Page 24 of Plea
The slow smile that spread his lips made me hit his shoulder.
“Carson!”
“A man can dream, can’t he?”
“Sheesh, you’re crazy.”
“About you?Hellyeah.” He licked his lips and closed the space between us, pressing his body against mine. My eyes fluttered shut as I gripped his hands, weakening against the SUV. Lowering himself to my ear, Carson almost whispered, “There’s better waiting for you, Venus. If you’re brave enough to leave, I promise I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.”
The kiss he placed on my neck made me moan and shiver. Without waiting for me to respond, he walked away. For a while, I just stood there. My mind was clear after seeing and talking to him, but my heart was even heavier than before.
What the fuck was I going to do now?
Chapter
Sixteen
Carson
Two Days Before Valentine’s Day
“Fuck it.We should crash the wedding, bruh,” Zander said, and his serious expression made me laugh.
They knew Venus was getting married tomorrow, and they were hovering over me today like I needed to be on suicide watch or some shit. I appreciated their care and concern, but I wasn’t planning on doing anything crazy. I’d made it clear that I wanted her, but I couldn’t force her to be with me. Venus was a grown woman. If she decided to marry a man that wasn’t truly meant for her, that was on her.
“I know I’m usually the logical one, but I agree,” Tristan said. “I saw the way you looked at her. The way she looked at you. That shit was magical, brotha.”
“I agree,” Kaos added. “You know how we come behind our women and anything else we want. I respect you for being a gentleman about this shit, but I believe you’ll regret it if you let that man have your girl.”
“I can’t force Venus to be with me.”
“Why the hell not?” Zander asked.
Chuckling, I shook my head. “Look, I appreciate y’all for real, and I won’t deny that I want her. If she chooses someone else, she has that right. I’ve made it clear I’m going in all gas and no brakes if she gives me a chance, but it’s on her at this point. She has to invite me to initiate, and I’ll take it from there.”
Zander sucked his teeth while Tristan nodded his approval.
“I can respect that, but let me ask you this,” Kaos said. “Have you considered that she’s waiting for you to make her feel safe enough to do so? She’s giving up a lot, risking a lot, if she leaves him for you.”
“I told her the last time we saw each other I’d make it worth it if she did. It’s on her now.”
“Give it one last shot,” Zander urged. “I know I’m the one that don’t really care about love, but I know what I saw when I saw y’all together, C. She’s yours.”
“What do y’all want me to do?” I damn near yelled. “I don’t have her personal number, just the salon’s, and I know she ain’t working today. I don’t know where she lives and?—”
“Nigga, we employ private investigators for this very reason,” Kaos interjected.
“That’s true,” I grumbled, pulling my phone out.
I scrolled through my contacts until I landed on Gino’s name. After asking him to get me all the information he could on Venus, I told him everything I knew about her and sent him the picture of her so he could cross reference her image on his software. I’d never been a man afraid of rejection, so I didn’t mind putting myself out there once more. But if she was dead set on marrying this man, I couldn’t blame her. We’d seen each other a handful of times and she had a foundation with him. It may have had cracks in it, but it was a foundation, nonetheless. Did I really expect her to leave history based on our chemistry? I guess I’d find out soon enough.
The Next Day
“Ooh this isabout to befun,” Zander almost sang, making us laugh.
“Be on your best fucking behavior, brotha. We can’t get put out,” I urged.
“Ain’t nobody gon’ put us out. Not until you get your girl,” Kaos said.
