Page 71 of Love me Like XO

I met Malik at the car about five minutes later when he pulled up.

“We got a lot of shit that needs to be handled, but I needed to make sure you’re one hundred and not walking around this bitch masking your pain.” He was straight to the point.

“I ain’t masking shit. What’s up? Lay it on me.”

He blinked a few times. “Before things got hectic I got a call from some motherfucker named Rikov. Claims to have beef with us, but as far as I know he’s all talk. I’m not sure of he got some connections to Georg?—”

“Probably. That nigga Georgie had a lot of ties to a lot of motherfuckers.” I knew that because I had done enough research to know the lifetime associates of Georgie.

“So, do we wait on him to do some stupid shit or do we strike?” He wasn’t really asking me, he was thinking aloud.

“Gotta get Georgie out of the way. And where is that nigga Benson? I know you stashed his ass.”

Malik laughed like a crazed man. “Did I? Stashed his ass and saved him for later like a piece of gum.”

“Only right.”

“When you’re ready we’ll get on that.”

“Bet. And I’on blame you for having to shoot Amia. As much as I wish you would’ve aimed a little further over, I get it.”

He chuckled. “Didn’t matter if you did. I was tryna save yo’ dusty ass.”

After a good hardy laugh he and I agreed to finish mapping things out at the bar tomorrow. We needed to because my ass was finally tired and by the way he kept yawning, he was, too. I offered him my guest bedroom, but he declined. He claimed Ree would have his ass if he didn’t make it in tonight. He and I went over things for a while longer before he had to go and I was ready to go climb into bed with Empress.

REE

When he walked in the door, he kissed my forehead then headed straight to the shower. Lately, Malik had a lot on his mind and even more on his plate. I tried not to add on to that with nagging or anything of that nature, but I missed him. It was odd, because in the small amount of time that we’d known one another he’d never been so tense, so serious. Brain lead and focused on everything he needed to handle. Though he didn’t tell me street things, I was still somewhat his soundboard, his solace when his brain needed to roam.

I listened to his movements, pinpointing just when I heard the water hit the shower floor at a different rhythm. That indicated he was in the water and doing his normal standing under the showerhead routine. That was when he did the most thinking and made mental checklists of everything he needed to do.

Instead of finishing what I was doing when he walked in, I decided to join his shower. Never mind the fact that I had just showered hours prior. I felt like he needed me. He needed a release I knew I could give to him.

With my robe untied, I entered the washroom that was clouded by a heated haze. He was the only man I knew who loved scorching hot water when he showered. Shit it was so hot that a few times I was in there with him I found myself turning the water down just a little.

By the time I stepped in the shower, he had his back to me and his head down. I leaned forward, kissing his back. His hands caught mine before they could circle and touch his chest. In a swift motion he was turned around and faced me. I grabbed the soapy towel from him, before using my free hand to push him back against the shower bench. Once he was seated, I continued rubbing the soapy towel along his broad, ink-filled shoulders.

“Long day?” I asked in damn near a murmur, not really wanting to kill the serenity with a bunch of talking.

“Too fucking long.” He exhaled, looking up at me.

I could see the exhaustion in his clouded eyes.

“But soon all this shit will be over, and things will go back to normal, back to regularly scheduled programing.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips against my flesh.

I didn’t get a chance to step back or even respond, because he was already pulling me into his lap.

After a very eventful shower and minimal talking, we ended up in the kitchen, raiding it for snacks.

“I’ma need you to start cooking or something, lil’ one.”

I sucked my teeth, while looking at him to finish whatever ludicrous statement was about to come out of his mouth. He knew I cooked at home, but I wasn’t at home. I was at his house and he didn’t have shit for me to cook with in here.

“I mean c’mon shorty when we here you don’t even think about a nigga’s stom?—”

“This ain’t my house, Malik, and you never have shit in here for me to cook. What, do you want me to grocery shop for my house and yours?”

“I mean if that’s what you need to do to avoid the fact that I want you here with me 24/7 then yeah. You’ll get tired of that shit and end up moving in.”

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