Unwanted Matrimony

chapter9

Tiara’s POV

I stared at Reuben as he wiped his face, trying to contain my laughter. This was my first time seeing a grown man cry over a cartoon.

“Don’t look at me like that”, Reuben sniffed, a ghost of a smile on his face as he wiped his face dry.

“Like what? I just find your crying over a movie amusing”, I stated with a shrug, opening another snack.

“You find me amusing?” he asked with a smirk, tear stains still marking his cheeks.

“I find your crying amusing”, I corrected, emphasizing the word crying.

“My crying is a part of me”, he said with a smile. “But whatever gets you off at night though, I won’t judge”.

“Can you stop saying that?” I requested and threw a pillow at him.

“Saying what?” he asked smugly as he grabbed the pillow.

“You know what”, I said as I stood up to hide my flushed face.

“You might want to remind me”, he said, laughing.

“Do you want to play any game?” I asked, changing the topic. There’s no way I’m repeating his statement.

“So, we aren’t talking about how you get off anymore?” he asked with a smile, nodding. “If you’re shy, I can tell you how I get myself off just to make you comfortable”.

What is wrong with this man?

I walked up to him and bent to be at the same eye level as him, giving him the perfect view of my breast.

“My eyes are up here, Mr. Cephas”, I said with a smile.

“I know where your eyes are, Miss Holmes. Here is also a beautiful view”, he said with a smile, sticking his tongue out to wet his lower lip.

Is it weird that I love the attention this man gives me and my body?

“How I get off at night is for me to know and for you to never find out”, I said, a smile plastered on my face.“Are we clear?”

“So, you get off at night?” he asked with a raised brow and a smile, ignoring my question.

“Are we clear?” I repeated, ignoring his question, my smile not leaving my face.

“Yes ma’am”, he said, his eyes roaming my face before they rested on my lips.

“Good”, I said, backing up. “So, what game would you like to play?”

“What games do you have?” he questioned, staring at me like I’m a fallen angel.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked with a smile and turned around, my back to him.

“Like what?” he questioned, clearing his throat.

“Like you would f**k me senseless if I permitted you to”, I said without looking at him, but I heard him inhale harshly, causing me to smile. “I have board games; chess and scrabble, and I have virtual games; Krunker and Grand Prix Hero”.

“So, you’re a shooter and car kind of girl”, he stated with a smirk. “Let’s play all of them. Board games first”.

“I’m a basketball kind of girl too”, I added, picking up the board games that sat on one another.

I sat next to him while he collected the games from me and started arranging them.

“What game do you want to play first?” he questioned, looking up at me.

“I picked the movie, you pick the first game we play”, I replied with a smile.

He placed his forefinger and thumb beneath his chin like he was thinking before pointing at chess.

“I just knew it”, I stated with a smile, pulling the chess in between us.

“Knew what?” he questioned, opening a new pack of Doritos. They seem to be his favorite. “That I was going to pick chess?”

“Yeah. Boring men pick chess”, I said with a smile, not sparing him a glance.

“What? Have I given you any impression of being boring?” he queried with a raised brow.

“Have you?” I asked, looking up at him with a raised brow.

“I have no idea. I’m being me” he stated with some kind of uncertainty, as he looked away from me.

“You have been fun. Thank you for putting up with me. I had fun”, I backtracked with a smile.

“I had fun too. And I’m not putting up with you. You’re genuinely fun to be with”, he said with a relived smile. “Now let’s get this game started, so I can beat your ass”.

“Your palm on my ass would look good” I said with a smile and stared at his hand that’s splayed over his knee.

“You know that’s not what I meant, but my hand would look good on your ass or around your waist. Replacing those pretty waist beads of yours”, he said, his eyes trailing down my body till they got to my waist. “If I beat you at this game, I get a kiss and I get to tap that pretty ass of yours”.

My ovaries were in a circus right now. How the f**k is this man delivering his statement so unaffected?

“And what do I get if I win?” I asked, slightly breathless as I tried to discreetly release the tension between my legs.

“Anything you want”, he said with a smile as he sized me up, like he knew what I’m doing.

We started with the game and Reuben beat me in the first round but not without a hard time.

“You’re good”, Reuben complimented with a proud smile, cleaning his imaginary sweat.

“Were you doubting me?” I queried feigning hurt.

“Nope, but most women I’ve met are all mouth and not action”, he said with a shrug.

“Well, you’ve met me now, I back all my claims with action”, I said proudly. “If you weren’t so distracting, I would have won”.

“I was distracting. Ma’am, have you seen yourself in your little tank top and underwear? I was here struggling to remember my chess strategies because you’re in front of me”, he said so dramatically with a smile. “You owe me a kiss and don’t forget I get a pass to tap your ass”.

“When do you want it?” I questioned laughing.

“I haven’t decided yet”, he replied and stretched, causing his sweatshirt to raise. “But I’ll let you know when I want it”.

“You have a tattoo?” I asked in shock as I stared the area the already covered tattoo is. “Can I get a tattoo tour?”

“I have tattoos but a tour would require the removal of my shirt”, he stated subtlety asking for permission.

“Do I look like I mind?” I asked genuinely curious.

“I still have to ask your permission before doing something that involves you”, he said with his smile.

Did I mention that this man has dimples? His dimples look like they would be my one pass to heaven.

He pulled his shirt and my mouth watered. His body is so beautiful. He has a biblically described angel tattoo on his back. Tiny flying birds with lightening patterns in between them representing dead close relatives and friends, a butterfly with a semicolon body on his chest.

“This one is my ex-girlfriend’s name, which I’m going to draw over when I get back to Chicago”, he said, and I could hear a hint of sadness in his voice.

Why would someone break the heart of such an amazing person?

“If it makes you feel better, my ex-boyfriend just broke up with me”, I stated, forcing a smile.

“Why would someone break up with you?” he asked, with a furrowed brow, probably trying to wrap his head round any possible reason.

“Why do you think most men break up with people like me?” I questioned, sitting back to get a better view of his face.

“Because they are blind and can’t see the amount of goodness they have in their hand” he replied with a shrug while I raised my brow at him. “That’s the only reason that makes sense”.

“Well, my boyfriend broke up with me because, apparently, I’m too big for him”, I stated, and the look on Reuben’s face had me bursting into laughter.

“So, he doesn’t want a cuddly body to cuddle with at night and when he’s tired? He also doesn’t want the personality that comes with the body?” He queried in shock. “The audacity of some men baffle me. They should be married to slugs for how they look”.

I stared at Reuben for a while before picking his hand and pecking it.

“Thank you”, I genuinely appreciated. “Why did you and your girlfriend break up?”

“I was too busy to be attentive to her, so she cheated”, he said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Well… her loss, the next woman’s gain. Just make sure the next woman is treated well in terms of communication”, I stated. “You’re a really great guy”.

He smiled at me like I'd placed the moon in his hand.

“If I kiss you now, do I still get my pass to kiss you later?” he asked, staring down at me.

“You might”, I said, sitting up again. “Why don’t you have any tattoos here?”

“It’s reserved for the woman I end up with”, he said with a smile. “She deserves a space on my skin just like she stole my heart”.

Now I’m jealous of an unknown woman.

“That’s so heart-warming”, I said, and I could feel my eyes get wet.

“Are you crying?” he asked with a smile and wiped the tears that escaped my eyes.

“Maybe”, I sniffed while he threw his head back in laughter. “What about this tattoo?”

I traced my index finger over the abdominal tattoo, causing him to inhale harshly, and his abdomen contracted tightly.

“I got that after my surgery, stitches healed. I didn’t like how the stitches looked”, he replied, his eyes kind of hooded.

“Now that I think about it”, I said, putting on my best sultry smile. “You get a free pass to kiss me”.