Chapter 9

Royce

 

 

Wendell had been long gone when Makeena pulled up. Royce was sitting on the sofa waiting for the moment when his eyes would meet hers.

When they did, he stared for a long time before he asked, “Can you come sit with me for a moment?”

To his surprise, she obliged, lowering herself to the sofa next to him.

“Makeena, if I hurt you—no—I know I hurt you and I want to say that I’m sorry.”

Makeena didn’t say a word in response. She deemed it more important to listen at this point.

“I never had plans to leave you.”

“But you did leave me.”

“No, I didn’t. I just needed time to think.”

“You were gone for a full day, Royce. Would it be acceptable if I left you for an entire day because I needed time to think?”

He sighed heavily. “No.”

“Then why is it okay for you?”

“It’s not. I’m sorry.”

She looked at him. “Do you know what I want the most, Royce? Just take a guess.”

“A family. Love. A happy life here in Petersburg with your family.”

She smiled. “Yes. I want those things. But what I want the most is for you to be happy because if you’re not happy, those things you mentioned – a family, love, a happy life – are all unattainable. So, what will it take for you to be happy – well that’s if you still want to be with me?”

“Of course, I want to be with you.”

“Then tell me what it’ll take to make you happy?”

“You make me happy, Makeena.”

“No, I don’t want to hear that, Royce, because when it really comes down to it, no person can really make another person happy if that person is not already happy with their self. Tell me.”

“Okay.” He rubs his hands together. “I have much respect for your father, but I don’t want to work for him.”

“You don’t?”

“No. I want to do something on my own. Something exciting like maybe opening up my own private detective firm—something along those lines.”

Makeena smiled. “That would suit you.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.” She looked at him. “Do you want to move back to Norfolk?”

“No.”

“Do you like living here in Petersburg?”

“Yes. I like it here.”

“And what about me?”

He shifted his body to her. “What about you, Makeena?”

“I feel like you may have some regrets about me.”

“No, baby.”

“You say that, Royce, but I think that sometimes I’m too young for you or you can’t relate to me. I think you feel obligated to love me because you were my first. I don’t want you to feel that way about me.”

“Then let me put your mind at ease. That’s not how I feel at all.” Royce got down off of the couch to kneel in front of her.

“Then how do you feel?” she asked, stroking his jawline.

“I’m in love with you,” he said, holding her hand in his.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“But you’ve never been in love before.”

“Neither have you, chiquita, but what you feel for me is real, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is. It’s very real. Like scary real.” She brushed the pad of her thumb across his lips. “I want you to be my husband for all eternity. I want you to be the father of my babies. My lover. My everything.” She touched his face with her soft palms. “But I need you to be happy. If you’re not happy, I’m not happy.”

They stared quietly at each other for a minute, then Makeena inched forward to press her lips to his.

“Oh, Royce,” she hummed his name while her lips fluttered against his. “Can we work through this? Together?”

“Yes, baby. We can.”

She smiled while folding her bottom lip under a top row of perfect teeth.

While still on his knees in front of her, Royce grabbed her backside and pulled her closer to him, prompting her to wrap her legs around his torso. Then he stood straight up with her securely in his arms.

“Where do you think you’re taking me?”

“To the bedroom where I’ll really take you.”

“Royce,” she said in a mere whisper.

He lowered her to the bed, removed her shoes and tugged at her pants. After he undressed her, he got rid of his own clothes and crawled on top of her.

Kissing her like he couldn’t get enough, massaging his tongue against her sweet, savory one, manipulating her flesh. Slowly, he connected his body to hers, inching to a final destination, fully buried inside of the woman he loved.

“Oh, Makeena,” he uttered, his moist lips against hers and then he kissed her again, ravenously, erasing the dispute that had kept them at a distance for the last couple of days.

He maneuvered and twisted his body, making love to his wife. There wasn’t another woman on the earth who could be what Makeena was to him. She was special, and he wanted her to know that every single day of her life.

He stared down at her, watching the lovely anguish on her face as he rocked slowly on top of her until she opened her mouth to release a scream. He covered her opened mouth with his and took her tongue like it was a delicacy that needed to be savored and consumed slowly to get the full flavor.

Makeena rested one hand on his thick shoulder, the other behind his head as she trembled beneath him yet still managing to hold on, taking all he had to give. And then he moved faster, consumed by desire of the most intoxicating kind, feeling the moment he began losing control – the moment he felt her writhe beneath him a second time.

“Makeena,” he whispered. “Baby.”

He was close to the edge, so close he had no control left. The room was spinning now. His mind, gone. His body, though, remained in control as a cry left his lips. That’s when it happened, when he closed his eyes and roared her name to the universe while she drew everything out of him. Everything. All kind of sensations raced through him until he could do nothing but close his eyes and lose himself.

“Makeena!”

Breathing heavily, Makeena couldn’t say a word. The only sounds that left her lips were whimpers and moans as she continued to hold on to him until his body ceased moving.