Page 74 of Bear
“I like it when you talk to me like that, Bear,” she purred, sliding her hand up and down my back. I looked at her in the mirror and I saw a hunger in her eyes. Maybe Cecily wasn’t as pristine as I made her out to be all these years.
Or maybe letting me fuck her stained her angel wings. Either way, she looked good steeped in the shadows.
“If we ever have a kid, I want them to have your eyes,” she said out of nowhere. I blinked at her words and wondered if she could hear my thoughts earlier when I imagined her carrying my child.
“Mine? I was thinking they should have yours and your dimples and your smile.”
“So basically a little me?” She laughed.
“Exactly.” I turned around and wrapped my hand around her throat pressing her pillowy soft lips against mine. I wondered if she could see the fire burning inside me when I pulled away from our kiss. “Come on, baby doll, let’s go downstairs.”
Ten minutes after we settled in the dining room, Tito rang the doorbell. I greeted him at the front door and he handed me a bottle of champagne. A box of gourmet chocolate liqueur candies from Honey Sugar was tucked under his arm. I’d recognize that sleek golden box anywhere.
“Bear, thank you for inviting me to your lovely home.” He tipped his head up and looked at the high ceilings then looked at me and smiled. “You don’t see ceilings like this anymore. All these houses are thrown up so quickly there’s no attention to detail.” He shook his head slowly then moved through the foyer.
I led him to the den where Cecily was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone. She stood with a smile when we walked in. My heart thumped at the sight of her like I hadn’t left her moments ago.
Tito took her hand and kissed the back of it before handing her the box of candies. “Miss Cecily, you look a lot different when you’re not wearing Bear’s hoodie and a bullet-proof vest.”
“Oh, shit. I was all suited up when we first met, wasn’t I?” She flashed her perfect white teeth in a dazzling smile then we sat down for a minute.
“I like this one, Bear. I knew I liked her the moment I saw her. She has spunk but her eyes are innocent.”
“I know,” I said, staring into her cognac pools. I cleared my throat and glanced at Tito.
“I keep hoping that one day I’ll find something close to what you two have. I’m a hopeless romantic, I guess. People don’t think someone like me can long for love but honestly, Bear, people like you, and me need it the most. The world we live in is cold, lonely, and full of back-stabbers. You never know when you’re gonna go. I don’t want to live my life without knowing I’ve loved and been loved.”
Tito’s words shocked me. I’d never heard someone in the drug game talk so openly about love and emotions. He was right though. Love was something beautiful to behold and I was glad I was worthy.
“That’s beautiful, Tito,” Cecily said softly. I noticed the way she sat, shifted to one side with her legs crossed. To anyone else, she looked normal but I knew what was waiting for me under her silk dress.
“Thank you, Miss Cecily,” he smiled.
“I’m sure you’re surrounded by beautiful girls all the time. You’re bound to find love,” she insisted.
“Not the kind of love I want. Not from the women surrounding me. They’re for fun. I want someone real. Someone who’s not trying to be perfect. The girls I rotate are arm candy. Nothing more.” Tito let out a laugh and said, “Listen to me rambling on and on about love. I’m sure you have a lovely dinner prepared. Let’s go eat so we can talk business.”
As we stood to our feet, the doorbell rang. My face crumpled into a frown and I glanced at Cecily. She offered a confused shrug.
“I thought we were dining alone,” Tito said.
“We’re supposed to be. Let me check the door,” I smiled then excused myself to the foyer. When I opened the front door, I was hit with a barrage of chatter from Kareema of all fucking people.
“Damn Bear, you look like you should be doing a photoshoot in the desert or something. Where’s Cecily? I drove an hour to get here because I couldn’t stop thinking about…” She paused and looked at me like she didn’t want to finish her sentence. She pressed her lips together and moved past me like she lived there. I rolled my eyes and closed the doors then followed behind her.
“Kareema, take your rude ass out to the guest house, please.”
“Oh my god, what are you doing here?” Cecily let a laugh slip out when she locked eyes with her best friend.
“Shit. Are y’all having an important dinner or something? I thought it was just regular dinner and you wanted Cecily to wear…” She cleared her throat and looked at Cecily. Shit, so did I.
“Oh my god, Kareema,” she hissed.
“What? I wanted to check on you to make sure you put it in right and didn’t kill yourself. You never checked back in with me.” She shrugged and I rubbed my forehead.
Tito’s expression read amusement as his gaze bounced between Kareema and Cecily.
“I’m sorry, Tito. This is Kareema, she’s Cecily’s best friend and she doesn’t understand boundaries.”
