Chapter 29
Cy had his hands around Willa’s waist as she straddled him. She was riding him like she’d done it many times before. Her breasts bounced in an alluring way, making him so hard he wasn’t sure he would last.
She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world. He had no idea what was lacking with Robert, but the man was an idiot. Willa was amazing at sex.
He could tell she was about to come based on the look on her face. He reached up and pinched her nipples. He loved that touching her breasts gave her so much pleasure. He teased her nipples a little more, which pushed her over the edge.
Watching her orgasm was enough to get him to come. He’d wanted to flip her and pound in, but it was too much to see her lost in ecstasy.
After they finished, he disposed of the condom and then held her loosely, slowly stroking her arm.
“I could get used to this.” Willa’s whispered words were like balm to his soul. But what did she mean? Was it just sex for her? He hoped it went deeper than sex. He wanted much, much more from her than just a few weeks or months of sex.
“What could you get used to?”
She went up on her elbow, studying his face. “I know I just got out of a relationship a few months ago, but it was bad. It wasn’t really a relationship. It was a prison. I wanted to leave long before I walked out, but it was difficult.”
“Hey, you got out when you could.”
She moved from his hold and sat up. Her beautiful body was on display, and the idea of more sex warmed him. But first, he needed to hear what she had to say.
“There are a lot of things I should have done differently. Walking out the first time things got weird. If I’d done that, I don’t know where I would be. But I know it’s soon, and maybe I’m not being smart, but I want more with you. We haven’t known each other for long, but—“
He sat up and cupped her face. “I want more with you.”
Her lips screwed up to the side. “It’s not too early?”
What was the perfect timeline for a relationship? He’d met women he’d connected with quickly, but the depth hadn’t been there. With Willa, there was something beyond lust, something more than just desire and sex. He liked her as a person.
“I think we’re moving at an appropriate pace. We were friends first. It may seem fast to others, but I don’t feel like it was fast.”
Her teeth dug into her lower lip, and it looked like she was really thinking about something. “So I don’t want to have a relationship where we bring in other people. Like I can’t watch you with other women.”
He held her gaze, trying to make sure she understood how he felt. “I’m not into open relationships. I wouldn’t cheat, either. That’s not me, but you don’t know me very well.”
“And you don’t really know me. So is it too fast?”
He shook his head. “Let’s get to know each other. We’ll spend time together and learn what each other likes.”
“I hate cauliflower.”
He couldn’t stop the laughter from spilling from his lips. She joined him, and laughter filled the room.
His soul felt lighter, like she was healing him. Being with Willa was like two interlocking pieces fitting perfectly together. Maybe it was too early to feel this way, but he knew without a doubt that Willa was his, and he was hers.
After another round of lovemaking, they ate sandwiches and relaxed on the couch for a while.
“I have to clean the place before the week starts.”
“I can do that tomorrow.”
“No way am I having you clean on your own. We can take care of it in no time together.”
She nodded, delight filling her eyes. “Okay. I’ll start in the kitchen.”
“I’ll clean the bathroom.”
Willa moved to the kitchen and started washing dishes. Cy was too nice. When he’d said he would clean the bathroom, she wasn’t sure what she expected, but he actually cleaned, and she didn’t have to go back and tidy up after him.
She should have expected him to be competent in the task because his house had been clean when she’d shown up.
He was responsible, and she liked not having to worry about him throwing a tantrum because he had to help out. Maybe she wasn’t seeing the real him, but she thought she was. There weren’t any signs that he was lying to her.
She didn’t have to go into work, so she took a nap in the middle of the afternoon while he read something he wanted to catch up on.
When she woke, she had a wild thought. It might be too much to ask. She shouldn’t ask. She should plan on returning to the room she rented at some point.
Her stomach tightened. She didn’t want to leave. But they hadn’t been together long, and she didn’t need to put this kind of pressure on him. He hadn’t asked her to move in, and it would be rude to tell him that she was moving in.
A small part of her worried that if she moved in, he would change. That was how Robert had gotten her. He’d turned into a totally different person once she was hooked.
“Hey,” Cy's voice made her jump. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard me come in.”
“I was lost in thought, I guess.”
“What were you thinking so hard about?”
“Nothing. Well…” She worried that saying anything would set him off.
He raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything. Was he playing at something, or was he giving her space?
“Sorry. I just, it’s just I don’t know how to do this.”
“Do what?”
She waved her hands over her head. “Everything. I don’t want to screw this up, and I’m overthinking.
Like I have the room I rent, and I don’t know if I should go back there to sleep this week, but I don’t want to leave you.
I work nights, so I won’t be here in the evenings after you get off work, and I won’t see you. ”
“Hey, don’t overthink. How about we grab some dinner and talk at the table? You can go through the pros and cons of keeping the room.”
She blew out a harsh breath and nodded. “Okay. I started panicking there.”
“I get it. Come on, I’ll get something going, and then we can talk while we eat.”
She nodded before getting up. When she stepped into the kitchen, he already had a pan on the stove and was cooking chicken. The vegetables were cut and ready to go into another pan.
“So this, you’re not faking things to make me think this is what it will be like?”
He glanced over at her, his eyebrows raised. “What do you mean?”
“Like if I move in, you aren’t going to change?”
He flipped the chicken and then turned the heat down before he faced her.
“We all change. That’s how life is. Sometimes we change for the better, sometimes we make things a lot worse.
Some days I’ll do all the cooking because you’re busy, and other days you’ll do it because I’m busy.
But no, I’m not going to start acting like a totally different person just because you move in here with me. ”
“Oh, moving in? About that, were you thinking I should?”
“That’s what you were thinking about when I walked into the bedroom, right?”
She nodded. “But how did you know?”
He shrugged like knowing what she was thinking was no big deal. “Just the logical thing.”
Laughter spilled from her lips. “You’re amazing.”
He shook his head. “Just observant. Plus, you looked worried. I get it. The last guy you trusted turned out to be a dick. I may have issues, but I’m not going to change how we’re interacting now.
I’ve lived on my own for a long time, and I don’t need a babysitter or a housekeeper. I want a partner.”
She nodded slowly, thinking that Cy was very smart. He had taken all her worries and basically made her realize that those worries weren’t that big of a deal.
“So work. That’s another issue.”
“What’s the issue? Tell me while we finish cooking dinner.”
“I don’t like that most days we wouldn’t even see each other. Or if we did, it wouldn’t be for long.”
He nodded. “Do you have an idea for a solution?”
“The room was the cheapest I could find, and it was sixteen hundred a month. I’ve tried finding cheaper places, but it’s hard. Any time I get a line on a new place, it’s gone before I can make arrangements. Plus, I can’t afford another deposit for most of those places.”
“That must be difficult.”
She pulled out plates, and Cy served the food. He ate a lot more than she did, and she kind of wondered where he put it all.
“I don’t want to be stuck, and I know you’re not trying to get me into a position where I am stuck.”
“No, I don’t want you stuck. How about this? You can move in here.”
“What about rent?”
He shook his head. “I don’t pay that much for my mortgage. I got a good deal, and I’ve owned this place for a while.”
“I can’t live here for free.”
“We could set up a reasonable rent price, and then you could save your money. If you had a good base of money saved, then if you wanted to live on your own again, you could.”
His words played through her mind. If she didn’t have to pay so much in rent, she could save money.
“How much were you thinking about for rent?”
“Just a few hundred.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It is. Plus, you could save money. Then, if you ever wanted to leave, you would have the down payment for a place.”
“You’re being way too nice.”
“No, Willa, I’m just not being an ass. This is how it should be.”
She chewed on a bite, trying not to cry. This man was saving her. If she had money in the bank, she wouldn’t be trapped.
He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Move in here. We’ll find a way to make everything work.”
“If I don’t have to pay so much for rent, I could take a day shift. I might end up working a few nights, but I could be on day shift most of the time.”
When he smiled, it was like the sun shining directly on her. The warmth and goodness filling her made her insides tingle. This was more than she ever expected. She could do this, could move to his place, and everything would be good.
The fear of being trapped had weighed heavily on her mind. Now she felt free, like never before. If Cy was for real, this could be the best thing that ever happened to her.