Page 140 of The Coldest: Stay Dangerous Part 2

“Before this morning, I hadn't seen you in weeks. I don’t know where those nasty lips have been!”

Rico’s forehead drops to my temple. I feel his lips spread on my cheek, and I hate that my core reacts to it.

“You don’t trust me, Snow?”

“Hell no!” I push him off me, grateful he actually gives us space. He shoves his hands in his pockets like I’m being unreasonable.

“You don’t have no job, and Mars is back in school. I don’t know what you do, or where you be all day. You’ll facetime me at all hours of the night, or comment on my posts, and today you pop up, but I’on know shit, and I’on know you.”

“You don’t know me, Snow?”

“No!” I bellow. “I don’t. And really, you not even supposed to be here. You said a year.”

“So, if I’m giving you a year, why does it matter what the fuck I’m doing or who I could be doing it with?” He swipes that stupid, gifted tongue across his bottom lip, like he’s got me pegged.

I match his smirk. “You’re right. It doesn’t matter. You can leave. Don’t need you meeting my new potential.”

“Fasho. I gotta go see ‘bout my other bitch anyway,” he shrugs. I raise my hand as he takes a step toward the door, but then he’s all in my space again, breathing like a bull as his hands rest around my neck.

“You enjoy pissing me off, huh? Who you finna call? That nigga who look like you? Conceited ass. Quit fuckin’ playing with me Snow.”

“Quit playing with me! Why should I trust you? You can’t even tell me where you’ve been!”

“You should trust me because I haven’t given you a reason not to.”

“Bullshit!”

He takes a step closer, his hands shifting until our lips are centimeters apart. His breath, hints of an earlier mint, blows warm, mixing with mine. My fingers dig into his wrists, anchoring myself to him. Panties ruined, I don’t even try to rub my thighs together for relief. The only thing that will work is this mysterious ass nigga in front of me.

“What more do you want from me, Snow?” His forehead rests on mine, defeated. “The only woman I’ve ever let in, made love to… you know me.”

“It’s not enough,” I whisper fiercely. “You’ve hurt me before. Don’t act like I’m being unreasonable.”

We stand like that for a long moment before his hands slide to my waist. His fingers fist my romper as much as they can, his head resting on the side of mine.

“What can I do to get you to trust me?”

“Tell me where you’ve been.”

“I can but you not gon’ believe me anyway, Snow. I can tell you I just been at the crib, letting my face heal, helping Miele and them run the hotel from my office, and Reno and them with their extracurriculars, but you not gon’ believe me. You won’t believe a word I say unless I tell you what you already think you know; that I been with bitches. So what can I do, bae? How can I ease your mind while you chase your dreams?”

I lock my knees to keep from falling. My hands peel his off of me, and I stumble over to my nightstand to grab the item that came last week. I was doomscrolling one night, and ended up on the side of social media that had me blushing. Who knew when I’d actually use this, but I guess past me knew this would come in handy.

I fling the item onto the middle of my bed. Rico’s eyes flash with recognition, and he pulls at his goatee, eyes dancing from the item to me.

“A cock lock, Snow?”

I bob my head. “And only I have the key. You wear that until I believe you. Your move.”

“You gon’ lock my pussy up, too?” He slides his sweats down, stepping out of them before taking off his hoodie and tee. His dick bobs, weeping at the tip, getting harder by the second as his eyes don’t know where to land.

“You know I’m not even on that right now.”

Rico tsks, reaching over to grab the lock and rip it out of its plastic. “You still haven’t realized every nigga around you wants what I have. Been that way since I met you. I’m glad you got some shit that will actually fit.” He strokes his dick twice, licking his lips before dropping the cock lock on the bed and rounding it toward me.

I duck, grabbing a condom from the nightstand and pinning it to his chest with my hand. He looks down in disgust, before scowling at me.

“Why the fuck you got condoms, Snow?”