Page 10 of Beautiful Harmonies

My feelings were all over the place, and I needed to get away from him to thoroughly evaluate them. The money dropped to the floor, but his eyes remained on mine. When I looked away, I realized everyone’s eyes were on us. That didn’t seem to bother him. I wasn’t a fan of having people that I only had a business relationship with in my personal business.

I stepped away from him as he licked his lips. I turned my back to leave, and when I got to the door where Terrence was, Deontray said, “Kamari.”

I turned back to him to see him approaching me. When he got to me, he leaned over and kissed my lips in front of everyone. “Please call or text when you make it back to your room.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, only to feel him grabbing my hand. “Can we get a minute right quick, everybody?”

The men left out once again with smirks on their faces. When they left, he scooped me up and went to the couch. He sat, placing me on his lap and kissed my lips again. “Kamari, I want to be with you, bad. I’m not talking just sexually either. That was what I wanted from you before we met. It was like your spirit swallowed me whole, girl. You’re a good girl, and since I’ve been in your presence, it seems like I’m not whole when I’m away from you.”

“What assurances do I have that you are who you’re showing me you are?”

“None. I ain’t been nowhere close to being a saint in this industry, but if it means I’ll have you, me and Saint Peter gon’ be tight as hell.”

I smiled at him. “I don’t want a saint. I want the real Deontray, not the one that’s being with different women, searching for permanent fixes in temporary situations.”

He looked away from me. It seemed I’d hit the nail right on the head. He slid his hand down his face and allowed me to slide to the couch next to him. I grabbed his hand and held it between mine.

“You know, I used to wonder if the shit I did would keep me from being with the woman meant for me. When I realized that the answer could possibly be yes, I slowed down. Ever since my mama died, I suppose Ihavebeen subconsciously searching for love… love that I no longer have.”

My heart dropped. I knew his mother was deceased, but to hear him admit his deepest, intimate feelings to me had me like puddy in his hands. He could probably undress me right now, ifhe wanted to, and I would let him. He lifted his eyes to mine, and it seemed he was searching for a response to a question he hadn’t asked.

I lifted his hand and kissed it. “Your past won’t keep you from being with me, but it has me extremely cautious. I’ve been hurt in the past and made to look like a fool. Although you were single, your ways somewhat resemble his. He was just doing all those things while we were together, saying I didn’t have time for him. Dating someone in the industry scares me too.”

He slid his hand to my cheek then pulled me back to his lap. “I understand, baby,” he said into my neck. “You smell so good.”

I knew I had to have goosebumps all over me. Before I could do so, he released me and slid me to the couch. When he stood, I did so as well. “Thank you for that, Kamari. I just wanna be with you. I’m not going to stop proving to you that I can be the man you need me to be… the man I ultimately want to be.”

I smiled slightly as he led me to the door. “I hope I get to see you again soon. Where are you headed after this?” he asked.

“I’m going home for a couple of weeks, then I go to Houston.”

“You doing a show out there?”

“Yes. Plus, Megan Thee Stallion invited me out.”

“Well, shit! Look at you!”

I giggled. “You ought to join me.”

He bit his bottom lip and nodded. “I was hoping just that quickly that you would ask. I don’t have anything until the end of next month other than a few interviews. I open for Tank. Hopefully, you can come with me to that.”

“I would love to. I’ll call you in a little bit.”

“Mm hmm.”

I went up on my tippy toes and puckered my lips. He kissed me, slowly easing his tongue to mine.Jesus.When we separated, he opened the door. I walked out to see Terrence standing therewaiting for me. I turned back to Deontray and gave him a slight smile. “Talk to you in a few minutes.”

He nodded with a smile. When I walked away, Terrence and I headed to the elevator. The moment we got there, I leaned against the wall and exhaled. I could see him glancing at me. Finally, he said, “Be careful, Miss Carrier.”

I nodded. “I will. Thanks.”

I wanted to believe that Deontray had given me a piece of him that no one had ever seen. I refused to take that lightly. He’d earned time with me, and as long as he was a complete gentleman, he would deserve every minute of that time.

“Mi,our flight leaves out in three fucking hours. Where are you?”

“I’m on my way, Tray! Damn. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

I ended the call without saying goodbye. Mi’Junae was on my last fucking nerve. I knew I was the problem though. I gave her ass way too much freedom. That was simply because I was so fucking busy. She was nineteen, but everyone thought she was older because of how freely she moved. That was dangerous for her. I didn’t know what to do to stop it at this point. She was a grown woman.

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