20. No More Of Her Shit
No More Of Her Shit
Doug
Staring at the ceiling with my dick in my hand, I take a deep breath. Two weeks of imagining Cara getting herself off in various ways, and I hate myself for it, but I can’t stop. The thought of watching her come on her fingers and then me sucking them clean plays on repeat, and I swear, I’m going to get fucking blisters.
I exhale and shake my head, then reach into my nightstand drawer for the lube hiding at the back.
‘Fuck it.’ I growl before squirting some into my palm and spreading it all over my cock.
I’m too far gone now to stop. Tomorrow, I think. Tomorrow will be the day that I stop jerking off over her. Right now, I give in to the strokes and the big pretty brown eyes in my mind.
The house is looking so good. The guys I brought in to help me move it forward have been working their asses off, and it shows. It’s almost ready for Cara to move in. While I hate the idea of her living there while it’s still a work in progress, I also hate the idea of her in the cabin any longer. The construction guys have noticed her, and some of them aren’t bad-looking guys. I can reluctantly admit that. The last thing I need is for her to decide they can help her figure some things out.
I haven’t seen her. She went out of town to visit with a friend for a few nights, thank heaven for small mercies, so today is the first time I’ll get to look at her since I discovered her truth and got handed my own by Leo.
Be the one to make her come, man. Listen to her moaning your name and then tell me it’s not worth the fight. You’ll never lose Bo, but you could risk losing the girl.
I don’t know Cara well enough to know if there could be something lasting there, but something about her makes me think she’s not just someone I want to fuck. She’s different, and as much as I tell myself I don’t, I want to figure out why.
‘Okay, guys. Y’all can call it a day. I need to show the owner around, and then I’ll meet you down at the bar. Sound good?’
They all agree and start packing up, and I walk around the house, making sure it looks how I want it to look before she arrives.
I’m standing on the front porch when the dark blue Mini pulls up onto the drive. I shake my head. She bought a fucking Mini.
She climbs out of the driver’s seat, and I swallow hard. Fuck me . Her long legs stretch out sensually, one after the other, and she has no idea what she’s doing to me. She looks beautiful in another sundress, and her hair is not only down and curled slightly, but it’s also a little darker now, not brown exactly, still blond, but not the platinum and purple of before. I loved her hair how it was, but this. Fuck, she’s sexy.
‘I’m sorry, this is private property,’ I joke because apparently, I can’t remember I’m not supposed to like her, and she pushes her sunglasses up onto her head.
‘Good job I know the owner then, I guess.’ She smiles, and I inhale deeply as she approaches. ‘Doug, it looks amazing.’
‘Wait till you see inside.’ My fingers twitch as I almost hold out my hand to her, and I want to kick my own ass.
I let us in the front door, and she gasps as I stand aside to let her pass.
‘My god. It’s a whole new house.’
I watch her turn in the space as she walks around, taking it all in. Hardly any of the cosmetic work has happened yet, but the kitchen has started to go in.
‘I wanted to make sure you had somewhere to cook, so I prioritized the kitchen, also the master bed and bath. If you move in before it’s completely done, it’ll be basic but livable.’
‘I can’t believe it.’ She runs her hands over the kitchen island and gazes around wistfully. ‘When I first saw the house, as much as I wanted to try, I couldn’t see how it could be transformed into something I could actually move into.’
I stand on the other side of the kitchen as she leans forward over the island to run her fingers over it. I can see her legs, her calves tight and pronounced as she reaches up on her tiptoes, the backs of her thighs smooth and exposed as her dress rises. I’d only have to stand behind her right now, and I could reach under her dress, pull her panties down, and see how wet I could get her… Jesus, Doug . Get it together.
‘I love it so much. This quartz is beautiful. I can’t stop touching it.’
I nod as she smiles at me.
‘You took long enough to decide on it, so I hope so.’ I smirk, and she laughs. Jesus, that laugh. ‘You can move in next week if you want to, but we do still have a lot to do, so you need to consider that it will still be a worksite.’
I turn away from her because her smile is fucking blinding.
‘Seriously. Oh my god.’ I can hear the excitement in her voice. ‘Yes, I can’t wait. I am so ready to be away from my noisy neighbors.’
‘What?’
She huffs. ‘The guys in the other cabins. They have parties most nights, loud music, singing, and shouting. Zoe has told them, but they don’t listen. They just wait until the bar is closed, and she’s gone home.’
Are you fucking kidding me?
‘I’ll tell them.’
She shakes her head. ‘No, it’s okay. I’ll be out of there soon, thanks to you. Just a few more nights.’
Nah, fuck that. They’re disrespecting my sister and her business and keeping Cara awake. Not fucking happening.
I let her walk out of the room to check out the rest of the house and pull out my cell to call Zoe.
‘Hey, princess,’ she says, and I roll my eyes. Why do I give a fuck about her again?
‘Hey, I’m at the house with Cara, and she mentioned the dicks in the other cabins are partying at night.’
I hear her groan. ‘Yes, I need them gone, but I also need the money. I keep trying to get them to stop.’
‘I’ll stay at the bar tonight and whenever I don’t have Bo. Maybe they’ll listen to me.’ The small apartment above the bar is basic, but Zoe keeps it clean and ready for use just in case. I’ve considered moving in there, but Zo stays there sometimes when she has a particularly late night and doesn’t want to make the long five-minute trip home, or when she’s too wasted to make the effort, or when… nope, I do not need to think about my sister hooking up. Regardless, above a bar isn’t where I want to create a home for Bowie. ‘Zo, if they need to go, they need to go. It’ll be summer soon, and you’ll make the losses back.’
‘I know, but—’
‘No buts. I’ll stay there and keep an eye on them, but I’m not taking their shit, Zo, and neither are you.’
‘This has more to do with the pretty little birdy in cabin ten than me, but I appreciate you.’
‘Fuck you. See you later.’
I end the call as Cara comes back into the room and decide not to tell her. She doesn’t need to know.
‘Thank you, Doug, really. I know this is something you’ve always wanted to do, but it’s so beautiful. I can’t wait to see it all done.’
Her smile is so sweet and genuine as she leans against her car, gazing up at the house.
‘It’s my pleasure, Cara.’ I take a deep breath and blow it out. ‘I need to apologize.’
‘No.’ She holds up her hand. ‘Please don’t. I’ve just about got my head around it all and accepted that it was just a moment. Don’t confuse me all over again, please.’
I swallow the apology I was about to offer and nod my head.
‘I like to know where I stand with people, Doug. You said you don’t like me, and honestly, that’s easier for me to work with than trying to figure out the mixed messages, so can we just go with that?’
I step back slightly, her words shocking me, but I nod my agreement before I can muster up an argument.
‘Okay.’
She inhales, blows it out, then gets in her car and leaves. I guess I’m back to not liking her then.
I park up at the bar and fight the temptation to go looking for that blue Mini. I want to know if she’s here, but as I approach the door of the bar, my plans for the evening change.
Sitting at the outdoor tables playing with her toy cars is my baby girl, and the devil personified.
‘Your mom said you weren’t at home, so I assumed you’d be here,’ she spits out, and I roll my eyes as I lean in to kiss my baby’s head.
‘I was at work, Jessie.’
‘Funny because your guys inside said they finished up over an hour ago.’
‘You don’t talk to my guys, Jess.’ I point at her, and she puts her hands on her hips and gives me the look.
‘I’ll talk to whoever the fuck I want.’
‘Watch your language.’ I growl at her. I’m sick of her cursing in front of Bowie.
‘Who were you with, Doug?’
‘I was at work, Jess, but it’s not your business. We are not together.’
‘Hey Bo, you want to go on a road trip with Mama?’ she calls out. Bowie is used to her games enough to ignore her, but it squeezes my heart.
‘Quit threatening me. She’s not a pawn to use against me. You don’t want me, but you don’t want me to be with anyone else. What the hell is wrong with you? I’m a good fuckin’ dad.’ I lower my voice, sick of her shit but not wanting Bowie to hear.
‘You are a good dad,’ she admits, ‘because you’re around when we need you. You need to remember where your focus needs to be, Doug. If I find out your attention is being spent elsewhere, we’re going to have to reassess our arrangement.’
‘That’s enough, Jessie,’ Bree’s calm voice cuts through the silence that descended, and I turn to see her standing over us in uniform.
‘Stay out of this, Breanne. It doesn’t concern you.’
‘That’s my brother and my niece, and this is my town. If you’re going to throw threats around, you can be damn sure it concerns me.’
Jessie stares at Bree for a solid minute, and when Zoe comes out of the bar and calls Bowie to her, Jess decides this is one she won’t win.
‘I’m going out of town. She’s yours till Monday.’
Then she turns and, without saying goodbye to her daughter, walks away.
‘She can’t keep doing this, honey. You need to do something about this.’
‘I’m going to.’ I answer my mom with venom lacing my words. Zoe has taken Bo up for her bath after calling in some help at the bar, and Bree is coming over soon.
‘That girl is just like her father. Just takes what she wants without thinking about the consequences for other people.’
‘Her grandfather too,’ Merv adds. ‘That family has had a nasty streak for as long as I’ve known them,’
‘And before.’ Mama breathes, looking down at the table.
It’s true. Jessie’s dad was a bastard. He’s part of the reason she cheated on me. He told her I’d never be able to provide her with the life she deserved, so Jessie tried to lure in the guys who had more money.
‘Hey, y’all,’ Bree greets as she walks in. ‘You okay?’
I nod, staring down at my hands clasped together on the table.
‘I have to make this official. I want that kid under my roof permanently.’
‘Okay, I’ll make some calls.’ Bree squeezes my shoulder. ‘Now, I need to see my baby. She upstairs?’ I nod, and my sister heads up to her niece.
‘We’ll get this fixed, Doug,’ Mama says softly. ‘No more of her shit, okay.’
Okay. No more of her shit.