Page 35 of Shooting for his Heart
“You taste so good, V,” he said.
I jumped, feeling the coolness of another washcloth. Pressing it against my skin, he used it to soothe the ache at my core.
Damn, I didn’t even know I needed that.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, pretty girl. Give me a second. I’ll be right back.”
Just like that, I was missing his presence. I had no intention of falling for this man, but it didn’t take getting the best dick I had ever had in my life to make me fall. If I was honest, it had been happening gradually since the moment he called himself firing me. The love-hate relationship we had blossomed into toleration and then into what was almost a friendship. Now, I didn’t know what we were doing, and I was afraid to wonder. My eyes batted as I nodded off while waiting for Marshawn’s return. Thankfully, he came right back. The bed shifted as he leaned in and kissed my cheek.
“I brought you a T-shirt,” he said, extending the oversized shirt.
“Thanks.” I sat up and slipped the shirt over my head as he got comfortable in the bed.
“You good, V?”
“Yeah… I’m fine.”
“I mean about us. Like… you’re not in your head, are you?”
“I’m good.”
“I’m not gon’ lie. I’m in mine a little. My motto is I don’t mix business with pleasure, but here we are. I don’t regret taking it to this level, and I hope you don’t either. You have nothing to worry about.”
“Good.” I nodded. I didn’t want things between us to be awkward. I didn’t have any expectations, but at the same time, I was ready for whatever was to come.
“Are you an only child? Your character shows so much main character energy that I have to ask.”
“No. I have a sister in Virginia. I assume there’s someone other than you and Shae.”
“I have another sister, Marcia. She and Marshae are twins. Marcia is the boy’s mom.”
“You have custody of the boys, right?”
“Yeah. Marcia’s had her struggles with drugs on and off. She lost custody of them when Evan was almost two. They’ve been living with me ever since.”
“It was sweet of you to take them in.”
“What else was I supposed to do? I wasn’t going to let them go into the system. Marshae feels bad that I have them, but she’s amazing. I don’t think I could raise them without her help.”
“It’s good that they have the two of you. You’re doing such a great job with them.”
“Thank you. They’re so smart… I don’t know what to do with them half the time. I’m so proud of them. Sometimes, I forget they aren’t my own sons.”
“They are your sons.”
He sighed as he pulled my body a little closer so that my head rested on his chest. “I used to think I didn’t want kids. Then, in the blink of an eye, I had two.”
“God works in mysterious ways.”
“Tell me about it…”
I can’t remember if Shawn had continued speaking because I succumbed to my heavy eyes, allowing the mixture of satisfaction, soreness, and worry to fade behind my lids. When my eyes popped open way earlier than expected, I was alone in his bed after falling asleep in Shawn’s arms. I was slightly alarmed until he came back into the room with a smile plastered on his face.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“I can’t believe you’re up so early.”
