“I see,” I say, though I still don’t see how this has anything to do with me. I’m glad she came by, but I don’t know how I can help her expect by showing her that she was meant to be my woman. She swallows, looking a little uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry to be a bother…it’s just that I can hear a lot of noise coming from in here. I just wondered if everything’s okay? I’m trying to study, but I can hear something scratching at the walls…and I guess I just wanted to check-in.”
“Oh. That,” I say, feeling a little disappointed.
Some wild part of me thought she was here for me, like a gift from God. But of course, that’s ludicrous. How would she know how to find me, a man she’s never seen before? Still, it does feel like we were fated to meet. I look into her deep azure eyes and see a softness there. Is she having the same thoughts I am? Controlling the same urges? It seems impossible that a beautiful young woman like her would want anything to do with me. And yet, here we both are, a little breathless, eyes connecting more than they should, a kind of heat lingering in the air between us that can’t be ignored, or is this all in my head
“So what is it?” Elle asks, pushing with a small smile. I chuckle so caught up in her that I’ve forgotten how to hold a normal conversation.
I step to the side to let her in.
“Come and see for yourself.”
Elle hesitates, but only for a second, and then she steps inside my home. It sends a new surge of lust through me, knowing she’s on my territory now. Here, I can do whatever I want. Here, no one has to know the dirty thoughts roaming around in my mind.
Except maybe Elle…when I tell her exactly what I want from her.
But she’s busy looking at the source of all the noise from the past few days. I smile fondly at my dog, who is hobbling around the apartment with her paw in the air and a cone around her neck. My rambunctious Border Collie, Maisie, hurt her paw on a piece of glass last week, and since then, she’s been wandering around like a lost puppy, whining to herself and wishing for the whole thing to be over.
“That’s Maisie,” I tell Elle as she bends down to pet her. “I’m sorry if she’s been making a lot of noise. She’s literally been driving herself up the walls. She’s not happy about the cone of shame.”
“Oh you poor thing,” Elle coos, petting Maisie’s head. She’s smiling now and it’s a good look on her. The atmosphere between us feels more relaxed now, but the tension inside me hasn’t gone away. I still want her, still crave her like I’ve never craved anything before. I’ve never been a man who wants for things. I have plenty of money, a nice apartment, plenty of friends, and Maisie to keep me company.
But the one thing missing has always been a woman. I’ve never indulged in a one-night stand, never settled for the women who throw themselves at my feet. I’ve always wanted to save myself for the right person, there’s no point in sleeping around if it’s only going to leave me feeling cold in the end. Now that Elle is here, petting my dog in my apartment, smiling so radiantly, it feels like only she can be that person. The one I’ve waited for for so long.
But she’s so young. She can’t be older than twenty-one.
She probably doesn’t even know what she wants, because who does at that age? But I’ll bet it never crossed her mind to fall for someone twice her age. Then again, I can hold out hope. I never thought I’d fall for someone half my age, either. Strange things happen all the time.
Is it so crazy to assume she might want me the way I want her?
But even if she does, can I really go there? Steve would kill me. He’d never forgive me for the thoughts I’m having right now of ripping his daughter’s clothes off and having her right there on the floor where she sits petting my dog. I shouldn’t even be this close to her, knowing I can’t handle my own impulses well enough. But she’s here now, and there’s no chance in hell I’m asking her to leave. I want to see where this goes. I want to know whether I’m imagining the sparks in the air.
And there’s only one way to find out.
“Good girl,” Elle murmurs, petting Maisie’s ears. She looks up at me. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea you had a dog. I guess the noises were just a little distracting.”
“That’s alright,” I tell her. “You couldn’t have known. And I’m sorry if she’s driving you crazy. She’s even been making me a little loopy this week. But she’s an angel usually. She very rarely misbehaves, my perfect little companion. Especially since it’s just the two of us here.”