Page 17 of Divine

“Isn’t that sweet?” I cooed, clasping my hands together.

“You’re the mean one, ma’am.”

“For the record, I kinda like it when you call me ma’am.”

He chuckled. Even his laugh was sexy. I didn’t know how long it would be before Syre stepped in and decided I liked this man too much, but in the meantime, I was enjoying his company. I hated to admit it.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“To answer your question, probably my girl Candice and my cousin Syre when it’s not dealing with the opposite sex. He’s one of my favorite people when he’s not trying to be my dad.”

“We’ll have to keep him out of your hair then.”

“I like the way you think.”

“You gotta work with me, though, Cookie. Just be careful how you move.”

“I try, but he’s sneaky as hell. He’s like Santa Claus. Even when I don’t think he’s watching, his black ass is watching.” I laughed.

“Why do you think he wants to have such a tight leash on you?” he wondered.

“He’s afraid that I’m going to run into a man like him,” I stated.

“Damn.” Liam’s thick brows shot up.

“I know, right? The crazy thing is I would love to have a man like him if he wasn’t such a hot head. I’m the least of his concerns, but he tries to make me the biggest.”

“Obviously he cares about you.”

“He needs to find a woman of his own to care about instead of trying to keep track of my goodies. I’m an adult. Nobody in my family seems to understand that.”

“You’re the only girl, right?”

“Yeah, and they never let me forget it. I was just out on a date a couple of days ago, and Syre showed up and beat the guy like he stole something.”

“Did he have a reason to do that?”

“In his eyes, he did. I know the biggest issue was him being with me. Syre could have easily called or come to me and let me know what was going on. It didn’t take all of that. He embarrassed the hell out of me.”

“I feel you. No one deserves that, Cook. We have to figure out how to get him off your back. If you promise not to give me a hard time, I will try to keep him off of you.”

“You think we can do that?” I asked.

“Have a little faith in me. Am I doing good so far?”

“I mean, I guess so. You got me all sugared up and venting about my family. All I need now is a glass of wine, and I would have thought I was with one of my girls.”

“I’m far from one of the girls, but I don’t want you to feel like I’m a prison guard. I’m a bodyguard. I can’t control what you do. Like you said, you’re an adult. I don’t feel like I have to run and tell your people every move you make. He told me to move at my own discretion, and that’s what I plan to do.”

“Just don’t switch up when he starts asking you questions.”

“I got you, mama.” He nodded before leaning back and throwing his arm over the back of the couch.

“So, who’s your person?” I asked, eager to hear his answer. Instead of giving up the details, he shook his head. “What are you shaking your head for?”

“I don’t have a person, Miss Divine.”

“I can be your person.”

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