FINA SNEAK PEEK - GIVE ME LOVE

Tomorrow, B. Love returns with Give Me Love

Sneak Peek

Grady plopped down in his seat and released a heavy exhale. His eyes roamed his surroundings, landing last on the woman sitting directly in front of him. Her head was low, so he couldn’t see her face, but he definitely appreciated the way her cocoa brown skin looked against her cream-colored sweats and sweater. Tossing his attraction to the beautifully brown goddess out of his mind, he scooted down further in his seat so that he could rest his neck and back of his head against the chair.

His long frame caused his legs to extend quite a bit. Unintentionally, Grady grazed her foot with his. “My fault,” he almost whispered, not even bothering to open his eyes and look in her direction.

“That’s fine.”

The sound of her voice had him opening his eyes and looking in her direction. It was low and filled with that southern belle twang that told Grady she was from the south just like him. Head tilting, he looked over what he could see of her face, still unable to make out where he saw her from.

“Do I know you?” he checked, hoping she wouldn’t think he was trying to scoop her up with some lame ass pickup line.

She lifted her head completely from her phone and looked into his eyes. Her head was shaking as she smiled before she really looked at him, but when their eyes locked her smile dropped and the shaking stopped.

“Eh. Not really.” Quickly, she dropped her head and almost sank in her seat, piquing Grady’s interest even more.

“What do you mean not really? Either I know you or I don’t.”

“You don’t,” she answered quickly, nibbling on her bottom lip. It wasn’t until she looked to the side that Grady realized exactly where he knew her from.

“You hit my damn car!” he seethed, pointing his finger at her.

Her head dropped as a few people looked at their exchange. The last thing he needed was to be perceived as an angry black man in an airport, so Grady clenched his jaw and took in a deep breath as he lowered his arm.

“I’m sorry. I almost missed my turn, so I had to get in the left lane quickly. And I didn’t want to run the light because that one has cameras. I’m so sorry. They wouldn’t let me talk to you at the hospital, but I’m going to take care of all of your expenses. I’m so, so sorry,” she blurted, and Grady wondered if she’d even taken a breath.

As mad as he wanted to be with her, the sincerity in her voice and tears in her eyes melted a little of the stone around his heart. Not much – but a little. Relaxing his frame in his seat, Grady licked his lips and swallowed as he avoided her eyes. He couldn’t bear seeing those tears fall, so he looked away.

“It’s cool,” he mumbled, even though it wasn’t. But he was just about willing to say anything to keep her from crying more.

“No, it’s not. You have a whole split forehead. Those stiches… it’s going to leave a scar. I’m so, so sorry, sir. Is there anything I can get you now? How do you feel? Should you even be flying right now?”

“Should you?”

Her concern softened Grady’s heart even more. Even though she was being a bit dramatic. His forehead hadn’t necessarily split, but it did have a three-inch cut across it. It wasn’t a deep cut that caused him to lose too much blood, and he didn’t have a concussion. While he wasn’t sure if his doctor would approve of him flying with the pain medicine he’d been given, that was a chance he was willing to take.

He was set for another dose, but Grady didn’t plan to take anymore medicine until he was back in Memphis. He already hated flying, so he needed to be awake and alert. The only way that would change was if the throbbing in his head became unbearable.

“Would you like some juice? Or hard candy?” For a second, Grady couldn’t reply. Out of all the things she could have offered him, juice and hard candy certainly weren’t at the top of his list. His head tilted as his brows wrinkled, causing her to smile. “I’m sorry.” She chuckled. “That’s what my mother used to offer me when I was upset. Juice or hard candy. But I can get you something else.”

She turned and looked towards the food court, and it was when she turned back in Grady’s direction that he realized, “You stole my damn cab, too.”

His voice was low in his attempt to remain calm, but he knew she heard him. Her mouth opened partially as her shoulders caved. “Huh?”

“I said,” he almost yelled. Pausing, Grady inhaled a deep, calming breath. “You stole my cab earlier today, too. That was you, wasn’t it?”

Her face twisted up as she nodded. “Yes. That’s where I thought you knew me from. I didn’t even know you were the guy that hit me.”

“Hit you?” His deep voice quaked, causing her to jump. “I wouldn’t have hit your ass if you would have stayed in your fucking lane.”

Grady stood and snatched his bag from the floor. He needed to get away from her quickly, because if he didn’t, he was going to say or do something he would definitely regret.

 —

Get ready for tomorrow!