Chapter 22
SUTTON
Amos looks up from packing his lunch box when I get home. “Hey, how are things going?”
“They’re going. Solar panels are installed.” It’s been a little over two weeks since my home was delivered and I’ve been busy as hell. “Dealing with the city has been the hardest thing. They keep saying they’ll get shit done and not showing up, but I don’t think it’ll be much longer.”
“That’s great.”
We haven’t discussed his plans since Lila offered to let him take over the lease here. Part of me really hopes he decides to take it. I don’t hate living with him, but after all these years, I’d like to live alone for a while.
“Do you still plan to move with me? Or are you going to stay here?”
He pauses, licking mustard from the knife he was using on his sandwich. “I’m going to keep the trailer. I signed a lease that starts next month. Liles said she’ll be in her new apartment by then.”
“That’s cool.” Guilt washes over me. He has no idea what I’ve been doing or how I feel about his sister. Hell, I haven’t told her how I feel. As far as she’s concerned, we’re still just hooking up, but that’s not what I want anymore. I like her.
No, that’s not completely accurate. I’m fucking crazy about her.
All day, I look forward to getting home to see her.
Ever since the weekend that started with her on my lap and ended with me in her ass, she’s been different with me.
More relaxed and affectionate. She doesn’t object when I put my arm around her or hold her anymore, and we often end up cuddled on the couch to watch TV.
Clearly, anal brings people closer together.
If we’re going to continue with a relationship, Amos needs to know. I don’t want to sneak around forever. After he leaves for work, I text her.
Me
I’m on my way to kidnap you for dinner.
Lila
You want to take me to dinner or have me for dinner?
Me
First one now. Second one later.
Lila
Back door is unlocked.
We don’t usually spend time together outside of the trailer. I’m going to take her on a little impromptu date.
I’ve only been to Lila’s building once when she first got the place.
It looks completely different now when I let myself in the back door.
New shiny flooring stretches wall to wall and it looks like everything is finished except for the paint.
She’ll be getting equipment set up soon.
I love that she’s done so well and worked so hard to make this happen.
A deep voice is followed by Lila’s laugh and I follow the sound to the front room.
I expected to find Row or one of his crew, but they’re nowhere to be seen.
Lila stands side by side with another man, pointing at the ceiling as she talks to him.
His reply makes her laugh again. What’s so damn funny?
Their backs are to me so she doesn’t see me, but I see him and the way he looks at her.
I recognize that fucker. It’s the artist. An artist who’s going to get his paintbrush shoved up his ass if he doesn’t quit flirting with my girl.
My steps are quiet as I approach. She doesn’t notice me until I sling my arm around her waist, pull her against me, and kiss her. Her lips part automatically under mine, and her cheeks are flushed when we break apart.
Reject Rembrandt takes a step back, and I grin down at her. “Are you ready to go?”
Uh-oh. Her expression isn’t reassuring. I might’ve pissed her off. “Julian, this is my…Sutton. Sutton, Julian.”
“Nice to meet you,” he replies, diplomatically, then turns to Lila. “So, I’ll get started tomorrow on the rocket room? I have another quick job in the morning, but I can be here at noon.”
“Works for me. Text me if the door’s locked.”
He glances at me before smiling at her again. “See you tomorrow.”
She’s going to see him stuffed in that dumpster out back if he doesn’t quit fucking around. As soon as he leaves, she confronts me.
“What the hell was that?”
“What do you mean?”
She crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing. “You know what I mean. Kissing me like that in front of him.”
“I was excited to see you. Why? Are you trying to date him?”
“No, of course not.”
“Does he know Amos or something?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is you practically pissed on my leg to mark your territory. You don’t own me. And I don’t appreciate being kissed as a tactic or to prove something.”
Shit. She’s right. I broke up with my last girlfriend because she was jealous and didn’t trust me. I’m not even sure why I’m acting this way. I’ve never been the jealous type.
“I’ve lost my appetite for dinner. Go without me,” she says, and stalks away.
Great. I’ve fucked up and turned my plan for a date night into our first argument. “Delilah, wait.”
She pauses when I catch her wrist. “You’re right.”
Anger flares in her eyes. “I know.”
“I’m sorry. It was a shitty thing to do. I saw him flirting with you and…” I’m not sure how to finish that sentence. “I’m sorry.”
She sighs, some of the tension draining from her posture. “He wasn’t flirting. We were discussing the designs.”
He absolutely was, but I imagine most men flirt with her and I don’t want to keep arguing.
“Okay.” She reluctantly lets me pull her closer to me and I look down into bright blue eyes.
“I promise any time I kiss you it’ll be for honest reasons.
Like I can’t resist those lips another second.
Or I know you’re dying for it and don’t want to ask. ”
Her lips twitch, fighting back a smile. “Since when do I ask?”
She doesn’t pull away when I brush a lock of hair behind her ear. “Let me take you to dinner. And the new horror movie we wanted to see is playing. We can go afterward.”
After a moment of consideration, she nods. “Alright. Let me lock up.”
Lila doesn’t seem to hold my earlier behavior against me. I choose a little hole in the wall Italian place for dinner. Once we’re seated in a dimly lit corner, the waitress lights the candle on the table and asks how many checks we’ll be needing.
“Two,” Lila says.
I shake my head and correct her. “Just one, thank you.”
The waitress smiles, places the menus in front of us and goes to get our drinks.
“You paid last time,” Lila says. “It’s my turn.”
“It doesn’t matter. I always pay on a date.”
Her eyebrows leap up. “This is a date?”
Sitting back, I gesture around. “Of course, look how romantic this is. I’m killing it. Candlelit dinner, then a movie where you can hide your face in my shoulder when you’re scared.”
A smile blooms on her face, and she picks up a breadstick to nibble on. “You’re the one who gets scared.”
“I get startled, not scared.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself.”
We talk through dinner, filling each other in on our day. I don’t know why talking to her is always so easy, but I’d rather do that than anything else most of the time. She shows me the giant playset she wants to get for Planet Playland on her phone.
“I’m going to drive down there soon to see it and talk to them about how the delivery and installation would work.”
“Isn’t that like a five hour drive?”
“It is, but it’s the most reputable place I’ve found that doesn’t overprice everything.”
After dinner, we head to the movie theater. It’s a weeknight and there are only a few other people attending. Once we have our popcorn and drinks, we settle into our seats near the back. I put my arm around her and she lays her head on my shoulder.
This is what I want. Lila is fun and great in bed, but ultimately, this is all I want. Her, in my life, in my arms, every day.
When the ending credits roll, she leans over. “Let’s go home so I can blow you.”
I’m going to marry her.
Lila is true to her word. I’m fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around my waist when she pulls me into her room. “Don’t bother to get dressed.”
She whips the towel off and Dusty grabs it, darting away. Closing her bedroom door, she runs her gaze down my body, then kneels in front of me. A tiny grin tilts her lips and she looks up at me when my cock hardens instantly. “Someone is eager.”
“Every time I see you.”
She leans forward and licks the tip, then briefly swirls her tongue around the head. “Are you sure? Because if you aren’t interested, we can go play Third Place,” she teases, wrapping her hand around the base.
I bury my hand in her hair. “I can also redden your ass for teasing me.”
Instead of replying, she sucks me into her warm mouth. I wrap her hair in one hand and hold onto the dresser with the other to steady myself. She has skills that can knock a man off his feet.
I’m in heaven when a sudden knock on her door makes us both freeze. “Liles?”
Damn it, Amos’s timing couldn’t be worse. We didn’t even hear his car or the front door being unlocked. Lila’s deer in the headlights expression is almost funny.
“Don’t come in!” she calls, in a voice way higher than her usual tone.
“The door’s locked,” I whisper, glancing around for my clothes. Right, I wasn’t wearing any.
“Are you okay?”
“Sure, just…changing clothes.” She drops her voice to a whisper.
“Why isn’t he at work?” She tries to manhandle me into her closet but it’s too full of stuff.
Under the bed is stacked up too. All the stuff she needs for her panties by mail business takes up a lot of room.
When that doesn’t work, she snatches up her phone and starts typing.
“Where’s Sutton? His truck is here,” Amos asks.
“Um…I don’t know. Maybe he took Dusty for a walk.” She opens the bedroom window slowly so it won’t make any noise.
“No, he’s right here.”
“I don’t know then. I don’t keep track of him.”
“Well, open up. I want to talk to you.”
I wasn’t prepared to tell Amos yet but it looks like I’ll have to. “It’s okay,” I whisper. “Let me talk to him first. He’ll be pissed at me, not you.”
She looks at me like I suggested a naked swim in a school of piranha. “We’re not telling him anything.”
“What?” Amos says.
“I said just a second, damn!” She drops her voice and turns to me. “Go out the window. Holly knows you’re coming. She’ll meet you at her back door.”
Is she serious? “I don’t have any clothes!”
She’s hustling me to the window despite my argument. A balled up item of clothing is shoved in my hands. “Just go!”
The window isn’t large, and I barely squeeze through, falling to the damp, cold ground.
One minute ago, I had Lila’s warm mouth wrapped around my cock.
Now, I’m shivering in the dark rainy night, ass out and dick bobbing.
It clearly hasn’t caught up with the situation.
The rain has lessened to sprinkles at least, but dirt and leaves cling to me from my less than graceful landing.
I unfurl the clothing she shoved into my hand to find her t-shirt. How did she think that was going to help? Even if it would fit me—and it won’t—did she expect me to just Donald Duck it over to the neighbors?
The window slides shut behind me and she jerks the curtains closed. I’m going to kill her. Using the wadded up shirt to cover my crotch, I hurry to the back of Holly’s trailer.
Her door opens instantly. “Come on in.”
I rush through the door and into her brightly lit kitchen where three pairs of eyes land on me. “Oh my lord, it’s a sexy dryad!” Louise exclaims.
Oh no. No no. Right on cue, a leaf falls from my back, landing on the floor between my bare feet. Louise, Rita, and Didi all grin at me over their wine glasses.
“I’ll grab you a sheet,” Holly says, stepping into the hallway, her voice full of amusement.
At least my dick has gotten the memo it’s no longer happy fun time and has deflated. It’s concealed behind the wadded up shirt. What do I say? “Oh good, you’re all here. I was worried this wouldn’t be humiliating. Sorry to interrupt.”
“Don’t apologize, Tree Daddy,” Louise says, and Didi chuckles as they all keep looking at me.
Rita sits back with a wide grin. “Were you spreading your pollen somewhere you aren’t supposed to be?”
“Would you believe I got caught in a very tiny tornado that stole my clothes?”
“Sure, we can go with that. You should probably turn around slowly so we can make sure you didn’t get any injuries. Those personal sized twisters can be brutal,” Didi says.
Holly returns with a sheet. “It’s an old one. You can just keep it.”
“Thank you.” I accept it gratefully, tie two ends together, and drape it over my shoulder to wear it like a toga.
“No problem.”
What am I supposed to do now? I can’t go home. I don’t even have my phone. Lila better have a plan to get rid of Amos.
“Have a seat,” Holly offers, gesturing to the table. “Do you want a glass of wine?”
“I’d love one. What did I interrupt here?” I ask, glancing over the table full of craft supplies.
“We’re making decorations for the Happy Haven holiday parties.”
“Can I help?”
“Sure thing. Here. We’re making paper hats for the kids,” Holly says, sliding some supplies over to me. She turns the podcast they were listening to when I interrupted back on. “Hope you like true crime.”
It gets paused occasionally for them to discuss what the woman who got caught for killing her husband did wrong.
“Of course the cadaver dogs were going to find him,” Louise scoffs.
Rita nods in agreement as she cuts strips of paper. “You have to bury them deep, then bury an animal or something a few feet over them. The cops will find the animal, think that’s what the dog smelled, and quit digging.”
Holly’s phone buzzes and she picks it up.
I glance over at her. “If that’s Lila, tell her to come pick me up. I’m scared.”
Holly reads the message then refills my glass of wine. “She says Amos will be leaving soon and to stay put.”
And that’s how my date night ended with me making paper crowns with the neighbor ladies while wearing only a sheet.