Page 76 of A Kingpin's Weakness
Truth was, I didn’t want him alone. He said he was okay. But I knew that lie.
I wanted to keep eyes on Rich. I’d just met Stormi, and I already wanted to burn the world down for anyone who looked at her sideways.
Rich loved Lia for five years. And now she was gone. He didn’t say a word, just switched lanes and headed toward my house.
I thought about calling Stormi. Letting her know I was on the way. But I knew she was probably sleeping, probably mad I hadn’t answered her missed calls or texts. She didn’t deserve silence, but I couldn’t be soft right now. Couldn’t afford to fall into her arms and forget what had to be done. She was a good distraction. Too good. But I had shit to finish before I could let myself feel anything real.
Twenty minutes passed in silence. Then Rich finally spoke.
“I’m gonna have to move.”
I looked over, eyebrows pulled in. “Yeah?”
“I can’t stay there with all her stuff. Her smell. Her slippers still by the bed” His voice cracked at the end, but he kept it buried deep. Didn’t look at me. Just stared ahead.
“You can crash at my shit until you find something.”
He scoffed. “Not tryin’ to be in your way.”
“Don’t start that shit. You family.”
He nodded, swallowed hard. Then he hit me with a shift.
“So you serious about Stormi?”
I paused. Thought about the way she smiled when she was nervous.
How her voice softened when she said my name like it wasn’t broken yet.
“I’ma see where shit go.”
“Long distance?”
“Fuck no. Her ass movin’.”
Rich let out a tired laugh. “You talked about this?”
“We will.”
He shook his head, pulled into the driveway. Lights swept across the yard. Security cleared us. Gates opened like we was royalty returning to the throne.
But inside? My throne felt empty. My estate looked like peace. Big, beautiful, untouched. But in my head, I was still in the warehouse. Still hearing Ronnie scream. Still seeing the look on Rich’s face when Lia’s name was mentioned.
We hopped out the truck. Rich stretched. “I’m happy for you. For real. You need to settle down. Been cold for too long.”
I nodded, jaw tight. But I couldn’t say it. That I was scared to be warm.
That I didn’t know if I even deserved peace. That all I wanted was Stormi’s hands on my face telling me I was still human.
Instead, I just said, “Yeah.” And walked toward the front door. Stormi.
I didn’t know if she was asleep, waiting, or pissed. Maybe all three. But I was home. And I was ready to hold her if she’d still let me.
Rich peeled off toward the guesthouse in the back. Me I was headed straight for the master bedroom for her. The house was quiet. Dark. That kind of stillness that hits different after death and chaos. It was 3 a.m., Mama and S3 were out cold. I peeked in on S3 curled up next to her, both of them breathing slow and steady. Peaceful. I pushed open my bedroom door, and the smell of her hit me before I even saw her.
Damn. She was already under my skin, and now her scent was laced in my sheets. It brought something like peace, but also reminded me how much I missed her. Her silhouette stretched soft under the covers. Light snores floating into the room like music. I licked my lips, my mind drifting back to how she tasted and the sweet, slow way she gave herself to me a few days ago.
That virgin shit was different. New for me. I’d never had to slow down. Never had to care about what it meant to a woman before. But Stormi wasn’t just any woman. I wanted her in every way not just sexually, but spiritually. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t tempted to pull those sheets off and bury myself inside her right then and there. Still, I reminded myself: respect her. Don’t rush her. Be what she needs.
