by J Peach
While our lips nipped and sucked at each other, my hand slid between our bodies and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Once I got his shirt off, I went to his pants, unbuckling his belt then his zipper easily slid down.
I pushed at his shoulders and rolled on top of him. I gripped the hem of my dress and began pulling it up.
Blaze sat up, preventing me from fully taking off my dress.
“Peaches, we ain’t gotda do this.” Blaze declining my sex literally threw me off. With the way he kept talking about going into the bathroom earlier, I figured he’d love for me to take off my clothes.
Ignoring Blaze’s rejection, which I took no offense to, I continued pulling my dress off. Covering my breast with my arm, I leaned forward pecking his lips again.
“That’s good to know you’re not just using me for sex.” I mumbled against his lips then pulled back. “Come swimming with me.”
Blaze’s head quickly reared back. “Hell n’all, its sharks out there.”
Laughing at his serious face, I stood up.
“Peaches, don’t take yo stupid ass out there.”
I was already running toward the water.
“If you don’t want me to be eaten by sharks, you better come get me.” I yelled to him as I made it to the water. “Ah!” I screamed as the water touched my body. It was freezing, but that didn’t stop me.
“Peaches, get yo stupid ass outda there. I ain’t coming to get yo ass. Peaches, bring yo dumbass back!” Blaze yelled out to me as I went deeper. “Peaches!”
Holding my breath, I went under and started swimming. My arms moved back then forward as my legs stayed tightly together so I wouldn’t splash. Coming up for air, I looked toward the beach. Blaze had now come into the water but only waist deep, though. Seeing that, I quickly went back under.
Hearing him call my name, I moved faster toward his body. Once I was close enough to him, I jumped up screaming in surprise and falling back into the water as I dodged Blaze’s fist.
I came back up and started laughing at a startled looking Blaze.
“Man, you scared the shit outda me. Damn.” His hand covered his chest. All I could do was laugh.
This was the first time I’d ever seen Blaze scared.
“Oh, my God. My stomach,” I laughed.
“Shid, I think I just had a fuckin’ heart attack.” Blaze was serious but I was dying.
“What you thought I was a shark or something?” I asked between laughter.
“Shid, yeah, this type of water ain’t fah niggas like me. Yo ass gon’ laugh, though, fah real?” Grabbing my arms, Blaze picked me up and threw me underwater.
Once I came up, I started splashing water at Blaze in order to distract him. Thinking it worked, I lunged myself at him but he caught me and dunked me under.
He pulled me up and I inhaled a gush of air, I had just closed my mouth as Blaze pushed me back under. He’d bring me back up then he’d push me back down. The last time he dunked me he started moving away from me.
“I’m about to kick yo ass!” I yelled at him once I caught my breath. Blaze went underwater, once he did I quickly jumped in his spot but he wasn’t there. “Ah!” A scream left my mouth as hands grabbed my waist and I was lifted then thrown underwater again. Coming back up, Blaze stood in front of me laughing.
I jumped on him and we both fell back, even so I kept my hold on him. When he came up so did I.
“I quit because you a cheater.” I clung to his front so he wouldn’t dunk me again.
“I ain’t no cheater. You just a weak ass loser.” He joked, making me roll my eyes.
“Call me that when we get out this water and I got my purse.” My threat made Blaze laugh.
“What you gon’ do put on yo knuckles and box me?”
Humming, I nodded my head. “Yes, sir, I am. Cheating ass.” Mumbling the last bit, Blaze still heard and fell backwards into the water.
His arms held onto me tightly so I couldn’t get away as he took me with him. Coming back up, I inhaled a gush of air only to have it taken away as Blaze’s mouth covered mine.
Laughing at the sudden act, I pushed my lips to his before pulling back. My head went to his shoulder and I just held onto him savoring the moment. I already knew I wasn’t going to get this Blaze come tomorrow.
“I could get used to this.” I told him truthfully. Then I suddenly screamed and jumped in his hold. “Ah!”
“Why the hell you screaming?” Blaze asked.
“I swear something just touched my foot.”
He pushed me off of him and started moving back toward the beach.
“Oh what? You gon’ leave me, though?” I asked shock as hell by his actions.
“Shid, every person for they self.”
“Blaze, for real?” I yelled.
“You better get yo ass out that water.” Blaze yelled before going underwater and swimming back to shore.
I was literally in my same spot not believing this nigga just left me. The made no swim splashes and it had gotten too dark so I couldn’t see where he went.
“Ugh, I hate him.” I went underwater but before I could start swimming my foot was grabbed “You bastard, that shit ain’t fuckin’ funny.” I snapped at Blaze while hitting him. He just laughed at my mugging face. “You scared me. I could’ve drowned, you asshole. Get off me.”
“I’m sorry,” Blaze brought his face to mine.
My palm pressed into his face to stop his movement. “Don’t even, you was about to leave me, too. Tsss, nigga please.”
Blaze laughed at that. “I wasn’t gon’ leave you fo’real. You see I came back. I wouldn’t leave my future out here to be eaten by sharks.”
Looking at him, I laughed. “You are so lame, I swear.” I rolled my eyes, looking away from him.
“So what. I got yo ass smiling, though.” His tone was cocky and I knew that crooked smile of his was on his damn face.
I stared at him, trying hard to keep a straight face but I couldn’t stop the quivering of my lips. Total give away.
My lips stretched into that stupid smile and I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, nigga.” Holding me bridal style, Blaze started walking back to the beach. Leaning forward, he bit my shoulder. “Gon’ somewhere, Blaze.”
“Stop tryna act mad, knowing I got yo ass feeling good,” he said in that same knowing tone.
I didn’t say anything. Instead I was going to try to keep up the façade for as long as possible.
Once we were out of the water, Blaze went back to where we left our stuff.
After placing me on my feet, he grabbed his suit jacket from the sand, shaking it off.
“Here.” He put the jacket around my shoulders then pulled it closed before running his hands up and down my arms.
“Thanks.” I mumbled.
Blaze hummed as he pulled off his boxers then bent down to pick up his suit pants and I let out a whistle.
“Damn, can I hit?” If I wasn’t afraid he would turn around and knock me out, I would’ve grabbed his ass or slapped it.
“You can ride. You want me to lay down?” Laughing, I shook my head no as I stared at his semi-hard dick before it disappeared behind his pants. I began to shiver. “Cold?” he asked.
“Yes.” Stretching out the s, I continued to tremor.
“Then you got this little ass dress on that don’t cover shit,” he bashed. Shaking my dress off, he removed his jacket off of me then slipped the dress over my head.
Uncovering my breast, I pulled my arm through the one sleeve. Once my arms were through, Blaze continued to pull it down, coming to my hips he stopped to look at me as he grabbed my boy shorts. Blaze pulled my dress down as he did my panties.
“Hungry?” I asked.
N’all, I’m good fah now.” He put his jacket back on me and as he did I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“This was really nice, Blaze. Thanks for today. I’m actually sad it’s about to end.” Sighing, I wasn’t ready for the night to be over.
&nb
sp; Chapter 18
Peaches
After months of wanting some normalcy in a relationship with him and now finally getting it, I wasn’t ready for it to come to an end.
“It’s quiet out here, peaceful. I could really get use to this place.” My head lay against his chest while focusing on the beautiful night before us.
“Yeah, it’s nice out here,” Blaze agreed. “A place like this ain’t for a nigga like me, though.”
I knew him all too well. I expected him to say something like that, so it didn’t surprise me nor was I mad at his words.
“How do you know what place is for you if you never left where you’re from?” Blaze didn’t reply. “You don’t. If it’s not a hood, you automatically think it don’t fit you. Until you’ve actually move somewhere else, don’t claim what’s not for you.” The whole while I was talking my eyes didn’t leave the beautiful ocean’s view.
The stars were so bright out.
I was going to look into getting a place out here. It’s was only an hour and a half drive away, which was nothing.
“We should get going,” I said, pulling back.
Blaze grabbed me, stopping my movement. “Now you mad?”
My brows furrowed. “No, there’s no reason to be. I’m just freezing my ass off.” I thought for a moment more and then I continued. “I mean eventually you’ll see what I do. Just look, for you not to be a romantic, look where we are. I never wanted you to change, Blaze. I just wanted you to acknowledge the fact I’m here, to actually be thought of first instead of second to your work. I don’t expect it to always be like this but I want to feel like I’m more than just a sex thing to you.” I explained truthfully.
“Wanting all that is changing me, but I get what you saying. Certain shit I ain’t gon’ remember, plans I ain’t gon’ make. So, how about you make the plans and set the dates. Do all that and I’ll show up. I’ll get a phone just for your calls. When it rings, no matter what, I’ll answer. Sounds good?” I didn’t say anything at first. “Damn, Peach. Man, I’m trying, yo.”
“I know. We’ll see how it goes and with Blake around now, another line will be good.”
“We gon’ leave Blake outda this right now. I’m talkin’ ‘bout us getting right.” He pulled the jacket closer to my shivering body and I let out a breath.
“Blaze, we already talked about us. This was nice, yeah and I know you wanna try but for how long? I don’t know. You’ve already shown me that sometimes your word, your promises can be broken. I don’t want to always sound so emotional but you’ve hurt me and from what has already happened your word really don’t mean anything.
“I don’t trust you not to hurt me. Blaze, its gon’ take time to get my trust back, until then the idea of us being together is nonexistent. Regardless of that, I’ll always be here for you.” If he didn’t know that by now, then he simply didn’t know me and trying to be with me was a waste of time if that were the case.
“How long its gon’ take for you to trust me again?”
“I don’t know, that’s up to you. You’ve done it three times already. So, I just don’t know. Only you know how serious you are about being committed to only me.” Shrugging at the end of my sentence, I licked my lips while staring at Blaze.
A hum was his response to what I said. “Let’s go before you freeze to death.”
I gave him a slight smile and he pulled me into his side then led us from the beach. When I stepped on the sidewalk, I stopped to slip on my shoes. Once I finished, Blaze led me to the front of the restaurant where the limo was waiting.
The driver gave a polite smile, one that I gratefully returned before getting in the car.
As Blaze got in, his phone chirped. Glancing at him, he had his burner out looking at it. After pressing a few buttons, he turned off the phone. Then removed the battery and sim card.
“Pour some water in that cup.”
My brows rose but I did as I was told. Blaze broke the sim card in half then dropped it as well as the phone into the water.
“Do I wanna know?”
Looking at me, he gave a slight smile while putting the cup in its holder. He didn’t respond. Instead, he took out his other phone and just as he did it went off. I watched him curiously as he pressed buttons with furrowed brows.
“Ain’t this dude from the house?” Blaze asked, showing me a picture of Cornell.
“Yeah, what’s that?” I was confused as to why he had a picture of Cornell in his phone.
“His prints was found on the papers yo dude had somebody run back in St. Louis. I got Smoke to ride out there to get the info. He scanned the file then emailed it to me.”
“You have an email address?” It wasn’t relevant but I didn’t peg Blaze to be the emailing type. I thought he did everything through text.
“Don’t everybody?”
“Well, yeah, I didn’t think you did, though. Anyway what’s this about Cornell?”
“His prints were on the paper that was sent to yo dude. But where a nigga like that get five hundred thousand from? He didn’t have money like that. Shid, probably a couple thousand but not that much.”
“How would you know what he got?” I asked. Blaze shrugged then put his phone away.
“I ran a check on his ass after we ran into him at the mall. He ain’t a big nigga, though. I mean besides being charged with having some weight on him and a B&E charge, that’s about it. Dude wasn’t shit but a street nigga and somebodies’ pawn. Plus, when I was at his crib, he ain’t really have too much there. And I know half the laptops and cameras he had was about stolen. Unless that Macy/Monica bitch was funding him.
“I know for sho’ his ass ain’t have the money to put the hit out. Shid, think about it. To take a mothafucka like me out you gon’ have to hire and equally crazy/feeling detachable hitta for the job, which gon’ cost a lot. That Cornell nigga ain’t have shit really,” Blaze explained. Shaking my head, a groan slipped through my lips.
“So, what does this mean?”
“Either Macy ass sitting on a nice amount of money or whoever’s pulling their strings smart as hell because they not leaving no trace of themselves. So we still ain’t got shit, but it don’t make sense, though. If dude is Macy’s baby father, why have yo brother try to kill him? I’m not understanding that. But now they know dude ain’t kill me, which is why I think he was shot.
“That’s a good thing, though. We got a little time to try to find out whoever is pulling the fuckin’ strings while whoever it is find another hitta.” Hearing everything he said, literally had me wanting to lock him away until this was all over.
But it’d never be over for the simple fact that somebody wanted Blaze dead. This shit was getting crazy, too much shit was happening all of a sudden.
“You think they’ll hire another hitter?” It’d be the logical thing to do and it was apparent whoever was behind it was smart.
“Why wouldn’t they?” he asked.
My head shook side to side. It just wasn’t sitting right with me. “Why would they? Think about it. Obviously, whoever’s doing this is smart so think smart. If this was you and you’ve hired a hitter who failed to do the job and then went rogue for two weeks, you gon’ automatically think, one, your hitter got cold feet. Or, two, he took off with yo money so what would you do upon this realization?” I asked.
Blaze was in thought for a second. “I’mma track my hitta, figure out why he ain’t got back with me. Find him and stalk his ass before I kill him. Man, this shit can be spent so many ways because Cornell was back on his stalkin’ shit. He won’t have to look that far for dude, which would explain why he shot him but not the bitch that was with him. Now that I think about it, I just can’t picture Macy popping out just to fuck up yo car.” Blaze thought out loud. He had a point.
“So it really is a third person or they could simply want us to think that. We got Cornell, the bitch that fuck’d up my car and the person with the money. But why play with them instead of doing it themselves?
This don’t make sense.” I fussed, getting irritated because I didn’t know.
“It’s not supposed to and it won’t until whoever it is makes their next move. You right, though. They ain’t gon’ hire another hitta, they gotda find another way because I wouldn’t trust going to another hitta after this, if it were me. I’d either do it myself or touch somebody close to ‘em, draw him out. So, whoever it is, is smart enough to stay low for now.”
Resisting the urge to run my hand through my wet hair, I just sighed. We didn’t really have nothing to go on.
Who wanted Blaze dead?
“Don’t stress it, Peach”
“How can you be so cool about this? Knowing somebody tryna get at you. How are you cool when I’m like two steps away from freaking the fuck out because we don’t know shit? We got lucky with the hitta being Ron. But what if they got somebody that wasn’t him and they actually did do the job? Then what, Blaze?” The realization of how bad this could have ended was really getting to me. I didn’t want anything to happen to him and the fact that somebody knew so much about him and had the funds to get rid of Blaze had my nerves on edge.
“I’d be dead,” he said nonchalantly with a shrug.
Before I could even think about doing it, my fist swung back hitting him hard in the chest, causing a loud grunt to leave his mouth.
“Damn, Peach, I was just fuckin’ with you.”
“Don’t fuckin’ play like that. This ain’t a fuckin’ joke or a game. Somebody wants you dead, the fuck? How can you joke about some shit like that?” The only person who could have led us to who hired him was dead because of me. This shit was becoming too much.
I hated being in the dark about shit and now that somebody’s life, who I cared about, was at stake it only made that nagging helpless feeling stronger.
“Peach, I ain’t taking this shit serious because nothing’s going to happen to me.” Blaze took ahold of my bouncing leg.
My head shook and I began to rant as my mind raced. “You don’t know that, Blaze. You got lucky that it was Jerron this person hired. You just basically said it yourself. If it was you, you’ll just find another way. Who’s to say they ain’t thinking the same or don’t already have something else in play? They’ve had a two week head start and we’re still months behind. Blaze, whoever it is had time to profile you.”