“Because we both know she won’t be any better until I do.”
Her jaw worked as she thought about that. She opened the door and stood to the side of the frame. I took one step, and she raised her hand, blocking my path. “If you hurt her anymore I won’t hesitate to use the nine millimeter I have stashed under my bed, Drake. You best believe I will go to jail for my friend. It’s the door at the end of the hall across from the living room.”
She lowered her arm, and I hurried past her. What was with the women on the West Side harboring arms in their homes?
When I made it to the door, I took a moment to breath and collect my thoughts. But only a moment. I wanted to see her so badly it hurt. Poising my hand, I knocked.
“Lacey? Lacey, it’s me Drake. Can I come in?” I asked.
The hall was empty with silence, and then came her small voice.
“Sure.”
I didn’t hesitate. The small bedroom was lit by a single lamp, casting an amber glow into the room. Lacey stood in the middle of it near the bed. She’d stripped down from her street clothes and into a set of sleep shorts and an oversized shirt, her springy brown curls still down and beautiful. I stepped toward her and seeing the puffiness of her dark eyes killed my heart.
She’d been crying. Something I did made her cry.
“Lace.” I swallowed hard. “What you saw at the club wasn’t what you think. Natalia and I are just friends. We actually came to the club tonight with a group. We were just talking at the table, waiting for them as they danced. We had to speak loud over the music. That’s all that happened.”
In her silence, my heart felt as if it would escape from my chest. Eventually, she nodded once, crossing her arms with a tense jaw.
“You know, I’m not mad about that, Drake,” she said. Her gaze was direct, serious, but her eyes were incredibly downcast. “I’m not mad because you told me something. You told me something so I believe you. You’ve never given me any reason to think otherwise.”
I put my hands together, understanding where this was going.
“What makes me mad is I don’t seem to get the same courtesy from you.”
I stepped forward, but she tensed, and I didn’t continue. “Lace... Lace, I know I messed this up.”
“Do you really?” she asked, her lip trembling. “I collapsed, Drake. I collapsed in the middle of rehearsal. I was embarrassed. Felt stupid and pathetic, and when I went home to rest I had to deal with the press. They roosted outside my home so they could write a story about it.”
I could only stare at her. Clenching my fingers, I fought myself from going over and touching her.
“I was at my lowest. Feeling anxiety. Self-doubt. And the one person I wanted to talk to about it, the one person I wanted to vent to, I couldn’t. I couldn’t because he was mad at me.”
I couldn’t resist any longer. I went over to her. Placing my hands on her cheeks, I felt like I touched my lifeline. A strong force that allowed me to breath. She dipped her head, and I brought her in close, whispering over and over again in her ear, “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, baby. Please forgive me.”
“You can’t keep doing this to me, Drake,” she gasped, her words choked and laced with emotion. “You can’t keep leaving me when I need you. I just… I can’t handle it. It hurts too much every time.”
I pulled back, viewing her tears for only a second before I touched my lips to hers. “I’m so sorry,” I breathed against her mouth, tasting her tears. “I’m so sorry, baby. Never again. I promise never again.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck, deepening the kiss. The urgency in it was overwhelming. I grabbed her thighs, encircling my waist with them.
After kicking off my shoes, I took her to the bed, pressing her into the sheets underneath me.
“God, I missed you.” I gripped her tiny waist, bringing her body flush against mine. “I need you, Lacey. I need you so badly.”
She whimpered when I captured her mouth in a heavy kiss. Reaching behind my back, she pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it to the floor.
“Please.” Her lips quivered against my mouth. “Please.”
I pushed my hand underneath her shirt, filling my hand with the naked breast there. Her breathing increased to a desperate rhythm, and she tugged at my hair.
I lowered my head, yearning to give her more pleasure. Taking her breast into my mouth, I suckled her lush nipple.
“Drake…”
I sucked harder, warming her barbell piercing as I laved it with my tongue. She tasted so sweet. So incredibly amazing, and I couldn’t stop, quickly firing up the heavy addiction I always had for her. No amount of time could ever make me forget this. How it felt to have this—her.
Her back bowed off the bedding, and I slid her shirt above her head. Her voluminous, dark curls sprung from the top when it was off, lacing the air with their mouth-watering scent. Her body was perfect. Flawless and honey brown. She was…
“Perfect,” I said, kissing my way down her neck, between the valley of her breasts, her flat stomach. Another piercing greeted my mouth when I drew it in at her belly button. She trembled, pressing thick thighs against my arms that were ready to be plunged between.
I had to touch her then, cup her mound, and I did, slipping my hand into the elastic band of her shorts. She tilted her head back, her lips parting as I slid a finger into her heat. Then another. Her sex clenched around me, pulling my fingers in deeper, drenching them with her arousal.
I crashed my mouth to hers, pleasuring her below with my hand. She bucked against me, greedily taking my fingers. Her petite hands gripped my jeans, shoving them and my boxers down my hips. I sprung free, and at the sight, she pushed me to my back. I didn’t have a second to think before she covered me with her mouth.
“Lacey…” I groaned, my eyes rolling back as she took me deep, took me full.
My mind hazed, and I could barely stay aware of my surroundings. She worked me with both her hands and mouth, giving long and aggressive strokes under her small hands. Her tongue played at my head and the buildup pressured below. I lifted my hips, clinching the sheets to resist my release.
“Lacey, I’m going to come,” I grunted.
“Come in my mouth,” she said.
The thought had the fire below burning with a strong intensity, but I grabbed her shoulders, releasing her from me. I pulled her back, laying her down. Without words, I stripped off the rest of my clothes then slid her shorts and panties down her thighs. When they were gone, I admired her round breasts, her trim waist and how it flared out into her full, curvaceous hips for probably longer than I should have, but I couldn’t help it. This woman was simply stunning.
I touched a kiss to her neck and a breath escaped from her lips, breezing my shoulder.
“I wanna come inside you, Lacey,” I said, running my tongue over her collarbone. “Please let me.”
She braced my shoulders, digging the tips of her nails into my skin. “Okay.”
I didn’t hesitate. Wrapping my hand around myself, I guided my throbbing length inside her. Her hips lifted, ready and waiting to take me deep, but I teased her, sliding out and brushing the head over her slit.
She sucked in a breath. “Please, baby.”
God, I loved hearing that come out of her mouth. My weakness for her prevailed and I thrust inside her completely.
She squeaked, trembling at the motion between her thighs. She met every one, rocking her hips with vigor. We created a perfect rhythm, my thrusts matching her active hips. I kissed her neck softly the whole time, tasting and teasing. Her body wrapped around mine, holding me close as I claimed her. She was soft everywhere I was hard, and I couldn’t get enough.
She moaned, biting my shoulder, and that was all it took for me. I was already close, and she pushed me to the edge. My hips stiffened, her sex tightening around me in response. My release was long, fulfilling, and she braced me, milking me with her hips and taking every bit of it.
My arms went we
ak my release was so intense, and I gently sagged against her. I felt her body go limp underneath mine, and I knew for her the experience was just as powerful.
Kissing her neck, I asked her where the bathroom was. She pointed to the door next to the closet, and I left the bed, but only for a moment. I wanted to hold her all night.
I returned with a warm towel that was slightly damp. After wiping her down, cleaning her of my release, I held her in my arms. Listening to her soft breaths, I watched her drift off to sleep. My last thought before I fell asleep myself… how lucky I was that she was mine.
Chapter Forty-Two
Lacey
Most of the night Drake and I spent in silence, sleeping softly and wrapped around the other. Then out of nowhere, one of us would brush a kiss to the one who slept. At their temple. Their forehead. Their lips. The person sleeping would then wake and quickly give in to the other. I lost count how many times this happened. How many times Drake would simply touch me, and I’d open my legs for him. How I’d lick the seam of his lips, and he’d automatically let me take him from above. That was my favorite, having him underneath me. He would grip my thighs, his head thrown back and mouth parted from the pleasure. He’d groan nearly every time I swiveled my hips, rocking him into ecstasy.
Some of the night we just spend kissing, dueling tongues hotly.
Like now.
I gripped his dark hair, sighing into our kiss. I moved to his face, memorizing his features with my lips. His broad cheekbones, so strong and chiseled. My lips fluttered lightly over the subtle curve of his eyes. I spent a lot of time there. I loved his eyes. I kept the journey onto the bridge of his nose, and then finally, I returned to his full lips. Being there was too amazing to be gone for long.
When we separated our mouths, both of us tired and breathy, Drake held me in his strong arms, brushing his nose against mine. I smiled, enjoying the feeling.
“How do you feel?” he whispered.
“So good here with you.”
That made him smile. He pulled back, studying my eyes in the soft lighting of the lamp lit room. “I meant, how do you feel physically? You know, with your collapse? Are you really okay? I’m so worried about you.”
I ran my hand down his bicep. “This was what I needed. To be back home. With you. I feel fine. I promise.”
“You’d tell me, right? If something was wrong? I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you, Lacey.”
My lips lifted. I kissed his nose. “Of course I’d tell you.”
The tension in his jaw seemed to ease, but he wasn’t the only one who had worries about how the other was doing. Adele told me in her text she was worried about him, that he asked her to help him with something she didn’t necessarily feel comfortable helping him with. Something that had to do with his adoption. When I went to the club, I had more anxiety about that part than the girl he’d allegedly hugged. I trusted Drake and still did. Though his connection to her confused me, what he was potentially going through concerned me more. I decided to open the floor, prompt him and let him know he could open up to me.
I touched his chin. “What about you? Are you okay?”
He slid his arms around me, pressing my breasts against his warm chest. “I won’t lie. I missed you like crazy, but I’m definitely healing every passing moment.”
He buried his face into my neck, and I wanted to drop the topic, but I couldn’t. “Is that why you were hanging out with Natalia? Because you were lonely?”
His hold loosened on me, and he pulled back. He touched my cheek. “Lacey, Natalia and I really are just friends. You do believe that right?”
“I do, but it does seem random. How did you two even meet?”
He chuckled lightly, guiding his hand down my waist before settling on my hip. “It was random. Natalia brought her car in to be serviced at the garage. I later ran into her and her friend Mina at the Y when I went to work out. The two asked me if I wanted to get some Korean barbeque with them and their other friends, Kyle and Luc, that evening. We’ve all been hanging out ever since.”
“You have? That’s so great, Drake. I’m so happy you’ve made friends. Why didn’t you tell me?”
He shrugged, brushing my skin at the hip with the tips of his fingers. “You’ve been kind of busy, babe.”
He was right. I had been busy. My heart sunk that I’d allowed distance to be created between us that was more than just geography, a line to divide us. I didn’t blame him for seeking out other friendships since I’d been so distant. I was happy he had, though. I wanted him happy.
“You know, Natalia is adopted too.”
I nodded. I did know that. “Yeah. Her mom is African American. She used to be on the school board. She’s done so much for the community.”
“Not only that, Lace.” He threaded our fingers together, brushing his thumb over the back of my hand. “Ms. Johnson adopted her from China.”
That was something I didn’t know.
“It really is amazing, Lacey. Natalia, she’s fluent in a couple East Asian languages. Korean amongst them. She and Ms. Johnson only speak Chinese in their household, and her mom takes her back to China every year. They visit her orphanage, the spot she was abandoned…”
I frowned. “She was abandoned?”
“Yeah. It’s not uncommon for Chinese girls since the country has a one-child policy. Girls aren’t seen as priority over boys who can run a household. It’s just so crazy. Natalia knows so much about her adoption, and her home country is still such a huge part of her life.”
The lines sounded as if they were blurring about what he was telling me. Though he was explaining to me information about Natalia, it felt more like he himself was the topic of discussion. There was a longing behind his words as he discussed her connection to her culture, envy even. I’d known Drake for a while, and one thing that was never discussed between us was his adoption. In fact, I hadn’t heard him talk about it once since the night my mother was taken to the emergency room. I always assumed maybe it was a sore subject. That he didn’t want to mention it because of his issues with his family. But after only knowing Natalia for a short while, the matter had been an open topic. Maybe he did want to talk about it, but just didn’t want to with me.
I wished he would.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, settling my lips into the crook. His strong hands spanned my back as he brushed his cheek against mine.
“She’s also found her mother, Lacey. Her birth mother.”
I pulled back, my lips parted. “Really?”
He nodded, gazing off above my head. I thought he’d elaborate more, but he didn’t. He simply stared ahead in silence, and without words, he brought me in so close to his chest that no space was between us. Not an inch of separation. He held me like his life depended on it, and I felt so many unspoken words in that moment. In all the things he’d mention about Natalia tonight, this was what he desired the most. I knew from that night on the hill that Drake struggled severely with his identity. That a void had been left inside him when he was placed into a family that didn’t really acknowledge the fact that he was adopted. Perhaps seeking his birth mother was one of the steps he needed to heal. To have closure. I couldn’t think of a stronger connection to his home, his cultural heritage, than finding his birth mother, and with the way he held me, I knew he wanted that. I idly wondered if he’d considered seeking her out. After discovering that Natalia found hers, it seemed logical that the thought would cross his mind.
That’s when my thoughts landed on Adele.
She said he asked her to do something that had to do with his adoption. Something she didn’t feel comfortable helping him with. Drake would need family in order to get the information he needed to seek his birth mother, and since he was on bad terms with his mother and father, she’d seem like the go-to option to get that information. Had that been what her text referenced? If so, I understood why she was hesitant. His mom should be a part of this. I wanted to voice my opinion and as
k him if he was searching, but I remained quiet in his arms. He’d tell me when he was ready. For now, my job was to do this. Be there by his side until he was ready to talk to me about it. But maybe, just maybe, there was something else I could do.
“I think I want to go see Mama tomorrow,” I whispered, no longer letting my fears hold me back. It was time to go to her. It was time.
Loosening his grip, Drake released me just enough to see my face. His lips curved up into a smile, and it was directed my way. “You do?”
“Yes. I think I’m ready.” And perhaps, through my confidence, he could find the strength to do the same.
Chapter Forty-Three
Drake
My cell phone ringing woke me up, and I was so groggy with sleep that I was tempted to let it ring. The barely lit bedroom let me know it was way too early to talk, but I didn’t want the sound to disturb Lacey. She needed to sleep. I was still so worried about her.
We were woven tightly around each other so I carefully separated us, then reluctantly left the warmth of my girl to find my cell phone. My clothes were scattered around the room, but I found my jeans quickly. The phone was inside, and I swiped my thumb across the front to answer it.
“Hello?” I whispered.
“Hello? Drake?”
I squinted. “Natalia?” I pulled the phone from my ear, checking the time. Seeing it, my eyes widened. I pressed the phone back to my ear. “Hey. What’s going on? It’s like six a.m.”
“I know, and I hate to call you so early, especially after what happened yesterday, but I’m kind of desperate.”
Going into the bathroom, I shut the door behind me. “Okay. What is it?”
“Remember that carnival I mentioned yesterday that our outreach group is putting on for the kids at the Y?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, the men arrived this morning and delivered the booths for it, but they don’t do the assembly. They left instructions on how to do it, but we just don’t have the manpower. I called Kyle and Luc, but we could really use your help.”
The Dividing Line Page 24