She tossed and turned and fidgeted around for a good ten minutes before settling down. I didn’t stop holding my breath until I heard her breathing change minutes later. She’d fallen asleep.

I couldn’t believe how easy that was, almost too easy. I’d expected her to put up more of a fight. Or maybe she knew since I sent Tony home that there was no way for me to leave and I was stranded here.

Or maybe she was just tired. With her back turned to me I couldn’t see her face and I didn’t want to move lest I woke her ornery ass up. My ass was tired now too. I don’t have the energy to go another round with her tonight.

I thought for sure I’d spend the night sitting up watching her because I never sleep with anyone. It’s virtually impossible for me to sleep with someone else in bed with me. Trust issues I guess.

But the next thing I knew it was morning. I knew because the sun’s warmth was hitting me in the face. I was shocked into complete wakefulness.

I opened my eyes to find her staring at me. I thought I’d freak the fuck out at least a little bit at having done something I hadn’t been able to since I was a kid.

But instead it felt like the most natural thing in the world to wake up with her like this. Why did it feel so right? Of everyone I’d ever taken to bed she was the most likely to cut me in my damn sleep. Nut!

It suddenly registered that our faces were too close for me to still be in the same position as last night, and that’s when I realized that I was lying next to her with my arm thrown around her waist.

I didn’t move away which was my first instinct, but just laid there looking back at her. “Your watchdog is downstairs.” She didn’t pull out of my arms right away which was surprising.

“Who Tony?”

“You have more than one of those?” I quirked my brow at her. I see she even wakes up in bitch mode. Yeah me!

“I saw the car when I got up a little while ago to use the bathroom.” That would explain the minty fresh scent on her breath. Females!

I slid my arm from around her and headed into the bathroom myself, and used my fingers to brush my teeth and gargled with the Listerine she had sitting on the sink. This is what she’d brought me to.

I looked out the window on my way back and sure enough he was out there. That ass probably spent the night down there. Between these two I don’t know which one’s head is harder.

She got out of bed and went to pass me on her way to the kitchen. I grabbed her around the middle and pulled her back. “Good morning!”

I covered her lips with mine before she could object. The night was over and we were no longer in bed so I wasn’t breaking my promise not to touch.

She felt warm and soft from sleep and she was a damn sight more agreeable in the mornings. I put her back on her feet when I realized I’d lifted her to fit over my cock.

I was happy to see the glazed look in her eyes and was more than a little pleased that she still clung to me as if her knees were weak. I’ll be sure to kiss her more often. That seems to get the most

genuine response out of her.

“Go get dressed, I’ll take you to school.” She started to argue as usual, but thought better of it and headed off to the bathroom instead after grabbing her clothes.

There was coffee brewing in a pot on the small countertop and I searched through the cabinets until I found two mugs. I nosed around in there and was not pleased with the contents. A few packs of Ramen noodles and two cups of soup.

I heard her footsteps behind me and closed the cupboard door before taking the cups in hand and moving to the coffee machine.

“I’m not sure how you take yours…” I held out the cup that I’d poured her. “Black.” I made a face at her choice. Black coffee no sugar has got to be one of the nastiest things I’ve ever tasted.

She gulped hers down almost as fast as I did mine before we headed for the door. She’d dressed in jeans and a pullover and shoved her feet in a pair of those ugly shoes all young girls seem to favor.

She looked cute as hell. Until she grabbed that ugly ass jacket and pulled it on. “Exactly where did you find that abomination?” I tugged at the too big collar teasingly.

She didn’t bother to answer but took the stairs down two at a time as if trying to evade me. I won’t put it past her to try making a run for it once we got outside, so I caught up and grabbed her hand. She hissed but kept her ass quiet. Probably didn’t want the neighbors to see her in a tussle.

Tony got out of the car when he saw us coming, and since Dapper Don was wearing the same clothes from the night before, I had my answer as to whether or not he’d slept here.

Once we were seated in the back I started to give him directions to Colombia, but she interrupted me. “Lincoln Center.” I looked at her puzzled, but she was ignoring me.

“I thought you had class?”

“I do, Monday to Thursday I attend Colombia, on Fridays I have classes at Juilliard. I’m not even going to ask how you know that I attend Colombia University. Stalker much?”

She had a point so I left it alone. My mind was still stuck on the two schools thing and I tried to figure that shit out in my head, but to no avail. Of course it’s her, why would it make any damn sense?

The two schools are so completely different and offers completely different curriculums. There was a story there I was sure. Knowing this nut it was going to be a whopper. Then it dawned on me, Juilliard.

“Is that where you dance?” It made sense now. The way she moves like she’d had years of training and the reason she thought she could dance on stage. All I got was a look of annoyance. I guess she’d used up her niceness quotient back at her place.

“You care to explain?”

“Not really.” Pain in the ass.

“Wait a minute, you have class everyday of the week, study group on Saturday, and you work fulltime?” How the fuck was she surviving?

“Dancing isn’t so much a class for me as it is a release.” She didn’t say any more and I figured that was all I was going to get out of her for now.

It was too much though, and something else I had to worry about. Classes everyday and a full time job. No wonder I’d zoned in on her. She was mom all over. Thank fuck I’m in a position to make her life easier.

I was feeling good about that until I remembered just who it is I’m dealing with. After all these years I still don’t know how to handle mom and it was a safe bet this one might be the same. Fuck me!

We pulled up to the school and she jumped out of the damn car before I could get my door open. “What time are you done?” I could only ask across the top of the car.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll find my own way home.” She headed off before I could stop her. Damn girl!

“I thought I told you to go home.” I grumbled at Tony as soon as I got back in the car. Might as well since I couldn’t grumble at her.

“I don’t take orders from you. I’m more afraid of Aunt Sophie.”

“What’s she got to do with it?” He’s called my mother aunty since we were both kids, same as I did with his mom. It made for a lot of confusing looks when we were younger.

We used to love fucking with people with that shit, the little white boy calling the beautiful black

woman aunty and vice versa. Or when one or the other of the mothers lit into our ass in public for misbehaving. Good times.

“She warned me before she left, to take care of you. She’d have my ass if she knew I left you in a place like that.”

“We grew up in a place like that.” I looked back out the window but she was long gone. I missed her already. I must be a glutton for punishment.

“Exactly, so we both know how dangerous that shit is. Speaking of which, how long you plan on leaving her there?” he watched me in the rearview mirror.

“I’m working on it. You’ve seen the girl. Do you think it’s that easy to get her to do shit?”

“I can’t wait to meet your kids.” He shook his head as he drove off. Funny, a few days ago that crack would’ve made me twitchy, now it didn’t faze me one bit.

I made him come upstairs with me to use one of the spare bedrooms to sleep in since I didn’t trust him to drive any farther. Knowing him he’d stayed up half the night keeping watch.

While he slept I sat and thought about what I should do next. I’d never heard of anyone attending two top level schools at once, though the curriculum was so different. But more pressing for me was the burn out.

There’s no way she can keep that shit up without running herself into the ground. But with her temperament I couldn’t see an easy solution, something that wouldn’t start the next world war.

I remembered the way she looked this morning, all soft and sweet. The way she let me hold her, kiss her without giving me shit. I could definitely go for more mornings like that.

I looked around the kitchen, so much bigger than the little space at her place and tried to imagine her here. I could see the two of us sitting across from each other having breakfast together after a night of hot sex.

Well that shit had to show up sooner or later. It was hard not to imagine taking her to my bed. I’d done a good job these past couple of days of keeping that shit at bay, but deep down I knew, I think I always knew that’s where this was headed.

The attraction had been instantaneous but with all the other shit added in, I was kinda thrown off my game. Attraction I know, lust I understand, but this caring shit was all new to me.

And why in the fuck is life so fucked? The one woman I actually want more from is giving me the run around. That shit has never happened to me before.

I’m bombarded on a daily basis by females I wouldn’t feed to my dog if I had one. Had grown accustomed to having my pick whenever wherever. Who the fuck did I piss off to deserve her and her shit?

I couldn’t even find it in me to be mad at that shit. The truth is we’d come to a point where I knew I was going to have her. It was just a matter of when.

All the arguments in my head, the questioning myself, none of that mattered when held up against what was growing in me for her.

I think I’d lose my shit if she was no longer here to fight me at every turn. In the short time I’ve known her she’d worked her way inside me, deep inside where I’ve always been careful not to let anyone in ever.

She snuck in under my guard, leading with my feels before hitting the lust factor. Sneaky! Now she’s got me all tied up in knots and I can’t see anything else but her.

She’d already be gone had she been anyone else. This is about the time I usually grow tired of my latest bed toy and send them on their way. Now I’m the one with the fear of being left. Like hell!

I damn near panicked at the thought. She’s too unpredictable and taciturn by far. I’m gonna have to find a way to rein her ass in soon or go out of my damn mind. Fucking girl!

I was still sitting at the kitchen island sipping my third or fourth cup of coffee and pondering shit, when Tony walked in rubbing his eyes and headed for the fridge.

It wasn’t his first time spending the night at my place, it was like his second home. So it wasn’t surprising when he started getting shit ready to make breakfast.

“You figured it all out yet?”

“I can’t figure out shit, because I’m dealing with a crazy woman. If she were anyone else I’d have shit squared away by the end of the day, but this girl…”

“Since when have you let anything stop you?”

“Since this one seems like she’d kick me in the balls if I try to make her do anything.” I’m sure my assessment wasn’t too far off.

“And?” I glared at him as he cracked eggs into a bowl. They aren’t his balls so he can be blasé about that shit. He returned my glare with one of his stares as he chopped onions and peppers.

“The Max I know would’ve already taken her out of there. You’ve done more for people you care less about.” His hardheaded ass!

“I know that, don’t you think I know that. But I get the feeling if I don’t handle this shit right it will blow up in my face.” And that was the problem. I’m not used to having to think things through this hard before acting.

“I told you she was like you right. How do I usually handle you when you get all stubborn about shit?”

“You want me to rough her up?”

“No you ass, just take the initiative. Ignore all her shit the way you do everyone else and do what you know needs to be done.”

“What if it doesn’t work out?”

“Dude, when is the last time you slept on anything below thousand thread count Egyptian cotton?” He had a point. From my first paycheck in the Pros I’d promised myself I’d never look back.

“Last night you slept in that place without giving it a second thought. I think if shit was gonna go south that would’ve been it.” He made it sound so simple, but he still had a point.

I’ve been holding back with her out of fear. I no longer question what it is that I feel for her, but since the shit is all new to me, I’m afraid of making the wrong move and fucking shit up before it starts.

I knew what I wanted to do, and in the past would’ve just gone ahead and done it. But with her I felt like I had to do shit a whole new way. Was I over thinking? Maybe I am.

“I did come to a decision about something else though. I’m firing Arlene today. Regardless of the legal aspects and whether we can prove anything, I know that she sent him there. I’m not leaving her that close to Annabelle.”

“I knew you’d make that call so no surprise there. But you need to figure out how to get her out of that neighborhood. You won’t believe the shit I saw down there last night.”

“What did you see?” I fucking knew it.

“All kinds of shady shit. And there’re some undesirables living in her building.”

“Drugs?”

“Among other things. Besides, she sticks out like a sore thumb. You can’t tell me no one hasn’t noticed.” And we know all about sticking out, being in the wrong neighborhood in this town is a sure fired way to get your ass killed.

I’ve thought the same thing since my first visit, but again, I didn’t know enough to know which way to go. She had a whole lotta shit going on. But the fact that she hadn’t shared any of it with me told me she wasn’t ready to open up.

It was surprising to recall that we’d only known each other less than a month. In the past that wouldn’t have meant shit, so why did it now? Why when I needed to make a move did I feel like I couldn’t? Like it was too soon.

I ate the omelet he put in front of me without tasting it, my mind was too preoccupied. I moved shit around in my head and looked at it from all angles. “It’s not my own fear I’m battling, it’s hers.”

I explained farther at his questioning look. “Think about it. She’s new to the city, we just met, I drag her here, force her to move in with me after a few weeks. How does all that look to her? Not to mention, there’s her back story that I still know nothing about.”

“I thought you’d have taken care of that by now.”

“I have the guys looking into it but they haven’t come up with anything so far. There are a lot of people with her name.”

“I have to say, this isn’t like you. I don’t like this new look you have.”

“What look is that?”

“Playing the gentleman. I know you said it’s her fear, but it’s yours too. I keep telling you you’re nothing like him.”

This shit again. “How many kids have you put through school so far? How much money have you given to that society for unwed mothers?” He started listing off all the charitable donations I’d made over the years and I was dumbfounded.

I hadn’t realized the lengths I’d gone to-to make up for my father’s sins. I hadn’t even realized that that’s what I’d been doing all along.

I’m so afraid of being like him that I’ve practically lived my life trying to escape that shit. Now I had this girl who really needed me, who I really wanted, and I was afraid. Afraid I’d hurt her and fuck up her life.

But I know I don’t have it in me to hurt her, not her. I’m as sure of that as I am that I’m breathing. He’s right, what the fuck have I been thinking? There’s no grey area here, it’s all just black and white.

And since when have I been afraid of a slip of a girl? I’ve faced defense tackles three times her damn size and won. Hah! She’s in for it now. If she gives me any more of her shit I’ll just pop her one and drag her ass here.

“I see your mind is finally working.” How the hell does he do that shit? “So what’s the plan?” Could he give me two seconds to get the shit together?

“No plan yet, she’s just not spending another night in that place is all. I’ll think about the rest of it later.” I felt better about my decision once I got past the idea that things might be moving too fast.

The bottom line was that I knew that place was dangerous, I knew she needed to be out of there and like I’d told her, my intentions weren’t about sex. Well not all of it anyway.

Last night before I fell asleep I’d sat up watching her. She looked even more innocent while she slept and my heart had done that melting shit in my chest. I’d liked the feeling of protecting and watching over her way too much.

It must’ve been the first time I’d stayed in bed with a woman without sex being part of the mix. But even as I watched over her in the night, emotion was stronger than lust. I should’ve known I was done for then.

Then waking up with my arms wrapped around her had felt more than right. I think I knew then what move I would make, but I just needed to hear it spelt out by someone else. That way I don’t feel like a complete heel.

If Tony was so set on me getting her out of there, I couldn’t be wrong. He would’ve told me if I was moving too fast. It was already enough that he liked her, his ass never likes anyone.

And the fact that he was pushing me this hard meant that he knew it’s what I wanted. That I just needed a push to get me over the hurdles in my mind.

“I’ve been handling her the way I would mom, with kid gloves. For some reason I keep getting the two of them mixed up in my head. Maybe it’s time I stop doing that shit.”

Yeah, she’s not mom and I’m not my father. The fear in my gut had eased as well, now I could see a little more clearly. The only thing that mattered was taking care of her, protecting her.

It didn’t matter that we’d only known each other for a short while, none of it mattered. And though I can’t predict the future and have no guarantees of what laid ahead, I know deep in my soul that I’d never hurt her.