“I would work with the devil if it meant keeping you safe, Heir. Ain’t no question about that.”
My eyes watered and head shook. I wanted to question his loyalty to me, but I didn’t think there were any words he could say to outweigh his actions. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I brushed my nose against his cheek before kissing it and burying my face in his neck.
“Are you going to be safe, Marz? It would kill me if something happened to you because you were trying to save me.”
“I don’t think you take me serious when I say you’re my wife.” Marz tilted my head and looked into my eyes. “God gave you to me. I’ma be a good steward and take care of the gift He gave me. If something happened to you while I was living, I’d deserve to die. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to secure our future. You got away from me once, bae. I ain’t letting you go again. Not even in death.”
By the time he’d finished speaking, my tears had started to fall. Straddling him, I cupped his cheek and connected his lips with mine.
“I don’t want you to think all I want from you is sex,” he assured me, running his hands up and down my legs. “I’ma enjoy this pussy every chance I get, but I want all of you, Wifey. You know that, right?”
“I know,” I almost moaned against his lips before connecting them with mine again.
Years ago, I would have logically tried to make sense of how we felt for each other. Today, I accepted the fact that sometimes, love held no space for logic. I wouldn’t allow trying to make sense of how I felt to rob me of what was happening between us.
Marz pushed my panties to the side and lifted my gown before sliding into me. My head flung back as I inhaled a deep breath. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I bounced up and down, finding a medium pace that pleased us both. The guttural moans and groans that mixed with Marz’s curses motivated me to hold back my pleasure as long as I could to increase his. I knew he was about to cum when his head tilted, eyes lowered, and bottom lip became his chew toy. Squeezing my waist and ass, Marz bounced up and down and fucked me back until his seeds shot inside of me.
I couldn’t stop smiling.Soft music played in the background, providing the perfect ambience for our candlelight dinner. While we ate, Marz and I got to know each other all over again. I was reminded that he was blessed with three parents and three siblings, and he was the oldest of the four. I already knew about him managing The Force Training Academy, but he told me about his desire to shift into security and protection permanently. He liked being out in the field, not at the school, and I could respect that.
We talked about him craving the excitement of being an enforcer, but after what happened with me and Iman, Marz was reconsidering that. He said he’d make up his mind once all of this was over, but for now, I’d have to accept the fact that my man worked a dangerous job either way. Even if he wasn’t an enforcer, his life would still be at risk depending on what clients he took on to protect.
“I’m starting to reconsider my career choice as well,” I admitted before taking a sip of my wine. “I didn’t want to go into accounting to begin with, but I knew the money was good and that it was a stable career that I could have for the rest of my life. Both of my parents started as CPAs before Daddy advanced and started his own firm, so it just made sense for me to follow in their footsteps.”
“What do you want to do with your life? And I mean beyond a career. You don’t have to work another day in your life if you don’t want to.”
“I originally wanted to be a librarian.”
“And you didn’t go to school for that because of your parents?”
Nodding, I smiled as he leaned forward, genuinely interested in me and my life. That was rare. Most men didn’t care about the facts or even being a friend to the woman they were romantically involved with.
“Yeah. It wasn’t because they told me what to do or anything like that. I just wanted the security of what they did. Back then it felt like librarians were only paid crumbs, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to maintain the lifestyle I was accustomed to off that salary. And I certainly didn’t want to rush into marriage just so a man could provide for me financially. So yeah. I went the safe route.”
“So what I’m hearing is, when this is over, you’re quitting your job and going back to school.”
Smiling, I shrugged before tugging my bottom lip into my mouth. “I could. I mean… I still live with my parents, so it’s not like I have any real bills. I haven’t gotten married yet so?—”
The look he gave me made me tilt my head back as I laughed. Sucking his teeth, Marz chuckled.
“I’ma let you have that because we don’t have a marriage license. But yeah. I’ll pay for you to go back to school, and if you want to stay with your parents until we’re legally married, I’m cool with that.”
My heart skipped a beat as I processed what he was saying. What he was willing to do for me.
“I can’t ask you to do that, babe.”
“You don’t have to. I’m offering. I want you to be able to do what you want to do, and even if you decide not to work at all, at least you’ll have the degree you need to make it happen in the future should you decide to.”
“Are you sure?” I asked sweetly, finding it difficult to accept what he was offering.
“I’m positive, Wifey. I meant it when I said I was going to be a good steward. A good husband. Whatever you need I’ma provide, and if I can’t, I’ma get it from God.”
A pout shifted my lips before I leaned forward and connected them with his. My hand slid down his neck as I deepened the kiss, finding it difficult to hold in my content sigh. When we pulled away, our conversation continued to shift as we talked about our hobbies, interests, and favorite things.
Marz loved cars—shows, races, and collecting them. He was into music like his parents. I thought it was cool that Merc and Neo played and taught their kids how to play so many instruments and that Neo still had a thriving music store.
“How many instruments do you know how to play?” I asked, genuinely impressed.
“Hmm, let’s see. Piano, guitar, drums, violin, and harp. So five.”