Page 35 of Justice for Daesha

She nodded as she rolled up the mic cord. “We are. It’s hard work. What time is it?”

“About one thirty.”

“Gah, I need some sleep!” She kept rolling the mic cord and Amos looked around. The first thing that caught his eye was the drum kit. It was beautiful. Instead of the crazy marbled bowling ball finish on so many of them, it had a beautiful wooden finish. The logo on the bass drum was something he’d never seen before, and he wondered what brand it was. He was roused out of his thoughts by Daesha’s voice. “Hey, Gary, need me anymore right now?”

“Nah. Go on home. We’ve got this. I know you were up early for work, so go get some sleep. See you tomorrow night.”

“I’ll be here. Night, fellas.”

By the time they got to the car, she was shivering, and it concerned Amos a little. “What’s wrong?”

“I’ve sweated until I’m soaked and now I’m chilled. That happens every time.”

“Here. I’ve got a blanket in the back.” Amos opened the tailgate, grabbed it, and tucked it around her when he was back inside the Jeep. “Better?”

She nodded. “Much. God, it’s good to have somebody to drive me home. I just want to get a shower and get in bed.”

“We’ll be home as fast as I can safely get us there.” Amos reached out and took her hand as he drove, and in a few minutes, he realized she was sound asleep.

Without an opener, he had to get out to open the garage door, but it only took a second and he pulled the Jeep in and parked. “Where are we?” a sleepy Daesha mumbled.

“We’re home. Come on. I’ll help you get in the shower and then you need some sleep.”

“Okay.”

Thirty minutes later and her hair still wet, they snuggled down in the bed and in two minutes, Daesha was gone to dreamland. Amos lay there in the dark and stared at the ceiling, marveling at her warmth in his arms. God, he didn’t think he’d ever loved anybody the way he loved her. When he finally closed his eyes, it took him no time at all to drop into a deep slumber.

But as he slept, Amos dreamed, and it was a most unusual dream. He was standing in the bar, and the logo from the drum kit leaped off, grew legs, and chased him. They ran around and around the bar until Amos had enough, and he spun and screamed at it. As soon as his voice hit it, it disintegrated into a pile of sticks, and a strong wind blew open the bar door and tossed them aloft.

When he woke the next morning, he had no idea what it meant. But something was bothering him, and he had every intention of figuring out what it was.

* * *

The alarm clockwent off at seven thirty instead of five thirty, but Amos still couldn’t figure out what was going on. It was Saturday. There was no work schedule. Why in the world did she have the alarm set? “Daesha? Why’s the clock going off?”

She groaned loudly. “Because the animals have to be fed.”

With a sigh, he leaned over, kissed her, and got up. “You stay here. I’ll take care of them.”

“No! They’re my responsibility! I can?”

“No.” Amos shook his head. “You stay in bed. I’ll take care of them and then go for my run. After I get my shower, I’ll wake you. Got it? Get some rest.” After he’d pulled his shorts and tee on, he leaned over and kissed her before grabbing his socks and shoes and heading to the living room.

Azalea and Felix were having a stare-down when he got outside. Apparently they thought they’d have to fight over food, and Amos wondered what kind of hell the poor things had lived in before they’d come to be in Daesha’s loving care. They most likely weren’t fed properly, and they were still very zealous in guarding what they considered theirs. To ward off an incident, he pulled two flakes of hay and gave each of them one. That seemed to satisfy them, and he brought Ivory into her stall to eat. He’d turn her back out after he’d had his run.

Running into Matt wasn’t a problem. Nobody was stirring in the neighborhood. Matt’s cruiser wasn’t there, so that meant he was working. As he ran, Amos thought about the night before. God, Daesha had been incredible, and he could honestly say that even with all the trophy girls he’d dated, he’d never been prouder to be seen with a woman than he had with her the previous night. Every guy in the bar wanted to be him, and the thought made him smile.

He turned Ivory out and as soon as he ran through the back door, he set the coffee maker to brew and headed straight to the shower. Fifteen minutes later, he stepped into the bedroom in nothing but the towel wrapped around his waist. “Hey, sleepyhead. It’s eight thirty. Wanna get up? Or wanna sleep a little longer?”

She opened one eye. “I need to pee.”

“Well, okay then. Have at it.”

She gave him a sly smile. “And I want you to stay right there.”

Oh, god, he hoped he knew how she was going to answer his question. “Shall I get dressed?”

She stopped in the bathroom doorway and winked. “I don’t want you in anything more than what you’re wearing right now.”

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