Page 23 of Moonlit Kisses

“Do you have any family here?” I prod.

“No.” Still, her eyes remain downcast.

“What about friends?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

The situation is worse than I thought, and I can’t believe the asshole that I am and that I didn’t push sooner. “Can I ask why you moved here if you had nobody for support?” I know it’s a fucking personal question and none of my business, but I can’t suppress the questions running rampant in my head.

She shrugs, then slowly brings her silver gaze up to mine. “I don’t know, really. It seemed like as good a place as any to start over. My mom grew up here and I wanted to see the place for myself.” She’s curled in on herself, trying to make herself as small as possible.

I don’t fucking like it.

I want to know why she needed a place to start over, but I need to focus on the matter at hand. Getting her off the street. “If your mom grew up here, maybe you have some family here that you’ve never met.” I offer. “Have you thought to look them up?”

“I don’t know, to be honest. My mom left when she was seventeen.” She shrugs again, like it doesn’t matter, but I caught the hurt in her eyes.

“It might be worth a shot to look for your mom’s family.” I hedge, trying not to be too pushy, but I can’t stand the thought that she has nobody. I mean, she has me, but I’m only her boss and maybe we’ve got the early stages of a friendship but that’s not enough.

She hums. “Maybe.” Standing, she takes her wrapper to the trash and her cup to the sink before coming back to collect mine.

“I’ve got something to show you. Come with me.” I take hold of her hand and tug her toward the stairs. The smooth, unblemished skin of her hand is a stark contrast to my stained work-roughened one. The other thing I notice is how well our hands fit together. It makes me wonder how well other parts of us might fit together. My dick decides he likes that idea and I will him to go back to sleep.

“Oh-kay,” she slowly says as we take the first step.

I open the door at the top of the stairs and move to the side to allow Molly space to enter, her rose scent tickling my nose as she passes me. “I was thinking you might like to move in here until you find a better place.” I swing my arm out. With wide eyes, Molly steps into the small apartment. “It’s not much, but it’s better than that motel or your car. I can’t believe I didn’t think to tell you about this space sooner.”

She’s quiet for long moments as she walks around the space, bypassing the change table and portable playpen I use on Thursdays, checking out the bedroom with its double bed and small bathroom-come-laundry. The apartment isn’t anything special, but it was good enough for me until I could afford my home.

I move over to the exterior door. “This is another door, so you can come and go as you please without worrying about the alarm in the workshop. It has a separate alarm system from the workshop. You can set it here.” I show her the panel near the door, and she steps out, orienting herself with where the stairs lead.

We move back inside. “How much would the rent be?” she asks as she opens and closes the kitchen cabinets, before checking out the small fridge and microwave.

I think this could make or break her accepting my offer. I shrug. “It’s sitting here empty, gathering dust. You’d be doing me a favor if you moved in and looked after the place for me until I decide if I want to rent it out.”

Her eyes narrow as she looks across at me. “What? You’d let me live here for free?”

“Yeah, sure. Unless you wanted to pay some rent. I honestly don’t care.” I tuck my hands in my pockets, trying to appear nonchalant as she looks around the space. “Maybe you could clean it up for me and make it presentable or something.” She leans her hip against the kitchen cabinet, the sun streaming through the kitchen window creates a halo behind her almost-white hair. She peers around the space, as dust motes caused from our movement float in the air, and I feel I need to sweeten the pot to get her to agree. I sense she doesn’t want a free ride. “What about this? How about you clean the workshop and office in exchange for living here, instead of me paying you the extra money? Would that work for you?” Holding my breath, I hope she accepts my offer. I don’t want her fucking sleeping in that damn car another night. I’m certain that without her explicitly telling me, that’s where she’s been sleeping since she arrived in town. That’s why she kept all her stuff in her car. It makes me feel like an asshole that I didn’t know. “Just until you find your own place.” I rush to add.

She looks at me, biting her lip and fidgeting with her bracelet. With a single nod, she says yes, and I take a breath. Stepping forward, I pick her up and spin her around, careful not to knock her into the two-seater couch. Smiles fill both of our faces and I feel the relief of her acceptance of my offer right down to my bones. Setting her back on her feet, I grab her hand. “C’mon, let’s go get your stuff. You can move in now.” I want to get her settled in before she can change her mind.

She tugs on my hand, and I turn toward her. “Hold on. It’s almost time to open the workshop and I need to clean the downstairs bathroom. I can move some of my stuff during my lunch break and after work. There’s no rush.” She glances around the space again and tucks her hair behind her ear. “I actually wouldn’t mind giving it a quick clean before I move my stuff in. If that’s okay?”

I consider the space. “Of course. Do whatever you need to do to make this place yours. If you want to paint the walls and stuff, feel free. I’ll even help on my day off,” I offer.

“Oh, that’s okay. It’s already nicer than any place I’ve lived before.” Molly slams her mouth shut; her lips closed tight as though she’s said too much.

I need to move the moment forward, so she doesn’t dwell on the fact she’s let something from her previous life slip. “Itispretty nice.” I lean against the doorjamb. “I lived here for a few years until I could afford to buy my house. The place isn’t huge, but it’s cozy.” I smile and she gifts me those gorgeous dimples of hers. “It’s pretty sparse. If you need any other furniture, just shout out. I’m sure we can source whatever you need.”

She glances around again, cataloging the main area. “Nope. I think I’m good for now. I can add stuff slowly, but this is enough for me to be comfortable.” Molly steps into my body, wrapping her scent and arms around me and pressing her tits against my torso. Her body fitting perfectly against mine. “Thank you. Thank you so much for this. You have no idea what it means to me that you’ve offered me this apartment. I promise I’ll look after it. I’ll be the best tenant you’ve ever had.”

I laugh. “That won’t be hard to do. You’re the only tenant I’ve ever had.” She playfully slaps my chest. The agitation I was feeling this morning when I found her in the parking lot has vanished. Something inside me settles, knowing I’ve been able to help her in some small way and that she’ll be safe from now on.

* * *

At three, I sent Molly to get herself sorted. During lunch, she said she has somewhere she needs to be after work, so I wanted to give her time to move her stuff in. I’m not sure where she needs to be; I didn’t think she knew anyone else in the city, but maybe I was wrong.

Locking up the workshop, I clean up quickly, then head upstairs to check if she needs any help. The door’s open, so I step into the apartment, noticing she’s brought everything upstairs from her car. I wanted to help her with that. I run my fingers through my hair in frustration. I should have checked on her earlier, but I wanted to detail the inside of the Sprint so I can organize for buyers to look at her.

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