Page 46 of Wandering Closer

My lip twitches with a smile, “Sorry baby, I won’t do it again. How are you doing?”

“I’m okay. Have a seat, breakfast is almost ready. Where’d you run off to?”

I take a seat on a stool at the island, dropping her keys on the counter. “Your place. Want the good news or the bad news first?”

Her shoulders slump as she turns off the stove and fills two plates with bacon, eggs, and toast. “Bad, I guess.”

I want to shelter her feelings, but Lily needs to know the levity of the situation and I respect her enough to be honest. “Your entire bathroom needs to be gutted. The pipes are old and cracking, and there’s mold behind the tiles. I don’t know how far back it goes. Everything needs to be ripped out and replaced. While the pipes are being replaced, your water will need to be shut off and you won’t have use of your bathroom for a majority of the renovations.”

She puts one plate in front of me as she slides onto the stool beside me. “And what’s the good news?”

“You can stay here. The guest room is open for you, the house will be quiet for you to write, and you’ll never be alone with Shadow here. And I can do the renovations if you don’t want to hire someone. It may take a little longer, but you can be more involved and help whenever you want.”

I glance over to watch her pushing eggs around her plate with the fork. This has to feel like life is piling it on her, but I don’t know what else I can do to help. Her glassy blue eyes meet mine, vulnerability shining through them. “Okay.”

“Okay?” I ask, needing clarification.

“I will stay here, if you’re sure it’s okay. But I will be the one cooking dinner and paying for groceries, and I will also pay you for the renovations.” Her slender throat swallows. “Thank you. I know I’m saying it so much, but I really don’t know how else to express how grateful I am for you.”

“You can eat your breakfast and pack your things. I have a meeting this afternoon, but the guest room is clean and ready for you. Pack whatever you need and I can help you move it all when I come back. How does that sound?”

“Good,” she says, taking her first bite. I love how submissive Lily is, while still holding onto her independence. I expected more of a fight from her, but the fact that she trusts me and listens… it does something to me.

“To be clear, I want you in my space, in my bed, and in my arms. If you are more comfortable in the guest room, though, I understand.” That pretty flush travels up her cheeks again, making me want to trace the path with my tongue. We eat our breakfast, then go our separate ways so I can do the dishes while she takes a shower before heading to her place to pack.

As soon as she leaves, I hop in the shower, loving that she used my soap, yet it still somehow smells like her in here. Mydick has been at half mast all morning, seeing her walk around the house in my shirt. God, just the thought of her naked in here has my dick turning to stone. Wrapping my hand around myself, I make long slow strokes, spreading the pre-cum down to the base. With thoughts of her dusky nipples and her tight pussy squeezing my fingers, I shoot my cum in hot ropes along the shower wall.

I’m still unsatisfied, left wanting more of her. All of her. Something about our short time together tells me I will always feel this way. I change quickly, not wanting to be late to the meeting and piss off Michele. She’s amazing, but she also scares me a little. I read over the proposal she sent, and although I don’t want to accept the offer, I am taking the meeting out of respect.

Mike’s ostentatious SUV is already parked outside Michele’s office when I arrive. It only gets worse from there when Sherry pops out the front door as I hop out of my truck. She’s dressed in a skin hugging red dress that barely covers her ass and stiletto heels as she waves with a saccharine smile.

“Hey sweetie, we are all set up and waiting for you,” she coos. I try to hide the revulsion on my face at her voice, her outfit, her in general.

“Sherry, please don’t refer to me as anything other than Thoren or Mr. James,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Oh, come on, we’re closer than that.”

I give a wide berth walking around her and into Michele’s office. “We aren’t. I don’t appreciate it and neither will my girlfriend.”

Michele smiles wide when she sees me, saving me from the tension Sherry now has radiating from her. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s all have a seat so we can go over everything.” She moves closer to me, squeezing my arm, and whispers, “We are talking after this.”

I nod in confirmation because I need her help with some things, and I’m sure she has an opinion about all of this. Once we sit, Mike starts off talking about the three different parcels of land that he is interested in buying from me. I told him when he first reached out that in order for me to even consider it, I wanted to know exactly what he had planned for the land. As he speaks, Sherry hands over mock-ups of what would go on each. For one, he has a luxury condo with amenities planned out, another is a high end gated community, and for the third, he has a large plaza that he plans to fill with a spa, restaurant, and boutique stores.

The thing is, while Cedar Ridge is small, we are a tourist destination in the fall and winter. Thirty minutes away is a large ski resort that has been gaining in popularity over the last few years. His plans aren’t off base, and I’m sure they could do well to bring in more revenue and tourists to the area. The problem is, the town does fine on its own and he would destroy acres of forest. I bought the land not only as an investment, but also to preserve the land.

“As you can see,” Mike drones on, “I already have retailers lined up for all the spaces so they won’t sit vacant. My offer is way above market value for the land, Michele can attest to that. This should be a no-brainer, kid.”

Sherry leans over, making her fake tits all but spill from her dress, as she hands me another paper. Her hand lingers until I look up, and she winks at me, biting her lip. “This could more than set you up for life,Thoren,” she accentuates my name. “You could settle down, start a family, and not have any worries. Jen always said that’s what you wanted.”

Michele bristles next to me, but I try to ignore her come on, focusing on the numbers on the paper. The paper lists each plot of land, and for each one, the offer exceeds seven figures. Justone of the offers alone is over five times what I paid for all three pieces of land.

“When do you need an answer by?”

“One month, then I start making offers on other land. I have other options, but as a favor to Sherry, I’m bringing these to you first.” Mike says, giving his daughter an annoyed look.

“Okay, I will have an answer for you by then. Thank you for taking the time to get this all together for me.” I stand, shaking his hand, as he and Sherry pack up to leave.

Before they go, Sherry corners me, putting her hand on my chest. “Think about this logically, Thoren. That money is life changing. Your wife would never have to work,” she purrs as her hand trails down my stomach. I can’t step back fast enough, her stifling perfume is overpowering and her hands are the last ones I want on me. With that, she and her father walk out, finally leaving Michele and me to breathe in peace.

---