please excuse any mistakes ❤️🩹
CHAPTER SIX
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Justus leaned back against his headboard, licking the end of the wood and sealing it closed. Grabbing the lighter off the rolling tray that was on his lap, he flicked it and ran the flame over the body of the blunt. Once it was dry, he placed one end in his mouth and cupped his hand around the other end, finally lighting his blunt.
He inhaled slowly just as Raven came out of his steam filled bathroom, fresh out of the shower. She was dressed in only a white cropped wife beater that she cut herself and a pair of black Nike Pro shorts with her hair wrapped neatly and tucked into a hot pink bonnet. Her face was clear and free of any makeup, glowing after just completing her skincare routine and Justus couldn't help but stare, admiring her as she walked in his direction.
"You started without me," she frowned, placing her toiletry bag inside her small carryon suitcase and flipping it closed.
"My fault," he said, holding the blunt out to her after taking another hit. She grabbed it, taking a deep inhale and blowing the smoke out of her nose. She gave the blunt back to Justus and climbed into bed, placing herself in his lap in a straddling position.
He rubbed her smooth thigh with one hand, pulling from the blunt that was in his other. She rested against his chest, sighing contentedly and wrapping her arms around his waist with her head on his shoulder. She subconsciously rubbed his back while staring out into space, seeming to be in deep thought.
"Hm," he hummed, holding the blunt to her lips. She inhaled slowly, blowing smoke out of her nose before taking one more hit. "What you thinking bout?" He questioned lowly, putting his hand on her back to pull her closer.
With her body pressed up against his, Raven hummed and tucked her face into his neck. "You.." she responded softly.
Justus couldn't help but smirk. "What about me?"
"I just like being around you," she stated simply. "It just feels comfortable with you. And safe. Like I don't have to do too much."
Justus hummed in thought, realizing he got the same feeling whenever he was around her. She always had this warm and inviting energy about her and whenever they were together he couldn't help but feel at ease.
"Shit crazy.." he muttered in agreement, putting the roach of the blunt out on the rolling tray. He had smoked the majority of it without either of them even realizing.
"I know, right?" She responded, wondering if it was too soon to be feeling this way.
With other men, it usually took her a while to decide whether or not she even liked them. Meeting Justus, she knew the moment she saw him, she wanted to get to know him. She wouldn't go as far as calling it love at first sight but there was definitely an instant gravitation towards him that she just couldn't fight.
"It almost feel too good to be true," Justus said, voicing her exact thoughts while rubbing her back gently.
Raven nodded subtly, feeling herself blush as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Their conversation was short with very little words exchanged, but it didn't take much for the two of them to come to some kind of understanding. Lifting her head, she met his low eyes and gently pressed her lips to his. Justus returned her kiss, instantly taking control of it and sliding his tongue in her mouth, caressing hers gently.
His left hand traveled down to her ass, right hand grabbing ahold of her throat and she let out a soft moan into his mouth as he squeezed her gently. She melted into him instinctively, heart racing and chills crawling up and down her spine as he kissed her slow.
When they pulled away, Justus kissed both her cheeks and rubbed her back while she caught her breath. He watched her without a word, gently caressing the side of her face with his thumb. Raven leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh.
"When the last time you had sex?" He questioned out the blue, causing her eyes to open and a look of shock to cover her face.
"Uh.." she tucked her lips into her mouth, looking off to the side. "Right before I moved here."
"Mm." Justus hummed, nodding and leaning back against his headboard. She had only been in DC for three going on four weeks so that had to have meant recently. "Who?"
"A crazy man I'm beginning to regret ever seeing." She frowned.
"You still talk to him?"
"Not since I got to DC. He keeps calling off of different numbers but I haven't answered."
Justus frowned, not liking the sound of that. It didn't surprise him that she had niggas running behind her. He knew from the moment he first saw her that she had the power to drive a man insane. What he didn't appreciate was the fact that whoever this man was, didn't get the picture that she was no longer interested. He could just see all the problems it would cause him in the near future.
"He's not a threat to you if that's what you have your face all balled up for." She felt the need to say after seeing how hard he was mugging the air.
"Never felt threatened by no nigga," He chuckled, finding her assumption more funny than anything. "Shit is just dangerous for you. That's what ion like."
"Oh.." she makes a yikes face. "Well, I told my daddy about it when he was here and he told me he would handle it."
"Handle it how?"
"I'm not sure," she shrugged. "He said for me to mind my business so it can't be great." She spoke nonchalantly. Calvin usually told Raven everything about everything, so she knew if he wasn't telling her this it was dangerous for her to know.
"You think he did some to him?" He questioned curiously.
Raven hesitated, unsure if she should answer the question sincerely. She didn't want to put her father's business out there but she also wasn't okay with lying. To Justus at least.
"...not himself." She answered vaguely.
That was all Justus needed to hear to understand what Raven meant and nod his head. He wasn't sure what her father was involved in or who he was connected to and he didn't feel the need to know. None of it involved him so he was minding his business just like Rae was.
"What about you?"
"What?" He raised an eyebrow in question.
"When's the last time you had sex?" She questioned, squinting her eyes and looking at him suspiciously.
"Couple months," he answered nonchalantly.
Raven hummed and nodded the same way he did, crossing her arms as well. "And who is she?"
"She brings her son to my rec center sometimes. Ian spoke to her since you got here though." Hearing that, Raven felt herself relax in his lap. She could admit that she didn't like hearing that he was involved with anyone before her. She knew it wasn't realistic but the delusional side of her didn't want her man knowing what a woman even looked like until he got with her.
He wasn't her man yet though so she was going to let it slide.
"Okay.." she dropped her arms, smiling when he pulled her back into his chest.
"That's it? You don't have no other questions?" He searched her face for anything that would suggest that she felt upset or uncomfortable and found nothing.
"No not really," she shook her head. "You haven't given me any reason to question you or what you say and I don't really feel like you're lying."
Raven felt like she was a good judge of character when it came to most people. Her father had taught her very early on that there were just as many bad people as there were good and she needed to be able to discern who was and who wasn't. Her intuition usually served her well so she listened to it more often than not.
Justus only nodded, not feeling the need to say anything else after that. The both of them sat in a comfortable silence with Raven lying comfortably against his chest, humming softly. Justus listened to her, feeling a sense of calmness wash over him. He shifted so that they were lying down and pulled the blankets over them, closing his eyes.
"You're going to sleep?" She asked, tangling her legs with his.
"Yea.." he muttered, nodding his head. "Unless you finna let me eat yo pussy again." He opened one eye to look at her and she laughed, a blush warming her cheeks. She was still reeling from all the orgasms he had given her a few hours ago in his truck.
"You're so funny." She giggled, sliding off his chest and to the spot next to him. She layed down and turned so that her back was facing him, pulling the blanket over her shoulders. "Goodnight Justus."
Justus chuckled and shook his head. He turned and scooted up behind her, wrapping a strong arm around her waist and kissing her shoulder.
"Goodnight Raven." He said as he felt her small body relax in his arms and allowed himself to do the same.
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Justus sat on the edge on his bed, quietly watching as Raven shuffled to and from the bathroom while getting dressed. She had been using the bathroom mirror to look at her outfit since he didn't have one in his bedroom.
They were supposed to be going to his Rec Center soon and were doing good on time so neither of them were in too much of a hurry.
"Does this look okay?" She questioned, standing in the doorway so that he could see what she had on. She was wearing a navy blue workout shorts set and a pair of Nike socks.
"It's kinda cold outside, mama. Shorts prolly ain't the best idea," He answered, knowing it was in its mid to low 60s outside.
"I have a pair of sweat pants I was gonna put over the shorts since it is chilly," She responded, knowing he was right.
"Then yea it's straight," he nodded. "What shoes you brought?"
Raven hummed twisting her lips to the side before going over to her suitcase and opening it. She unzipped one side revealing at least seven pairs of shoes she brought over to his house, ranging from sneakers to heels.
"These." She looked at him innocently while he just shook his head. She wasn't exactly sure what he had planned for them to do so she brought a few things for every occasion. She didn't want to be unprepared.
"Bring it here." He requested. Raven slid the opened suitcase to where he was before sitting on her knees in front of him. "You ain't gotta sit on the floor doll. Come up here wit me." He pat the spot next to him.
Raven shook her head. "I'm okay. I like sitting on the floor sometimes," she told him. "What shoes do you think look best with what I have on? The sweatpants are just regular black."
"What about these Yeezys?" He asked her reaching down and grabbing a pair of Yeezy Boost 350s in the color 'Onyx'.
"Eh," she shrugged causing him to shake him head and pick up another pair.
"These?" He held up a pair of New Balance 2002R in the color 'Eclipse' which was a navy blue color that went well with her shorts and top.
"Mm," she shrugged again and he smacked his lips, pushing the suitcase away.
"Get out my face."
He mugged her and she gasped at him dramatically. "What's the hostility for??" She asked with her hand on her chest.
"Cause you playing," he chuckled at her dramatics and shook his head. "You the one brought the shoes, how you don't like 'em?"
Raven only shrugged to his question. He mugged her again and she burst out laughing, making him smack his lips.
"Stop playing and pick a shoe," he fussed, as she continued laughing.
Raven had been in a playful mood since the second she opened her eyes this morning. Justus didn't know where it was coming from but he was over it. All she'd been doing was getting on his nerves with her over-enthusiasm.
"Raven," he deadpanned, giving her a straight face. She giggled once more before getting herself together, pulling on her sweatpants and grabbing the pair of shoes she was going to wear.
"These," she held up the New Balance and he shook his head grabbing the shoes.
"Gimme yo foot, mama," he muttered.
Smiling, Raven took a seat next to him on the bed, put her feet up in his lap and watched as he slipped her feet into her shoes. He began to tie the laces on her left foot, glancing up to see the red tint on her cheeks.
"This ain't too tight is it?" He questioned. Raven only shook her head in response causing him to nod and grab the next foot. He did the same thing, glancing up at her blushing face once again. "What about this one, doll?"
"Mm-mm." She hummed, shaking her head no.
"Ight." He said placing her feet back on the floor. "You all set."
"Thank you," she said softly.
"You welcome mamas," he responded, smirking when she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "How much longer till you ready?" He wondered, pulling out his phone.
"I just need a few minutes," she spoke in a tone he's never heard come from her before, grabbing his chin and turning his face to hers. Their eyes met briefly before she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, kissing him slowly.
He returned her kiss, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest. She hummed with delight, smiling against his lips when he gripped her ass in both his palms.
"I love when you do that," she admitted.
Justus opened his eyes to look into hers. "Yea?"
"Mhm," she nodded, returning the smirk he gave her. He squeezed her ass again and she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth between her teeth trying to hide her grin. "Let me go finish getting ready before it be on and popping in here."
Justus laughed as she pulled herself away from him and walked back into the bathroom. He watched her apply sunscreen to her skin, listening to her hum a random song that's probably been stuck in her head. Once her spf was finished she then brushed out her lashes and he continued watching.
He knew he was staring at this point but he honestly couldn't help himself. Something about the woman had him fascinated and borderline spellbound already. They had only known each other for almost a month but it didn't take him long to know he wanted her more than he's ever wanted anyone else.
He could tell she wasn't ready for that though.
Raven was going through a lot mentally, and emotionally. The loss of her sister and then moving to an entirely different state only months after was hard In her—he could tell. She needed time to heal and get accustomed to her new life before even thinking of getting in a relationship.
So he would wait. However long it took.
Getting up off the bed, Justus made his way into the bathroom, standing right behind her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she stopped what she was doing and leaned into him.
"How you feeling today, doll?" He questioned, resting his chin on her shoulder and looking at her through the mirror.
"I feel okay. Better," she answered honestly.
"That's good," he nodded placing a light kiss on her neck before standing up straight. He turned her body towards his and picked her up by the waist, sitting her on top of the counter. He slid between her parted legs, looking her in the eye. "Know that you can come to me any time you feel like that again," he spoke referring to her disappearance over the past few days.
Raven felt her eyes begin to water and she stared at him in awe before nodding her head.
"Aight?"
"Okay.." She nodded again, her voice trembling. A little confused, Justus searched her eyes and saw hurt behind them making him frown, thinking he had done something.
"I didn't mean to make you cry, baby. I'm sorry." He sighed, pulling her head into his chest.
"It's okay.." she sniffled, wiping her tears before they could fully fall. "I just miss my sister. You didn't do anything wrong." She explained, chuckling.
Justus only hummed and nodded, rubbing his large hand up and down her back while she got herself together. Raven wrapped her arms around his waist with her forehead against his chest and sighed.
"I feel like things would be so different right now if she was still here," she spoke, looking up at him. "I probably would've left the club with you that night." She chuckled while he smirked.
Thinking back on that night and the way she was acting, Justus knew she was telling the truth. If he had gotten the chance to ask her, she would've been in his rental, on the way to his hotel with him before anything bad could've occurred.
"Hell yeah," he chuckled, nodding along.
"I- excuse you..." She side eyed him.
"Aye, I'm just saying." He laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. "We both grown, we know what would've happened."
"Mm, whatever," she playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I'm ready to go now, if you are."
Justus nodded his head. "Let me use the bathroom first then we can go 'head and go." He told her.
"Okay."
Raven walked out of the bathroom, leaving him to do what he needed to do while going down stairs. She grabbed her purse from off the coffee table and checked her pockets for her phone, realizing she forgot it in the bathroom.
"You forgot your phone, mama." Justus spoke, jogging down the steps just as she was about to turn and go back up.
"Thank you," she smiled, grabbing it from his hand and slipping it into her pocket.
"Come on let's go."
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L ending to this chapter but it was only a filler so whatevs. Hope yall enjoyed. 🫶🏾🫶🏾 Sorry it took so long lmao