18. Thoren
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
thoren
“ A re you sure?” I want her to say yes and no in equal measures. Every inch of me wants to crawl in that tub behind her, but being naked with her body pressed to mine will be my undoing.
“Please?”
I can’t deny her anything. I never will. Standing, I pull my shirt over my head, feeling her heated gaze like a touch. Next, I undo my jeans, slipping them down with my boxers. My cock springs free, hard and ready for her. There’s no getting around it, so I keep undressing, pulling my socks off and adding them to the pile.
“Sit forward, baby,” I urge, watching her tongue trace along her lower lip in the way I want to. She complies, giving enough space for me to slide in behind her. My legs wrap around her small waist, as she leans back onto my chest once I’m settled. My cock is nestled into her back, every movement making me see stars. I haven’t been with anyone since Jen; I don’t know how I am going to make it through this bath.
I let my fingers trail over her shoulder and down her arms. “How are you doing?”
“Better,” comes her breathy reply. “Being with you helps.”
I grab the washcloth she has set out on the edge of the tub and let it follow the path of my fingers. She wiggles a little, causing me to hiss as her ass rubs against me. I continue the trail back up her shoulders, this time dipping over her collarbone and down her chest. The washcloth trails over the tops of her breasts as a gasp slips from her parted mouth. Neither of us move, not wanting to ruin this moment. Slowly, I let the cloth drop and run my thumbs over her tight nipples. Her body shivers, so I do it again, this time rubbing them between my thumb and finger. The moan that leaves her soft lips lights a fire in me.
“Tell me to stop,” I beg, letting one hand trail down her stomach.
“Please don’t.”
When my fingers get to the apex of her thighs, the smooth bare skin there has me biting back a groan of my own. I continue down, letting my middle finger circle her clit once, twice, three times, before pinching it and her nipple at the same time.
“Thoren,” she cries. “More, please, baby.”
Hearing her call me baby is everything I didn’t know I needed. My middle finger lowers, teasing her entrance before slipping it in. I stroke her a few times before adding another finger as she grows wetter. I keep up my ministrations, playing with her nipple while stroking her pussy, letting the heel of my palm rub her clit. Lily arches her back, pushing her perky breast further into my hand while rocking her hips.
When her head falls to the side, I trail kisses up her neck, stopping at a spot just below her ear. I can feel her winding tighter, floating on the edge of orgasm. I keep my rhythm, not daring to change anything until her breath hitches.
“Come for me, princess,” I growl, sucking on the sweet spot below her ear. Lily explodes around me, crying out my name as her orgasm crests. Her pussy squeezes my fingers, warmth emanating from her. I slow my strokes until she’s a boneless heap on top of me. My mouth trails lightly over her shoulder and neck again, dropping gentle kisses.
“Time for bed, baby.”
She lets out an adorable whine, “But I want more. I want all of you.”
I lean her forward, slipping out of the tub. With a towel wrapped around my waist, I help her out and take my time drying her off. Her eyes stay glued to my painfully hard cock the entire time. When I’m satisfied that she’s dry, I place the towel on my counter and put her on top of it.
“Stay here, I’ll be right back,” I demand, with a kiss on her nose. I clearly can’t keep my hands or mouth to myself when it comes to her. And now that I’ve seen her come apart in my hands, I have no desire to fight that. In the guest bathroom, I find one of the spare toothbrushes I keep in stock for Jake and River if needed. On my way back, I grab a tee and some boxers from my dresser, placing them and the toothbrush on the counter next to her.
“These are for you. Are you hungry?”
“No,” she yawns. “Just tired.”
“Okay baby. I’m going to feed Shadow and take her out real quick. I want you snuggled in my bed by the time I get back up here.”
She hops off the counter, wrapping her arms tight around me. “Thank you,” she mumbles into my chest.
Kissing the top of her head, I give her one squeeze before leaving her there. I threw on some boxers to take Shadow out, dropping my mom’s food in the fridge on my way. I’m going to suffer from a serious case of blue balls, but it’s definitely worth it for my girl. Shadow finished her business, so I locked up the house, turning out the lights as I went.
Lily is waiting where I told her to, wrapped in my blankets, her silky hair fanning out over my pillows. Sneaking into the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and got ready for bed. By the time I walked out, Shadow was laying at Lily’s feet, both of them asleep. Moving quietly, I crawled into bed next to her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into my chest.
She lets out a contented sigh as her body melts into mine. This is everything that I had in mind when I was renovating. Coming home from work to find my woman soaking in the tub, going to bed with her body held against mine, Shadow at our feet. I hold her tight all night, reveling in this feeling.
The early morning light pokes through the curtains, waking me like it always does. My body’s internal clock never lets me sleep past six, even on days I don’t work. Lily’s snuggled into my side, her head resting on my chest. The streams of the rising sun bring out the chocolate tones in her hair as I run my fingers through it. Her warm vanilla scent is mixed with mine, creating an intoxicating smell.
No matter how badly I want to keep her here in my bed every night, I know she needs to be able to make her own choices. She needs the freedom and ability to stand on her own, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help. With a soft kiss to her lips, I slip out of bed. Throwing on some clothes, I take Shadow downstairs with me. We go through our morning routine where she eats and potties while I make coffee. While she’s out doing her business, I scrawl out a note for Lily, letting her know there’s fresh coffee in the pot and that I will be back soon, slipping back upstairs to put it on my pillow.
I snag Lily’s keys from her purse, and put Shadow back in the house. The sleepy pup is going to jump back in my spot on the bed and go back to sleep like she always does after time spent at my parents. I don’t want my truck to wake Lily up, so I trudge in my work boots and sweats over to her house, needing to see how bad the damage in her shower is.
Unfortunately, when I get into her house, I find she wasn’t exaggerating at all. A shattered wall of tiles lies across the floor and in the tub. It seems to get worse from there with mold climbing the insulation and wall and cracks riddling the exposed copper piping. Her entire bathroom needs to be re-piped, potentially her entire house. The walls also need to be ripped out for mold remediation to see how far it expands.
Lily’s water will need to be shut off for the whole renovation, and this is her only bathroom, so even if she had water, she will have no toilet or shower. A mix of emotions washes through me at the thought of what this means. For her, it means a lot of money and time getting this done. For me, it means that I can ask her to temporarily move in with me and have her in my bed every night until this is done.
I take some pictures of all the damage, then head back to my place. I’ll need to talk to her before I dive into this project. She may not want me to do it, or to even help. She may not want to stay with me while this is getting fixed. Yes, she agreed to be my girlfriend, but Lily is independent and has been on her own for so long. Moving in with me after one day of dating may drive her away.
That’s the last thing I want to happen, so I make a plan. I’m going to offer her the guest bedroom, with no pressure to move our relationship along. It will be easier for her to spend time with Shadow that way, too, and I can cook us dinner at night. I’m working full time, have responsibilities with the Search and Rescue team, and if she agrees, will work on her renovations. So in reality, we won’t even see each other that much; it will just be a place for her to stay. That’s exactly what I’m going to tell her when I offer it, knowing full well I will be by her side every chance I get.
When I walk in my front door, Lily’s soft voice reaches me right as the smell of bacon does. “Just one piece, sweet girl. I don’t want your daddy to be mad at me and I can’t have you getting sick, okay?”
I kick off my boots and walk into the kitchen to see her back turned to me, stirring eggs on the stove. My shirt swallows her small body, hanging halfway down her thighs, exposing her lean, toned legs. She’s stunning with her hair pulled back in a bun, her hips swaying just slightly with each movement.
“You spoiling our dog again?” I ask, leaning against the side of the island, arms crossed over my chest.
“Crap!” she shouts, dropping the spatula and jumping around to face me. “You can’t sneak up on someone like that, Thoren. Death by spatula was a real possibility.”
My lip twitches with a smile, “Sorry baby, I won’t do it again. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Have a seat, breakfast is almost ready. Where’d you run off to?”
I take a seat on a stool at the island, dropping her keys on the counter. “Your place. Want the good news or the bad news first?”
Her shoulders slump as she turns off the stove and fills two plates with bacon, eggs, and toast. “Bad, I guess.”
I want to shelter her feelings, but Lily needs to know the levity of the situation and I respect her enough to be honest. “Your entire bathroom needs to be gutted. The pipes are old and cracking, and there’s mold behind the tiles. I don’t know how far back it goes. Everything needs to be ripped out and replaced. While the pipes are being replaced, your water will need to be shut off and you won’t have use of your bathroom for a majority of the renovations.”
She puts one plate in front of me as she slides onto the stool beside me. “And what’s the good news?”
“You can stay here. The guest room is open for you, the house will be quiet for you to write, and you’ll never be alone with Shadow here. And I can do the renovations if you don’t want to hire someone. It may take a little longer, but you can be more involved and help whenever you want.”
I glance over to watch her pushing eggs around her plate with the fork. This has to feel like life is piling it on her, but I don’t know what else I can do to help. Her glassy blue eyes meet mine, vulnerability shining through them. “Okay.”
“Okay?” I ask, needing clarification.
“I will stay here, if you’re sure it’s okay. But I will be the one cooking dinner and paying for groceries, and I will also pay you for the renovations.” Her slender throat swallows. “Thank you. I know I’m saying it so much, but I really don’t know how else to express how grateful I am for you.”
“You can eat your breakfast and pack your things. I have a meeting this afternoon, but the guest room is clean and ready for you. Pack whatever you need and I can help you move it all when I come back. How does that sound?”
“Good,” she says, taking her first bite. I love how submissive Lily is, while still holding onto her independence. I expected more of a fight from her, but the fact that she trusts me and listens… it does something to me.
“To be clear, I want you in my space, in my bed, and in my arms. If you are more comfortable in the guest room, though, I understand.” That pretty flush travels up her cheeks again, making me want to trace the path with my tongue. We eat our breakfast, then go our separate ways so I can do the dishes while she takes a shower before heading to her place to pack.
As soon as she leaves, I hop in the shower, loving that she used my soap, yet it still somehow smells like her in here. My dick has been at half mast all morning, seeing her walk around the house in my shirt. God, just the thought of her naked in here has my dick turning to stone. Wrapping my hand around myself, I make long slow strokes, spreading the pre-cum down to the base. With thoughts of her dusky nipples and her tight pussy squeezing my fingers, I shoot my cum in hot ropes along the shower wall.
I’m still unsatisfied, left wanting more of her. All of her. Something about our short time together tells me I will always feel this way. I change quickly, not wanting to be late to the meeting and piss off Michele. She’s amazing, but she also scares me a little. I read over the proposal she sent, and although I don’t want to accept the offer, I am taking the meeting out of respect.
Mike’s ostentatious SUV is already parked outside Michele’s office when I arrive. It only gets worse from there when Sherry pops out the front door as I hop out of my truck. She’s dressed in a skin hugging red dress that barely covers her ass and stiletto heels as she waves with a saccharine smile.
“Hey sweetie, we are all set up and waiting for you,” she coos. I try to hide the revulsion on my face at her voice, her outfit, her in general.
“Sherry, please don’t refer to me as anything other than Thoren or Mr. James,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Oh, come on, we’re closer than that.”
I give a wide berth walking around her and into Michele’s office. “We aren’t. I don’t appreciate it and neither will my girlfriend.”
Michele smiles wide when she sees me, saving me from the tension Sherry now has radiating from her. “Now that everyone’s here, let’s all have a seat so we can go over everything.” She moves closer to me, squeezing my arm, and whispers, “We are talking after this.”
I nod in confirmation because I need her help with some things, and I’m sure she has an opinion about all of this. Once we sit, Mike starts off talking about the three different parcels of land that he is interested in buying from me. I told him when he first reached out that in order for me to even consider it, I wanted to know exactly what he had planned for the land. As he speaks, Sherry hands over mock-ups of what would go on each. For one, he has a luxury condo with amenities planned out, another is a high end gated community, and for the third, he has a large plaza that he plans to fill with a spa, restaurant, and boutique stores.
The thing is, while Cedar Ridge is small, we are a tourist destination in the fall and winter. Thirty minutes away is a large ski resort that has been gaining in popularity over the last few years. His plans aren’t off base, and I’m sure they could do well to bring in more revenue and tourists to the area. The problem is, the town does fine on its own and he would destroy acres of forest. I bought the land not only as an investment, but also to preserve the land.
“As you can see,” Mike drones on, “I already have retailers lined up for all the spaces so they won’t sit vacant. My offer is way above market value for the land, Michele can attest to that. This should be a no-brainer, kid.”
Sherry leans over, making her fake tits all but spill from her dress, as she hands me another paper. Her hand lingers until I look up, and she winks at me, biting her lip. “This could more than set you up for life, Thoren ,” she accentuates my name. “You could settle down, start a family, and not have any worries. Jen always said that’s what you wanted.”
Michele bristles next to me, but I try to ignore her come on, focusing on the numbers on the paper. The paper lists each plot of land, and for each one, the offer exceeds seven figures. Just one of the offers alone is over five times what I paid for all three pieces of land.
“When do you need an answer by?”
“One month, then I start making offers on other land. I have other options, but as a favor to Sherry, I’m bringing these to you first.” Mike says, giving his daughter an annoyed look.
“Okay, I will have an answer for you by then. Thank you for taking the time to get this all together for me.” I stand, shaking his hand, as he and Sherry pack up to leave.
Before they go, Sherry corners me, putting her hand on my chest. “Think about this logically, Thoren. That money is life changing. Your wife would never have to work,” she purrs as her hand trails down my stomach. I can’t step back fast enough, her stifling perfume is overpowering and her hands are the last ones I want on me. With that, she and her father walk out, finally leaving Michele and me to breathe in peace.
“What the fuck was all that?” I ask, plopping back on Michele’s couch as she hands me a water bottle, sitting across from me.
“From what I gathered from town talk and their bickering before you got here, Mike is paying Sherry a fair salary, but she is completely cut off otherwise. Something about a six-figure shopping spree in Seattle,” she snickers. “All those zeros in your offer have her money hungry ass salivating.”
“Ugh,” I groan, rubbing my hands down my face. As if I don’t have enough going on already. “Before we dive into all that, I need your help with something. Lily’s bathroom needs a complete gut, so she’s going to be staying with me while I fix it. I want to give her a writing space, but I don’t know where to start or what to put in it.”
Michele has a knowing smirk on her face, and I flip her off playfully. “She texted me this morning to say you guys were official. We agreed I would be the first to know.”
“Well, Riv was kind of there, so he beat you to it. And I told my parents last night. She’s slacking on her friend duties,” I joke. “But honestly, she had a rough night, so go easy on her.”
If Lily hasn’t confided in Michele yet, I don’t want to break that level of trust again and tell her. When she’s ready, she’ll share what’s going on with her parents.
“How’d it go with the lawyer? And how’d you get her to do it pro bono?” she asks, raising an eyebrow like she already knows the truth.
“I’m paying for it. I wanted Lily to have the best, and Kinsley is that. I know she is living off of a small income and can’t take on an expense like that. You can’t fault me for that.”
“I can fault you for lying to her. Can you afford an expense like that?”
I rub at the back of my neck, then take a sip of water to stall. I have money, but the lawyer is going to cost more than I anticipated and we aren’t even far into things yet. There’s the option to break into my savings, and I will for her, but it’s still a big expense.
“I’m managing it.” Michele stares at me, shaking her head. We’ve known each other long enough that I know she thinks I’m being an idiot. But it’s the right thing to do and we both know it.
“You know selling even just one of those slots of land would take care of that problem. Where’s your head at with all that?”
“I don’t know, Chele. It’s a lot of fucking money.” I drop my hands to my knees and hang my head. “Sherry was right about one thing; I’d be stupid not to take the deal. I just always thought that land would be used for something better. I don’t know what, but I figured I would hold on to it until I knew.”
So many possibilities existed, but I never thought it would be developed for commercial use or attract more versions of Sherry to our town. That is the last thing I want or need. Maybe this isn’t meant to be about me, though. I can talk to the city council and see what they think about it all.
Michele stands up, patting my shoulder as she walks by. “You have time to think about it. I have a showing to get to, so lock up when you leave. I’ll text you with some ideas for Lily’s office.” With that, she grabs her purse, leaving me to wallow.