Page 77 of Burning for You

Levi

“Welcome to my humble abode.” I invite Carolyn into my apartment.

Carolyn looks around, saying, “Is it usually this tidy?”

“Hey! Give me some credit here.” I like my apartment clean and in order.

Carolyn lets go of her suitcase and turns to hug me. “I’m pretty beat.”

“I can see that,” I say, tucking her hair behind her ear. My cock hasn’t forgotten about Carolyn withdrawing her mile-high sex offer, but if it’s sleep she wants, it’s sleep she’ll get. “Do you want to lie down for a bit?”

“Yeah.”

“Let me make the bed.”

She cast lazy eyes at me. “Just throw a sheet over it.”

“No, no. Sit down,” I say, offering her an armchair as I’m about to show off my best domestic skills yet.

“They look fresh,” she says, nodding at the pile of linen in my hands.

With a ‘watch me’ smile, I get to work. Carolyn, being the sweetheart that she is, rises up from her chair and helps me with the sheets. I then tidy up the end corners of the comforter, folding them into two perfectly even diamond shapes. Lastly, I plump up the pillows with the artistic chops of a pro interior designer.

She nods, apparently acknowledging my pursuit of perfection. “I’ve never seen such strict housekeeping standards, at least here in the States. Maybe in Europe.”

“I had a hospitality stint at the Burj Al Arab. When Dubai had just risen from the sands. It intrigued me,” I say, recalling my first overseas trip. “I think I got the job because of my looks; you know, a young American.”

Carolyn licks her bottom lip—making me think I might just have a chance to make love to her before she falls asleep.

With no warning, my guest propels herself up and unceremoniously lands on my bedding arrangement—messing up whatever she makes contact with. Her laughter is loud and unrestrained. It’s the most cheerful moment I’ve had with her so far.

I jump on too, although in a calmer way, and then lie next to her. “You’ve been to the Burj?” I ask.

“I have.”

“And stayed there?”

“Yes.”

I exhale in a pucker. “Do you like my bedroom?” I ask.

Carolyn nudges herself close to me, so close that I can feel all of her, especially her energy. “Did you see how I jumped?”

I smile, gliding my palm lightly over her cheek.

She adds, “I slept in that forest shed. I mean, I slept. And I did in your bedroom at the ranch, too. Why are you worried about this bed?”

“I’d tried to make you comfortable, you know.” Even after all this time, I still want to push my case that I was never a bad person, despite what I put her through.

“It was cold, but you gave me so many blankets, and I used them all. I don’t regret anything that happened at Random Valley. Even that polar shower.”

That was actually a memory I’ll cherish forever.

Carolyn presses her head against the pillow, placing her nose close to the white bamboo pillowcase. “I love being in your room, wherever it is. It smells of you. It’s like Sunday morning.”

That sounds terribly sweet.

“Does my age bother you?” I ask tentatively, nipping a loose eyelash sticking on her cheekbone.

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