WAYLEN
Beth looked beautiful as always in her green sweater dress and the leggings hugging her ass. My perverted mind pictured her standing naked with only the heels. I looked around. The lobby was empty except for the man behind the counter. He didn’t look our way as I stepped in for a kiss or hug that never happened. Because my mate backed away before our bodies could make that contact.Nice one, Malik. She used to run to my touch.
“Beth,” I finally replied.
Her heartbeat accelerated. My presence still stirred feelings in her. She spun on her heels and headed for the elevator, knowing I would follow. I tried to collect her bag, but she was quicker. The air in the elevator vanished once I stepped in. I punched in my floor number and leaned back on the wall.
“What’s that?” I pointed to the bag she refused me to carry. “Spending the night?”
“In your dreams,” she hissed out.
WAYLENI rolled off Beth, and she scrambled to get her clothes off the floor. My dick had gone to sleep, thanks to the sight of those tears. It wasn’t the almost-sex that brought them to her eyes. Beth loved letting me be in charge. It was something else. Something that started with an M and ended with a K.Beth had already put on her clothes, and I was struggling with the many buttons on my shirt. She stormed out of the room, and I abandoned the buttons. Unluckily for her, I was faster. I blocked her way out of the suite with my body, holding my hands up to let my mate know I meant no harm.“It’s a new year, Waylen,” she muttered. The strap of her bag dropped to her wrist, and she pulled it up without looking at me. “I don’t want to fight. I just want to leave.”“Why?”Beth’s head raised. The tears had dried up, but her eyes still shimmered. “Because you were r
I got home the next morning. The house was silent, and a feeling of déjà vu crept over me as I stumbled up the stairs. My legs wobbled. I could swear the railing had doubled, so I missed it a few times. I may have stopped by a random club for some shots to relieve myself instead of putting me and Malik through pain. Thinking back to pathetic me dancing with a stranger, I wished I had come straight home to Malik.Waylen was also there. But I wasn’t so sure anymore. It was probably the drinks that conjured him. Stupid, foolish, bastard man.The main problem and reason for heading to that club hadn’t been resolved. The flesh between my legs still tingled. I thought drinking would take away the feelings and also prevent Malik from knowing the visit was futile, but it only heightened them.Now, a part of me wished I hadn’t been so quick to push Waylen off. At least he fingered me, but it had the opposite effects.It
MALIKI almost fucked Elizabeth. If Otis hadn’t called my attention, I would have. I turned on the shower without removing my briefs. Cold water rained down on me, causing a shiver up my spine. Knowing that I almost lost control made me want to hit myself. Elizabeth’s mood swings weren’t helping.The bathroom door opened, and Elizabeth took tentative steps toward me. I ignored her. She had to learn some battles were different and fought with different tactics.“Malik?” she whispered.That soft voice sent emotions to my dick. I was glad she came after me but torn by my desire to do more with her. She touched my arm, and I shrugged her hand off me. I was so tense, on the edge of entirely losing control.“I can’t risk anything happening to you,” I said without looking in her direction. She stepped into the stall with me. “You don’t seem to understand that, and it hurts.”
MALIKElizabeth and I were sprawled on the floor trying to queue movies for our marathon when she grabbed a throw pillow and slapped me in the face with it. Shock made me quiet for a second or two or even three.I snatched the pillow reaching for my face a second time and pinned Elizabeth under me. Her hair fell around her in a halo. Taking her hands, I watched her body arch under mine. “My love, what was that for?”“For not telling me about the Christmas decorations.” My lips puckered. I opened them but could not say anything in my defense. All I wanted was to make her happy. “I know it was your idea to design the place. Waylen told me, and you just sat there looking at me while I praised him for it.”My mouth went dry. “Yeah.”“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked, her voice softening when I tried to pull back. She locked her legs around my waist, a warning creeping in
Malik gave me a black card, no limit. If I were still at my house, I would check for items that needed fixing and upgrade my shoe and bag collection. But right now, I was tugging my sister along to the boutique to get whatever she wanted. It was worth noting that the former Beth wouldn’t have spent beyond a few dollars. But this Beth knew Malik gave her his card to do with it whatever she wanted. And I would.The smell of new fabric teased our nostrils as we made our way inside. My sister stuck to my side as if afraid to ruin anything.“Are you sure I can take anything I want?” Lynn asked. I rolled my eyes at the suspicion in her voice. Maybe this wasn’t a regular with us, but today was a pick anything you want, day. My sister shook her head when she realized I was serious. “Wow. Have I told you I love you?”Before I could reply, she dashed to another section of the store. I stopped by the window to check the
Becca was on the stage, wearing a sash with a crown on her head as a male stripper danced all over her. The swell of his dick was evident in his leather pants, but she didn’t seem to mind as she grabbed his ass.This was her scene.Waylen was elsewhere. He disappeared into the crowd because he didn’t want to suffocate me with his presence. His words, not mine. He was unusually nice, but I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Plus, I had witnessed his sweet side. I knew he could be good if he wanted. I meandered through sweaty bodies to find my other best friend. Fumi was short, so she could easily get lost in the crowd.Someone snatched my wrist. My breath returned to my lungs when I saw it was Fumi. She was among those cheering the stripper as he pulled his pants to his ankle.“Yes,” Becca screamed. I wondered what her fiancé was doing. Probably at another strip club? Those two were sure to have an
WAYLENThe man in the floor-length mirror fidgeting with his multicolored tie over a white button-down shirt was laughable. The man in front of that mirror was me. I adjusted the goddamn tie again, holding it against my shirt to decide if it was too long or not. I had attended meetings with CEOs, wealthy humans who held power in the business world, and I wasn’t this nervous. And for what? A fucking wedding. I left the tie as it was and moved to the bathroom to apply more gel to my hair. There was enough in my hair to keep it in check for a year, and it made me icky. My fingers itched to run the detachable showerhead over my scalp to rid it of the mess. Len was present, and he stared back when I looked in the mirror. He didn’t like this. Neither did I. But Beth wanted gentle and sweet. I could try to be that or at least look the part. Malik was on a buzzcut, and I had no intentions of growing my beard as long as his. Hank loved his hair gel. The few times I saw him, his hair was int
Malik was more nervous than me. He was freaking out. I grabbed his arms and locked them around my waist. His gaze lowered to my face, but his shoulders remained tense. “Baby, you have to calm down.” “You are calling a grown man baby?” “Aren’t you my baby?” I teased. It was meant to be a joke, but Malik only froze. This would be a long day. “Relax, Malik.” “What if they don’t like me?” “Have you met those girls?” Today was the wedding, and my plus-one was freaking out. It was starting to affect my mood. I should be at the venue already as one of the bridesmaids. “They’ll love you, I promise. You met them already, unofficially, but…” “Okay. I’ll take your word for it,” he said. Backing away to grab my heels, I pointed a finger at his chest. “You better do, Otis.” I slipped into my heels while Malik fussed with his attire. He had taken off the earring to appear more responsible and likable. All I wanted was for him to be himself. I strolled into the walk-in closet to pick o