Page 65 of Don Caselli

“First time?”

“Bitch made me spin the block and get another degree.”

Navy laughed. “Not you being actually mad because your brother made you get a degree. There’s not too many brothers that would give a fuck.”

“What about you? Your father mentioned college, and you did, too. Why you never went?”

She shrugged, as I pulled her closer to me with my free hand. There was something about Navy that made me crave her presence. “I wanted something different, you know?”

“Yeah.”

“I was so focused on school, as I should have been, but for the wrong reasons. I was taking extra AP classes and working ten times harder so I could get into the same college as Antwan. I wasn’t doing it for me and by the time I graduated I was burned out and tired. The last thing I wanted to do was go to college for four more years. I needed a gap year, and after that year was up, I realized my future was less about me and more about Antwan.”

“How did he feel about it?”

She turned further around in my arms as she looked at me. “We’re not discussing me, Don.”

“Landon.”

“Wood.”

“What?”

“You got good wood… I should call yo’ ass wood,” she broke out into laughter, holding her chest because she was so weak from laughing.

“Yeah, ight.”

“Seriously. This home means a lot to you so I can get why you were overwhelmed this morning with me in the kitchen. If I overstepped any bou?—”

Navy didn’t get the words out because my lips pressed against hers, as my tongue slipped into her mouth. A low moan escaped her mouth as she put her arms around my neck and returned her tongue to mine.

She pulled away quickly. “You cannot shut me up with sex. If we’re strangers, cool. But if I recall, you didn’t want to be strangers anymore.”

“I don’t.”

“If we’re being honest, I’ve been single the last two years… I was in a relationship, but single at the same time. When me and Antwan got together, we were young, so he never courted me. Even as we got older, there was never flowers, dates, or any of that because college was the focus. Landon, I would like to be courted.”

I pulled my head back as she stared at me with those eyes. Navy could get me to bark like a dog in the middle of traffic if she asked me. It was how innocent she looked at me, as if she didn’t know if she was asking for too much. I had never had to put in the effort when it came to a woman. It never took much to getwhatever I wanted from a woman, because they were right there wanting the same thing.

This was different.

Itfeltdifferent to me.

Navy was asking for me to prove that this wasn’t just sex and that I actually wanted to be more than strangers with her. She deserved that much from me, and just because I never had to do it before didn’t mean that I didn’t know how to court a woman like her.

Pulling her face back toward mine, I said, “Look at me.”

“Does it sound silly? I’ve already slept with you.” She did a small chuckle and continued to look into my eyes.

“I want to court you, Pooh. If this is more than sex, we need to make that clear right here and now.”

“I want it to be more than sex, but I’m also scared, too.”

“Of what?”

“Being hurt again. It would fucking suck to be fucked up over a nigga twice, Landon.”

I laughed. “A wise weird ass man told me words don’t mean shit if you not applying that pressure.”

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