When Amelia looked up and caught eyes with him, she gave a flat smile and held her hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t say anything.”
“You good. I was only fucking around,” Kayden said. “That was your friend on that fly shit.”
Amelia nodded. “She’s always like that. She just has a smart mouth.”
“Well, I don’t fuck with smart mouths. They make my trigger finger itch.”
“Got you.” Amelia sat back down on the loveseat next to an array of loose papers and a few textbooks.
Kayden nodded his head at her quickly before looking over at Jessica. “Aye, Jess, let me holla at you real quick.”
Jessica looked up from where she’d just sat and allowed her smile to fade. Her eyebrows rose in question as she looked to him for some sort of warning or explanation for his curt request. When he walked back out of the living room not bothering to give her anything, she stood and followed him down the hall.
As soon as their bedroom door closed behind Jessica, Kayden was in her face. “What the fuck was that? You in there teaming up against me?”
“Really, Kayden? You want to blow up on me because you play too much? You can’t be serious right now.”
“Why wouldn’t I be? I’m your man, Jessica. You should never go against me in front of people.”
Jessica rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t against you. I was just trying to spare you from an unnecessary run-in with the police. Amy would have called the boys on you had you touched her. I didn’t want that.” She looked at him to make sure he was listening to her. “I like you being here with me. So, if I have to save you from yourself, then that’s what I’m going to do.” Her voice softened at the end.
Kayden stood near the dresser, staring across the room at her. Jessica was a hard person to stay mad at. He wasn’t sure whether it was because he loved her so much, or simply because of how sexy she was. Jessica was a thick redbone with a crazy-ass body. Her succulent thighs and wide hips literally hypnotized him every time she walked by. Her bow legs and soft, plump breasts were also two of his favorite assets, but neither of them had anything on her beautiful face.
The slanted hazel eyes and short blond haircut that she wore were a match made in thug heaven, and Kayden enjoyed every piece of her on a daily. Much like any other confident woman, Jessica knew she was bad. Because of this, more times than not she got away with things that Kayden wouldn’t dare tolerate if she was someone else, especially when it came to defiance. Jessica was a strong-minded woman, so it was rare for her to comply with his demands. It angered him every time, but he never left. Not that he could, or even wanted to, now that she was eight months pregnant with their daughter.
“Baby,” she whispered sexily as she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Don’t be mad at me. I just need a few more minutes to study and I’ll make them leave . . . okay?”
Kayden moved his head out of her reach so that she couldn’t put her lips on him. He then looked away. If he looked at her too long, then he might fall into the deep pools of hazel temptation that made up her irises, something he most definitely didn’t want to do right then. He wanted to stay mad a little longer. If he made eye contact with her, it would be over with for him then. Jessica had Kayden wrapped tightly around her finger, and because she knew this, she used it to her advantage.
He had been trying as hard as he could to keep a straight face and remain angry, but he was failing miserably. The more she touched him, the more his anger dissipated. Before long, all he found himself wanting to do was throw her company out, make love to her, and fall asleep. He could already tell that wasn’t about to happen. At least not anytime soon.
Judging from the way that she was pleading for the presence of her friends, he was fighting a losing battle. She wasn’t going to give up until he gave in. And as sad as it was, it wouldn’t be long. He was already melting beneath her fingertips and she hadn’t even been touching him that long.
“Man, how long they gon’ be here?” He looked down at her and she smiled.
“Not long, baby. Thank you.” Jessica pecked his lips quickly before scurrying from the room, with Kayden watching her the entire way.
As soon as he heard her and her little group whispering about their work and whatever page they were on in their book, he figured the coast was clear enough to take a shower. Kayden kicked his shoes off in a hurry before heading across the hallway to the bathroom.
He and Jessica had one in their bedroom, but he hated the water pressure in that one. He only used their bathroom when Jessica wanted to do couple stuff like take baths together and silly shit like that. Their guest bathroom across the hall from their bedroom was his favorite, and the only one he took showers in. The water pressure was so strong it felt like he was getting a massage. Right about now, that’s exactly what he needed.
Once Kayden was undressed and completely nude, he tested the water before getting into the shower and washing his body. It didn’t take long, so he was back out of the shower and wrapping the towel around his waist in no time. He checked himself in the mirror to make sure nothing was showing before he exited the bathroom.
As soon as he opened the door and walked out, he slammed into Bronx. Her small frame had been so light on the floor he hadn’t even heard her coming down the hallway until they were pressed against each other.
“Oh, damn. My fault, B.” One of his arms went around her waist to steady her on her feet.
Bronx held on tightly to his forearm to keep herself from falling, probably out of instinct more than anything.
“Dang, Kay, you almost took my head off.”
Kayden chuckled and rubbed the hair that was sticking up on the side of her head back down, all the while still holding her close to his body.
“I’m sorry, B. I promise I ain’t see you.”
When Kayden finally released her, the thin towel that had been wrapped loosely around his waist snagged onto her belt and fell down a little. Bronx’s eyes followed it, catching a glimpse of the top of Kayden’s dick along the way.
Neither he nor she spoke on it; they simply stood there and allowed it to happen. Obviously embarrassed by what was happening, Bronx’s eyes widened in shock before she hurried to look away. Kayden, on the other hand, wasn’t the least bit shy, nor did he care that his girl’s cousin had just seen his joint. That didn’t mean shit. He was sure she’d seen plenty of naked men in her lifetime. He wasn’t hung up on stuff like that, but it was evident that she was.
The smirk on his face was the total opposite of the petrified look on Bronx’s pretty brown one, and it was hilarious to him. She was standing there looking like a damn virgin, and he knew for a fact that wasn’t the case. All she did was talk about niggas and sex, so she could kill the innocent act.
Kayden chalked her shyness up to it being his dick and not some random nigga’s. One that didn’t belong to her cousin. To ease some of the tension, Kayden wrapped the towel back around him and tucked it securely to ensure that there wasn’t another slipup before he could get into his bedroom.
“You good?” he asked her quietly. The last thing he wanted to do was make Bronx even more uncomfortable by having Jessica come back there wilding out.
She finally looked at him, and he smirked when she nodded her head. “Yeah. I’m straight. It ain’t nothing.” Bronx looked over her shoulder quickly. “It looked nice, though.” She winked.
Kayden was shocked by her rapid change of attitude, so he decided to be a little more aggressive and flip her whole world upside down.
“It looks nice, but it feels better. Let me know when you’re trying to feel it.” With a sloppy kiss placed to the side of her head, he turned and walked away, smiling the whole way. He heard her gasp just as he closed his and Jessica’s bedroom door behind him.
Though Kayden loved Jessica and everything she had to give, he’d always been secretly attracted to Bronx. Although neither of them had never spoken on it, or acted on it for that matter, he li
ked to think that she felt the same way. There had been too many times in the past where they’d caught each other’s eye and held it one second too long, or accidentally touched the other and moved a tad bit too slow when it was time to break the connection.
In his mind, there wasn’t anything wrong with it, either, because it was unspoken. It wasn’t like they were sneaking around town fucking every chance they got. It was innocent. She was a gorgeous young woman who kept herself together at all times, while he, too, was attractive and commanded the attention of most females. Being attracted to each other meant nothing as long as they never acted on it. It didn’t matter how many times Bronx found herself in the same vicinity as his male parts.
Kayden chuckled to himself as he dropped the towel and slid beneath his covers. Bronx was probably on the other side of the door about to have a mental breakdown while he didn’t give two fucks. Snuggled warmly in his bed, Kayden closed his eyes and got some much needed rest. Now who he would dream about, Jessica or Bronx, was left to be seen.
CHAPTER 3
“How’s it going, Mr. Lattimore? You ready for tonight? I can’t believe it’s voting day already!” Silvia, Aiden’s assistant, made small talk as he passed her desk.
Aiden gave her his signature smile while nodding excitedly. “I’ve been waiting months for this. Can’t wait to see what happens.”
“I’m sure we both already know the outcome.”
“I appreciate your confidence.” He winked at her before continuing on to his office.
Aiden had exactly four hours before he was due at his campaign headquarters. Tonight was the night that he’d find out whether all of his hard work had paid off or been in vain. He and his team had been going nonstop for the past few months trying to ensure his position as Dallas County’s newest mayor.
From visiting schools and churches to standing alongside of the streets shaking hands and taking pictures, Aiden had done it all in hopes of taking the next step in his life’s journey. There were a lot of people depending on him, and Aiden had no interest in disappointing any of them, the main one being Kayden.
Kayden had not only poured countless dollars into his campaign and organized city functions, but he believed in him. He believed Aiden would become more than they’d ever thought possible. He and Kayden had been overlooked on so many different occasions because they’d come from the projects and hadn’t had as much as everybody else growing up, but that time was over.
From the time Aiden had been in the sixth grade to now, he’d been doing anything and everything he could to make sure the public saw that he and his twin were more than just products of the hood. Though his hard work had given people a reason to respect him, Kayden continued to give people a reason to think of him the way that they did.
However, that was the one thing that Aiden didn’t allow to fly with him. He didn’t care if Kayden picked up the entire city of Dallas and threw it in the river, he would gladly stand next to him in the courtroom defending his honor. No questions or judgment mattered to him when it came to his brother.
Kayden never really gave people the opportunity to get to know the real him, but he really was one of the best people Aiden had ever known, and it wasn’t just because he was Aiden’s twin brother. He really was a loyal and genuine person who would do anything a person needed him to do. How he chose to do it was always the problem, but that’s what he had Aiden for.
There had never been a time when Aiden had needed Kayden and he wasn’t there, starting with their freshman year in high school. Against his parents and Aiden’s wishes, Kayden hit the block every day after school until the sun rose for them to go to school the next day, making runs for the older dope boys.
Because of this, he fell behind a lot in school. He managed to do the bare minimum in order to meet his requirements. Whatever he needed to get to the next grade, that’s what he did, nothing more. Aiden watched from afar, sometimes doing his work for him, and talking to teachers on his behalf to make sure they gave him an adequate chance.
The summer heading into their freshman year quickly became one of the best. Kayden had been able to assist their parents with household bills and had even bought all of his and Aiden’s school clothes. That summer changed him, and he hadn’t been the same since. That and the day their parents died in a car crash on their way home from the grocery store had been life-changing moments for him, and Aiden had been by his side every step of the way.
A loud knock at his door startled him out of his thoughts.
“Mr. Lattimore,” Silvia said, pushing the already cracked door open a tad more. “You have a delivery.” Her smile was bright as she leaned only her head in the door.
“Send it in.”
Silvia disappeared back out of the door. Moments later, three women walked in dressed alike in short, black dresses. Their red lipstick stood out against their beautiful brown skin as they all stood smiling at him. Aiden smiled back, not having the slightest idea of what was going on, but appreciating the view. They all stood smiling at him for another few seconds before the shortest of the three stepped away and looked at him.
“Aiden, a personal friend of ours asked us to stop by and give you an early congratulatory present.”
He was really confused then, but not for long, because the gorgeous choir of women began to sing “The World’s Greatest” by R. Kelly. All confusion was cleared up in that moment, because there was only one person in the whole world who knew that was his favorite song. Aiden’s eyes watered briefly as his best friend’s face and laughter popped into his head.
He wiped the water on the brink of falling from his eyelids away quickly and gave the ladies his undivided attention. He enjoyed the whole singing performance and even walked around the front of his desk to hug the women when they’d finished.
“Thank you all so much.” He placed kisses on their foreheads. “I appreciate that so much. Y’all have no idea how beautiful that was.” Aiden expressed his deepest feelings to the group of black queens who had been sent just in time.
His nerves had been shot all morning, and their voices had put him completely at ease.
“You are more than welcome. We’ve been instructed to sing it again at your headquarters tonight after you win,” the same one who introduced them told him as his large arm rested on her shoulders.
“I’m looking forward to it.” He smiled at them all before kissing each of their cheeks again.
After they bid him goodbye, they left, and he returned to his desk and fished in his top drawer for his cell phone. He hadn’t even had time to retrieve it before his office door was opening again.
“The world’s muthafuckin’ greatest!” Kayden yelled with his arms outstretched. “You ready, my nigga?”
Aiden was around his desk and headed to his brother within seconds. As soon as they were close enough, they embraced in a brotherly hug. Kayden was just as excited as Aiden was and it showed. They held onto each other for a few minutes before Kayden whispered in his ear.
“You’ve got this, man. You hear me?” He palmed the back of his brother’s head. “You made it, bruh. You proved these people wrong. Anybody that has ever slept on you are about to wake the fuck up tonight.” He hugged him tighter before slapping his back hard. “I’m proud of you, man. You fucking made it, my boy.”
Aiden nodded his head as his brother spoke his admiration and praise in a whisper that only the two of them could hear. Kayden was proud of him; now he could go win. To have his brother’s praise meant the world to him, because he was all he had. They were the only family that the two of them had, and the only ones who knew personally what they’d been through to get where they were in that moment.
“I love you, twin,” Aiden told him as they embraced.
“I love you, too. Now go put all my fucking money to good use.”
Their deep laughter broke their embrace and allowed them time to fix their clothes and faces. Kayden, too, had shed a few tears and proceeded to wipe the moisture from
his face. Once they’d gotten themselves together, Kayden looked over his shoulder.
“Let me go out here and get this damn girl.”
“Who?” Aiden wiped his wet hand on the dark blue dress pants he was wearing.
“Jessica. I told her to give me a minute with you before she came wobbling in here with balloons and flowers and shit.”
Aiden chuckled as he watched Kayden dap out of the room and return with a very pregnant Jessica and a very stunning Bronx. They were both holding balloons and flowers in their hands with smiles on their faces.
“Aidennnnn!” Jessica screamed as she wobbled to him.
“Congratulations, twin!” Bronx was right behind her rushing to him with their gifts.
Aiden opened his arms and welcomed both women. They each held onto him, giggling and expressing how proud of him they were.
“All y’all up here acting like I’ve already won.”
Kayden was seated in one of the chairs in the front of his brother’s desk with his legs spread wide. “Shit, you have. That old bitch ain’t no match for you. I don’t see how she’s held on this long. I would have thought she would have been had sense enough to drop out and take her loss like the man she looks like.”
The room erupted in laughter as Kayden made light of the nerve-wracking situation.
“I’m serious. I saw a picture of her on the news last night and I could have sworn I saw a mustache across that hoe’s lips.”
“Man, Jess, get this clown.” Bronx leaned back against Aiden’s desk with her arms folded.
“Y’all know he ain’t got no sense.” Jessica walked to him slowly and sat on his lap.
“Now, Jessica, you being real mean right now.” Kayden looked up at her. “You know Aiden wants me to come to his li’l thing tonight. Why you trying to break my legs before I even get there?”
Jessica and Bronx both squealed with laughter. “Man, this fool said you’re being real mean right now.” Bronx held her stomach as she laughed. “I cannot deal with him today.”
No Loyalty Page 15
