When You're Ready by Britni Danielle Page A

the White boy could fight. I knew I had to prove myself so I spent most of my early teens getting into brawls until my reputation preceded me and people started to leave me the hell alone.
    Growing up, I was wild and out of control, pissed off at the world and very, very reckless. It’s a wonder I never got locked up or killed, although a few times I came close.
    As we drove toward Nola’s job, I wondered what she would think of my life. Sure, I had a lot of money now, but money couldn’t buy the really important things like the love and affection of The One. I’d only spent a few hours with Nola, but my gut had already told me she might be it, and my instincts rarely led me wrong.
    By the time I pulled up to her job Nola was asleep. I didn’t want to wake her, but she only had a few minutes to get inside before it was time for her shift to begin. I ran my hand over her hair and my breath hitched in my chest. Her hair was soft and smelled like a grove of orange trees. I wanted to tangle my hands in her curls and kiss her all over from her forehead to her neck and finally her lips. But instead, I inhaled her scent and gently woke her up.
    “Nola, baby, we’re here.”
    She startled and blinked to adjust her eyes to the sunlight. “Oh wow… I fell asleep?” Nola stretched her arms over her head and I watched her breasts push against her t-shirt. Her nipples were slightly erect and I had to bite my tongue to resist touching them. “My head was pounding, so I closed my eyes. I didn’t think I’d fall asleep.” Nola ran her hands through her hair, smoothing it into a tight bun that exposed her neck even more and made her look so damn sexy. I wanted to nibble the delicate flesh and run my tongue along her collarbone, kissing my way back down to her nipples.
    “Wow. I’m such a drag, right?” she said, snapping me out of my fantasy. “First I cried like a crazy person then I fell asleep. Worst date ever,” she shook her head. “I mean, this isn’t a date, but if it was, it would have been terrible. But it’s not a date, so—“
    I put a finger to her lips, shushing her. I noticed she had a habit of rambling whenever she got nervous. It was cute, but I didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.
    “Nola, it’s cool. Apparently, you needed to rest. You don’t have to apologize, okay?”
    “Okay,” she said, drawing her top lip between her teeth in a way that made me want to taste her mouth even more. “Thanks for the ride, Scout. I really appreciate it.”
    “No problem.” I couldn’t help but smile. I’d never smiled so much in my life before meeting Nola, now I walked around with a damn grin on my face all the time. She kissed me on my cheek and I had to refrain from grabbing her head and consuming her mouth. My dick pushed against my zipper at the mere thought of plunging inside her. I bet Nola even tasted like oranges.
    She opened the door, and I grabbed her hand, suddenly feeling possessive. “What time do you get off?”
    “Midnight. Why?”
    Midnight. I mentally ran through my schedule for the evening. I had a dinner meeting to attend in Malibu, but it would be done by 11 p.m., which would give me enough time to pick Nola up.
    “How are you getting home?”
    “Scout—“ she said, shaking her head.
    “Hey, just asking,” I shrugged like it was just an innocent question.
    “Oh…okay. Normally I’d ride with Tara, but since I’m taking her shift I’ll have to figure something out.”
    “Okay,” I said, knowing full well I was going to be waiting outside her job at midnight. “Have a great night at work, Nola.”
    She came around to my side of the car and hugged me through the window, pressing her cheek to my chest. My hands went into her mane and I fingered her soft spirals before placing a kiss in her hair. 
    “Thanks, Scout,” she said before turning to leave.
    When Nola walked upstairs, I felt like something precious had been suddenly ripped away from me. At that moment I