Chapter 29 #2
Jelani hummed thoughtfully. “I don’t think he’s mad. Money… he’s just got his own way of dealing with shit. Coming up here was no small play—it puts us at risk in a lot of ways.”
“I didn’t ask him to come,” I retorted.
“Oh, so he should’ve just left you with your weirdo ex?” Jelani asked, pulling a bottle of water from the fridge.
“No…” I trailed off.
“Exactly. The nigga is just in his head right now. Trust me, he loves you.”
“I—what?” I stammered.
He rolled his eyes. “You heard me. That man loves you, even if he hasn’t admitted it to himself or you.”
“Jasmine!” Cash’s deep baritone voice called from the top of the stairs.
Jelani gave me a knowing smile. “Told you.” He winked and headed down the hall to his room.
He loves you.
If he did, why was Cash acting all weird and distant? It didn’t make sense.
Cash was waiting for me at the top of the stairs.
I couldn’t help but notice how, despite being bruised up, Cash was still so fucking sexy.
My eyes trailed over his shirtless frame and down to the black basketball shorts that sat low on his hips.
Even now, I couldn’t stop my body from reacting to him.
He’d gone ahead and bandaged the cut above his eyebrow, and the swelling on his lip had gone down.
I followed him into the bedroom, feeling all over the place. My body ached, my head was still reeling from everything that had gone down tonight, and on top of that, I wanted Cash, real bad.
He motioned for me to sit on the bed.
“Jelani was just—”
“I want you to stay in Atlanta.”
“What?”
“With me,” he said slowly. “I don’t want you to move back to New York.”
I reared back. “You—what? Cash, where’s this coming from?”
His brows knitted together while he rubbed his jaw like he was still working out what he wanted to say.
“When Marcus took you…” He trailed off. “That shit fucked me, Jas. Real talk. It felt like all the air was sucked out of the room. I kept thinking—what if I never saw you again? What if that was the last time I heard your voice?”
My chest tightened.
He paused. His gaze fixed on the floor before he looked up at me.
“You know I’m not the type of man to be on some wax poetic shit. That ain’t never been me. I speak plainly, and my actions back up what I say. But you need to know… I’m always thinking ‘bout you—and now anytime I think of the future, it includes you. Shit don’t feel right unless you’re around.”
He exhaled sharply. “Then that nigga had the nerve to throw shit in my face—talkin’ ‘bout you regretted meeting me. And maybe after all this, you do. Maybe you wanna walk away from all this. From me.” His voice dropped. “But I don’t wanna lose you, Jasmine.”
The air between us felt heavy. It was like everything over the past few days had stripped away his armor and cockiness, leaving nothing but his truth.
There was one more thing I needed to tell him. My heart twisted, not knowing how he’d take it.
“There’s something you need to know,” I said softly. “Marcus… he made videos of us. I didn’t know he was recording—”
“I know.”
I blinked. “How?”
“Fontaine found them when he hacked the cloud,” he said calmly. “He deleted them and made sure there’s nothing floating around.”
My shoulders sagged in relief. “I was gonna tell you,” I whispered.
“I know,” he said. “But I handled it. I told you—I got you, baby.”
I scooted off the bed, ignoring the ache in my muscles as I moved to him. I needed him to feel what I couldn’t say.
My fingertips brushed the bandage on his forehead. I trailed my hand down his jawline and through his beard. Rising on my toes, I hesitated just for a second before pressing my lips to his.
He let out a low growl as his tongue slipped into my mouth. His hands gripped my waist and pulled me close like he needed to remember how I felt against him. I tried to hold back, mindful of his injuries, but he just pulled me closer with a strained grunt, bruised ribs and all.
“Fuck, I missed you,” he murmured against my mouth.
My hand slid into his shorts, and he cursed under his breath as my fingers wrapped around his dick.
“Jasmine,” he groaned, resting his forehead against mine while I stroked him. My pussy thumped at the neediness in his voice. I wanted him inside me so bad, but I wanted to watch him fall apart first.
I tugged his shorts down as I dropped to my knees—my eyes locked on him the whole time. I licked my lips and started stroking him again, watching pre-cum glisten at the tip.
“Such a pretty dick,” I murmured, running my tongue along the base. Cash’s chest heaved as he watched me, his hands flexing at his sides as he fought to keep it together.
I started slow, gliding my hands over his length before taking him into my mouth.
“Shit, Jas,” he hissed. His hands found my head, tangling in my hair as he pushed his hips forward.
I moaned softly around him, and hollowed out my cheeks to take him deeper.
His breathing turned ragged as I pulled back to swirl my tongue around the tip, then slid down again, taking him even deeper.
”Fuck,” he grunted, his voice strained.
I gagged when he hit the back of my throat, but I didn’t stop. Spit pooled at the corners of my lips and dripped down my chin. His grip in my hair tightened as he guided my pace with slow, deep strokes. My eyes watered, and I braced myself against his thighs.
“Baby, look at me,” he said.
I blinked up at him through wet lashes. Sweat glistened on his chest. His lips parted as he watched me.
“Do you know how perfect you look right now?” he growled. “So fuckin’ pretty with my dick in your mouth.”
His words made my thighs clench, my pussy throbbing as I fought the urge to reach between my legs. I shoved his hands off and took control, using my hands and mouth until he couldn’t take it.
“Shit… don’t stop,” he choked out, his body tensing as I bobbed faster.
“Fuck!” he grunted, holding me still as he spilled into my mouth. I swallowed every drop, licking him clean until he twitched and pushed my head back with a shaky hand.
I wiped my chin and stood, pride blooming in my chest as he leaned back against the dresser, breathless.
A small smirk tugged at my lips. “You alright?” I asked.
Cash let out a breathless laugh. “More than good now.”
I giggled as he pulled me into a hug and held me there for a second before we headed into the bathroom. We brushed our teeth, moving in an easy silence, the weight of the night creeping back in as I crawled into bed.
Cash groaned slightly as he lowered himself beside me.
“You need a painkiller?” I asked him, ready to jump into nurse mode.
He waved me off. “This ain’t the first time I been roughed up,” he muttered. “Just lay with me.”
I slid under the covers, cuddling up against him as he draped an arm over me, his fingers brushing softly against my arm.
“Goodnight, Cash,” I muttered, my eyelids growing heavier.
He kissed my forehead. “Night, shorty,” he replied.
Just as I began to drift off, he shifted, his voice a low whisper.
“I love you.”
The words hung in the air as I finally slipped into the deepest sleep I’d had in days.