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“You wasn’t tryna let me rub these lil’ mufuckas, and you sittin’ there ’bout to fall asleep. Stubborn ass girl,” he said, staring straight ahead.

His thumbs spread over the ball of my foot, and I melted into the damn seat. He took his time working out all the soreness, rolling my ankle around, then went right back to rubbing. My feet looked small as hell in his hands. When I finally looked at his face, I noticed how relaxed he was. His jaw wasn’t clenched like it usually was. Even the tension in his shoulders was gone. Whoever lined up his beard deserved every dollar he earned. Juvie tucked his bottom lip like he always did when he was focused, but he also pressed his thumb into my arch again. I didn’t realize how hard I was watching him until his eyes met mine.

“What? That shit feels good, don’t it?”

“Uhm hum…”

He didn’t look away this time; he just grabbed my other foot and got right to work. I tried to look away, but he pressed his thumbs into my arch and pushed up into the ball of my foot. My breath caught as he rolled my ankle. I bit down on my lip without thinking.

“What, Juicy?”

“Nothin’,” I said, just above a whisper.

He gripped my foot and kneaded it. “Then why you keep lookin’ at me?”

My stomach dipped. “Because you’re in front of me. What else am I supposed to look at?”

He cocked his head, then smiled like he already knew what he was doing to me. But he never stopped rubbing my damn foot. He looked straight ahead again, but now, his jaw was clenched. Even the pressure against my foot was different. It was slower, more deliberate.

“You be tellin’ on yourself, Juicy.” He said it so low, I could barely hear him.

He finally stopped rubbing my feet, but he didn’t move them from his lap. I lowered my legs to the floor and shifted closer to him. Juvie threw his arm up onto the headrest and shifted toward me. It was almost like he was inviting me, so I moved closer. His gaze wandered from my thighs to my lips, then to my eyes. We were close enough for me to feel his body heat and count how many times his chest rose and fell in the backseat’s darkness.

That didn’t stop me from scooting closer. I was damn near in his lap when his hand closed around my waist. He didn’t pull me closer, but he wasn’t pushing me away either. His tongue dragged across his bottom lip. I knew what I was doing, but I didn’t care. My heart beat so hard that I could hear it thumping through my ears. Juvie’s hand moved from my waist to my hip, guiding me. We were almost nose to nose, breathing each other’s air.

“What you want, Juicy?” he said, deep and low in his chest.

“I don’t know,” I breathed, resting my hand on his chest.

My palm glided up his chest to his exposed skin, and I felt just how hard his heart was beating. Juvie leaned in, and headlights glared through the rear window. Right then, I remembered where I was and what the fuck I was doing. In a backseat, with Juvie, while in Tokyo, on business, one inch away from kissing this man. I backed away, but he never took his eyes off me.

Guilt settled in my chest, thinking about Emery. And Juvie had a fuckin’ fiancée. This was wrong as hell. On top of that, he was my client. I never did shit like this. Juvie had me losing my mind. The backseat was so quiet that I could barely stand it. When I realized we were almost at the hotel, I slid my feet into my heels and held my purse in my lap. I glanced at Juvie, and he was still staring at me.

What the fuck are you doing, Savannah?

The driver pulled up to the hotel, and before he could put the car in park, I had my hand on the door. Just as I was about to open it, Juvie gently grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at him.

“Chill out, Juicy. I got you.”

He wasn’t his usual cocky self, bossing me around, and I didn’t have one smart remark to throw at him. I just stared straight ahead as he got out of the car and came around to open my door. When he held out his hand, I took it and let him help me to my feet. The walk through the lobby made me feel exposed. This big ass man walked maybe three steps behind me, and I could feel his eyes on me the entire time.

I pressed the elevator button three times, as if it would come faster. Juvie was still quiet, keeping just enough distance to give me space. When we stepped inside, I took one corner, and he took the other. I refused to look at him, but I could feel his gaze. Heat crept up my neck and spread across my face. When the elevator opened, I wanted to run. I probably would’ve if my feet weren’t so damn sore. Not that it would’ve mattered because Juvie was right behind me.

His suite was directly across from mine, so I couldn’t escape him. I fumbled through my purse for my key card, then tapped it against the reader. I mumbled a quick ‘goodnight’ and practically fell inside.

I stood there, my back pressed against the door, clutching my purse to my chest. How could I allow myself to get wrapped up like this? Juvie didn’t make me do a damn thing. I moved closer; I touched him. I knew what the fuck I was doing. That was the part I couldn’t get past. When I should have been using my head, it was somewhere in the clouds.

I finally moved away from the door and kicked off my heels. My feet were still tingling from Juvie’s hands, and that alone pissed me off. I set my purse on the dresser, and it toppled over. The necklace’s jewelry box slid out, and I stopped. I cracked it open slowly and ran my fingers over the pendant. The way he looked at me when I asked if he really remembered all those things about me.

Juicy, I didn’t forget nothin’ about you.

If he remembered so much, how the fuck did he go fifteen years without speaking to me? How did he leave me wondering what I’d done wrong? And why was I letting him get close enough to hurt me again?

I loved Emery. He was good to me. He’d never given me a reason to question where I stood with him, and here I was in Tokyo, almost kissing another man. Not just any man. Juvie! My first love. The same nigga who broke my heart and somehow knew exactly how to reach it without trying.

My phone vibrated against the dresser.

Juvie: I’m sorry, Juicy