Getting Schooled (The Wright Brothers #1)(48)

I shrugged. “I thought maybe it would be a cute surprise. And… you hadn’t texted or called all day, so I wasn’t sure where your head was anyway. If yesterday was just like… a fluke.”

“What?” he scoffed. “Nah, nothing like that. I’ve just been busy. Babysitting, school work, work work. And… a little bit of wondering how to approach things with you.”

I smiled. “Oh, so big, strong, Sgt. Wright… gets a little nervous too?”

He chuckled, swiping a hand over his face before he pushed his hands into his pockets. “I guess. Maybe a little.” He pulled a hand from his pocket, reaching out to tug at one of the coils in my kinky-curly puff ponytail. “I like this,” he said. “I’m surprised, but I like it.”

I wrinkled my nose at him. “Why are you surprised?”

“I would’ve thought you wouldn’t let a nap anywhere near you,” he teased. “And yet here you are with a head full of natural hair.”

“I love my naps,” I giggled, running a hand through my puff. “I can be bougie without a relaxer. I thought you of all people would appreciate it.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

“Your first paper. You complained that none of the women in Corey Jefferson’s book had dark brown skin or natural hair, and that was when I knew I wanted you.”

“It was more of an observation than a complaint. I love black women of all varieties. But back to you wanting me…”

I sucked my teeth. “Well, not you, but the author of the paper.”

“So you liked it that much?”

“I did,” I nodded. “That paper was the first thing that attracted me to you, sight unseen.”

“Well shit, I need to write some more papers then,” He mused, wrapping his arms around my waist. He pressed his lips to mine, soft at first, then deeper, slipping his tongue in my mouth as he pulled me closer to him.

“So you’re not mad at me?” I asked, when we ended the kiss.

“Nah,” he shook his head. “Not at all. I would have liked to know that my father and my professor were dating, but neither one of them said anything either, so it’s not like I can be pissed at you. It’s just… weird.”

I shrugged. “It’s really not. Only when you think about it too hard. And even then, it comes back around to not weird.”

“And I know you’re damn good at thinking about shit too hard, so I’ll take your word for it,” he laughed. “As far as I’m concerned though, we’re good. Just got some more learning and figuring out to do with each other.”

I smiled, then pushed myself up onto my toes for another kiss.

“I’m looking forward to it.”





thirteen.





“Shit!”

I stopped what I was doing to grin at myself in the mirror. I wasn’t sure what Jason was cursing about from my bathroom, but it was still a good feeling to have him there.

It was a Thursday morning, and we actually both had class today, so we were navigating the small space of my room to get ready. We’d been dating for a month now, but this was the first intentional overnight stay during the week.

It was interesting.

In a good way.

Jason was very, very organized. I’d peeked into his bag, saw how neatly it was packed, and smiled. He packed better than I did.

“What’s wrong?” I called, carefully tying a pretty scarf around the edges of my hair. I was fluffing out my fro when Jason peeked into the bedroom, still shirtless from his shower.

“Uhhh…”

I turned around. Something about the look on his face made a bubble of anxiety spike in my chest. “Jason, what?”

“That little dish on your bathroom counter…there was something in it, wasn’t there?”

“The purple one?”

He cringed. “Yeah.”

I swallowed hard, trying to get my heart out of my throat. “Yes. Yes, my chain that I always wear. Why?”

“Don’t freak out…”

I got up so fast I almost flipped over the bench at my vanity. “What do you mean don’t freak out?! What happened!?”

Jason sighed, swiping a hand over his face. “I… accidentally knocked it into the sink, and I thought I heard something in it, but the sink was empty, so I was hoping—”

“What?!”

I crossed the room while he was still talking, but I didn’t hear anything he said as I pushed him aside to get into the bathroom. Sure enough, the dish was empty, and my heart started to gallop as I looked over the counter, on the floor, in the trashcan, and didn’t see my chain.

Tightness seized my throat, and tears sprang to my eyes as I turned back to Jason. “What the fuck happened?! The dish was on the other side of the counter, not even close to the sink!”

“Reese, chill. I put my towel down on the counter to put on my boxers. When I picked it back up, the dish and a couple of other things slid in there.”

“What kind of sense does it even make to put your towel on the counter, when there’s a damned rack right behind the door? That wasn’t just any necklace, Jason! It’s important to me!”

He scowled. “Why are you acting like I did the shit on purpose?!”