Page 46 of Bear
“I fucking knew it. Oh my god. Even though I knew it, I’m still in shock. I need to know everything right now while I drink copious amounts of liquor and eat all the flats.” She pulled up a plate of wings and poured a red plastic cup full to the brim with Patron and lemonade.
I spilled my guts and told Kareema every detail about the way Bear fucked me. It came pouring out of me and I couldn’t control it if I wanted to. Once the word vomit stopped, I pulled in a breath and took the cup she shoved at me.
“Kareema, I love him and I feel so stupid for just now realizing it.”
“I always knew you loved each other. Even though Bear was older than us I could tell he loved the hell out of you.” There were stars in her eyes.
“How?” I was curious because the Bear I knew never let on that he loved anything or anyone. Me, Mom and Dad were closer to him than others but that was it.
“The way he protected you from every boy in the neighborhood.”
“Because every boy in the neighborhood was trying to sell drugs for his father.”
“True, but he cared. It was like you belonged to him and he was keeping you safe until the right time.” She rested her chin on her fist and smiled at me. I could practically see the fairytales spinning around in her head.
“I never saw it like that but it makes sense.”
“Why do you think I never tried anything with him as fine as he is? It was like an unspoken rule that he was yours.”
“You know what a huge crush I had on Bear when I was little? I used to imagine what kissing him would be like because he always reminded me of a prince with fire trapped in his eyes.” The smile clinging to my lips slipped off as I ran my fingertip around the rim of my red cup. “This shit isn’t a fairytale though. Nothing about Bear is a fairytale. He’s trying to protect me from real shit and I know it. I just don’t care anymore. I want the bad and the good.”
“Then go for it. Just don’t get disillusioned, Cecily. Bear is real. He’s not one of these guys selling weed and pills on the street. I don’t know how deep that shit runs but if I had to guess I’d say you need to be careful.” She rubbed my hand and then handed me a plate of sticky sweet mango habanero wings. I nodded my head and then stuffed my face.
Kareema and I stayed in the kitchen laughing and talking, and I knew she was trying to distract me from the clusterfuck storming my mind between Kaiden, Mom, and Bear. She did a damn good job and I had some deeply therapeutic laughs. I also had some deeply therapeutic cries too.
By the time we’d moved into the living room, Kareema was drunk as hell and rambling on with long stories about the assholes she rotated through her contacts while I played in her hair and listened. Our conversation fell away when Bear materialized in the doorway. My eyes climbed up his tall, sturdy frame until I was staring into the flames flickering in his eyes.
“What’s good, ladies? Y’all feeling nice?” He walked over and sat beside me on the couch, stretching his long legs out. He must have gone and left because he was wearing a red hoodie and a pair of gray sweats with red words scrawled down his left leg.
Fuck.
Either I was drunk or Bear looked amazing when he was dressed down.
“So nice. Thank you for the liquor, Bear.” Kareema stood up and looked at me then him. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Please eat something, Bear. I swear I never see you eat.” She shook her head on the way out of the room and I laughed a little.
“She should’ve seen the way you sat on my face earlier. I ate every drop.” He tucked his bottom lip between his perfect white teeth and I laughed into my hands.
“Oh my god. Shut up, Bear.”
“Come here, baby doll. Let me taste what you’ve been drinking.” He pulled me on top of him and guided my lips to his. “Tequila?” He frowned. “Y’all need some dark liquor.”
“That’s you, Bear. You like dark liquor.”
“I do. I’d much rather taste it on your tongue though.” I felt his dick stiffening beneath me and it made my body ache. I tried in vain to pull down my dress as it rode up my thighs and waist, exposing my panties but Bear slapped my hands away.
“Go get my cognac from the cabinet, Cecily.” He slapped my behind and I yelped. I got my ass up and found his liquor though. “The glass too.” I glared at him over my shoulder and he shot me a stern look.
I grabbed the glass. Not before I flipped him off though. He let out a deep laugh that made the back of my neck tingle.
I watched him pour a small amount of brown liquor into the glass then he handed it to me. “I’m not mixing my liquors.”
“You’ll be fine.” He picked up my red solo cup and swirled it around. “You haven’t touched that drink in like an hour.
“How do you know?”
“Because it’s diluted. Take a sip.” He handed me the glass and I turned my nose up. “Now, baby doll.”
“No.” I just knew he was going to grab me and I was ready for it. When he didn’t, the excitement building in my stomach died down.
