Chapter Eight
CHAPTER EIGHT
Cool, crystal clear water rippled around my body. The swimming pool looked similar to the one of the rooftop, but it wasn’t the same. It was larger, the edges blurry, and it was completely empty besides me and the man standing in front of me.
His strong hands were on my hips, his eyes intent on mine. I got lost in his brown irises, flecked with honey gold.
“We can’t,” I heard myself saying, voice breathy and high.
He leaned forward, so his lips were inches from mine. “Why not?” His voice was like gravel.
“It’s wrong,” I managed, my skin burning hot. I wasn’t sure why it was wrong, I just knew that it was. If I let it go any further, bad things would happen.
I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. “If it’s so wrong, why do you want it so much?”
Before I could answer, his lips crashed against mine. Rough stubble scratched at my cheeks and chin, and it should’ve hurt, but I liked it. Pure pleasure flooded my body. It was like I’d been thirsty for days, and I was finally getting a sip of water.
I parted my lips, unable to resist, and felt his tongue against mine. He slid a hand up my body, and shoved my bikini top out of the way. As he kissed me hard, his hand played with my breasts, tugging and playing with my nipples, making me gasp into his mouth.
That’s when I noticed his long, hard erection digging into my belly. I looked down, and it was so obvious through the thin material of his swim trunks.
My mouth watered. I needed it. I needed him .
I made a whimpery sound, and he seemed to understand what I was thinking, because his eyes flashed. He lifted me up in one swift motion, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling the outline of his cock bump my ass. “My pretty little princess,” he murmured. “Look at how easily I can carry you,” he murmured, voice so low, it vibrated against my ear. “And this…” he lowered a hand, and it grazed against my bikini bottoms. “This is going to be so tight around me.”
He rubbed my slit through the swimwear material, and my entire body clenched up. I was probably soaking.
Oh god. He was going to fuck me.
The truth was, I wanted him to fill me up. To stretch me out, then to pound into me. He wouldn’t have to treat me like a princess. He could be rough, like I was nothing more than a toy —
“What if someone comes?” I whispered.
“No one will,” he assured me. “We’re the only ones here.”
“B-but —”
“Shh,” he said, quelling my fears with a brush of his lips against mine. “Just relax.” Even through the material of my bikini bottoms, when his fingers brushed my clit, it felt like skin on skin. I moaned aloud.
“You want it?” His voice was deep and rough.
All I could do was nod. I wasn’t capable of forming words. I grabbed at his arms — those perfect biceps I admired so much — and dug my fingers into his skin. I ached .
“Y-yes.”
He pushed the material to the side, exposing my wet pussy.
“Beg for it, angel.”
“P-please.” I was losing my mind. “P-please fu—”
Something rang, deafeningly loud like a fire alarm. I jerked and glanced around the pool. What was going on?
The ringing grew louder and louder and louder. I turned back to him. “What —” I began, but he was gone, and the edges of the swimming pool melted away, turning into wisps of air.
With a jolt, my eyes snapped open. I was in my bed, my heart racing, the back of my neck soaked with sweat.
The first thing I felt was disappointment. Then irritation.
Damn it. My dreams always ended before the good part.
Slowly, I realized my phone was ringing, loud like the fire alarm in my dream. With a groan, I reached for it, checking the time. It was six-thirty.
Worse, it was my mother calling.
“Hello?” I said once I answered, my voice a little scratchy from sleep.
“Brooke, I’ve called you three times! It’s about time you picked up.”
“I was asleep,” I explained.
She ignored that. “It’s the house! One of the pipes burst, and now the whole place is flooded,” she shrieked.
I sat up so fast, I was momentarily dizzy. “What? When?”
“This morning,” Mom replied. “I told you we needed money for the plumbing, and now so much is ruined. We already called a plumber, and it’s going to take a few days for everything to be fixed.”
My throat felt dry. “I — I’m sorry.” My family had mentioned needing money for the plumbing, and I hadn’t helped them.
Mom ignored my apology. “We need to stay at your place until it’s fixed,” she said in a clipped, no-nonsense tone. “We’re packing up now — at least, everything we can pack that isn’t destroyed — and we’ll be arriving in a few hours.”
“Of course,” I said, guilt churning in my stomach. This was my fault. “I’ll see you soon.”
Mom didn’t reply, just hung up. I lowered my phone and stared at the ‘call ended’ screen.
Shit. I’d been looking forward to a relaxing Sunday — I had brunch scheduled with my friends and a pilates class at midday, but now I needed to cancel. I couldn’t complain. It wasn’t my family’s fault the plumbing broke.
I got dressed and ready for the day. By the time I walked into the living area, Robert was already up, cooking eggs and bacon, which smelled delicious.
His back was to me, and he hummed softly to himself. For a second, I stayed quiet and admired the breadth of his shoulders and the way his navy sweatpants hung off his hips.
Then, as if he knew I was thinking about him, he looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Morning, Brooke. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“The food smells good,” I told him as I headed to the coffeemaker, where he had already brewed a pot for us to share.
His eyes swept over my face, and he frowned at me. “Is everything okay?”
Were my emotions that obvious, or could he just read me that well?
I sighed, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I got a call from my mom this morning. The plumbing broke and flooded my family’s house, so they’ll have to stay here for a few days until everything is repaired.”
“Shit,” Robert said, turning off the stove. “I can stay somewhere else while your family is here.”
I shook my head quickly, touching his arm. “No, you were here first. You don’t have to go anywhere.”
Robert glanced down at my hand, and I drew it back, my cheeks heating. “It’s no problem for you to stay,” I said. “I wanted to give you a heads up because they’re coming in a few hours.”
“Are you sure?” Robert asked, still looking uncertain. “It’s no problem for me to stay on a friend’s couch for a few days.”
“It’s fine,” I said, my tone more forceful than usual. The last thing I wanted was to be stuck alone with my family for a few days. At least with Robert, I’d be with someone who I considered a friend. “Don’t leave me.”
He stared.
“I mean,” I said, glancing at the floor. “My family is… well…”
He cracked a gentle smile. “I get it,” he said. “Alright, I’ll stay here. I’ll have to rush through breakfast, though. I want to go clean up before they get here, and maybe shave this off.” He rubbed the stubble on his jaw. The same stubble I felt rubbing against my face in my dream. The thought made my stomach flip.
“What? Why?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Gotta make a good impression, right? Can’t have your parents see their lawyer daughter living with a scruffy man like me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “And don’t shave it off. It looks good.”
Robert paused. “You think so?”
The words hung in the air, and I couldn’t handle it anymore. I’d already had a sex dream, and then a family emergency.
“Yep!” I said in a cheery, nonchalant voice, grabbing my coffee and fleeing from the kitchen.
We spent that morning tidying up the apartment, although it didn’t take too long since both of us were already neat people. Robert wiped the kitchen counters and unloaded the dishwasher, while I prepared the third bedroom, making sure there was fresh linen and towels. I also took out some blankets so my sofa could be used as a bed.
Way too soon, there was a loud, demanding knock on the door. I hurried to the foyer, where Robert was already waiting for me. He hadn’t shaved, but he had changed out of his sweatpants. He now wore dark jeans and a nice wool jumper.
Was he trying to look respectable in front of my parents? Because there really was no need.
“If they say anything offensive or tone-deaf, I’m sorry,” I said quickly, then cringed. It felt like I was a teenager again, introducing a boyfriend to my embarrassing parents, which was silly. We weren’t even dating, and besides, Robert was old enough to be my dad. Well, he would’ve had to have me at nineteen, but still —
There was another loud knock, and I jumped, then quickly unlocked the front door.
My family stood in the hallway, their suitcases bulging with clothes and whatever else they managed to stuff inside of them. Mom was tapping her foot impatiently, and Dad wore a shirt with a stain on it. Gemma was snapping gum, wearing a bright purple blouse, skinny jeans, and heels covered in fake diamonds. Brandon wore a bunch of chains and was on his phone, looking bored.
The four of them met my eyes, then immediately looked at Robert who stood beside me.
Mom’s eyes bugged out. “Who is this?”
Before I could reply, Robert stepped forward and held his hand out. “Robert James. I’m renting a room from Brooke temporarily. It’s lovely to meet you.”
Mom shook his hand cautiously, looking him up and down like he was some sort of criminal.
Dad didn’t even pretend to smile. “Why are you living with my daughter?” he demanded. “Don’t you have a home of your own?”
“It’s a whole legal situation,” I interrupted. “Robert’s a client of mine, but I won’t bore you with the details. Come in, come in. Hello, Brandon, Gemma.”
My family stepped inside. Brandon and Gemma were polite enough, shaking Robert’s hand, but they also looked at him suspiciously. I couldn’t exactly blame them. If I found out Brandon was living with a 48-year-old woman, I’d be weirded out too.
“I’m sorry about what happened to your house,” Robert said, turning to my parents. “I work in construction, so I’m pretty handy. I could take a look at the plumbing, if you’d like.”
My mother waved her hand dismissively, and I winced. Why was she so rude? “That’s not necessary. We’ve already hired someone.”
“We’ve asked them to send you the invoice, Brooke,” Dad said, wandering around my apartment and tracking dirt on my nice wooden floors.
“Sure,” I said. “No worries.” I felt Robert’s gaze on me, but I ignored it.
“Do you have anything to eat?” Brandon asked. “We’re starving.”
He and Gemma ditched their suitcases and wandered over to the kitchen.
“Ooh,” Gemma said, looking at my coffee maker. “This looks fancy. Brandon, we should buy one of these.”
Brandon opened the fridge. “What’s this?” he said.
“That’ll be pot roast,” Robert explained. “I made it last night. Go ahead and have it. There should be enough for everyone to have some.”
“Sounds good to me,” Brandon replied. He didn’t even say thank you!
Dad slumped onto the couch. “You got any beer?” he asked.
At the same time, Mom started walking around the living room, studying the paintings I had on the wall. “Honestly, Brooke, you buy the ugliest pieces of art.”
I flushed. I could feel Robert’s eyes on me as my family roamed around and picked apart my apartment.
I felt embarrassed and ashamed, and worst of all, I didn’t want to look bad in front of Robert. I shouldn’t have cared what he thought, but I did.
I really did.