Infatuated: A King's Hart Novel Book 1 (BWWM)

VIII. Starting something

For a while we said nothing, only our heavy breaths could be heard in the silence, but than she turned her face in to place a small kiss on my cheek. "I want you too," she breathed. "God do I want you too."

"Than c'mon baby. Let me have you again," I pleaded and nipped at her bottom lip.

She pushed away from me, untangling herself from my grasp to put a considerable about of distance between us. I made steps towards her but she held her hands out to stop me.

"We can't do this."

"Why not?"

"I don't know you. You don't know me."She righted her skirt and blouse.

"I want to know more about you. That's enough," I said seeking out my suit jacket. I knew the end of our little exchange was drawing near.

"Can we just take baby steps?" She was pacing around the living room looking for her heels. "I feel like we are moving way too fast and it's really not the kind of thing I'm used to."

"Fine. Baby steps." I spotted her heels, swiped them up and motioned for her to come to me. When she came over, I knelt down before her and tapped her ankle. "There's a Gala tonight, some kind of fund raising event. With you there, I'm sure I can tolerate anything."

"Like a date?" she asked and raised her foot up into my palm and rested her hand on my shoulders to steady herself.

"Yeah, I guess it's a date." I slipped her foot into the heel and tapped her other ankle. "But you can call it what you want as long as you say you'll come."

"Where should I meet you and what time?" She did the same with the other foot and I followed suit.

I looked up at her setting on firm ground. I rose to my feet and asked, "Seven, and it's at The Ivory Manor on Knox."

Her hands were still on my shoulders, her big eyes on me. "I will be there."

"I can hardly wait."

I was on the front steps of the Ivory Manor pacing. It was way past seven and she had yet to arrive. People had already filed through and were mingling.

"You need to relax," Ambrose said and pointed a cigarette at me in offering.

I waved him off and he just shrugged than slipped it between his lips.

"You don't have to be our here you know," I spat out at him annoyed. I didn't need him here seeing me completely fall apart. "Why don't you just go inside?"

"What and miss all of this? Fuck non." He leaned onto one of the beams. "Besides Maggie not here yet and ain't nothing but bourgeoisie folk in there." He cut the air with his hand and said, "Armand don't do bougie."

"What's up with you and Maggie? You really going after her, is that why you're here?"

His hand froze as he went to light his cigarette and he gave me a look. "Why? You got something against me going after her?"

"I'm just curious man. . . damn your tampon must not be in right." I said punching my fist into my hand and continued my pacing.

"Maggie special is all," he said after a few beats. "I like her. She' my Nuri."

I nodded, than looked up as headlights came down The Manor's long driveway.

"That must be your Nuri now," Ambrose said  and I could hear the end of the smoke burning and smell the burn of the cigarette. 

It had better be her. When the cab rounded the drive way and stopped at the bottom of the stairs, my body silently hummed with that familiar energy and I obeyed. I took the steps one by one knowing that it was her inside.

She wore a deep blue dress that went down to the floor. It was pinched under her breast and had lace sleeves that stopped above her forearm. Her dark coils had been straightened and styled into full waves that fell around her body.

I had made it down the steps. When she leaned down to hand the driver some cash, I grabbed her hand, yanked her back behind me, than handed the driver a fifty. "Keep the change," I said and tapped the hood before turning to my beautiful girl.

She was frowned up at. "Well that wasn't extravagant in the least," she said than fussed with her dress. I captured one of her tendrils between my fingers and this got her to look up at me.

"You look fucking amazing," I said and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I know you said seven but I got caught up. Please don't hate me."

I took her hand in mine and pressed it against my lips. None of this would have happed if you just let me pick you up from your studio I wanted to bark at her, but opted for the gentle way. "It doesn't matter, you're here now."

"I'm not terribly late am I?" she asked squinting and I shook my head.

"Let's go in. . . and looking the way you do now, I could never hate you," I said teasing.

She laughed and let me place her arm beneath mine as I led her up to the stairs to the Gala. There was no sign of Ambrose and I wondered if he had caught up to Maggie.

The night would have lagged on like most of these functions did, but Nuri being with me made me look at things differently. When Emma came with me, she would leave me to go and do her publicity thing. It was all about keeping up an image while gathering as much info and gossip as she could. Nuri stayed by my side, as if I even gave her the option of straying, and kept me company.She made me laugh and forget just how shallow the people around me were.

Photographers took many pictures of us. Many of the people here knew Emma, and even more than I expected shot us  odd glances and dirty looks.  I protectively tugged her into me and boldly met the eyes of anyone who dared look our way longer than acceptable.

By the end of the Gala, without even realizing it, the entire room seemed to shift towards her. If Nuri mingled by the entrance, a few more people than normal would be by the entrance. If she was watching the band play, even more people would suddenly radiate towards the band.

It was almost as if that same force that had me mesmerized sucked everybody else in too. If this was how people responded to her, no wonder she never left her studio.

A few woman from some Ladies Society surrounded her and when I caught her stifling a yawn, I knew it was time to get her home. Her day had been an eventful one thanks to me, and I suddenly had the urge to get her back to normal. I came up behind her and placed my hand on the small of her back.

She looked up at me expectantly.

"Ready to go home Angel?"

She looked around blinking a few times. "Oh dear God yes please," she murmured and headed for the exit. I followed close behind her. I spotted Maggie and Ambrose looking fairly cozy by the dance floor. They both saw me, Maggie smiled brightly and Ambrose gave me that curt nod of his. There was something in the night and it felt right.