Page 18 of Somebody Else Will

Men just didn’t think at times. Ezekiel was proving that to only be a stereotype though. We were casually strolling, hand in hand, admiring the beautiful flowers. We’d been here about twenty minutes when we came to a bench in front of a pond. Taking a moment to sit and take in the beauty, Ezekiel let out a satisfied sigh.

“Thank you for bringing me here. It’s so beautiful.”

“You’ve never been?”

“No. I’m always working. I rarely take time for myself.”

“Well, I hope I can help change that.”

I smiled at him as he continued holding my hand, gently caressing it between his. Dropping my gaze to my lap, I said softly, “I miss her so much.”

I didn’t know what made me say that. I supposed I felt comfortable with him. It was abnormal for me to be expressive in the beginning of getting to know someone, but Ezekiel made me feel safe to bare my hurt. He slid his arm around me, and I laid my head against him. He played in my shoulder length, brown hair as he said, “I can only imagine.”

My restraint crumbled at that moment, and I cried audibly as I clung to him. He held me close, wrapping his arms around me, repeatedly kissing the top of my head. The care he was showing me meant the world to me. I’d had no one that I could just be free with. Will was on some fuck shit and wasn’t there for me when I needed him most. My grandmother was grieving as well, so there was no way I would unleash all this on her.

Doing my best to gather my composure, I lifted my head and pulled away slightly. Ezekiel gently wiped my tears with his thumb and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes as I accepted his tenderness. When I opened them, I found his eyes on mine. He leaned in and softly kissed my lips, then continued wiping my tears. His lips were so damn soft. I found myself leaning to him and kissing him again.

He rested his palm on my cheek as I closed my eyes and allowed the kiss to develop into something so beautiful and passionate.Denishia, what the fuck!I quickly pulled away from him. “I’m so sorry. Shit! I don’t know what I was thinking.”

He gently pulled my face back to his and laid his lips on mine all over again. I swore I saw fireworks. When he pulled away, he said, “Don’t ever apologize for blessing me with those pillow-top lips. Damn, Denishia.”

He wrapped his arm around me again, pulling me to him. After sitting quietly for a few minutes, he said, “I know you’re feeling all sorts of emotions right now. I promise I would never let you go too far. A kiss was as far as I would have gone with you right now. If I went any further, I would feel like I was taking advantage of you. I want you to eventually be mine, so I would never intentionally do anything to jeopardize that.”

This man was going to have me crying all over again. “Thank you.”

I sat up straight and pulled my phone from my pocket to check the time. “I really need to get back to the hotel to pick up my people so we can get started. Thank you for this. I didn’t realize how badly I needed it.”

He leaned over and kissed my lips softly. “This will be the first of many outings to soothe your soul.”

I gave him a soft smile as he helped me from my seat. I appreciated him showing me his sensitive side today. His aggression had been front and center for nearly every interaction I had with him. He was showing me something different, and he was proving that the things Will lacked, someone else could provide. After this, I would be a fool to go back to Will when I had someone like him at my beck and call.

When we got to his car, he opened the door for me and helped me inside. While he walked around the car, I glanced at all the missed messages from Will. I told his ass I would call him tomorrow night or Sunday. I slightly rolled my eyes and stuffed my phone in my pocket. As Ezekiel got in the car, he said, “You know, I snuck my credit card to that waitress after you left to go to the restroom.”

My lips parted. “Ezekiel, it was a thank you breakfast.”

“Naw. It was our first date.”

My face heated up. There was no point in rebutting. I knew Ezekiel would argue me to the bitter end about it. I slowly shookmy head as he reached over and tickled me. I laughed and screamed as I tried to fight him away from me. It didn’t make sense just how ticklish I was. “Ezekiel, stop!” I said between my laughter. When he pulled away, I said, “You got all my fat jiggling.”

He frowned slightly. “Girl, fat provides all the flavor on a piece of meat. It keeps it moist too. You ever ate a piece of meat that was dry with fat on it?” He paused for effect, then continued. “Right, me either. Don’t speak about that shit like it’s something negative. That shit sexy as fuck. I can’t wait until we get to a point in our relationship where I can prove to you just how sexy it is.”

My face heated up, and I had to squeeze my legs together. I didn’t understand how everything this man said affected me this way. I was grown enough to know that he wasn’t Josiah fromUnwrapping Your Love: The Gift, the movie where he’d portrayed a single father. He was Ezekiel Wheeler, a rising star in the entertainment industry. That was all I knew about him before meeting him. However, his personality didn’t seem to be too far from the character he portrayed in that movie. Maybe that was why he’d gotten the role.

I glanced over at him to see him glance down at my thighs. He licked his lips as I closed my eyes.Jesus, keep me near the cross.I was two seconds from telling the man to take me down. If his dick was as smooth as his words, I would be in a world of trouble. That was why I needed to get myself together. I let my thoughts drift to my mother, and that took every ounce of desire from me. In order to do my job without getting my coochie stretched out, I knew that my thoughts would have to stay on the very thing I had been avoiding… Patsy Boswell’s death.

I lookedaround the place and smiled big. It was gorgeous. “Denishia, you did an amazing job, baby.”

“Thanks, Grandma. Thank you for helping us bring this to life.”

“Of course, baby. This was soothing for me. You know I love flowers.”

“I know. If you want to start coming back to the floral shop sometimes, you’re more than welcome to.”

“Thanks, baby.”

I kissed her cheek as I once again stared at the setup. After taking a deep breath, I smiled and made my way to the dressing room we’d been assigned. There was a shower in there and a couple of vanity areas. This was so convenient. Jamia had gone to shower earlier while I was putting the finishing touches on a bouquet. Jerzey should be in there now. I told my grandma she could go after her.

Before I could get to it, I saw Ezekiel enter the building. I tried to avoid making eye contact with him, because I didn’t want anyone to know we’d made a connection. I didn’t need that type of attention right now. However, it was too late, because he saw me see him. I smiled, and he said, “Hello, Miss Boswell. Am I going to be wowed when I walk in there?”

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