Page 18 of Surrender to Me

Until now. Until him. Legend watched my expression shift like he could see every thought running through my head.

Then, casually, he cut into his steak. “You’ll be aight.”

I pressed my lips together, taking another sip of wine, trying to distract myself from the way my stomach was flipping. We ate in comfortable silence for a few moments, the only sounds were the clinking of silverware and the occasional sip of wine.

Then Legend leaned back in his chair, stretching, his voice low, casual, but full of something deeper.

“So, tell me,” he murmured, watching me. “What’s your real goal?”

I blinked. “For what?”

“For your business,” he said. “You’re not just doing this to sell skincare. What’s the bigger picture?”

I tilted my head, surprised by the question. Most people only asked about profits, scalability, and expansion. But Legend? He wanted to know why I started this in the first place. I swallowed, setting my glass down. “I want to build something that lasts. Something forus.”

Legend lifted a brow.

I exhaled, clarifying. “For Black women. For women who look like me—who have to waste money on thousands of products just to find the right one, who have been ignored by the big brands for years. I wanna change that.”

Legend was quiet for a moment, watching me. Then, finally, he nodded. “I love your passion.” I swallowed, suddenly feeling too exposed, too seen. Legend smirked again, not letting me look away. “Finish your wine, baby,” he murmured, standing up and taking our plates.

A slow shiver racked through me because I knew what was coming next. Tonight, it was really going down. I sat back in my chair, sipping the last of my wine, my body warm from the alcohol and the lingering heat of Legend’s words.

“What kind of music do you like?” he asked casually.

I blinked, caught off guard by the normalcy of the question. “What?”

“Music,” he repeated, tilting his head slightly. “What do you listen to?”

I shrugged, swirling the wine in my glass. “Still stuck in the 90s, honestly.”

His brows lifted slightly. “Yeah?”

I nodded, smirking. “That’s when R&B was at its peak.”

Legend hummed, thoughtful. “So you’re one of those ‘music isn’t the same anymore’ types?”

I scoffed. “Because it’s not. Name one song in the last five years that makes you feel the way 90s R&B does.”

He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head with a small smirk, then stood, walking over to the built-in sound system by the bar. A second later, soft melodic keys filled the air, the intro so smooth and familiar it made my chest tighten with nostalgia. Usher and Monica'sSlow Jam.

My lips parted slightly as I turned to face him. “You’re kidding.”

Legend’s smirk deepened. “You said 90s R&B. That’s what you’re getting.”

I shook my head, laughing softly, letting the music wash over me. It had been so long since I just… felt. Since I let myself get lost in a song, in a moment. Legend must have noticed, because before I could say anything else, he extended his hand.

“Dance with me.”

I blinked. “What?”

“You heard me.”

I let out a short, breathy laugh, eyeing him like he had just suggested something ridiculous. “You don’t dance.”

Legend lifted a brow. “Who told you that?”

I huffed. “You just don’t seem like the type.”

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