Page 8 of Night and Day
4
Tamika’s apartment was smaller than Anton’s and decorated with mostly black leather furniture and chrome-colored furnishings. He watched her move into the dining room and drop the bat in a corner. This was the first time he’d seen her hair—cut in a Nia Long 90s pixie. Short and sassy, like her.
Swinging around with a flourish, she said, “I’m going to confront him.”
“Now wait a minute.” Anton lifted his hands to forestall her.
She rushed over, eyes lighting up. “I’m serious. Now that I know he’s not in another state or country. He’s right here, spending my money on an expensive new apartment. The nerve!”
Anton bit back a laugh. She was so… animated. She looked ready to fight but was so tiny he couldn’t imagine her doing much damage to anyone.
“Okay, okay, hold on a minute. Where are they?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”
“Because you—we need a plan.”
“So you’re in?” she asked in an excited voice.
He knew he was going to regret this, but Anton’s head bobbed up and down in the affirmative.
Letting out a squeal, Tamika jumped up and down, and her breasts bounced in time to her movements. Anton bit into his bottom lip and tried not to stare—but frankly, they looked perfect and enticing under the tight tank top she wore. He was so enthralled, for a few seconds he completely missed when she stopped moving and was looking at him.
Their gazes met, and she had one of her perfectly arched eyebrows lifted. “See something you like?”
He laughed, half embarrassed but half intrigued. There was something about this woman that he couldn’t shake. She would definitely keep him on his toes.
“Yeah, I see something I like.”
The air crackled between them, and Tamika swept her tongue between her full lips. The other day her lips had been nude, but today they were coated in a deep wine color that popped against her walnut-toned skin.
“I’m not interested in a rebound thing. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m trying to track down my thieving boyfriend and get my money back. If you can help me with that, great. If not…”
Anton took two steps closer and tilted his head. “Are you telling me you don’t notice what’s happening here?”
“And what do you think is happening, Mr. Bevins?” she asked.
Yeah, she noticed. Her voice was way too husky to pretend otherwise.
“It’s Mr. Bevins now?”
“Anton,” she corrected.
“We’re attracted to each other. Or am I crazy?”
“You’re not crazy, but I don’t think either of us is in their right mind, do you? We’ve both been betrayed, me more than you because Calvin not only cheated, he ran off with my money. We probably shouldn’t do anything that we’ll regret later.”
In the silence, Anton weighed her words, reluctant to admit that she was right. He was pushing too hard, too soon, but he was already a little obsessed with her. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since she left his apartment, and bringing by the bat was the only excuse he could think of to see her again.
“You’re right, this is an emotional time.”
He shouldn’t push too hard. She was going through a rough period, and though he was definitely interested, he didn’t want her to use him as a rebound or a way to get back at her boyfriend. Whatever happened between him and Tamika needed to happen because they were both of sound mind and lucid thought.
“Let’s stay focused on Calvin and Melissa, for now. How do you know they’re in Atlanta?”
Tamika returned to the dining room, and his eyes followed her, his body tightening with tension as he watched her move fluidly, confidently, like a woman who knew her own appeal. Picking up a notepad, she held it aloft with a flourish.
Anton stayed in the same spot, not trusting himself to move any closer to her. He wasn’t certain that he could keep his hands to himself. “What’s that?”
