Page 30 of Made to Love Ya

“My bad, man,” I muttered as I rubbed my temples.

“Yeah, I knew that wouldn’t improve your mood.”

I was already in a bad mood because the renovations on The Sweet Spot, our other location, were taking longer and becoming more costly than we had planned and budgeted for. I received the call today about a leaky roof, and they would need to do repairs to that, which added another five grand onto the budget.

“I wish that I could find whoever T was. Man, I swear I would catch a case.”

“Shit, you think this is bad? You should’ve seen me trying to calm Adler down.”

“He doesn’t deserve this. He’s an excellent cook,” I replied.

“Yeah. Well, I’m heading home to my woman so I can chill for the night. I’ll sleep on it and figure out something overnight. I always think better after a good night’s sleep.”

My stomach growled. “Yeah, and I do on a full stomach.”

I pulled my hand down my face, shut my computer off, and grabbed my keys. Jaylen and I walked to the parking lot, dapped each other up, and headed in our different directions.

* * *

“Hey,”Talia greeted me when I stepped into the apartment.

Her face was lit up beautifully with happiness and tugged at my heart. I could no more be sad around this girl than a kid in a candy store with an unlimited budget.

“Wassup, girl?”

She hopped off the couch and made her way toward me in her lavender night shorts and crop top.

“How was your day, baby?” she asked, tipping up on her toes to kiss me on the lips.

It had been two weeks since we first had sex, and neither of us regretted it. It seemed to have been the only thing missing between us since we already had a good friendship and trust between us. The intimacy took us to another level that we both wanted and needed.

Our only point of contention was that she wasn’t ready to tell her brother the truth. I didn’t like hiding or sneaking around behind his back. I wasn’t that nigga. I had no problem owning my shit, but she was hellbent on waiting. It made no sense to me, but I wanted to protect her heart and mind, so I would give her what she thought she needed for a little while.

I wrapped my arm around her and set my computer bag down on the breakfast bar. I wrapped my other arm around her and pulled her close against my body, loving how she fit against me. She was warm, soft, and smelled sweetly of lavender and vanilla.

Her energy, her scent, and the softness of her touch relaxed every part of my being. All the stress of the day and the frustration aboutT’s Tasty Temptationsfell away with my baby in my arms.

I pressed my lips against hers and enjoyed the pillowy softness until I wanted more. Pressing into the kiss, I didn’t relent until Talia opened her mouth for me. She tasted of cinnamon.

“Big Red,” she stated, laughing. It was her favorite gum as a kid.

“It’s better now that I’ve got my woman in my arms,” I answered her previous question and nuzzled her neck.

“Mm. I’m glad I could make it better. What made it so bad?”

“A lot of changes on a reconstruction project for one of the restaurants, a negative review, over budget…What isn’t wrong? But I don’t want to focus on that. What about you? How was your day?”

“It was okay. I’ve spent the day cleaning and creating new recipes to share on my blog. I had lunch with my mother, and that was about it. Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good. I have a sampler platter I want you to try.”

I washed my hands, changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a T-shirt, and returned to the living room. We ate barbeque short ribs, calamari, chicken strips, French fries, and a spring roll.

I was stuffed when I finished and just pulled her into my arms. We reclined on the couch and watchedSurvival of the Thickestsince it was her night to choose our Netflix and chill movie.

We finished two episodes before my fingers found their way underneath the hem of her night top. I was reclined on the couch, and Talia lay between my legs with her head against my chest.

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