It’s the final Sunday before release day, so I just had to post a sample from So This is Love. This is one of my favorite scenes from the book. The restraint! I love these two. This clipped scene is from a flashback. There are a few flashback moments in the story, most of which are set in the present day, so they blend with the story. So This is Love drops this week!
*So This is Love is still in the unpublished phase, so the text below is still subject to change.
“You look good in my kitchen,” Dallas complimented from his seat at his kitchen table.
I tossed my curls over my shoulder and stole a glance at him. “I look good in any kitchen.”
It was April 22nd, a Friday, and officially Dallas’s birthday weekend. He had plans to hang with his friends the following night, so I made him promise to reserve his birthday for me.
I’d stopped at the Mexican market and picked up a bunch of exotic items to prepare Mexican food. Dallas lived off burritos and tacos, so I wanted to make something I knew he’d like. So I made grilled shrimp fajitas, burritos, guacamole for chips, tres con leches cake for dessert and margaritas to wash everything down.
It wasn’t much, but it was within budget, plus I knew Dallas was an easy person to please.
“It smells good,” he commented next. “Nothing smells burned or anything.”
I hollered a laugh. “I can put together a little something without burning the house down.” I added oregano to the rice. The rice was the last thing that needed preparation.
“The draft is in two months,” he reminded.
When he told me about his plans to declare eligibility, I was happy for him. Anyone who was anyone knew how much basketball enthusiasts wanted him in the NBA. They cataloged his time at LU, placed bets on when he’d drop out and declare eligibility. With only a month left in the semester before graduation, Dallas has shocked everyone by staying the full four years at LU. But not me. I knew he wouldn’t quit. He never did. He was headstrong and determined, and that was with everything… including me.
“Are you ready?” I asked, moving to his spice rack for the salt. I didn’t have to buy many spices because Dallas kept a pretty good stash.
“Yeah, I’ve been training, preparing.”
I nodded.
“What you gonna do if I move out of state?”
I turned to look at him with wrinkled brows. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly the way it sounds.” Dallas stared back at me with a serious look in his eyes.
I’d thought about him having to move out of New York because of the draft. I’ve thought about it several times. New York had three basketball teams now and basketball experts had commented regularly on the Bronx Ballers wanting him to play for them. I guess I was banking on one of the New York teams choosing him. I focused so much on one of them choosing him; I refused to give thought to what would happen if an out-of-state team got their hands on him.
“I mean…” I twisted to face the stove again, lowering my eyes to the pan of rice. “I’d be a little bummed, but I know that comes with the territory. There are planes, trains, and automobiles, though.” I giggled. “I’m sure if we wanted to see each other we can with a little travel.”
His chair’s legs scraped against the floor when he pushed his chair back.
I turned to face him out of curiosity.
He approached, licking his lips slowly.
I knew this look. This look I’ve had to fan off several times since our talk in this very apartment after his brother moved out.
“What if,” he said in front of me now, “I asked you to come with me, to wherever I go?”
“I’d tell you, you’re buggin’.” I shifted my weight to turn to face the stove again when he stopped me.
“And why’s that?”
“Because what would I be to you, Dallas?”
“You know what you’d be.” He placed a hand on the counter behind me. “You’d be mine, like you always were supposed to be, and I’d be yours like I was always supposed to be.”
“Dallas,” I whispered, looking up at him. “We’ve talked about this.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, placing his other hand on the counter behind me, now caging me in. “And I’ve never been happy about what we decided or what you decided for us.”
I gulped the air and my breathing became heavy.
“I had Melissa Torez over the other night.”
My heart sank. Dallas was never short of girls around him and, as of late, there have been plenty. But Melissa had been trying to secure a permanent place in his life for a while now.
“Okay…?”
“We hooked up on my couch.”
I took a breath and shifted my focus off him.
“How you feel about that, Ayanna?”
“How am I supposed to feel, Dallas?” I sniped back. “Why are you even telling me this, anyway? You’re single. You can do whatever you want, including hooking up with whoever you want to hook up with.”
“Oh, word? With whoever I want?” He licked his lips slower this time. “Aight, cool. So, I’d rather be hooking up with you.” He leaned in close until his lips were right by the maze of my ear. “I’d rather wife you, if we’re being real and if I can actually do what I want, like you say I can.”
My eyes ballooned and my inhales and exhales grew harder to take.
He leaned back to meet my eyes again.
“Dallas,” I said low. My resolve was thinning, body yearning now because of our proximity to one another. The cologne he wore regularly made it so hard to keep my hands to myself on any other day and at a distance. But this close, he was definitely tempting me to touch.
“Can I kiss you?”
I had to force myself to shake my head no.
“I really wanna kiss you, though.” His eyes lowered from mine to focus on my lips. He bit his bottom lip and moved in even closer, and I had to close my eyes to gather myself.
“Dallas, we’re friends.” I licked my lips. “Only friends, remember?”
His eyes were on mine again when I noticed they were smoldering. “I don’t wanna fuck my friends, Ayanna, and I wanna fuck you very much… amongst other things.”
I took a breath and sighed. “Dallas.”
He ran the pad of his thumb down the center of my lips and I had to lean against the lip of the counter to remain upright. Dallas took my chin between his thumb and index fingers.
“I love the way you say my name. I ever tell you that?” His eyes softened. “I don’t like what you’re telling me right now, but…” He shrugged while backing away. “I love my name on your lips.”
He created enough space between us for me to breathe easy again and collect my bearings.
“Why my friend got to be so fine, though?” He smiled while taking his seat again. “Damn.”
End of sample.
So This is Love will be available for purchase Friday, April 29th. To read more updates on this story before release, Click Here.