, but other women would definitely have an issue with you wearing gray sweatpants,” I teased.

“What’s wrong with my sweatpants?”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Boy, you know what gray sweatpants do. They show off the dick print and all women’s eyes travel right there to get a glimpse of what you got to offer.”

“Unfortunately for them, I ain’t offering shit. This all yours.” He smirked.

Since the wedding, Blaze began blatantly flirting with me. There were no more subtle innuendos and witty remarks. He was intentional with every sexual reference he made with me.

“I haven’t even tasted it yet. Don’t put my name on something I’ve never had.” I teased back in a singsong voice.

“Just say the word,” he replied.

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