Page 33 of The Rose and the Hound
His whiskey arrived and he sipped it casually. We just stared at each other without talking. We probably looked very odd to outsiders, but this wasn’t weird. This was just us. Halfway through his drink, Ace spoke.
“You’ve never seen my house, Zahra. Would you like to? I promise I won’t lock you in. Well, I’ll promise I’ll try not to lock you in.” Another green flag in the world of the Rose and the Hound.
“I’d love to,” I whispered back. This was moving quickly. I was so cautious in everything, but I was being swept away. It was impulsive, but I’d mulled over my situation with Ace again and again, to the point that Gloria was relieved when we defaced his car because it was some kind of resolution.
When we were in his car, I pulled out my phone. I was only half serious, but it felt important to me.
“Hound, I need to ask you some questions,” I stated firmly.
“Of course. You can record my answers if you want,” he replied seriously.
“Do you have feelings for me?”
“Definitely. I am pretty sure I love you, Zahra,” was his steady answer. Wow, I wasn’t expecting him to say that. Rather than show how flustered I was, I pushed on.
“What is the evidence of your feelings?”
“Evidence? Well, I haven’t been able to leave you alone. I’d do anything to keep you safe and anything to make you happy.” Another positive answer.
“Is there any reason that you may lie to me about your feelings?”
“No. Actually, yes. I should lie and say I don’t have feelings given you were a client and we’ve been through so much together. But I’m not lying.”
“Thanks, Ace.” My voice was small. I’d never felt such emotion all at one time. Me, crazy Rose, was in a relationship. I had a man who was falling in love with me and wanted to make me happy, even though he knew all about me. There was darkness in Ace too, but his was very controlled, and I suspect part of his core being, not part of an illness as it had been for me.
“There’s another gift for you in the glove compartment,” Ace said, nodding toward the dash.
I opened it to find a small red gift bag. Inside was a beautiful pair of red panties with a hound embroidered on the butt. The sight set me off in fits of laughter, prompting a hurt look from Ace.
“If you don’t like them, I can just throw them out,” he said.
“I love them. I’m laughing because I love them so much and they’re perfect.”
He shot me a look of relief and laughed along with me. “I didn’t even try to get the old pair back. Probably lost in an evidence locker. I figured fresh start, fresh panties.”
Life was bizarre. I was inmy boyfriend’scar, after a public “date,” heading to his house and we were laughing about panties.
Chapter 41: The Hound—Desire
I couldn’t believe she was here. In my very sterile house. I had always been comfortable in my house. I led a simple life, much like Rose, but now I found myself a little embarrassed by the blandness and simplicity of it. No throw cushions, no color, no warmth. Actually, there was warmth. It had just entered in the form of a small, beautiful, and incredibly unique woman.
“I can’t believe you’re finally here,” I remarked, my voice a lot deeper than I had intended. “It’s a nice place,” she said looking around with no hint of judgment. Maybe together, Rose and I could bring some much-needed life to this place. I never felt anything was missing from my life until I met Rose. I had flings and short-term relationships but never wanted to invest more. I’d never cared about what a woman thought of my house or my job, nor had I even recognized that lack of care.
I offered Rose a tour, which she politely accepted, but made the “mistake” of showing her my bedroom first. I’d have to show her the rest of my place tomorrow.
“This is my room,” I said, ushering her in with my hand on the small of her back. “It’s great,” she replied, turning to look at me. I should have been a lot smoother, more romantic, but I’d waited long enough. I gently grabbed her face and lent down for a kiss. It was slow and soft, but it felt like the beginning of an inferno.
The second kiss was deeper, my arm curled around her, drawing her closer until I was sure she could feel the steady thump of my heartbeat against her ribs. Her fingers curled into the front of my shirt, the fabric bunching as if she could anchor herself there. Every shift, every sigh felt deliberate. There was nothing rushed. We had been circling this for too long for it to be anything but deliberate.
I whispered her name once, in between kisses, and she must have heard the disbelief in it. How could this woman be real?She was perfect. I unzipped the back of her dress, and she slipped it from her shoulders, leaving her in just a pink bra and matching panties. They had to come off too. Seduction be damned; my gift was right here in front of me and I was never good at delayed gratification. We’d take it slow some other time. In what felt like a split second, I had her completely naked and under me on my bed. The kissing continued, but she began struggling against me, pushing my face away. Damn it, I’d rushed things.
I stopped and looked down at her, ready to summon the willpower of my ancestors to stop in that moment, but she was smiling.
“This is really unfair. I’ve got nothing on, and you’re still fully dressed.” She pushed me up enough to begin undoing my shirt buttons. Because I’m a gentleman, I helped her. The next five minutes were spent kissing and touching. I put my mouth everywhere and couldn’t stop squeezing the fine ass that had me entranced from the moment I met her. There would be many gifts of underwear in our future. Many. Every time I moved my lips or hands, I wanted to move them somewhere else. When I was squeezing her ass, I’d be hit with the thought of her pussy, and felt compelled to slip my hand from the back to the front. When I was kissing her delicate neck, I felt her warm, soft breasts on my chest and desperately pulled my mouth away to show my love further down.
My senses were completely flooded. The sight, smell, feel, and taste of her was driving me wild. And her sounds ... small, muted pants punctuated with soft moans. I never really thought she’d forgive me, but in my fantasies, this moment was satisfying, a culmination of my desire and obsession with her. But in reality, it didn’t satisfy my desire. It made me even hungrier. Every second I spent exploring her made me more frantic.
I pulled back, torn between wanting to push my face in her pussy and get to the main event. Without a word, I opened my bedside drawer and pulled out a condom. She smiled and took it from me, opening the package with her teeth and motioning me away with her eyes. I leaned back, letting her slide the latex over my dick. Her movements were smooth, and she seemed excited but a little panicky.
