Page 28 of Surrender to Me

I lifted a brow. “Explain.”

“Most people work their whole lives trying to survive,” he said, spinning his wine glass slowly between his fingers. “They wake up, go to a job they hate, come home, and repeat until they die. They don’t own a second of their time. That’s the real trap.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek, watching him carefully. “And you?” I asked. “You own your time?”

"Of course," he chuckled, taking a slow sip of his drink. “I own everything that matters.” All I could do was nod to ignore the thumping of my heart. “Aight. Your turn,” he said, lifting a brow. “What’s one thing you think everyone should experience?”

I exhaled, thinking for a second before speaking. “Real, all-consuming, no-holding-back kind of love.”

“I should’ve seen that coming.”

I laughed. “What? I genuinely wanna know what it feels like.”

Legend’s gaze flickered with something unreadable but he didn’t argue. Instead, he smirked. “Aight, enough deep shit,” he said. “What’s the dumbest or funnest thing you’ve ever done?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Oh, this is easy. I let my best friend Tyrae talk me into sneaking into a celebrity party and we got so drunk that we got kicked out. It was so embarrassing.”

“Damn,” Legend chuckled. “Who was the celebrity?”

“Drake.”

Legend nearly spit out his drink. “You got kicked out of a Drake party?”

“Don’t judge me,” I huffed.

“Oh, I’m judging your ass,” he smirked, shaking his head.

I pointed my fork at him. “Okay, your turn. Dumbest thing you’ve ever done?”

Legend thought for a second, running his fingers through his beard. “Letting you talk shit about my movie taste.”

I rolled my eyes, laughing. “Oh, please.”

He lifted his glass, clinking it against mine. “To good food, good music, and a great fucking night,” he murmured.

“I'll drink to that,” I echoed.

After dinner, we moved to the beach, the warmth of the day finally giving way to a less humid breeze as the sky melted into deep shades of purple and navy. A private firepit flickered between us, casting golden light over the sand, the waves rolling lazily in the distance. Legend sat across from me in a low lounge chair, legs spread, a glass of liquor in one hand and a freshly rolled blunt in the other.

I curled my legs beneath me, my dress shifting against my skin, the lingering sweetness of the decadent chocolate mousse topped with fresh fruit we had for dessert. But even with the perfect scenery, the delicious food, the warmth of the fire, and the lingering buzz of the wine, I was in my head about tomorrow.

Legend took a slow pull from the blunt, exhaling deeply before exhaling. He hit it twice more and then passed it my way as he murmured, “You look deep in thought.”

I took the blunt between my fingers and inhaled slowly, closing my eyes as I exhaled the smoke. “Just… soaking it all in.”

“You always this bad at just being in the moment?” he teased.

I shot him a mild glare, hitting the blunt once more. I exhaled, passing the blunt back. “I’m just… thinking about how fast this all went by.”

He took another hit, exhaling through his nose before speaking. “It was a damn good time though,” he said, leaning back, stretching his legs out.

I swallowed, fingertips warm from the lingering smoke, mind even warmer from the Tequila in my glass. I was tipsy as hell and the words just kept falling from my lips. “You don’t ever want more than just… moments?” I asked, watching the fire flicker.

“More is overrated,” he said, his voice smooth and unwavering. “People spend their whole lives chasing ‘more’ and miss what’s right in front of them.”

I let that settle between us for a moment, my mind still buzzing, my chest still tight. Because the way he said it was like he had already made peace with my departure.

We barely spoke as we made our way back to his villa, but the air between us was charged, electric, humming with the weight of everything unsaid. The moment we stepped inside his bedroom, Legend’s deep, commanding voice cut through the silence.

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