Chapter 2

Dark, tinted windows concealed Jay's illegal activity. Leaning back, he stuffed his cigar with some of the finest weed on the market, making sure to look up every so often to scope out the scene. When parked in the lot of the Big E, a hood gas station, you never wanted to let your guard down.

Jay hated his mom still working there but he couldn't get her to quit. His pockets were heavy, and still, Jolene wasn't giving up her independence.If her car wasn't in the shop, getting fixed after her little fender bender, she wouldn't need him to pick her up.

Jolene was a firecracker and didn't take shit from anyone. She was also loved dearly by Big E's frequent customers. She knew most of them by name and had even watched some of them grow up, just to turn around and witness them have babies of their own. Knowing how much the neighborhood fucked with her was the only thing that kept Jay from locking his mama away.

When it came to Jolene, Jay loved her with his whole heart. She was his backbone and did whatever to put food in his stomach. He was her only child but he had siblings on his father's side. The relationship between him and his father was neutral. Big Pete tried to be a father but fell short a lot of the time. Big Pete tried his best to be a father from a distance since he still lived in Alabama, and as a teen, Jay and Jolene didn't make it a priority to visit often. Now that he was an adult, he had more of an invested interest in going back to Alabama. With Jay owning land and a home there, it helped move the relationship with his father further.

While he puffed on his blunt, Jay scrolled through social media on his phone. He didn't post much, but still, that never stopped him from partaking when he had downtime. As soon as he clicked into the app, Luna's face popped up with a pretty, bald-headed baby pressed against her face.

Jay admired her beauty with contentment in his heart. He loved Luna once but wasn't the type of man to let shit linger. She wanted to be with someone else. He had no claim to her heart, so he set her free. But it didn't come without some heartache. Jay couldn't even pretend to not be a little disappointed with the way shit played out with Luna.He was hurt.

After a year, it didn't make the thumping of his heart hurt when it pounded against his healing chest.

Luna was the prettiest girl in her neighborhood. She was gentle, kind, and pure. Jay had been vying for her attention from the day she walked into high school. She was a freshman and he was a senior. Prior to that, he hadn't seen her much, which let him know she was out of the way. Something he found was a rarity for girls from the hood. Anytime he approached her, she would only smile and say something sweet in that urban, southern belle voice she had—never giving him too much of her attention.

After she turned eighteen, Luna finally gave in to his charm. And was Jayshun Black charming. All the things she'd heard about him throughout the streets didn't seem to apply to the real him. When Jay was on her time, he never gave her an inkling that he was entertaining other girls. Jay had a way of making women he thought were special feel special.

With all that Luna had been through, Jay knew he had to come at her differently. He took his time, got to know her, and never pushed himself on her too much. She was closed lip with her problems, but the moment he figured one out, Jay fixed it for her. She wanted to write songs and he linked her up with his partner, Banks, who was a producer. After that, he and Luna formed a bond that turned into love.

His love for her ran deep. So deep, he dreamed of a future with her. Jay wanted the whole thing—kids, wife, and wealth. After years of dating, Jay proposed and Luna accepted his massive ring only to eventually shatter his most vital organ. Luna had been in love with her deceased twin's best friend, Javen, and they'd been married since she was eighteen.

"Boy! Unlock this damn door!" Jolene banged on the passenger window, startling him.

His hand rested on his gun as his heart galloped in his chest. Doing as he was told, Jay unlocked the door to give his mama access, still not paying attention to what was happening. Thinking about Luna often did that to him.

Jay's quest of unbreaking his heart didn't look like most young adults his age. He didn't drown himself in liquor or pussy. Jay spent his downtime getting money. His illegal weed business was lucrative and making ways for him to turn it legal. He wasn't just a nickel-and-dime weed hustler. Jay was the supplier and grower.

When his back door was pulled open, he pointed his gun in that direction."The fuck?" he growled, anger and confusion etched on his face.

"Jayshun!" Jolene fussed, yanking his arm down. "This my friend. I told her you could give her a ride."

"And either shoot me or get that shit out my face." Candi huffed before her back slammed into the backseat. Regret filled her as she chastised herself for not following her first mind of ordering another Uber to get home.

Jay cut his eyes at his mama.His wild and full brows formed a V across his chiseled forehead.

Shaking her head, Jolene snapped her seatbelt before giving her son an explanation. "This my girl, Candi. She just started working with me a few weeks ago. Her car broke down and I told her my generous son wouldn't mind giving her a ride." Her one gold tooth twinkled under the only light that worked in the parking lot.

Jolene had dark skin that was blemish-free and didn't tell of her age. At almost fifty, she was the epitome of black not cracking. By the gold tooth, and her refusal to let go of her 80s attire, anyone with eyes could tell Jolene was a true hoochie in her heyday. Jay loved everything about his mama.

Adding on her razzle-dazzle, Jolene patted Jay's cheek, which Candi snickered at."My baby loves his mama… ain't it?"

"You just offering me up, ain't it?" Jay didn't wait for his mother to respond before he pulled out. "Where you stay?" he asked Candi through the rearview mirror.

"Over by Gretchen. You know where that is?"Candi kept her eyes out the window, knowing if she looked at Jolene's son, she'd start drooling out the mouth. Just from the peek of his face in the dark, she could tell he was beyond sexy.

"By Gretchen, huh? I ain"t never seen you 'round there before." Jay was familiar with the area where Candi claimed to live. Nothing good came from that way but addicts, pimps, and hoes. She was too pretty to be any of those things. That much he'd assessed while ogling her through the mirror. Dark, blemish-free skin was his type.

Her face was triangular and the weave she wore was wavy with two bun-buns on top of her head, adding to her looking like a pretty black cat. The way her lips were pushed into a pout had his attention. Candi's lips were full and had a natural outline—dark brown around the outer lips while the focus of her kissable lips was pussy pink.

Finally giving him her attention, Candi held his eyes captive through the rearview mirror. "Good, because I don't want to be seen. Now, are you cool with dropping me off? If not, I can get a ride from someone else."

"Off the side of the road?" he teased, already loving getting up under her skin.

"Jayshun, leave my friend alone," Jolene finally chimed in, having heard enough of their back and forth.

His head rocked back as he pulled his eyes from Candi and put them back on the road. "Ma, since when you kicking it with twenty—" He glanced back at her.

Rolling her eyes, Candi obliged his silent request of her age. "Twenty-four."

"Twenty-four-year-olds? You trying to get your groove back, ain"t it?"

Jolene swatted at her son. "Boy, please. Ain't no rules as to what age your friends can be when you become a seasoned woman like me. Plus, I'm still young at heart."

"Period!" Candi sliced her hand under her chin.

"Better let his ass know!" Jolene slapped five with Candi, making the two of them cackle more.

Even Jay had to laugh at that. "Y'all done?"

"Boy, please!" Candi pursed her lips with a roll of her neck.

"She can call me a boy, but not you, Magic."

"Magic?" Candi questioned. "Wrong bitch."

"Nah, the right one," Jay spoke with finality. When he peered into her eyes, she reminded him of an enchanted black cat with her wide, slanted eyes and dark skin. Magic was the first word that came to his mind.

Jolene didn't make the exchange any better. "I guess he told you, friend."

"Period!" Jay impersonated them from earlier. He was high, and since Candi's sweet scent filled his car, he'd been in a better mood. The heaviness and questions of what if didn't plague him like they had minutes earlier while looking at Luna and her pretty baby girl.

He winked at Candi when he heard her subtle laugh.

Chills prickled her skin that she quickly shook off. Candi was in no position to entertain a man. Her heart and mind were still healing from the shit she'd dealt with years ago. Therapy had taught her to heal before she dumped her bullshit on anyone else. And Jay looked like a package of bullshit she couldn't handle even if she wanted to.

The ride was quiet, with no music playing. Every now and then, Jolene would say something to her son and check in on Candi with a look, which she would only nod to assure her older friend she was fine.

As the car came to a slow roll, Candi looked around the neighborhood, assessing it wasn't where she lived. "Um, you could've dropped me off first," she said after clearing the thickness in her voice.

"I know what I could've done. It makes more sense for me to drop my Ma off before I take you home. You live closer to me." Jay didn't blink when he explained his reasoning to her.

His sexy, southern baritone had her squirming. That and thoughts of being alone with him in his car. "But I don't know if I'm comfortable being in the car with you by myself," Candi expressed. She'd been in fucked-up situations before—more so because of her own doing. Now that she was trying to get her life on the right track, she didn't want to take any chances. Even if her intuition told her she had nothing to fear with Jay.

"Chile, you will be fine. My baby boy ain't no creep or nothing," Jolene fussed, gathering her bags to get out of the car.

Candi didn't reply. Instead, she took in the neighborhood. Since she'd been in Sapphire City, it reminded her that she was far from home. Jade City was only a three-hour drive away, but the way the two cities lived seemed to be worlds apart. Jolene's neighborhood was nice and looked fresh and new. The homes were cookie-cutter with pretty little porches and one-car garages in the front. Each house was either painted white, pale yellow, or pastel blue.

"Come up front." Jay's request pulled her from her admiration of the movie-ready street.

"I'm good back here," Candi said, crossing her arms over her full breasts.

"Stop playing with me and get yo' ass up here." Jay put the car in park, fully prepared to carry her to the front seat if he had to. Plus, he always walked his mama in the house. It was his way of checking to make sure everything was good.

"Candi, you giving my boy a hard time." Jolene snickered, ready to make her way into the house. She was tired and her bed was calling her name. "I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, y'all, and get your pretty little self in the front seat."

Jay shook his head at how stubborn Candi wanted to be. As he walked his mama up the walkway, he pulled his gray sweatpants up on his slender body. He was on the slim side but had muscles that defined his arms. Beautiful ink covered his body, and he walked like his dick was heavy.

Reluctantly, Candi got out of the back seat, making her way to the front. The seats in the front must've been crafted with a different type of leather compared to the back. Her body melted into the buttery leather as cool air pushed through the seat's built-in cooling system. Closing her eyes, she allowed the serene feeling of the chair to ease her worry. The stress of her car and how she was going to get it fixed had been on her mind all day. So much so, that she hadn't been in the best of moods when it came to dealing with the customers.

The sound of Jay opening the door and getting into the car woke her from her peaceful relaxation. "You ready?" He looked over to her and took her in completely.

Candi was beautiful. Her skin was dark like he liked. She had a weave in but it was her face that stood out to him. Almondy eyes that held sadness gave men like him pause before they decided they wanted to save her. Or at the least put a smile on her face.

"Yep." Her lips popped.

Unable to pull off, Jay was in a trance.

"Um, you gon' pull off, or do I need to call up a rideshare?" She bucked her eyes, knowing damn well she couldn't afford another rideshare. Her money was so funny, she had no idea how she was going to get to work the following day.

Smiling, his open-face grill twinkled under the streetlights. "Let me play some music 'cause you seem tense."

"How? You don't even know me to make that kind of assumption."

"I mean, it ain't hard to tell when a woman ain't been loved properly… or fucked properly." He winked, reaching forward to turn the music up. It was late at night, so he played his RB playlist. He was a slow-jam kind of man. Being from Alabama, he often carried the whole 00s vibe when it came to music and vibes.

"And Jolene said her baby ain't on no creep shit," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You giving Diddy vibes."

His head flew back from the laugh that shook his body. "The fuck? Not Diddy. At least give me Jay-Z."

She snickered. "I'm just saying." Her shoulders hunched. "You easy on the eyes, seem to have a few dollars, and now you talking nasty. For sure, Brother Love energy."

"You trying to be my Caresha?" He looked over at her as he pulled up to a red light. "You seem like a city girl, magical and shit."

The smile that almost touched her ears turned into a frown. Images of the girl she used to be flashed in her mind. Candi didn't like that girl. She didn't want to be that girl anymore. "Look, I appreciate you taking me home, but can we just ride in silence? I had a long day."

Jay pinched his nose. There was so much he wanted to say, but instead, he refrained and kept his thoughts and comments to himself. She didn't know him from a can of paint and it was clear he'd said something that rubbed her the wrong way. Instead of getting into all that, he turned his music up and let Joe's angelic voice sweet-talk her.

Candi rested her head on the headrest with her eyes closed. It didn't take long before the situation with her car popped up in her head. She desperately wanted to see if her car was still where she left it. "Hey, you think you can stop me to see if my car is still parked where I left it? It's on the way to my house."

He thought about ignoring her since she'd just insisted they ride in silence. She was lucky she was cute. "Yea. Where you park it?"

"I'll tell you how to get there. Let me know when you get to the McDonald's on Duffy Road."

"Aight." Jay nodded, gripping the steering wheel.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Candi assessed him. With a white tee on, his arms and hands were exposed, showing off his inked-up body. His light, ochreous skin was the perfect canvas for the colorful ink that rested on his neck. When he got out of the car earlier, she could tell he had the perfect height at about six feet even, maybe a little taller. She wasn't sure.

"You like what you see?" His deep voice calling her out made her jump.

Candi didn't respond though. Instead, she noticed they were getting closer to where her car was, so she directed him on how to get there. The way his sweet and spicy scent sent signals to the parts of her body that hadn't been touched in a while, she knew she needed to get out of the car with him before the old Candi reared her slutty little head.

Jay pulled into the abandoned parking lot where her car sat all alone and untouched. "This you?"

"Yea. Let me make sure ain't nothing missing or out of place." She wasted no time pushing the car door open. The night air was thick and muggy, telling of the rain prediction.

Circling her car, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. When her eyes landed on the bare rim, she cringed on the inside.

"Damn, Magic." Jay walked up behind her, causing her to jump back into his chest. His arms wrapped around her as if he had taken his armor off to place it on her. The earthy scent from his earlier smoke session mixed with his signature sweet and spicy fragrance swept across her nose. "Don't worry about the car. I got you."

Candi's knees weakened and tears rimmed her lower lids. His words were comforting and felt sincere. Still, she needed to create some space because he didn't want to attach himself to a girl like her. Her past was murky and her future was up in the air. Jay seemed to have life all figured out and he didn't need her indecisive ass dirtying his waters.

Stepping out of his embrace, Candi tucked her wet and wavy hair behind her ear. "We can go now," she suggested, not commenting on his claim to take care of her car situation.

Jay's tongue swiped across his dark lips. Pulling his sweats up, he went around to her side of the car to open the door for her. He could tell her walls were high and he told himself that if they had another run-in, he was going to be on her ass like white on rice. Until then, he would let her make it.