Page 15 of Made to Love Ya

“Then block his ass.”

“I did that, but he always calls from a different number.”

“Next time he calls, let me answer the phone.”

“What’s that going to do?” I asked, picking up a couple of packs of chicken sausage and tossing them into the cart before I moved to the opposite aisle to grab some items from the frozen foods section.

“Don’t worry about all that. Just let me handle it,” he stated, gripping the edge of the cart to stop my forward motion.

I rolled my eyes and then sighed. “Fine. You’re almost as bad as Tahj. You know that?”

Izael lowered his voice, and his tone became personal.

“I’m nothing like Tahj, Talia, trust me. I don’t see you the way Tahj sees you, don’t think about you the way he thinks about you, and I damn sure don’t feel about you the way that he does.”

“Oh, really?” I challenged.

Izael pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and stared down at me.

“Ya li’l ass need to quit playing with fire.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Excuse me, baby,” an elderly woman stated. We turned to look at her. “Do you mind giving me some hashbrowns from that top shelf?”

“Sure, ma’am.” Izael grabbed a box and handed it to her.

“Thank you, son. Ooh, you two make such a cute couple,” she complimented, looking between the two of us.

“Oh, we’re not?—”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Izael remarked, speaking over me and grabbing my hand.

He tugged me out of that aisle with one hand while pushing the cart with the other. As soon as I could, I pulled my hand free. The way I tingled down low, the way my heart sped up, and how my mind conjured possibilities made it difficult for me to think clearly.

“What did you do that for?” I asked, mushing him on the shoulder.

He chuckled. “Relax and calm your little feisty ass down. I still want my oxtails,” he stated.

I rolled my eyes. “It makes no sense to spend that type of money on something that contains no meat.”

He sucked his teeth. “Yeah, whatever.”

I pushed the cart back to the meat section, grabbed the oxtails, and tossed them into the cart.

“You satisfied now?”

He grinned and winked at me, and it went straight to my heart. Why did I have to fall so deeply in love with a man who was taboo for me to have? There was no sense in torturing myself with fantasies when I knew I could never have Zae.

* * *

I pulledthe whites out of the dryer and tossed them into the laundry basket. I paused when I came across a shirt that was too large to be mine. In fact, it was a plain white T-shirt, something I didn’t possess.

I briefly wondered if it was something that belonged to Ricky that I’d accidentally taken with me. But too many months had passed. Surely, I would have spotted it long before now. Besides, how did it get into my items when I knew I hadn’t worn it?

I pulled it out of the tangle of clothing and held it up. Looking at the tag on the inside, I noticed that it was a 2XL. I smirked. It had to be Izael’s shirt.

I pressed it against my nose, inhaling the fresh, crisp scent of the laundry detergent, scent beads, and dryer sheets combined. Despite using bleach and the laundry detergent and beads, there was still a hint of his scent on the shirt. My hands smoothed over the warm cotton, imagining it stretched out over Izael’s body.

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