“You’re beautiful,” he complimented.
I smiled hard, looking away. “You’ve been giving me compliments since I walked in the door, Oden.”
“Shit, I’m supposed to. Plus, I’m stating facts. I figured we’d eat out on the patio tonight.” He motioned toward the open doors that led out of the kitchen.
I looked around. “Do you mind if I explore? This place seems huge.”
“Nah, not at all. There is nothing really here.”
I nodded and still decided to do my lil one two because not only was I nosy, but this place was huge. When I made it back to the kitchen, a glass and a bottle of wine awaited me. He had already plated the food and was carrying it to the patio.Yeah, this man was too perfect. Something had to be wrong.
“Grab that for me,” he instructed, throwing his head in the direction of the wine and the scotch glass I assumed was for him a few centimeters away.
“Are you a serial killer or something?” I asked, immediately after seeing the elaborate spread.
He chuckled, then placed the plate on the well set table before those serious eyes landed on me. “Why do you ask that?”
“Because you’re perfect… shit too perfect for me to be here right now.”
“Nah, I’m far from perfect, beautiful. I’m honestly as flawed as they come, but on my best days I hold things together well enough to appear fine.”
The entire time he spoke, I listened, because something in his words made me feel seen. Like somehow I had found a kindred spirit in this man and I wasn’t looking. “And what kind of day is today?”
“Not half bad. I was lowkey looking forward to feeding your beautiful ass.”
There I was smiling again. The smile engraved on my face was so wide my damn cheeks hurt. “Tell me anything. I bet you cook for and feed all your friends. Nothing about me is special.”
Instead of us seating at the patio table, we went to the sectional type layout with the table in front of it. “I ain’t telling you anything. Ain’t got no reason to lie to you, Jade. You are special and I can tell that much from looking at you. Something has me drawn to what I see in you. I don’t know what that is yet, but I wanna find out.”
“That sounds extremely vague, but for some reason I’m inclined to agree.”
He grinned. “Not vague at all. Just me keeping it as honest with you as I can. I’m a dark nigga, and I’ve done some shit I’m not proud of. Things I still carry to this day that make me so complicated that I shouldn’t be sitting with you right now like this. But something about you is magnetic. Not gonna lie, you caught me by surprise.” His smile was beautiful.
I was grateful for the fork of food he held at my lips because I didn’t have any sort of response for what he said. I was truly taken aback. I wasn’t used to a man being so honest and straight forward. I didn’t know whether to exhale a breath of relief or stay nervous. From just his presence alone, I knew I wasn’t dealing with an average man. Oden wasn’t some little ass boy, he was a grown man able to articulate his own words.
True to his word, he fed me dinner and the entire evening we talked and got to know one another in a way I truly wasn’t used to. He really wanted to get to know me and not just between my legs. He actually wanted to know me.
“So, what happened with you and your daughter’s mother?” I had to ask, because I couldn’t see any woman walking away from him unless he had a dark side I had yet to be exposed to.
“We didn’t work. Married and all, nothing I could have ever done would have been enough for Ashley.”
I nodded, sensing he didn’t want to discuss his ex. “I’m sorry I asked.”
“Don’t be. Things don’t work out, that’s life.”
I nodded. “Well I?—”
“Can I kiss you?” he asked, voice heavy. I could tell he was second guessing himself when I didn’t respond immediately.
“Yes,” I responded almost like I was exhaling a heavy breath.
My neck was in his grasp within seconds before he leaned forward and mashed his lips against mine. What I expected to be quick was nothing near as he held me there for a moment. Small pecks became weighted, and before I knew it my tongue was down his throat, and he welcomed it. The type of action I had shied away from for the last several months but here he was.Shit, here he was.
When we pulled back, he just looked at me. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you like that?”
“No, how long?”
“Since you got into my car the other night,” he answered with nothing but honesty in his eyes. Maybe I didn’t know him as well as I wanted, but I knew you could tell a lot about a person from their eyes.
