Chapter 17
Nixon
Katana’s eyes stared a hole in the floor. She looked as if she was contemplating actually take sex off the table. So I had to step in. I took her chin in my hand and made her look at me. “Hey, I don’t want to stop anything from happening with us, either. If that’s what you’re thinking, just stop doing that. We have some pretty amazing chemistry. Why try to act like we don’t?”
The fear in her blue eyes became evident. “I’m just afraid …”
I kissed her plump red lips with one feather-soft kiss. “I can see that. Don’t be afraid of anything, Katana. Let’s just ride this wave, doing whatever we want. Let’s not let the fear of what might happen stand in our way of being happy with what we have right now.”
“Which is what exactly?” she asked before running her hands up my arms and resting them on my shoulders. “I mean what are we, Nix?”
“Two people who happen to be extremely attracted to each other, but are doing things backward. We’re having a baby while also getting to know one another and seeing what the future might hold for us.” I kissed her again, softly and sweetly.
When our lips parted, I loved the smile that moved over her face. “Okay. I think I can handle that.” Her long dark lashes fluttered as a blush covered her cheeks. “I’ve got one more thing to ask you.”
“Shoot,” I said, then kissed the tip of her adorable nose. “If we have a girl, I hope she has this precious little turned up nose, just like you do.”
She giggled, and the blush went a shade deeper. “You’re so sweet, Nix. Being pregnant with your child, I—I don’t have any intentions of being with other men.” She looked at me, and I saw concern in her eyes. “What about you?”
“Me neither, but then again I’ve never been with any men.” I chuckled, and she smacked my chest lightly.
“You know what I mean,” she said with a scowl on her pretty face. “Are you going to stop seeing other women?”
Oh boy, things just got real, didn’t they?
Was I going to take myself off the market? Was I ready to do that? I didn’t even know Katana that well at all. What if there were things about her that just didn’t sit well with me?
She could have some nasty habits I just couldn’t cotton to. I mean, who knew if we’d actually get along or not?
But looking into her eyes I told myself that I should forgo seeing other women until I knew for certain that she and I weren’t compatible. “I think I can be satisfied with just little ol’ you. We don’t have to put this agreement in stone. We have a lot to get to know about one another before we decide whether we’re interested in pursuing more later on if we want. But for now, yeah, I’ll stay away from other women, and you stay away from other men.”
She let out a big breath. “Good.”
Then she kissed me, and we fell into that blissful state of just being together. It seemed the most natural thing to me, being with her. But as we continued kissing and my cock grew, I heard her tummy growling and stopped the kiss—if I didn’t stop now I knew this would lead all the way to the bed. “You’re hungry.”
“Not so hungry that we need to stop where we were headed,” she protested.
I wasn’t having any of that. I took her hand in mine, leading her out the bedroom door. “I’m getting you something to eat. I’ll have Mona make you a sandwich to tide you over until dinner’s ready.”
She lagged behind, whining, “Really Nix, I can wait for dinner. I’m not that hungry. My tummy has just started growling a lot—I have no idea why that is.”
I had to laugh. Was she really so clueless? “Baby, you have a little human you’re growing inside of you. You need to eat a lot more so our kid will be healthy.”
Taking her straight into the kitchen, I didn’t see Mona anywhere and figured she was doing something elsewhere. So I sat Katana down and went to the fridge to make her a sandwich myself. “Ham?” I asked.
“I kind of hate ham. Do you have turkey?” she asked then tried to get up. “I can make my own sandwich, Nix.”
I turned around and placed my hands on her shoulders. “I’ve got this. So turkey and Swiss?” I asked as I found some sliced Swiss cheese in the lunch meat drawer.
“Sounds great. And thank you,” she said, then pulled out her cell and looked at her social media while I got to work.
A beep from the alarm system alerted me that it was being deactivated again and my stomach went tight. I knew there were only four people who had the code to my system, and three of them were already in the house.
“That would be Shanna,” I told Katana, watching her eyes go big.
“Shanna? Who’s that?” she asked.
Shanna came into the kitchen before I could answer her. And she didn’t wait one second for me to introduce the two. “I’m Shanna, Nixon’s best friend. You must be the woman who says she’s pregnant by him.”
Katana got up and extended her hand in a polite gesture, but Shanna didn’t shake it. “I’m Katana Reeves. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shanna.” When Shanna just looked at Katana’s hand for several moments, Katana pulled it back and took a seat.
Shanna did the same, sitting across the small table from her. I hated the way she was eyeing Katana and stepped in, placing the plate with the sandwich and chips in front of Katana. “I think milk would be best for you to drink.” I turned to grab a glass and then wondered if she had any allergies. I turned back, placing my hand on her shoulder. “Wait, are you lactose intolerant, or do you have any allergies I should know about?”
“No, I’m allergy-free as far as I know, and I can have dairy. Thank you, Nix,” Katana said then bit into her sandwich as Shanna stared at her. I had to hand it to Katana—she didn’t seem to be intimidated by Shanna in the least.
But then I remembered that Katana had been in an orphanage and then in foster care. She’d probably had to learn at a very early age how to deal with assholes—which my best friend was definitely being.
After placing the glass of milk on the table, I took a seat, pulling my chair closer to Katana’s than Shanna’s. “So what brought you back here, Shanna?”
“I wanted to meet her, of course,” she answered me. “So what’s the deal with you two?”
“What do you mean?” Katana asked, wiping her mouth with the napkin I’d given her.
“I mean, do you think you’re going to come in here and take over my best friend’s life?” Shanna tapped her foot as she stared Katana down.
I’d had enough. “Shanna, stop.”
Shanna’s light brows rose and she looked appalled. “Nixon, someone has to look out for you. I’m not about to let some money-grubbing bitch …”
I stood up and took her by the arm. “I will not have you speaking that way in my house, Shanna.” I jerked her up and pulled her toward the door.
But Katana stopped me. “It’s okay, Nix. She can ask me anything she wants to. She just cares about you. That’s why she’s upset right now—I understand that. Please, let her sit back down, and she and I can get to know one another. If she’s your best friend, then she’s pretty important to you, and will be to our baby as well.”
I let Shanna’s arm go and wagged my finger in her face. “You chill on the name calling. You’re lucky she’s nice, Shanna, or you’d have been out on your ass. Be nice. She’s the mother of my child. My blood. And you know how I am about blood. It takes priority over everyone else. Don’t make me cut you out of my life.”
Shanna went pale. I suppose she’d never imagined I’d actually do such a thing to her. “Nixon?”
I nodded and took my seat again. “I am dead serious. Now play nice.”
Shanna took her seat and looked apologetic. “Well, seems he’s got a protective instinct for you, Katana. I’m sorry. I’ve known this man since we were little kids. He and I were in the same classes all through our school years. I lived three houses down from his, and we walked to school together every day for thirteen years. He’s beaten up my jackass boyfriends when they hurt me, and he’s let me cry on his shoulder about them too. He’s a rare man, and I count myself lucky to be able to call him a friend, let alone my best friend.”
Katana finished up her sandwich and then took a long drink of her milk before saying anything else. “Sorry, I didn’t realize just how hungry I was until I took that first bite.” She patted my leg underneath the table. “Thanks, sweetie.” Then she turned her attention to Shanna. “I think it’s admirable of you to want to watch out for Nix. He’s lucky to have a friend like you who cares so much. I’d like to set the record straight, though. I am not a money-grubbing bitch.”
“She isn’t,” I agreed. “I have told you that before.”
Katana smiled at me and ran her hand over my bearded cheek. “Aw, you stood up for me before? That’s so sweet of you.”
“Yeah, he’s a real sweetheart,” Shanna said then shook her head. “Not. At least, not usually.” She narrowed her eyes at me, looking like she was trying to solve a puzzle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you make anything for anybody in my entire life, Nixon. And I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you, Katana. But I want to warn you both: you don’t know one another. Try your best not to rush into things more than you already have.”
But it felt like life was rushing ahead for us—and at a staggering pace.