Page 11 of Divine

“Tiny dancer, I think I got everything you so eloquently requested.” Hearing another voice in the room startled me.

I held my chest as I turned around to see who had given me a mild heart attack.

“Have you ever heard of knocking?” I asked my new security guy.

He chuckled as if my question was absurd “Like that worked out so well for me earlier. Besides, I figured you would be expecting me seeing how you sent me out to run your do-boy errands.”

I pressed my lips together in an attempt to suppress the grin playing on my face, but I was sure he saw it by the way a sexy crooked smile curled his own lips.

“Did you get everything I asked for?” I asked, changing the subject.

“See for yourself,” he said, placing one of the bags he was holding on the island in front of me.

I walked over and removed the contents of the bag, doing inventory as I placed everything on the countertop. There was a purple box of pads like the ones I liked to sleep in, a jug of grape juice, a heating pad, and a bottle of the pain medication that I’d asked for. Looking up from the counter, I smiled. He’d gotten things that I hadn’t even considered asking for. I guess his girlfriend got him to do her monthly shopping too.

“What’s your name again?” I asked, realizing that I had no idea what the man in my kitchen’s name was.

“I never told you my name in the first place, but it’s Liam.”

“Liam, you didn’t have to get all of this. How much did all of this cost?” I told him.

“I didn’t have to go to the store for you at all. I did it because I wanted to. Plus, I used my own money,” he said sliding my card across the counter.

“Why?”

“I figured the only reason that you were so bitchy was because it was that time of the month. I’m going to charge that nasty fucking attitude to PMS and not to your head. Because for one, there’s no way in the fuck anyone in their right mind would speak to me that way, especially not someone of your stature. What are you like five two?” He chuckled.

“I’m almost five five, and size don’t matter. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

“You’re right, shorty. Just know that I don’t give a damn how pretty you are or what your last name is, you will respect me. I’m here to make sure you’re safe during the twelve hours that I’m responsible for your well-being. You can throw a tantrum and act a fool all you want to, but it’s not going to stop me from doing my job.” He raised his shoulders. “To be honest, I actually like my women with nasty attitudes. It limits how many niggas try to get in her face. So, while you thought you were giving me a hard time, that shit actually made my dick hard.

“Your period being on is only a roadblock. A red light don’t stop nothing but my ride out there. In any other situation, I would fuck that attitude right up out of your pretty ass. You hear me? I’m not here for that, though. I’m here to protect you, not to fuck you. So instead of putting you over my knee, I decided to give you something that might make you feel better.” He placed the second bag down and began to empty the contents himself.

Did he just chastise me? Who the hell had Syre sent to my house? I didn’t know if I should have been offended or intrigued by his statement. A mixture of both had me feeling flushed.

“What did you get?” I asked, still unsure about how to feel.

“Get out a pan. I’m about to bake you some cookies,” he instructed.

“Cookies?” My brows snapped together.

He smirked at my confusion. “Yes cookies, Cookie.”

“Did you just call me Cookie?” I laughed.

“Yeah. You’re feisty as hell just like Cookie Lyon. Plus, I bet you’re sweet as hell somewhere under that strong desire to give me a hard time just for being here. I’m trying to work with you and make this easy on both of us.”

“I do actually have a sweet tooth right now, so I’m not going to argue with you if that’s what you’re expecting.”

“I’m expecting you to let me take care of you. I want to help you feel better. I want to try to get along with you if that’s possible. Can we do that? I would like for this situation to be as easy as possible for both of us because I’m not quitting this job. It would be cool if you and I could get along, because whether you like it or not, I’m not going anywhere.”

I bit back a sheepish grin as I tiptoed to try to peek inside the bag. “What else is in the bag?”

“Well, I figured all women like ice cream. Since, once again, I know most women’s cycles come with sugar cravings, I wanted to bring you cookies and ice cream.”

“What kind of ice cream did you get?” I quizzed, liking this idea better and better.

“Vanilla.”

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