“Better be,” he groaned, his pace becoming frantic, almost desperate. He was losing himself in the feel of her, the tight, wet heat that was his and his alone. “Missed this shit so much. You don't even know, bae. Fuck…” His movements grew erratic, his control slipping as the months of longing came rushing to the surface. With a final, powerful thrust and a guttural roar, he collapsed against her, his body shuddering as he poured himself into her.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was their ragged breathing. Juelz lay heavy on top of her, his face buried in the crook of her neck, a contented sigh escaping his lips. He started to press soft, lazy kisses against her skin.
But Tasha wasn't having it. She shoved at his chest, her voice sharp and laced with disbelief. “Un-uh, nigga. I know you fuckin’ lying to me.” She shoved him again. “I know you didn’t.”
Juelz lifted his head, his expression dazed and blissfully unaware. “Whatchu ‘talmbout? I’m stuck girl.”
Tasha pushed him harder this time, shoving him off her. “Damn, you strong, girl.”
She sat up, resting on her elbows, giving him the evil eye. “Juelz, getcha ass up. I didn't cum. We gotta go again. Un-uh! C’mon now.”
A look of shocked comprehension crossed Juelz's face, followed by a wave of pure embarrassment. He stared at her, his mouth slightly open. “Tash?” he said, his voice barely a whisper. He ran a hand over his face, looking genuinely stunned. “Damn... aight, my fault, damn. I guess... I guess I just got too happy to be back in that shit.” He looked at her, frowning. “You know I ain’t never had a problem lastin’ in that pussy. Don’t act!”
Tasha couldn't help it. A small smirk played on her lips, but she wasn't letting him off the hook that easy. “Yeah, whateva,” she said, her tone softening slightly. “C’mon you gotta job to finish. And you ain't stoppin’ 'til I get mine.”
Juelz's grin widened, the challenge in her eyes reigniting the fire in his veins. He propped himself up on his elbows. “Oh, shit, it's like that?” he growled, his voice dropping back to that low, predatory tone. “Aight. Bet.”
He moved with a newfound purpose, flipping her over onto her stomach in one smooth motion. He grabbed her hips, pulling her up onto her knees. “Round two, spread them muthafuckin’ cheeks, girl,” he whispered against her ear, his hands roaming over her ass. “This time, I'ma make sure ya ass need physical therapy. Don’t run now.”
And as he entered her again, he was making her toes curl, Tasha knew he wasn't just talking shit. He was about to put a hurting on that pussy.
The first palerays of the morning sun crept through the blinds, painting stripes across the room. Tasha’s eyes fluttered open. Juelz was asleep beside her, his breathing deep and even, his face relaxed in a way she hadn't seen in what felt like forever. He looked like the Juelz she had fallen in love with.
The Juelz that made her heart melt on contact. But a different feeling was stirring in her stomach, Something she couldn’t really name. It was as if a ball of nerves was reminding Tasha that peace was fragile and chaos was always just around the corner. She loved him, yes, but trust was something that he had to earn back from her. Waking up in his arms felt like too much, too soon. It felt like surrender, and she wasn't ready to surrender completely.
Carefully, she slipped out from under his arm, her movements silent. She gathered her clothes from the floor, dressing quickly in the dim light as she kept looking back to see if Juelz was still asleep. She found a pen and a stray piece of mail on his nightstand. She hesitated for a moment, then wrote:
Last night was beautiful. I needed it so fuckin’ bad. More than you know. But I need time. I don’t think I can I do this just yet.
She placed the note on the pillow where her head had been, a soft goodbye for when he woke. With one last look at the man who held her heart in his hands, she walked out of the room, out of the house, and into the early morning, leaving Juelz asleep, as she headed for the Uber.
Juelz had awakened, finally. He stretched his arm out, searching for Tasha, but she wasn’t there. He sat up, the sheets pooling around his waist, his eyes scanned the room. The bathroom door was open, and the room was empty. He took a deep breath, calling out her name, but got no answer. He looked at the spot that she once occupied and immediately saw the note on the pillow. He picked it up, rubbing his head back and forth. As he read the words, his stomach began to drop. He knew he couldn’t let her walk away again. Hell no, not this time. He threw on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, his mind racing as he picked up his cell, hoping to see a missed call or something from her. He had to make her see that this time would be better.
He scrolled to her saved name in his phone and pressed call. It rang twice before she picked up, her voice low and hesitant. “Hello?’
“Tasha,” he said, his own voice rough with emotion. “Why’d you dip out like that?”
He heard a soft sigh on the other end. “Jue, I… I need some time to think. Last night was great, but it shouldn’t have happened.”
Juelz was in the bathroom, brushing his teeth now, as he looked in the oversize mirror. “Time?” he repeated, spitting into the sink. “I thought we was good, Tash. I thought we was gonna work it out, T.”
“We still can work it out, Jue,” she said quickly. “I mean, ion want you to think that you can just cheat on me and I’m just gonna let that shit slide. I need time, man.”
“Where you at?” he asked, his voice shifting from hurt to urgency as he put on a fresh pair of white lows. He knew he had to see her face-to-face so that he could really try to win her back. Tasha wasn’t your typical chick. She would move on to the next guy quickly, but Juelz was somehow pulling her heartstrings. It was like a strong-ass magnet was pulling them back to each other, and she was fighting like hell against it and failing. Terribly.
“Juelz, I have somethin’ I need to take care of today. I’ll talk to you later.” She ended the call before he could respond.
Tiffany came into her room with a look on her face that said,bitch why are you lying.“Tasha?” she called out to her as she sat on the bed next to her. “Was that Juelz?”
Tasha blew out a breath, throwing her head back against her pillow. “Yeah! Last night was everythin’ I needed and more. I feel like I’m betraying myself if I get back with Juelz, but I, for the life of me, can’t get his cheatin’ ass outta my system.” She took the pillow from behind her head and let out a loud scream into it. “Gawdddd. Why do love have to be so fuckin’ complicated?”
“Girl, give me this pillow.” Tiffany snatched the pillow from her arms. “Hear me out, okay. I understand why Juelz did what he did.”
“Tiff—”
“No! lemme finish.” Tiffany stood up and leaned on the dresser. “You worked your ass off for your nursing license, and for him to want to protect them by any means?” She shook her head. “Says a lot.”
Tasha was near tears. She understood where Tiffany was coming from. Juelz would never do anything to hurt Tasha. He would go to the moon and back for her if he could.
