Between that, and gaining the purpose that having work again brought, I finally shook off all that shit that had been keeping me down for years, and found some peace and joy again.
It was why I was feeling so sensitive about it, why I’d made the comment about needing to get a dog. Because some part of me was more worried than I should have been about what she thought of the space.
I led her through the living room, the kitchen slash dining space, the small study in the back, then up the back staircase to the three bedrooms before heading back down to lead her onto the porch that overlooked the backyard.
“Wow,” she said, exhaling hard as she looked around.
It wasn’t a huge space. Not many people in Navesink Bank had big yards, save for the rich people in the fancier areas. But I’d busted my ass to make it feel bigger. And private, despite having neighbors.
There was a stockade fence all around the backyard with mature trees and some pretty extensive, but not overly fussy, landscaping.
There was a hammock hanging between trees, a fire pit with Adirondack chairs, and a grilling and picnic section.
“It almost makes you want to take off your shoes and sink your feet in,” she said.
“Go ahead then,” I invited.
“I saidalmost,” she said, shooting me a smirk over her shoulder. “I really like your house. It feels very warm and inviting. I can imagine curling up in front of the fireplace when it’s snowing outside with a cup of coffee and some music playing.”
“That’s exactly what I was going for. Cozy winter vibes inside, and lazy, relaxing summer vibes out here.”
“Well, you nailed it. If your career as a private investigator ever becomes unfulfilling, you could fall back on an interior decorating career.”
“Always good to have options,” I agreed. “Why don’t you come and make yourself comfortable while I pack a few things?” I invited.
“Do you mind if I make coffee?” she asked, absentmindedly running her hands over the countertop in the island.
And she just looked so… right there.
I could see her there, making her coffee or tea, ordering in takeout since she didn’t seem like she cooked much, maybe occasionally glancing over at her laptop on the dining table, but not feeling quite so pulled to reach for it anymore.
“Help yourself. Might want to check the date on the creamer, though,” I said as I turned back. “I haven’t been here to keep an eye on it,” I added before making my way up the stairs to the second floor.
I packed like I would for both work and a world-tour affair with a wealthy woman.
So there were jeans and tees and henleys, but also slacks and a button-up, and I went ahead and even rolled up my suit, tossing a bottle of wrinkle release in the bag for good measure.
Which meant I had the normal shoes on my feet, a pair of loafers, and a set of dress shoes as well.
From there, I grabbed my smaller bag, tossing in a razor, shave gel, some cologne, body wash, and some hair product just in case, even though I kept it relatively short.
I didn’t need a toothbrush or paste since I’d stolen the ones in the guest bathroom drawer. She had an impressive stock of guest products considering she said she didn’t typically have guests over.
Preparedness seemed to be a hobby of hers. She needed everything to be just right in case anyone did need to stay over sometime. I’d bet she had it in her—or Cam’s—calendar to rotate that shit out every so often so nothing went past its expiration date.
I was reasonably sure there was toothpaste in my guest bathroom. Whether it was still any good or not was up for debate.
I heard her heels on the steps, prompting me to move out of the bathroom just as she was moving into the doorway of my room.
“I brought you a coffee,” she said, giving me a smile that, for her—a woman who typically portrayed herself as a bulletproof kind of confident—seemed almost shy.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” I said, moving forward toward her, watching as something flickered across her eyes as I spoke.
She liked the endearments. Whether she would admit that or not.
She likedmewhether she was willing to admit that or not as well.
I probably shouldn’t have delighted in that as much as I did. But after hearing her make herself come in the bath while I was already standing there with my cock in my hand because I couldn’t stop thinking about her in said bath, yeah, you could say my interest had only gotten more and more intense.