Page 144 of Set me Free

Creed shrugged. “You don’t really like that nigga like that.”

I laughed sharply. “Wow. Okay, mind reader.”

“I’m not wrong, though.”

I shook my head. “You love assuming shit, don’t you?”

He smirked. “I just know you.” My heart stuttered in my chest. Yeah. He did. That was the problem.

Later on at dinner, we were all dressed to the nines. Looking around at the group of people at the table, it was a good assumption that the table was worth millions. We looked good, smelled good and we feasted good.

Still, the tension in Tao’s private dining room was palpable, and I was exhausted before the night even fully started.

Egypt sat across from Naseem, daggers in her gaze, her perfectly manicured fingers gripping her wine glass like she was debating on launching it at his big-ass head.

Meanwhile, Naseem sat back in his chair, his usual cocky-ass smirk painted across his face like he was enjoying this. Because he was, he always seemed to get a kick out of fuckin with my friend. I hated it for Egypt, but the joy in Naseem’s face each time he did it, always made me chuckle.

“Oh, you worried about me getting hit? That’s real sweet of you, Egypt,” Naseem mused, voice lazy but taunting. “Didn’t know you cared.”

Egypt let out a sharp laugh, rolling her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck in the back of her head. “Care?” she repeated with mock horror. “Nigga, please. The only thing I care about is how much fun it’s gonna be when somebody finally humbles that big-ass ego of yours.”

Chuckles rumbled around the table, but Naseem’s smirk didn’t waver. He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. “Ain’t gonna happen, baby.”

Egypt’s jaw clenched. “Call me baby one more time?—”

“What? You gonna write me a diss track?”

The table erupted in laughter, and even I couldn’t fight back my chuckle. Egypt, however, was not amused. “I swear to God, Naseem?—”

Arielle rubbed my temples. “Egypt. Sit down.”

“Oh, she can’t help herself,” Naseem said lazily, sipping his drink. “She’s obsessed with me.”

Egypt’s entire body stiffened. “Nigga what? You’re fuckin delusional as usual.”

“Oh yeah,” Naseem nodded, grinning like the devil himself. “Everywhere we go, every event, every dinner—you find a reason to argue with me.” He tilted his head. “You sure you don’t wanna just skip all this tension and admit you want to fuck me?”

The entire table howled, except for Egypt. Her eyes narrowed, her jaw tight as hell, her hand curling into a fist on the table. She stood up so fast, her chair nearly toppled over. “You are the most arrogant, insufferable, annoying?—”

“Sexy and rich…” Naseem supplied, grinning wider. Egypt’s eye twitched and I knew one of us should step in. Naseem was in danger.

Arielle sighed dramatically. “Y’all been at this for years. When are y’all gonna grow up?”

“When he stops breathing near me,” Egypt muttered.

Naseem chuckled, deep and amused. “That’s crazy. I was just thinking the same thing about you.”

Averi leaned over to me, whispering, “They’re definitely gonna fuck.”

I took a slow sip of my cocktail, smirking. “Oh, absolutely.”

After dinner, we moved the party to Tao’s Night Club. The bass pulsed through my body as the DJ spun a mix of Caribbean and Afrobeats, the energy in the club electrifying. Tao was packed, VIP sections filled with familiar faces, the dance floor alive with movement, and yet the only person I could focus on was Creed.

He was leaning against the bar, his crutches missing in action, which I was vehemently against, but he insisted he was fine. And he looked fine, fine as fuck in his signature all black. The gold chain around his neck glistening, his drink in hand,watching me with that heavy-lidded gaze that always set fire to my skin. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I stepped onto the dance floor, and even in the dim lighting, I could see the hunger in them. It started subtle. A slow build.

The tension between us had been simmering all night, from the way his hands had lingered on my waist when he helped me out of the limo, to the way his fingers brushed against mine when he handed me a drink. And now? Now I was dancing, my body moving with the rhythm, my hips rolling, my arms raised above my head as I let the music take over.

I could feel him before I even saw him. That familiar heat, that presence that was undeniable. When I turned, Creed was behind me, his body close—too close—his breath warm against my ear as he leaned in.

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