Chapter 8
EIGHT
Honey
I know I shouldn’t, but when I make myself cum that night, I shut my eyes and imagine it’s Gryff, his thick, calloused fingers rubbing me to completion instead of my own soft, manicured hands.
I cum so hard I have to get up and change the sheets, which is probably a good thing.
I haven’t been taking my bedtime routine seriously lately. I haven’t been able to bring myself to.
This is a good sign. A sign that I’m going to recover from this little funk.
Being around Gryff is good for me. I just hope I’m not causing him too much stress.
I should never have forced myself on him tonight, barged in and disturbed his peace and quiet.
Only I feel so compelled to be around him.
It’s strange. I guess it’s because he’s the first guy I’ve been able to really trust in years.
I just feel so safe around him. Somehow my negative thoughts get short-circuited whenever he’s around as if he scares them away by just being so big and growly.
But I shouldn’t take advantage of him. He didn’t ask to be saddled with me.
So even though I want to, I don’t go to the window nude.
Even though I’m dying to feel the thrill of looking across the space between our houses and wondering what he’s thinking and if he knows what I’ve just been doing, I throw on a tank top and pull my sweat soaked hair off my neck to fling open the curtains and lift the pane.
Not that he’ll be looking tonight. Not after how angrily he scowled at me last night when he saw me, as if my naked breasts were somehow offensive to him.
But as I lean out into the humid night air, Gryff’s hazelnut eyes stare right back at me across the divide between the two properties.
It’s almost like he was waiting for me to appear.
He doesn’t look away or smile, just stares until the tension feels like I might explode or need to start all over again, and I pull my head inside the house and turn away.
Does this mean he was thinking about me like I was thinking about him? I mean obviously he wasn’t thinking about me the way I was thinking about him. He’d be a mindless zombie drooling at my feet by now if he had.
I have to press my thighs together at the memories of the scene I conjured up in my head. With a sigh, I fetch the wand from the drawer and switch it on again. Guess I’m not done after all.
I’m making breakfast when my phone buzzes with a message from the gorgon who runs Stonegaze Real Estate, the only real estate company in Mosswood.
Good morning, Honey,
Unfortunately one of my snakes has come down with the sniffles, so I’m not going to be able to conduct your walk through today.
I’m sending one of my agents in my stead, and you can trust that you’re in safe hands with Declan.
He’s very good at presenting properties in the best light.
I assure you he will give you the best advice about what we can do to get your place into shape for sale.
A heavy feeling settles into my belly, and I fumble the piece of toast I’m buttering. Of course it lands butter side down. I pick it up and toss it in the trash, pressing down another slice into the machine.
It had to be a male real estate agent. What are the chances that he’s gay? Asexual? I guess I should just cancel and reschedule when Seraphina’s snakes are feeling better.
When I call, the reception is so poor I have to set down my coffee and go out onto the deck. “Hello? Hi, can you hear me now?”
“Oh yes, that’s much better. How can I help you?”
“I’m so sorry to bother you when you’re not feeling well, but I’m not sure it’s going to work for me to have your agent do the walk through.”
“I completely understand your concerns, Honey.”
Oh good. What a relief.
But she’s not finished. “However, I want to reassure you Declan is a very experienced agent. He will absolutely be able to help you.”
“Oh but I—”
“Not to worry. If you’re not completely happy with his work I’ll come out myself, but I’ve never had any complaints about my top agent.”
“Oh well I—”
“Fabulous. He’ll be there in about an hour. I’ve asked him to prioritize your property today because I want you to know that your business is important to us.”
“Thanks.” I should say something, but I don’t want to cause problems. It’s not her fault I can’t seem to control myself lately. I’ll just have to try harder. Maybe I should go inside and masturbate one more time before Declan arrives?
The back door of Gryff’s house bangs, and I look up to see the tall werewolf glaring at me over folded arms. “Tell me why you’re wearing a frown that deep at eight in the morning.”
“I…” I don’t want to bother him with my problems again, but he’s still looking at me, waiting for an answer, and it sort of leaps from me. “That was Seraphina, the real estate agent. Turns out she can’t make the walk though today, so she’s sending another agent.”
“Let me guess, it’s a male estate agent?”
I shift uncomfortably. “Yeah. It should be fine, but I’ve just been so on edge lately.”
“I can tell,” he says cryptically.
Oh god. Does that mean he knows how many times I had to make myself cum last night while I imagined his hands and mouth on my body? Flustered, I blurt out the first thing that comes into my head that’s acceptable to say. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you, reception here is terrible.”
“I wouldn’t know. I never make calls if I can avoid it. What time is the agent coming?”
“In an hour.”
“Good. That gives me enough time to shower.”
I blink. “Y-you’re going to shower before the agent arrives to inspect my parents’ house?”
“I can look presentable with a shave and an ironed shirt, though it may be hard to believe.”
Oh! He means he’s going to come round while the estate agent is here and pretend to be my boyfriend again. It’s stupid, but my throat gets all tight and my eyes well up. “Thank you.”
His frown deepens. “I like it better when you’re baking pies, not crying. Let’s have more pie, less tears.”
I sniff. “These were good tears. Sort of.”
He shakes his head. “I’ve never understood the happy tears thing.”
I laugh. “You don’t strike me as much of a crier.”
“Oh I cry. Nothing happy about it, though.”
I did not expect him to say something so frank. And then I really think about what he said. “Was it horrible being in a war?”
“Yes.” There’s a pause where neither of us says anything and that word just sort of hangs in the air.
Then Gryff sighs. “But you don’t need any more reasons to cry, lovely girl.
So don’t ask me about it.” He turns away.
“Going to shower. I will be here before the agent is,” he calls over his shoulder.
My day sets itself right again just like that.
But if Gryff is going to be spending the morning with me, then I definitely need to masturbate to keep poor Declan safe.
Because it doesn’t matter that the grumpy werewolf isn’t into me at all, I can’t stop thinking about what his stubble would feel like grazing my neck as he leaned in to kiss me or how his claws might bite into my skin when he grabbed me.
Not that I’ve ever experienced any of those things. Any guy I ever tried to date never got close to making me feel good before his desire got the better of him—and me.
I grab my smaller dildo from my bag, pull up my dress, and lean over the bed, closing my eyes and imagining Gryff standing behind me.
I’m already wet when I slip a finger beneath my panties and tug the fabric aside.
How does he have such an effect on me? My body normally reacts to others’ desire.
Responsive rather than because I want it.
But when I’m near Gryff it feels different.
Slick drips along my thigh as I plunge the dildo inside and muffle my moan.
I’m always ready whenever I think about sex, even if emotionally I don’t feel like it, but today it’s a flood.
I pump the toy in and out, gasping as desire blooms low and insistent in my belly and in the ache between my thighs.
In moments my legs are shaking as I cum, splashing my panties and legs and narrowly missing making a mess of the carpet.
Shit!
I rush into the bathroom and stick the suction cup of the dildo to the counter beside the sink while I clean up. It’s at that moment the doorbell rings.
“Coming!” I holler, trying to mop up the mess with a dry towel. I should shower. I need to wash off my skin, but with no time left, I opt instead for swapping to a fresh pair of panties and a new dress before I rush to the door.