“This don’t work unless you trust me.” East’s eyes bored into her, causing Joi to feel even worse.
“I know.”
Laughing arrogantly, East’s eyes adopted another level of intensity as he stared, battling to stay trained on her eyes and not venture to the dark bruises circling her neck.
“Do you?”
“Yes, I do.”
“But you didn’t take your ass home like I asked you to because you didn’t trust me, and look what happened because of that?”
“I’m not perfect, East. I’m allowed to doubt. What you said didn’t add up and?—"
“You didn’t fucking trust me.” His voice raised enough to cause Joi a bit of discomfort. He was angry but had good right to be. When East sensed the reaction from his response, he swiped his hand down his face and regrouped. “You didn’t trust me, Joi, and look what the fuck happened.” His eyes moved to her neck first which was the worst to the bruise on her forehead. Both causing his temper to flare.
“So why were you there and who was that woman?”
“Not somebody I’m dealing with and not something I want to discuss with you.”
“You work for Cabo. I’ve known him for years. I know what he does. Is that what you do? Is that why that detective was trying so hard to arrest you? Maybe it’s not my fault.”
East chuckled under his breath. “It is your fucking fault. Maybe not the fact that he’s coming for me but him being in my damn shop and putting me in handcuffs? That shit was your fault.”
“Okay, so what now?” Joi was annoyed but only because she didn’t know how to make things right. East ran through a few possibilities in his mind, the one that kept recurring was for him to walk away and not look back, but that seemed the hardest to do. When it took too long for him to answer, Joi stood and was about to walk away, but East caught her at the waist.
“Right now…” He paused and pushed out a hot breath. “I need to get a few hours’ sleep. I have shit to do at the shop tomorrow but none of it is gonna get done if I don’t take my ass to sleep.”
“Yeah, I need to get some sleep too.”
Knowing Joi likely assumed he was leaving, he decided to let her out of her misery. “Yeah you do, so come on, and this cheap ass bed better hold me up too.”
A smile spread across Joi's face at the same time her body relaxed.He’s not leaving.
“My bed is not cheap.”
East took off his shoes one by one before standing and allowing his jeans to be the next thing to go. Joi watched, admiring every inch of his skin as it was exposed by him removing each piece of clothing until he was down to just his boxers.
“What time is your first appointment?”
Joi ran through them in her mind, remembering she only had one, which wasn’t until later in the day.
“Five.”
“Aight bet. Turn your phone off and come on.”
East didn’t have the luxury of turning his off, but he did place it on silent before he eased his body into her bed. It was only full-sized, so it was small in comparison to his body. Joi moved in right after him leaving space until East pulled her against his chest covering them both with her sheets, pushing the cover down toward their waists.
After they were settled, with Joi enjoying the feel of their connected bodies, she shut her eyes, speaking at the same time.
“I’m sorry,” pausing briefly she continued, “for not trusting you enough to listen.”
East’s eyes were already closed when he responded. “Me too, shawty.”
His apology was for what happened. Even if he didn’t have a hand in it, the fact that her ex had gotten to her made East feel like he’d dropped the ball. It was going to be handled.Soon!
After burying his face against the back of her neck, East let the thought go and allowed his mind to settle. With all the shit moving through his mind, it was the only way he would be able to rest. The moment he gave into it, he was slipping away in a matter of seconds. Everything else would have to wait, right now he was shutting down.
19
