DON’T HOLD BACK
DON’T HOLD BACK
Shit!
He damn sure lost track of time. Feeling the warm, soft body against him, he turned and found Lotus’s pretty ass face sleeping peacefully against his chest. Palming her cheek gently, he rested his thumb against her supple lips and took note of her natural beauty.
A knot of emotion formed in his gut before he gently pressed his lips into hers.
The gallery didn’t open until late afternoon, so he didn’t think Alyssa or anyone else would show up before she got her shit together.
Not wanting to wake her, or have some awkward, sober conversation, Eazy quietly put his clothes on while Lotus curled up under her dress.
Every time she breathed, she released a soft snore that he thought was cute as fuck.
He preferred his women with a little attitude; they had to be witty enough to go tit for tat with a man like him.
She was the first woman to hold his attention aside from sex in a long time.
Slipping into his blazer, he sighed. The reality of what happened haunted him.
This wasn’t just some girl. Jewel was his boy at the end of the day.
After losing everyone else, he was the only one he really fucked with in their circle.
Oracle cut everyone off when he got home, especially after learning that Bull married the bitch who set Bronx up.
Taking in a deep breath, he turned to go.
Whatever this was with Lotus, he would have to figure that shit out at another time.
One thing was for sure; she was insatiable.
The kind of hunger that still flowed through his veins.
Soaking in her buttery skin and God given curves, he second guessed leaving her here like this.
He picked up her phone and left his number in her contacts under EZ before setting a timer for her to wake her up.
Within the next half hour, he pulled into his grandparent’s driveway, doing the walk of shame as the sun came up. Essence was already at the kitchen table having coffee in her bathrobe when he stepped inside, looking disheveled. He needed to take a shower and smoke a blunt before he crashed out.
“Where have you been?” She cut her eyes at him and blew into her mug before taking a slow sip of her blonde espresso.
He hung his keys on the hook near the door before closing and locking it behind him.
“Work.”
“Hmm. Yeah, right. I’m sure there’s some bitch with a wet ass somewhere.” Essence pursed her lips.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Bull hit me up. He said he needs to talk to you. Face to face. He sent the address,” she conveyed.
“What I tell you, E—”
“You told me to leave it alone. I didn’t go to him. He hit me up,” she pointed out. “And I think you should talk to him.”
“I’m going to bed.” Shaking his head, Eazy started toward the staircase to go upstairs.
“You’ve fucked up before too, Eazy. Remember that. Ain’t nothing ever black and white.”
He heard her, but he wasn’t about to deal with this right now.
The last four hours with Lotus left him depleted, and he was going to need to sleep that off in his own bed.
After a hot shower, he checked on Taci and Summit and found them both still asleep before he slipped into his bed and crashed.
When he stirred a couple of hours later, the sun damn near blinded him, and he sensed someone moving around his room.
Lifting his arm from over his eyes, he popped his head up and found Taci going through his packed bags and unloading shit.
She was so nosy, but she figured he wasn’t going to do it himself.
“What you doing, old lady?”
“Laundry. I also got some stuff together to take to the cleaners. I’m taking this suit. Smells like sex.”
She wasn’t wrong. Lotus was still on his mind. Just thinking about her woke his dick up.
“I made cheesy grits and shrimp for breakfast.” She was no spring chicken, but she still had some motion as she moved toward the door.
“Bet. Let me get cleaned up.” He checked his phone and saw that the only message he had was from Essence.
She’d sent him Bull’s address. Eazy brushed his teeth, took another shower, and handled the rest of his hygiene for the day before slipping into a Burberry sweater, denim jeans, and navy Timbs.
When he got downstairs, he found another pretty woman moving around the kitchen like she was familiar with it.
Checking the time on his watch, he saw that it was almost noon.
He hadn’t meant to sleep that long. He had a whole other shift to work tonight, and then tomorrow, he had to set up his game plan for his side hustle with Jewel.
“Hello. You must be Ezekiel.” Kissa greeted him with a warm, sweet voice, and a smile leading to her eyes.
Her short, ginger hair was styled in a pixie cut, accenting her slim, angular face.
Her features reminded him of the actress Lela Rochon back in the day.
He noticed the diamond on her wedding finger and that she kept a fresh set of nails.
He guessed she was older but didn’t look a day over thirty-five.
The wisdom in her glimmering eyes told him so.
“I’m Kissa.”
“Yeah, the caretaker, right?” he replied, shaking her hand.
“We pretty much family now.” Kissa waved and grinned, taking in his handsome appearance.
“Taci had me put your food in the microwave. I was just cleaning up since she insists on doing laundry today. Summit already took off, and Essence texted to let me know she would be at work until around six. So, I am going to clean and cook dinner for the next few days.” She dug her cell from her pocket, and her face lit up as she quickly typed a message and slipped it back inside.
“My daughter. She finally decided to respond to my messages. I sent her a grocery order two hours ago. I have been worried about her all night, and she just replies like nothing is wrong. I keep telling her it’s not safe out here, but that girl enjoys walking on the tightrope in life. ”
Eazy went to heat up his food and sat down at the table to eat when he heard a small engine pull into the driveway and shut off. Kissa checked her phone and went to the door. He assumed her daughter had arrived but continued eating since he decided he would check up on Bull.
The world was cold, and damn sure lonely.
It was one thing to cut himself off from his family, but Bull was always someone he could count on.
Not having that the last few years damn sure affected him.
He didn’t trust anyone and held no desire to let anyone else in.
He wished like hell shit could go back to how it was, but the more time they spent apart, the more he wondered if it was even possible.
Lost in his own thoughts, he chewed slowly, then something dragged his attention to the door.
“Ma, I’m grown,” Lotus declared, following Kissa into the house, both toting armfuls of groceries.
Eazy was stuck. There was no fucking way. Slowly, he turned in his chair. Lotus nearly dropped the brown bags in her arms when she saw him sitting there.
“You are still my damn daughter, Lotus. I was worried, okay. This city is full of vultures. You could have at least texted back and said you were okay,” Kissa chastised.
“I was fine.” Lotus’s eyes remained on Eazy.
He swallowed and reached for the glass of orange juice poured for him.
“Well, I didn’t know that,” Kissa argued, getting in her face.
“I was at this art premiere over at the Hellum Gallery. Jewel was there, and so was he.” Lotus aimed her stare at Eazy.
“You know my son?” Surprise lit up Kissa’s eyes, and she turned to Eazy with lifted brows.
“Me and Jewel go way back.”
“Hmm, him and his secrets. He’s always up to something or into something,” Kissa muttered, giving Eazy another once over.
“I’m going to get the rest of the bags from the car.” Lotus peeled her gaze from the man in front of her who suddenly had no words.
“I can help,” he offered, standing with his six-foot frame towering over her.
“Thank you, Ezekiel.” Kissa smiled and removed items from the bag, one by one.
Following her out the door, her hips and plump ass in her wide leg cargo jeans drew his gaze downward as she stomped toward the little Honda Civic parked behind his car.
The trunk was still open, and he saw that there were about four more bags left.
When he stepped up to reach for them, he could feel the hole she lasered in him.
“Small fucking world, I guess,” Lotus addressed the obvious.
Gripping two bags in each hand, he peered down, dick swelling as he recalled all her sex faces when he was inside her.
His tongue swiped across his lips, and Lotus remained with her hands resting on her hips.
She was determined to have an attitude after how he left her, but he was making that shit hard the longer he stared her down.
“I didn’t know ya mama worked here, aight.”
“But you did know Jewel was my brother and left me alone inside your place of employment like some jump off,” she concluded, brows knitting together.
“I set an alarm for you.” Now he felt like shit for doing her like that.
“How courteous.” She narrowed her eyes, gaining a chuckle from him as he shook his head.
“And I left you my number,” Eazy responded. “You Jewel’s sister though, shorty. Now you also my grandparent’s caretaker’s daughter.”
“You know what I’m not? Some needy ass little bird, Eazy. You think I was expecting some fantasy of being your girl or some shit? It was sex. I mean… yeah, it was good—”
“No lie,” he agreed, eyeing her erect nipples through the tight baby tee that exposed her ripped stomach.
“But that’s all it was. So, you can relax. I ain’t that thirsty.”
She closed the trunk and started back toward the house with Eazy taking up the rear. Kissa finished putting things away when they entered together.
“Lo, did you get the heavy cream?”
“Yes, Ma. It’s in there somewhere. I gotta go. Daddy and the girls are waiting for me.” Lotus paused at the counter.