Page 15 of Bones

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, but if you don’t, my uncle runs the real estate office in Oak Harbor. He also has some rental properties that he needs help managing. Maybe he could find something for you.”

While I had no interest in real estate, I thought it was sweet of him to offer his uncle’s help. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You should. He does really well for himself.”

The waitress came over and placed our food on the table, and my mouth started to water when I saw the plate full of chicken marsala. “It looks wonderful.”

“Wow.” Ben glanced over at my plate and then back to his own. “I think I might’ve made a mistake.”

“I’d be more than happy to let you have a taste or two.”

“A taste or two? Hmm.” He gave me a playful wink as he flirted, “I gotta say, I like the sound of that.”

“The marsala, Ben.” I gave him a stern look. “And only the marsala.”

“Okay, okay. Understood,” he chuckled.

We continued on with our small talk as we ate, and it was nice. Ben was not only handsome, but the perfect gentleman. Sadly, I didn’t feel the slightest spark as I sat there across from him. It didn’t seem fair. He was so open and easy to talk to. He told me all about his sister and the crazy adventures they’d had when they were kids. And even shared a few funny stories about his roommates and frat brothers.

The more he spoke, the more comfortable we both became. I told him about Lacy and the other girls, and then, he asked a question I’d hoped he wouldn’t ask. “So, what about your family? Are you guys close?”

“We were.” My throat tightened as I told him, “They both died a few months before my eighteenth birthday.”

“Oh, damn. I’m sorry, Elsie. I had no idea.”

“It’s fine. There’s no way you could’ve known, and it was a long time ago.”

“Still. That had to be hard.” His eyes were filled with sadness as he asked, “Did you have anyone to help you get through it? A brother or a sister?”

“Afraid not.” I didn’t like the shift in our lighthearted mood, so I decided not to tell him about Brantley. Instead, I told him, “I was lucky enough to meet some wonderful people who helped me get back on my feet.”

“That’s great. I’m really glad to hear that.” A soft smile crossed his face as he said, “Maybe I can meet these wonderful people some time.”

“Maybe so.” In hopes of getting our night back on track, I leaned back in my chair and cocked my brow. “Enough about me. I want to know more about you... How ‘bout you tell me something you wouldn’t typically share on a first date.”

“Hmmm. That’s a tough one.” He thought for a moment, then said, “I guess I’d have to go with the fact that I like chick flicks, especially sappy ones where there’s a twist in the end, and the guy and girl end up together.”

“Awe. He’s a romantic.”

“What can I say?” He chuckled with a shrug. “I like a happy ending.”

I liked happy endings, too, but I didn’t see one in our future—at least, not like the one you’d find in movies. It would take a lot more than a surprise twist for me to land the man of my dreams—it would take a miracle, and unfortunately, miracles were in short supply in stories like mine.

CHAPTER4

Bones

Ihadn’t slept a wink.

I’d spent the entire night fixating over Elsie’s fucking date. I wanted to know if she’d had a good time with him, if she’d laughed with him, or if she’d told him the stories she’d once told me. I wanted to know if he’d fucking touched her, kissed her, or made plans to see her again. The rational side of me knew it was not my concern. Elsie had every right to go out with whomever she wanted. But my irrational side believed Elsie was mine, and it had me tied up in knots and unable to sleep.

I was tired of tossing and turning, so I decided to just give it up. I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. After I turned on the shower, I took off my clothes, then stepped under the hot stream of water. In a matter of seconds, I could feel the tension in my body start to dissipate, but sadly, it did little to distract me from how incredible Elsie looked when she left for her date. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Elsie staring at me with one of her heated looks, and it only made my cock ache even more.

When I couldn’t take it any longer, I reached down and wrapped my fingers around my thick cock, then slowly started stroking up and down. My breath quickened as I imagined Elsie in my arms. Her body close. Her breasts pressed against my chest. One thought led to another, and it wasn’t long before I was imagining her in my bed with her little whimpers and moans echoing through the room.

Everything about her had me spiraling more and more out of control. Her smile. Her voice. Her scent. Fuck. That’s all it took. My breath caught, and I came long and hard. I hoped it would be enough to take the edge off and to ease the tension that was building in my gut, but as I stepped out of the shower and started drying off, I quickly realized the knot in my stomach was still there.

I knew then it was going to be a long day.

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