Page 42 of Quasim: King Inferno

Me: No.

My phone’s screen illuminated with his name, and a call coming through. I slid my finger across the screen and put the phone to my ear. “Hey.”

“Why you up, my love?”

I loved when he called memy love. “I had a nightmare, and it woke me up… I’m alright.”

“Don’t sound like you alright.”

“I’m not.” I couldn’t lie to him and pretend that I was fine when my hands were still shaking, and I didn’t know what to do.

“Stay up. I’m coming to you… I’m at Fern.”

I looked at the time on the microwave and then back at my phone. “Where’s your neighbor’s son?”

“His name is Elijah, and he’s at my crib with Havoc… I had to come handle something here.” He explained, and I could hear the engine of his car in the background.

I really didn’t want to be alone, so I didn’t fight him on coming over. There was no way I would be able to sleep peacefully. “Okay. Drive safe, please.”

“I got you.”

I ended the call and rushed into the bathroom to take a quick shower and freshen up. When I came through the door from work, I tossed my things down and put my favorite sweats on and knocked out.

I slathered Josie Maran sweet citrus body butter onto my body and spritzed my favorite perfume; strawberry letter by Phlur. I loved mixing the combination because I smelled like a sexy fruit salad.

I tossed on a pair of shorts and an oversized T-shirt before slicking my hair back and putting a pair of fuzzy house socks on while I waited. It was late and he was coming all the way over here, so I went into the freezer and grabbed some shrimp and ran them under the water while grabbing noodles and all the ingredients to make Cajan shrimp pasta from scratch.

Quasim knew the security code to get into the building and it made me feel safer knowing that he knew it. By the time I heard the knock at the door, I was already plating the food and had grabbed a bottle of my favorite wine from Aldi out of the fridge.

Soon as I opened the door, he stood there. Quasim had this presence about him that took up the entire room. He stood straight, regal, and strong as if nothing around him could touch him. His presence always commanded respect, with his broad shoulders and unyielding stance. The glow from the hallway lights caught the sharp edges of his face, showing me the look that was only reserved for me in his dark eyes.

The minute his eyes landed on mine, he extended his arms, and I stood on my toes, and roped my arms around his neck. Sim picked me up as he closed the door behind him, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

Tears burned my eyes as I held onto him tighter. He kissed my neck as he walked further into my apartment and held onto me. “You gonna tell me what’s wrong with you, baby?”

“I don’t want to.”

I didn’t want to tell him about losing my son because I was embarrassed. It was bad enough that he knew that Tyshawn was putting his hands on me, but to know he was the reason for our son being born stillborn, and I remained with him, was something I couldn’t deal with right now.

He would look at me like I was a fool.

Stupid.

Weak.

Those were all the things that I thought about myself whenever my baby came across my mind. How could I have stayed with a man that was hitting me while pregnant, and then shoved me down the stairs.

Instead of sitting me down, we remained in the middle of the living room while he held me, my legs wrapped around him. “Look at me.”

I pulled my head back, and he used one hand to wipe my face. “Sim, you’re going to judge me.”

His handsome face screwed up as he looked at me. “Have I ever judged you since the day I met you?”

“This is different, though.” I lowered my eyes and rested my head back onto his shoulder to avoid his eye contact. His ember-green eyes were my favorite thing about him. Gams shared the same color eyes as him. “I deserve the judgement, though.”

Quasim slapped my ass, and I lifted my head up. “Tell me or I’m gonna continue slapping that ass.”

“Did it at least jiggle?” I pouted.

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