A Selfish Kind of Love Read online

  “Chan what’s the issue?”

  “Nothing. Fuck it. Your daughter wants to talk to you,” she said with an attitude.

  “Hey daddy!” Cherry’s angelic high pitched voice made him smile.

  “Hey princess. I miss you.”

  “I miss you too.”

  “What you doing?”

  “I’m - I’m…” Silence. He shook his head knowing her two-year-old attention span was short.

  “Cherish Kylee,” he called.

  “Hm.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Watchingggg,” she sang, “McStuffins!”

  “Oh. Without me?”

  “You not here. Come watch.”

  “Yeah come watch,” Chandra said in the background and he locked his jaw.

  “I’ll come later, okay?”

  “Okay. Daddy I gotta go because - because I’m watching TV.”

  Kyree chuckled. “Fine then. I love you.”

  “I love you too!”

  “You coming by later?” Chandra questioned before he could end the call. He wanted to avoid talking to her again.

  “Yeah. Give me a couple hours. I gotta handle some business.”

  “Okay,” she said, sounding like she had a new lease on life. “You want me to make you some dinner?”

  “Nah, don’t.”

  “I figured you’d be hungry.”

  He sighed. Can’t give her ass even half an inch. “I’m only stopping by to spend some time with Cherry, okay?”

  “Whatever.” The call ended and Kyree chuckled to himself before checking his text from Landon to get Tessah’s address. He plugged it into his GPS and sent her a text he’d be there shortly. The three dots popped up as if she was about to text something back but then nothing. He let out a hot breath and prayed she didn’t come at him on any bullshit. He’d had enough with Chandra.

  Less than ten minutes later, his car drove through the affluent neighborhood. How the hell she paying for this?, he thought pulling in front of her spot. He peeped her front door was open and sent her a text announcing his arrival. A minute passed before he stepped out of the car. “What the hell she doing?” He stalked up the pathway leading to her townhome. “Yo,” he called out just as a flash of her getting pushed into the wall by her throat caught his attention.

  ❖❖❖

  “What dumb shit you just say?” Tessah growled into the phone. “You did not tell him where I live with his annoying ass.”

  “Do me this favor. He’s out this way and I need them Roxys,” Landon pleaded in her ear. “All he gon’ do is drop them off.”

  “Tell him to put them in the mailbox. I ain’t coming outside to greet him.”

  Landon chuckled. “Who raised you?”

  “The system and they ain’t teach me no manners.”

  “I’ll have him text you when he gets there.”

  “That insinuates you’ll give him my number.”

  “That’s how texts work.”

  “Landon you better—”

  “Coach calling us back to practice.” The call ended before she could rip his head off. She sucked in a deep breath and pinched her nose before going to grab lounge clothes to put on.

  “His light bright ass is gonna owe me big,” she mumbled as she pulled a university branded crop top over her head to compliment her leggings.

  Tessah had spent the better part of her day enjoying her mid-week break from school. She only had classes on campus twice a week and took advantage of her days off especially after the first few weeks of school had worn her out. A day of relaxation and recharge was necessary.

  She walked into her kitchen and sighed as she scanned the emptiness of her fridge. “Damn, I need to order groceries,” she opened and closed the cabinets, “‘cause I ain’t got shit.”

  Her phone chirped from the living room and she glided over to see Landon’s friend had text he was ten minutes out. Her fingers typed ‘okay’ but then she decided not to respond. He’ll see I read it, good enough.

  Knocks sounded on her door and she frowned. Clearly he can’t tell time. “Time isn’t your strong suit,” she sassed swinging open the door and the scowl on her face deepened. It wasn’t Kyree. “What the hell are you doing here Caiden?”

  A small smirk danced on his face as he stood in front of her in all of his glory. “I pay the rent here, Tessah. I can come and go as I please… you’re lucky I even knocked.”

  “Caiden,” she placed two fingers at her temple, “this is my personal space. I don’t care if you pay the rent, you can’t pop up especially after I’ve told you multiple times we’re done.”

  Tessah wasn’t sure how much longer she would keep denying his begging. The intelligent part of her saw the red flags but the money hungry part of her didn’t always make the best decisions. She had financial goals she wanted to hit by the time she graduated, and Caiden’s monthly stipend would ensure she reached them.

  “Tessah,” Caiden said as he stepped inside without her permission, “we’re not over. I’ve invested way too much into you for you to think you can leave me on your terms: this house, your car, your closet full of designer shit. Hell, your entire lifestyle for the last two years. You should be sucking my dick right now as a thank you instead of pretending you can be better off without me.”

  “Caiden you’re completely showing your ass right now. You can’t control me like you thought you could.”

  His jaw twitched as they stared each other down. “Have it your way. I want you out of my house.”

  Tessah snickered because he had to be joking. “This house is in my name so until the lease ends next year, I’m staying. If you wanna take the car, take it. I will not fight you over it but I’m not leaving here.” She’d made a rookie mistake when he’d gotten her the car. It was in his name. But she hadn’t done the same with the townhome. She’d signed her name on the dotted line and he’d paid the entire year lease in full. It belong to her until February.

  “I’m not fucking with you. I didn’t afford you the life you wanted for you to turn around and act like an ungrateful wench who doesn’t know her place.”

  “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me Caiden like I told you but you’ve gotten caught up in a facade. I’m not that girl and you now want more from me than I’m willing to give.”

  “You told me you loved me!” She said those words back to him but it was the game. She loved what he did for her but she wasn’t in love with him in the least. “Now you want to act like I’m doing too much!” His forehead veins engorged and her body stilled. She’d seen Caiden angry before but never towards her. His controlling nature had never made her skin prickle until now.

  “Caiden you need to leave.” She pointed at the open door as they stood further inside of the home.

  Caiden ran his hands over his bald head, seeming to relinquish a fraction of his anger. “What don’t you get? It’s my way or you get your shit and you leave.”

  Tessah crossed her arms over her chest and squared her shoulders. Despite him being intimidating, she would not lose what belonged to her. She’d played her role and been at his beck and call to fuck and stroke his ego whenever he pleased. She deserved everything he’d given her. “Or how about I go tell your wife - the person who owns this property - how you paid her with y’all money so I can live here. I’ll tell her who I am and—” The words got caught in her throat as darkness flashed across her eyes as Caiden’s hands wrapped around her throat. He shoved her body into the wall behind her, neck first.

  “Keep my fucking wife out of your mouth!” he seethed.

  Her eyes squeezed tight as her hands scraped at his. She tried to suck in any amount of air but none reached her lungs. No air. No anything. Her consciousness was fleeting. Please no!

  “I wish you would fucking tell her anything! I’ll—”

  Pure relief happened in seconds as the pressure of her lungs getting air again caused her to cough and gasp. Her knees gave out beneath her and she droppe
d to the ground, shaking.

  Fear settled in every bone of her body as images of Caiden lunging at her flashed. Her breathing accelerated as the walls closed in on her. She still couldn’t breathe. She squeezed her eyes shut as she fought to control her breathing.

  “Tessah you gotta breathe.” Her eyes flew open to see Kyree and relief coursed through her. She hadn’t cared who’d snatched Caiden off her but seeing him sent her into a whole new bout of tears. “You’re okay,” he assured her, helping her off the floor and guiding her to the couch.

  The tears continued down her cheeks as she pulled her knees into her chest and buried her head between them. What the fuck just happened?

  ❖❖❖

  Kyree didn’t know what the hell to do as Tessah cried next to him. He had no clue what he’d walked in on and his knuckles burned from the blow he gave dude who hauled ass thereafter.

  “Can I get you something?” he asked in a low tone, straining his neck to see her face. Her cries had turned to sniffles, and he was only a little uncomfortable. The crying didn’t bother him but not knowing what to do did. He sent Landon a quick text telling him to come through as soon as possible.

  “No,” she said after minutes had passed.

  “Are you sure?”

  “You can leave. I don’t need a babysitter. I’m fine.” Her voice held no fight in it though he saw she wanted it to when she allowed her vacant eyes to meet his.

  “Cool. But I’m not leaving.”

  “Kyree.” She wiped at her tear-stained face. “I—”

  “Look ain’t no point in arguing with me. Until Landon or someone you want to call gets here, I’m staying.” Her hunched over shoulders, cracked voice, and bloodshot eyes pained him. He couldn’t leave her in such a state of defeat.

  She stared at him, eyes swelling with tears again, before she leaned onto his shoulder and cried herself to sleep.

  The next morning, Kyree laid asleep in Tessah’s guest room. After he’d carried her to her bed, he’d tried to get in contact with Landon but to no avail. His messages went unread and calls straight to voicemail. He didn’t want to leave her alone in case dude returned, so he settled on taking advantage of the pillow top mattress that sucked him into a deep slumber.

  The creaking of the door and her natural scent entering his nose willed Kyree awake. “What?” he asked and Tessah squeaked. He peeked over his shoulder to catch her clutching her chest. Her eyes were puffy and a light shade of red, her curly fro was all over the place and overall she looked like shit.

  “I thought you were sleep,” she said as she placed her hand from her chest to her hip.

  “And you were coming to smother me or something? Creeping up on me and shit.” He rolled onto his back and stretched.

  A small frown decorated her face. “Maybe. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

  They shared a light chuckle before silence swept the room.

  Kyree cleared his throat as he sat up and flung his feet onto the plush carpeted floor. He propped his elbows on his knees and eyed her. Her body language told a story full of plot holes he needed the answers to. “You okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, drawing it out. “I guess I should thank you.”

  “Maybe,” Kyree agreed with a small grin.

  “That was it.”

  “Wow,” he said, bringing his fist up to his mouth as he leaned back and laughed. “I’ll take it though.”

  Tessah smiled, and they were quiet once more. Her smile etched itself in his brain. She’d never gave him a genuine one, and it took him aback to see it. As her mouth stretched itself across her face, her bold eyes narrowed and her high cheekbones came alive taking her beauty to another level.

  Kyree shook the image away and asked, “Who was he?”

  “A disgruntled employer,” she said before letting out a forced chuckle. She made light of the situation but Kyree wasn’t buying it and the stone look on his face must have told her so. “We had a situation. I broke it off, and he isn’t too happy about it.”

  “He was giving you money, huh?”

  Anger flashed through her eyes and Kyree winced inside. He didn’t mean to hit a nerve. Not when she was already low. “Kyree I don’t—”

  He held up his hands, cutting her off. “My bad. I ain’t mean to be rude about it. But, y’all women be playing on a thin line thinking y’all can do as you please and drop them when you’re done with them. It’s selfish. Some of them get invested.”

  “Well he shouldn’t have and it doesn’t matter,” she countered. “It didn’t give him the right to…” her voice trailed off and her eyes moved from Kyree’s.

  “It didn’t,” he said. “He’s lucky I had to tend to you or I would’ve split his entire shit more than I did.”

  “Wait, y’all fought?”

  “Nah.” Kyree waved his hand. “When I pulled him off of you, I knocked him clear across the room. He got up and made a beeline for the door. You were having an anxiety attack, so I let his ass go.”

  Silence again.

  “Thank you Kyree,” she said after a moment passed. “I need to go shower and get the memory of last night washed away.” She turned to walk away but paused. “Can I treat you to breakfast? I would cook but I don’t have shit.”

  “I noticed. My stomach almost ate itself alive last night.”

  She exploded into a fit of giggles sending a wave of electricity through Kyree. The way her head fell back, cheeks glowed, and body shook in the mix of her vulnerable state had him seeing her in a new light. Her guards were down and the air of innocence surrounding her made him deadpan. “My bad. Give me about thirty minutes, okay?”

  “Yeah,” he said, fearing she saw how hard he was taking her in but his eyes failed to find a new subject. He never cared to give Tessah much thought. His eyes told him she was attractive but their energy never matched one another — until now. He’d seen a whole different side of her that made him want to get to know her and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

  ❖❖❖

  Tessah groaned as a hand slapped her in the face. Her eyes snapped open, and she shot daggers through her best friend. Gynah’s wild sleeping habits made Tessah regret anytime they shared a bed. She didn’t know how to stay on her side of the bed or not have Tessah’s body feeling like it had been bruised and battered overnight.

  “G,” she growled, pushing her arm away from her face. Gynah made a few grunts before changing positions, damn near rolling off the other side of the bed.

  Tessah shook her head and turned onto her side, trying to will herself back to sleep. Her tired body wanted sleep but her mind wouldn’t let her rest. It had been on a thousand ever since her run in with Caiden a few days ago.

  She hadn’t wanted to be alone for fear he’d come back but she also didn’t want to tell anyone what had happened. Embarrassed and foolish didn’t even describe the plethora of emotions sweeping through her.

  Outside of Kyree and Caiden, no one was privy to the full details. She’d begged Kyree during their breakfast outing to not tell Landon. She’d instead fed him a story that someone had tried to break into her place and she’d been a little rattled when Kyree arrived.

  Tessah didn’t need Landon or anyone trying to handle Caiden on her behalf. She’d fix the mess herself.

  She’d talked Gynah into a girls getaway to Tampa for the weekend so they could hit up their favorite Jamaican restaurant and go to Busch Gardens. The weekend had been a breath of fresh air but it was back to reality in a few hours.

  Pushing the covers back, she headed to the oversized bathroom and ran herself a bubble bath. She settled into the tub and let the hot water massage her body. With closed eyes, she rested her head against the tiled wall and tried to focus on nothing.

  “You ain’t shriveled up yet?” Gynah asked, shuffling into the bathroom yawning.

  Tessah had been in the tub so long she had to rerun the hot water. “Well damn don’t knock.”

  “Do I ever?”

 
“One day it’ll click,” Tessah shot back with a smile.

  “Doubt it.” Gynah relived her bladder, washed her hands, and started her morning routine. “What’s on the agenda for today?” she asked with toothpaste in her mouth.

  “Breakfast and Em’s game is at one; he put us on the list if we want to go.”

  Gynah nodded as she rinsed out her mouth. “It pays to have boos in high places. Surprised y’all didn’t link up. I was preparing to be abandoned for the D.”

  Tessah chuckled. “Nah. My period is on. Besides, his girl stays attached to his hip when he’s in town.” The truth was the situation with Caiden had Tessah re-evaluating everything. Had her selfish ways with money and the lifestyle she wanted put her life at risk? Or was Caiden a fluke whose crazy she’d missed?

  “I bet she is. She need to go on the road with him. No way in hell I’d let his fine ass travel alone.”

  “She’ll learn one day but all men find a way to cheat if they want to.”

  Gynah clapped her hands together. “Facts.”

  The events of the day drifted by and as the sun set, they were on the highway heading back to Orlando.

  A text message came through on Tessah’s phone pulling her from the nap she was trying to take during the hour drive back.

  4077862789: Hey

  Tessah’s brow lifted at the unknown number in her notification bar before she tapped on it, opening the thread. A small smile formed when she realized it was Kyree.

  They hadn’t talked since they went their separate ways after she treated him to IHOP but he’d also been a part of everything running through her mind.

  There was no telling how the situation with Caiden would have ended if he hadn’t shown up. He’d been her true knight in shining armor and though she’d always had ill feelings towards him, she had a hard time conjuring them up anymore. Kyree always came off as an insensitive asshole who judged her for no reason and though that still might be true — she’d seen another side of him.