She didn’t know how long she’d been upstairs, but by the time she stepped out of her shower into her steam-filled bathroom, her head was slightly clearer. Since waking up, she’d felt so out of it. Stepping over to her sink, she brushed, flossed, and rinsed her mouth before doing a quick facial cleanse and swiping some toner over her skin. As she stood there with hertowel wrapped around her moisturizing, there was a tap at her bedroom door.
Inari grabbed her silk robe off the back of her door and slipped it around her naked frame. Barefoot, she padded out of her private bathroom to answer. Moose stood on the other side with a tray of food. He’d prepared an omelet with fresh sliced fruit on the side in a bowl along with a cup of coffee and orange juice. With everything arranged neatly, he stepped past her into her bedroom.
“You didn’t have to do all this.” She watched him carry the tray to her dresser and set it on top.
“You need to eat. How you feeling after that shower?”
“Like a whole new person.” She picked up a couple slices of strawberry and popped them into her mouth. “So… Tulla.” She lifted her gaze to meet his as he surveyed her room.
The earth tones gave it a bright aura as the sun poked through her sheer curtains. Moose paused at her bed with the tan, brown, and white comforter set and matching pillows, and perched himself on the edge.
“What about her?”
“Seems like there was something there.” Inari half shrugged and turned, pressing her back against her dresser.
Moose’s perceptive stare roamed her curves, lingering on her thighs where the robe had opened, showing off her soft skin. Before he spoke, his eyes bore into hers.
“There was something there. It was a long time ago, and I was young as fuck.” Scoffing, he shook his head as he recalled how all the shit unraveled with her.
Things were hot and heavy for a minute there, and he couldn’t lie and say that he wasn’t developing some real feelings for Tulla the more time he spent with her. Finding out she was the fucking law shifted his whole perspective on them in the long run.
“Something like what? A relationship, a few hit and miss moments? What we talking about here, Moose?” Inari pried.
She hated that this bothered her so much, but it wasn’t just about Tulla. Her feelings for Moose had swooped in strong and hard. The idea of him with any woman, let alone a viper like Tulla, had her ready to claw somebody’s fucking eyes out. That type of possessive feeling scared the shit out of her.
“It was a fling. It didn’t last long. A few months. Nothing serious. When I found out who she was and what she did… shit was a wrap.”
Inari grabbed her fork and cut into her omelet. She was starving. Knowing that Moose had a past with a woman she loathed on a level that only existed for a bitch like Tulla, she couldn’t deny the red flag. She didn’t believe that friend of my enemy is my friend shit. It was more birds of a feather flock together where she came from. Moose didn’t explain himself to people. He’d never been in a position where he felt the need to. Things with Inari were different. He liked being able to share things with her. She related in a way other women never had.
“Okay.” After swallowing her first bite, Inari sighed.
She was impressed that his cooking skills were decent too. Pulling out a nearby drawer, she searched for something comfy to change into before getting in bed.
“How do you know her?” Moose’s question stiffened Inari’s spine, and her back remained to him.
She sifted through her clothes until she came across her favorite silk camisole and short set.
“Just a pain in my ass from back in the day,” she answered in a low tone, slowly closing her drawer.
Moose kicked off his shoes and eased into the mountain of pillows piled on her California King poster bed. He snatched her remote to the mounted TV and clicked it on.
“Let me check out your Netflix playlist and see what you on.” He tapped the button on her remote and propped a hand behind his head. “Oh, Dane said he was heading out. Going to meet some of the homies to shoot some hoops at the park.”
Inari slipped back into the bathroom to get dressed and tie her hair down with her silk bonnet before reemerging into her bedroom. Moose had selected the showGood Girls. Grabbing the rest of her omelet, she joined him in bed with her legs crossed Indian style.
“What you know about this show?” she asked, leaning into the pillow and forking another bite to bring to her mouth.
“These bitches wild. I be tuned in, trying to see how they gon’ get out of some crazy shit.”
Inari ate and brushed her teeth again before climbing in bed.
“You mind if I roll up and take a shower? I been on go since last night.” Moose sat up and removed the t-shirt from his head.
“Please do.” Inari grabbed her phone and rested her head against her pillows. “If you check the closet in there, you might find a few old sweats that are far too big for me. I wore them when I was pregnant with Dane and never got rid of them.”
“Good looking.” Moose disappeared into the bathroom.
Inari decided to text her sister to check in. The minute she hit Ayla, her phone went off with a FaceTime notification.
