Hinged, Grown and Sexy

11. It Suits You

Eli POV;

That woman would be my undoing.

I could tell from the way she looked at me as I walked into my best friend's house that she wasn't going to play by the rules anymore. Her patience had worn thin, and stupidly, I was eager to see what she'd do next.

Divine had always been this beautiful thing that was just out of reach. Now, she was right there, and all I had to do was touch her. Tell her how much I wanted her, and keep every promise I make.

But temptation had always been such a sweet sin to me.

I'd convinced myself that was the reason I was holding myself back. Small, satisfying pleasures I could indulge in, but waiting until the bough broke and we fell into one another was the greatest test of patience.

Except, it wasn't the only reason.

Part of me knew that Divine was hesitant to take all that I could give. The voice in my head whispered hopeless thoughts that she'd never be ready to accept love wasn't always a distraction. Sometimes, it was a gift.

"What was that about?" Justice questioned after we'd left the house.

"Not sure what you mean." I mumbled as I gazed out the window as we approached the parking lot of the suit parlor.

The wedding was progressing quicker than I thought, but it made sense considering how long they'd waited. There was palpable eagerness in Justice's stride and his gaze seemed to set on a blooming future, and for the first time, I wanted something that he had.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You two look at each other like it's a zombie apocalypse, and you're the last two on Earth." Justice threw a pointed glance my way while he parked the car, and I shrugged.

"Then, I'm not taking the repopulating efforts very seriously."

Surprise colored my friend's features as he looked at me. I'd be lying if I said it didn't slightly annoy me since I wasn't exactly a saint, but I was far from being a sex addict.

"You guys haven't..? Actually, I don't think I want to know."

"No, we haven't, Dad, thanks for your concern." I sarcastically replied while we both exited the vehicle.

Either way, we both knew he'd be gossiping with Hyacinthe about us during the next bout of pillow talk. It's the unfortunate part of us all being best friends; they get to be nosy and in the loop at the same time.

"Well, just remember to use protection." He joked, but right before we entered the store, he turned to me. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, but most people think fear is a hinderance. But I learned that it can be the motivator you didn't know you needed."

Before I could question him about what he meant, Justice was already walking in and the boisterous sounds of familiar men sounded around us as they welcomed us.

Some of Justice's other friends turned groomsmen clapped us on the back, and I smiled as I pulled his younger brother into an embrace. I couldn't resist rubbing my fist against the younger boy's head while he complained loudly.

"Come on, Eli, I'm not five anymore." Magik complained before pulling a brush from his back pocket to fix his waves.

I'm not sure why he bothered since Justice swooped in to copy my same actions a second later.

"But you'll always be our little brother." He laughed while I looked on at them.

Justice's family had always been an extension of my own and vice versus. When their dad passed, our moms were practically inseparable and my dad tried to be there in every way he could. We were brothers in every way except for blood, and I was proud of him for finding love to make our family even bigger.

"I wish his dad was here to see this." My father said from beside me, jolting me from my own thoughts.

My dad had always been a big man, so it'd taken years for me to finally grow enough to look him in his eyes. Skin reminiscent of tar and eyes with a spark of knowingness that always seemed to spot any lie or trick I had planned as a child.

"One of these days, it'll be you telling me about a girl that you can't stop thinking about." He continued with a mischievous smile pulling at his lips.

He knew, but that shit-eating grin told me he knew more than he let on, which only meant one thing.

I'm fucked, aren't I?

🐞

The inevitable demise of my time as a bachelor couldn't be more clear by the way I fixated on the next time I'd see Divine.

It was maddening how much I thought of those toffee-colored lips and the glint of silver from her hidden septum. The fact that we both worked didn't help since they weren't wrong when they said absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Though, I didn't know how much fonder I could get without falling completely off the deep end. It wouldn't be the worst thing, but I had no desire to fall by myself.

It made sense to keep my distance until I knew what Divine would be ready for and if that aligned with what I wanted. But for whatever reason, the sensible part of my brain couldn't stop me from standing right outside her apartment door with a bag full of takeout.

At first, I was just going to leave the food at the door since she'd mentioned in passing that she was so caught up with work that she'd forgotten to eat. But even after I knocked, my feet remained rooted to the ground.

Would she be happy to see me or would she be angry that I showed up like this? What would those reactions mean?

Fuck, I've never been this much of an overthinker a day in my life.

It all just goes to show that Divine had a way of knocking me off my orbit and questioning each of my moves. I'd unknowingly sought out this feeling from other women without understanding that she was the key to it.

Nervousness finally kicked my legs into action as I shifted from foot to foot as I heard her approach the door. But nothing could've prepared me for when she finally opened it.

The swing of the door sent her silk flyaways to sway slightly from the air, and her bare face glowed slightly under the lights. I'd only ever seen her in regular clothes, so I was once again caught off guard by the smooth satin robe draped across her curved frame.

"Eli," She breathes, eyes beginning to smoothly transition from surprise to sinful intent.

Never had my name sounded so sugared than when it passed from her full lips.

"Hey, pretty. Gonna let me in?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!