Chapter Five

"But today's too nice a day to let pass my way, to tax my brain."
- Eddie Kendricks

Over the past few weeks, Jazmine had learned quite a bit about Huey. They'd walked the same path, at the same time each day, and he'd even escorted her to her grandmother's for a couple weeks, looking at Cairo's home just a few houses down from Lydia's. She'd felt relieved to know that Huey wasn't going to break his promise. He had assured her that he would never leave her and her grandmother without protection if he could help it, and it didn't hurt that they had actually become good friends.

"Riding with Huey again today, eh?" Lydia's grandmother was up earlier than usual this Friday Morning. She was radiant, and Jazmine felt the happiness inside of her grow just seeing the smile on her face again.

"Yes ma'am." Jazmine nodded her head, grabbing the keys. "Do you need me to pick something up for you today? I can drive."

"Oh no, I'm fine." Her grandmother shot her a teasing look, her eyes twinkling. "Just like that handsome young man who's been sniffing around here."

"Grammy." Jazmine shot her a look. "He's just being a gentleman. After the thing with Cairo a few weeks ago, he offered to keep an eye out, and I appreciate it. The whole thing really shook me up is all. I'll get over it."

"Jazmine you're the best shot in the family. You and I both know that you can defend yourself just fine even if they don't." Lydia raised a skeptical brow and shook her head. "I wasn't born last night. I know you two have something more between ya. Might as well start stocking up on hair grease now. You two are bound to need lots in five years max. I have a mind to go pick up some for my gorgeous thick-haired great grands."

Jazmine rolled her eyes before rushing out the door. Huey was honking, and she didn't want to wear out her welcome with her work friend.

"Bye, Grammy!" Jazmine chuckled at how young she sounded before glancing back at her. "Be good!"

"I'm always good!" Her grandmother hollered before turning around and watching her show.

Huey made a face when Jazmine finally did ease her way into the passenger's side of his truck. Surprisingly, he didn't make a huge fuss like he normally did. He simply turned up the radio and headed down the road.

She looked over at the ranch, noting that he wasn't slowing down.

"Huey."

They had just passed the ranch. Jazmine stared at the road and then at the side of his head, trying to ignore how sexy the stubble looked on his chiseled jaw, or how his neck was practically begging for her lips to just graze it.

"Hm?" His eyes were trained straight ahead, but she could see the slightest perk on his lips. He was definitely messing with her.

"Huey, the ranch is back there." She laughed, pointing her thumb in the opposite direction.

"It is?" He looked back at the ranch, still acting oblivious. "Huh, I didn't notice that. Oh well."

Jazmine stared at him, smirking. "Oh, I see. Bad Boy Freeman is back, and he's taking me hostage. I can't believe you. You're playing hooky from work."

"Bad Boy Freeman?" Huey looked at her somehow becoming sexier by the minute. "You've still got him on the brain, huh? Face it. You've been fantasizing about what would've happened if you met me back then."

I sure in the hell have.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jazmine protested weakly. She turned over to the window and looked out at the view. "Where are you taking me anyways?"

"My place." Huey gave her an even sexier stare. His voice remained casual. "If you think you can handle it. Since I'm clearly the object of your desires."

Jazmine knew that he was joking, but that didn't help to ease the sensations running through her body. A woman could only take so much teasing.

They pulled into a long, winding driveway until he parked next to a beautiful ranch home. He got out of the car, glaring at her when she attempted to open her door handle, and walked over to pull it open, taking out his hand to help her out of the car.

"Chivalry isn't dead around here." Jazmine laughed awkwardly to break up the tension. "Thanks."

Huey unlocked the door to his home and extended his hand, allowing her to walk in first. Jazmine noted how clean everything was. There was a black sectional in the living room in front of the fireplace, and she could see that the door led to a beautiful patio, with a stunning view of the lake that they had visited, where they had gone to look at the stars.

"This is where I was." Jazmine breathed when she took note of her surroundings. "When we were star gazing."

Huey was suddenly standing next to her, his arm on her shoulder. "It was. I bought the property a few years back. We just looked at the view on the other side. You've officially been put on notice. This place is legally mine."

"Whatever." Jazmine stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

He grabbed her by the waist and gazed into her eyes. "We've got to do something about that tongue of yours. It's begging to get into something that it's not ready for."

Jazmine turned bright red unsure of what to do. He was her coworker and her boss' nephew. What would Mrs. Cookie think of her pushing up on her nephew? And what would Cairo do to either one of them if they found out that they were dating?

As if reading her mind, Huey released her. His face was back to its normal stony demeanor. "Relax, Jazmine. I don't need you passing out on me. "

She wasn't sure if he was being honest, but she was willing to go along with it anyway. "Of course." She gestured towards the patio, stepping onto it. "So, you were saying this is your property, now?"

He didn't miss her words. "You abandoned it. It was mine the moment that I stepped foot on it." He gave her a look and patted the chair next to him, allowing her to sit beside him. "On a serious note, how are you?"

"How am I?" Jazmine's face contorted into one of confusion. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"I just asked." He was calm, resolute. "I know that you and Sam were really close, and being here, learning more about him every day might sting a bit. I noticed how frozen up you got when Caesar mentioned how good the gravesite looked. Have you been by to visit yet?"

Jazmine felt her face fall, embarrassed. She hadn't been to her grandfather's grave. She knew that it was childish, but she didn't really feel ready. Everything about this town reminded her that there was a place where time could stand still. Just not still enough to contain men like her grandfather.

"It's okay." She smiled weakly. "I don't know to be honest. Somedays are good. Others not so good. I just can't stop wondering if he hated me. I clearly wasn't granddaughter of the year when he passed."

"That's not true." Huey's answer was immediate. "You're not a kid anymore. He understood that you were a grown woman with a life. Could you have stood to call him more? Squeeze in an extra visit here and there? Yes. But he adored you, Jaz. Trust me. He talked my ear off several times about you."

Jazmine blinked back tears. "Thanks for saying that."

He got up and walked over to the field behind his house towards a barn. "Come on."

She stared at him in the chair, not moving. "You're not going to kill me if I get up, right?"

"Yes, Jazmine." His voice was dry as he kept walking. "I'm going to kill you in the fields and not in the walls of my home. That's definitely what I'm planning."

"Asshole." Jazmine grumbled irritably. She got up and followed the man until they reached their destination. The huge red barn she'd heard Caesar talk about was even more perfect in person. Like something out of a storybook. The pictures he and Hiro had shown her didn't do it justice.

Huey pulled open the barn doors to reveal a familiar looking horse. It looked eerily similar to Jazmine's favorite horse back when her grandfather had assisted with riding lessons. He'd taught her equestrian techniques for shows early on. When she had won a host of ribbons and other accolades around town, Sam had allowed her to name one of the horses that they had bred, Sammy Davis Jr. He'd died an early death after her grandfather had passed. She truly believed that the horse had died of a broken heart. That had been Sam's favorite horse.

"This is Sammy Davis Jr.'s son." Huey ignored her look of shock and put the reigns onto the horse. "His name is Sampson. I thought you may like to ride him."

Jazmine walked into the barn, barely hearing Huey. She was staring at all of the awards, the trophies, her first saddle, the ribbons. He'd kept them and given them to Huey.

"I'm not a stalker." Huey broke the silence first after noticing how she was staring at the wall of all her stuff. "Sam came here from time to time, asking to place something here for you after he sold Sampson. He seemed determined to get you down here, and he felt like if something happened, he wanted you to know how much he cared about you."

Jazmine was quiet, uncomfortably quiet, before taking a seat on the hay bale. She didn't know what to say. The horse, the items, everything. It was like she could practically feel her grandfather here.

Huey closed the gate to the stable and walked calmly over to Jazmine. He looked straight ahead and then pulled her against his shoulder, his voice steady. "Go ahead. Let it out."

She shook her head, ready to protest that she was fine, but the dam broke within her before she could. Hot itchy tears came pouring out of her eyes until she was full on sobbing into his shoulder, crying as he eased her into his chest.

Huey watched as Jazmine rode Sampson in the distance. He was starting to understand why Sam had been so hellbent on them becoming friends. They just clicked. It was easy being around her. It was starting to become hard not being around her. Everything just felt better with her around. Even his Aunt Cookie had told him that she liked Jazmine, and that woman didn't cozy up to just anyone.

She looked so free, so at peace. Her hair was bouncing with her movements, and she kept her knees facing forward to steady her movements. Her legs looked even more powerful while she rode the horse, and Huey resisted the urge to lick his lips when she bit hers in concentration, focused on getting Sampson to jump over another hurdle. She'd claimed that she was rusty, but she seemed comfortable performing intricate maneuvers that had taken him decades to learn.

He watched her jump off of the horse. The sunlight only seemed to add to her allure. She gracefully swung her hair back. Her chest was heaving up and down while she gave him an innocent smile, gesturing towards his canteen. If only she knew what he'd been thinking. "That was a good workout." His throat went dry as he watched her swallow the water from his drinking bottle.

He resisted the urge to offer her an even better workout and walked over to the fence near his garden, watching as Sampson went over towards the hay bales. "You did good. Sam wasn't lying when he said you had the makings of a professional equestrian."

She grinned. "Thanks. I really forgot how much I loved it." She turned to the horse, who surprisingly, trotted over and allowed her to rub his head. "And I couldn't forget about you. You're amazing, Sampson."

"What about me?" Huey shot her a glare, grumbling. "I'm amazing too."

She slowly made her way over to him until she was standing directly in front of him, a sweet smile on her lips. "You're amazing, Huey." She drawled out the words sexily, her eyes batting up and down. "I could never forget about you."

"Just in case." He surprised them both when he suddenly reached out to pull her closer. He gazed at her lips before dragging his eyes up to hers, giving her a moment to tell him to stop and push him away. "Let me give you something to remember me by."

When she let out a small staggered breath, he leaned forward and licked his lips. He brought one hand to the base of her neck and the other to the small of her back, gazing at her. His voice was filled with a need he'd never known existed. "Is this okay?"

He watched as her eyes opened. They were low, dark, and full of desire. "Yes."

He didn't need to hear anything more. He knew that she felt it too, and their lips were so achingly close. He took one last shallow breath and then captured her lips with his own, determined to put them out of their misery.

Jazmine felt herself going up in smoke the minute that Huey's lips had touched hers. It had been so long, too long, since she'd had a man touch her at all, and he was already making it well worth the wait. He started to rake his fingers through her hair while his tongue began to tangle with hers. It was like he was taking ownership of her, drugging her with his kisses, and she was powerless to stop him.

He continued his kiss, lifting her on the gate of his fence and prompting her to widen her legs. She felt his erection pressed against her clothed mound. She ground against him before releasing his lips to let out a low, tortured moan. "Huey..."

"I'm right here." His voice was only driving her more insane. He kissed her neck and then kissed higher and higher, behind her ear, on her jaw, her nose, her forehead, all while grinding into her shamelessly, letting her feel that she was affecting him just as much as he was affecting her. Before she could even think to formulate a coherent thought, he started nipping at her lips until he was full on kissing her again. The sensations were driving her insane.

"Huey, please." She grabbed his wrist, pulling herself away and then pushing herself closer. "I'm..." She let out another moan when he groaned in her ear and kissed her neck, licking the skin between her jawline and her collarbone in one smooth motion.

"Are you getting wet?" He chuckled into her ear. "Because that's the goal." He ground himself harder against her, groaning into her ear. "Just focus on how hard I am. On how good my dick would feel inside of you. On how good the pressure feels against your clit right now." He smirked when she moaned even louder in response, her motions becoming more erratic. "You can cum if you need to. I can make you do it over and over. Really, it's okay. I can handle it. Just like I'm handling you."

Jesus.

That's what she was trying to stop focusing on. She didn't want it to end. She didn't think she would ever grow tired of kissing him, and if the stroking he'd managed while being fully clothed was any indication, she wouldn't even be able to walk straight by the time he was done with her.

As if reading her mind, he started to lower his gaze down to her breasts. His lips puckered into a knowing smirk as he started to kiss down her chest, to the exposed skin on her vneck shirt, the swell of her breasts. He stepped back. His dark gaze only leaving hers after he brought his hands to the base of his shirt and slowly lifted it over his head. That gaze only seemed to intensify as he watched Jazmine's legs spread even wider for him.

"You wanted me to be bad if I remembered correctly." Huey walked in between her legs and crashed his lips back into hers. This kiss was even more urgent, more potent than before. His hands pushed into her jeans, past her panties, drifting closer and closer to where she needed it most. Way past the point of shame, she opened her eyes and moaned, never breaking contact with his gaze. "Oh yeah." He revealed a sexy smile that she had never seen from him before. His lip moved over her ear. He unleashed a thick southern accent onto her, further destroying her senses with how much of a turn on it was. "Oh, you definitely want me to be bad. You wanna be a bad girl for me? Show me, baby. Open up those legs and show me how good you are at being my bad girl."

They were interrupted by a crashing sound inside of the house. Jazmine froze in horror, pulling up her shirt and fixing her jeans. "Huey, what is that?"

"Stay here." He ordered as he rushed towards the house. He pulled a gun out of a hidden place on the balcony. He pointed it straight ahead towards the back door. Ready to face whoever was on the other side of it.

"I'd get the hell out of here now if I were you!" His eyes were moving everywhere. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Jazmine on his watch. "You make one wrong move, and I'll shoot."

"Boy!" His Aunt Cookie held up her hands, chuckling as he slowly lowered his gun, eyes wide. "I came to make sure you were alright. It's not like you to miss work." She glanced at Jazmine's bag on his couch and at his naked chest. She shoved past him and walked towards the patio before waving. "Hi, Jazmine!"

He didn't need to look to know that Jazmine had turned full on red, blushing.

"You're playing hooky?" She shot him an irritated look and wagged her finger. "You haven't done anything like this since you were a teenage boy, running through girls like a little Denzel Washington. Had those girl's mommas and daddies trying to come for my head for bringing you young city slickas into this town full of green girls. "

"Aunt Cookie that's not what this is-"

"The hell it ain't!" The woman exclaimed. She discreetly waved her hand over to Jazmine who looked much more sweet than she had in his arms a few minutes ago. He looked over, following the direction of his aunt's eyes and winced. "Who's shirt is that? Because it isn't hers!"

"Sampson was tugging on it and ripped it off." He lied as he rolled his eyes. "You've got him spoiled,anyway. He wasn't acting like that when I was the only one riding him."

She reached out and whacked him on the side of his head. In the background, he could hear Jazmine gasp in surprise. "Boy, shut up! That horse ain't done nothing like that. This is classic Huey Percival Freeman behavior! That girl is grieving Sam, and you bring her up in here and try to take advantage."

His eyes flashed with an anger his aunt had never seen before. "Don't you ever accuse me of doing something like that to her." He looked his aunt right in the eye. "I'm sorry that I skipped work and took Jazmine along, but as far as what goes on it this house, I can do whatever I want with whoever I want." He stood straight before continuing. "Jazmine means everything to me. I respect her. I care about her. There's nothing that I wouldn't do for her because I-"

"Because you what?" Cookie lifted a brow, impressed.

Before Huey could answer, Jazmine came running up, passing Huey his shirt and nodding her head to Aunt Cookie. "I'm sorry Mrs. Freeman. I should've come in on today. I completely understand if you have to let me go. I'm happy to make up the time that I've missed, starting now."

Cookie looked the woman up and down before letting a loud laugh. "Girl, you still have your job. I know you're innocent." She shot Huey a glare. "It's this one that I need to worry about. Corrupting my sweetest employee."

Jazmine grabbed her bag, looking at Huey expectantly, who still hadn't moved from the door.
"Well, I guess I'd better be going. Would you mind taking me home?"

"Girl, go on back." Cookie looked back and forth between the pair, politely ignoring the blush spreading across Jazmine's already tomato red face. "I'm going. You young folks ain't the only ones who can have some fun with the opposite sex around here."

"And who are you having fun with?" Huey raised a brow.

She shot the man a look before opening the screen door and walking out of it. "Like you told me earlier, I can do whatever I want with whoever I want. Peace."

Jazmine laughed. "She told you."

"Whatever" He grumbled before grabbing his keys. "C'mon, we're going out."

Author's Note:

This one is a little short, but I figured I'd give you a little something to make up for the wait.

Until next time.

Update: Ya'll are NASTY. Lmfao. I checked the views on this the earlier today, and this is the 2nd most read chapter of all the stories I've written. That's crazy!

-MissAceThankYou