Chapter 24: Closer To Home

The office window slapped open and Gemma called out. "Juice!"

Juice hadn't seen her all morning and hearing her voice brought everything she had said to Raniyah flying to the forefront of his mind. Knowing he needed to keep a straight face, he took a deep breath before turning her way but she slammed the window back shut.

Standing in the doorway, he couldn't muster up a real smile so he focused on wiping his hands with his head down. "What's up, Gem?"

Gemma pursed her lips, noting the lack of warmth in his greeting. Turning from the file cabinet she was shuffling through, she patted his shoulder and held out a white envelope. "You didn't take your paycheck Friday."

Relaxing, Juice broke out into a grin and took it. "Thanks…with the party and setting up and everything I musta forgot."

Leaning on the edge of her desk, she looked him over, "I thought maybe you hit the jackpot…letting your little friend pay your bills."

Juice's smile faded away, looking down at the blank envelope in his hands, folding and refolding it for something to do with his hands. "Naw. I woulda been looking all over the house for it pretty soon."

Gemma tilted her head and smirked at his attempt to avoid eye contact. She rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath approaching him. With both hands dusting off his shoulders, she spoke in a soft but authoritative tone. "Well, I wanted to make sure you got your pay. You earned it." Giving his upper arms a firm squeeze, she continued, "This place and the club. We all have a job to do, a role to play. You do your job and we appreciate it." Dipping her head to meet his eyes, she raised her eyebrows, "And I have a job to do, too. And I take it seriously."

Juice knew she was talking about what she did to Raniyah. Gripping his chin, she refused to let him look away, "And I always will, baby. Understand?"

As much as he hated it, he understood it and just hoped she was done meddling. He needed all the time he had left with Raniyah to be good. He nodded and she hugged him warmly, kissing him on the cheek before she let go. "Good."

Rubbing her lip gloss off of his cheek with her thumb, she shook her head at his boyish expression thinking…I love this fucking kid. Patting him on the shoulder, she turned to sit back at her desk. "Get back to work."

Juice spent the rest of his morning staying busy, trying not to think about Raniyah. But his top priority was keeping away from Tig because anytime he got within ten feet of Chibs, there Tig was. With his eyes locked in as if he could read lips and ears cocked with superpower hearing - wiggling his eyebrows, begging for intimate details. By the time Juice was sent to pick up a part with Half Sack, he was relieved to get the break.

0.o.0.o.0

Their morning had been a flurry of activity to get her moved out of the motel and get them both to work on time - keeping one eye on the clock and the other on each other. Neither one wanted their day to be apart and it showed. They lost precious minutes sneaking kisses and touches between tasks but they managed to get showers and get Raniyah set up for her day's video calls. Right before he left, Juice backed her up against his almost empty refrigerator and nibbled a giggling promise out of her that she would not leave the house at all, not even to go to the store, because he didn't have time to go over the locks and his alarm process. Dragging his lips away from hers, he flew out the door doing his shuffling trot to his bike, yelling a promise to call her about food later.

With her morning meeting done and video appointments complete, Raniyah stood looking in the unpromising refrigerator listening to her stomach growl. Rummaging through her things littering the front room, she thanked God for her big bag of snacks. Picking out a couple of packs of trail mix, she sat down to call him.

Juice looked at his phone and smiled, yanking off his gloves and walking to the entrance of the garage before answering, "Hey girl."

"Hey boy! You comin' here right after work or do you have to stay there for club stuff?"

She could hear the background noise quiet down. His reply came at a lower volume, "What…you want me at the house so you can have your way with me?"

Raniyah burst out laughing, heat flooding her face, "No!" Yes.

"Use me like a piece of man-meat?"

Raniyah was cracking up and grateful he couldn't see her sheepish look. "Oh my god shut up! No!"

"Liar!" Juice was laughing now.

"Maybe I'm just hungry!"

"Yeah, you are." They snickered wickedly, if they hadn't been thinking about their time together before, they definitely were now.

"UGH! Get off my phone!"

"Fuck you. You called me!"

"Crap!"

He could feel her smiling through the phone and his brain zipped back to the night before. Goosebumps spread over his shoulders remembering. Raniyah didn't just moan or scream, she whispered. It was the whispers that drove him crazy - they hit him like the most sinful erotic prayers or secrets she was trying to hold back but couldn't. And when she had started with a whisper that ended in a scream because she couldn't control it that second time they were together, that was his undoing. It was instantly imprinted on his brain forever.

She gnawed on the inside of her lip wondering if he knew how much he made her want him. He had turned her into the most visually stimulated version of herself that she has ever been in her life. In the last week, she had picked parts of him and obsessed over them for days. His thighs in boxers when he walks, the muscle definition on the side and the two indentions above his knees where the muscle connected. The way his shoulder blades stood out in every t-shirt he wore. Unclothed, his ass was perfection. It was ridiculous really. And he couldn't know how pretty his dick was. All the same gorgeous caramel color, from base to tip. And the extra thickness right below the rim, she bit her lip remembering. Waking up that morning and then feeling all of him against her back when he curled up behind her.

Her mouth watered and heat washed over her in embarrassment and arousal. With her elbows on the table he set her up at, she covered her face she tried to push away the thoughts as if they were on display above her head for the world to see.

"As far as I know, I'll be there right after we close. Greedy ass." He listened to her giggles before adding, "But I'm leaving my dick here…you can't have it."

Her voice poured into his ear, low pitched and sultry from traveling down the path her brain had just taken her on, "Yes, I can. So bring it…home."

Holy shit. Juice swallowed and sat down quickly because it felt like every ounce of blood in his body was rushing to his dick.

Raniyah stood up and began to pace with her face going hot over his silence, not believing what she just let come out of her mouth. They had been playful before, silly teasing, and now she had just disturbed the vibe. Did I say too much? On the other end of the line, Juice was still sitting, taking a few deep breaths, willing his erection away before any of the guys came out. He didn't know what he expected 'the day after' to be but this was crazy. His mind flew through ways he could get home to her. Play sick? Just leave? Her voice snapped him out of it.

"Jay?"

"Yeah! I'm here! Sorry!"

"I was just-,"

"Hey…I gotta go but I'll call you back in a bit." He sounded rushed so she agreed and hung up.

Putting her phone down, she felt weird about the way they got off the line. Shake it off girl! He always gets off the phone fast like that, she scolded herself and dug into another client file while Juice went into the garage with a smile and a plan.

0.o.0.o.0

Dropping the box of sandwiches and drinks at the garage that he so graciously offered to get, Juice tried not to show his excitement for getting out of there. Announcing that he intended to drop off lunch for Raniyah and come right back, he grinned the whole way to the parking lot. The cost of lunch for the guys was a small price to pay to be able to see her right then instead of waiting until after work. Having driven TM's truck home instead of his bike, she didn't hear him pull up. He warmed under her look of surprise when he walked in the door.

His smile was broad but a little bashful at the same time, "Hey girl."

Thrilled, she popped up from her chair at the kitchenette table, grinning. The fact that she had changed clothes after he left added a little stomach flutter to his day. Now, she was wearing a loose black knit t-shirt dress with a low scooped neckline, that had five small metallic gold hearts across the chest and her hair was down. The look was supposed to come off as simple and casual but somehow she made it gorgeous.

"Hey boy! What are you doing here? Are you done?"

Holding up the large bag, "Nah, just bringing you food."

"Really? You didn't have to do that! Thank you!"

Placing it on the table, he shrugged one shoulder, "I didn't know what you wanted so I just kinda got everything."

Raniyah tucked herself into his hug, closing her eyes when his lips rested on her forehead. That was all it took for her to forget the food. He met her halfway when her face turned up to seek him out, crushing his lips down on hers, hard and hungry.

When he finally caught hold of her hands and pulled away, the hungry look that she flickered between his eyes and his lips had him conflicted. Reluctantly, he forced himself to not kiss her again. "I need to get back." Her instant frown and tighter squeeze made him smile. "And you need to eat."

"I know but you can't stay? Just for a minute? Just sit with me for a minute and I promise I'll eat."

Juice laughed taking her hand and plopping down on the couch. "Okay. Better?"

"Yep." She grinned in victory and sat next to him. Turning her body to his she drew up one knee, unable to keep her hands to herself she traced patterns on his arm and shoulder. If only she hadn't touched him. He put his hand on her leg, dragging his fingers back and forth. When he felt her fingers on his jaw he didn't turn his head. When she leaned closer and her breath on his cheek warmed his whole body, he still fought it…until he couldn't. Turning he caught her lips and all hell broke loose.

Pulling her into his lap, Juice dug his hands into her hair, sending shivers down her spine. Not wanting to stop even though he knew he was supposed to only be at the house for a few minutes. He really needed to get on the road but instead, he was hearing the catch in his own breathing when she ran her hands up inside his shirt and over his chest. He could have stopped right there but she adjusted her dress just enough for his hands to find soft bare thighs, moving around to cup and knead her perfect ass. Even then he could have walked away but when she bit down on the pulse at the side of his neck, grinding her body into his, he zoomed past his point of no return. Fuck it.

She clung to him, dragging her tongue across the thick muscle stretched taught from his neck to his shoulder. The cool air in the room contrasted with his heated palms caressing her legs where the fabric of her dress no longer covered her. His hands searched under for dress for as much skin as he could reach while she worked his belt and top button loose. Flipping her, he wriggled his pants down just enough on his hips to set himself free, scrambling for a condom. Her moans and hands on him urged him on - pulling his pants down further. He hooked his finger in her panties to pull them aside, already enslaved to the source of the wetness dampening them. Lining himself up with her opening, he sank into her to the hilt. Groaning into her throat, he had a moment of disbelief that she was there…in his home. That she wanted him, came for him - that she was choosing him, no matter for how short a time.

Buried deep, he yanked on her collar, pulling it down - stretching the fabric and popping the seams, essentially ruining the dress to be able to kiss and suck the soft tops of her breasts while she struggled to get her arms free. Nuzzling down, he nibbled at her nipples standing up firm through her bra, making her cry out - gripping his head and squirming, trying to get him to start moving. He braced his foot against the armrest and used it as leverage to push deeper into her, holding himself there, gritting his teeth while her muscles involuntarily worked him. Her breath was hot against his ear, whining her pleasure. Her incoherent whispers sent chills down his back until he claimed her mouth in a desperate attempt to become even more connected to her. Her tongue lashed out a dance with his, her hips begging for him to move until he drug his mouth away. Gripping the armrest above her head with his foot firmly planted against the other, he pulled almost all the way out and plunged back in, eager to set a rhythm. The force of his deep dive forced the air out of her lungs. Her momentary shock of discomfort gave way to an unfamiliar, intensified pleasure stroke by stroke. He lay flat on top of her instead of being lifted up by his arms - his pelvis was smashed against her clit in the push/pull technique he made with the couch, setting off rolls of secondary pleasure when his strokes sent him sliding up and down her body.

He couldn't stop, he couldn't even slow down. There was no ebb and flow, only the reckless push forward. Her hands and hips, grasping and grinding, only encouraged him to maintain the depth of his strokes. He felt more than heard the armrest crack under his foot. Frantic, she wrapped her legs around him, locking him in. Her cries, now ending in whimpers, snapped his remaining control in two. Unable to remain quiet any longer, a hoarse grunt accompanied every lunge. The voice he gave to his pleasure thrilled her, pushing her towards her release even faster. Juice simply panting her name in her ear sent waves of vibration down her ear canal, making her eyes roll back before she squeezed them tight. Raniyah felt like her entire body was giving over to this black hole of sensation with her legs shaking and her hands searching wildly for something to hold on to. Juice felt like he should have hit his release already. His body had him perched on the edge of it, holding him hostage there, building into something greater.

Her back arching up off of the couch was the only warning her body gave him before her climax hit. She screamed when she shattered, clutching at his ass and lower back with both hands. He barely heard her, the sensation of her clamping down on him pushed him over the edge so violently, his ears rang. He was helpless the moment that the first spurt shot out of him. His body continued to thrust on its own accord until the second powerful convulsion struck him, drawing a throaty groan out from somewhere deep in his chest. He was taken over by shuddering tremors, his next shorter bursts of cum jetted from him hot and forceful, squeezing his eyes shut tight. Still connected they clung to each other, breathless. Juice dropped his head, his lips seeking the pulse pounding in her neck. Arms wrapped around his shoulders, Raniyah held him close, loving the feeling of his full body weight on her while she fought to regulate her breathing. She let her fingers stroke gently over his scalp, down the back of his neck and across his back in a continuous loop.

I love you.

The thought made her eyes flutter open, gently tugging her away from the lazy moment. Staring at the ceiling, she rubbed her face on the side of his head, closing her eyes again. Grateful that she caught the confession before it flew out of her mouth.

0.o.0.o.0

Juice washed up and changed his shirt while Raniyah was in the shower. One whiff of perfume on him would have sent Tig spiraling and everyone would know. He heard the water turn off in the bathroom when his phone started vibrating. He saw two missed calls. Shit.

"Yeah?"

"Think fast laddie. Clay's lookin' fer ya. Sent tha' prospect ta tha' motel ta get cha."

"Shit." Juice puffed his cheeks out and let the air out. Nobody except Chibs knew that Raniyah had moved to his place. If the prospect found out that she checked out that morning, he'd report it back and it would ruin everything. In his mind, Ronnie was better off there because nobody came to his place and it gave them at least a few days before Gemma could possibly find an excuse to visit.

"Shite indeed," Chibs chuckled. "Best be thinkin' up somethin' an' get 'ere quick, yeah?"

"Yeah. Fuck."

Juice disconnected from Chibs' and his laughter to find Raniyah and say his goodbyes. She was standing in the living room in a towel, digging through her things for another outfit.

"Ronnie. That was Chibs I gotta go."

"Club stuff?"

"I don't know yet. You know you can use my closet, right?"

Raniyah paused thinking…There's no point, it'll only be for a few days. "Thanks."

Pulling her into a hug, Juice kissed the top of her head, then her lips. Everything in him wanted to stay there and lay her down in his bed. Just to be with her longer. She could feel his reluctance to leave and it melted her heart, but also made it much harder to pull away. "You better go. Clay doesn't seem like a patient guy."

Juice's chuckle bounced her on his chest. Opening the door, he said, "Alright. See you. And eat, okay?"

"I will. I promise." She smiled, forcing herself to stay beside the table and let him leave.

I love you. "Later. And lock the door!"

"I will! Later!" I love you.

.

A/N: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For reading and sticking with this story. I get so excited to drop a chapter cuz I know y'all are gonna eat it up. ;) My tippity tappin' fingers belong to YOU! *kjx*