Chapter 22 Davis
DAVIS
It was close to eight at night. The stars were beginning to wink into view, and I’d started to give up on the idea that Rae was coming.
Not that I blamed her, but it didn’t change the fact that I wanted to.
She was supposed to show up after her last delivery, which would have been much earlier in the evening.
I had planned dinner for us; I bought fucking champagne and shit.
I wanted to date her, show her that there could be more between us than just fucking, but that would require her attendance and actual consent in this little planned sleepover.
Was she nervous?
There was no way she could be, not after what we did last night. The way I touched her, the filthy things I said to her… There’s no fucking way she would be nervous, right?
I felt distracted, and I was never distracted. It was why I enjoyed being in nature, alone, away from all the noise and chaos of the city. It had always been easy to focus, for my mind to tune in on my art and focus on design. Since meeting Rae, my mind has been solely on her.
On the curve of her waist, how her lower back dipped inward, leading to her plump and perfect ass. Her body was what I saw when I closed my eyes, and her taste…
“Fuck,” I muttered, heading inside from the patio.
This morning I’d viciously jerked off to the image of her spread open on my counter, my head between her legs, those moans and whimpers she’d made while I devoured her. All I wanted to do was touch her, taste her…fuck, just be in the same room as her, so I could soak her up.
Her resistance wasn’t a good sign. In fact, her entire demeanor should have been enough for me to just back off.
She might as well have the words “fuck off” printed on her forehead, for as much as she seemed to want to interact with me.
Still, I couldn’t bring myself to care. She made me selfish, crazed… and insatiable.
Stoking the fire that I’d built earlier in the fireplace, I heard gravel crunching under tires. My heart rate spiked, my pulse hammering as I ran my hands through my hair. I should have taken two seconds to actually shower or shave after the long day of work.
I muttered a curse under my breath while walking to the door. I didn’t want her to have to carry in the delivery box by herself.
Dove and Duke barely registered that anyone had arrived and instead stayed glued to their spots by the fire.
Seeing that Rae drove a different vehicle than her parents’ Range Rover, I paused on the porch to wait for her to finish parking.
Usually when she arrived, she’d park as far away from the house as it seemed she could get.
This time, she parked directly in front, so I could see her face as she stopped the small vehicle.
The two-door maroon car looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen it.
Rae smiled at me, and it made my stomach clench. Then she reached beside her and tugged out a small overnight bag, and it took all my strength not to just throw her over my shoulder and run upstairs.
“Hey,” she said, exiting the car.
My brain went dead, and all I could seem to think about was how the other car was so much safer.
“Why did you drive this? It’s a shit choice for the mountain.”
Those dark brows of hers caved, and her smile slipped.
I rushed forward, down the steps, trying to salvage the damage of my stupid fucking mouth.
“I just want you to be safe when you’re driving up here. There’s snow coming tonight.”
“Seriously?” She tipped her head back, looking up at the sky. “But it’s been so warm.”
I moved until gravel was crunching under my shoes. “Yeah, it won’t hit town, just up here, but it sticks to the roads until the sun comes out.”
She seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts and reached back into her car to pop the trunk.
“Shit, I didn’t realize it would snow.”
She sounded anxious while following me to the back of her car.
“I can always drive you back if you’re worried about it,” I offered, grabbing for the box.
She paused, watching me for a second before shaking her head. “No, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Closing her trunk and grabbing her large purse, she walked ahead of me and held the door, so I could carry the box inside.
She started rambling while slipping off her tall boots. “Sorry I’m late. I delivered to Mr. Jackson, a few miles down the mountain, but his gate wouldn’t open, and I couldn’t get service to call him. It was a bit of a mess.”
I smiled, watching her. “No worries, but you’re probably tired after waiting and having everything pushed back.”
Rae’s face turned a beautiful pink color as she moved over to the dogs, bending down to pat their heads. “No, I’m good. A little hungry, but that’s it.”
Relief swelled like one of those fucking congratulatory balloons that people get you on special occasions.
As she made her way into the kitchen and rounded the delivery box, she hesitated.
“Uh…but, about tonight—if I were to stay, you know, for more than dinner, then…”
“Are you going to pretend you didn’t bring an overnight bag?” My shoulders shook, silently laughing at her.
There went that little pink flush that I loved seeing on her face so much. Somehow it brought out the blue in her eyes.
“I just wasn’t sure if you changed your mind, and if you did that’s okay. I just—”
Walking forward, I gripped her hip and pulled her flush to my chest.
“I didn’t change my mind.” Needing to convince her, I pressed my lips against hers and let myself relax into her. It wasn’t difficult, especially when her fingers came up, winding through my hair and pulling.
We kissed long enough to muss each other’s hair and get to second base with a few boob squeezes and ass grabs. Until finally I managed to pull away.
“What did you tell your parents?”
Giving me a small smile, she stepped back and straightened her clothes.
“Uh…they think I’m at Nora’s tonight.”
I nodded, even though I didn’t like that they didn’t know where she was. This wasn’t high school; she could come clean and tell them where she was. Shit, she would have to tell them something, or else they would worry.
I asked, “So they don’t know you came here at all?”
“No, I wasn’t sure how they’d respond to that.” With her hands tucked into her back pockets, and her face flushing pink, it took all my energy not to pull her back in for a kiss.
“Call your parents.” I pressed a quick peck to her nose. “So they don’t worry, and if there’s an emergency, they know how to get in touch with you.”
“I doubt anything is going—”
Applying a bit more pressure to her hip, I needed her to hear me. “Please, just…you never know. Okay?”
Searching my face, she gave me the slightest nod before tugging her phone free.
I moved, giving her some space, while she paced near the table, where she ran her thumb along the grain of the wood. “Hey Mom. Just letting you know I had a change in plans. I ended up having a late delivery night and decided to crash here with Davis.”
She paused, listening to her mom, and that rosy color deepened, invading her cheeks and neck.
“I know, I’m sorry. I just didn’t know how you’d react.” Another pause and then, “All right, well, thank you for being so cool about it.” She huffed a laugh, and it melted the hard place in my chest.
Her eyes bounced my way, followed by a sultry smile. “Okay, love you, bye.” She hung up and set the phone down on the table.
“All good?” I asked, clearing my throat.
“Yep, all good. She appreciated the call and was grateful that I decided to stay since there’s supposed to be a storm moving in.”
“See, I told you.” I winked, moving toward the box of goods she’d brought up.
Rae stepped closer, “I’m starving.”
“Great, want to eat it at the table? I, uh—” Shit, I felt like a high schooler again. “I bought champagne.”
“You did?” The shock in her voice told me about as much as I needed to know regarding where she thought this night might go. She assumed it was just a booty call. Would it freak her out to know that this was the furthest thing from it?
“Honestly, I’m wiped from the long day. Would it be okay if we kept things a little more relaxed tonight? What if we watch a movie while we eat?”
Picturing Rae lying on my chest, her hair tangled around my fingers while a movie played in the background, did something to me. An odd ache bloomed that I never knew existed before.
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
“Do you have plates, or?”
I grabbed two forks. “Let’s just share it.”
She smiled, sauntering to the couch.
Settling in next to her, I started a movie, and she set the chicken pot pie between us, each of us taking turns to dig in.
Occasionally, I’d stop and stare at her profile as she laughed or mouthed the words to the film.
It was an older movie, debuting in the ’90s, but she must have seen it a thousand times for how well she knew the scenes.
I liked watching her. I liked having her in my space.
She was like a little ball of light, captured and held here, just for me.
She had her phone out, wanting to take a picture of the dogs while they slept, and I decided to do the same, except I captured her—the way she looked at my dogs, the way her hair fell over her shoulder, the way the denim clung to her ass and thighs.
Maybe it made me a creep, but I needed something of Rae’s that was just mine. Some part of her light that I got to keep, no matter what.
Once the pie was finished, the tin tray left behind on the coffee table, Rae tucked her legs under her and relaxed into my side.
Wrapping an arm around her, I pulled her close, right as the dark sky outside lit up like a Christmas tree, followed by a crack of thunder.
With a gasp, she sat up. “I thought you said it was snow that was coming.”
Stroking her arm, I tried to get her to relax. “Guess it’s rain.”