Lighter Shade of Brown (Urban Fiction) BWHM

Chapter 7 Part 2

The sound of a door, closing awakened Cleo to a blurry vision of C's standing in front of the bathroom door. He'd changed his clothes, and was now dressed in a red and blue plaid Nautica button down, wearing dark blue Levi's jeans. As always a red bandana dangled from the back pocket of his pants, while the matching J's on his feet killed the game. Brother man was ten. For what? She had the slightest idea.

Sitting up in the bed, she swiped the remaining lingers of sleep from her eyes. "You on your way out?"

"For a little while. Gotta holla at my peoples." He swaggered over to the dresser and sprayed some cologne in the air and stepped into the mist. "Want me to bring you something back to eat when I come in?"

She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around he legs. "No I want be here when you get back."

"Where you goin'?" C's asked, spinning on his heel to stare at her.

"Home," she said. "I told you Liberty will be home tomorrow. If the house ain't clean when she come fallin' through, then that's my ass."

An expression a cross between worry and mad as hell battled for dominance on his beautiful features. "So you want me to drop you off, tonight? This time of night?" Both expressions got shook to the left for an, 'Are you crazy?' stare.

"No." She replied, holding his glare. "If you try to take me home this late, the popo's at the gate is gonna mess with you. I'll catch a cab, they just wave them right on through."

Swaggering across the room, he flopped down beside her. "Can't you wait until tomorrow? I'll take you home early enough to clean up. That way you ain't gotta be out there all night by yourself." He reached out to finger the silver cross around her neck.

"No now." Frustrated, she slapped his hand away from her throat. "Ain't no tellin' when Liberty will bring her crazy butt home. Hell, for all I know she could be there now, sittin' in the dark waitin' to skin my black ass."

C's swung his gaze to the ceiling, sighing. "Least let me give you some change for the cab."

"Okay." She nodded, knowing damn well it would be a fight if she said no.

At that moment, the room door cracked open and Ant poked his head in. "What's up? We ridin' or what?"

C's waved him off, his eyes never leaving hers. "Man fall back. Take your ass to the car, yo." Reaching in his back pocket, he withdrew his car keys, and then tossed them to Ant. "Give me a minute."

Ant snatched the keys from the air, before letting the room door close. Once they were alone again, tension fled from C's, causing his shoulders to drop by inches. Cleo reached out, using her thumb to smooth away the wrinkles marring his forehead. Grabbing her wrist, he drew her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. Warmth from his lips traveled down her arm to resonate within her chest cavity. The sensation added gasoline to the fading embers of the blaze that he'd started before he left. Her body had come close to betraying her mind. Truth be sold, that's why she had to get the hell out of there. She wasn't ready to go there with him yet. And if she stayed, it was inevitable that she would.

"Hate you gotta go, bae," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I still don't have you ten, yet."

"Me too." She allowed him to draw her into his lap. "But you can come through tomorrow, after I get Liberty settled. I won't be able to leave, though. Not while she's coming down."

Without warning, he tugged the elastic band from hair. Tangled curls tumbled down her back pass her shoulders. "Why she put you in that position, yo?" He asked, between clenched teeth as he combed his fingers through the impossible mess of her hair. "Don't she know anybody can run up, while she's beamed the fuck up? Then where will that leave you, huh?"

"Boy, puhlease." She gritted her teeth as her neck snapped back and forth from the effort he was putting into righting her hair. "Ain't nobody running up nowhere. Everybody round the way may do a lot of shit talkin' about Liberty, but ain't nobody dumb enough to step to her. So don't worry about a mug tryin' to get fly." She smacked her lips and swatted his hand away. "A bitch will get blown through the screen door, if they come up in there tryna mess with her. Especially, while she's coming down. Trust me, that's when you don't wanna see her."

"Fuck all that, yo." C's scooped her from his lap, placing her back on the mattress, and then stood. "I'll be through tomorrow to peep the scene. And if shit is foul, then you comin' back over here with me. You dig?" When she nodded. He leaned down to capture her mouth, kissing her until she panted for air. Slowly, pulling away he, cradled her face between his hands. "Leave your number on my dresser, bae. I wanna be able to get in touch with you when you not around, okay." Once again she bobbed her head still too out of breath to speak. "For real, girl. I'm not playin' with you." He dropped another kiss on her slightly parted mouth, letting his tongue trace the seem of her lips. "Damn, wish I was coming home to you." Stepping back, he reached in his pocket and pulled out five twenties, holding the money out to her. When she only stared, he pushed the cash into her hand. "Take it, it's for the cab."

"That's too much." Cleo tried to give the money back to him, but he shook his head. "It won't be no more than eight dollars, ten at the most."

C's swaggered to the door. "Then you'll have something left over to keep in your pocket." He threw over his shoulder, before he slipped out the room.

Cleo climbed off the bed, shoving her feet into her shoes, and then followed him from the room. By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs the front door had already closed. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing he would've stayed until her cab arrived. After she heard the car crank, and back out of the driveway, she walked over to the stone top coffee table, and yanked the cordless phone from its cradle. When she'd punched the number into the key pad, she placed the phone to her ear and waited for the dispatch to answer. No point in remaining at C's spot alone