(Brogan)
While Coby did business, I played. Having Sway, the owner of the salon, work on my hair was simply an honor. With his gold attire and blond wig, the guy was adorable. He made me feel right at home. After all of the shit that had happened over the past several months, this moment in time was needed.
“So tell me about that man of yours,” Sway said, running a comb and scissors through my hair like they were a part of him.
“We’ve been through a lot but he’s perfect.” Both of us had a bad history. We made mistakes, but we were perfect for each other. I just needed to prove that to him, even though I had his ring on my finger.
“You’re engaged?” Sway asked, nodding toward the gigantic rock on my finger.
“Yes,” my smile widened. “He proposed this morning.”
“That’s wonderful news. Just for that, Sway is going to give you a free scalp massage.”
I giggled.
Sway’s fingers rubbed and kneaded at my head. The tension I had been feeling slowly left my body. It wasn’t enough because there was only one person who could ease that tension completely, but it was a start.
As if Coby knew I was thinking about him, his gorgeous self appeared in the reflection of the mirror.
“He yours?” Sway asked, stopping the massage and going back to finishing the trim he had been giving my mess of curls.
“Yes,” I breathed.
Coby caught my eye, giving me a smirk and a slight nod of his head.
My stomach tumbled. No matter how long I had been with him, the guy could still send nervous butterflies racing through my belly.
“Girl,” Sway said as he cupped my shoulders. “Your man is gorgeous.”
“You look beautiful,” Coby said, pulling the SUV into a large gravel driveway and turning off the vehicle. “We’ll get settled and then hit up Dirty Dog after food.”
“That would be wonderful. I can’t believe I’ve never been to a club before,” I confessed, remembering how my brothers stopped me from going to them.
“I’m sure with four older brothers, they wouldn’t have made it easy.” Coby shifted his body toward me. “But isn’t every young girl supposed to go to one of those things?”
“Did you ever attend a club?” I threw back, laughing.
“Hell no. I was busy training, and working my way up in the Navy, and getting dirty, doing all the things you seem to enjoy so much,” he teased, gently poking me in the side.
I giggled, slapping his hand away. “You still haven’t put on those Navy uniforms for me, Coby.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Tell me why you never went to a club.”
“You have met my brothers remember?” I shrugged. “They always threatened that they would go with me. They would be my wingmen and so on. I didn’t have a lot of girlfriends so I had no desire to go really.” My chest tightened. My oldest brother, Benny, died a couple of years ago, after being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and got shot. Although the people who ended his life were taken out, the pain never lessened. It only seemed to get worse as the days went on.
“I’m assuming Benny was in the military at this point and had no say?”
I nodded. “He would have told me to go and have fun. Enjoy life and all that shit.” I gave Coby a sad smile. “I miss him.”
“I know, little one,” he cupped my knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Let’s head inside. We still have a couple of hours to ourselves before I take you dancing.”
“You’ll dance with me, baby?” I asked, getting out of the SUV.
“I’ll do whatever your heart desires.” Coby winked and followed me to the trunk of the vehicle.
My stomach gave a little flip. No matter what shit life had thrown at us, every time Coby winked, my heart felt lighter. It was an innocent move, meant to be funny, even though he wasn’t that kind of man. It contradicted the hardness of the guy I fell in love with. It made him seem almost normal.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Coby opened the trunk, pulling out our suitcases before turning to me.
“I’m just thinking how I like it when you wink.” I readjusted my bag and he closed the trunk. “It’s different than how you really are.”
“You like when I wink?” He raised a dark eyebrow.
“Well…I like everything you do, but winking is almost meant to be funny or like we have an inside joke or…it’s just sexy. I can’t explain it. I just like it.” The back of my neck heated.
Coby grabbed my hand, pulling me against his hard body and crushed his mouth to mine. His fingers gripped my hair, tugging, pulling, and messing up the freshly styled strands.
I moaned, snaking my arms around his thick neck and slid my tongue between his full lips. He tasted like coffee and fire. So much damn heat, my mouth burned as he took over the kiss.
With one hand on my nape and the other at the small of my back, he pulled me flush against his hard body. The kiss turned deep, desperate and intense. Before I had the chance to climb him, he pulled away.
I was left breathless and aroused. My body shook, my skin trembled with a need that forced my vision to become hazy.
“Let’s head inside,” Coby kissed my forehead, his rough voice sliding over my skin like molten lava. “And then I’ll make love to this sweet body.”
“No,” I shook my head. “Don’t make love to me.”
A wicked grin spread on his handsome face. He pinched my chin and placed a soft peck on my mouth. Leaning down to my ear, he told me what he would do to me. Every word that slid from his lips only heightened the desire I had for him. My love. My fiancé.