Zoey’s shoulders collapsed as if she’d been carrying that guilt on her shoulders all this time. I was happy to accept the onus. I had to carry that alone.
After a few seconds of considering what I said, Zoey nodded solemnly. I’d only hoped she fully received what I said. I watched as she chewed the inside of her lips and noticed a glimpse of the old Zoey; the one I’d initially met. The one unafraid to be vulnerable. We somehow managed to continue our conversation about the bakery and her desire to expand it to various locations throughout Philly. It was fascinating watching her dream. I sat quietly while she caught me up on almost everything in her world.
“So, are you dating anyone?”
Zoey rolled her eyes. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s hard, and not to mention when you’re Stenton Rogers’ baby’s mother, getting an honest date is almost impossible.”
“Why?” I felt my brows crease.
She took another sip of her drink. “Either they’re your groupies or they’re intimidated by all of this,” she waved her arm across the room.
“Do you have men over?” I measured my tone to not give away my jealousy.
“Absolutely not,” Zoey shook her head. “Hopefully, one day, but I’m not ready for that. And Jordan is, by no means, ready for that.”
I felt relief like no other time in my life, rivaling what I found when Zoey opened the door to the suite in Dallas.
“And what about you?”
I snorted. “Nah. I think you would’ve heard about it by now. I can’t take a damn piss without it being plastered all over the Internet and gossip mags.”
She chuckled softly. “I saw you didn’t want to participate in Erika’s show.”
“I didn’t. You know me, Zo.” I stretched out, feeling comfortable with the mood of our chat.
“Yeah. A very private being,” she muttered.
“Which is why I knew it would never work.”
Did I really just cop to that? Out loud? To Zo? I needed to stay on target here.
“What do you mean?” her brows narrowed.
Shit.
“Just that I should have thought harder before getting into that with Erika. There were signs that I didn’t see ahead of time.”
That was a lie. I knew exactly why I’d fucked with Erika. I simply could do it no longer when my family became an issue for her.
“Oh,” Zo exhaled while staring straight ahead. Things got quiet for a while. Then she asked, “So, have you…ummm…dated since her?”
She was asking about my sex life, being cute as hell.
I shook my head. And that was the truth. Frustrated with all of the bullshit on my plate, I hadn’t fucked anybody since April.
“You?”
Her eyes shifted to her lap as she shook her head. Then her heavy eyes rose slowly again to my mouth. They got closer. When her lips touched mine, I sucked in a breath. I saw them coming—hell, I wanted them—all over me. But something felt unusual, something was different. Maybe because, as I would soon discover, I wasn’t about to engage in foreplay with Zoey, my pretty Ni?a. I was about to experience Ni?a the seductress who knew what she wanted sexually.
She must have sensed my hesitation. Zoey withdrew.
Her eyes smiled, her mouth not so much. “You can’t tell me you only came over for that sippy cup, Stenton.” Then she glanced down at my lap. “He’s not corroborating your story.”
What she said next shocked the hell out of me.
“I’ve never had sex without a condom. Ever, Stenton.” Her eyes slowly raked up to mine. “I’ve only had sex once without you.”