Messiah’s hand found hers, and he interlaced his fingers with hers, tattoos locked. Picture complete. He brought her knuckles to his lips, and the kiss awoke Bleu’s entire body. She held her breath as he kissed her hand again, then her wrist. She couldn’t even breathe.

Messiah reached up with one hand and gripped her hair and pulled her face toward his.

Bleu pulled back. “Messiah, no.”

He paused.

“I can’t do this again,” Bleu said. “The only time you want this is when you’re mad at her. I don’t want it like this.”

Messiah’s brow furrowed, and he rolled up, turning to her as he opened wide legs around her. He pulled her thighs, sliding her across the floor, drawing her in. Bleu let him. Moths and flames.

“But you do want it?” Messiah asked. His face revealed shock, as if it were a wonder that she could possibly love him.

“What do you want, Messiah?” Bleu shot back.

He couldn’t answer that. He was a selfish-ass nigga. He wanted it all. What good was cake if you couldn’t eat it? Cake-and-eat-it-too-ass nigga. Messiah was selfish, and Bleu was giving. It was a deadly combination, one where reciprocity would be uneven. In this moment when Morgan had shown him unbelievable deceit, he didn’t care enough to stop himself.

“Don’t matter what I want. I ain’t shit. I can’t afford to break you, B,” he answered.

“You have no idea how good you are. You’re too busy believing the bad,” Bleu whispered.

“That ain’t the only time I want it, B,” he admitted. Bleu’s eyes lifted in shock, and she held her breath.

He leaned into her, trapping her, no running because his hand was behind her neck, bringing her forward. A tear slid down her cheek, and Messiah slid it away with his thumb.

Just as he was about to kiss her …

Boom!

The sound of the front door being kicked in pulled him back.

“Police! Let me see your hands!” A full team in SWAT gear poured into his apartment, forcing them apart. The police swarmed in so swiftly, all Bleu could do was scream as they put knees to her back and forced them onto their stomachs, placing them in cuffs.

“Stop fucking touching her!” Messiah barked.

“Ow!” Bleu screamed. “You’re too heavy! Please stop!”

Messiah was enraged as he fought against the officers. “My kids are in here, man!”

“Who else is here?!” one of them yelled.

“Just my kids, man! They’re two years old!” Messiah barked. “She ain’t got shit to do with this, man! Get the fuck off her!”

Messari came out of the room, and he stood, eyes wide, staring at the chaos as the officers turned to him, guns drawn.

“Get that gun off my son! I’ll fucking murder you, man! Don’t fucking touch my kid!” Messiah shouted.