Page 61 of Truce Of The Matter

“Not anytime soon though,” he says and that’s a beginning.

I’ll take it.

“That’s a start.”

His shoulders relax and the lines in his forehead soften too. He eases off the wall and straightens his back. With his large hands bracing my back, he lifts up slightly then inches us back to the steps. He sits on the second one, lifting us from total immersion in the hot water, and my straddling legs drop to his sides. Only my legs and ass are in the water and my top half immediately feels the change in temperature. I shiver a little.

“I’m about to heat you up,” he mumbles into the side of my neck before planting pillowy kisses on it.

Each soft kiss sends a chill down my spine and to my clit. His hand follows the chill and while his lips move to mine, his thumb grazes my clit. His promise to heat me up is fulfilled as my entire body warms from his kisses and touch.

Two fingers breach my waiting opening and he goes to work. While making love to my mouth with his tongue, he finger-fucks me to a slow, rolling orgasm that vibrates from my core down to my toes. As I try desperately to recover the breath he so thoroughly stole, he lifts my body and eases me down on his hard dick.

“Shit!” we hiss in unison.

Then, my lips cover his as I ride Rex through two more orgasms. When we are both satisfied beyond measure, he takes his time washing my body and I return the favor then he carries me to his huge, comfortable bed. After he pulls my body onto his and wraps his strong arms around me, I drift off to sleep.

The feel of his large, warm body shifting in the bed causes me to awake from my sleep. My eyes squint open to see him blindly maneuvering with closed eyes. His long arm reaches over to his bedside and his hand fumbles for a remote. When he presses it, the slight streaks of light through the blinds start to fade as a darkening shade descends.

With my hand caressing his rippled chest, I ask, “Can one of those buttons disarm your alarm?”

“Why?”

“I need to get something out of my car.”

“I got it,” he utters.

“No. Your eyes aren’t even open. Stay and sleep some more ’cause it’s still early; I’m just used to getting up.”

He presses something else on the remote, eyes still closed, then utters, “It’s off. Get what you need from your ride; don’t leave though.”

“I’m not. Just go back to sleep, baby. I’ll still be here when you wake up.”

I plant a kiss on his chest then ease out of his bed. After pulling the duvet over his chest, I walk over to his armoire and rummage through it. I find a hoodie and a pair of basketball shorts. His clothes swallow my frame but I make it work by pushing the sleeves of the hoodie up and rolling the band of the shorts. It’ll do because I have no plans of going out of the house; I feel like cooking.

Before walking out of his room, I glance back and see that he’s fast asleep. So, I close his door lightly then creep down the hall. I peep in on Aryel and she’s asleep too, on her back, arms stretched out, just like her daddy. A smile emerges at the sight.

I make my way downstairs to his dream kitchen. From the extra-large island, Subzero, glass door fridge, and to-die-for dual fuel range, gas cooktop, and electric oven stove, I can live in this kitchen and after last night, Rex earned a home cooked meal. I want to feed him.

There’s a Keurig machine and a few breakfast blend pods so I can enjoy a cup of coffee. After washing my hands, I grab one of the disposable coffee cups by the machine and start my coffee. As it brews, I raid his fridge, pantry, and cabinets. I locate the sugar and milk for my cup but not much for my meal. So as Isip on my coffee, I place an express delivery order on Munchies from The Marketplace. The ingredients for my grilled chicken, eggs, and pancakes breakfast will be here in an hour.

While I wait, I amble to the great room, grab my cell from my tote, and return to the kitchen. My dad is heavy on my mind because I haven’t seen him in over two weeks. We barely talk on the phone and every time I suggest visiting the house, he’s heading to the church. I know it’s his sanctuary and comfort so I don’t trip about that but I would like to lay my eyes on him and see that he’s doing okay. Just like me, he’s an early riser so I know he’s awake.

“Hello,” he answers.

“Good morning, Daddy.”

“Hey, sweetie. What are you doing up?”

“You know I get up early, even on the weekends I don’t open. I get that from you. You heading to Sunday School this morning?”

“Yeah and morning service afterwards. Now that Daija,” he says then stops. Before I can ask if anything is wrong, he continues, “I would love for you to join me for service. Things are different now.”

“I still won’t go there, Daddy. Besides, I go to church, just online. God knows my heart and he knows that I can’t sit up in that church,” I say and he sighs.

Not only did the reverend and the first lady agree with my mom about me not keeping Daija, they went a step further and forbade Tre from acknowledging me when I returned from Florida. I was a condemned sinner while their son was exonerated for our so-called transgression. They were hypocrites and I refused to worship with them in their church. Daija now knowing that she’s my child doesn’t change my mind either.

“Well maybe one day,” he says, hopeful but it’s a waste of hope.

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