Page 18 of Bad for Me

“Did she try to run when she woke up?”

The glass of eggnog pauses at my lips. “No, she was amicable to our situation. Why?”

“There were footprints by the backdoor. They lead around the walkway to the side of the house but disappear where I shoveled.”

Footprints? I shake my head. “No, they must be old. Maybe your footsteps from last night?”

“Yeah maybe…” Isaac trails off. “Good, I’m glad she’s up to this. Where’s she now?”

Inwardly, I smirk. The room we put her in faces the back of the house. It is closest to my bedroom, and if Isaac is in the guest house, he’ll be able to see her given that there are purposely no curtains hanging on the windows. It’s a precaution in case she changes her mind about our situation and tries to run. I don’t think she will, but one can never be too careful.

I nudge my head toward the ceiling. “Sounds like she’s poking around in all the rooms up there.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. I would too if I woke up in a strange house.” Isaac tosses his hat on the island and moves toward the kitchen nook where the bay window is. The wintery wonderland outside is just the icing to the cake. It hasn’t snowed this hard this time of year in over a decade. He pauses to look out at it. “We got neighbors checking out our lights.”

I walk over to where he stands and peer out the window. There, standing across the street, is an individual so bundled up I can’t tell who it is, and the snowfall doesn’t help me identify them. Still, it’s nice to see people out and about. I lift my hand and wave.

“Given that we’ve never put them up before, I’m not surprised.” I chuckle, turning back to face the rest of the kitchen as I listen to the sound of Meredith’s footsteps coming down the stairs. “You went all out this year.”

“Had to make the house look nice for my girl.” The pride in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed.

The possession in his voice also doesn’t go over my head. We’ll have to work on that. Before Meredith, we were pretty much on the same page with everything. He did his own thing, and I was doing mine, yet we got along fairly well. Now, there’s a slight tension as we figure out how to incorporate Meredith into our lives. Of course, we discussed expectations beforehand. Yet talking about dreams and living in a reality are very different things.

“You didn’t have to do anything extra for me,” Meredith says as she enters the room. “Especially since I’m probably not allowed outside to see the lights anyway.”

The house could be on fire, and I don’t think either myself or Isaac would notice as we watch her. She’s dressed in a loose cable-knit sweater and leggings. Her kinky curls are done up into a simple updo but a few strands have escaped. She looks almost comfortable. If it wasn’t for the stiffness in her shoulders or the way she captures her bottom lip between her teeth, I’d say she looks right at home. As she strolls further into the kitchen, there’s no mistaking the fact that she’s making sure to put something between us and her as she rounds the island.

As if the small obstacle could stop either of us.

Thoughts like these should scare me. Send up red flags. I am a therapist after all. But I’ve been having these thoughts for three years now. The alarm and concern have since passed. They’re as natural as they are frequent.

“You’reallowedto do whatever you want.” Isaac saunters over to her.

Meredith turns away from me to face him, her face tightening with suspicion. Unlike before, this time the look sickens me. It’s one thing to catch her off guard, to shake her up a bit back at the office but now she’s home. Where she belongs. She shouldn’t be so guarded. Isaac and I will have to work to lower that for her.

“There’s not atonto do on Christmas Eve, most things are closed, but if you want to do something, just say the word. We’ll figure it out.” He stops in front of her, their chests nearly touching. To her credit, she doesn’t step back or cringe away despite his encroaching into her personal space. He reaches up and tucks a finger under her chin to tilt her head upward. “So tell me, what do you want?”

A sophisticated woman and a young man in his prime? They look good together. I let out a breath as my cock hardens. I knew she belonged here.

Meredith’s lips part slightly as she considers his question. She glances toward me, her suspicion thickening. I wonder at her reaction. Does she expect me to object? To corner her so she can’t run?

“There are no rules or expectations under this roof, Meredith. If you want to simply sit back and relax, read a book, or watch some television, please do so. We’ll be happy to spend any time we can with you.” I tell her slowly, watching her expression and body language carefully. “However, I’m curious about something.”

Her jaw clenches while her pupils narrow. “What about?”

“When I did some poking around in your file?—”

Her lips purse. “You mean when you were stalking me?”

“Yes.” No need to deny it. I’m willing to call a spade a spade. “I found your records were impeccable. Never once were you sent to the principal's office as a child, you were nowhere near academic probation, you’ve never violated any traffic laws, you pay and file your taxes on time… You’ve been straight and narrow all your life. And while I appreciate the squeaky clean background, in this house, you can get a little dirty. You can push boundaries, entertain being a little bad. We very much would enjoy seeing the side of you that you’ve been teasing my son with this past year.”

Her gasp of incredulousness is endearing.

“Don’t worry, I appreciated the teasing.” Isaac laughs loudly. “God, I was always so fucking hard in your presence in that office. I was his bait, and you were Dad’s prey, yet it didn’t take long for me to be the one ensnared.”

Meredith doesn’t take her eyes off me but when Isaac reaches up to caress her cheek, her shoulders lower ever so slightly. Hope flares up in my chest. My feet move, taking me around the island toward the two of them. Isaac’s hands land on her shoulders to turn Meredith around to face me.

Unlike Isaac, I stop a few feet away giving her plenty of room to breathe. I hold out my hand, palm up toward her. Her gaze drops to it.

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