Page 95 of Certified To Handle You 2

She lasted about thirty seconds.

“You bought condoms?”

I looked through the windshield. “You saw me put ‘em down.”

“Yeah, and I’m askin’ why.”

“You know why people buy condoms, Reni.”

Her head turned toward me. “You know what I mean.”

I rubbed my thumb across the wheel while keepin’ the car movin’. “I ain’t tryna have no more babies right now.”

“So you think I’m tryna get pregnant?”

“I ain’t say that.”

“Then why we need ‘em?”

I glanced over at her. “Because I bought ‘em.”

Reni let out a low laugh, but there wasn’t nothin’ funny behind it. “You ain’t never used condoms with me before.”

I looked at her long enough for her to know I wasn’t finna let the conversation turn into no interrogation. “You want me to take you home, or you want me to keep drivin’ to yo’ crib?”

Reni stared at me for a few seconds. I could tell she had ten more questions, and knowin’ her, she probably wanted to ask every last one of ‘em before we made it to her condo. Instead, she folded her arms under her chest and looked toward the window.

“Keep drivin’,” she answered.

“A’ight then.”

That ended the conversation for the moment, but I knew it wasn’t over. Reni rarely let shit go. She would sit with it, twist it around in her head and bring it back up once she felt like shehad a better angle. I ain’t care tonight. The box was stayin’ right where I put it, and if that changed whatever plans she had, she could tell me before we made it inside.

The rest of the drive passed with her occasionally changin’ the song or lookin’ through her phone while I handled the road.

When I turned into the entrance of her condo buildin’, Reni reached toward the keypad and entered the code before the gate rolled open. I drove through and followed the path around toward the residents’ parkin’ area.

Her buildin’ looked the same as the last time I came by. The lights on the walkway was still too bright, the lobby windows was spotless and the same security guard sat near the entrance lookin’ half asleep while he watched the monitors.

I pulled into one of the visitor spaces and parked before grabbin’ the box from the console and slidin’ it into my pocket. Reni watched me do it, but this time she kept her mouth closed.

I got out and walked around the front of the car toward her side. By the time I opened the passenger door, she already had her purse over her shoulder. I held the door while she stepped out, then closed it behind her.

Reni stood close enough for her perfume to reach me again. She looked up at my face like she was waitin’ to see if I was gon’ touch her, but I only placed my hand against the small of her back and guided her toward her condo.

We walked toward her door without talkin’. The night had got quieter since we left the club, and all you could really hear was our footsteps while she dug through her purse for her keys.

Soon as she unlocked the door, she stepped aside and looked back at me.

“You still sure you wanna come in?” Reni asked.

I looked at her before steppin’ across the doorway. “I already made it to yo’ door.”

The place looked almost the same as the last time I was here, except she had changed some of the furniture around and added a few new pictures to the walls. I followed her further inside.

“You can come in my room,” Reni told me while takin’ her heels off near the hallway.

I watched her pick ‘em up before headin’ toward the bedroom.