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Joy had removed all of her clothes, as they were strewn around the room, and she was now sitting up in bed, with her back against the headboard, by the time William made it upstairs. With her legs drawn up toward her gorgeous body, and her chin resting on her knees, he knew she was still processing what she’d heard downstairs. She was still agonizing over it.

Or was she?

Because she didn’t look agonized to him. She looked . . . What was the word? Determined.

He stood at the side of the bed, his hands in his pockets as he shuffled around change, and he was staring down at her. He penis was getting hard. He couldn’t help that. She was gorgeous naked. But he was too worried about her to go there. She’d just been on a rollercoaster of emotions: Their marriage prospects improved tremendously. But now her Gramps was on the line. He sat down on the side of the bed.

When he sat down, Joy looked at him. “What’s the game plan?” she asked him.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. What’s the game plan?”

William wasn’t expecting her to be ready to move on already. And he wasn’t buying it. This looked like trauma to him. “Okay, what’s going on? What’s happening? I expected you to be . . .”

“To be what? Sad? Hurt? Disappointed?”

William nodded. “All those things and more, yes. As so you should.”

But Joy was shaking her head. “Nope. I shouldn’t. I’m over it.”

William hesitated. Was she talking about Gramps, or him? “You’re over what?”

“All of it. I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of worrying about which man might hurt me tomorrow. Fuck all that shit. I’m tired of it! I’m no victim and I’m tired of being cast as one.”

“What about your grandfather?”

“What about him? I’m not worried about that because I know it’s not true. Gramps wouldn’t hurt me. I know this, William. I know this for a fact. And I’m not about to get caught up in believing for a second that he can hurt me like that. Everybody else, yes. But not Gramps. Never Gramps.”

William’s heart dropped. There was a time when she had that kind of blind faith in him. Until she saw that video. Until he had to confess his sins of infidelity in his first marriage, although he’d never be unfaithful to her ever. But he had to show her before she would wholly believe it.

“What’s the game plan?” she asked him again.

“Gramps’ brother DJ will be flown back to Chicago as soon as they can get him back here. Presumably tomorrow. And then we’ll see what he has to say.”

“Don’t try to make me stay back, because I’m going. Wherever this conversation is going to take place, I’m going to be there.”

William nodded. “That goes without saying,” he reassured her.

Joy looked at him and realized she was being unnecessarily combative with him. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just that . . .”

“It’s tough, I know.” He placed his hand on the side of her outer thigh and began rubbing her. “But we’ll get through it, Joynetta. We’ll be alright.”

Joy nodded her head. She believed him.

Then she lifted her chin, as if her pity party was officially over, and then she laid down on her back and then she slowly, the entire time staring at William, opened her legs.

William’s arousal was a full erection when she made her move. She needed it, but he needed it too.

He stood up, removed his clothing, tossing them aside as if they were rags, and then he got on the bed, on his stomach, and moved his head between her legs.

For the longest time he made love to her with his mouth. Joy was arching from the full effect of his motions, as he was giving her just what she needed most. By the time he came back up for air, she was nearing an orgasm.

Until he entered her. And what she thought was nearing a climax became anti-climactic because he was putting it on her. He was doing her the way she needed it to be done. He was fucking the pain away. He was giving her all he had to give to her. And she was receiving it. She was crying as she received it. She’d never needed it more than she needed it at that moment.

And when she began to cum, William couldn’t hold out even a second longer. He came too. With a hard burst-out that saturated her, they came together.

When it was all over, William lifted her, put them both under the covers, and he held her all night.