Page 60 of Set My Soul Ablaze

I had set up an in-home date night. We would have pasta from her favorite Italian spot and then make our own dessert in the kitchen. I placed a blanket on the floor, with LED candles and a vase of roses with our containers of food. Music that reminded me of her played softly in the background.

“I wanted to do something special for you. There’s a bubble bath with a bucket of fruit and wine waiting for you. Take as long as you want to unwind and relax.”

“Aww shit. What’s the occasion?” she quizzed.

“There shouldn’t be a reason to love my woman outside of the bedroom. You deserve to be courted and dated outside of holidays and sex. Sometimes I want to just pamper and speak life into my lady. Can I do that?”

“Yes, you can.” She giggled. I pecked her lips several times and gave her ass an encouraging slap before I watched her walk down the hall to the bedroom.

I went into the guest bathroom to freshen up. I took a quick shower and sprayed on her favorite cologne of mine. I put onmy cross chain and pulled on a black T-shirt and gray sweats. I wanted to be comfortable with all I had planned for my lady.

After my shower, I warmed up our pasta and set it on plates. There was also garlic bread and Caesar salad to go along with it. As I set the bowl of salad on the floor, Mali emerged in a red lace nightgown and her favorite white furry paw slippers.

“Damn.” I whistled.

She did a spin and shook her ass. “You like it?”

“I love it, but now you got me feeling like I’m underdressed,” I replied.

“You look good enough to eat.”

“Don’t get me started, Mali. Let’s eat the pasta before it gets cold.”

“Fine!” she sang with a chuckle.

I locked our fingers and led her to the living room picnic. We sat, said grace, and dug in. We talked about her day, the stress of locking in a new building, and the drama with her employees.

“Apparently, Dominique has been sleeping with Otis’s daddy!” Mali gossiped.

“Otis is the dog?” I asked for clarification.

“Yes. He’s the goodest boy. Let me show you.” She picked up her phone and scrolled to a picture of her and Otis. The round face and big smile damn near melted my heart.

“Oh, he’s definitely a heartbreaker,” I joked.

“Chile, he learned it from his daddy. Apparently, while I was out of the office, Dominique and Eric were getting acquainted since she took over Otis’s services. Baby, she said that man had her twisted like a pretzel and seeing stars. Unfortunately, his old ass was twisting several other young women up like pretzels too. She was pissed. She slashed his tires and put glitter all over his car seats.”

I shook my head. “Damn. Mixing business and pleasure almost never ends well.”

“It worked for us. Sexy firefighter busting down doors to save the damsel in distress.” Mali batted her eyelashes and placed a dramatic hand over her chest.

“We don’t really count, though.”

“Why we don’t?”

“God was going to put you in my path no matter what,” I answered.

“How can you be so sure?”

“You’re my rib. You’re my missing piece. You’re my sunshine on a cloudy day. No matter if we met a few months ago or ten years in the future, you would be mine.”

“You need to teach a class on how to speak life into a woman, because the way you talk to me is something straight out of a movie. I’ve never had someone pour into my cup the way you do.”

“Man, I wasn’t even a big reader growing up. The words just come to me when I’m with you. It’s not something I could teach, if I’m being completely honest. Niggas just got to find the right woman to unlock their poetry settings.” I shrugged.

Mali tossed her head back and laughed deep from her belly. I loved the sound of her amusement. I loved everything about her.

“I have a question to ask you, though.”