Chapter 7
SEVEN
WAYLON
Even though we’re neighbors, I still drive over to Bianca’s — my trunk is filled with construction materials to start fixing up the fence and her house. It’s been a long time since I’ve done a ton of handy work, but I’m confident I can at least get things started for her.
I feel like I owe Bianca even more now. Mom’s pushiness drives me fucking crazy now that I’m an adult who can choose to do whatever he wants. Everyone else in my life doesn’t bother to try to stop her — it’d be like trying to stop a train.
But Bianca tried to back me up as gracefully as she could. And that made me not feel like I’m insane for not caving to her every whim, no matter how well-intentioned.
Bianca greets me as I pull up to her garage. I was hoping that she’d be dressed in something that doesn’t make me lust after her, but I think I lust after her no matter what she’s wearing. Today she’s wearing joggers that are slung low on her hips and a matching crop top, her thick curls up in a bun. The deep red shade of her pants looks nice against her skin.
“Ready to tackle this mess?” Bianca asks as I hop out of my car.
“Yep. Just one step at a time.” I pop my trunk. “Where did you want to start?’
“With whatever’s easiest, I guess? Maybe the fence, maybe something inside?” She shrugs. “I think the bathroom has the most things wrong with it, but I’m not sure if it’s best to start with the biggest thing.”
I laugh. “Well, let’s start with the most annoying thing.”
“The master bathroom,” she says readily. “The whole thing.”
“Then we’ll go there.” I grab a bunch of my tools and gear that might help with fixing up a bathroom. I can come back later once I see the problems in-depth.
I follow Bianca inside. She’s added some more personal touches since I was here last, and even bought Sadie more beds in each room. The dog is passed out on the bed in the living room until she hears us and follows. Her little tail whips back and forth.
“Sadie’s doing well?” I ask as I reach down and scratch her between her ears.
“Yeah, she is! We went on a long walk on that trail today and she got tired halfway through.” Bianca snorts. “At least she’s easy to carry back.”
“Yeah, she’s done after about fifteen minutes. When I hiked with Duke, I’d carry her instead.” We stop at the end of the hall, where the small master bathroom is. There’s just enough room for both of us to stand inside, with a tub/shower combo on the far end, the toilet, and the sink.
Every inch of the counter is covered in different creams, lotions, and tools, all organized. The room smells faintly like jasmine, like she’s just had a shower.
“Let me pull up the list,” she says. “The water pressure sucks, and the tub doesn’t fully drain, and these tiles are a mess.” She pulls back the curtains and points at the tiles. “And the white stuff between is peeling.”
“The caulk.” I take a glance at it. It looks like it hasn’t been redone since the house was built.
“Yeah. And the toilet runs.” She sighs and scoops up Sadie. “And the paint is peeling a bit.”
“This isn’t that bad of a place to start.” I put my bag down on the ground. “If I can’t fix the water pressure, you might have to call a plumber. But everything else I think I can handle.”
“Oh, good.” She lets out a sigh, rubbing one of Sadie’s ears. “I guess I’ll…leave you to it?”
She looks adorably unsure.
I crack a smile. “You can hang out with me if you want to. You might need to sit in the doorway, though.”
“You sure?” She sits down cross-legged, tucking Sadie into her lap.
“Yeah, of course. Otherwise, I’m just going to listen to a podcast or something.” The toilet should be easiest, so I start with that.
“What podcast?” She leans against the doorframe.
My face gets hot. “It’s kind of dorky.”
“No, you?” She says with a soft, teasing smile. I can’t help but smile back. “But for real, what is it?”
“A geography podcast.” I take the lid off the back tank of the toilet and take a look.
“A geography podcast?” She raises an eyebrow, genuinely curious. “Sorry if this sounds stupid as hell, but hasn’t everything been mapped already?”
“Sort of.” I lean down and turn off the water to the toilet. “It’s more about how geography shapes the cultures and economies of certain places.”
“That sounds pretty cool, actually.” She adjusts Sadie in her lap. “Way more interesting than the stuff I learned in school.”
“School was pretty boring for the most part.” I start adjusting a few components inside the toilet tank. “Learning stuff outside of school is much more interesting.”
“So you decided to go to college and then to even more school after?” She scratches Sadie under her chin. “You must have been good at it.”
“I was.” I dig around my bag for a tool. “But a lot of that was just liking the praise I got for getting good grades. I like to win.”
That was way more honest than I intended being, but as always, Bianca just nods, pensive, instead of judging.
“Do you think the pressure helped back then?” she asks. “Like you got good grades and had good study habits, which helped you in vet school?”
I sit back on my heels and think about it. “I guess so, yeah. Praise is a drug.”
“It’s true for most people,” she says. “I definitely wouldn’t have started modeling if it wasn’t for people telling me I should do it. I wish I’d ignored them.”
“You didn’t like modeling?” I ask, jiggling the toilet handle. “But you were really good at it.”
She snort-laughs. It’s not the prettiest sound, but I like it coming from her. “I’m so not but thank you. It’s just a lot of Photoshop.”
I study her face. She really is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. I can’t find a single thing I don’t like about her, and I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t agree.
“I mean, I’m looking at you now and I’ve seen some of your photos. You look the way you do in real life.”
“Don’t be so nice.” She waves her hand at me, hiding a little smile. “Seriously.”
“Is it nice if it’s true?” I shrug and stand up, pressing flush. Thankfully it works. I’ve only fixed a toilet once back in college.
“It’s stupid, but not a lot of guys who look as nice as you are truly nice,” she says with a sigh, studying me. She has the longest eyelashes I’ve ever seen, and they frame her eyes in a way that makes her gaze feel more intense.
“Toilet should be good,” I say, because I don’t know how to respond yet.
“Okay, for reference, I’ve had the misfortune of knowing a lot of ‘nice guys’ who turned out to be dicks,” she adds. “But you’re not.”
Her sincerity strikes a note. She’s basically always straightforward, but having her give such an earnest compliment feels really nice.
“Thanks,” I say.
I move onto the shower and we sit in comfortable silence. Not having to fill the air with inane chatter is a welcome change. I glance over my shoulder at her and find her looking at me. Maybe at my ass? She glances away, biting her bottom lip.
“What’s the deal with the Jepsen Festival?” she finally asks. “I should probably know since I have to get pics for social media from it.”
“It’s fun. It’s one of my favorite things around here.” I peer at her shower head to figure out how it pops off the wall. “It’s basically a carnival with a bunch of silly events — a baby pageant and race, a dog pageant, a?—”
“A human pageant?” She fills in with a slight smile.
“That too. Miss Teen Jepsen and Miss Jepsen are highly sought after titles.” I grin at her. “You get a ribbon and free pie for a year from Gladys.”
“Who is Gladys?”
“The pie lady. She usually sells them out of a little place downtown. They’re ridiculously good.”
“Oh, awesome.” She brightens, smiling with her eyes. “Sounds like some good stuff for the bucket lists.”
I’m glad my back is to her because my cock hardens at just the idea of her sex bucket list. But at least my memory of it isn’t a complete horny hallucination.
Her phone rings and she huffs, silencing it. Then moments later, it rings again.
“Everything alright?” I ask.
“Just my ex, I’m guessing. He’s getting slightly better with calling from different numbers so I might pick up.” She rolls her eyes but alarm bells start going off in my head.
This is the third time she’s mentioned this asshole bugging her, and as casual as she sounds, I don’t believe that he’s harmless.
“I can install security cameras really easily,” I say.
She shakes her head. “It’s fine. He’s just being annoying. And he’d probably never make it all the way out here.”
“Annoying can turn into more. Are you sure you’re fine?” I ask. “Because I can help.”
She bites her bottom lip for a second. “It’s fine. He just…it’s complicated.”
“Mm.” I go back to fixing the shower head, making a mental note to get some security cameras anyway if she changes her mind. I don’t trust this asshole.
“Basically, he just wants me back because then he’ll get back in with my dad and all of his connections in the music industry.” She flips over her phone, her expression falling. “He was going to propose and it was basically all for clout.”
“Jesus.” I step out of the shower so I can test the water pressure. “I’m sure he loved you. Loves you.”
The thought of a man getting down on one knee for Bianca just for the connections makes my blood boil. Surely no one’s that shallow, but the more she tells me about her life in LA, the more I realize it’s extremely different from Jepsen.
“Mm, doubtful.” She waves her hand. “Whatever, it’s not a huge deal. I just want to move on and take some time for myself. I’m so not about relationships in general right now.”
“I feel that.” I test the water and the pressure still sucks. “This might be a plumbing issue that I can’t really fix. But I can try to fix the other stuff before I try to troubleshoot more.”
“Thank you.” She tugs at the end of her curls. “So you’re a permanent bachelor?”
“Probably.” I shrug. “I like my life now with my dog and my friends. I just want to live life without bullshit.”
I leave it at that. Just the thought of Catherine puts me in a bad place, making my stomach churn.
“Maybe you should have a bucket list,” she says. “Or bucket lists.”
“Maybe.” I half-smile, getting down on the ground to look under the sink just a few inches. To be honest, since I’ve been single, I’ve fallen into a comfortable routine. Trivia nights. Watching football with Jeremiah. Hanging with Wes and Rose. Work. Rinse and repeat. “I’m not sure what I’d put on just one, much less multiple.”
“What haven’t you done that you want to do?” she asks. “Like the craziest shit you could think of.”
My brain goes to the basic stuff, like skydiving or travel, then immediately veers over to all the sex I haven’t gotten to have. It’s a long list.
The hookups I had between the first time Catherine and I were together and the second were very, very hit or miss, but at least I got some experience beyond the vanilla, missionary-in-the-dark sex that Catherine and I had.
“I don’t know. I don’t think it’d be stuff you want to hear.” I smile at her. Her eyes are wide and curious. My blood rushes south, and I decide to push it a little bit. “But I like your idea of having different ones.”
“All three of them?” she asks, shifting so she’s sitting on her hip, her thighs pressed together. I’ve never been much of a leg guy, but hers, even under her sweats, are turning me into one.
“Yeah.” I push my hand through my hair, holding her gaze.
“What’s something on each of your lists?” she asks, her voice soft.
“For the big, crazy stuff? Maybe climbing a mountain. Not like Everest, but maybe one of the smaller ones in North America. Regular day to day stuff, I honestly don’t know. And the sex list…”
I genuinely haven’t thought about this — usually my desires come and go based on how horny I am.
And right now, my dick wants everything about her with a laser focus. I want to feel her lips around my cock. How she feels under my hands without her clothes in the way. See her lose the grip on her control.
“I don’t know,” I say. “But I’d like to know what’s on yours.”
For a second I’m afraid I was too honest. But then I swear I see a flush under her brown skin, creeping its way up her neck and to her cheeks. The relative innocence of it makes me want to close the gap between us, but I stay where I am. I only want to make a move if she’s down for it.
“Honestly, I just want someone to actually make me come,” she says, almost embarrassed. “Without strings attached for something more. And teach me a few things about making it better.”
“I can do that. Especially if there aren’t strings attached.”
“Not even this fake relationship?” She raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t we agree that it was all business?”
“It still is. We aren’t dating. It would just be me helping you out with your bucket list.” I shrug, scanning her face. “And I know for a fact that I can help you check off the first thing.”
Her lips press together like she’s holding back a smile. “You sound extremely confident.”
“I am.”
Bianca was right about one thing — I’m a bit of an overachiever. And fucking isn’t any different.
“It takes me a long time,” she says, swallowing. I see the pulse fluttering at the base of her neck and I want to nip the spot. “To come, I mean.”
“I don’t see that as a problem.” I get closer and make circles just under the hem of her shirt with my thumb. “More time for me to enjoy myself.”
She bites her bottom lip, clearly skeptical. But I’m not lying — I get something out of this too. “You’re absolutely sure you won’t get tired? And that you’ll enjoy it?”
“Have a little faith in my stamina. And yes, I’ll enjoy it.” I cup the back of her neck, and she melts into my touch. “Just let me take care of you. You don’t have to think about anything.”
She considers it for a second, then says, “Okay.”
My blood starts pounding, whooshing in my ears.
“C’mon, let’s go somewhere without a freezing tile floor,” I say, getting up and helping her to her feet.
She takes my hand and guides me down the hallway to her bedroom. The first thing that strikes me is how nice her room smells, like jasmine and vanilla. Her bed is unmade, with a ridiculous number of throw pillows that have been tossed to the ground. She sits on the bed, fidgeting with her rings.
I sit next to Bianca and I gently massage the back of her neck until the tension leaves her body.
“If you want to stop, just tell me,” I say. “And we’ll stop right away.”
“And leave you in the lurch?” She glances down at where my pants are already slightly tented.
“Yeah, if you’re not comfortable.” I gently rub a spot behind her ear. “I won’t die from blue balls.”
I lean in to kiss her jaw as she huffs a quiet laugh, though I’m not sure at what. A kiss on the lips feels a little too emotional for what we’re about to do. This is just her bucket list with a little lesson tacked on.
She lets out a soft breath, letting her head fall to the side to give me more exposure to her neck. Her skin is so soft as I skim one hand along her stomach, making her shiver, my hand inching upward toward her breasts.
She’s not wearing a bra.
Both of us groan when I brush my thumb across her nipple, which hardens immediately. Her breast fits in my hand just right, and every time I rake my teeth down her neck, she shifts, her thighs pressing together.
“Need more?” I ask, gently grabbing the bottom of her top.
She nods and helps me pull off her shirt. Shit. Her breasts look even better than they feel, perfect teardrops and deep brown nipples.
I press her back to the bed and kiss down her neck until my lips reach one of her breasts. My cock is already aching and I want to rush down to taste her, but I need restraint — to take my time warming her up and feeling her out rather than just going for it like I assume her past hookups have.
I gently lick around her nipple, gauging her reaction. She likes it, but it’s not making her back arch or moan.
“Do me a favor, princess, and tell me what you’re wanting,” I say, licking around her areola.
“Hm?” She glances down at me, clearly surprised. “You want me to…tell you what to do?”
“First lesson - your partner can’t read your mind, as much as they want to. But they can read your body.” I gently bite down on her nipple and she gasps, her nails digging into my scalp. “I can tell you liked that but I need to know more. I need to know how to make you scream.”
“Y-yes,” she says, raking her fingers through my hair. “More. Of all that.”
I smile against her breast, then bite down on her other nipple, sucking harder. Her sweet little whimpers make my cock strain against my jeans. Finally I let myself slip a hand into her shorts, my fingers rough against the lace of her panties. She parts her thighs, letting me slip a finger under. Soaked, just as I thought.
“I love how wet you’ve gotten for me,” I say, lifting my head to look at her face. Her beautiful eyes are hazy with lust. “Is your pussy just as tight?”
I work a finger inside of her, just a little, and she clamps down on me. Even tighter than she was before.
“More,” she says, wiggling her hips. “Deep.”
I push her shorts and panties down and she kicks them off all the way, giving my hand enough space. I slip my middle and ring fingers into her, savoring the way her hips lift with just a slight touch.
“This deep?” I purposefully stop with my fingers halfway to test her and she shakes her head.
“Deeper.”
I slip my finger in deeper and crook them up, making her gasp and shiver. With every stroke of my finger, she squeezes me harder, her face warm in the crook of my neck and her thighs clamped around my wrist.
I kiss my way down her body until I settle between her thighs. The scent of her arousal and seeing her wetness this close makes my cock ache.
Her legs slide up, pressing against my shoulders, and I glance up at her. The slight shift in her position feels shy to me, like she’s turning away.
“You okay with this?” I ask, sitting back a bit.
“Yeah. Just…” She sighs and lets her head fall back. “I’m just self-conscious even though the idea is hot. My exes didn’t really do this. Or at least do it enough to make me feel like they actually wanted to. Like they, um, didn’t like the way it looked or tasted or something.”
What’s wrong with men who don’t go down on women when they’re probably expecting a blow job each time? And who could resist going down on a woman whose pussy looks this delicious? Slick and pink and ready?
“They missed out.” I loop my arms under her thighs and tug her toward me. “Because you look really fucking good, Bianca.”
Her exes really missed out — she tastes incredible, and when I hit the right spots, she responds right away. Her back arches and she’d kick me if I didn’t have her legs pinned back. I follow her short commands — faster, right there, yes — savoring each and every part of her.
Is it taking a while to get her to come? Yeah. But do I care? No. I want to soak in every flutter of her pussy, every scrunch of her nose, every moan and gasp and plead she lets out. If I could keep her here for hours, dizzy with pleasure, I’d love every moment.
“Harder. Really hard,” she pants when I start fingering her.
I do as she says, pumping my fingers hard and fast. I stroke her sweet spot each time and she shakes all over, like she’s about to fall apart. She’s pulling on my hair almost too hard, but I don’t stop — she’s right there and I need to see her get over the finish line.
And in seconds, she’s falling over the edge, hips bucking and her thighs clamping on the sides of my head. I don’t stop until she melts into the mattress, her chest heaving.
I wipe my face and sit up, taking her in. She’s clearly sated, her body limp and eyes hazy. Eventually she blinks up at me and I smile.
“You alright?” I ask.
“More than alright.” Her eyes flicking up and down my body. Her eyes linger on my cock, which is still rock hard.
“Just need a minute?” I run my hand up and down her calf.
“More than a minute.”
I let her recover, then she eventually sits up on her elbows.
“Can I suck your cock?” she asks, almost shy in a way that hits just the right buttons for me. “Please? I want to make you feel good, too.”
She doesn’t have to say please — that look in her eyes is all I need to start undoing my belt. I have no idea how I’m going to last more than five seconds when she’s looking at me like this.
A pounding on the front door makes both of us jump, making my cock immediately soften a bit, and Sadie wakes up, barking and whirling around in a circle.
“I can get it,” I say, hopping off the bed and making sure my belt isn’t halfway undone and my hard-on isn’t too conspicuous.
It’s someone delivering a package that requires a signature. Great timing. I scribble something vaguely resembling my name and thank him even though my balls feel like they’re going to fall off. My phone buzzes in my pocket too with a message from work, too — they need extra hands for a few emergency drop-ins.
“It was a package,” I say when I go back into the kitchen, where Bianca has settled. “And I have to head into work for an emergency, actually.”
That simmering heat between us turns cools now that the bubble around us has been popped. Her clothes are on, plus an extra layer of a sweatshirt, almost like nothing happened.
“Oh, thanks. I forgot this was coming today.” She puts the box down in front of her.
“Um, yeah.” I clear my throat. “So, the Jepsen fest. I’ll pick you up?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” She tucks one of her curls behind her ear. “And maybe we can start going down my list. Our lists.”
Fuck, I wish I didn’t have to leave. But I need to. And maybe the wait will make it even better.
“I’d like that,” I say.