I raised a brow. “You sure?”
“Yeah. Just don’t be surprised if I’m glued to your side after a while.”
A chuckle left my mouth. “I won’t complain.” I hit play so the movie could start and got comfortable. “By the way, this good as hell,” I complimented, taking a bite of the steak dish.
“Thank you! I saw it on TikTok and have been wanting to try it.”
“Anytime you need a taste tester I’m your guy if you keep throwing down like this.” I scooped up more of the food.
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She grinned while shoving her fork into her mouth.
After a few seconds she spoke again. “How were your meetings today?”
I shrugged. “Cool. Got two new big contracts on this side of The States that we’ll start delivering for.” I paused for a second. “I don’t know if you know but my dad’s sick and stepping down; he wants me to take over while Rome’s out of commission, I turned him down though.”
Nakyra whipped her head toward me with her eyes the size of golf balls. “Really?”
“My brother didn’t tell you?”
She shook her head. “No, but…I guess it makes sense why he’s been working like crazy. He wasn’t supposed to take overuntil after the wedding, but out of nowhere everything changed. I started seeing him less. He was busier, taking more trips out of town. I wonder why he didn’t mention it.” The last part she said more to herself. “And you turned it down?”
I nodded. “No point in taking over something I’m an afterthought in. I never was meant to run Global Track, so I have no plans of doing it now.”
She seemed to understand, nodding her head slowly. Her forehead creased for a second as if she was in deep thought.
“I’m curious. How did you end up with your company? Your brother told me it was handed to you or something, right?”
“Yeah, when I turned fifteen I started working down at the docks for my old boss, Ron. At first it was just me loading the trucks with cargo off the ships. Once I turned sixteen he allowed me to help in the warehouse and at eighteen he paid for me to get my CDL. I tried college and decided it wasn’t for me, but he demanded I take business classes anyway. Most were online so I was able to still get on the road. When I was twenty-three he got sick and unfortunately was only given a short period to live. He didn’t have any kids, but he always told me I was like a son to him. He ended up leaving me Steel Freight in his will and the rest was history.”
She stared at me in shock. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that. You must have made some impact on him.”
I chuckled. “My main goal was to survive without needing my parents; so any free time I had I was picking up hours. He helped me get my first place and everything. In the eight years I knew him, he was more of a dad than my own.”
Her eyes softened. “I’m glad you had him in your life then.”
“Me too.” I still missed my old mentor. In that short period of time I’d learned so much from him and he gave me so much without ever asking for anything in return. Every day I prayed I was living up to his expectations.
Silently we turned our attention back to the movie. A few times Nakyra closed her eyes and jumped, which made me chuckle. The movie was a film about a slasher stalking a family who lived in the house his family was murdered in. It was clear she didn’t like scenes where things popped up out of nowhere because she would end up closer to me each time it happened. Halfway through the movie she was practically glued to my side.
“Do you want me to turn this off?” I asked when her face was buried into my side. She gripped the T-shirt I had changed into when I got home tightly.
“No it’s fine.” Her face pressed closer into my side.
I held her side and watched the screen. The current scene was the killer slashing a friend of the family’s neck. “It’s over now.”
“I know it’s fake, but me and blood do not get along.” She shivered and peeked up at me from under her long lashes.
“Don’t worry, if a slasher breaks in the house, I’ll protect you.”
“Don’t joke like that!” Her eyes widened, causing me to titter.
My hand was still planted on her side and she gripped my shirt tighter. Her chest pressed against my ribs. Her breathing was steady, but shaky. I watched her mouth as her lips slightly parted and her eyes watched mine. My breathing got caught in my throat. Time seemed to slow around us.
“I told you I would protect you though so there’s no need to worry.”
“I believe you. You seem like a man who keeps his word.”
The air between us became electrified. Suddenly the movie didn’t matter as I bounced my eyes around her round face. Nakyra never wore makeup, only lip gloss. Her top lip was a tad fuller than her plump bottom lip. They were pinkish in the middle then ombréd to a dark brown. A cute pout formed onthem, causing my balls to tighten. Her skin was a perfect milk chocolate tone, blemish free, not even an acne scar on her face.
