Page 22 of Summer in London

After they ate, she went back to her flat and took a shower. She then showed Naasson just how much he’d turned her on.

chapter

eleven

A’ja stoodoff to the side watching Naasson paint for more than ten minutes. He was so focused on what he was doing, and he looked so sexy, that it was hard for her to look away. She walked up closer, and she gasped at the painting that he was working on.

“Naasson, this is beautiful!” She had talked him into having his paintings displayed in an art gallery to see how many of them he could sell, and he had agreed only because he wanted to make as much money as he could before he turned himself in.

Naasson was going to stay in London until the season was over, and when A’ja went back home, he was going home to turn himself in. He prayed that he’d be able to bond out, and that he could put his trial off until after the baby was born. A’ja took in the painting of a little boy that looked to be around five years old throwing rocks into a lake, and his parents sat off in the distance on a blanket watching him. A’ja hadn’t laid eyes on one painting of Naasson’s that she didn’t think was absolutely astonishing.

“I’m nervous about this art show. Should I set prices or let people bid? What if nobody bids?”

“If true art lovers show up, they are going to bid. I say you set prices for all of them except maybe two or three and let peoplebid. I know you’re going to try and lowball yourself. I can’t tell you what to do, but you better not let any of these paintings go for less than $400, and that’s still chump change.”

Naasson knew he was talented, but it was still hard for him to believe that anyone would pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for one of his paintings. He wasn’t anybody. But he needed money. A’ja had her own money, but he didn’t give a damn what was in her bank account. Whether he was free or in prison, she’d never have to be solely financially responsible for their child. Naasson would never let that happen. Not even in death. He was even going to take out a life insurance policy on himself and make A’ja and his mom the beneficiary. They could split the money fifty fifty.

“You got this.” A’ja placed a kiss on Naasson’s lips and went to sit down in the living room.

The way she encouraged him made his dick brick up. But everything A’ja did made his dick brick up. They were still in the stages of getting to know one another, and they didn’t have much to beef about. Situations were always fun in the beginning, so he couldn’t say where they’d be five months from now but for the moment, Naasson was feeling the hell out of A’ja. He was feeling her more than he’d ever felt anybody in a long time. And that included Disha.

A’ja found an art gallery for him to display his art in. Naasson planned to have ten pieces available for purchase, and he was working majority of the day only taking breaks to eat or use the bathroom. Sometimes, working would entail him sitting and staring at the canvas for twenty minutes or more. He had to see the vision in his head before he started painting the canvas. Once he saw it clearly, it was go time. Naasson didn’t stop painting until his stomach had been growling for more than twenty minutes. A’ja had cooked a meal, and he sat down on the couch to eat it with her.

“Damn. You can play ball and cook. What else can you do?”

A’ja smiled. “I think you’ve already become acquainted with one of my talents.” Her phone chimed as he chuckled, and A’ja picked the device up to check her notifications.

Her face fell, and her heart drummed in her chest as she saw the picture on a popular blog site. A picture of her Kenyatta out with another woman. A’ja wasn’t an A list or even a B list celebrity, but enough people knew who she was to be embarrassed by this photo. It wasn’t just embarrassment either. Seeing her husband out with another woman hurt. It made her feel as if the food she’d already swallowed was going to come back up. She knew she had no right to feel that way. She was sitting down eating dinner with a man that she was pregnant by, but the sight of Kenyatta out on a date hurt.

“What’s wrong?” The way that A’ja was staring at her phone, Naasson knew right away that she’d seen something that made her feel some type of way.

A’ja laughed despite her eyes being glossed over with tears. “Nothing. I’m silly.” She passed him the phone, so he could see. “I’m sitting here with you. I’m carrying your child, and I’m hurt because this man is out on a date. I guess what they say about women being crazy is true, huh?”

“Nah, that’s not true. You’re human, and you can’t just turn your feelings off like that. I’m sure it doesn’t hurt as bad as it would if maybe you weren’t dealing with anyone and you had to see that, but I’m sure it still hurts.”

“It’s cool. I wish him the best,” she stated not knowing if she truly meant it. “I guess now I have to deal with my teammates looking at me weird thinking I’m being cheated on when we’re not even together.”

“People are always going to talk and assume. You know the truth, and that’s all that matters.”

A’ja’s phone rang, and she saw that Celine was calling. “And it begins,” she groaned.

“Don’t answer it. You don’t owe anybody any explanations. Eat your food and when we’re done, I’ll go to that bakery you like and get you some cupcakes or something. Because I know you’re going to want something sweet.”

A’ja smiled. Naasson was one of the sweetest people that she’d ever met. “I’ve become that predictable, huh?”

“You have, but I like it.”

A’ja hadn’t been pregnant that long, but the support she felt from Naasson was everything. And just like that, she felt better. A’ja and Naasson may have moved faster than they intended, but at that moment, she had to thank God for him and the fact that he was there with her when she found out her husband was dating another woman.

The next morning, A’ja smiled at Celine as she sat down at the table. The women had decided to link up for brunch. “How are you feeling, boo?” Celine asked.

“I’m good. I’m sure you saw the photo of Kenyatta, but as I told you, he came here, and nothing was resolved. I made the decision to go through with the divorce, and I’ve been dealing with Naasson. Seeing him with another woman didn’t feel great, but it didn’t kill me either.”

Celine nodded her understanding. “I’m glad. I’m super glad. I know you’re ready to put this issue behind you.”

“That I am.”

The waitress came over and took their drink orders. A’ja was shocked when Celine didn’t order a picture of mimosas. She wasn’t quite ready to share her pregnancy news with anyone,and she knew Celine would be asking her why she wasn’t drinking. They both ordered strawberry-lemonades, and A’ja wondered if she should inquire about it or leave well enough alone.

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