Page 146 of River & Crown
The second the words left my mouth, I knew I'd fucked up. Crown yanked me into him, gripping my wrist. His lips grazed my ear, but it was his words that chilled me.
"Insult my intelligence like that again, River... I fucking dare your vision-impaired ass. That nigga protected you because you took your four-eyed ass outside where you had no fucking business being."
My nerves screamed in silence. Even pissed, I couldn't deny how undone this made me. At this point, the jokes about my vision were foreplay.
"That's not what I'm doing. All I'ma say is we both messed up last night. Instead of arguing, I?—"
"I thought losing one sense was supposed to heighten the rest of 'em," he rasped, cutting me off.
"What?" I frowned.
"You gotta be blind and fucking deaf. It's the only explanation of why you're not hearing me. I'm not the reason we're going back-and-forth right now," he barked, chest heaving against mine.
"Oh, but I am?" I smacked, snatching away.
"There's a backpack in the Porsche. Go grab that for me."
When I didn't move fast enough, Crown walked to the car, grabbed the bag, and unzipped it in front of me. He pulled out a photo of me asleep on Sincere's chest. I didn't need to ask where it came from because I already knew.
"I haven't been to an ophthalmologist in years, but last I checked, a nigga had 20/20 vision. I started to ask your thick lenses wearing ass what you see when you look at this, but sincemy vision is better than yours, let me tell you what the fuck I see."
"Crown," I croaked.
"Don't trip. I'll speak loud enough for your deaf ass to hear. I see a bitch in love. I rubbed my eyes three times, 'cause I knew I wasn't seeing my wife lying on another nigga's chest like she belonged there."
"It was before you."
"True, but that's where shit gets sticky asyournigga. Whatever life you had before me shouldn't fucking exist in the life you have with me, River!" Crown flicked the photo toward me. I scrambled trying to catch it but missed. It landed at my feet, and I looked down, ready to grab it, until Crown stopped me.
"Yo... do I look like a bitch-made nigga to you?" he asked, closing the space between us. "Let me get close so you can really see me before answering my fucking question. Do I look like a bitch-made nigga to you, River?"
"No," I muttered.
"Then don't pick that shit up."
"Crown, please?—"
"Who's the nigga in the picture?"
"My ex," I whispered. "Sincere. He died and?—"
"And you've been holding back from me over a carcass ass nigga. That's fucking crazy." He laughed. "He's the reason you were talking that no-strings bullshit, huh?"
"Why is it bullshit when we both agreed to it?"
"We both agreed, but I was honest. I made it clear I wantedyouon my terms. I let you know what they were, and not one of 'em had to do with my heart being buried alongside some bitch."
"My heart isn't with?—"
"Stop deflecting and answer the question."
"Yes, he's the reason I didn't want an attachment."
"Damn, a pussy-ass nigga really hadmybitch down bad. Nah, Four, tell me you're lying. Ain't no way a nigga who didn't survive a few bullets had you holding out on me." A hollow laugh fell from his lips, dry and disbelieving.
"Wha... what... no... I mean... yes, but you don't understand." My head shook as panic clawed its way up my throat.
"I do understand, and that's why this shit hurts. I admit I was on fuck shit when we met. I probably shouldn't have fucked with you. Maybe we used each other the first time we fucked. After that, it was only you doing the using. I didn't want strings, but I knew I wanted you. I wanted Four, so I made it happen. I did the work and cut off any bitch who might've thought she had access to my dick. I blocked every hoe and made my stance clear with you. I wanted you."
