Page 46 of Off-Limits

Iwake the next morning to find Dottie already gone. I don’t know what I expected, but I hadn’t thought she would leave in the early hours of the morning or night.

I checked the house three times to be certain. Arrie’s room. The bathroom, kitchen and loungeroom. She’s gone, and I don’t like how I’m feeling about the whole damn thing.

I’m an asshole, but I never claimed to be anything else. However, knowing I’ve hurt Dottie makes my cold, tin heart clamour in my chest.

I’ve opened my phone to message her a dozen times and talked myself out of it every single time.

It’s better this way.

Finishing my coffee, I kick off the bench and head toward the bathroom for a shower before going to the workshop and then to the attorney’s office. I can still taste her on my tongue, feel her tight as fuck pussy squeezing my fingers, and it’s not helping the poignancy poisoning my body or the want infecting it.

Get it together, Damon!

And that’s what I do. I shower, get my clothes on, grab my paperwork, and pull myself together. Today is a day I have been anticipating for a very fucking long time.

Kerry-Anne has signed the papers. I just need to give the lawyer my shit, and then it’s done.

I step into the office and see Harry looking toward the reception area.

I follow his line of sight to Dottie.

My heart does a double skip, but I don’t allow my eyes to linger on her too long. I look to Harry again. I don’t like the way he’s watching her. “Harry! You going to work? Or do you plan to perve on my niece all damn day and expect to get paid for it?”

His head snaps to mine while the other boys laugh. I don’t have to look to know Dottie is watching the interaction, but I do anyway. Her normally vivacious violet eyes are sunken in, and it looks like she’s been crying.

Of course she has, wanker!

“Get back to work before I fire you.”

I walk toward the reception area to talk to Dottie, her scent enveloping me when I step into the office, memories and images of last night flooding my mind.

I can still taste her.

“You didn’t have to come in.”

“I did,” she says, glancing away from me and into her lap.

“Dorothy?”

“What?”

“You don’t have to do this…”

She looks up at me, tears clinging to the corner of her glassy eyes.

“I promised Arrie, but as soon as I’m finished, I’m heading back to Sydney.”

“Dottie.”

“Damon, please stop.”

Turning away from her, I walk toward the exit.

“I’ve told Arrie I will be staying at my parents if she mentions it to you.”

“And are you?” I demand, finding myself turning around, and hating the possibility she’s back in that house.

“For tonight, yes.”