LITMIR.BIZ

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fell on Darius. Alexa didn’t know if it was his nerves or the warm jacket he wore that produced the beads of sweat on his brow, but he surprised Alexa with a short yet eloquent prayer.

      When they were done, Alexa instructed the girls to play in the family room while she finished cleaning up the kitchen. Darius slipped out of his coat and tossed it on the ottoman before getting down on his knees to initiate play with the girls.

      Alex moved back and forth from the table to the dishwasher, occasionally stealing glances at the foursome roughhousing in the next room. The girls screamed with delight each time Darius held one of them high above his head and pretended to drop them, only to cradle them against his solid chest. At one point, she paused to watch them tumbling into a pile on the floor in fits of laughter.

      As Alexa observed their play, memories of their playful days back in college came to mind. Darius loved to wrestle with her. He claimed that the tough image she tried to portray energized him and he liked showing her who the “champ” really was. Any signs of boldness or bravery challenged Darius and he would lift her high above his head before tossing her on the sofa. If she talked back, he would pin her down beneath his weight until she admitted that he was “the king.”

      She recalled one occasion when they were spread out on the living room floor after watching WWF.

      Darius was on top of Alexa and had one of her arms and one of her legs pinned down. “You give?” he panted, searching her face for signs of surrender.

      “No!” Alexa screamed, squirming to set herself free.

      He responded by raining kisses over her face and neck. As he worked his way down and inside her button-down shirt, she screamed out that she gave up. Upon hearing that, Darius’s grip loosened and his kisses softened. Minutes later, they would be wrapped in each other’s arms.

      With Darius nearby, in the other room, Alexa grew uneasy as thoughts of them being intimate entered her mind. She always believed that what they shared was unique. Making love to Darius was like exquisite art, beautiful music comforting scents, and freedom of expression all rolled into one. It bothered her to know that Darius would always possess a part of her that she could never, ever share with anyone else.

      “Whatever you’re thinking about must be good,” a voice said from behind, causing her to jump with surprise. Alexa turned around to find Darius leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed before his chest.

      “Excuse me?” she asked, her face warm with embarrassment.

      “I would like to be in your head right now,” he replied.

      Heat radiated from her collar. Little did he know that he was already in her head. “I was just thinking about something,” she uttered.

      “You were smiling so wide, I thought you won the lottery,” he continued.

      “If that was the case believe me I would be doing more than just smiling,” she retorted, turning back to the cupboard to retrieve the box of dishwasher detergent. Pouring some into the dispenser, she set the timer and turned it on. All the while, Alexa knew Darius was watching her and knowing this made her uncomfortable.

      From where Darius stood, he had a good view of her backside and he couldn’t help but smile with appreciation. Her efforts to thwart his attention had failed as he found her as appealing in the nondescript clothing as he would in a sassy red dress. He was curious to know what had her paralyzed in thought just moments ago. Whatever it was, she turned down the glow like a halogen lamp. He mistook her quiet musing as an invitation for company and thought it would be a good time to ask her out to dinner as friends. However, the idea quickly escaped him when she closed up like a clam.

      “Well, I played long enough,” he announced. “I guess I better get to work.”

      “Good idea,” Alexa quickly agreed. Then as to not sound too harsh, she added, “I have to get the girls dressed anyway.”

      At the mention of their well-being, the girls groaned in protest.

      “Come on, girls, you know you have to get ready for the day.” Alexa ushered them towards the stairs.

      Darius watched as they trudged past with sad expressions. He waited until they disappeared upstairs before heading for Bryant’s office.

      The work that needed to be done to Bryant’s computer took longer than Darius anticipated. It was after 4:00 when he emerged from the office tired and famished.

      His stomach growled as he made his way from the back of the house into the main living quarters. The house was as quiet as an empty church. Thinking Alexa had left with the children, he headed towards the kitchen in search of something to devour. As he rounded the corner leading into the kitchen he came to a screeching halt, surprised to find her seated at the table; his mouth was agape with awe.

      Alexa appeared to be deep in thought as she gazed out of the window, grasping a mug of hot tea. Darius almost didn’t want to disturb her. She looked so peaceful and radiant, with the natural light warming her nut-brown complexion. He fought the urge to approach her and stroke her ebony tresses, but he knew he could not do that. The act would have been too intimate and much too forward considering the circumstances.

      “Alex.” He said her name softly. So softly that he thought only he could hear, but she had.

      She turned around, her honey-brown eyes aglow.

      “The house is so quiet. I thought you all were gone.”

      “The girls are taking their nap.” She whispered as if speaking aloud would wake them way upstairs.

      The mention of the girls brought a smile to his lips. “Those girls are something else, especially that Monaye. She is Maya all over again.”

      Alexa smiled and nodded in agreement. Her response encouraged him to enter the kitchen.

      “Are you hungry?” she pointed over to the stove. “I just made some potato soup.”

      His brow lifted. Potato soup was his favorite. “I am starving!” he said and went over to the kitchen cabinet to grab a bowl.

      “Have you heard from Maya and Bryant?” he asked, taking a seat.

      Alexa nodded. “They are on their way home. Ms. Lily is stable and will be fine in time for the wedding.”

      Darius exhaled in relief. “That’s good news.” He knew how close his cousin was to his mother as he had the same type of relationship with his own mother.

      Alexa gazed down at the mug between her clasped hands.

      Darius felt her slipping away and tried to drum up something to say in order to retain the pace of the conversation.

      “Since you’re back, are you going to take some time to reacquaint yourself to the city? Maybe see some old friends?” He hoped to keep her talking in an effort to bring forth ease and hopefully fade away the tension.

      “I didn’t plan on it,” she replied. “As you know, we moved here when I was ten years old and my folks left the area while I was away in college. The only tie I really have here now is Bry and Maya.”

      “Well, let me know if you change your mind. I could go for a night out on the town. It seems as if every time I come here it’s all about business.”

      Alexa shook her head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

      “And why not?” He spooned up some of the soup and blew on it to cool it off before eating. When he put the contents in his mouth, his eyes closed with pleasure. Alexa had made it just the way he liked it with chunks of potato, leeks and chives.

      “Because we are not exactly friends,” she retorted, recalling his words from that telephone call she made.

      “That is precisely the reason why we should do it.”

      “What would that prove?”

      “That we are two mature adults who can set aside our differences

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