Page 58 of Juke
15
Juke
The buzz of my phone dragged me out of my sleep. Sophi was still tucked against me with her face pressed into my chest, breathing slow like last night hadn’t wrecked her nerves. I reached for the phone on the nightstand and answered before it woke her.
“Yo…” My voice dragged.
“You straight?” MJ’s tone was laced with concern. “What about Soph?”
I glanced down at her, still curled into me. “She’s good. Knocked out finally. I’m good too.”
“Bet,” he said. “I been thinking about that shit all night. Nigga really bold as fuck to show his face. Buck’s checking into who helped him slide in, but you already know—it’s only a matter of time.”
“Yeah, it’s only a matter of time,” I said coldly. “The next time I see him gone be the last time anybody sees him.”
“That’s all I needed to know. You meeting with Buck?”
“Yeah. With all the shit that went on last night, I forgot to get my payout.”
“Aight. I’ll pull up. I’ll call Deion to make sure he’s there too. We need to line this shit up right.”
“Cool,” I told him. “But listen… Sophi don’t need to see none of that shit. I’ma keep her calm. She’s already carrying ’round too much.”
“Yeah, I saw,” MJ said, quieter. “Shit was rough to watch. You holding it down, though.”
“Ain’t no other options,” I declared.
We hung up, and I tossed the phone back down. Sophi stirred against me, her lashes fluttering before her voice broke through soft and sleepy. “Good morning.”
I kissed her forehead. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“What time is it?” She yawned.
“Little after nine.”
She hummed, curling back into me for a second before I slid out the bed and went to the bathroom. By the time I came back, the bed was empty.
My chest pulled tight until I spotted her coming out of the guest bathroom down the hall. “What you doing in there?” I frowned.
“I didn’t wanna intrude.” She shrugged.
That made me smirk. “Intrude? You mean to tell me after the many times I done broke your walls down, you’re worried about coming in the bathroom while I’m in there?”
“You play too much.” She blushed as she slapped my chest.
“Yeah, but you love it,” I muttered, tugging her close anyway.
I tugged her into my chest, lips grazing her neck. “Matter fact, c’mon…let’s lay back down for a minute.”
She giggled soft, pressing her palms to my chest. “Rashad, it’s already after nine. We can’t just lie around all day.”
“Why not?” I smirked, sliding my hands down to her hips, squeezing. “Ain’t shit more important than you stretched out under me right now.”
“You’re nasty,” she giggled.
“You like that nasty shit, though.” I nipped at her bottom lip.
She rolled her eyes but the way she melted into me said otherwise. My hands slipped under her shirt as I gripped her waist. I was just about to push it higher when she wiggled away.
