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will not. I arrived on time for service, like you should have.”
    “ Well, I’ve never…”
    “ Well, you just did.” I turned back around in time to see Malik strutting into the pulpit, followed by Xavier, and two other ministers. It was only because I’d lost my focus that she was able to squeeze her fat ass beside me.
    But right now, I didn ’t have time for his wife. I kept my eyes on Malik as he faced his seat on the altar, then, knelt down. When he bowed his head in prayer, my heart lurched, my nipples tingled, and my mouth watered. Just seeing him brought back the memory of last night when he’d kissed my cheek and sent a message to that spot between my legs. I watched him until he stood, and then, turned to face his people, and just seeing him standing there with all of that Godly power took my breath away.
    That man was too fine for words. His rich, dark chocolate skin was so smooth, I wanted to reach out and caress him from my seat. In all his glory, Malik stood six-feet, two inches, just a few inches taller than my daddy.
    Today, he wore a black robe with gold piping straight down the center. The sleeves were puffed and gold piping circled each one. He was wearing a gold linked bracelet and of course, his rock star smile.
    Malik picked up his Bible and with his long, dark fingers, he flipped through the pages. I pretended the simple gold band on his left hand was platinum. Wi th me, he would only wear the best. With her, I assumed it didn’t matter.
    My eyes stayed on his fingers and I imagined where he would touch me first. Would it be my face, or maybe my hips? Would his fingers start at my neck and travel the length of my bod y until he came in contact with the purest part of me––the special place I’d reserved just for him?
    “ Mmmm.” The thought of how he would take me caused me to moan out loud. I hadn’t meant to do that, but really, I didn’t care.
    “ Humph.”
    I didn ’t care about that either. Malik’s soon-to-be-ex could make all the disgusting sounds she wanted.
    “ Saints, turn with me in the Bible to John 3:16.”
    As he read, I watched his lips move and the way his chest rose and fell when he spoke about Jesus the Chris t. I could feel Malik’s love for God all the way in my seat. That was just one of the reasons why I already loved him. His love for God showed me how he would love me.
    Then my daydream skidded to a halt.
    “Good morning, Saints.”
    I folded my arms as Xavier stood at the pulpit. “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. God is good all the time.” Of course Grace Tabernacle responded with a big, “and all the time, God is good.” And then X went on, “Here at Grace we would like to extend to our visitors a warm and welcoming hello, so if you’re here for the first time, please stand.”
    I twisted around just a bit so that I could see the thirty or so people who stood. As was the custom at our church, those sitting closest to the visitors gr eeted them.
    Xavier said, “ We want to thank you for visiting us today and if by chance you’re seeking a church home, our doors and our hearts are always open.”
    The whole time he spoke to the congregation, X ’s eyes kept coming back to mine and each time, he wore his usual, what I called gangster smirk. Actually, he looked like he was about to burst out laughing—at me. I had no idea what he found so funny. Was it because I’d smacked him? Or did he find humor seeing me sitting next to Sister Stroman?
    Whateve r it was, I glared back at him, still upset that he’d called me a fool. Of course I’d expected him to be upset, but resorting to calling me names? That was so uncalled for and so unbecoming of the man of God that he was supposed to be.
    As Xavier moved from greeting the visitors to making the church announcements, my anger began to fade. The more I thought about just how hard this had to be for Xavier. It had to be hard for him to give me up, just like it was