Page 87 of Rome: The Ballerina

“Good, then.”

“Get in, Rome.”

“I won’t make this easy for you. I’ve said it twice and I won’t say it a third time. As tempting as your offer is tonight, make it the last offer you make.”

I held my hands in the air. “I don’t want no smoke with you, baby girl. I’m just not ready to let you out of my sight. I appreciate your energy. It brings me joy.”

She nodded. “When you give me a time and a date, I’m willing to make everyone wait. You won’t have to share mebecause you’ll have my undivided attention for the evening. An evening I look forward to.”

“So do I.”

She lifted her body from the car and closed the gap between us. I could smell her minty fresh breath. How someone could be so delicate and solid at once was baffling. Salty and sweet.

The perfect combination.

A walking contradiction.

“The chase has begun, Saint. Don’t disappoint.”

I pulled my bottom lip into my mouth as I turned, watching her walk away from me. Imagining those long legs wrapped around my head wasn’t enough. I needed to feel them motherfuckers–feel her. Lust lowered my eyelids, narrowing my vision. All I saw was her.

Before climbing into the SUV, she took a final look over her shoulder, disabling me completely. Even when her whip burned rubber out of the tunnel’s garage, I was still immobile, wondering where the fuck she had been all of my life. I’d imagined her being a sight to see, but I never imagined she was so fucking cold.

SIX

4:26a

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt.

My fingers scanned the bed for my vibrating cell. Through squinted eyes, I managed to find the bar and slide it across my screen. I placed the phone against my ear as a yawn split my mouth wide open. After it subsided, I cleaned my eyes of the fresh tears. Once I settled, flattening my hand against my belly, I shifted my attention to the call.

“Teddy,” I breathed into the phone.

“He’s a good fit.”

My body flung itself from the sheets. Suddenly, I wasn’t fighting sleep anymore. I was fighting for the regulation of every system in my body. Silence shifted the atmosphere. Somehow, I felt like a teenager whose father had discovered her firstrealrelationship was unfolding under his nose.

“Chemisty– I–”

“You’re not a baby, Rome. You’re my baby. There’s a difference.”

He quieted, allowing me to accept the direct blow to my heart. Though he meant well, it still hurt.

“You’re embarking on territory where I can’t protect you. Matters of the heart is where my line is drawn unless a situation requires me. We’ve shielded you since the time we discovered you were in Rhea’s womb. That ends, Rome. It ends now.

“Since learning about your dreams, I’ve been dreading this day like the plague, although I knew it was coming. You’d seen it a hundred times or more. It was inevitable. It was bound to happen. I’m just thankful life waited until you peaked at maturity, understanding, clarity, and confidence.

“Still, I can’t help but hope that I’ve been a positive enough influence on your life to help lead you in love. It’s like nothing else, baby. It’s overpowering. It’s unpredictable. It’s shameless. It’s disappointing. It’s confronting. It’s good. And, it’s bad. It changes you.

“The way you think. The way you move. The way you talk. The way you sleep. The way you act. The way you dress. The way you eat. The way you do every fucking thing. It’s a beauty, baby. But, it’s also a curse.

“Five rules, Rome. Five rules I need you to abide by no matter what. And, I need you to promise you will make them a priority, no matter what stage of the relationship you’re in.”

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