Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Alder
I didn’t get home the Monday after the storm until almost nine. I had fielded calls all through the weekend relating to the weather, shipping delays, production delays, and storm cleanup, but today I’d been meeting with people, getting reports from the damage done, mostly by the snow-removal equipment taking out fences and barriers. No other structures were damaged.
I pulled into the garage. On my way down the driveway, I’d bumped through drifts that had blown in since Daisy had gotten home. The wind was finally dying down from earlier. I’d change and clear snow.
Inside the house, I heard voices coming from the kitchen. The smell of the pot roast I’d put in this morning filled the air. I shrugged out of my heavy wool coat and hung it up. Then I toed out of my shoes, without getting melting snow on my socks, and found Daisy and Laila at the table.
Laila smiled and waved. Brown crumbs stuck to her mouth and smeared across one cheek. “Hi, Alder.”
“Hey there.” I didn’t know when I’d turned the corner with Laila, but I liked her chipper greeting over the suspicious stare. “How are the brownies?”
“Good!”
Daisy and I had made the brownies yesterday. Then after we’d cleaned up, I’d taken her against the counter. I’d pulled down her yellow flannel pajama pants and bent her over the island.
The weekend had been a dream. Today was the first day back to reality, but so far, it was starting off like an extension of my fantasy. I came home to a warm house with my family.
Daisy and Laila were my loaner family. I hadn’t earned them for real. Not yet.
The inclination to cross to Daisy, put my arm around her, and greet her with a kiss was strong. The urge was natural. She was as essential to me as breathing. I hadn’t been able to take a breath since we’d remarried, but since she’d let me in, I’d been huffing giant lungfuls of air. But Laila was home now.
“Hey. How was work?” I asked.
“Quiet for a Monday.” She smiled. “Want some roast? I left the slow cooker on.”
“I’m going to push some snow. Hopefully the driveway will stay clear until morning.” I refused to push this new reconnection, and eating supper like a family with Laila might’ve done that.
Disappointment registered in her eyes. “I won’t unplug everything, then, so it stays warm for you.”
“Thanks.” I gave her a regretful smile and jogged upstairs.
After changing into jeans and a sweater, I dove into my coveralls and went outside. It didn’t take long to blow all the snow out of the driveway. Between the open garage door, the yard light, and the headlight on the tractor, I could see well enough. The light breeze wouldn’t disturb the piles of snow I’d pushed away.
I put the equipment away, closed the garage door, and went inside on a swirl of cold and lingering exhaust fumes. The kitchen was empty. The voices this time came from the bathroom.
I got myself a plate of roast and veggies, unplugged the slow cooker, and sat at the table by myself. With each bite, uncertainty set in. Daisy and I hadn’t discussed how we’d act when Laila returned. It hadn’t been the elephant in the room, but I hadn’t wanted to pressure her for a plan. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten as much of her as I did.
Now what?
While I was eating, the bathroom door opened. Laila’s chatter and giggles disappeared into her room. Daisy would probably be in there a while, reading her a book or five.
I finished off my food.
I wouldn’t pressure Daisy. I wouldn’t nag her. I didn’t want her to feel like I only came around for sex even though that was what she had wanted to keep our arrangement as. I’d continue what I was doing—make her home a comforting place.
The steady cadence of Daisy’s voice came from Laila’s bedroom. Smiling to myself, I cleaned up the kitchen, put the food away, and went upstairs to shower. By the time I exited the bathroom, no lights shone from the main level. My disappointment was acute. I just hoped she wasn’t hiding from me.
I went into my room and tossed on a pair of underwear. I found my phone and tapped out a message to Daisy. Good night.
If she answered, then I’d know she at least wasn’t putting the entire house between us like she had before this weekend.
No reply came.
Had I misread the vibe when I had initially gotten home?
I got my suit ready for the next day. I had a few suits to drop off this week with my dry-cleaning contact. After I was done preparing for work tomorrow, I checked my phone again. No reply.
Well. Damn.
Was I starting at square one again? Had I even advanced to square one or had I been in the negatives?
My heart sunk to my bare feet, I pulled back the covers. There was a knock at the door and I froze. I could not get my hopes up.
I was also only in my underwear. Was our roommate agreement still in effect?
“Yeah?” I searched for a shirt to throw on.
The door creaked open, and Daisy slipped inside. She was dressed in her ducky pajama pants and a loose, long-sleeved top. She clicked the door closed behind her. Another click of the lock followed.
Desire bloomed low in my gut before my brain registered what was going on. “Everything okay?”
“How are we doing this?” she asked, breathless and not from the stairs. Her gaze tracked my chest and down to my boxer briefs.
Finally, the message sunk in. “You didn’t change your mind about having sex?”
She shook her head. “Definitely not. You?”
“Fuck no, but I was prepared to crave you all night.” All week. For months. But I hadn’t planned on giving up.
She dug her teeth into her lower lip. “We’ll have to be fast and quiet. I told Laila that if she woke and couldn’t find me, I might be up here, talking to you.”
My brows lifted. She’d gone as far as to tell Laila that? “Talking?”
Her lips curved. “About the house and stuff.”
I crossed to the door and braced my hands on either side of her head. “Just what does the other stuff entail?”
She pretended to think even though her chest was rising and falling faster than usual. “Maybe an orgasm?”
I placed the tip of my index finger at the nook in the base of her neck and traced down between her breasts all the way to her waistband. “I can be fast and quiet, but I can still give you more than one orgasm.”
Her lips parted. “What about frequency?”
“You know where to find me. I’m yours.”
A pleased expression flashed over her face before giving way to uncertainty. “I don’t think we should, um, sleep together.”
“I understand.”
“I don’t want to confuse Laila if she sees us…being affectionate.”
“I understand.” Frustration built inside my chest, pushing out at my ribs. I wasn’t so much as holding Daisy’s hand in front of anyone. I wasn’t giving her a peck goodbye in the morning or when I came home at night. I didn’t tuck her in or slide my hand over her ass each time I passed her, and I didn’t push a wispy strand of hair behind her ear. I was doing nothing but holding back.
Still, there was more involved in this arrangement than me. If I didn’t play by Daisy’s rules, then there would only be me, and I’d been down that road before.
I worked the hem of her shirt up. She lifted her arms so I could slip it over her head. A plain, white, lacy bra cupped her tits. Fucking beautiful. “Any more rules before I make you come so fast and hard you’ll need me to carry you down the stairs?”
A startled laugh left her. “Ohmigod. No, now I can’t think straight.”
“Good.” The more Daisy thought about this arrangement, the less chance I had at making it permanent.