Page 24 of Juke (DeLuca Brothers #4)

Juke

later that night…

Walking into my condo after I left the gym felt different now.

Before it was just silence waiting for me.

Now, it was her. The second I saw Sophi moving around in the kitchen, that pull hit me again.

I came up behind her, sliding my hands around her waist before I let my lips press against her neck.

“Missed you today,” I murmured, kissing along her neck.

“You haven’t been gone as long as you usually are.” She turned in my arms and smiled.

“Don’t matter… I still missed you.” My hands roamed, tugging her closer.

“How was your day?” she asked, her voice soft, like she was really interested in every detail.

I kissed the corner of her mouth, then her jaw, then her lips again, slow but hungry. “I’ll tell you… after you take a shower with me.” I smirked.

Before she could answer, I scooped her up.

She gasped, wrapping her arms around my neck as I carried her straight to the bedroom and into the bathroom.

I set her down, stripped us both fast as hell, then pulled her under the hot stream with me.

The water hit my shoulders, rolling down my chest as I pressed her back against the tile.

My mouth crashed onto hers as my hands gripped her thighs, spreading her open, lifting her like she weighed nothing.

She moaned into my mouth as I slid inside, burying myself deep in one stroke.

“Damn, baby,” I groaned with my forehead pressed to hers. The water pounded around us, but her sounds were all I heard.

I set a rough, yet steady rhythm, driving into her with the water slicking our bodies together. She clung to me as her nails dug into my back and her head falling back against the tile.

“Rashad… oh my God—”

“Mhm… take this shit,” I growled, fucking her harder. “This what you wanted, right? Wanted me to show you how much I missed you?”

Her answer was a broken cry as her body quaked with the orgasm that was ripping through her body. I held her through it, pounding deeper and talking her through every wave.

“Don’t fight it… let that shit go, mama. There you go, shorty… that’s my Lovie.”

Her orgasm ripped through her, and the way she screamed my name bounced off the walls, drowning under the shower spray. I didn’t slow down… hell, I couldn’t. I fucked her right through it, pushing her over the edge once again.

Her body trembled, legs shaking in my grip, while tears ran down her cheeks. “Rashad… I can’t…”

“Yes, you can,” I rasped against her neck. “One more for me. Give me one more, mama.”

That did it. At my command, she rained down on my dick again, crying out, as she dug her nails into my back.

That was all it took. I slammed her against me, kissing her hard, swallowing her moans as I emptied all my seeds into her. Every thrust slowed until I was just holding her there, still buried deep inside, kissing her like I couldn’t get enough.

“I missed you, too,” she countered.

The water rained down over us, but in that moment…

she was all I felt. By the time we finally shut the water off, steam filled the entire bathroom, clinging to the mirrors and our skin.

I wrapped her in a towel first, then one around my waist before carrying her out to the bedroom.

We fell onto the bed together, skin still damp, breaths still uneven, but the intensity had shifted. It was more peaceful.

I brushed her hair back off her face before I kissed her slow. “I would’ve gladly missed going in today if this is what I had to occupy me all day.” I smirked.

She laughed against my lips and shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but you love that shit.” I smirked, finally leaning back on the pillows. “So… tell me about your day. How was lunch with the girls?”

Her face lit up a little, but I caught the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It was nice. Just… catching up, you know?”

I narrowed my eyes slightly, watching her like I watched a fighter in the ring. “That all? You sure?”

“Yeah. Just lunch.” She nodded too quick for my liking.

I didn’t buy it… not for a second. I could see the shift in her. The way her voice dipped like she was holding something back, but I didn’t press the issue. Instead, I reached over, laced my fingers with hers. “Aight. If you say you good, I’ll take your word, but remember I got you… always.”

“I know,” she responded, as her hand squeezed mine.

We lay there, talking about nothing in particular.

I told her about my day at the gym, and about MJ clowning one of the new kids who thought he could skip footwork drills.

She laughed at that, but even while we talked, I kept studying her.

I didn’t miss much, and whatever she was keeping to herself…

I’d find out soon enough, but for now, I just pulled her closer and let the silence wrap around us again.

***

a few days later…

The gym was loud with the sound of fists hitting bags and sneakers sliding across the mats. I was working with one of the older boys, correcting his stance, when MJ’s voice cut across the noise.

“The fuck you doing here?”

I glanced up and saw Nessa strutting through my space like she had a right to be here. My jaw tightened instantly.

She ignored MJ and made a straight line to me. “I need to talk to you.”

I stepped back from the kid I was working with, pulling my gloves off slow. “What the fuck we gotta talk about?” I griped.

“It’s about my brother,” she blurted. “And Rio.”

That caught me by surprise. I flicked my eyes at MJ, then jerked my head toward the office. “Come on.”

We walked off the floor with MJ trailing close behind. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, leaning against the desk.

Nessa stopped at the threshold and glanced at MJ. “I wanted to talk to you in private.”

“Nah… say what you gotta say right here, or you can get the fuck out,” MJ sneered.

Her lips curved into a smirk as she eyed me. “What… you’on trust yourself around me?”

My eyes narrowed. “Bi―you know what? Get the fuck out.”

“Okay… okay. I’m sorry.” She lifted her hands like she was surrendering. “This ain’t about me and you. This is serious.”

I said nothing.

She took a breath before she finally spilled it. “Boom and Rio linked up. Rio approached him a while back at the mall. He said he was gonna take you out to get Sophi back. That’s what he wants. That’s all he talks about.”

I stayed quiet for a beat, taking the time to process her words. It seemed like she was leaving some shit out because how would Rio know to hook with Boom with this shit?

“What did he say exactly?” My voice was calm, but there was nothing calm about me at that moment.

Nessa swallowed. “That he’s gonna take you out. He said that’s the only way he can get Sophi back. I don’t know how serious he is, but…”

“This nigga bold as hell,” MJ voiced.

“That nigga ’bout to be dead as hell.” I leaned forward off the desk; eyes locked on her.

“The fuck you telling me this shit now for? I’m pretty sure you’ve gotten something out of this shit, even if it is dick.

Why the sudden change of heart?” I folded my arms across my chest and waited for her to answer.

“I didn’t know what else to do, Juke. You think I trust Boom or Rio? Hell no, but I ain’t trying to get caught in the middle of whatever this is. You needed to know.”

I dragged my hand down my face, exhaling slow. The fury in me was steady, reckless, and deliberate.

“Good,” I countered. “Now I know, and that means he just signed his fuckin’ death certificate.”

MJ leaned against the wall, arms folded. “So what’s the play?”

I cut my eyes at him, then back at Nessa. “The play is simple. I’m killing that nigga. I promised Sophi that he wasn’t gone get close to her again, and I meant that shit.”

I stepped closer to Nessa, barely leaving any space between us. “You did the right thing coming here, but don’t get it twisted… if I find out that you were on any plans to harm Sophi, I’ll forget how good you suck dick and kill you myself.”

Her lips parted like she wanted to argue but knew better. She just nodded.

“Get out.”

She hesitated, then left quick, shutting the door behind her.

I turned to MJ, my chest still tight. “Call Deion. Tell him to track Nessa’s phone so we can find out where this nigga is so I can get this shit over with.”

“Already on it,” he responded.

I dropped back into the chair, resting my elbows on my knees. My chest burned, not from the workout earlier, but from the fire settling deeper every second. Rio thought he was hunting me, but he had no idea the type of monster I could be.